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Has Labour Just Promised To Scrap Tuition Fees With Election Win?

Has Labour Just Promised To Scrap Tuition Fees With Election Win?

Students, sit up and pay attention!

Michael Minay

Michael Minay

Labour has proposed to scrap tuition fees 'once and for all' if the party wins the General Election in June, the Shadow Chancellor has said.

Tuition fees currently max out at £9,250 for students across the United Kingdom and may be axed if the Labour Party win the General Election.

Footage emerged of a speech delivered by John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, in which he hinted that the Labour party's manifesto may include plans to scrap tuition fees in March.

"It's not a commodity to be bought and sold," said McDonnell, at an event two weeks ago. "So we want to introduce - just as the Atlee government with Nye Bevan introduced the National Health Service - we want to introduce a national education service."

Tuition fees were first introduced under the Labour government in 1998 when Tony Blair came to power. The initial fee then was £1,000 per year, which rose to £3,000 per year in 2004 following the Higher Education Act, and in 2012 they shot up three-fold to £9,000.

Credit: PA

McDonnell added that education would be "free at the point of need throughout life. And that means ending the cuts in the schools at primary and secondary level. It means free childcare. It means free school training when you need it throughout life.

"And yes, it means scrapping tuition fees once and for all so we don't burden our kids with debt for the future."

Many former students, who have since left university, now in their mid-20s will remember a similar pledge made by the Liberal Democrats.

In their 2010 election manifesto, under the guidance of Nick Clegg, they wrote: "We will scrap unfair university tuition fees so everyone has the chance to get a degree, regardless of their parents' income."

However, after forming a coalition government, Clegg sided with Cameron's Conservatives and instead a motion was passed to increase the fees - a move which angered many and sparked outrage towards the Liberal Democrats. It prompted a loss of popularity in the party.

This was something which promoted a response from the then Deputy Prime Minister...

Credit: Liberal Democrats

It would be an amazing U-turn by the party which introduced the fees in the first place under Blair's election campaign of 'education, education, education'.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have yet to name their stance on tuition fees, but it would be highly likely that they would be maintained at the level they are currently at.

The General Election takes place on 8 June, 2017.

Source: The Independent

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: general election, Labour