Natalie Bennett has hit out at proposals being considered by ministers to start phasing out grants given to the poorest students to support them through university. The Green Party leader described the move as “short-sighted and immoral”.
Bennett said:
“This is yet another example of the government attacking the poor and the young while claiming to support ‘hardworking people’. This is the kind of cut that will entrench the severe inequality in our society, perpetuating the idea that only those who can afford to pay for a university education deserve one.
“The Green Party believes education is a right, not a privilege. We call for an end to tuition fees, which saddle young people with enormous debts from the start of their adult lives, and for student grants to be reinstated.
“The public paid for the university education of the current Cabinet. For them to actively prevent the poorest young people from pursuing higher education and achieving their potential is both short-sighted and immoral.”