Latest policy: Tuition fees to rise as new Tory leader makes shadow cabinet appointment | Politics News

As we previously reported, the first tuition fee increase in 8 years is expected to be announced this afternoon.

Sky News knows wages will rise with inflation; This means £9,500 per year in October 2025 and £10,500 in 2029.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is set to confirm the move in a statement to the House of Commons later.

Given that Sir Keir Starmer promised to abolish tuition fees when he became Labor leader in 2020, any such announcement is likely to spark a strong backlash.

The Prime Minister walked back that promise early last year, saying it was no longer affordable due to the “different financial situation” the country was in and that he had chosen to prioritize the NHS.

However, he said at the time that Labor would offer a “fairer solution” for students if it won the election.

Independent MP Zara Sultana, who lost the Labor whip after two children rebelled against the benefit cap, posted on “It’s time to cancel your debts because education is not a commodity, it’s a public good.”

Universities are struggling with a funding crisis caused largely by a huge drop in the number of students coming from abroad.

Rules introduced by Rishi Sunak’s government have made it harder for international students, who pay higher fees than British students, to also bring their families to the UK.

But Ms Phillipson recently said universities should try to manage their own budgets before hoping for a bailout from taxpayers.