Student support grants ‘could be cut’

Grants given to the poorest university students could be cut as part of savings the Department for Business has to find, BBC Newsnight understands. Proposals to start phasing out grants, worth up to £3,387 a year for students from less well off households, were first drawn up in 2013. Back then, Nick Clegg, the ex-deputy prime minister, blocked the proposal. But ministers are reconsidering the idea as they seek to find savings ahead of the Budget, Newsnight understands. One source familiar with the discussions said: ‘You tighten eligibility then eventually, move it down to nothing.” Read More.