Chancellor backing fresh look at student tuition fees

PHILIP HAMMOND has said it is time for the Government to look again at tuition fees as Labour tries to thwart proposed increases with a Commons vote today.

The Chancellor thinks some university courses should be cheaper as there is a “significant difference” between the job prospects of students graduating with different degrees. He hinted the Government will try to shame universities into dropping fees by publishing information about the job prospects of graduates from different courses.

This comes after reports that ministers are also considering cutting the maximum 6.1 per cent interest rate on student loans.

Labour will today attempt to block proposals that would allow universities to increase fees by £250 to a maximum of £9,250 per year. Angela Rayner, shadow education secretary, has tabled a debate and vote on the measure due to come into effect this year.

Labour hopes to use the vote to test the strength of the Conservative-dup pact, as the DUP is opposed to increases in tuition fees.

Giving evidence to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee yesterday, Mr Hammond said: “I do think there’s a significant difference between a graduate who leaves university with a, perhaps, quite significant level of debt and a well-recognised degree in an area which is known to provide strong employment opportunities; and a graduate on the other hand who perhaps has a very similar level of debt but who may not have a degree that is going to enhance his or her employment opportunities in the same way.”