The Latest Breaking News from David Willetts

Lord David Willetts has been confirmed as the first chairman of the Regulatory Innovation Office.

LET’S UNPACK THAT: As a former Tory minister hits back at critics who say degrees are no longer worth the paper they’re printed on and student numbers fall flat, Helen Coffey looks at whether going to uni has become less rite of passage and more passé for the next generation

The long read: Over the past 14 years, the Conservative dream of a free market in higher education has collided with the harsh reality of austerity and the cultural resentment of the radical right – driving some institutions close to bankruptcy

Exclusive: Lord Willetts is the director of a tech company given £3m of taxpayer cash by the Home Office to to track vessels operating in British waters

Exclusive: Vice-chancellors suggest fee rise of £2,000 to £3,500 a year, but others say that is ‘politically impossible’

Exclusive: Details made public for first time prompt anger over how many influential figures belong to club that bars women

David Willetts suggests policy would help spread wealth among millennials amid deepening inequalities

Forty years ago, the Tories launched a scheme to foster entrepreneurs – but artists from Jarvis Cocker to Rachel Whiteread saw another way to use it. So did a government seen as hostile to the arts kickstart Britpop and the YBAs?

David Willetts asks PM to consider a postwar-style plan for affordable homes in next Tory manifesto