Tories have shown their utter contempt for parliamentary democracy – Angela Rayner

Angela
Rayner MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Education, responding to the
Government’s announcement that it will not follow the decision of the House of
Commons to reverse the increase in tuition fees, said:

“Yet again,
the Tories have shown their utter contempt for parliamentary democracy. Instead
of listening to elected MPs and abandoning their latest hike in tuition fees
they have simply recycled a series of old announcements. Ministers have shown
once again that they just cannot be trusted with the sweeping powers that they
want to give themselves under the Brexit Bill.

“This
latest statement leaves more questions than answers on their student funding
policy. Students and universities alike are all too aware that the Government
has no real plan for how to support our world-class universities and they can’t
tell us when the Prime Minister’s promised review will start let alone finish.

“It’s time
for the Tories to change their approach. They can make a start by following
Labour’s fully funded plans to scrap tuition fees and reintroduce maintenance
grants, which would allow every young person to go as far as their talents will
take them.”