Whilst both Labour and the Tories have increased tuition fees for students, the new deal for working people and the new rights for tenants provide students with significantly greater benefits when dealing with unfair treatment.
Financial support and Tuition fees are the most important factor for students. Tuition fees can lead to significant student debt which affects the financial stability of students throughout their life. Although it was Labour under Tony Blair, that first introduced tuition fees, the Tories increased tuition fees to £9,250 per year. This decision placed an extremely significant financial burden on students. Additionally, in 2016 the conservatives scrapped maintenance grants, disproportionately affecting the least advantaged students.
"Tory policy disproportionately affected the poorest students"
Labour have recently announced a further rise in tuition fees for students in 2025/26 to £9,500, further increasing debt students will face. This decision was taken to ease the budget pressures UK universities are facing due to a fall in international student visa applications, this is partly due to Rishi Sunak’s government placing heavy restrictions on international students to reduce immigration.
The decision for Labour to increase tuition fees directly contradicts Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership pledge to abolish tuition fees. According to YouGov, around 70% of graduates think that paying over £9,250 a year is bad value for money. The increase to £9,500 by Labour risks further alienating young voters.
Career services and job opportunities are crucial for students; from 2010 to 2024, the conservatives attempted to cut “low value” degrees, limiting student choices and reducing graduate opportunities particularly for humanities students. Additionally, the tory austerity measures significantly reduced public sector hiring and funding, further affecting non-STEM students.
Despite increasing tuition fees, Labour policies will significantly improve student experience. Through the New Deal for Working People, Labour will abolish exploitative zero-hour contracts and remove age bands on minimum wage, ensuring all workers have the same guaranteed minimum wage. These policies will greatly help students, allowing for student control over working hours to fit with their study needs and also increasing the wallet of students by increasing the minimum wage of 16–21-year-olds.
Additionally, Labour’s decision to scrap no fault evictions through section 21 and back-door evictions for tenants is a significant step in improving student tenancy rights against exploitative landlords.
Labour have also committed to aligning university research with industry needs, greater expanding job opportunities for university graduates, particularly in green investment, engineering and public sector roles such as teachers.
University can be a daunting time and without the correct support it may be extremely difficult for students. Labour have committed to ensuring mental health support through open-access mental health hubs across local communities through the “Young Futures” program.
