The government has seen off a Commons revolt over plans to introduce a system of variable student top-up fees.

Ministers won the day despite facing tough criticism from a coalition of Labour rebels, Conservatives and Lib Dems.

The Commons voted by 316 to 288, a majority of 28, to defeat a rebel amendment - which had the backing of the Tories and the Liberal Democrats.

Whilst the government had said the vote would be "tight" opposition to the plans had waned since the knife-edge vote in January.

In that vote the government's Commons majority was slashed to just five.

Attention now turns to the House of Lords, where a coalition of peers has vowed to defeat the government.

Outside Westminster a number of students had gathered to voice their opposition to the government's policy.

NUS president Mandy Telford said: "We have already made contact with many members of the House of Lords and there are a lot of lords who understand that students shouldn't graduate with tens of thousands of pounds-worth of debt."

Knife-edge?

Ahead of the vote rebels had played down their prospects - believing that some MPs were set to "go the other way".

Whilst several MPs, including David Drew and Brian Iddon, announced they were set to move from the abstention to anti camps, other MPs are set to give in to pressure from the whips.

One backbencher attacked the methods of the government enforcers, saying the strong-arming had got "personal and nasty", but both sides conceded that the atmosphere was "not as frenetic" as in January.

Speaking in the Commons, Dr Ian Gibson, a leading rebel and architect of the wrecking amendment, said the government's policy would "tie students'" choice of degree "to price".

"The choice of those with the greatest aversion to debt and those who are likely to feel this burden most, that is from the lower income backgrounds, will be affected most," he told MPs.

Ministers however fought a pressurised campaign to head off a second revolt.

Speaking ahead of the vote, Clarke said a defeat would create such divisions that there would be no prospect of the legislation returning during this session.

Grants

"It would mean no grants worth £2,700, no extra £1 billion for universities, no abolition of up-front tuition fees [currently £1,125 a year]," he said.

But the academic community remains deeply divided over the merits of the government’s plans.

They will now begin to lobby members of the House of Lords in a bid to force their position.

Whilst some vice-chancellors have rallied behind ministers, others have warned against the plans.

In a letter to the Guardian, 15 vice-chancellors voiced concerns about the policy of variable fees.

Two-tier

They warned that the system could result in elite universities becoming even more powerful as the less high achieving institutions fall further behind in the income stakes.

Ahead of today’s vote on the third reading of the government’s higher education funding bill, the university chiefs urged ministers to think again.

They said the system will be to the "disadvantage" of the the majority of students.

"We recognise the need for graduates to make a contribution to their education. However, we believe that variable fees will further widen the differences in resources for universities and disadvantage the majority of students. We urge the government to reconsider its position on variability," they said.

Those who put their name to the letter included John Brooks of Wolverhampton University, Roger Brown of the Southampton Institute, Peter Fidler of the University of Sunderland and Michael Goldstein from Coventry University.