Labour fails to rule out annual university fee hikes

The education secretary has said the government is looking at allowing universities to hike tuition fees every year based on inflation to stop them going bust, reports Millie Cook for the Independent.

It comes less than a year after Bridget Phillipson announced that fees would increase in England for the first time in eight years as part of a major overhaul of the higher education system. Tuition fees have been frozen at £9,250 (US$12,550) since 2017, but in November, it was announced that they would increase in line with the Retail Price Index inflation in September 2025.

Asked whether the government would allow universities an inflation-linked tuition fee increase every year to improve their financial situation, Ms Phillipson did not rule it out. The remarks appear to set Labour on course for a clash with one of their biggest voter bases, students.
Full report on the Independent site