Government tries to shore up support for fees vote

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne will miss the vote as he will remain at the climate summit in Mexico. Lib Dem officials confirmed he would remain at the climate change conference in Cancun – it had been thought he had been called back for Thursday’s vote. Another Lib Dem MP, Martin Horwood, who was expected to vote against the fees package, will also remain in Mexico but Conservative climate minister Greg Barker will return to Westminster. Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes told BBC Newsnight he would at least abstain on the vote – but said he had been asked by his local party to consider voting against the plans and he would “reflect” on that request overnight. More than a dozen Lib Dems are expected to rebel, by voting against the plans to raise the tuition fees ceiling from £3,290 to £9,000 a year. They say they have no choice as they signed a National Union of Students (NUS) pledge to oppose any increase. – BBC

TODAY I and my Lib Dem colleagues are being asked to support a big hike in tuition fees. I am a Government backbencher and I support the Government. I also accept that both parties in the coalition have to compromise. But £9,000 fees isn’t a compromise. Nor is it in the spirit of the coalition agreement. If you had asked any of the 57 Lib Dem MPs back in May, when we agreed the coalition, that later in the year we’d be asked to back £9,000 university fees, we’d have laughed at you. We knew that we would have to give up our previous policy on fees, but we were sure that whatever came forward would not involve trebling them. We should never have been put in this position by the party’s leadership. If the Government loses the vote today, it only has itself to blame. Rushing through legislation is never a recipe for good legislation, but to do so when there is so much anxiety and anger would be a huge mistake. – Greg MulHolland MP, The Mirror

Ministers have offered a series of concessions to critics of the Government’s higher education reforms as the coalition sought to head off a major backbench rebellion. Ahead of Thursday’s crunch Commons vote, Business Secretary Vince Cable announced further measures designed to ease the financial burden on students from poorer backgrounds. They included increasing the number of part-time students who would no longer face upfront tuition fees and increasing the threshold at which existing graduates have to start repaying their loans. The move comes as Dr Cable and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg face a revolt among Lib Dem backbenchers intent on honouring a pre-election pledge to oppose an increase in tuition fees. – Press Association

Lib Dems at 8%

Tonight’s YouGov poll for the Sun has topline figures of CON 41%, LAB 41%, LDEM 8%. It’s the lowest Lib Dem score YouGov have ever shown, and as far as I can tell the lowest Liberal Democrat score any pollster has shown since September 1990, over 20 years ago. I’ll add my normal caveats about not getting too excited about a single poll, new extreme highs and lows for parties do tend to be the outliers, but nevertheless, the fact that we’ve got our first 8% for the Lib Dems suggests that their support is still on a downwards trend. It is probably no co-incidence that this comes after several days of the Liberal Democrats internal ructions over tuition fees have been all over the political headlines. – UK Polling Report Read the rest of this entry »

Tory MPs join Lib Dem rebels

Nick Clegg tonight resigned himself to a Liberal Democrat split in the vote on planned increases in tuition fees, as he told his MPs he and other wavering ministers in his party would vote in favour of the plans but accepted many of them would not “walk through the fire” with him. After a parliamentary party meeting in Westminster, Clegg appeared to have partially ameliorated the split by persuading ministers who had once indicated they could not vote in favour of the planned increase. Aides to the deputy PM said there would be at least 24 of the party’s 57 MPs voting in favour. But abstentions and votes against the measures leave Clegg facing a three-way threat in his party. The new line will test the ministerial code of conduct. Today the party high command agreed parliamentary private secretaries – ministers’ aides – could abstain on the plan. But the new code, drawn up by David Cameron in May decrees that a PPS must toe the government line or face resignation. – The Guardian

