Phillipson: international students make ‘important contribution’ to towns and cities, but no plan to lift Tory visa restrictionsEducation secretary Bridget Phillipson has defened the number of international students at universities, saying that they “have got an important contribution to make in our towns and cities” and “will be cross-subsidising the studies of students from the UK”, but said the government had no plans to remove the recent cap on numbers set by the outgoing Conservative government.She told viewers of Sky News:
I do think international students have got an important contribution to make in our towns and cities. They’re part of the growth and the opportunities that will be available for the whole community. And our universities are a tremendous engine of growth in so many of those places, and I want to help them to succeed.
In economic terms, where it comes to the communities where they will live – Sunderland, where I’m the member for parliament – we have lots of students that come from around the world, often as post graduate students, that study and make a contribution.
But it’s also a big part of our reach around the world, the impact that we can have as a country, the business links, the trading links, the opportunities and the bridges that we build between nations. And I think education is just a force for good across our world, and we should recognise that and work together as nations.
Asked specifically “the visa restrictions for foreign students that the last government imposed right at the end of their government, we haven’t really seen the full effects of it yet. Should those be reversed?”, she said “We don’t intend to change that.”ShareKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featurePhillipson: private schools are business that can make their own choices about budgets and fees after VAT changesEducation secretary Bridget Phillipson has said that “private schools are businesses that can make choices about how they manage their budgets” and that Labour’s well publicised plans to remove VAT exemption from schools fees were about driving up standards in the state sector.Challenged on Sky News about announcements of private school closures ahead of the change in their tax exempt status, Phillipson said “I think what we’ve seen with some of the examples that have been discussed are schools that were already experiencing big budget shortfalls, weren’t attracting the numbers of students that they might like to attract, and that’s what’s driving what we see.”She said:
Private schools are businesses that can make choices about how they manage their budgets, the level of fees that they charge, and ultimately, it’s about how attractive they are to families in terms of the numbers of students that are sent there. We have seen private schools in recent years whack up their fees year on year, way beyond inflation, and that has priced out lots of people.
Our plans to impose VAT on private school fees are about driving high standards in our state schools. We’ve got a big challenge at the moment in terms of recruiting and retaining brilliant teachers. I’m determined that we will crack that, that we will make sure that teaching is a great place for people to come and work.
We’ve already made progress in terms of the teaching pay award, that we were able to deliver, but we need to do more, and we do need to raise money to invest in our public services and to invest in our schools. And that’s my focus as secretary of state, making sure that we’ve got brilliant teachers supporting our young people.
The education secretary was also at pains to point out the small number of people affected compared to the state education sector. She told viewers:
I want private schools to be an option for those parents who choose to send their children there, of course, they will be able to continue to do so. I know the parents want to do what’s right by their children, and that’s absolutely as it should be.
But I would just gently point out that 93% of children in our country go to state schools. That’s where I’m determined to focus my efforts as secretary of state.
To tackle some of those big gaps that we see opening up where it comes to outcomes for our young people, making sure that the background that you’re from, the town that you’re born, doesn’t determine what you can go on to achieve.
And that does involve making political choices about how we raise money, how we spend money, and that’s what imposing VAT on private schools is all about, driving up standards in our state sector, where the majority of your viewers will send their children to school.
SharePhillipson says raising student tuition fees in England and Wales would be ‘unpalatable’Speaking on Sky News, Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has refused to commit the government to either lifting or freezing the student fees cap in England and Wales. She said she was “looking at what the options around that will be”, but suggested that raising the cap would be “unpalatable”.Asked “will you at any point in the five years ahead cut the tuition fees caps for domestic students?” she said:
I do want to ensure that we reform the system overall. I’ve been looking at what the options around that will be, and I hope at a later stage to be able to say more about that.
It had been pointed out to her that there had only been a £250 increase in the maximum domestic student tuition fee in the last 12 years, which had seen periods of rampant inflation and which was applying financial pressure to institutions.Phillipson, who during the interview also pointed out that foriegn students paying higher uncapped fees were cross-subsidising students from the UK, said:
I do recognise the challenge, and I hear that message from institutions as well, but I think [raising fees is] a really unpalatable thing to be considering, not least because I know that lots of students across the country are already facing big challenges around the cost of living, housing costs. Lots of students I speak to are already working lots of jobs, extra hours, in order to pay for their studies.
SharePhillipson: Tory goverment had too much focus on ‘picking fights’ over educationLabour’s education secretary Bridget Phillipson has criticised the previous government for being “too focused on picking fights” over education rather than assisting the troubled university sector.She told viewers:
[Universities] face lots of challenges at the moment, that is absolutely crystal clear, and that’s why I took urgent action, immediate action on becoming secretary of state, to refocus the work of the regulator, the Office for Students, on financial sustainability.
