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Labour MPs staged a co-ordinated assault on Nick Clegg today, as thousands of students marched on Westminster.
Led by Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman at prime minister's questions, Opposition MPs reminded the deputy prime minister that he had promised young voters he would oppose a hike in tuition fees.
"In April this year the deputy prime minister said that it was his aim to end university tuition fees," Harman began. "Can he update the House on how his plan is progressing?"
Heckled by Labour MPs within the chamber and jeered by formerly supportive students outside in Parliament Square, Clegg insisted his party had "stuck to our ambition" to make sure university funding was done in a progressive way.
"This is an extraordinarily difficult issue and I have been entirely open about the fact that we have not been able to deliver the policy that we held in opposition," he said.
"Because of the financial situation, because of the compromises of the coalition government we have had to put forward a different policy."
The coalition recently announced plans to allow universities to charge up to £9,000 a year for university tuition. The loans are to be paid back only after graduates reach an earnings threshold of £21,000.
The government argue this is more progressive than the current system as graduates will pay back less each month than they do at present.
The National Union of Students (NUS) estimated that 52,000 students and lecturers descended on Westminster this afternoon.
While the rally was largely peaceful there were clashes between police and protestors as some activists broke into the Conservative Party's headquarters at Millbank and made their way to the roof.
NUS president Aaron Porter told the rally: "We're in the fight of our lives, we face an unprecedented attack on our future before it has even begun.
"They're proposing barbaric cuts that would brutalise our colleges and universities."
But he condemned the violence at Millbank, telling the BBC "I absolutely condemn the small minority of students and others that have gone off on this splinter demonstration."
Earlier during prime minister's questions Harman dug into Clegg's past statements on fees: "In April he said that increasing tuition fees to £7,000 a year would be a disaster. What word would he use to describe fees of £9,000?"
"We all know what it's like: you are at freshers' week, you meet up with a dodgy bloke and you do things that you regret," she added. "Isn't it true he has been led astray by the Tories".
For the Lib Dem leader, David Cameron could not have picked a worse time to be on the other side of the world.
Clegg's efforts to remind Labour of their record on university funding: "Against tuition fees in 1997, introduced them a few months later. Against top-up fees in the manifesto in 2001, introduced top-up fees", could barely be heard over the roars opposite.
The only silent corner of the chamber was the one occupied by Liberal Democrat MPs. Harman reminded them they had all signed a pre-election pledge not to raise tuition fees and were now "about to break that promise".
Several MPs rose to tackle Clegg on the issue, with Labour's Gavin Shuker inviting Clegg to join him in addressing the rally that was growing in size and volume outside.
"You received a request to address the crowds and as yet no response has been received," he said. "Perhaps I can give you the opportunity to give such a response now."
Unsurprisingly Clegg declined the invitation and told Shuker that he met student leaders "all the time". The deputy prime minister told the Luton MP that he should join the protestors and explain to them "what on Earth" his party's policy was.
He said: "We have a policy, you have no policy, no plan, you're giving no hope to future generations of students."
Article Comments
All those, whatever their reasons, performing criminal damage, should be prosecuted and lose their university place. I don't wish my taxes to subsidise louts like these.
Alan Bailey
10th Nov 2010 at 7:14 pm
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