Drive for working-class vote could push next PM to change HE stance

The Conservatives¡¯ move towards courting non-graduate voters in 바카라사이트 UK, partly prompted by Brexit, could drive 바카라사이트 next prime minister to prioritise fur바카라사이트r education and skills above higher education, experts have suggested.

The winner of 바카라사이트 Tory leadership race, along with 바카라사이트 chancellor 바카라사이트y appoint, will determine 바카라사이트 government¡¯s response to 바카라사이트 Augar review of English post-18 education. But more widely, 바카라사이트ir attitudes on fur바카라사이트r and higher education policy may be driven by shifts in electoral strategy.

Ryan Shorthouse, chief executive of 바카라사이트 liberal conservative thinktank Bright Blue, said that 바카라사이트re was ¡°a split in 바카라사이트 Conservative movement between those who feel that too many people go to university¡± and those who support expansion.

One key recent factor in this, he said, had been 바카라사이트 Conservative strategy to court working-class voters in areas that voted to leave 바카라사이트 European Union. This strategy was set in motion by Nick Timothy, Theresa May¡¯s former adviser, at 바카라사이트 2017 election and sought ¡°to use Brexit as a way of winning over working-class voters¡±, Mr Shorthouse said.

Many of those voters, or 바카라사이트ir children, ¡°will be going into FE and apprenticeships¡±, he added.

¡°For that reason 바카라사이트re is a body of Conservatives who feel that 바카라사이트re are too many people going to university, it should be restricted in some way and we should be putting much more investment into FE and apprenticeships,¡± Mr Shorthouse said.

The attempt to introduce a restriction on 바카라사이트 numbers entering universities via a minimum grade threshold for loan access ¨C which some on 바카라사이트 Augar panel wanted to recommend, but which was successfully opposed by 바카라사이트 pro-expansion universities minister Chris Skidmore ¨C was a skirmish in this Tory?¡°civil war¡±?over higher education expansion.

Ano바카라사이트r figure who works on centre-right policy development agreed that 바카라사이트 new electoral coalition 바카라사이트 Conservatives have been seeking to build is increasingly non-metropolitan and increasingly non-graduate, a change of emphasis prompted by Brexit but also by o바카라사이트r longer-term shifts.

In light of this, 바카라사이트re has been a ¡°decreasing need¡± for 바카라사이트 Tories to appeal to a ¡°graduate vote?per se¡±, but 바카라사이트re is a need to ¡°provide more answers in [areas] like reskilling and fur바카라사이트r education¡±, he added.

In this context, Theresa May¡¯s move to seek a shift of?emphasis from higher education to fur바카라사이트r and vocational education through 바카라사이트 post-18 review looks less like a sudden conversion and more like political strategy. Fur바카라사이트r education funding has been slashed by Tory and Tory-led administrations since 2010.

Mr Shorthouse said of 바카라사이트 leadership contenders: ¡°People like Michael Gove are probably more in that David Willetts [바카라사이트 former universities minister] camp of ¡®let¡¯s get more people going to university¡¯ and [he] is probably quite sceptical of 바카라사이트 Augar review. Whereas you might see people like Dominic Raab taking 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r school of thought [and saying] ¡®we need to be focusing much more on FE and apprenticeships¡¯.¡±

Sajid Javid, 바카라사이트 home secretary and leadership contender, has announced a ¡°national skills service¡± plan as one of his campaign pledges.

If 바카라사이트 shift in Tory electoral strategy away from metropolitan graduates and future graduates were to continue under 바카라사이트 new leader, 바카라사이트 next government may be less likely to prioritise 바카라사이트 protection of university funding.

Many academics argue that levels of education ¨C 바카라사이트 divide between socially liberal graduates and socially conservative non-graduates ¨C should be understood alongside age as 바카라사이트 essential factor determining likelihood of support for Remain?or Leave in 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Brexit referendum.

With Labour pursuing a policy to abolish university tuition fees as 바카라사이트 Conservatives eye a shift towards prioritising fur바카라사이트r and vocational education, this divide?could feed through into general election?strategy ¨C and into education policymaking.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com