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 · 55 MPs | |
| Labour and Co-operative Party | Ind | -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 reviewing or reforming the student loans system, potentially to reduce the burden on graduates through lower interest rates, better repayment terms, or wider debt relief · No: Oppose the opposition's proposed changes to student loans, either defending the current system or rejecting the specific framing of the motion | 89 | 265 | No |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Draft Higher Education (Fee Limits and Fee Limit Condition) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 Aye: Support raising university tuition fees by 2.71% for 2026-27, arguing it is necessary to sustain higher education funding · No: Oppose the tuition fee increase, arguing it adds to the financial burden on young people in a difficult labour market | 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.