Select committee: Treasury Committee
Conclusion 8
1st Report – Student loans: Broken and unfair?
Published 7 Jul 2026
Addressed to HM Treasury
Treasury Committee Student loans and taxation of graduates All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Considered in isolation, an interest rate much higher than inflation seems unfair, while an interest rate pegged to inflation that maintains the real- terms cost of a loan might seem fairer. If earnings fail to keep up with inflation, however, graduates become less well-off relative to their loan balance, as happened during the spike in inflation in 2022 and 2023. (Conclusion, Paragraph 42)
From: Treasury Committee, 1st Report – Student loans: Broken and unfair? (HC 14), 7 July 2026
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 13 September 2026 (deadline 7 September 2026).