What a difference a year makes. One year ago, the Labour leader looked beleaguered, incompetent, and far from power, despite surviving a leadership challenge. Labour Party dreams of free university tuition looked like a fantasy. But Jeremy Corbyn’s General Election campaign, built on the back of the disaffected young, has kickstarted a national conversation on the nature and fairness of university funding. Corbyn himself continues to be wildly popular with students and university staff: 66% of the 18-19 age group voted Labour according to YouGov, a poll in THE suggested that 54% of HE staff voted Labour.
The Prime Minister, by contrast, was top of our 2016 Power List, riding high on her personal popularity, her determination to centralise government decision-making, and a continued unwillingness to bend to pressure from universities (and their allies) over international students. Now, Theresa May is held hostage by the goodwill of her backbenchers, cabinet colleagues (and dare we say it, the lack of a clear alternative leader). Power has firmly drifted back to ministers and their departments. Only the Prime Minister’s personal stubbornness has been holding back some easing off on international students policy. Now, May looks in no position to keep resisting should there be further pressure to liberalise rules on Tier 4 visas.
Perhaps a little cheekily, our judges have chosen to place May and Corbyn jointly at number 10 for 2017. One has office, but little power. The other may still be in opposition, but already has a huge influence over the future of universities.