Labour brings forward tuition fees pledge to woo unregistered voters

Labour has sweetened its plans to abolish tuition fees as it urges students to register as voters before tonight's deadline.

Under the policy, students who begin their degrees this September would have their fees written off if the party wins the election.

Meanwhile, those who are part-way through their studies would pay no further fees for the rest of their course.

Labour estimates the policy could benefit about 400,000 students.

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said: "If students sitting their A-levels now want a say on their future, they need to register to vote before tonight's deadline and vote Labour on 8 June."

:: Tuition fees - Was it really such a betrayal?

Data from the Electoral Commission shows more than two million people have registered to vote since Theresa May called for a snap election - but many millions more remain unregistered.

Jeremy Corbyn has accused the Conservatives of having "held students back for too long" by trebling tuition fees in England to more than £9,000 a year during the coalition government.

Discussing his plans to lift the "cloud of debt" from young people, the Labour leader added: "Students will benefit from having more money in their pockets, and we will all benefit from the engineers, doctors, teachers and scientists that our universities produce."

:: Political parties vying for first-time voters

Nick Clegg, who was leader of the Liberal Democrats when the party made a controversial u-turn on tuition fees in government, told Sky News: "This is a very difficult policy. I suspect lots of young people will sigh with some cynicism that they are now being promised lots of free goodies being paid for by somebody else."

He accused Labour of "ignoring the plight of the poorest" because they are not using the money to reverse the welfare cuts which have been imposed by the Tories.

A Conservative spokesman said: "There are now more students from disadvantaged backgrounds getting into university than ever before.

"But if Jeremy Corbyn is in charge of our Brexit negotiations, all of this will be under threat."

:: Register to vote by tonight's midnight deadline on the Government's official website

:: Sky is hosting the first live studio audience Q&A of the election with Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn - find out how you can be involved. And don't forget to watch it on Sky News: The Battle For Number 10 on Bank Holiday Monday, 29 May, at 8.30pm.