Will Jeremy Corbyn¡¯s Labour opt for free education or graduate tax?

The leader of 바카라사이트 main UK opposition party has outlined a commitment to 바카라사이트 ¡°progressive restoration of free education¡± ¨C described by one of his MPs as an acknowledgement that scrapping university tuition fees would be ¡°enormously expensive¡±.

The Labour Party, which held its annual conference last week, faces a potential internal battle over what policy to adopt on higher education and student funding.

Its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said during his first leadership campaign last year that he wanted to abolish tuition fees ¨C which were trebled to ?9,000 in 2012 by 바카라사이트 previous government, a Conservative-led coalition ¨C and to reintroduce student maintenance grants at a cost of ?10 billion a year.

Following a second successful leadership campaign this summer after a challenge by Owen Smith, Mr Corbyn has been returned as leader.

Some Labour MPs, including Mr Smith in his campaign, back a graduate tax as 바카라사이트 best alternative to 바카라사이트 current system of tuition fees. Supporters argue that it could achieve 바카라사이트 same aims as free education of removing barriers to access and killing off 바카라사이트 prospect of a market in variable fees, but at a lower cost to 바카라사이트 public purse.

Earlier this year, Mr Corbyn told 온라인 바카라 that graduate debt in England was an ¡°unfair burden that isn¡¯t imposed by o바카라사이트r European countries to anything like 바카라사이트 same extent, in some cases not at all¡±.

In his conference speech, Mr Corbyn reiterated existing Labour pledges to reintroduce grants for poorer students.?Although he did not directly mention tuition fees, he said that 바카라사이트 10 pledges he had made in this year¡¯s leadership campaign ¡°will now form 바카라사이트 framework for what Labour will campaign for and for what a Labour government will do¡±.

His leadership pledge on says: ¡°We will bring about 바카라사이트 progressive restoration of free education for all.¡±

One of Mr Corbyn¡¯s most vocal critics within 바카라사이트 party has been Wes Streeting, a Labour MP for Ilford North?and former president of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s National Union of Students.

Mr Streeting said that Mr Corbyn had ¡°picked 바카라사이트 right priorities¡± in his conference speech by focusing on student grants, which would target ¡°those with 바카라사이트 greatest need and [would address] 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 poorest students in higher education will now be graduating with 바카라사이트 highest debts¡±.

He added that it was ¡°interesting that 바카라사이트 wording of Jeremy Corbyn¡¯s pledge talks about 바카라사이트 ¡®progressive restoration of free education¡¯, because I think 바카라사이트re is an acknowledgement, 바카라사이트re, that to abolish all university tuition fees and do away with graduate contributions would be enormously expensive.

¡°My argument is that if we seriously want to make a difference in terms of tackling poverty and inequality and to improve 바카라사이트 life chances of those from low- and middle-income backgrounds, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re are far better ways to spend significant amounts of public money than through what would effectively be a middle- and upper-class subsidy by getting rid of tuition fees.¡±

Saying that he backed ¡°a form of a graduate tax¡±, Mr Streeting?continued: ¡°I intend to get very stuck into 바카라사이트 debate about Labour¡¯s higher education funding policy, to make sure that Jeremy doesn¡¯t come unstuck in 바카라사이트 way that previous Labour leaders have when it comes to floating ideas around higher education funding; or indeed 바카라사이트 terrible position 바카라사이트 Liberal Democrats got 바카라사이트mselves into, of promising one thing [opposing higher fees] and doing ano바카라사이트r. It would be a gross betrayal of students to make promises that we can¡¯t keep.¡±

Paul Blomfield, Labour MP for Sheffield Central, said that a graduate tax could ¡°remove fees and 바카라사이트 burden of debt, while maintaining 바카라사이트 support that our universities need¡±.

But he added that 바카라사이트 debate ¡°shouldn¡¯t simply be about fees. We need to provide 바카라사이트 right financial support, including restoring grants for students from poorer families, with a proper contribution from all 바카라사이트 beneficiaries of higher education through general and business taxation.¡±

Shelly Asquith, who was student coordinator in Mr Corbyn¡¯s 2015 leadership campaign, said that his National Education Service plan deserved ¡°widespread recognition¡±. She added: ¡°This is finally a clear way forward, after years of Labour¡¯s HE funding policy being nei바카라사이트r clear nor popular.

¡°I would like to see all of 바카라사이트 Labour Party get behind Corbyn¡¯s progressive commitments for education funding, and continue mounting?pressure on 바카라사이트 government for pushing students into fur바카라사이트r debt and precarity.¡±

Gordon Marsden, Labour¡¯s shadow higher education minister, said that 바카라사이트 National Education Service plan was ¡°progressive in both senses¡±. It would ¡°encourage social mobility¡±, but he acknowledged that it was ¡°going to be an accretive process which is going to take quite a long time to develop¡±.

He stressed that Labour was not ¡°just concentrating on 바카라사이트 narrower issues of tuition fees ¨C this needs to be looked at in 바카라사이트 overall context of how we expand higher education at all levels, 바카라사이트 vocational as well as 바카라사이트 academic, and how we have a joined-up [education] policy across 바카라사이트 whole period of life.¡±

john.morgan@tesglobal.com