In some ways, the statement was marginally better than expected, with money allocated so that young people who have already started their courses can complete them without undue hardship or anxiety. Yet the EMA has been cut by 70 per cent; with just £180m to replace a £550m scheme, it is inconceivable that there won't be a significant impact on young people.
The justification, we were told, was that the replacement pot, the discretionary learner support fund, would leave the poorest young people better off. But after the announcement, the Institute for Fiscal Studies calculated that young people on free school meals would be £370 a year worse off than they are now.
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