Rishi Sunak cannot identify a single course that might be axed underneath diploma crackdown

Rishi Sunak failed to name an underperforming university course that would be axed under a Tory pledge to crack down on “rip-off degrees”.

Mr Sunak unveiled plans to create 100,000 more apprenticeships a year by shutting down the worst-performing courses as he battles to stay in No10. But he was unable to name a single degree that would face the chop under his latest wheeze.

It comes after a nightmare start to the General Election campaign for the Prime Minister. From being drenched outside No10 as he stunned the nation with a July 4 vote, to being asked if he’s captaining a “sinking ship” on a visit to Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, the gaffe-prone PM has had a tricky start.

Pressed to name a course that would be axed under crackdown at a train depot in Cornwall, Mr Sunak failed to name an underperforming course but said a regulator would look at the drop-out rates, earnings and career prospects of various courses.

He said: “University is great and it makes a fantastic option for young people, but it’s not the only option. I’m not someone who believes that you have to go to university, and all the apprentices I’ve been talking to this morning are proof of that, describing it as the best decision they ever made.

“And what we do know is that there are university degrees that are letting young people down. Independent studies say that around one in five people who are on degrees would have been financially better off not doing them, about one in three graduates are in non-graduate jobs. So actually we are better off providing those young people with the opportunity of a high-quality apprenticeship.”

Mr Sunak said the Conservatives would use to money to fund 100,000 apprenticeships instead. It comes as statistics show that apprenticeships have been falling under the Tories. The number of people starting apprenticeships has slumped by 172,000 since 2015/16, according to analysis of House of Commons Library data by the Liberal Democrats. Some 509,400 apprenticeships were started in England in 2015/16 compared to 337,100 in 2022/23.

Lib Dem Education Spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: “The Conservatives have broken our apprenticeship system and betrayed young people for years, this election is no different. Young people across the country are being let down by a Conservative government that is failing to offer them the skills they need to thrive. “

Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson branded the move “laughable”. She said: “After halving apprenticeships for young people and failing to deliver the skills needed to grow our economy, the Tories have … an unfunded gimmick.”