English higher education was, in the 1980s, the first in Europe to start moving from a public service to the market. The “Higher Education and Research Act” adopted in June 2017 seems to finalize the process. This article examines to the specificities of the English university model and examines the nearly 40 years of reforms which have deconstructed its main features as a public service. It analyzes how the new law, by setting up a new regulatory body (the Office for Students), may amplify the already strong contradictions and conflicts of interest within the sector. Finally, the article questions the viability of the model.