Government lifts cap on medical student places after A-level results chaos

Ministers have scrapped a cap on the number of medical student places this year as they try to stem the continuing crisis over A-level results.

Similar limits on teaching, dentistry and veterinary courses will also be dropped and universities given extra money to teach expensive subjects.

The move follows a dramatic U-turn earlier this week when education secretary Gavin Williamson raised hundreds of thousands of GCSE and A-level grades.

His climbdown, after days of growing anger over this year’s results, means thousands more students now have the marks for many highly sought after courses.

In a bid to head off cries of foul play ministers removed a cap on the overall number of students at UK universities.

But a separate cap on the number of medical students, who require clinical placements remained in place.

Now ministers say that will also go.

The Royal College of GPs had called for the number of undergraduate medical places to increase by 20 per cent as well as extra funding to help universities cope with the associated costs.

Universities UK also called for "increasing flexibilities within the medical student numbers cap".

Dr Tim Bradshaw, CEO of the Russell Group, said: "The government's decision today to provide additional funding for high cost courses, such and chemistry and physics, and to lift the number caps on specialist courses, including medicine and dentistry, is a very positive step, which will allow us to increase capacity and help more students to benefit from a high quality education.

"Russell Group universities are working with government and will do everything they can to accommodate as many students as possible on their preferred courses this year and will continue to do so wherever this is practically possible. Where this isn't possible, our universities will look to offer deferred places or explore places on alternative courses where the student meets the entry requirements."