Nick Clegg hits out at ‘deeply unfair’ university tuition fees system
Sir Nick Clegg said the university fee system was “deeply unfair” to students and suggested there could be a body to monitor the terms of student loans in the future.
The former Liberal Democrats leader and deputy prime minister has accepted responsibility for rising higher tuition fees during his time in government.
Sir Nick he told the BBC He added that he would accept any criticism of his role “on the hook” and was not responsible for subsequent changes, including repeated freezing of the graduate repayment threshold.
“I think the graduates are rightfully suffering a lot because they are sort of running to stay still,” Sir Nick said.
While deputy prime minister, his coalition government tripled tuition fees in England to a maximum of £9,000 a year from 2012.
Sir Nick eventually apologized for failing to stop the rise and breaking his election promise.
In a question-and-answer session with young voters, Sir Nick said he “shouldn’t have made promises without being really sure that it was the right thing to do in the first place and that it could be kept.”
Students who took out loans between September 2012 and July 2023 are all under Plan 2 loans; This means graduates have to pay nine per cent of everything they earn above the threshold, which is currently £28,470 per year.
Rachel Reeves announced in the autumn budget that the salary due to be repaid on Schedule 2 loans will be frozen at £29,385 between 2027 and 2030; This effectively increases the amount you will have to pay over time.
Sir Nick told the BBC the government’s priority should be restoring care allowances and the link between inflation and the earnings threshold at which graduates will start paying back.
The government has announced that it will reintroduce targeted care grants for disadvantaged students by 2029.
Sir Nick also suggested there could be scope for an independent body in the future to monitor the terms of student loans, improving fairness and trust.
There are growing calls for the government to reform the student loan system to ensure students do not leave university with mounting debts.
Last month, Labor MPs criticized the government’s “regressive” student loan system and called for changes to “dog’s food”.
Sir Keir Starmer said in February he would look at ways to make the credit system fairer, but no changes to student loans were announced in his spring statement.
Education Minister Bridget Phillipson also promised to look at Schedule 2 loans but refused to commit to making any changes.
The Treasury and the Ministry of Education were contacted for comment.
