Graduates being squeezed' for cash-strapped government, experts warn

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"Graduates are being squeezed to fill government coffers, experts have warned amid growing fury at the student loans system. MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis is among those who have condemned Rachel Reeves's decision to freeze the student debt repayment threshold as the chancellor insisted the current system is fair. Mr Lewis estimated this would leave everybody who is above the threshold paying around 300 a year more than they currently do by 2030. He demanded the government have a rethink and told Ms Reeves in a direct message: I do not think it is a moral thing for you to do."

The Independent funds on-the-ground reporting across topics such as reproductive rights, climate change and Big Tech through reader donations rather than paywalls. Donations enable investigations, documentaries and journalists to speak to both sides while keeping reporting freely available to readers across the political spectrum. Graduates face financial pressure after a government decision to freeze the student loan repayment threshold at 29,385 for three years from April 2027. Martin Lewis warned the freeze would leave those above the threshold paying around 300 a year more by 2030, urged a government rethink and described the decision as immoral.

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