Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed that he is set to U-turn on his pledge to abolish university tuition fees.

The Labour leader admitted he is “likely to move on from that commitment”, arguing it is now unaffordable because of the economic situation.

His remarks will anger left-wing MPs and activists who have accused him of abandoning the Socialist platform he used to win the leadership.

Sir Keir unveiled 10 pledges when he stood to replace Jeremy Corbyn at the top of the party in early 2020.

In his second commitment, titled “social justice”, he promised to “support the abolition of tuition fees and invest in lifelong learning”.

Asked on Tuesday whether he still stood by that, he told the BBC: "We are likely to move on from that commitment, because we do find ourselves in a different financial situation.”

The Labour leader added that the comment should not be “read as us accepting for a moment that the current system is fair or that it is working".

Vowing to “set out a fairer solution” in the coming weeks, he added: “We are looking at options for how we fund these fees.

“The current system is unfair, it doesn't really work for students, doesn't work for universities."

Sir Keir had previously hinted that the pledge was set for the scrapheap, but Tuesday’s remarks are the first time he has been so categoric.

He failed to stand by the commitment when asked in January, saying he had to “be honest” about the “damage that’s been done to our economy”.

Labour has promised to ensure every policy is fully funded and has said it will only borrow money for investment to meet future challenges like climate change.

When he was standing for the leadership, Sir Keir said: “Labour must stand by its commitment to end the national scandal of spiralling student debt and abolish tuition fees.

“We lost the election, but we did not lose our values or determination to tackle the injustice facing young people going to university.

“Under the Tories, tuition fees have tripled and young people are leaving university with nearly £60,000 worth of debt.

“Let’s be blunt: we need to end the scandal of spiralling student debt.”

His about-turn was immediately criticised by Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader who now sits as an independent.

“Young people should not be saddled with a lifetime of debt just because they want to get an education,” he said.

“Abolish tuition fees, restore maintenance grants and deliver free education for all.”

It is not the first time Sir Keir has abandoned a pledge he made during the Labour leadership race, angering activists on the Left.

He has also ditched commitments to nationalise utility companies and scrap Universal Credit.

In February the Labour leader defended moving on from the pledges made three years ago, but defended them as “important statements of value and principle”.

He said: “What I’ve had to do is obviously adapt some of them to the circumstances we find ourselves in. Since I ran for leader, we’ve had Covid.

“Since I ran for leader, we’ve had the conflict in Ukraine. Since I ran for leader, we’ve had a government that’s done huge damage to our economy.”

He has now replaced them with “five missions for a better Britain”, which will be the platform on which he fights the next election.

They are securing the highest growth in the G7, becoming a clean energy superpower, building an NHS fit for the future, making streets safe and breaking down barriers to opportunity.