When Sir Keir Starmer ran for Labour leadership in 2020, he pledged to support the abolition of tuition fees.
However, just over three years since succeeding Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the opposition, he is set to drop that pledge.
“We are likely to move on from that commitment, because we do find ourselves in a different financial situation,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He added: “We are looking at options for how we fund these fees. The current system is unfair, it doesn’t really work for students, doesn’t work for universities.”
Sir Keir stressed he did not “want that to be read as us accepting for a moment that the current system is fair or that it is working”.
The National Union of Students has criticised the promise being broken — and warned that it could have an effect at the polls. A spokesperson said: “The Labour Party needs a clear vision that young people and students will turn up for, and cannot take their votes for granted.
“Students and young people are clear about what we want to see in society: a fair and well-funded education, where everyone can afford to study across their lifetime; living wages for all, and the vision and innovation to respond to the great challenges of our lifetimes.”
The statement added: “The current system is broken, prioritising money over student welfare and education.”
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