Overview
- Reports published on June 30 say Sir Keir Starmer offered to cut EU students’ tuition from international rates of up to £38,000 to the UK home rate of £9,535 in talks with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen earlier this month.
- A UK government spokesperson denied the specific claims and said it does not recognise the reports while refusing to give a running commentary on ongoing talks.
- A planned EU‑UK summit set for July 22 that could have advanced discussions on fees and a youth mobility scheme was postponed after Starmer announced his resignation, leaving the proposal unconfirmed.
- Around 11% of the UK’s roughly 685,565 foreign students come from EU countries, so the reported change would affect a substantial cohort of international students and could change university income from EU applicants.
- Coverage is divided: some national outlets described the reports as a political betrayal while others said the offer was conditional on a broader reset; all reporting to date relies on press accounts and has not been independently verified.