400,000 university students will be freed from an average of
around £27,000 debt this autumn if Labour is elected next month, Leader of the
Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, and Shadow Education Secretary, Angela Rayner,
will announce today.

Tuition fees will be abolished from 2018 under a Labour Government. But Labour
is also pledging to write off the first year of fees for students planning to
start university this September.

Abolishing tuition fees will lift a total £38 billion in debt from fees over
the course of the next parliament, before a penny of interest is added.

This will give 18-year-olds sitting their A levels this summer yet another
reason to register to vote before tonight’s (22 May) midnight deadline and to
vote Labour on 8th June.

Tuition fees have trebled to over £9,000 a year since 2012 and graduates are
being held back by starting their working lives saddled with debts averaging
almost £45,000.

As well as abolishing university tuition fees, Labour will restore the
maintenance grants the Conservatives abolished in 2016 and, under its
transformative plan for a free National Education Service, will scrap college
fees for adult learners.

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, said:

“The Conservatives have held students back for too long, saddling them with
debt that blights the start of their working lives. Labour will lift this cloud
of debt and make education free for all as part of our plan for a richer
Britain for the many not the few.

“We will scrap tuition fees and ensure universities have the resources they
need to continue to provide a world-class education. Students will benefit from
having more money in their pockets, and we will all benefit from the engineers,
doctors, teachers and scientists that our universities produce.”

Angela Rayner, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, said:

“Labour believes everyone should have the chance to further their studies, not
just those that can afford it, and we will restore the principle that education
is free. No one should be put off from getting an education through a lack of
money or fear of debt.

“The Tories trebled tuition fees and students now rack up an average £45,000
debt. A Labour Government will stop that. If students sitting their A levels
now want a say on their future they need to register to vote before tonight’s
deadline and vote Labour on 8 June.”

Ends

Notes to editors:

·        
Labour will abolish tuition fees for home students in England
studying standard undergraduate first degrees at established universities and
further education colleges from the academic year starting in 2018 – the
earliest it will be possible to pass the legislation through parliament.
(University is already free for EU students in Scottish universities)

·        
To discourage students who are planning to start university this
September from deferring until after tuition fees are removed, we will
guarantee to immediately write off their first year of fees.

·        
Students part way through their degree will not have to pay fees
for the remainder of their course. Part-time students will be covered for the
cost of their first undergraduate degree.

·        
Students who have already graduated will be protected from above
inflation interest rate rises on existing debt. And we will look for ways to
ameliorate this debt burden in future.

·        
We will seek to provide free tuition for EU students and seek
reciprocal arrangements at EU universities as part of the Brexit negotiations.
We will remove EU and international students from the net migration figures and
preserve the current system of fees for non-EU students.

·        
The average student leaves university with almost £45,000 worth of
debt, which they would pay off through their lifetime. Under our plans this
will be reduced by an average of more £27,000 for students who don’t qualify
for a maintenance grant, and to zero for students who do.

·        
We have costed the abolition of tuition fees at £9.5 billion
annually in 2021/22 prices (the £11.2 billion figure for higher education
listed in our Grey Book published alongside the manifesto also included £1.7
billion for maintenance grants). Over four years (from 2018/19 academic year,
this is £38 billion). It will be paid for by increasing income tax for the top
5 per cent of earners and reversing the Conservatives’ cuts to corporation tax.
The £9.5 billion is an estimate of the actual revenues currently being paid to
universities through fees, and this money will all go directly back into
universities so they will not lose out.

·        
In 2015/16 there were 365,700 full-time first year students
studying their first undergraduate degrees in England (Higher Education
Statistics Agency). In 2014/15 there were 38,600 part-time students studying
their first undergraduate degree (own calculations). Assuming student numbers
stay roughly constant, approximately 400,000 students will benefit each year.

Zip-Clip’s international growth plans were outlined by CEO Steve Goldsworthy at the official launch of their new £1.8m facility on Offa’s Dyke Business Park in Welshpool which was built by the Welsh Government and opened by Economy Secretary Ken Skates.

Exports currently account for 38% of sales by the company which designs and manufactures innovative suspension systems for installing heating, ventilation and air condition systems in industrial and commercial buildings. It also supplies the electrical market and specialises in Seismic bracing for the building services industry.

Zip-Clip has more than 50 key distributors globally – many of whom were present at their opening – and plans to increase its presence overseas. 

