Higher Education.
Universities, tuition fees, research
Each row is one party. The bar shows how its MPs voted relative to a neutral midpoint — to the right = on-side with the majority position, to the left = opposed. The percentage figure is the share of that party’s MPs who took the same side: higher = more whip-disciplined, closer to 50% = a freer vote.
| Party | Stance vs neutral midpoint | Net % | Discipline | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Party | Lab | -1 | 49% on-whip · 289 MPs | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Con | +48 | 98% on-whip · 86 MPs | |
| Liberal Democrats | LD | -50 | 0% on-whip · 54 MPs | |
| Labour and Co-operative Party | Lab | -1 | 49% on-whip · 34 MPs | |
| Independent | Ind | -25 | 25% on-whip · 7 MPs | |
| Reform UK | Ref | -50 | 0% on-whip · 6 MPs | |
| Democratic Unionist Party | DUP | -33 | 17% on-whip · 5 MPs |
Source · Hansard · alignment is the share of party MPs who voted with the party majority on tagged divisions
| Date | Motion | Aye | No | Carried |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Mar 2026 | Opposition day motion: student loans Aye: Support the opposition's motion calling for changes to student loan policy, likely seeking reform to reduce graduate debt burdens or improve repayment terms · No: Reject the opposition's motion, defending the government's existing approach to student loan and higher education funding policy | 89 | 265 | No |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Draft Higher Education (Fee Limits and Fee Limit Condition) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 Aye: Support raising the tuition fee cap to stabilise university finances and sustain the higher education sector, accepting the cost to students as a necessary trade-off. · No: Oppose the fee increase as an unfair burden on young people, arguing it should not proceed without wider reform of the student finance system or clearer commitments on repayment terms and university accountability. | 277 | 99 | Yes |
All 2 divisions on this issue →
Mapping each Westminster issue to the equivalent council service bucket (so “Higher Education” → the matching service line on council finance, with the ranked-spend table this section wants) is its own taxonomy job. Council service spend lives on the council pages today; cross-cut by issue here in a follow-on pass.