14/08/2003

Tories claims student debt will 'triple' under Labour

The Tory Party has said today that student debt looks set to triple between now and 2010, with those leaving university in seven years time likely to be £33,708 in the red.

According to research by Barclay's, this year's graduates are said to have amassed debts of about £10,997 each, but this is expected to rise to £17,561 for today's sixth formers who will graduate in 2006.

The Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Damian Green, said: "Student debt is bad today and will get steadily worse the longer this government is in power. Another Labour term could see students facing debts of tens of thousands of pounds. Nothing could be better guaranteed to deter children from hard-working but relatively poor families from applying to university.

"The Conservatives would abolish all tuition fees relieving students of thousands of pounds worth of debt burden."

(gmcg)

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