Taking the Mickey

Day three, although it seems longer, of reaction to government plans for student number caps

This government really seems to have it in for poor old Mickey Mouse. First, there was immigration minister Robert Jenrick ordering that a mural of the Disney character be painted over, lest unaccompanied refugee children should feel too welcome in Dover.

Then it was this week’s assault on “Mickey Mouse degrees”, a term we have never quite understood since the mouse has a market capitalisation of over $157 billion (£121bn). Admittedly, that is less than the accumulated debt of UK graduates, which currently sits at £227.5bn.