Labour's Andy Burnham is under fire from SNP Westminster economy spokeswoman Kirsty Blackman over the significant hike in university tuition fees in England, which could reach £81,000 for students in London. The average debt for Scottish students leaving university in 2025 was £17,990, a stark contrast to the situation in England where students can owe up to £70,000 by graduation. Blackman accuses Burnham of breaking his promise to replace tuition fees with a graduate tax and criticizes the Labour Party's handling of the issue, pointing out that tuition fees have risen 879% since they were introduced. A Department for Education spokesperson acknowledged the need to reform the student loan system, but did not address specific criticisms from Blackman or the SNP.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has been criticized for increasing university tuition fees in England, despite previously promising to scrap them. According to analysis from the House of Commons library, students could owe around £70,000 or even up to £81,000 if they take out the full loan amount, especially for those studying in London. This is a significant increase compared to Scotland, where Scottish students do not pay tuition fees and graduate with an average debt of £17,990. Burnham had pledged to replace tuition fees with a graduate tax during the 2015 Labour leadership contest, but has now broken his promise. The SNP's Kirsty Blackman criticized Burnham for increasing tuition fees by a staggering 879%, arguing that this will leave thousands of young people starting university in England this year with significant debt.
Written for “University Tuition Fees Hike” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
-
Andy Burnham once promised to follow the SNP’s lead and scrap university tuition fees but instead they are rising to record levels under his leadership.
left accusing Burnham of breaking a promise
-
It is shocking that, thanks to the Labour Party, thousands of young people beginning university in England this year will start their working lives burdened with £81,000 of debt.
left criticizing Labour's policy on tuition fees
-
Andy Burnham promised he would be different, but he’s already performed more U-turns and broken more promises than Keir Starmer.
left accusing Burnham of breaking promises
Leaning score -0.75 for article 4184 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-04
Analysis from the House of Commons library found undergraduates could owe around £70,000 by the time they finish university if they take the full loan amount, rising to a maximum of £81,000 for those studying in London.
uncertain
they → find → London
In Scotland, where Scottish students do not pay tuition fees, the average debt for those leaving university in 2025 was £17,990.
asserted
debt → pay → 2025
Mr Burnham previously pledged he would replace tuition fees with a graduate tax, saying this would “lift the millstone of debt” from students.
asserted
this → pledge → students
He made the commitment in 2015 during the Labour leadership contest which was won by Jeremy Corbyn.
asserted
which → make → Corbyn
SNP Westminster economy spokeswoman Kirsty Blackman said: “Andy Burnham once promised to follow the SNP’s lead and scrap university tuition fees but instead they are rising to record levels under his leadership.
asserted
they → say → leadership
“It is shocking that, thanks to the Labour Party, thousands of young people beginning university in England this year will start their working lives burdened with £81,000 of debt.
asserted
thousands → begin → debt
“There is simply no excuse for the fact that tuition fees have risen by a staggering 879% since the Labour Party introduced them – and it means that Andy Burnham is breaking his promises to millions of students and young people.”
asserted
Burnham → be → students
Ms Blackman said the situation contrasts with that in Scotland, where she vowed “university tuition fees in Scotland will always be free under the SNP”.
asserted
fees → say → SNP
She said: “Scottish students graduating in 2025 left university with a whopping £35,000 less debt than students in England.
asserted
students → say → England
Read More
“Andy Burnham promised he would be different, but he’s already performed more U-turns and broken more promises than Keir Starmer.
asserted
he → read → Starmer
“He said he would reduce the cost of living but tuition fees are up, energy bills are up, inflation is up and families are struggling to get by.
asserted
families → say → living
“Burdening young people with £81,000 of debt before they’ve even started their working lives isn’t tackling the cost of living – it’s making it increasingly unbearable.
“When Andy Burnham went to university in the 1980s, he paid no fees and received a free maintenance grant, so why is he breaking his promise to scrap fees for this generation and hiking them to record levels instead?
asserted
he → burden → levels
It’s the same old broken promises.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
“It’s all well-and-good Andy Burnham spending his time making fancy TikTok videos, but what families want to see is real action to put money in their pockets – not another Labour Party tuition fee hike that will take even more money away from hard-pressed households.
asserted
that → ’ → households
“Andy Burnham must come clean and admit whether his promise to scrap fees is another broken promise on the Westminster bonfire.”
asserted
promise → come → bonfire
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We know the student loan system we inherited is broken and unfair, and some graduates feel the weight of this more strongly.
asserted
graduates → say → this
“We will continue to look for ways to make the system fairer for students, graduates and taxpayers in a financially sustainable way.
asserted
system → continue → way
“We’re breaking down barriers to accessing university by increasing maximum maintenance loans this year, targeting the largest amount of support to students from the lowest income families, and we’re reintroducing targeted maintenance grants to help people from all backgrounds access university or college.”
asserted
people → break → university
