The Conservative government has been criticised by an Oxfordshire MP over proposals to lower the threshold at which student loan repayments are made.

Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon called the proposed change 'heartless'. She highlighted that this proposal comes after a recent rise to national insurance, rising energy costs and a cut to Universal Credit.

She said: “This is yet another unfair Tory tax rise, targeting hard-working young people who are already being hit by the impact of the pandemic and the Conservatives’ unfair jobs tax.

“The Government already delivered a hammer blow at the worst possible time to low-paid young people by raising their National Insurance. It’s truly heartless that they are considering hitting so many of them twice in two months with this tax rise, in the midst of the rapidly rising cost of living.

“We need to invest in vocational and technical education to ensure it leads to a good and well-paying career. But that does not mean pricing people out of higher education or hitting low-earning graduates with an unfair extra tax.”

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