Labour’s Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has unveiled plans to reinstate means-tested grants for the neediest university students. Phillipson emphasized the importance of expanding access to higher education beyond the affluent minority and pledged swift action within the current parliamentary term. The grants, originally available to students with household incomes below £25,000, were eliminated by the Conservative government in 2016 and replaced with loans by former Chancellor George Osborne.
During the Labour Party’s annual conference, Phillipson criticized the Tories for politicizing universities and affirmed Labour’s commitment to serving working-class youth. She outlined the government’s decision to introduce targeted maintenance grants for students pursuing priority courses at levels four to six, encompassing qualifications like the certificate of higher education and undergraduate degrees. These grants will be funded through a new levy on international students attending English higher education institutions, with further details to be disclosed in the upcoming Budget.
The University College Union (UCU) General Secretary, Jo Grady, expressed concerns about using international students as a revenue source for maintenance grants, citing the strain on foreign students already facing high tuition fees. In contrast, Dani Payne from the Social Market Foundation praised the initiative, highlighting the significance of supporting lower-income students to enhance social mobility and educational opportunities.
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