By Nigel Carrington. Public debate about higher education has obsessed over fees, but some facts are rarely mentioned. It’s time to set the record straight. Public debate on higher education has become obsessed with funding, but there are some facts that are rarely mentioned. The value of universities to the UK is enormous, generating £72bn in value to the UK economy in 2014 on a turnover of £27.3bn. To put that into perspective, the acclaimed UK computer games sector turned over £1.7bn. And they create enormous value indirectly. More...

By Claire Shaw. Universities should stop demanding extra cash from the public purse and use their resources more wisely, says the head of a leading private university. More...

By Patrick Wintour. Business secretary Vince Cable says fee cut would damage universities and public finances, while Labour activists call for clarity. More...

Those who wonder whether Ed Miliband displays the clarity and decisiveness that are normally thought essential to winning an election will not find themselves short of evidence from Labour’s current handling of the tuition fees issue. This is, after all, the very same tuition fees issue that poleaxed support among full-time students for the Liberal Democrats after 2010, resulting in a 24-point swing to Labour among students between then and 2014, according to a recent study. In a close election contest where every seat matters, therefore, Labour clearly has a vital self-interest in ensuring that it retains its post-2010 gains among student voters. Student votes in a handful of constituencies could decide the 2015 general election. More...

By Patrick Wintour. Ed Miliband can win the support of students by the getting the policy right – but there is clearly an impasse on the issue within the party. More...

By Vince Cable. Redundancies, bigger classes, inferior teaching and an end to record levels of university applications – that’s what Labour’s £6,000 tuition fees would mean. More...