The means-tested grants will be aimed at “those who need them most” and would be funded by a new international student levy, as outlined in a recent immigration white paper.
The Labour government will bring back maintenance grants for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, after they were abolished by the Tory Government in 2016.
Announcing the policy at Labour conference, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “The Tories treated our universities as a political battleground, not a public good. Labour is putting them back in the service of working-class young people.”
The means-tested grants will be aimed at “those who need them most” and would be funded by a new international student levy, as outlined in a recent immigration white paper.
The government said the maintenance grants would be available to students in levels four to six, studying priority courses including university degrees and technical qualifications.
It comes as Rachel Reeves also announced that the Labour government will deliver a library in every primary school in England as part of Labour’s plans to give all children the best start in life regardless of their background.
The scheme, which will create libraries in the 1,700 primaries currently without them.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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