Clegg ally admits Lib Dems face 'messy' decision on tuition fees

A CLOSE ally of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg yesterday admitted the Liberal Democrats' positioning on student fees has been "messy", as confusion continued over which way the party's 57 MPs will vote.

Norman Lamb said that it was the "strong preference" of both him and Mr Clegg to back measures which would almost treble the maximum university tuition fee to 9,000, but added that they would respect the collective decision of the parliamentary party, which meets on Tuesday.

His comments came amid reports of angry exchanges between Mr Clegg and Business Secretary Vince Cable, who has responsibility for getting the proposals through Parliament.

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The Lib Dems have come under intense pressure from students angry at their failure to live up to a manifesto promise to abolish fees.

In a last-minute bid to shore up support for the reforms, ministers yesterday unveiled proposals for disadvantaged students to receive at least one year's free tuition.

Ministers said any student eligible for free school meals who is accepted for a place at university would have one year's fees – up to 9,000 – paid by the state. Universities which choose to charge more than 6,000 a year in fees, expected to include elite institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge, will be required to fund a further year's tuition for these students.

But National Union of Students president Aaron Porter said the support paled in comparison to the 500m being cut from the Educational Maintenance Allowance for sixth-formers from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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"They are giving a little with one hand but taking considerably more with the other hand."

Yesterday, a group of between 20 and 100 students who had been occupying the Richard Roberts lecture theatre at the University of Sheffield since last Tuesday, were forced to leave after a High Court judge granted the university authorities permission to remove them. A sit-in is continuing at Leeds University.