Britain’s universities are one of its crown jewels. They are vital to competitiveness, skills and innovation and bring in lucrative export earnings. But this week migration advisers, business leaders and the sector regulator have warned that falling overseas student numbers due to a government clampdown on immigration threaten serious harm to universities, which rely on overseas student fee income. Cutbacks loom; some universities could close. Company bosses say that would undermine a key reason to invest in the UK. For a post-Brexit Britain that has not only pledged to raise domestic skills but must continue to fight globally for capital and talent, this is a huge economic own-goal.
英國的大學是其皇冠上的明珠之一。它們對于競爭力、技能和創新至關重要，并帶來了豐厚的出口收入。然而，本周移民顧問、商業領袖和行業監管機構警告稱，由于政府對移民的打壓，海外學生數量下降，這對依賴海外學生學費收入的大學構成了嚴重威脅。預算削減在即，一些大學可能會關閉。公司老板們表示，這將削弱在英國投資的一個重要原因。對于一個不僅承諾提高國內技能，還必須繼續在全球范圍內爭取資本和人才的英國退歐后的英國來說，這是一個巨大的經濟自我傷害。