Tuition fees were a 'huge mistake' - Howarth

5.55.21pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 5th Oct 2007

As new students start at Cambridge University, local Lib Dem MP David Howarth has called for the abolition of top-up fees

David said:

"The Labour Government made a huge mistake when they introduced tuition fees in 1997. Top-up fees were an even bigger mistake. Tens of thousands of students find themselves saddled with crippling debt, at a time when the vast burden of individual debt in Britain is becoming a social problem in itself. Some students have been put off applying for university and others have felt forced to apply for courses on the basis of the income they will generate rather than their intrinsic value.

David Howarth MP

"I will continue to fight against top-up fees and fight for fair funding for higher education."