


Higher fees won’t help Britain’s beleaguered universities much
A tax rise could gobble up much of the extra cash
For much of its time in opposition the Labour Party pledged that it would abolish university tuition fees, if only British voters would give it the chance. On November 4th, four months after returning to power, the party announced instead that it would raise a cap that holds down what universities may charge English undergraduates. Next September, the maximum annual cost of tuition will increase in line with retail-price inflation for the first time in eight years. It will go up by 3.1%, to £9,535 ($12,400).
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The Labour government picks up a bad Tory habit
Expansive and rushed legislation remains a problem

Kemi Badenoch, the Tories’ new leader, plans war on the “blob”
It is not an obvious route to winning back disgruntled voters

Labour’s budget has given the bond market indigestion
But this is not a repeat of the Liz Truss debacle
A growing number of Britons live on canal boats
But the costs are rising
Britain’s budget is heavy on spending but light on reform
Rachel Reeves has raised both borrowing and taxes by historic amounts
Britain’s Labour Party has forgotten how to be nice
Small sums can have disproportionate effects on the public realm