After election victory, Boris Johnson promises to boost education

May 10, 2021

‘Rocket fuel’ to fire up Britain: After his election victory, Boris Johnson promises to bring in laws to boost education chances and help ‘level up’ the nation

Plans to give every adult access to loans to fund college courses and training
The PM wants ‘lifetime skills guarantee’ to help people upgrade qualifications
Is one of several measures in today’s legislative programme aimed at the ‘levelling up’ agenda

Boris Johnson vowed last night to inject ‘rocket fuel’ into his pledge to level up Britain, with the introduction of new laws to boost education opportunities for those who have not been to university.

Speaking ahead of today’s Queen’s Speech, the Prime Minister revealed plans for legislation that will give every adult the right to access cheap, flexible loans to fund college courses and training later in life.

The move will enshrine in law Mr Johnson’s proposal to introduce a ‘lifetime skills guarantee’ designed to enable anyone to upgrade their qualifications, regardless of their background.

It is one of several measures in today’s legislative programme aimed at the ‘levelling up’ agenda that helped the Tories win victories in Labour’s former heartlands in the Midlands and the North last week.

Others include reforms to state aid to make it easier for the Government to subsidise industries facing unfair competition, new light-touch freeports and a shake-up of the planning regime to accelerate the rollout of new housing and infrastructure.

In a move that raised eyebrows in Westminster last night, Tory sources confirmed that the programme will also clear the way for a potential early election by scrapping the Fixed-term Parliaments Act.

Repeal of the controversial legislation would allow the PM to order an election at the time of his choosing.

Some Tory MPs believe this could be just two years away and the grassroots Tory website Conservative Home yesterday urged activists to ‘be ready for a general election in the spring of 2023’.

But ministers played down the prospect of an election before 2024, saying that the pandemic had left the Government behind schedule on delivering its manifesto.

Today’s State Opening of Parliament will lack some of the traditional pomp and ceremony.

Only a number of peers and MPs are likely to be present in person to hear the Queen.

All those attending will have to take Covid tests.

Last night the Prime Minister underlined the importance of the education reforms, which will focus on the 50 per cent of people who do not go to university.

Mr Johnson said: ‘These new laws are the rocket fuel that we need to level up this country and ensure equal opportunities for all.

‘I’m revolutionising the system so we can move past the outdated notion that there is only one route up the career ladder, and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to retrain or upskill at any point in their lives.’

A Government source said the PM believes those who do not go to university had been ‘historically deprived of the chance to find their vocation and develop a fulfilling, well-paid career’.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will have more powers to intervene in colleges that fail to meet the needs of the local economy

Under the new Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, set to be published next week, ministers will shake up the student loans system to open it up to all adults seeking higher-level education or training later in life.

Everyone will have access to the equivalent of four years’ worth of student loans, which will be accessible throughout their career.

Employers will also be given a statutory role in planning publicly funded training programmes to try and ensure colleges are teaching the skills needed.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will have more powers to intervene in colleges that fail to meet the needs of the local economy.

Today’s Queen’s Speech will contain a wide range of measures to get the Government’s agenda back on track after more than a year spent grappling with the pandemic.

These include plans to tackle the backlog of NHS operations and cancer treatments and a new law setting ambitious targets for cutting carbon emissions.

However, ministers are facing a backlash over plans to make it compulsory for voters to prove their identity at the polling station.

Former Tory cabinet minister David Davis said it was an ‘illiberal solution for a non-existent problem’.

Mr Johnson last night dismissed the criticism as ‘complete nonsense’, saying it was ‘not unreasonable’ to ask people to show ID to help cut voter fraud.

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