Tutition fees are covered by a loan, up to the £9000 maximum per year. You only start repaying the loan once you start earning above the repayment threshold, once you've graduated. So you do repay, but not in the same way as you would a commercial-type loan. If you remain below the earnings repayment threshold, you may never have to make repayments.
However, the number of years of Student Funding you get (including the Tuition Fee Loan) might be affected if you've studied for more than one year on the previous course.