Tuition fees
What the manifesto says: Labour believes education should be free, and we will restore this principle … Labour will reintroduce maintenance grants for university students, and we will abolish university tuition fees.
Analysis: Variable university tuition fees were introduced in 2006 under Labour, which argued they were a middle class subsidy paid for by working class voters. The coalition government raised them to £9,000 a year in England. The cost of scrapping tuition fees has been estimated at £8bn, with a further £2bn on top for reintroducing maintenance grants. When the costed manifesto is published, it will be pored over to see whether the pledge is to be funded from reversing the cuts in corporation and capital gains taxes that have already been earmarked elsewhere.
Party strategists hope it will the “big bazooka” that will attract younger voters, especially students and 18- to 24-year-olds who who still strongly support Labour.
