New academic year, new government, new policy agenda

Seeking certainty—what the university and research sectors want from Labour

“The mood music is a lot better.” This is how John Cater, whose 31 years as vice-chancellor of Edge Hill make him the UK’s longest-serving university leader, sums up the early days of the new UK government. “What’s being said is more encouraging and more supportive,” he tells Research Fortnight. “However, the mood music will need some investment further down the line.”

Cater’s stance will be shared by many working in the sector. While the new Labour administration has promised to remove universities from culture war battles—and moved to reassure prospective international students that they are welcome in the UK—it has yet to unveil any hard-and-fast policies on higher education and research. So what do sector leaders want to see happen in Westminster over the next academic year?