No VAT on private healthcare ahead of November budget: Streeting

• More than 50,000 graduates have submitted evidence to MPs.
• Government says student loans can be altered because they are heavily subsidised.
• Critics argue repayment rule changes have left borrowers paying more for longer.

The government's handling of student loans has come under fresh pressure, with ministers defending changes to repayment terms while graduates and campaigners question whether borrowers are being treated fairly.

The debate over UK student loans has intensified as MPs begin a formal inquiry into the system in England, focusing on repayment thresholds, interest rates and the growing burden faced by many graduates. At the centre of the row are millions of borrowers with Plan 2 student loans, who have seen changes to repayment rules that critics say could leave them paying more over the lifetime of their debt.