An MP has called for universities to be established in smaller cities and towns in order to drive growth.

Jesse Norman, Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire and shadow leader of the Commons, said he had identified 50 places which lacked a university.

He said he believed setting up the new campuses could be a catalyst for economic growth.

The first students graduated this year from Hereford’s New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering, he said, with the “hands-on skill of an apprenticeship, but also the rigour of a master’s degree”.

Mr Norman said he believed smaller institutions, which were more “agile”, had been lost from the university landscape.

“It highlights what I think could be considered a lack of ambition in the way we’ve thought about higher education as a country over the last 50, possibly even longer, years,” he said.

He said there was a huge need for specialist science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills, and that his proposal could help plug the gap.

His calls come against a backdrop of difficulties for the university sector across the UK.

Numerous university bosses have announced redundancies in recent months as they attempt to reduce costs.

Keele University announced earlier this week that it would cut 150 jobs, the University of Nottingham announced 258 job losses in April, while in Scotland the University of Edinburgh said 350 jobs would be cut.

This week the government announced it was considering a 6% levy on international students, which industry body Universities UK said could negatively impact student numbers.

Labour MP and Commons leader Lucy Powell said Mr Norman’s suggestion sounded “like a really very important and good innovation to provide technical education and engineering pathways, particularly for people from backgrounds that might not otherwise access such education.”