Zia Yusuf, a senior figure in Reform UK, has advocated for a significant reduction in the number of young people attending university, a stance that comes despite his own educational background at the prestigious London School of Economics.
A Call for Fewer Universities and Students
Speaking at the CBI's annual conference in London, the party's head of policy and former chairman argued that the current system is unsustainable. Mr Yusuf stated that the country should end up with "fewer people going to university and there are probably fewer universities." He criticised the legacy of former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, who aimed for half of young people to attend university, a target since scrapped by Sir Keir Starmer.
The multi-millionaire businessman, who attended the elite private Hampton School on a 50% scholarship, highlighted the issue of mounting student debt. He also took aim at institutions that rely heavily on state subsidies, suggesting that some should close while protecting the UK's best, such as Oxford and Cambridge.
Policy Proposals and Financial Pressures
Mr Yusuf, a former banker at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs, also put universities on notice regarding their intake of international students. He indicated that a future Reform UK government would clamp down on the number of overseas students, despite the substantial financial revenue they bring to university coffers.
His comments arrive at a time of significant strain for the higher education sector. According to an analysis by the University and College Union, UK universities have collectively announced more than 12,000 job cuts in the past year due to falling student numbers and squeezed budgets.
Context and Party Scrutiny
Mr Yusuf's appearance marked Reform UK's first address to a CBI conference, signalling the party's intent to engage with the British corporate world. The event, however, was shadowed by a separate scandal within the party. Nathan Gill, the disgraced former leader of Reform UK in Wales, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison after admitting to taking around £40,000 in bribes for pro-Russia interviews and speeches.
When questioned by the Mirror about potential investigations into the matter, Mr Yusuf, a close ally of Nigel Farage, distanced himself, stating he had never met Mr Gill and called it "unreasonable to try to leverage that to besmirch everybody else at Reform."