This year it is opening a new distribution centre in Melbourne, appointing two distributors in Japan and has already appointed a global manufacturer of cable management containment systems to represent their range in South America, Portugal and Spain.

It is currently in discussions regarding representation in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and has appointed a new commercial manager to support its exports and liaise with a number of OEM clients operating across Europe.

Its export drive has benefited from support from the Welsh Government’s Export Support Programmes which enabled the company to explore and access new international markets including New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, the Middle East, India and Europe. 

Congratulating the company on their export growth Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: 

“This is a great illustration of how SMEs can really benefit from exporting and find new lucrative markets for their products. The Welsh Government can offer companies a raft of help, advice and support to target overseas markets and I am delighted Zip-Clip has benefited from these programmes.

“I am also pleased the Welsh Government is supporting the company’s expansion and that Zip-Clip is already reaping the benefits from operating from larger premises having already secured a new £1m plus contract and taken on five new members of staff to service growing orders.”

At 17,500 sq ft, their new premises are more than twice the size of their previous facility in Newtown and since moving they have hosted business visits from Finland, Italy, US and Australia.

Managing Director Matthew Clay-Michael added: 

“Without this new facility we couldn’t even consider growth and now we have the space to expand and target new markets. As well as securing a three year £1m contract with a major global manufacturer of electrical containment systems we are in talks with one of the world’s largest manufacturers of lighting products to make a bespoke lighting suspension system.

“We experienced a 24% growth in UK and overseas sales last year and plan to achieve at least 15% growth year on year over the next three years which is achievable given the increased capacity in our new facility and new products being developed.”

Zip-Clip’s products have been used on numerous prestigious buildings worldwide – ranging from Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas – from Kuala Lumpur Tower in Malaysia to The Gherkin and Shard in London.

Zip-Clip’s international growth plans were outlined by CEO Steve Goldsworthy at the official launch of their new £1.8m facility on Offa’s Dyke Business Park in Welshpool which was built by the Welsh Government and opened by Economy Secretary Ken Skates.

Exports currently account for 38% of sales by the company which designs and manufactures innovative suspension systems for installing heating, ventilation and air condition systems in industrial and commercial buildings. It also supplies the electrical market and specialises in Seismic bracing for the building services industry.

Zip-Clip has more than 50 key distributors globally – many of whom were present at their opening – and plans to increase its presence overseas. 

This year it is opening a new distribution centre in Melbourne, appointing two distributors in Japan and has already appointed a global manufacturer of cable management containment systems to represent their range in South America, Portugal and Spain.

It is currently in discussions regarding representation in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and has appointed a new commercial manager to support its exports and liaise with a number of OEM clients operating across Europe.

Its export drive has benefited from support from the Welsh Government’s Export Support Programmes which enabled the company to explore and access new international markets including New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, the Middle East, India and Europe. 

Congratulating the company on their export growth Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: 

“This is a great illustration of how SMEs can really benefit from exporting and find new lucrative markets for their products. The Welsh Government can offer companies a raft of help, advice and support to target overseas markets and I am delighted Zip-Clip has benefited from these programmes.

“I am also pleased the Welsh Government is supporting the company’s expansion and that Zip-Clip is already reaping the benefits from operating from larger premises having already secured a new £1m plus contract and taken on five new members of staff to service growing orders.”

At 17,500 sq ft, their new premises are more than twice the size of their previous facility in Newtown and since moving they have hosted business visits from Finland, Italy, US and Australia.

Managing Director Matthew Clay-Michael added: 

“Without this new facility we couldn’t even consider growth and now we have the space to expand and target new markets. As well as securing a three year £1m contract with a major global manufacturer of electrical containment systems we are in talks with one of the world’s largest manufacturers of lighting products to make a bespoke lighting suspension system.

“We experienced a 24% growth in UK and overseas sales last year and plan to achieve at least 15% growth year on year over the next three years which is achievable given the increased capacity in our new facility and new products being developed.”

Zip-Clip’s products have been used on numerous prestigious buildings worldwide – ranging from Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas – from Kuala Lumpur Tower in Malaysia to The Gherkin and Shard in London.

Euro Car Parts’ acquisition of another car parts supplier, Andrew Page, has been referred for an in-depth merger investigation.

The Transaction Data shows HM Land Registry completed 1,386,147 applications from its customers in April. This included 1,363,340 applications by account holders, of which: