Pollsters hope to get “into the weeds” of the public’s views on tuition fees in England ahead of a general election that could shape the future of higher education funding for a generation.
Political consultancy Public First has partnered with the thinktank Progressive Britain and several English universities to test which options for fee reform might be most palatable to the public, and how big an issue it might prove to be in the coming campaign.
Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, must call an election in 2024, and the Labour Party has already signalled that it will look again at its funding policy for universities, likely scrapping a commitment to abolishing fees and funding higher education through direct public funding. While Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has criticised the £9,250 fee status quo as failing students and universities, the party’s alternative funding plan is as yet undetermined.
Jessica Lister, associate director at Public First, said much of the thinking on tuition fee reform had so far focused on the economic and modelling arguments – exploring issues such as how to keep student numbers high without bankrupting the Treasury and ensuring a fair loan repayment system.
