Labour "echoing Reform" with "regressive levy" on international students, says UCU

Responding to the Budget, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said:

'Our universities are in crisis. Fifteen thousand jobs are at risk and four thousand courses face closure, while funding per student in England has collapsed over the past decade, leaving a £6.4 billion shortfall. Rather than address the broken model that created this gap, Labour has imposed a regressive levy on international students.

'This new tax on education will do more harm than good and undermines the vital contribution international students make. Labour is echoing Reform by scapegoating migrants instead of addressing the real, deep-rooted challenges facing higher education.'