The evidence clearly confirms the claim. The UK government's Department for Education created the role of Higher Education Student Support Champion and appointed Professor Edward Peck as the first holder of the position in June 2022. His tenure was extended until June 2025, after which he stepped down to become Chair of the Office for Students. He was succeeded by Professor Sir Steve West, who is identified as the "Higher Education Student Support Champion" and Chair of the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce in the October 2025 taskforce meeting notes published on GOV.UK. The Wonkhe blog also explicitly confirms "the appointment of Steve West to replace Edward Peck [as] Higher Education Student Support Champion." The role's stated purpose is to "provide sectoral leadership to share best practice and promote new initiatives" to ensure students "remain supported and engaged," which aligns with the claim's description of "driv[ing] improvement across our universities." As of the speech date (June 3, 2026), the position was filled by Sir Steve West, so the claim that the government "has appointed a student support champion to drive improvement across universities" is accurate. Sources: - GOV.UK, Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce meeting notes (10 October 2025): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/693aaf5fcfacd5e888491df3/HE_Mental_Health_Implementation_Taskforce_10_October_2025_meeting_notes.pdf - GOV.UK, Higher education mental health implementation taskforce page: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/higher-education-mental-health-implementation-taskforce - Nottingham Trent University, Higher Education Student Support Champion page: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/governance/vice-chancellor/higher-education-student-support-champion - BBC News, "Government appoints vice-chancellor as student wellbeing tsar" (June 2022): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-61748156 - GOV.UK / Department for Education, Higher and Further Education Minister speaks to HEPI annual conference (June 2022): https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/higher-and-further-education-minister-speaks-to-hepi-annual-conference - Wonkhe, "Parliament has debated a statutory duty of care again": https://wonkhe.com/blogs/parliament-has-debated-a-statutory-duty-of-care-again/ - HEPI, "Outgoing Student Support Champion outlines 10 trends" (May 2025): https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/05/29/outgoing-student-support-champion-outlines-10-trends-likely-to-change-higher-education-in-the-coming-years/