there was an outcry when these rules were changed, but it was only a part of the scandal. There was also a mass (tens of thousands) cancellation of student visas for these who were deemed to cheat on their visa-related English tests - something that didn't contribute to the perception of UK as a good destination for students.
I bet that US anno 2025 is much less attractive to students than in the Biden's years, but it might be a bit of a tough going for UK right now.