Find out what support is available to higher education students across the UK to help with their fees and living costs.

Find out what support is available to higher education students across the UK to help with their fees and living costs.

There will be a Chamber debate on access to further education on Thursday 2 July 2026. This topic has been chosen by the Backbench business committee. This debate will be led by Sarah Pochin MP.

There will be a Chamber debate on access to further education on Thursday 2 July 2026. This topic has been chosen by the Backbench business committee. This debate will be led by Sarah Pochin MP.

I. Updated Universal Credit Guidance 2026 [update of previous guidance deposited Nov 2025, DEP2025-0769] (210 docs. plus file list) II. Letter dated 15/06/2026 from Stephen Timms MP to the Deposited Papers Clerk regarding documents for deposit in the House libraries. Incl. Annex (file list). 7p

I. Updated Universal Credit Guidance 2026 [update of previous guidance deposited Nov 2025, DEP2025-0769] (210 docs. plus file list) II. Letter dated 15/06/2026 from Stephen Timms MP to the Deposited Papers Clerk regarding documents for deposit in the House libraries. Incl. Annex (file list). 7p

My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting MP) made the following Statement:Today, I am pleased to announce that DHSC is taking decisive action to break down long standing barriers into NHS careers and open up opportunity to people from every background.

For too...

My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting MP) made the following Statement:Today, I am pleased to announce that DHSC is taking decisive action to break down long standing barriers into NHS careers and open up opportunity to people from every background.

For too...

Today, I am pleased to announce that DHSC is taking decisive action to break down long standing barriers into NHS careers and open up opportunity to people from every background.

For too long, where you grow up and how much your parents earn has had too big a say in whether...

Today, I am pleased to announce that DHSC is taking decisive action to break down long standing barriers into NHS careers and open up opportunity to people from every background.

For too long, where you grow up and how much your parents earn has had too big a say in whether...

Let me begin by stating the obvious: the issues with plan 2 loans are a legacy of the previous Government. Plan 2 borrowers in England are undergraduate students who began their courses between 2012 and 2023. The loans were designed, implemented and operated by the previous coalition and Conservative Governments....

Let me begin by stating the obvious: the issues with plan 2 loans are a legacy of the previous Government. Plan 2 borrowers in England are undergraduate students who began their courses between 2012 and 2023. The loans were designed, implemented and operated by the previous coalition and Conservative Governments....

I think it is really relevant to make sure that the public know who created this system—and not only created it, but froze those loans 10 times over the last 12 years—[Interruption.] I know that it is inconvenient for the Conservatives to be reminded of these truths, but we have...

I think it is really relevant to make sure that the public know who created this system—and not only created it, but froze those loans 10 times over the last 12 years—[Interruption.] I know that it is inconvenient for the Conservatives to be reminded of these truths, but we have...

Nineteenth opposition day debate resumed (part two). Motion that this House calls on the Government to set the interest rate on Plan 2 student loans at a level which ensures that balances will never rise faster than RPI inflation; further calls on the Government to stop the freeze on repayment thresholds; and also calls on the Government to create more apprenticeships for 18-21 year olds, funded by controlling the number of places on university courses where the benefits are significantly outweighed by the cost to graduates and taxpayers. Main question negatived on division (88 to 266). Amendment agreed to on question. Main question, as amended, agreed to. Resolved that this House recognises that the Government inherited the current broken student loans system, including Plan 2, which was devised by previous administrations; welcomes the Government's commitment to make the system fairer and financially sustainable; further welcomes the support the Government is providing to young people through the Youth Guarantee; supports the Government's target for two thirds of young people to achieve higher level skills by the age of 25, including reversing the decline in apprenticeships under the previous Government; and further supports the reintroduction of maintenance grants, which had been scrapped under the previous Government, to help ensure that background is not a barrier to opportunity for young people.

Nineteenth opposition day debate resumed (part two). Motion that this House calls on the Government to set the interest rate on Plan 2 student loans at a level which ensures that balances will never rise faster than RPI inflation; further calls on the Government to stop the freeze on repayment...

Labour is failing young people. Youth unemployment is up since Labour took office—it is now higher than in the eurozone. There are more people not in education, employment or training since Labour took office—now nearly 1 million. There is a midlife crisis in our economy, too. More than 2 million...

