As Rachel Reeves digs in over forcing more graduates to begin repaying their student loans sooner at eye-wateringly high interest rates, she has put the government on a collision course with millions of voters. To make sense of it all, university guide expert Alastair McCall looks at how we got to a place where the poorest pay more than the richest – and how else the UK’s higher education bill could be settled

As their debts rise, graduates reveal how loans are reshaping careers, finances and faith in the system

As Rachel Reeves digs in over forcing more graduates to begin repaying their student loans sooner at eye-wateringly high interest rates, she has put the government on a collision…