I cannot believe that anyone has ever been put off going to universities by calls for an end to student fees, and for a revival of the system of maintenance grants. (Tim Farron was right to see this as a higher priority than an end to tuition fees.)

What does frighten off many people, as it would have frightened me, is the thought at an early age of taking on a massive debt. Even if there is a case for saying it is a rational debt, given the alternative of facing employers who discriminate against non-graduates as a matter of principle, that fear remains. And there is the panicky prospect of failing to succesfully complete a course or failing in final exams, and being stuck with a massive debt for tuition and living expenses and no degree. (And many tens of thousands of students never get those degrees every year.)

And if in reality most of that debt will never be repaid, this policy doesn't even bring extra money into the public purse. The only people who get some benefit from it are wealthy students who would not gave got a grant. They still have the extra burden of tuition fees, but they have access to a loan for living expenses at reasonably favourable terms.