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Nick Hillman (@nickhillman) profile picture

Nick Hillman

@nickhillman

Personal account. (Director of @HEPI_News.)

 UK
Joined October 2009
  • Tweets27.7K
  • Following7.9K
  • Followers12K
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Photo by Nick Hillman (@nickhillman)Photo by Nick Hillman (@nickhillman)Photo by Nick Hillman (@nickhillman)Photo by Nick Hillman (@nickhillman)Photo by Nick Hillman (@nickhillman)Photo by Nick Hillman (@nickhillman)Photo by Nick Hillman (@nickhillman)Photo by Nick Hillman (@nickhillman)Photo by Nick Hillman (@nickhillman)Photo by Nick Hillman (@nickhillman)
Nick Hillman retweeted
Rachel Wolf (@racheljanetwolf) profile picture
Rachel Wolf@racheljanetwolfNov 7
no way!
Neil O'Brien (@NeilDotObrien) profile pictureNeil O'Brien
@NeilDotObrienNov 7
Oh
Image from Neil O'Brien (@NeilDotObrien)
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100% predictable and 100% predicted. It’s inexplicable why politicians wanted to expand their remit to running the railways at a time when so little of what the state does works well.
max tempers (@maxtempers) profile picturemax tempers
@maxtempersNov 7
"Just before it was nationalised 94 per cent of its [c2c's] trains arrived within five minutes of the scheduled time. The latest available data from this August showed this had dropped to just under 71.5 per cent of trains."
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Tom’s podcasts are always worth a listen, including this one:
Tom Richmond (@Tom_Richmond) profile pictureTom Richmond@Tom_RichmondNov 3
Hearing a Prime Minister talk passionately about education is quite something, but hearing a Prime Minister outline huge reforms to the education system just seven days into their premiership is quite extraordinary. My new post on LinkedIn: lnkd.in/p/eaDwVejT
Image from Tom Richmond (@Tom_Richmond)
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This very long podcast (play at x2) is worth some time, esp if ur coming to our event marking the 10th anniversary of HERA. It’s a shame every1 - students/managers/governors/policymakers etc - is portrayed as total idiots & there are zero contrary voices but still worth a listen.
Andrew McGettigan (@amcgettigan) profile pictureAndrew McGettigan@amcgettiganOct 31
Rare public utterances from me - probably only 3rd since covid... culturepowerpolitics.org/202…
University Finance with Andrew McGettigan

University Finance with Andrew McGettigan

A follow-up to our series on the crisis of the universities with a world-class expert on the politics and finance of British higher education.

culturepowerpolitics.org
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This is the best email I have EVER received
Image from Joanna Hardy-Susskind (@Joanna__Hardy)
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Some coverage of our new report, out this morning:
Higher Education Policy Institute (@HEPI_news) profile pictureHigher Education Policy Institute@HEPI_newsNov 5
timeshighereducation.com/new…
UK student visa regulation ‘needs greater coherence’

UK student visa regulation ‘needs greater coherence’

Tensions emerging between bodies responsible for assessing international student requirements, paper finds, putting UK’s growth targets at risk

timeshighereducation.com
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Very very good piece by @wallaceme here (which is part of the excellent coverage @theipaper is currently giving a range of higher education issues):
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Nick Hillman retweeted
Nick Hillman (@nickhillman) profile picture
Nick Hillman@nickhillmanNov 2
My review of The Eights by Joanna Miller:
Higher Education Policy Institute (@HEPI_news) profile pictureHigher Education Policy Institute@HEPI_newsNov 2
New Post: The first Oxford women: What did they do? hepi.ac.uk/2026/11/02/the-fi… hepi.ac.uk/2026/11/02/the-fi…
The first Oxford women: What did they do? - HEPI

The first Oxford women: What did they do? - HEPI

HEPI sometimes reviews books on higher education. Today’s blog is a review by Nick Hillman OBE, HEPI’s CEO, of Joanna Miller’s novel The Eights, which recently came out in paperback. It is possibly...

hepi.ac.uk
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Nick Hillman retweeted
Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) profile picture
Eric Alper 🎧
@ThatEricAlperNov 2
Image from Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper)
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Nick Hillman retweeted
Nick Hillman (@nickhillman) profile picture
Nick Hillman@nickhillmanNov 2
Some interesting comments gathering underneath my review here: hepi.ac.uk/2026/11/02/the-fi…
The first Oxford women: What did they do? - HEPI

The first Oxford women: What did they do? - HEPI

HEPI sometimes reviews books on higher education. Today’s blog is a review by Nick Hillman OBE, HEPI’s CEO, of Joanna Miller’s novel The Eights, which recently came out in paperback. It is possibly...

hepi.ac.uk
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Nick Hillman retweeted
The i Paper (@theipaper) profile picture
The i Paper
@theipaperNov 1
Tens of thousands could be barred from attending university under government proposals to restrict student loans Read more: trib.al/lCoZNx6
Image from The i Paper (@theipaper)
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Some interesting comments gathering underneath my review here: hepi.ac.uk/2026/11/02/the-fi…
The first Oxford women: What did they do? - HEPI

The first Oxford women: What did they do? - HEPI

HEPI sometimes reviews books on higher education. Today’s blog is a review by Nick Hillman OBE, HEPI’s CEO, of Joanna Miller’s novel The Eights, which recently came out in paperback. It is possibly...

