Government plans to impose student loan repayments at lower income threshold – barely above real ‘living wage’ – will hit low-earning students hard
The government plans to retrospectively change the repayment terms on student loans taken out by some 1.3 million students and counting, by lowering the income threshold at which repayments start to be made from more than £27,000 to just £22,000.
As an hourly rate, that works out at around just £11.20 an hour, barely above the real living wage (not the government’s retitled minimum wage) – and would mean an additional financial hit of about £475 a year.
That’s a financial penalty imposed on more than a million students who signed contracts stipulating a repayment threshold that is now being dropped without their agreement or even a sham ‘consultation’.
When tuition fees were increased to a crippling £9,000 a year, government talking heads routinely excused the increase by saying it would not really be as big a burden because students would not have to start repaying until they were earning good salaries – now, having conned and exploited students then, the Tories plan to gouge them deeper still.
Labour under Jeremy Corbyn pledged to scrap tuition fees altogether. Keir Starmer has scrapped his promise to maintain the party’s policies under Corbyn, despite the argument having already been thoroughly won on that and numerous other issues, with the public massively backing renationalisation and investment.
Nick Clegg’s betrayal of students over tuition fees after the 2010 general election cost the LibDems 86% of their seats at the 2015 election.
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More outrage directed towards the temporary, elected puppets and never their permanent unelected masters. The perfect distraction technique is in full flow currently.
Well said Wirral…..And where is Max Headroom Starmer on this outrageous move, which I have to say I predicted when the Student loan Book was sold off by Cameron?
The youth of this Country need to fight back because their future is being destroyed.
Students should be warned by this betrayal; next up the Govt will decide that those not paying because they still don’t earn enough will have their assets confiscated like in criminal cases; that little nest egg Gran left in an ISA should be used if there is no payment in say 10- 15 years never mind the 30 when they say it will be written off; how many now believe that will ever happen!
I probably shall not be around then, but yes indeed I think that is more than likely. What incentive will there be for young people to think about further education? Probably will revert to the situation in my youth and certainly where I lived, when a very low percentage of the school population were able to go on to university and further education.
That said, at least then there was access for everyone to free nightschool classes – which is really where I got my education. (Along with from many fine people I met in the Labour Party in the late 60’s who would probably have been expelled had they still been around now, but that is another story…) And grants for ‘Mature’ Students. As far as I know, now all disappeared along with many many libraries – which I guess suits the establishment fine; heaven forbid they should have to cope with a well educated population…. “The price of everything and the value of nothing.”
The idea is like everything else is to degrade everything for the working-class and have especially higher education for the New nobility.Guess who is effectively going to pay for these new freedom to exploit the working-class of Britain…..Well its not our new nobility elitists and you will definitely pick up the bill for the CV19scam and the draconian laws that are too similar to be a coincidence across the western world.You are now back to feudalism dressed up as freedoms they give you….You will soon need a 3jab certified for the rest of your life….Welcome to Big Pharma land of hope and no glory.
Can someone provide the link for Wes Streeting’s support for the introduction of course fees by Blair’s New Labour government?
I seem to remember that as president of the NUS, Streeting favoured a graduate tax. Everyone would pay according to their earnings. Streeting used to claim he was moving in the real world and it was pointless and childish to fight it. He personifies new Labour and was born to rule.
Would someone mind helping me out here, please?
For the past few days – since the latest Microsoft update – I’ve been unable to ‘Like’ comments, on Skwawkbox. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to, it’s that I can’t.
I’m logged-in to WordPress, so the update is the only other reason I can think of.
Thank you.
@George Peel
Delete your browser cookies. If the problem persists, try a different browser.
Indeed!
“Among many similar globalist states, The UK State is a public-private partnership between government, financial institutions, multinational corporations, global think tanks, and well funded third sector organisations, such as so called non governmental organisations (NGO’s) and large international charities.
“Through a labyrinthine structure of direct funding, grant making and philanthropy, the UK State is a cohesive globalist organisation that works with selected academics, scientific institutions and mainstream media (MSM) outlets to advance a tightly controlled, predetermined narrative. This designed consensus serves the the interests and global ambitions of a tiny group of disproportionately wealthy people.
