Students demanded politicians sign a pledge promising to vote against a hike in university top up fees and to press the Government to find a fairer alternative.
Higher Education Minister David Lammy MP dropped his existing commitments to come to speak to students and answer questions about the fees review and the Government’s approach. President of the lecturers union UCU, Alastair Hunter, joined the meeting to address the assembled students.
More than 60 MPs were summoned to the NUS rally in Parliament to sign the pledge and were given the opportunity to speak to the hundreds of students who had packed the committee room and corridors of power. Many had the chance to lobby their MP directly over fees and to demonstrate the anger and concerns of students and their families.
MPs from all political parties joined students to sign the pledge and show their support, they included Stephen Williams, Diane Abbott, Jon Cruddas, Simon Hughes, Julie Morgan, Lee Scott, Charles Kennedy, Mike Gapes, Colin Burgon, Alison Seabeck, John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn.
NUS President Wes Streeting said “The vast majority of the general public is against higher fees, and voters deserve to know where their MP stands on this key issue. Today students are making it clear to politicians that if they refuse to speak out against raising the cap on fees, we will hit them where it hurts – at the ballot box.
“NUS believes that a university education should be free at the point of use, with graduates giving back to the system according to how much they earn. This would give universities double the amount of funding they currently receive, while allowing the children of poorer families to go to university without the fear of debt. It would also prevent the emergence of a market in higher education, where only the rich could afford to attend our most prestigious universities.”
On Sunday, a YouGov poll commissioned by pressure group Compass revealed that only 12% of the public think the review should even consider increasing fees, while a majority believes that it should look at alternatives to fees.
Related Links