Starmer may allegedly abandon tuition fees policy

Sir Keir Starmer has sparked a new spat with Labour’s left over suggestions that he is willing to abandon the party’s promise to abolish university tuition fees.

Labour committed to ‘end the disastrous free-market experiment in higher education’ and ‘abolish tuition fees’ in the 2019 general election under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

In England, universities and colleges can levy tuition fees of up to £9,250 per year, which can be paid with a student loan.

Labour’s program of abolishing fees and restoring maintenance subsidies is anticipated to cost £6 billion each year.

Sir Keir has kept his vow to abolish tuition fees since taking over as Labour leader from Jeremy Corbyn, and even made it a part of his leadership election campaign.

However, it has since been revealed that he may abandon the signature policy.

Labour is expected to drop the vow, according to the Financial Times, as part of a ‘wish to seem more economically prudent,’ however the newspaper added the specifics were not yet agreed.

Those on the left of the party are furious at the prospect of Sir Keir stepping away from a crucial aspect of Labour policy under Mr Corbyn.

Momentum, the organization that came out of Mr Corbyn’s two leadership election campaigns, accused the Labour leader of adding to a list of ‘failed pledges.’

‘Scrapping tuition fees was the hallmark pledge of Labour’s 2017 general election campaign, which saw the largest rise in the party’s vote share since 1945, with dozens of seats gained,’ a spokeswoman told MailOnline.

‘It was also one of Keir Starmer’s core commitments in his leadership election campaign, which has now been forgotten, like so many other unfulfilled promises.

‘As a result of failing to propose any serious reform to Britain’s unsustainable economic model, the Labour Party has shot itself in the foot.’

After his past assurances to the party’s established position on tuition fees, several Labour members dubbed Sir Keir “totally disgusting.”

Some even feared that removing the tuition fee commitment would be as harmful to Labour as the Liberal Democrats were under Sir Nick Clegg’s leadership.

Labour is expected to drop the vow, according to the Financial Times, as part of a ‘wish to seem more economically prudent,’ however the newspaper added the specifics were not yet agreed.

Those on the left of the party are furious at the prospect of Sir Keir stepping away from a crucial aspect of Labour policy under Mr Corbyn.

Momentum, the organization that came out of Mr Corbyn’s two leadership election campaigns, accused the Labour leader of adding to a list of ‘failed pledges.’

‘Scrapping tuition fees was the hallmark pledge of Labour’s 2017 general election campaign, which saw the largest rise in the party’s vote share since 1945, with dozens of seats gained,’ a spokeswoman told MailOnline.

‘It was also one of Keir Starmer’s core commitments in his leadership election campaign, which has now been forgotten, like so many other unfulfilled promises.

‘As a result of failing to propose any serious reform to Britain’s unsustainable economic model, the Labour Party has shot itself in the foot.’

After his past assurances to the party’s established position on tuition fees, several Labour members dubbed Sir Keir “totally disgusting.”

Some even feared that removing the tuition fee commitment would be as harmful to Labour as the Liberal Democrats were under Sir Nick Clegg’s leadership.