Labour’s Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has revealed plans to reinstate means-tested grants for the most financially disadvantaged university students. Phillipson emphasized the importance of making higher education accessible to all, not just the affluent, and pledged to enact these changes during the current parliamentary term. The grants, previously available to students from households earning under £25,000, were eliminated by the Conservative government in 2016 and replaced with loans under Chancellor George Osborne’s austerity measures.
During the Labour Party’s annual conference, Phillipson criticized the Tories for politicizing universities and declared Labour’s commitment to serving working-class youth through educational opportunities. She announced the introduction of targeted maintenance grants for students pursuing “priority courses” at levels four to six, covering qualifications like higher national diplomas and undergraduate degrees.
Funding for these grants will come from a levy on international students attending English higher education institutions. More details will be disclosed in the upcoming Budget announcement this autumn. In response, the University College Union’s General Secretary, Jo Grady, criticized the plan, arguing that relying on international student fees to fund grants is unfair and diverts attention from addressing the inadequacies in the education system.
Conversely, Dani Payne from the Social Market Foundation praised the initiative, highlighting the financial challenges faced by many students and the importance of supporting those from lower-income backgrounds in pursuing higher education and technical qualifications for improved social mobility.