Students believe in free education — Starmer risks alienating a generation

The student movement has long been the birthplace of bold policies, forcing us to reckon with the issues of our time and tackle them with real solutions.

Students demanded universal healthcare before the creation of the NHS, built bridges with their counterparts in Northern Ireland, providing a blueprint for the Good Friday Agreement, and supported LGBT rights long before they were legalised.

From vocally opposing the Iraq war to campaigning against apartheid in South Africa, students haven’t shied away from standing up for what they believe in. On tuition fees, time and time again students have made it clear: they believe in free education.

Students flocked to Labour in 2017

It should come as no surprise that when Labour committed itself to abolishing tuition fees in 2017, thousands of students flocked to the Labour Party, and voted Labour for the first time Students up and down the country doorknocked, phonebanked, and delivered leaflets.

After being let down by the coalition government and the horror of Millbank, it was refreshing to know that a party that could be the next government would be on our side.

Tuition fees were introduced to level the playing field, but as the last two manifestos acknowledged, the experiment has failed. Students are no longer seen as learners; they are now consumers to be exploited for increasing profits.

A marketised education system affects our quality of teaching, the treatment of staff in our institutions, and the unbearable costs of rent for poor quality housing.

We must acknowledge that free education is about much more than getting rid of tuition fees – it is about a fundamental rethink of the way we research, teach and utilise education.

Years after the coalition government tripled tuition fees, the COVID-19 pandemic further politicised students. Many found themselves laid off from precarious jobs without being eligible for furlough, paying rent for rooms they couldn’t live in or locked in their rooms after being forced back on campus.

A-Level students had their results botched by the incompetence of this Tory government, with GCSE students’ results facing the same fate a week later. All these students will be voters at the next general election.

Labour yet to commit to meaningful reform

Despite this, Labour is yet to have committed to meaningful education reform. Labour Clubs across our political spectrum and a majority of the National Committee of Labour Students have invited the Labour leadership to clarify their position on tuition fees but are yet to hear back.

Keir Starmer’s comments during various interviews have done little to quell fears that Labour will turn back on this vital policy. It is concerning that this ambiguity or potential U-turn could alienate the next generation of would-be Labour voters.

Our generation is the first in 100 years to be worse off than our parents, with the poorest graduates leaving university with an average £57,000 of debt.

As this Tory government stands at the edge of collapse and many students find themselves disillusioned with the state of affairs in Parliament, this is Labour’s opportunity to place ourselves firmly as the party with the alternative.

We can respond to despair with socialist solutions, be the vehicle for hope, and secure the confidence of a generation.