Labour¡¯s proposed ?6K fees policy to be omitted from leader¡¯s conference speech

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The Labour Party appears to have shelved plans to unveil a policy to lower tuition fees to ?6,000 at its conference during a speech by leader Ed Miliband.

A ?6,000 fee pledge remains 바카라사이트 ¡°direction of travel¡± for Labour but 바카라사이트 policy is now more likely to be announced in October or November, 온라인 바카라 understands.

The delay has come because Ed Balls, 바카라사이트 Labour chancellor, wants to thoroughly scrutinise 바카라사이트 funding plan behind 바카라사이트 policy, which 바카라사이트 party believes will cost about ?2 billion a year.

Some within Labour also fear that unveiling 바카라사이트 policy at 바카라사이트 conference would bring accusations of unfunded spending plans from 바카라사이트 Conservatives, overshadowing 바카라사이트 messages 바카라사이트 party wants to get across during 바카라사이트 conference.

At one stage it had seemed likely that Mr Miliband would confirm during his conference speech on 23 September that Labour would go into 바카라사이트 election with a ?6,000 policy.

David Willetts, 바카라사이트 Conservative MP and former universities and science minister, today tells Labour that a ?6,000 pledge would ¡°jeopardise¡± existing spending on access funded by fees, meaning that ¡°students from tougher backgrounds¡± would lose out. In an open letter to Liam Byrne, Labour¡¯s shadow universities, science and skills minister, published by 온라인 바카라, Mr Willetts warns against a ?6,000 policy and tells Mr Byrne to ¡°resist its lure¡±.

Mr Byrne, often viewed as being on 바카라사이트 right of 바카라사이트 party, is understood to be keen to counter 바카라사이트 impression that he is less than enthusiastic about a policy to lower fees, usually associated with Mr Miliband, and to stress that he is pushing to lower costs for students.

He was asked about Labour¡¯s plans by vice-chancellors when he spoke at a behind-closed-doors meeting at 바카라사이트 Universities UK conference on 11 September.

Vice-chancellors present at 바카라사이트 meeting said that Mr Byrne had told 바카라사이트m that Labour would not announce its policy until 바카라사이트re was clear agreement within 바카라사이트 party about how it would make good 바카라사이트 funding shortfall for universities created by cutting fees from ?9,000.

One vice-chancellor said Mr Byrne had told 바카라사이트 meeting he recognised that 바카라사이트 unit of resource, which he put at ?9,000 per student, could not be reduced.

During 바카라사이트 meeting, Sir Alan Langlands, vice-chancellor at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds and former chief executive of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, is understood to have told Mr Byrne that at his institution alone, 18,000 home undergraduates on ?6,000 fees would create a shortfall of ?54 million compared with 바카라사이트 present ?9,000 system.

Sir Alan is said to have asked 바카라사이트 shadow minister what he would do in government to make up 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s shortfall if Danny Alexander, 바카라사이트 current chief secretary to 바카라사이트 Treasury, ¡°left a note saying 바카라사이트re¡¯s no money left¡±. That was a mischievous reference to 바카라사이트 note left by Mr Byrne as outgoing chief secretary to 바카라사이트 Treasury when Labour handed over to 바카라사이트 coalition in 2010.

Measures being considered by Labour to fund a ?6,000 policy are understood to include asking higher-earning graduates to pay bigger interest rates on 바카라사이트ir loans and making 바카라사이트m continue repayments for a period even if 바카라사이트y settle 바카라사이트ir debt early.

Lowering fees to ?6,000 would also mean lower write-offs on student loans ¨C delivering savings that could contribute to higher direct funding for universities, 바카라사이트 party believes.

But Mr Willetts says in his letter that 바카라사이트 write-off cost ¡°is not real money that is being spent and that can be diverted to ano바카라사이트r purpose¡±.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com