As Theresa May sets off hiking in the Italian alps, CCHQ can take heart that – for a change – it’s not Conservative in-fighting dominating the headlines. Instead, it’s Labour’s dubious election promises – thanks to Jeremy Corbyn’s admission on the Andrew Marr show that his party has no plans to abolish pre-existing student debt.
The reason this presents a problem for Labour is an interview Corbyn gave to NME magazine during the General Election campaign. Discussing tuition fees, the Labour leader said that on top of axing fees, he would ‘deal with those already burdened with student debt’:
‘I don’t see why those that had the historical misfortune to be at university during the £9,000 period should be burdened excessively.’
Since making the comments, Corbyn has learnt that wiping out pre-existing student debt is predicted to cost a cool £100bn. It follows that his party is doing its best to play down expectation on the issue. While
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