#toryspin

Higher Education Policy Institute HEPI (Twitter, 14 June 2018) First question: Q: “Who is right on free speech?” A: “The Minister.”

Sam Gyimah: The threat to freedom of speech in universities was not “some right-wing conspiracy theory that someone cooked up” (University of Buckingham HEFestival18, 14 June 2018 and The Independent). Except it was a “right-wing conspiracy theory that someone cooked up” (”Minister for students backtracks on freedom of speech accusation”, 15 June 2018)

Home Office / Migration Advisory Committee withdrew international students survey (18 May 2018). See also BBC News report.

Bournemouth University and University of Liverpool appeared to be the only two UK universities to share the Migration Advisory Committee survey regarding International students (11 May 2018). Both Bournemouth and Liverpool have now deleted these pages.

The government uses RPI-- the Retail Prices Index--which the Treasury Select Committee says is "flawed" and should be "abandoned". The rise in that measure will push interest rates on student loans for tuition fees up to 6.3% in the autumn (BBC News, 11 May 2018)

UCEA uses CPIH (Consumer Price Inflation including owner-occupiers’ Housing costs) to calculate Higher Education pay (Employers’ Statement 2018-19, 23 March 2018, p.2). But USS uses RPI+1% (Retail Prices Index) to calculate pensions deficit and UK government uses RPI+3% to set student loans interest rate. Because RPI (March 2018, 3.3%) is higher than CPIH (March 2018, 2.3%).