Key events
How the Tories pushed universities to the brink of disaster
Given Britain’s stagnant economy, dilapidated public services and near-bankrupt local authorities, there isn’t much public concern left over for its universities. But 14 years of Tory rule have damaged them just as grievously as the rest of the public realm, and in some ways more recklessly.
William Davies reports:
As many academics have warned, the funding system of higher education is heading towards disaster. One reason why this story has struggled to gain traction is that, as with so many areas of Britain’s highly unequal society, the elite end of the spectrum continues to thrive: according to the recent QS world university rankings, four of the world’s top 10 universities are in Britain.
But the news from the rest of the sector is increasingly grim. Revenue has struggled to keep up with spiralling costs, even while academic salaries have been falling in real terms. A sense of emergency took hold last autumn, when it became clear that there had been a sharp drop in international students, whose higher fees have become pivotal to the funding model of higher education in the UK. Cue panic, as universities scrambled to bring in whatever students they could, slashing entry tariffs for postgraduates and even poaching them from one another, sometimes midterm.
Although tuition fees for home students are still viewed as unacceptably high, most universities now make a loss on every one they recruit, as inflation has steadily (and then rapidly) devalued the £9,250 annual fee, last set in 2017. As the profitable overseas students have declined, something has had to give: well over half of UK universities are now cutting staffing costs, be it through compulsory redundancies, voluntary severance schemes or freezes on hiring and promotion. And outside the rarefied global elite, many prestigious institutions are losing ground in the reputational battlefield of international league tables. At some point, there is going to be a high-profile bankruptcy or clumsy last-ditch merger, unless the next government acts quickly and decisively.
Then there is the debt. The average undergraduate now leaves university owing £45,000, with a commercial rate of interest accruing. For postgraduates, you can add another £24,000 on top. The government’s repayment scheme raises a graduate’s marginal rate of income tax by a further 9%, resulting in the highest marginal tax rates for any workers in Britain.
In an economy as regionally unequal as the UK’s, higher education is one of the few countervailing forces, spreading revenue and jobs to parts of the country that otherwise have little to fall back on. Despite whatever schadenfreude might be enjoyed by Daily Telegraph columnists and Tory backbenchers, a financial crisis in this sector does not only impact on lecturers:
And here is just a bit more of Ed Davey’s Zumba class to start your morning:
Monday’s best photos
Is the glass more than half empty or less than half full? Rishi Sunak visited the Cotswolds Distillery in Whichford, central England on Monday.
10/10 walking in a relaxed and confident way – one hand in pocket – while chatting to strangers for Sunak:
See: Not boring at all! Fun! Loves a laugh!
Today’s winner of the Dogs-are-so-Lucky-to-Have-No-Idea-What-is-Happening Award goes to:
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer meets supporters and Labour members during a visit to Shoulder of Mutton pub in Little Horwood, Buckinghamshire, while on the General Election campaign trail. Picture date: Monday July 1, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story POLITICS Election Labour. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
As we contemplate Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey’s campaign of antics this election, tidying up expert Marie Kondo would have us ask one simple question: Does it spark joy?
British leader of the Liberal Democrats party Ed Davey reacts as he rides a towable inflatable during a visit to Lakeside Ski & Wake, in Cotswolds, Britain, July 1, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters
It does:
Rees-Mogg tells young Tories he wants to ‘build a wall in the English Channel’
Jessica Elgot
Jacob Rees-Mogg has said he wants to “build a wall in the English Channel” in a leaked recording, in which he heaped praise on Donald Trump and the hardline Republican response to immigration.
Speaking to young Conservative activists, Rees-Mogg doubled down on his backing for the former US president, saying he took the right approach by building a border wall.
“If I were American I’d want the border closed, I’d be all in favour of building a wall. I’d want to build a wall in the middle of the English Channel,” the former cabinet minister said.
Rees-Mogg is fighting a strong Labour challenge in his North East Somerset and Hanham constituency against Dan Norris, the mayor of the West of England, who was previously MP in the seat until he was defeated by Rees-Mogg in 2010.
Rees-Mogg, a popular figure among Tory party members, is likely to be influential in the Conservative leadership race if he retains his seat. Support for Trump’s White House bid is a sharp divider within the party between the right and the centrist One Nation group.
Speaking before a pub crawl in March organised by a Young Conservative group, Rees-Mogg said: “Every so often, I slightly peek over the parapet, like that image from the second world war of the man looking over the wall, and say if I were an American, I would vote for Donald Trump and it’s always the most unpopular thing I ever say in British politics, but I’m afraid it’s true. I would definitely vote for Donald Trump against Joe Biden.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg praises Trump as he suggests English channel border wall
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the – almost 48 hours until! –the UK general election on Thursday with me, Helen Sullivan.
As Labour and the Conservatives drive home their messages, Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has told young Tories that if he were American, he would vote for Trump in the US elections. He praised the former US president’s border wall, saying “If I were American I’d want the border closed, I’d be all in favour of building a wall. I’d want to build a wall in the middle of the English Channel”.
Rees-Mogg is fighting a strong Labour challenge in his constituency of North East Somerset and Hanham against Dan Norris, the mayor of the West of England, who was previously MP in the seat. Rees-Mogg defeated Norris in 2010.
More shortly on that story from the Guardian’s Jessica Elgot. In the meantime, here is some of what we can expect today:
The Scottish Conservatives’ Meghan Gallacher will be on the campaign trail in the seat of Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, which is expected to be a straight fight between the Scottish Conservatives and the SNP.
10:00 Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is in Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West with candidate Martin McCluskey.
10:30 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton visits a falconry in Fife.
14:00 SNP Leader and First Minister John Swinney will join SNP candidate for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey Graham Leadbitter on the campaign trail on Tuesday in Aviemore.