Huppert joins Clegg to fight student fees (Cambridge Liberal Democrats)

Cambridge Liberal Democrats <camlibdems@gmail.com>

Huppert joins Clegg to fight student fees

February 26, 2010 1:54 PM

Julian and Nick join students to give their support to their pledge on tuition fees.

Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, gave his support to a student campaign designed to stop the next government raising tuition fees during his visit to Cambridge yesterday (Thursday).

Nick added his signature to the pledge along with Julian Huppert, the Lib Dems' parliamentary candidate for Cambridge before addressing students.

They have signed the National Union of Students' Funding Our Future Pledge which asks all MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates to come clean over their intentions on student fees before the general election.

Members of Cambridge University's Students Union invited them to support the campaign after 88 per cent of people nationally claimed they did not want the current government review of higher education funding to even consider increasing fees.

The pledge states: "I pledge to vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative."

This pledge will give a clear indication to people nationally which MPs and candidates are in favour of higher tuition fees," said Julian. "There will be no doubt that those who fail to sign cannot be trusted to deliver anything other than higher fees.

"Education should be offered to students on ability and not on the ability to pay; nor should students be forced to consider degrees on the basis of how much they will earn when they graduate.

"I am committed to scrapping tuition fees and the Lib Dems nationally have promised that if they won the general election, they would phase out student fees over a six year programme, starting on day one by scrapping final year fees.

"Our young people are our future and if we have a duty to make sure they are properly prepared to join the global workforce. If we fail in this duty, we are in danger of creating a second-class workforce."

National Union of Students President, Wes Streeting said: "The vast majority of the general public is against higher fees, and although this review has been set up to report after the general election, voters deserve to know where their MP stands on this highly emotive issue.

"I am delighted that Julian is standing up for students and their families in Cambridge by signing up to this pledge. He] has demonstrated his determination to give every young person in Cambridge a fair chance to go to university."