This morning Jeremy Corbyn spoke at Leeds City College, announcing his programme for educational reforms.

The party has announced plans to pump billions of pounds into schools and adult learning. The increased spending would be paid for by increasing corporation tax to 26 percent, and undoing Conservative plans to cut the tax to 17 percent by 2020.

He has vowed to allocate nearly £5 billion into English schools over the next five years, and the overall cost of the plan would be around £20 billion.

The plan includes a real terms funding increase, free school meals for all primary school children and to reintroduce maintenance grants for university students.

Following the talk, Corbyn posted on his Facebook: “Labour would reverse Conservative tax breaks for big businesses and instead spend the money on a new National Education Service for young and old, an education from the cradle to grave.”

The Labour Party has also hinted that it would work towards scrapping fees for university students. In interviews, the party has refused to say whether axing fees will be in the party’s manifesto. However, footage has emerged of John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, revealing the policy in a speech.

He said “It’s not a commodity to be bought and sold. So we want to introduce – just as the Atlee government with Nye Bevan introduced the National Health Service – we want to introduce a national education service.”

McDonnell went on to say: “yes it means scrapping tuition fees once and for all so we don’t burden our kids with debt for the future.”

 

(Image: Dan Kitwood via Getty Images)

Polly Hatcher