House of Commons
14 September 2026
Contents updated on 14 Sept 2026
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Actual start House of Commons
Follow its sittings34:26 - 34:29
Speaker 1
Order, order. The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household.
34:29 - 36:25
Speaker 3
A message from the King, sir, in reply to loyal and dutiful addresses from this House. I have received your humble address praying that I should appoint Mr. Alan Mabbutt OBE as an electoral commissioner with effect from the 1st of May 2026 for the period ending 30th of April 2030. I will comply with your request. I have received your humble address praying that I should appoint Michael Jary CBE to the office of chair of the National Audit Office from the 10th of January 2027. I will comply with your request.
I have received your humble address praying that I should appoint Richard Lloyd OBE to the office of chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority with effect from 1st of September 2026 for the period ending on the 31st of August 2029.
I will comply with your request. I have received your humble address praying that I should appoint Hywel Williams as an electoral commissioner with effect from the 1st of October 2026 for the period ending 30th of September 2029, that I should appoint Chris Ruane as an electoral commissioner with effect from 1st of November 2026 for the period ending 31st of October 2030, and that I should reappoint Sheila Ritchie as an electoral commissioner with effect from the 1st of February 2027 for the period ending 31st of January 2031. I will comply with your request.
36:24 - 36:43
Speaker 5
I would like to offer my condolences to the Prime Minister on the death of his father. I'm sure the whole House will want to send our best wishes to him and his family at this sad time. Right, we now come to questions to the Secretary of State for Education, Tessa Munt.
36:43 - 36:46
Speaker 4
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Question number one.
36:46 - 37:28
Speaker 6
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I also join you, Mr. Speaker, in, I'm sure the whole House will want to send our condolences, our deepest condolences to the Prime Minister on this saddest of days, and to his wonderful mum, Eileen, his brothers Nick and John, all the grandchildren and the whole family.
Mr. Speaker, the student loan system we inherited is broken and unfair, and some graduates feel the weight of it more strongly. Going to university remains a fantastic opportunity, but I've been very clear that this issue is at the top of my in-tray, and I've been very clear on my views about it.
37:28 - 38:20
Speaker 4
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I associate myself with the comments of the Secretary of State, and I'm sure that all of us on these benches feel deeply sad for the Prime Minister. Tuition fees continue to rise while Plan 2 repayment threshold stays frozen until 2030, and if it's frozen until 2031, it'll align with the minimum wage, leaving students facing high premiums for up to 40 years. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are hit by sky-high rents and living costs, and face a brutal job market.
Young constituents tell me they can't trust the fee system when a change of government can mean a change to the terms of their loans. So will the Minister commit to me to uprate the thresholds, to restore maintenance grants, and create an independent watchdog so that government cannot keep moving the goalposts?
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