Labour places HE high on agenda in conference season – but other parties hit back at policies

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer used his keynote speech at this year’s Labour conference to stress his party’s focus on education, including announcing a new pledge to get two-thirds of youngsters into further study or work.  

Speaking at the recent conference in Liverpool, Starmer declared that Tony Blair’s old target to “get 50% of kids to uni” was no longer “right for our times”, instead announcing that he wants two-thirds of young Brits to either attend university, enter further education, or study a ‘gold standard’ apprenticeship. 

This announcement marks a shift in political tone for the Labour Party, with a new emphasis on skills training linked to jobs. 

Starmer also announced nearly £800 million extra in funding for 16–19 education, including 14 new “technical excellence” colleges, after funding for these institutions had fallen further behind schools and universities.  

By 2040, the government hopes that at least 10% of young people will pursue higher technical courses or apprenticeships – almost double the current level.

Grants will be funded by the income from a proposed 6% levy on international student fees

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, praised the new focus on colleges, calling them the “forgotten heroes of the education system”. 

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also announced at the conference that maintenance grants would be reintroduced for some university students.  

These grants will be funded by the income from a proposed 6% levy on international student fees, which could see Warwick – where 64% of total tuition fees are paid by non-UK students – paying a fee of £17 million a year.  

The levy could amount to a total £621 million for England’s higher education institutions, with major metropolitan universities like UCL and Manchester set to be the most affected.  

Unlike maintenance loans, these maintenance grants will not need to be repaid. Only students from low-income backgrounds studying ‘government priority’ courses, including engineering and health and social care, will be eligible. Further logistical details are expected in November’s Autumn Budget.  

Anna Searle, Chief Executive Officer at The Access Project, an organisation supporting young people from under-resourced backgrounds into higher education, said: “While we welcome the decision to reintroduce maintenance grants for priority subjects, we hope future funding extends grant eligibility to all higher education courses.” 

Vivienne Stern, Chief Executive of Universities UK, was critical of the move and said: “A levy on international students will not help disadvantaged students, it will hinder them. 

“As emerging evidence already shows, it would reduce the number of places available for domestic students and mean universities have even less of their scant resources to invest into expanding access and supporting students.” 

Welsh Education Secretary, Lynne Neagle, has stated that the levy will not apply in Wales. Decisions over education policy are devolved to the Senedd. 

Neagle said: “We want our international students to continue to feel welcomed for the positive social, and cultural, and economic contributions they make in Wales.” 

While education was high on the government’s agenda in Liverpool, opposition parties also hit back in their conferences with their own policies on higher education.

“[The Tories] will shut down these rip-off courses”

Kemi Badenoch, Conservative Party Leader

Kemi Badenoch, Leader of the Conservative Party, announced that a Tory government would reintroduce student number controls and cut the number of UK university places by around 100,000.

In her speech, Badenoch said: “We will shut down these rip-off courses and use the money to double the apprenticeship budget”. The party also plans to implement caps on funded courses with “poor graduate outcomes”. 

Labour slammed the Tories’ proposal, with a spokesperson saying that the plan “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”. They added: “[The Tories] waged divisive culture wars – treating students as political pawns rather than investing in education for public good.” 

The Conservatives also pledged a £5,000 tax rebate for young homebuyers when they get their first full-time job to “reward work”. This hit back at Rachel Reeves’ case for a society where “hard work is matched by fair reward”, with the Chancellor promising the “abolition of long-term youth unemployment”. 

At Reform UK’s conference last month, Nigel Farage spoke out against the higher education sector for “poisoning the minds of students”, saying that children at school should be taught trades and services.

The Liberal Democrats also discussed education in Bournemouth, proposing a £10,000 training grant for every adult to support re-skilling and career transition, as well as plans to extend the pupil premium to post-16 further education learners.