Tom Gordon MP Calls on the Government to stop passing the buck and fix student finance ahead of his 10-Minute Rule Bill on student loans
Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has called on the Government to stop passing the buck and fix student finance as he prepares to present his 10-Minute Rule Bill on student loans to Parliament tomorrow (15th of September).
An estimated 5.4 million graduates with Plan 2 student loans have been impacted by recent decisions to freeze repayment thresholds and retroactively change terms and conditions, which the Bill seeks to address.
The Bill, which was developed in conjunction with the campaign group Rethink Repayment and backed by representatives from the NUS, would require the Chancellor to review student finance.
Oliver Gardner, founder of the Rethink Repayment student loans campaign, said:
"We are very glad that Tom is introducing a parliamentary Bill to call for a review into the student loan repayment terms which millions of graduates know to be hugely unfair as well as preventing them from reaching major life milestones like buying houses and having children.
"The Government needs to commit to meaningful action to make the repayment terms more affordable for graduates, so they have a chance of building a life for themselves in the UK.”
This comes in the midst of a Treasury Select Committee Report on the state of student finance, with a statement from Committee Chair Dame Meg Hillier due to be made immediately before Tom’s presentation.
It also follows a successful drop-in session which garnered cross-party held in Parliament today on the eve of the Bill.
Lewis Wilson, the NUS Vice-President for Higher Education (England) said:
“The system is inherently broken, and Government never seem to take it seriously. The Treasury Committee’s Report is right, we need to invest in higher education
“They shouldn’t be profiting off students.”
The MP, who has a Plan 2 student loan and was the first in his family to go to university, has previously called out the Treasury’s decision to freeze the thresholds and retrospectively change the terms of repayment contracts.
Tom said:
“My Bill is an opportunity for the government to stop passing the buck and fix student finance.
“It’s not just about Plan 2 graduates, students at university now and every young person considering whether higher education is the right path for them need to be assured that they’re not going to be messed about.
“Successive governments, of all political persuasions, have had a hand in this. It’s about problem-solving, not point scoring.”