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Vince Cable has defended the coalition's plan to increase tuition fees as demonstrators descend on Parliament.
Battling heckles in the Commons from the Labour benches the business secretary said the new policy was "more progressive than the existing system" and more progressive the Browne review on which the policy is based.
"That means just a little under 25 per cent of all future graduates will pay less than they do under the current system that we inherited," he told MPs.
And he said Labour had "miserably failed" to help poorer people get to university during their time in office and left a "shameful inheritance" on social mobility.
Cable told MPs that there had been "very difficult choices to make" but in the end he had opted for a set of policies which provided a "strong base for university funding" and would create a "significantly more progressive system of graduate payments".
Under the plans MPs will be asked to vote on this afternoon universities would be able to charge £6,000 a year and up to £9,000 in "exceptional circumstances". The current fee cap is £3,290.
Students will not pay any fees upfront and will only begin to pay them back when they earn £21,000.
Demonstrators clashed with police outside Parliament this afternoon as MPs prepared to vote on the plans.
Labour's John Denham said the changes to tuition fees would leave an untried, untested and unstable market for students" and he called on MPs from all sides to vote against the proposal.
And while he said his speech would not be a "good party political knockabout" he "no sane person" would promote the changes to tuition fees in the way the government had.
"So much of the media coverage of this issue has been dominated by Liberal Democrats splits we could be forgiven for thinking today's vote is about the future of the Lib Dems," he said. "It's about the something much more important than that."
"There are millions of parents and millions of students who don’t care about the Lib Dems but they do care about the huge fee increase," he said.
"If this Tory measure goes through with support or abstention of Lib Dems that party will forfeit the right to call themselves a progressive political party."
And he attacked David Cameron and Nick Clegg for not remaining in the Commons for the rest of the debate. Both the prime minister and the deputy prime minister left the chamber soon after Cable sat down.
MPs will vote on the motion to increase fees to a maximum of £9,000 later this afternoon.
The proposed changes to university funding could bring the first major rebellion for the coalition government, with a number of Liberal Democrats and Conservatives expected to vote against or abstain.
This afternoon Lib Dem ministerial aide Mike Crockart announced heintended to resign from his post in order to vote against the plans.
The parliamentary private secretary to Scotland secretary Michael Moorewas the victim of a hoax earlier in the week when a man impersonatinghim was interviewed on the BBC.
The imposter told the broadcaster that he intended to resign and vote against the tuition fee hike.
On the eve of the crucial ballot, deputy Lib Dem leader Simon Hughes revealed he intends to abstain - and could even vote against the proposals.
Speaking on Newsnight last night the Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP said he had to listen to what his constituents and local party were telling him.
"I have a duty to listen to my local party members and my supporters in my constituency, and they have asked me, on this occasion, to rebel against and break the coalition agreement," he said.
"They believe that’s important for our community and important given where the Liberal Party traditionally has been against tuition fees."
And speaking during today's debate he asked for a guarantee from Cable that not all universities would end up charging the maximum £9,000 annual fee.
He said his concern was informed by the fees scheme introduced under Labour in which all universities ended up charging the maximum rate allowed.
All Lib Dem ministers are expected to vote in favour of the plans, apart from energy secretary Chris Huhne who decided at the last minute to remain at the UN climate change summit in Mexico.
Several backbench MPs including former leaders Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell have said they intend to vote against the plan.
Campbell has said that his "credibility would be shot to pieces" if he did anything other than to stick to his pre-election promise to vote against any rise in tuition.
Last night Labour MPs filled the chamber to complain about the amount of time scheduled for the debate.
In a series of points of order and interventions they vented the anger at the government's timetabling.
Article Comments
I'm all for a peaceful protest, but there is no excuse for violence. Anyone who becomes violent doesn't deserve a voice. Isn't it time we had a little perspective?
David Hatton
9th Dec 2010 at 6:34 pm
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