Higher Education Reform

Jonathan Gullis Excerpts
Monday 17th July 2023

(1 year, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Gillian Keegan Portrait Gillian Keegan
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

No, I think that the hon. Member has got it completely wrong. Under the Conservatives, an 18-year-old from a disadvantaged background is 86% more likely to go to university than they were in 2010. Under Labour, the richest students were seven times more likely to go to university than the poorest 40% in society.

Jonathan Gullis Portrait Jonathan Gullis (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Con)
- View Speech - Hansard - -

I welcome the Secretary of State’s plans, but I want higher education reform to go further. A recent paper by the New Conservatives included an excellent suggestion to extend the closure of the student dependant route to students enrolled on one-year research master’s degrees. Would she support that?

Gillian Keegan Portrait Gillian Keegan
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

My hon. Friend knows that we have already looked at that in careful detail. It is kept under review, and we recently made changes to the taught course route.