Nic Mitchell asks how British higher education – and particularly its recruitment of international students – can hope to get a look in when the Labour government has so many other priorities, from handling Trump’s tantrums threatening globalisation and world trade to finding some financial headroom to pay for its mission of social and economic renewal.
I know it’s not very fashionable, but I almost feel sorry for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he tries to weave the path that does least damage to British interests from the blasts of tariff-filled hot air coming from the White House and the worsening economic and political storms battering the Labour Government’s plans for change and renewal after all those years of Tory turmoil.
Good luck seemed to run out within weeks of Starmer being elected with a landslide number of MPs in Parliament based on a small majority of votes around the country – despite the electorate turning firmly against the Conservatives after 14 years that left us with a rushed and rubbish Brexit deal, a crumbling NHS and a feeling that almost anything was better than more of the Tories remaining in charge of the country.
The riots following the fatal stabbing of three young children in a dance class in Southport were a real test of the mettle of the fledgling government – but Starmer, as a previous Director of Public Prosecutions, proved himself up for the challenge and his firm ‘law and order’ crackdown probably even impressed the rioters who branded themselves ‘patriots’ after soaking up the racist conspiracy theories over the identity of the children’s murderer.
Since then Prime Minister and his Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory with many interest groups. The hikes in National Insurance contributions deeply upset employers and welfare reforms and benefit cuts, such as to the pensioners’ winter fuel allowance and the (lack of) support for families with more than two children, tested many natural Labour supporters to near breaking point.
And yet, all is not yet lost! Strikes that were crippling key services have mostly ended and Starmer has won plaudits from even natural Tory voters for standing by Ukraine without totally ‘pissing off’ a vacillating American president who appears closer to the Kremlin than his supposed allies in NATO.
Changing the mood music
As for higher education which I normally write about, Starmer’s Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and her sidekick, Skills Minister (Baroness) Jacqui Smith, have at least changed the mood music concerning international students coming to the UK.
Ex-premier Rishi Sunak, and particularly his former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, helped to turn things toxic towards higher education and foreign students as part of a drive to reduce net migration figures. They seemed to delight in undermining the standing of British universities with accusations of “poor-quality Mickey Mouse degrees”.
Of course, what they were actually horrified about was the sharp rise in non-EU foreigners coming to work and study in Britain under the Boris Johnson regime, which destroyed the Brexit boast about “controlling our borders”. Instead of falling net migration figures went soaring and the Conservative record was punished at the General Election.
Before leaving office, Braverman banned masters’ students from being allowed to bring their families (from January 2024) and tried unsuccessfully to close-down, or reduce to six months, the Graduate Route. The so-called post-study work visa route allows overseas students to stay in the UK for two years after graduation to try to earn enough to repay at least part of their outrageously high tuition fees. It was probably only spared when Sunak gave up the will to govern any longer and called an election for last July.
New international education strategy
Now, all eyes (in higher education circles at least) are waiting in anticipation for the Labour Government to unveil a new International education strategy.
This is expected to revise the old one launched in 2019. Known as the IES, it wanted to increase the number of overseas students at UK universities to 600,000 by 2030 and boost the value of Britain’s education experts to £35 billion.
That the target was achieved nine years ahead of schedule (as overseas students soared from 485,000 in 2018/19 to just under 680,000 in 2021/22) could be said to show how unambitious the target was.
However, the “success” was also due to unexpected circumstances, including the UK remaining relatively open to foreign students during the Covid pandemic in contrast to rival destinations.
International student entrants went on growing to 758,855 in 2022/23 and only fell by a relatively modest 3.5%, to 732,285 in 2023/24 – less than many higher education stakeholders expected.
Unlike home tuition fees (which are going up for the first time in seven years this autumn) and the inadequate funding universities receive for research activities, international tuition fees are one of the things that HE bosses can control (And they are often double or treble what is charged to home students).
Of course universities can cut staffing numbers and close unprofitable courses, which they have been doing at an alarming pace, with Dundee University being among the latest to axe hundreds of jobs, as I recently reported for University World News.
But there is only so much trimming without harming the long-term reputation of Britain’s higher seats of learning.
Value to UK economy
It may surprise some of our political leaders and the public – but the gross value added of UK higher education is bigger than motor manufacturing and pharmaceuticals to the British economy.
That’s why UK vice-chancellors and rectors are praying that the new government continues to provide the supportive environment necessary for continued growth of international students in its revised international (higher) education strategy.
If they need help on how this can be done, then the final report from the International Higher Education Commission (set up to give independent expert advice) is arriving just in time.
I’ve seen early drafts and it is due out shortly, so I won’t give the game away. But I can say it provides at least some of the mechanisms required for a more sustained and manageable way to grow numbers while maintaining public support and deserves a good read by those charged with advising the government and the HE sector on where they should be going.
