Labour leader Ed Miliband has said his party would dramatically reduce the cap on student tuition fees if it returned to power.
He said Labour would limit university fees to £6,000 a year - down from the £9,000 maximum introduced by the coalition, in interviews with The Observer and Sunday Mirror.
The £1bn move apparently would be paid for by requiring graduates earning more than £65,000 a year to pay higher interest on their student loans and by cancelling the Government's cut in corporation tax.
The policy will put pressure on the Tories and particularly the Liberal Democrats who are accused by students of breaking pre-election promises not to raise tuition fees.
The Lib Dems' U-turn on opposing fees sparked student riots last year.
"Parents up and down the country are incredibly worried about their sons and daughters," Mr Miliband said.
He told the Sunday Mirror: "We want to take action to make it easier for people to go to university and not feel burdened down by debt. If we were in government now, we would cut the maximum tuition fee from £9,000 to £6,000 a year."
Mr Miliband said ditching the Government's proposed cut in corporation tax from 28% to 23% was "fair" because "we shouldn't be cutting taxes for the banks at the moment".
"We should be helping our young people - helping them help themselves to get the skills they need and to help our economy," he added.
The announcement comes on the eve of Labour's annual conference, where Mr Miliband is seeking to demonstrate the party is on the side of hard-pressed families worried about their children's futures .
Arriving in Liverpool on Saturday, Mr Miliband said: "What I'm interested in doing this week and what I'm determined to do is show to Britain's hard-working families that Labour is back as the party of them.
"Because they are families who are worried about the economy, are seeing their living standards squeezed, and are worried about their kids."
Mr Miliband told The Observer David Cameron and Nick Clegg would kill off the spirit of ambition and enterprise in the next generation by "loading the costs of paying off the deficit onto our young people".
He also said the cut would mean a wider cross section of young people going to university, and that it would therefore help create a more equal society.
"We can't build a successful economy if our young people come out of university burdened down by £50,000 of debt.
"We can't build a successful economy if the kids from all backgrounds are put off going to university."
He said Labour would limit university fees to £6,000 a year - down from the £9,000 maximum introduced by the coalition, in interviews with The Observer and Sunday Mirror.
The £1bn move apparently would be paid for by requiring graduates earning more than £65,000 a year to pay higher interest on their student loans and by cancelling the Government's cut in corporation tax.
The policy will put pressure on the Tories and particularly the Liberal Democrats who are accused by students of breaking pre-election promises not to raise tuition fees.
The Lib Dems' U-turn on opposing fees sparked student riots last year.
"Parents up and down the country are incredibly worried about their sons and daughters," Mr Miliband said.
He told the Sunday Mirror: "We want to take action to make it easier for people to go to university and not feel burdened down by debt. If we were in government now, we would cut the maximum tuition fee from £9,000 to £6,000 a year."
Mr Miliband said ditching the Government's proposed cut in corporation tax from 28% to 23% was "fair" because "we shouldn't be cutting taxes for the banks at the moment".
"We should be helping our young people - helping them help themselves to get the skills they need and to help our economy," he added.
The announcement comes on the eve of Labour's annual conference, where Mr Miliband is seeking to demonstrate the party is on the side of hard-pressed families worried about their children's futures .
Arriving in Liverpool on Saturday, Mr Miliband said: "What I'm interested in doing this week and what I'm determined to do is show to Britain's hard-working families that Labour is back as the party of them.
"Because they are families who are worried about the economy, are seeing their living standards squeezed, and are worried about their kids."
Mr Miliband told The Observer David Cameron and Nick Clegg would kill off the spirit of ambition and enterprise in the next generation by "loading the costs of paying off the deficit onto our young people".
He also said the cut would mean a wider cross section of young people going to university, and that it would therefore help create a more equal society.
"We can't build a successful economy if our young people come out of university burdened down by £50,000 of debt.
"We can't build a successful economy if the kids from all backgrounds are put off going to university."
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