'Axe cap on top-up fees'

The £3,000 cap on top-up fees must be scrapped if British universities are to stay competitive, the Government is warned today. Rick Trainor, principal of King's College, University of London, said that if ministers refused to raise the limit, universities would go private and charge American levels of fees.

He warned that top-up fees would still provide less than half the cash required to rescue universities from a ?4billion funding hole.

Professor Trainor also announced that King's College wants more foreign students - those from outside the EU can be charged ?10,000 a year or more.