Burnham ‘poised to bow to demands for EU students to get cut-price tuition fees’ as he cosies up to Brussels
Andy Burnham has indicated the UK could be preparing to accept EU demands that European students pay the same discounted tuition fees as domestic students, as part of a broader push to reset relations with Brussels. Speaking during talks with European Council president António Costa and Luxembourg's prime minister Luc Frieden, Burnham said the UK needed to be "bolder" in strengthening ties with the bloc, with a UK-EU summit planned later this year expected to build on the discussions.
Since Brexit, EU students in the UK have paid international fees of between £11,400 and £38,000 a year, far higher than the £9,535 domestic rate charged to British students. Brussels has reportedly been pushing for months for parity in fees, alongside a proposed "youth free movement" scheme, and Burnham—who once called for Britain to rejoin the EU before backtracking—is said to be willing to agree to discounts as part of wider efforts to ease trade barriers. Downing Street said the leaders had "underlined the importance of being ambitious" and highlighted the value of educational and cultural ties between the UK and Europe.
- Burnham reportedly open to cutting tuition fees for EU students
- Move tied to wider push to reset UK-EU relations before a summit
- EU students currently pay up to £38,000 versus £9,535 for UK students
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Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has been holding talks with senior EU figures, including European Council president António Costa, about improving relations between the UK and the bloc since Brexit. One issue on the table is university tuition fees: since Britain left the EU, students from EU countries have had to pay the much higher international rate to study at UK universities, rather than the lower fee charged to UK students.
The EU has been pressing for this to change, alongside other ideas such as a scheme to make it easier for young people to move between the UK and Europe. A UK-EU summit is expected later this year, where these discussions could feed into wider decisions about the relationship between Britain and Brussels.
This matters because any change to fees would affect how much EU students pay to study in the UK and could be seen as a broader signal of the UK's approach to the EU after Brexit. It also touches on a wider debate about how closely the UK should align itself with European institutions.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of the move argue that offering EU students the same tuition rates as domestic students is a modest, low-cost way to rebuild educational, cultural and economic ties damaged by Brexit, and could encourage reciprocal benefits for British students wishing to study on the continent. They see it as part of a pragmatic package of measures to ease trade friction and strengthen the UK's standing with its largest trading partner, arguing that closer people-to-people links bring long-term diplomatic and economic dividends that outweigh any short-term loss in fee income. For advocates like Burnham, being "bolder" with Brussels reflects a belief that isolation has cost Britain influence and opportunity, and that a warmer relationship benefits universities, students and the wider economy alike.
The case against
Critics contend that reducing fees for EU students effectively reinstates a Brexit-era privilege that voters chose to end, and that it is unfair to grant one bloc of foreign nationals discounted access to public higher-education subsidies not extended to other international students. They argue this could cost universities and the taxpayer significant revenue at a time of strained public finances, while setting a precedent for unpicking Brexit outcomes piecemeal without a mandate or reciprocal guarantees from the EU. For those who hold this view, safeguarding the outcome of the 2016 referendum and ensuring fairness and fiscal discipline in domestic policy take precedence over symbolic gestures of goodwill towards Brussels.