“This group of parasites, often misleadingly referred to as the “elite,” exploit all humanity for their own gain and to consolidate and enhance their power. They control the money supply and the global debt, which is a debt owed to them.
“Human beings are forced to pay tax which, via government procurement, flows directly to the private corporations they own. War, security, infrastructure projects, education and health care provide profits and are used by the parasite class to socially engineer society.
“Globally, they fund all political parties, with any realistic chance of gaining power, they own the MSM and spend billions lobbying policy makers.”
Democratic socialism – of the type repressively opposed by Starmer, the Trilateral Commission, Evans, Mandelson et al – is the only effective antagonist to this – if we want it to be….
Can you tell me where that quote is from please?
Powerfully accurate words from Iain Davis.
A pretty similar description to what Ray McGovern calls the MICIMATT (The Military-Industrial-Counter-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think Tank complex).
The 2019 general election was stolen. Not directly by the Tories as some would believe. But by all three parties and the SNP working together to “realign politics” and the centrists to regain the Labour leadership. Read and weep for what could have been.
“I was in the former group. I understand why, but The Independent Group (TIG) and the Liberal Democrats, and indeed the SNP in a different way, sometimes saw the instability we were helping to cause in a political system and within Parliament as an opportunity for them.”
“But Campbell was perfectly happy to recommend a vote for the Lib Dems. Mandelson and Blair were certainly highly motivated by the urge to ditch Corbyn and pull Labour back to the centre.
The observable behaviour of the People’s Vote shows how it was focused on winning leadership within the Labour Party, not within the country.”
https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/how-labour-got-lumbered-its-disastrous-brexit-policy
Could fall foul of the Unfair Contract Terms Act – the contract is not with the government, after all, but another party
No wonder the birth rate is falling and home ownership is so low amongst the young…
Way off subject but what’s happening in Liverpool?
Liverpool Women’s Hospital was cordoned off by the emergency services today due to an ongoing incident.
Police have released few details but pictures and video show a car on fire outside the Crown Street hospital.
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-womens-hospital-cordoned-following-22162954
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/hero-liverpool-cab-driver-prevented-25458396
Hero Liverpool cab driver prevented ‘awful disaster’ by foiling hospital ‘terror attack’
A hero taxi driver prevented an “awful disaster” by locking a suspicious passenger in his cab before the vehicle blew up.
Quick-thinking David Perry heroically prevented more bloodshed, but was injured himself, following the potential Poppy Day terror attack.
His male passenger died after the cab exploded outside Liverpool Women’s hospital – Europe’s largest maternity hospital – on Sunday morning.
Training for Industry has replaced education in Universities & so employers & shareholders should pay to train their workforce, besides Universities, although tax payer maintained, are privately owned money making scams that prefer rich overseas ‘students’ rather than local kids. Student loans could easily be abolished & replaced by a graduate tax.
Steve – Student loans are, in practice, a graduate tax for all but the small number who drop out part way through.
The major scam involved in higher education is the scam of getting half the population to avoid being counted in the unemployment figures by going to university and then paying taxes for decades (on the loan “repayments”). It saves the exchequer billions in unemployment pay and lots of those who have been conned end up working in cafes, restaurants, shops etc.
A creative way of covering up the hollowing out of job opportunities in the UK and the outsourcing of manufacturing to low-wage countries, with the added benefit that it makes the wealthy even wealthier.
Hero taxi driver prevented ‘awful disaster’ by foiling hospital ‘terror attack’
Quick-thinking David Perry is said to have suffered suffered cuts, bruises and damage to his ear drum after he heroically prevented more bloodshed from the potential Poppy Day terror attack at Liverpool Women’s Hospital
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/hero-liverpool-cab-driver-prevented-25458396
Should be challenged in the courts after all isn’t capitalism dependent on legal contracts (why working people even sign legal work contracts to be legally exploited) and can you retrospectively on one side change these?
Another example of ‘Sell Out’ Starmer & HE should be free and bring back grants – all of the things my generation had.
As well as campaigns could be challenged in the courts after all isn’t capitalism dependent on legal contracts (and why working people even have to sign work contracts to be legally exploited) and can one side retrospectively change these?
Another example of ‘Sell Out Starmer’ and HE should be free and bring back grants to re-open it up to all like in my generation.
Corbyn again was correct.