Andy Burnham has been accused of “hiking tuition fees to record levels” by the Scottish National Party (SNP) as analysis reveals today’s English undergraduates have over £50,000 of debt on average.
When university tuition fees were introduced by new Labour under Tony Blair, they were set at £1,000.
But fees at English universities are now set at £9,790 a year, a “staggering” rise of 879 per cent.
Analysis from the House of Commons library found undergraduates could owe around £70,000 by the time they finish university if they take the full loan amount, rising to a maximum of £81,000 for those studying in London.
Read Also: Beavers released into wild on Exmoor form blossoming bond
Graduates leaving university in 2025 had, on average, debt of £53,010, the research found.
During the 2015 Labour leadership contest, the Prime Minister said he would scrap tuition fees and replace them with a graduate tax to “lift the millstone of debt” from students.
SNP Westminster economy spokeswoman Kirsty Blackman said: “Andy Burnham once promised to follow the SNP’s lead and scrap university tuition fees but instead they are rising to record levels under his leadership.
“It is shocking that, thanks to the Labour Party, thousands of young people beginning university in England this year will start their working lives burdened with £81,000 of debt.
“There is simply no excuse for the fact that tuition fees have risen by a staggering 879 per cent since the Labour Party introduced them – and it means that Andy Burnham is breaking his promises to millions of students and young people.”
Ms Blackman said under the SNP, Scottish tuition fees would “always be free”.
She said: “Scottish students graduating in 2025 left university with a whopping £35,000 less debt than students in England.
“Andy Burnham promised he would be different, but he’s already performed more U-turns and broken more promises than Keir Starmer.
BRITAIN’S UNIVERSITIES – READ MORE:
- Jason Arday died an ‘unnatural’ death, coroner’s court told
- Young Britons face jobs nightmare as graduate roles plunge to record low
- Reform vows to ‘save Britain from the abyss’ with plan to fix broken apprenticeship system
“Burdening young people with £81,000 of debt before they’ve even started their working lives isn’t tackling the cost of living – it’s making it increasingly unbearable.
Mr Burnham has made several commitments intended to tackle the cost of living, including slashing the business rate for pubs and capping bus fares at £2 from January.
But it remains unclear how his policies will be funded as government borrowing costs have skyrocketed – hitting a 28-year high just days ago.
Noting that when the Prime Minister went to university he paid no fees, Ms Blackman said Labour was delivering the “same old broken promises”.
“It’s all well-and-good Andy Burnham spending his time making fancy TikTok videos, but what families want to see is real action to put money in their pockets – not another Labour Party tuition fee hike that will take even more money away from hard-pressed households,” she added.
“Andy Burnham must come clean and admit whether his promise to scrap fees is another broken promise on the Westminster bonfire.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We know the student loan system we inherited is broken and unfair, and some graduates feel the weight of this more strongly.
“We will continue to look for ways to make the system fairer for students, graduates and taxpayers in a financially sustainable way.
“We’re breaking down barriers to accessing university by increasing maximum maintenance loans this year, targeting the largest amount of support to students from the lowest income families, and we’re reintroducing targeted maintenance grants to help people from all backgrounds access university or college.”
Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter
