Like a prayer

The Office for Students is debated in parliament, and we have an update on alternative provider fees.

In the end, the government had a comfortable majority of 291 to 211 in the vote that the Labour Party had been granted as the result of a parliamentary ‘prayer’ to annul the statutory instrument transferring the powers of the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Office for Fair Access to the Office for Students. It was always a long shot that Labour could overturn this particular statute.

However, rather than dismiss the attempt and sail on to the next stage of transition to the new regulatory framework, the OfS might reflect on what was said in the Commons last night. It is not every day that you survive an assassination attempt.