The committee, led by Chris Skidmore, a former minister for universities and the head of the Cross-Party Universities Group in UK, will work to create a new international education plan 2.0 in response to the shifting geopolitical environment since the first strategy was introduced in 2019.

Skidmore, who served as the minister of universities in 2019 and in charge of establishing and developing the first International Education Strategy, will formally inaugurate the commission at a ceremony on November 14.

“With a new strategy needs to come greater recognition that we must have a more granular and sustainable approach to international education – one that doesn’t just treat students as numbers on a spreadsheet but can deliver the best possible outcomes for every individual – including, crucially, for domestic UK students,” said Skidmore.

The sector is ‘in need of a fresh framework’, Skidmore declared prior to the introduction, three years after the first plan was introduced and the aim of 600,000 international students was achieved a decade ahead of schedule.