Ken Livingstone, mayor of London, renewed his call on the government to stop charging students for higher education.
Mr Livingstone, speaking this week at the launch of two reports that indicate that students from low-income families are being priced out of the capital, said: "High living costs mean that 56 per cent of London students are forced to take poorly paid work in term time. High housing costs also mean 24 per cent of full-time students can't afford to live independently of their families. For students from less well-off families outside London, studying here may simply not be an option at all."