It emerged that half a dozen Conservative MPs may refuse to support the hike in fees. David Davis, the former shadow Home Secretary, will oppose the move, as will the former frontbencher Julian Lewis. Others who may abstain or vote against include Lee Scott, a parliamentary private secretary, Bob Blackman and Andrew Percy. Despite the unexpected Tory rebellion, the betting at Westminster is that the Government will win the crunch vote. Mr Clegg’s MPs are still likely to split three ways – some supporting the Government, some voting against and others abstaining. Several backbenchers with doubts rallied behind him last night. And unless any ministers change their mind, Mr Clegg will avoid any resignations over the issue. Allies of Mr Clegg said he had laid down the law, and called it a sign of the party’s maturity that its ministers would support the proposals. The Deputy Prime Minister said after last night’s meeting: “I’ve listened to the debate, I’ve listened to the protesters, I’ve listened to my party and, having done that, I can announce that all Liberal Democrat ministers – every single one – will vote for this measure when it comes to the vote on Thursday.” – The Independent

“Because, in these difficult circumstances where the country doesn’t have very much money, this is the best and fairest possible way to ensure we have world-class universities for generations to come and that youngsters for generations to come cannot only dream of going to university but can go to university irrespective of the circumstances of their birth.” Mr Clegg confirmed that ministerial aides would not be disciplined if they chose to abstain. He added that, given the economic circumstance, the Coalition felt it was more important to devote funds to early-years education. However, a number of Tories have announced that they will vote against the plans. Lee Scott, a rising Tory star, and backbenchers Andrew Percy, the MP for Brigg and Goole, Philip Davies, MP for Shipley, and Julian Lewis, representing the New Forest, have disclosed that they will rebel. They will join David Davis, the former Tory leadership contender, Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell, the former Lib Dem leaders. – The Telegraph

Labour Yes campaign

Next year we have the opportunity to vote for a fairer voting system – one in which everyone’s vote counts and every MP is required to get the backing of a majority of voters. It means that every Labour party member and supporter, in every seat in the country, can cast their vote for Labour and then mark any other preferences, knowing their vote won’t be wasted. First past the post isn’t working. When just a few thousand people determine every election result in a few swing seats, the interests of the Labour party and the people we represent go unheard. The alternative vote means the majority get their voices heard; it will shut the door on extremist parties like the BNP. When people switch off from politics it damages Labour, not the Tories. That’s why the Tories don’t want fairer votes. They don’t want change; they say no! Labour is the party of fairness and change. Labour says yes. It’s time for change. – Letters, The Guardian Read the rest of this entry »

Clegg faces rebellion and resignations

A Liberal Democrat grassroots revolt over the party leadership’s support for trebling tuition fees emerged tonight as members of the party’s policy committee demanded powers to rein in ministerial independence from Lib Dem policy. Separately, proposals were being put forward by some activists to make it easier for local parties to deselect Lib Dem MPs. The moves came as David Davis, the Conservative MP and rightwing standard-bearer, announced that he will rebel in the key Commons vote on Thursday by voting against the trebling in tution fees. Although Davis insisted he was “a rebellion of one,” provoked by the damage he said the fees rise will inflict on social mobility, his move prompted coalition fears that a few other rightwing Tories might also break ranks, so reducing, but probably not endangering, the coalition majority in Thursday’s Commons vote. – The Guardian

Nick Clegg’s attempts to hold his party together suffered another setback yesterday when three Liberal Democrats threatened to resign their government posts over plans to allow universities to charge £9,000 a year in tuition fees. Norman Baker, the Transport Minister, and two parliamentary private secretaries – Jenny Willott and Mike Crockart – may quit so that they oppose the fees rise in a crucial Commons vote on Thursday. They are among the Lib Dems who are agonising over how to vote because all its 57 MPs signed a pledge to oppose an increase in fees at this year’s general election. – The Independent

THREE Lib Dem ministers may vote against the hike in tuition fees, it emerged last night – plunging the coalition into chaos. Transport Minister Norman Baker, Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone and Pensions Minister Steve Webb told Nick Clegg they are undecided. This comes despite his desperate efforts to talk party doubters round. Unless they resign, opposing the key Government bill would force the party leader and Deputy Prime Minister to sack them. All 57 Lib Dem MPs will have a final meeting in the Commons tonight for a showdown before the Thursday afternoon ballot. Mr Baker said yesterday he still did not know if he would vote for or against, or abstain. He said: “There are three options and I haven’t yet decided what I’m going to do.” – The Sun Read the rest of this entry »