ALL students would be entitled to free university education under an audacious Conservative attempt to recapture the middle classes to be announced today.

Iain Duncan Smith’s biggest policy announcement to date will also scrap the Government’s target of getting half of all young people to university by the end of the decade.

At present students pay tuition fees of £1,200 a year, but these could rise to up to £3,000 under Tony Blair’s controversial “top-up” proposals. Labour is counting on fees bringing in some £700 million.

Mr Duncan Smith will say today, however, that abolishing the 50 per cent target would save £480 million and the abolition of fees would lead to further savings of some £200 million, since related initiatives would not be needed.

Mr Duncan Smith will describe university fees as a tax on learning and say that too many young people are being forced on to unsuitable courses when they would benefit more from good vocational qualifications. Expanding university admissions was unnecessary when there was such a shortage of technical and vocational skills, and “rigging” admissions did not genuinely help disadvantaged students. The Prime Minister is already facing a revolt over plans to introduce top-up fees in the next Parliament, and the Conservative move is likely to increase his difficulties.

Universities have convinced Mr Blair and Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary, that the fees are necessary because of a £10 billion funding gap expected over the next three years. However, some 140 Labour MPs have signed a Commons motion attacking top-up fees and, with both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats against them, Mr Blair could face serious trouble in getting the Bill through Parliament.

Damian Green, the Conservative Education Spokesman, said that Labour had let down hard-working families who wanted their children to get on, leaving young people with huge debts and universities tied up in red tape. “Under the Conservatives the university sector will be smaller, better focused and open to all who deserve to be there.”

Mr Green told The Times last night: “This is not a something-for-nothing policy. We have to accept that there will be a smaller university sector so that we can fund properly those that will be able to compete on the world stage.” Some universities would have to merge and the Conservatives would do away with frivolous degrees such as curry cooking, kite flying and surfing.

But university vice-chancellors said the Conservatives’ sums did not appear to add up.“At first sight, the proposal would deprive universities of a much-needed source of funding to relieve middle-class students from paying fees,” Roderick Floud, president of Universities UK, said. “Poor students are already exempt, so they would not benefit.

“Abolishing the target that 50 per cent of young people should go to university would save little money in the short run and leave the UK lagging behind other countries in the world knowledge economy.”

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