Political honour
Yet, given that this was always a likely outcome of the May election, perhaps his party should have made this clearer before polling day when they were courting the student vote.
Given that uncontrolled immigration remains one of the electorate's greatest concerns, many will welcome David Cameron's assertion that it will be "perfectly possible" to cut the number of new arrivals to Britain to the tens of thousands a year. It's a bold promise, given that the current immigration level is 200,000 a year and senior business leaders, backed by Mr Cable ironically, warn that the Government's proposed cap will impinge upon their desire to recruit the very best staff from around the world.
Having raised expectations, it's now imperative that the PM honours his word.