Academics, researchers and students should not be used as “pawns” in political negotiations over Brexit, the Prime Minister has been warned, as education leaders urge the government to protect EU researchers working in the UK from future immigration controls.

Speaking at a national demonstration in London, General Secretary of the University and College Union (UCU) Sally Hunt called on Theresa May to “show some humanity, do the decent thing and stop using EU staff and students as pawns in Brexit negotiations”.

An estimated 15,000 people from across the education sector joined in demonstration against cuts, “exploitation” and the rising cost of education in one of the largest marches of its kind on Saturday.

The march was organised by the National Union of Students and UCU to protest the Higher Education Bill, which includes plans to allow universities in England to increase tuition fees above the current cap of £9,000 per year.

Numerous concerns have been raised over the new bill, which academic leaders say threatens the reputation and future of the further and higher education sectors by slashing funding.

In her speech, Ms Hunt set out the union’s opposition to rising fees, spiralling student debt and privatisation, as well as calling on the government to give European academics “the right to stay”.

The plea follows warnings from the prime minister that EU nationals cannot be guaranteed the right to stay in the UK post-Brexit without reciprocal arrangements in place.

Student news in pictures Show all 34 1 /34 Student news in pictures Student news in pictures South Korean policemen detain a student demonstrator during a protest against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye EPA Student news in pictures South Korean policemen detain student protestors during a protest against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. The protesters demanded that the parliament takes steps to impeach President Park Geun-Hye EPA Student news in pictures Filipino demonstrators face off with anti-riot police during a protest near the US Embassy in Manila, Philippine EPA Student news in pictures Hundreds of protesters including Indigenous People, students and militant groups marched towards the US Embassy to protest against the presence of US military troops and condemning the violent dispersal which left at least forty people hurt including twenty police officers and three people who were run over by a police van EPA Student news in pictures A federal judge in Mexico has ordered that a once-fugitive police chief be held on charges of kidnapping in the disappearance of 43 students Student news in pictures A man holds up a photograph of a missing student with a caption reading 'We are missing 43,' during a meeting marking the 25-month anniversary of the disappearances of 43 students in the southern state of Guerrero, in Mexico City. 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The club encouraged students to buy a cookie and talk about the disastrous policy that is affirmative action Student news in pictures Donald Parish Jr, right, confronts Electrical and Computer Engineering senior Dewayne Perry over a controversial bake sale on The University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas. The Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at the University of Texas-Austin sparked the protest with an affirmative action bake sale. The club encouraged students to buy a cookie and talk about the disastrous policy that is affirmative action AP Student news in pictures Brigham Young University announced that students who report sexual assault will no longer be investigated for possible violations of the Mormon-owned school's strict honor code that bans such things as alcohol use AP Student news in pictures Students of secondary education march to protest against the final examinations and LOMCE (The Improvement Quality Education Law) law, after a call by trade unions, in Murcia, Spain EPA Student news in pictures South African police have used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of protesters who had marched to the parliament building to call for free university education, where the finance minister was giving a budget speech AP Student news in pictures Police break up student protests outside the parliament in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters Student news in pictures South African Policemen fire rubber bullets at student protestors in Cape Town, South Africa AP Student news in pictures A student protestor is hit by a rubber bullet in Cape Town, South Africa AP Student news in pictures An injured student is helped by colleagues during protest outside the parliament during South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's medium term budget speech in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters Student news in pictures Plaintiffs and bereaved families of elementary school students killed in the tsunami that followed a major earthquake in northeastern Japan in 2011, show banners that say 'victory in a suit filed with the Sendai District Court' in Sendai. 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After the June referendum result, the government reassured EU students currently in higher or further education that they would continue to be able to access student funding support while studying in the UK.

Concerns have been raised over the future of research funding, however, should the UK universities lose EU funding once separated from Europe.

Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack took to the stage to back academics at Saturday’s demonstration, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also pledged support for campaigners, arguing the case for free education.

National Union of Students vice president for higher education, Sorana Vieru told the crowd: “This huge upheaval of higher education is not about the needs of students, but about the needs of businesses.

”Its mantra is education for profit, not for public good.“

The union has called on students to boycott the National Student Survey - an annual census it claims will allow the Government to hike tuition fees further.

One college lecturer taking part in the demonstration told The Independent: “There are people here from every corner of education, each with real concern over the future of the industry.

“[I’m] marching for free education and in defence of post-16 education. Today is significant because it’s students and lecturers united against the profitisation of the sector.”