Labour is failing young people. Youth unemployment is up since Labour took office—it is now higher than in the eurozone. There are more people not in education, employment or training since Labour took office—now nearly 1 million. There is a midlife crisis in our economy, too. More than 2 million...

I am on plan 2, and I had a targeted maintenance grant. I will ask the hon. Member a simple question: does he think it is a fairer system to have targeted maintenance grants in it—yes or no?

I am on plan 2, and I had a targeted maintenance grant. I will ask the hon. Member a simple question: does he think it is a fairer system to have targeted maintenance grants in it—yes or no?

Let me ask the hon. Member a question, because his party is in government, he has power and he can change things. Does he think the system is fair? No, he does not, because he has already told this House that it is not. Is he not bitterly disappointed that...

Let me ask the hon. Member a question, because his party is in government, he has power and he can change things. Does he think the system is fair? No, he does not, because he has already told this House that it is not. Is he not bitterly disappointed that...

My son is studying for a degree in musical theatre performance, and is due to graduate in a few weeks’ time. That may be something that the hon. Member thinks has no value. My son will probably spend a certain amount of time working tables and trying to make a...

My son is studying for a degree in musical theatre performance, and is due to graduate in a few weeks’ time. That may be something that the hon. Member thinks has no value. My son will probably spend a certain amount of time working tables and trying to make a...

I am sure that the hon. Lady’s son’s degree is an excellent degree and that, hopefully, he will gain an excellent job, but that is not the case for every student. Too many students in this country are saddled with tens of thousands of pounds of debt. They do not...

I am sure that the hon. Lady’s son’s degree is an excellent degree and that, hopefully, he will gain an excellent job, but that is not the case for every student. Too many students in this country are saddled with tens of thousands of pounds of debt. They do not...

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the student loans system. I took out a student loan under the plan 1 system. I am, fortunately, not young enough to have benefited from a plan 2, or, now, a plan 5 loan. However, despite having graduated with about £40,000 of student debt,...

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the student loans system. I took out a student loan under the plan 1 system. I am, fortunately, not young enough to have benefited from a plan 2, or, now, a plan 5 loan. However, despite having graduated with about £40,000 of student debt,...

My hon. Friend is making an excellent point about how, when the Opposition say they are going to cut funding for certain courses, they really mean that those courses will be available for wealthier students who can afford to pay for them without a Government subsidy. Does he agree that...

My hon. Friend is making an excellent point about how, when the Opposition say they are going to cut funding for certain courses, they really mean that those courses will be available for wealthier students who can afford to pay for them without a Government subsidy. Does he agree that...

I completely agree that everyone who would and could benefit from a university education should be able to go. We do not widen opportunities by cutting them.

John Burn-Murdoch’s analysis in the Financial Times has shown that other developed countries have increased participation in higher education and not seen the impact...

I completely agree that everyone who would and could benefit from a university education should be able to go. We do not widen opportunities by cutting them.

John Burn-Murdoch’s analysis in the Financial Times has shown that other developed countries have increased participation in higher education and not seen the impact...

It is a pleasure to participate in this debate. Graduates were promised a fair deal, and we have heard all the promises that were made from when the current Prime Minister stood to be Leader of the Opposition to the announcements that were made afterwards. People were told to work...

It is a pleasure to participate in this debate. Graduates were promised a fair deal, and we have heard all the promises that were made from when the current Prime Minister stood to be Leader of the Opposition to the announcements that were made afterwards. People were told to work...

Student finance is complicated. With thanks to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow South (Gordon McKee), who has been in and out of his seat all afternoon, I was able to produce a biscuit explainer today, which is available on all good social media channels.

Reforming the student finance system...

Student finance is complicated. With thanks to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow South (Gordon McKee), who has been in and out of his seat all afternoon, I was able to produce a biscuit explainer today, which is available on all good social media channels.

Reforming the student finance system...

I am going to talk about hope and fairness, to which many Members across the House have referred in their speeches. It is important that everyone has hope for the future, but particularly the next generation.

There are many challenges facing younger people at the moment, from youth unemployment, with the...

I am going to talk about hope and fairness, to which many Members across the House have referred in their speeches. It is important that everyone has hope for the future, but particularly the next generation.

There are many challenges facing younger people at the moment, from youth unemployment, with the...