The 2024 General Election has put an end to the 14-year Tory rule in York. Rachael Maskell won her seat at York Central, continuing the Labour hold on the constituency. York Outer results showed a Labour gain from the Conservatives, with Labour’s Luke Charters obtaining the majority of votes; this ended Julian Sturdy’s 14-year hold on the constituency. York’s results reflect the national outcome - Labour won this year’s election by a landslide, causing a historic Tory defeat.
So what does a Labour-run country mean for students? A political shift in the country reflects the desperate need for change, including in the higher education sector. The last 14 years have been marred by universities facing a financial crisis, almost forcing some universities into bankruptcy. Universities have had to increasingly rely on international students in hopes of bringing in more money.
Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and battles over immigration policies are just some of the reasons why universities are suffering. Political instability in the past few years has not made the situation any better; Keir Starmer is our sixth Prime Minister in 10 years, and we have had 10 education secretaries from 2013 to 2023.
It’s unclear, however, how the new government will fix a funding crisis that has forced many UK universities to cut back on subjects and fire academics. The Conservative-led coalition, in 2010, dramatically cut public spending, and in England and Wales, chose to triple tuition fees for UK students to £9,250 a year. Universities have cranked up the number of international students in order to bring in more money.
But the conservative anti-immigration policy regarding the concern that foreign students were using study as a route to work in the UK or bring over family members, has resulted in a sharp drop in overseas students. The Conservatives, at the beginning of the year, stopped most students from bringing dependents with them to the UK. Rishi Sunak, our former PM, had been considering restricting, and even scrapping, the graduate visa route as a way of reducing migration figures. The graduate visa scheme allowed overseas students to work in the UK for up to two years after graduation.
This plan, however, was dropped after Ministers argued the importance this scheme held in attracting international students to the UK. Sunak also planned to cut down on ‘rip-off’ university courses, insisting there remain some degree courses that offer little in the way of job prospects and leave students saddled with unpayable debt.
Labour admits there’s a problem with the higher education system, but there’s little hope the tuition fees will be scrapped; Labour has ruled this out due to the country having limited funds. They have, however, shut down the Conservatives’ idea of ending ‘poor-performing’ courses.
It is frustrating that Labour’s manifesto during the election did not specifically address the concerns surrounding higher education, proving how students are often overlooked in political objectives. The new Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has indicated the government will support international student recruitment to put universities on “sustainable footing”. Whilst speaking on BBC’s Today program on 22 July, Phillipson has also vowed to maintain the Graduate Route visa under the Labour government; Phillipson recognised “the difference international students make when it comes to the local economy and regeneration … the soft power and the reach they give us around the world as they return home after their studies”.
Responding to concerns regarding the change to university tuition fees, Phillipson didn’t rule out raising tuition fees in line with inflation and denied that the government would act as a “lender of last resort”.
According to The Times, The University of York, with an income of £518 million in 2022/23, have set up a voluntary severance scheme for staff and there have reportedly been 413 redundancies being planned for staff. This scheme means the university allows staff to agree to depart early from employment, with a payment to support them leaving the university.
It has also been reported that the University of York is lowering the entry requirements for some international students, in response to financial challenges. While York maintains that a typical offer for undergraduate applicants requires A grades at A-level, the university will now admit some international applicants as undergraduates with the equivalent of B or C at A-level, while entry to postgraduate courses would require a 2:2 award or similar, rather than a 2:1.
Uncertainty looms as the Labour government fails to disclose how they plan on dealing with the UK’s university funding crisis, which has forced 66 universities – more than a third of the sector – to cut jobs and courses. There has been a lack of policies around higher education from the Labour Party both during the election and since coming into power. The King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament did not mention anything regarding universities or funding higher education either. But this is just the beginning of the Labour reign. It is crucial that Keir Starmer considers the weight of the catastrophe that UK universities are dealing with, in order to address the problems of the youth who were so eager to see a Labour government after 14 years of chaos.
