London Higher represented our members at this year’s party conference. Anna Paulina Norbury, Head of Communications and Public Affairs, provides an overview of the insight gathered that has relevance to London’s HE Sector .
Liz, Darren, Mark and I were pleased to represent London’s higher education sector across the five party conferences this year. One thing stood out above all: after this year’s local elections and the early manoeuvring for the 2028 Mayoral election, London politics feels more open and unpredictable than it has for some time.
The likely contenders for the mayoral contest and their proposed policy platform was one of the areas we were keen to fact-find on. Current Mayor Sadiq Khan is yet to confirm whether he will stand for a fourth term. Dawn Butler, who has been open about her ambitions to be the Labour candidate should he not seek a fourth term, was prominent throughout conference at most of the key London events. At the Conservative conference, James Cleverly gave his pitch for the role at the BusinessLDN reception, focusing on crime and safety, making London a place where people can afford to raise a family, and being a louder champion for the city. Reform’s Laila Cunningham also put crime at the centre of her mayoral campaign message, with a strong focus on safety in London. The Green conference was a little quiet, with signs urging attendees to head back to London to campaign for Zack Polanski in the by-election. Having lost that race, there is speculation that he could turn his sights to City Hall.
Much of the national debate was framed around the regions, and devolution was one of the defining themes of the season. At the London-focused events put on by our close partners like London Councils and BusinessLDN, the conversation turned to the capital as the UK’s economic engine and its gateway to the rest of the country. London Councils and the Greens pressed for durable fiscal devolution. The Greens are no longer a fringe presence in London after their success in the local election, and their conference was a valuable chance to rub shoulders with those now leading London councils. The Liberal Democrats also see their strength in local government growing as powers shift.
Housing was a major focus across the parties. Zack Polanski set out plans for council homes at scale and rent controls. Centrepoint made the case that housing is an often overlooked factor in young people’s transitions, including into higher education. Housing also ran through the Conservatives’ London discussions and James Cleverly’s pitch on families. On infrastructure, a third runway at Heathrow dominated, while at the Greens, there was discussion on the proposed Bakerloo line extension.
The number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) came up repeatedly. The Liberal Democrats linked NEET rates to youth mental health. At the Conservative conference, Shadow Chancellor Andrew Griffith, Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott and Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately took part in a panel on incentivising work over welfare, focusing on getting young people into work. A Spectator event on NEETs was so busy it ran one-in, one-out. At Greens, Zack Polanski highlighted the loss of youth hubs and the closure of 90 London primary schools since 2017, a stark sign of demographic change with long-term implications for the capital’s education pipeline. Generally, higher education was not a key feature in discussions around skills and NEETs and recurring themes heard at events across the conferences were that too many young people go to university and that there are too many institutions. Positive mentions mostly related to innovation and our role there.
Taken together, the season gave us valuable insight into the priorities, people and pressures that will shape London over the coming years, from the mayoral race and devolution to housing and employment. We made several new contacts across Parliament, London’s councils, business and the charity sector, and renewed relationships with Team London partners: we will follow up with all of them in the weeks ahead.
What we heard will directly inform how we deliver our strategy: embedding higher education at the heart of London’s future, advocating for the sector’s value to the UK and the world, and strengthening collaboration across our sector and beyond. London Higher stands ready to work with members and Team London partners to make sure higher education helps shape the capital’s next chapter, and that London remains the Higher Education Capital of the world.
