Keir Starmer: It’s Time to Step Up for Students
After 13 gruelling years of Conservative party dominance, the arrival of Keir Starmer’s Labour party provided hope for some, and scepticism for others. For students specifically, Starmers arrival appeared enticing, as Labour’s legacy conjured ideas of a world where young people were not put on the back burner. Yet two months after the landslide victory of the Labour party, are we already seeing some cognitive dissonance?
It would be unfair to say that Starmer abandoned student policy as a whole, and especially when compared to his Conservative predecessors, his initial policies appeared to be a breath of fresh air for young people up and down the country. Most notably, in 2023 Starmer pledged to make the student fee system fairer, going as far to describe the system as “unfair and ineffective”, in an interview with Newsbeat last summer. These statements contradicted the then Conservative government, who described their higher education system as one with “opportunities for both education and financial support”. These comments made by the now Prime Minister painted an idyllic picture of a Labour government that would address the ongoing financial plight for students in the UK, a vision that was only reinforced by Starmer harking back to his days as a student, stating he “could not afford university if he was a student today”.
But as fast as it was built, this reverie was destroyed by Starmer himself, something which we are becoming to know all too well in UK politics. In fact, in the same Newsbeat interview the Leeds alumni failed to give any details on what plans would look like, instead reinforcing his detest towards the current fee system- proving his words to be far louder than his actions; a trend that appears to be continuing into his time as Prime Minister.
If I wanted to cut the Prime Minister some slack, I would place his non-specific commentary in 2023 down to refinement issues, as it was 9 months before the announcement of a General Election, and therefore 9 long months before promises should be set in stone. However, I find myself unable to give Starmer the benefit of the doubt, as his inconsistency towards students appears to be habitual, with no signs of slowing down. After his seemingly sincere 2023 Newsbeat interview, Starmer went on to crush the hopes of students in May 2024, just two days after the announcement of the General Election, where the Labour Leader formally announced the abandonment of his tuition fee pledge, marking his previous comments as ineffectual, and proving his lack of dedication to students.
Despite this, a 2024 YouGov poll found that 41% of 18-24 year olds voted in support of Starmers Labour party, proving young people to be a significant pillar of support for the PM, despite his inconsistency towards them. This series of evidence only proves the obvious in my eyes- Starmer needs to step up for students. His acknowledgement of student hardship in 2023 provides solace that a politician is finally listening to the youth of the UK, however Starmer cannot be heralded with such a title, until he acts upon his words.
Words by Poppy Grainger
Cover Image Credit: University of Leeds
