The higher education system is producing degrees in ¡°Harry Potter studies¡± and universities are feeding students ¡°anti-British history and sociological Marxism¡±, making a ¡°spring clean of low-quality courses¡± essential, according to the minister responsible for higher education.

Andrea Jenkyns, the skills minister, made the comments at a Conservative conference fringe event on ¡°Getting Brexit done to turn the economy around¡±, hosted by the anti-European Union Bruges Group thinktank.

University courses were offering ¡°critical race theory, anti-British history and sociological Marxism¡±, the minister claimed.

¡°A skilled modern economy competing on the global stage requires technical skills just as much as it needs graduates,¡± she added.

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¡°Yet the current system would rather our young people get a degree in Harry Potter studies than the apprenticeships shaping construction.

¡°It doesn¡¯t take magic powers to work out that this is wrong, which is why the government is committed to putting the broomstick to good use and carrying out a spring clean of low-quality courses.¡±

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The comments will disappoint those who had hoped for an end to the ¡°culture wars¡± approach to higher education under the Liz Truss government.

Political commentator Sam Freedman, a former adviser to Michael Gove in the Department for Education,?: ¡°Number of students currently studying architecture, building, planning and engineering = 245,395. Number currently studying ¡®Harry Potter Studies¡¯ = 0.¡±

He added: ¡°Broader point here ¨C anti-HE Tories of which, sadly, the HE Minister is one ¨C seem to think everyone does humanities degrees. But around three-quarters of students are studying sciences, business or law. They¡¯re choosing vocational courses.¡±

The Bruges Group subsequently tweeted its thanks to Ms Jenkyns ¡°for having the guts to lay bare the leftist indoctrination which awaits students in the British higher education system. The subsequent lefty meltdown on Twitter only proves she¡¯s right.¡±

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john.morgan@timeshighereducation.com