Cuts in University Funding "slams door on Social Mobility"

Responding to today’s announcement of £200 million cuts to higher education budgets, David Lammy MP, the shadow minister for higher education, said:

"Within just a few days, David Willetts has u-turned on his commitments to support students and universities in these difficult times.

"His decision to cut the number of places when demand is so high is tantamount to slamming the door on the widening participation, and will almost certainly trigger a crisis in places this summer and a further rise in youth unemployment.

"Sufficient savings were made in the sector earlier this year, today’s measures will do tremendous damage to the student experience.

"The deficit of course must be dealt with, but the government’s guiding priorities are all over the place - we cannot have world class universities and research on the cheap.
 
"With no assurances about what to expect in the budget, there is now a huge uncertainty surrounding one of the most vital sectors of our economy."