Clashes outside tuition fee vote

Westminster will be the scene of the tuition fees vote and student protests

The controversy over raising tuition fees in England to £9,000 per year is due to reach its climax, with a vote by MPs and plans for student protests.

The coalition government, facing its first major rebellion, wants to limit the scale of backbench opposition to plans to almost treble fees.

More than a dozen Liberal Democrat MPs are expected to vote against the move.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes has said he will abstain or even rebel against the government.

The vote in the House of Commons on far-reaching changes to higher education funding will be the culmination of weeks of political divisions and student protests.

Liberal Democrat MPs have been under intense pressure – after their election pledge to vote against any fee increase.

Party leader Nick Clegg, who has become a target for student anger, has said that all Lib Dem ministers will vote in favour of the plan to raise fees.

Meanwhile his own party’s youth wing is holding last-ditch talks to persuade Lib Dem MPs to vote against the fee rise.

In an attempt to bolster support, ministers announced further concessions on repayment thresholds which would make the fee package more generous to students.

However, Mr Hughes said: “I have a duty to listen to my local party members and my supporters in my constituency, and they have asked me, on this occasion, to rebel against and break the coalition agreement.

“They believe that’s important for our community and important given where the Liberal Party traditionally has been against tuition fees.”

Labour and Conservative leaders clashed angrily over the fees proposals.

David Cameron accused the Labour party of “rank hypocrisy” for opposing the rise in fees – while Ed Miliband said the university plans were in “chaos”.

The package of measures would see fees rising to an upper limit of £9,000 per year – with requirements for universities to protect access for poorer students if they charge more than £6,000 per year.

The proposals to raise fees have triggered a wave of student and school pupil protests, with a march last month leading to an attack on the Conservative headquarters in Millbank.

Dozens of universities have been occupied by students – with students in five more universities occupying buildings this week.

For the first time, there have also been occupations of schools by pupils.

Students are threatening to “shut down London” in a day of protests.

Aaron Porter, president of the National Union of Students, urged MPs to “do the honourable thing and vote down these damaging proposals”.

“Students are now descending on Westminster to ensure that promises to voters are kept and they are not sold down the river,” said Mr Porter.

As well as protests planned by the NUS, there are radical groups planning demonstrations, with “flashmobs” organised on social networking websites.

There has been no consensus within the university sector about the fees deal.

The university lecturers’ union has backed student protesters – while university vice chancellors have been split over whether to support or oppose the fees plan.

The proposals to raise fees would apply to students in England. Welsh students will not pay the higher rate of fees, even at universities in England. In Scotland there are no tuition fees – and Northern Ireland has still to decide how it will respond to any fee rise in England.

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