Source: Alamy

Options: a Lib Dem review in 2015 will discuss ¡®getting rid of fees completely¡¯

A Liberal Democrat MP and university researcher has criticised Labour for considering a plan to lower tuition fees to ?6,000, while urging his own party to retain the goal of scrapping fees completely.

Julian Huppert, the Cambridge MP regarded by some as a rising star in the Lib Dems, said public funding should be used for student bursaries rather than for immediately lowering fees when he spoke at the party¡¯s conference in Glasgow this week.

Meanwhile, Vince Cable, the business secretary, criticised the Conservatives by warning that their ¡°absurd¡± net migration target is discouraging overseas students from coming to UK universities.

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Mr Huppert, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, voted against allowing fees to rise to ?9,000 in 2010, but may still face a tough battle to hang on to his seat in a student-heavy constituency.

Speaking at a fringe event on higher education hosted by Million+ and the National Union of Students on 6 October, he said of ?9,000 fees: ¡°The problems that I thought there might be have not happened. We are getting more people applying to university.¡±

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Although he continued that ¡°there¡¯s a question whether that¡¯s a good thing or not¡±, he said that having ¡°more people from poorer backgrounds applying to university¡± was undoubtedly positive. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that would happen ¨C the evidence clearly shows I was wrong,¡± Mr Huppert said.

Nonetheless, he added on the fees system: ¡°Personally I would still like to get rid of the whole lot.¡±

Mr Huppert argued that a Labour policy to lower fees to ?6,000 would simply benefit higher earners, allowing them to pay off their loans faster, while lower earners ¡°don¡¯t feel any benefit whatsoever¡±.

He added: ¡°If there¡¯s money available to, let¡¯s say, reduce fees from ?9,000 to ?6,000¡­I would much, much rather use that to provide bursaries for students while they are studying.¡± At last year¡¯s conference, Lib Dem delegates voted to commit the party to review the system after the 2015 general election and then scrap fees ¡°if possible or necessary¡±.

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Mr Huppert stressed that the review ¡°will include the option of getting rid of fees completely¡±.

But he acknowledged that ¨C to avoid creating a ¡°rubbish university system¡± ¨C government funding would have to be found to replace the lost fee income for universities. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly how we find it at the moment,¡± he said.

On postgraduate funding, Mr Huppert said he advocated an income-contingent loans system akin to that provided for undergraduates.

¡°I¡¯ve been trying to persuade Labour and the Conservatives to be interested; I haven¡¯t yet managed. I¡¯ll keep going with that,¡± he added.

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In a speech in the conference¡¯s main hall on 6 October, Mr Cable attacked the Conservatives over an ¡°absolutely absurd immigration target which is plucked out of the air and totally unenforceable¡±.

He continued: ¡°Overseas students¡­whose fees subsidise British students and earn us ?9 billion a year in the UK, are discouraged and so off they go to the United States or Australia.¡±

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john.morgan@tesglobal.com