hepi.ac.uk
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It’s the next migration scandal. The Home Office have lost the plot:
HE News (@HEontap) profile pictureHE News@HEontapNov 2
Student visa rejected for not knowing number of trees on campus | The i Paper inews.co.uk/news/student-vis…
Student visa rejected for not knowing number of trees on campus

Student visa rejected for not knowing number of trees on campus

Universities want an investigation into the farcical reasons overseas students are being denied entry in Home Office immigration crackdown

inews.co.uk
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My review of The Eights by Joanna Miller:
Higher Education Policy Institute (@HEPI_news) profile pictureHigher Education Policy Institute@HEPI_newsNov 2
New Post: The first Oxford women: What did they do? hepi.ac.uk/2026/11/02/the-fi… hepi.ac.uk/2026/11/02/the-fi…
The first Oxford women: What did they do? - HEPI

The first Oxford women: What did they do? - HEPI

HEPI sometimes reviews books on higher education. Today’s blog is a review by Nick Hillman OBE, HEPI’s CEO, of Joanna Miller’s novel The Eights, which recently came out in paperback. It is possibly...

hepi.ac.uk
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Nick Hillman retweeted
LBC (@LBC) profile picture
LBC
@LBCNov 1
“If they hate the system change it… If they’re not willing to change it, defend it!” Former special adviser to the Universities Minister @nickhillman says the current government has ‘got itself in a bind’ when it comes to student loans.
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Nick Hillman retweeted
Peter Just (@exPremiers) profile picture
Peter Just@exPremiersOct 30
🚨 'In the end, a supervisor came along and gave Mrs Thatcher the discount she was demanding.' 😂 Margaret Thatcher being entirely herself and being entirely The Iron Lady in a full 'I want my tax back' performance. 📋 As told by @labour_history on the 1996 Budget.
Story about Margaret Thatcher demanding a discount on whisky in 1996.

ALT Story about Margaret Thatcher demanding a discount on whisky in 1996.

Tides of History (@labour_history) profile pictureTides of History@labour_historyOct 27
Ken Clarke delivered his final Budget in November 1996 and it would turn out to be the last time anything stronger than water sat beside a Chancellor at the despatch box. 30 Years On: The Last Chancellor to Booze at the Budget 👇 yesterdaypapers.substack.com…
Image from Tides of History (@labour_history)
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Nick Hillman retweeted
Fraser Nelson (@FraserNelson) profile picture
Fraser Nelson
@FraserNelsonOct 30
As things stand, here is the official plan for welfare spending to 2030
Image from Fraser Nelson (@FraserNelson)
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Nick Hillman retweeted
Nick Hillman (@nickhillman) profile picture
Nick Hillman@nickhillmanOct 29
Lorna Cocking stands down as Chair of @TheNFER. This is a wonderful opportunity to shake up a wealthy organisation that has the potential to have huge impact on UK education (but which has been punching below its weight). @SchoolsWeek @ChtyCommission nfer.ac.uk/press-releases/nf…

NFER Chair of Trustees Lorna Cocking MBE steps down

Lorna Cocking MBE has stepped down as Chair of NFER’s Board of Trustees, after more than a decade of valued contribution to our organisation.

nfer.ac.uk
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Nick Hillman retweeted
Edward Teather (@TeatherEdward) profile picture
Edward Teather@TeatherEdwardOct 29
The Victorians would have had trains running, and they would also have seen beauty as a key part of the station design.
Image from Edward Teather (@TeatherEdward)
Looking for Growth (@lfg_uk) profile pictureLooking for Growth
@lfg_ukOct 29
This is beyond ridiculous. £1 BILLION to build. Plus £1 million EVERY YEAR to guard it. That's over £2,700 every day… For a railway with ZERO passengers. The new Oxford–Milton Keynes line was finished in December 2024. Nearly TWO YEARS later, not one passenger train has run on it. Just security guards at Winslow’s brand-new station. We were PROMISED trains a year ago. Instead, YOU pay for it to be empty. This is a SCANDAL. Do you agree?
Image from Looking for Growth (@lfg_uk)
Image from Looking for Growth (@lfg_uk)
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Nick Hillman retweeted
John Elworthy (@johnelworthy) profile picture
John Elworthy
@johnelworthyOct 29
A devastating blow for Cambridgeshire. The Government has pulled the £300m-plus A10 Ely to Cambridge upgrade from its major roads programme, leaving local leaders searching for alternative funding. Paul Bristow and Charlotte Cane say the region cannot deliver growth without the infrastructure it needs. #A10 #Cambridgeshire cambsnews.co.uk/a10-ely-to-c…
A devastating blow for Cambridgeshire. The Government has pulled the £300m-plus A10 Ely to Cambridge upgrade from its major roads programme, leaving local leaders searching for alternative funding. Paul Bristow and Charlotte Cane say the region cannot deliver growth without the infrastructure it needs. #A10 #Cambridgeshire

ALT A devastating blow for Cambridgeshire. The Government has pulled the £300m-plus A10 Ely to Cambridge upgrade from its major roads programme, leaving local leaders searching for alternative funding. Paul Bristow and Charlotte Cane say the region cannot deliver growth without the infrastructure it needs. #A10 #Cambridgeshire

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