MPs Vote To Increase Uni Fees To £9,000

The Government has won both votes on increasing university tuition fees to as much as £9,000 despite a series of resignations. 

 

The coalition's majority was slashed from around 80 to just 21 as 323 MPs voted 'yes' and 302 opted for 'no'.

The numbers were the same for both votes - the first allows universities to charge £9,000 in "exceptional circumstances".
A second vote increased the main cap from £3,290 to £6,000 per year.
Of the Liberal Democrat MPs, 28 voted with the Government, 21 voted against and eight abstained.
Six Conservatives rebelled and voted 'no' - they were David Davis, Andrew Percy, Jason McCartney, Philip Davies, Julian Lewis and Mark Reckless.
Mike Crockart became the first Liberal Democrat MP to quit his post as a ministerial aide in order to vote against the Government.
Conservative MP Lee Scott also resigned from being parliamentary private secretary to Transport Secretary Philip Hammond.
Sky sources suggest Jenny Willott, a Lib Dem MP, had also followed suit. All three had unpaid junior positions.
The leader of the Labour party, Ed Miliband, said the measures would discourage poorer students and leave many universities in a "financial hole".
He said the Government was yet to set out the details of its plan and insisted his party would continue to fight for fairer access to education.
Aaron Porter, the president of the National Union of Students, told Sky News he was "incredibly disappointed".
He accused the Liberal Democrats of choosing to stay loyal to David Cameron and the Conservatives instead of the people who elected them.
"We want them to face the people they have lied to, the people in their constituencies who they have misled," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was jeered by opposition MPs when he arrived in the Commons.
His deputy party leader, Simon Hughes, abstained instead of voting in favour or against.
Charles Kennedy, the former leader of the Lib Dems, opted to vote against allowing institutions to charge students more.
The votes followed five hours of furious exchanges in the Commons.
After the result was announced, shadow business secretary John Denham said Lib Dem MPs should "hang their heads in shame".
"This is a moment of no turning back for Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems," he said.
"They have lost all credibility with the country and cannot now claim to be a party of fairness."
Several Tory and Lib Dem MPs expressed concern before the vote took place.
Conservative Andrew Percy said he doubted his parents would have encouraged him to study if it would have cost him debts of up to £50,000.
Greg Mulholland, a Lib Dem, said: "Sometimes Governments are wrong and sometimes you need the courage to say so and I am doing that today."
However, the Government says the policy is progressive as there will be no upfront costs and some poorer students will receive scholarships.
Outside Parliament, a number of police officers were injured in clashes with protesters.