LABOUR was urged to provide long-term public funding for higher education yesterday after the sector’s regulator warned that nearly three-quarters of providers could soon be in the red.

The Office for Students (OfS) said up to 72 per cent of higher education providers could fall into deficit by 2025-26.

In its report, it put a decrease in student numbers as a significant factor and estimated that British and international entrants were 10 and 23 per cent lower than sector forecasts this academic year.