Keir Starmer scraps Tony Blair’s target for half of pupils to go to university
Starmer ditches Blair-era pledge as no longer ‘right for our times’
- Sir Keir Starmer has announced that Labour will scrap the previous target for 50 per cent of pupils to attend university.
- The new ambition is for two-thirds of young people to either complete a degree or undertake a "gold standard apprenticeship" by the age of 25.
- Sir Keir stated that the 1999 pledge, made by former prime minister Sir Tony Blair, is no longer "right for our times" and emphasised valuing different educational choices.
- Labour plans to allocate nearly £800m in additional funding for 16- to 19-year-olds next year, supporting an extra 20,000 students.
- The move aims to address the number of young people not in employment, education, or training.