Because I think the last government were far too focused on picking fights and on suggesting somehow that university wasn’t for some people, rather than actually acting in the national interest to make sure that our brilliant universities, who are a beacon around the world and are so well respected, are able to succeed into the future.
Rishi Sunak’s government had been acting to cut down the number of what it called “low-value” degrees in England. Courses that did not have a high proportion of graduates getting a professional job, going into postgraduate study or starting a business were to be capped.At the time the plans were announced vice-chancellors said the measures would act as a “red flag to students”, who would be turned off the idea of entering a capped course, while critics said the plan effectively penalised universities and courses with a high proportion of working-class students, who have fewer financial resources or family support and so are more likely to drop out.ShareEducation secretary Bridget Phillipson has said that A-level results are expected to be “broadly in line with last year”. The results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland are published at 9.30am, and you can follow that live with my colleague Rachel Hall …ShareReeves says ‘economic growth’ is our national mission after GDP figures releasedThe chancellor, reacting to those GDP figures, echoed the messaging of her colleague Darren Jones yesterday about inflation, saying the government is “under no illusion” about the situation.Rachel Reeves said:
The new government is under no illusion as to the scale of the challenge we have inherited after more than a decade of low economic growth and a £22bn black hole in the public finances.
That is why we have made economic growth our national mission and we are taking the tough decisions now to fix the foundations, so we can rebuild Britain and make every part of the country better off.
ShareUK economy continues recovery from recession with GDP growth of 0.6%Richard PartingtonBritain’s economy has extended the recovery from recession last year after recording growth of 0.6% in the three months to June.Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show gross domestic product continued to grow in the second quarter, after growth of 0.7% in the first three months of 2024. City economists had forecast growth of 0.6%.The UK has grown at a faster pace this year than many forecasters predicted. However, it comes after a lacklustre performance over the past decade, while high living costs, elevated interest rates, and faltering productivity gains keep a lid on momentum.Read more here: UK economy continues recovery from recession with GDP growth of 0.6%SharePhillipson: international students make ‘important contribution’ to towns and cities, but no plan to lift Tory visa restrictionsEducation secretary Bridget Phillipson has defened the number of international students at universities, saying that they “have got an important contribution to make in our towns and cities” and “will be cross-subsidising the studies of students from the UK”, but said the government had no plans to remove the recent cap on numbers set by the outgoing Conservative government.She told viewers of Sky News:
I do think international students have got an important contribution to make in our towns and cities. They’re part of the growth and the opportunities that will be available for the whole community. And our universities are a tremendous engine of growth in so many of those places, and I want to help them to succeed.
In economic terms, where it comes to the communities where they will live – Sunderland, where I’m the member for parliament – we have lots of students that come from around the world, often as post graduate students, that study and make a contribution.
But it’s also a big part of our reach around the world, the impact that we can have as a country, the business links, the trading links, the opportunities and the bridges that we build between nations. And I think education is just a force for good across our world, and we should recognise that and work together as nations.
Asked specifically “the visa restrictions for foreign students that the last government imposed right at the end of their government, we haven’t really seen the full effects of it yet. Should those be reversed?”, she said “We don’t intend to change that.”ShareWelcome and opening summary …Welcome to our rolling coverage of UK politics for Thursday. Here are your headlines …
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has said foreign students make a huge contribution to the UK’s town and cities, but she has no plans to change recent Tory visa restrictions
Phillipson said private schools are businesses free to choose their own budgets and set their own fee levels after VAT changes take effect
Britain’s economy has extended the recovery from recession last year after recording growth of 0.6% in the three months to June. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was prioritising growth as a national mission
The Metropolitan police is providing an inadequate or failing service in seven of eight key crime-fighting areas, and there are “serious concerns” about its management of dangerous offenders
Train drivers and the Labour government have reached a deal that could end more than two years of conflict between rail operators and unions. Aslef’s Mick Whelan has said it believes it will be accepted by members
Uncertainty over the future of Tata Steel in south Wales is already causing job losses in the broader industry, the Welsh secretary has warned
Labour donor Ian Corfield was approved for a senior Treasury role without the civil service watchdog being informed of his donation history
A-level, T-level and BTec results in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are published today.
It is Martin Belam here again today. I find it helpful if you email me if you spot typos, errors or omissions – martin.belam@theguardian.com.Share
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2024/aug/15/bridget-phillipson-foreign-student-cap-labour-tories-uk-politics-live
