Despite this election being the most important for a generation, nearly half of all university students will not vote in May. That is the story revealed in yesterday’s survey conducted by student accommodation provider Unite, which questioned more than 1,500 students.
This is despite the fact that nearly all students currently at university have been educated largely or exclusively under a Labour Government, since those who started university last year began primary education in 1997.
The survey showed that while only 12% said they had “no interest in politics”, almost half said …

History will be made on Friday 30 October 2009, when Members of the UK Youth Parliament (MYPs) hold their annual sitting in the House of Commons. This will be the first time in history the Youth Parliament, or any other body, has been allowed to use the chamber and sit on the green benches.
The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) aims to enable “young people to use their energy and passion to change the world for the better”. An organisation for young people, run by young people, much like Conservative Future, the …

In a week of more bad news for young people, we have discovered that youth unemployment has sky rocketed, the number of university places has fallen, and the average university graduate debt has topped £23k.

Yet New Labour continue to promise an unachievable ‘New Deal’ to the young people of today. The reality behind Labour’s sham promise of a guaranteed job, place in education or training for those under 25 makes bitter reading.

Imagine for a moment that it is Summer 2010. The economy is quietly emerging from the deepest recession in decades and employers are beginning to feel confident about the future, setting their eyes on a new round of recruitment. With unemployment near 3 million and the “Class of 2010” about to graduate, finding new recruits should be easy.

But given the pick of 3 million job hunters, where do you turn to find new talent to lift your business out off the recession and back to the dizzy heights of success?

This month we have learnt that almost a million young people are out of work, after the biggest quarterly increase in unemployment since Labour came to power.

In a clear sign of Labour’s failure of young people, 17.3% of people aged 18-24 in the UK are now out of work or full-time education.

In March I wrote an article on this site entitled “Does Deflation Signal Hope For Students and Graduates?” questioning whether we could face negative interest rates on student loans as deflation looms?
This week, as predicted, the RPI measure of inflation has turned negative with a set rate of inflation at -0.4% This March figure, the figure by which student loan interest rates are calculated, is the first time a negative figure has been recorded since 1960.
According to the Student Loan Company (SLC), student loan interest rates are “based on the …

Dear CF Members,

I have today written to Michael Rock as Chairman of Conservative Future to tender my resignation from the National Management Executive.

A year after taking office in March 2008, I have reached the end of my elected term, and believe now is the right time to step down.

It has been a great honour to serve on the National Executive of Conservative Future for the past 12 months and seeing the organisation grow stronger. We have recruited record numbers of new members; played a vital role in winning parliamentary by-elections; and have seen increased activity, campaigning and events up-and-down the country. We have also reorganised ourselves to ensure CF as a strong and vibrant organisation continues into the future.
My time in CF started in 2004 at University, joining at fresher’s fair, just like many of our members. Before …

As deflation looms, could we face negative interest rates on student loans?
Last month the Retail Price Index (RPI) dropped to its lowest level in 49-years. This economic measure of the cost of living in the UK should be of particular interest to students and graduates who are carrying the burden of student debt.
Why and what does this mean for me?
Quite simply this should be of interest to you because the rate of interest calculated for student loans is directly linked to the rate of inflation, as measured by the RPI. …

Recent figures show that the government’s budget deficit for December alone hit £11.4bnlast year. Top this off with forecasts that suggest the government will exceed its own borrowing projections made just three months ago the Pre-Budget Report; and add in the mix that the National Budget has been kicked back by over a month from the usual March date to the end of April and we can see and increasingly clear picture that the public finances are in a big mess, and are deteriorating rapidly.
Unemployment also rose this week to …