Labour chief Sir Keir Starmer accused of ‘flip-flopping’

Sir Keir Starmer was yesterday accused of “flip-flopping” after U-turning on a pledge to abolish college tuition charges.

The Labour chief vowed to scrap the £9,250 a 12 months fees when he ran for the management in 2020.

But Sir Keir yesterday confirmed Labour is making ready to desert the dedication and blamed the UK’s financial woes.

“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,” he said.

The Labour leader said the party would “set out a fairer answer” in the coming weeks.

He added: “We are more likely to transfer on from that dedication as a result of we do discover ourselves in a unique monetary scenario.”

But he insisted he did not “need that to be learn as us accepting for a second that the present system is honest or that it’s working”.

Conservative Party chairman Greg Hands mocked the Labour leader for his latest U-turn.

Mr Hands said: “Everyone is getting again to work after the Bank Holiday weekend and Sir Keir is again to what he does finest – flip-flopping on a serious situation.”

Conservative MP Mark Jenkinson said: “Sir Flip-Flop makes one other U-turn, as certain as night time follows day.”

Sir Keir also risked a fresh row with the Labour left over the planned policy shift.

His predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, who sits as an independent MP following an antisemitism row, said: “Young folks shouldn’t be saddled with a lifetime of debt simply because they need to get an schooling.”

“Abolish tuition charges, restore upkeep grants and ship free schooling for all.”

Sir Keir has already backtracked on a collection of pledges made throughout his management bid together with plans to extend revenue tax for the highest 5 % of earners, defend free motion with the EU, ditch the common credit score profit system, and nationalise power corporations.