Wednesday, 11th March 2009

UKIP leader Nigel Farage MEP says the announcement that 7 in 10 EU students at British universities fail to pay back their student loans is hardly a surprise.

"What is a surprise is that British taxpayers have to provide the funds in the first place," he said.

The Student Loan Company announced that 70% of recent graduates from EU countries had not started to pay back their loans. There are fears that with the increase in Erasmus Student numbers (students from one EU country studying in another) in recent years, this will just be the tip of the iceberg.

Mr Farage said: "I find it amazing that an Australian has to pay full fees whereas a Bulgarian or Spaniard does not – and they get British taxes to support them while they are here. Now to discover that they don't even seem to pay the money back just adds insult to injury".

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