Tuition fees: government wins narrow victory (UK)

[Joanne98]

Source: The Guardian

Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat business secretary, insisted tonight that his party remained united despite a 21-strong rebellion by backbench MPs in a crucial vote over plans to allow universities to raise the cap on tuition fees to £9,000.

The coalition plans faced bitter criticism not only from Labour but from Lib Dem and Tory backbenchers too in a five-hour debate before the move was carried by 323 vote to 302 in what has proved to be the most testing parliamentary vote to date for the coalition government.

The result narrowed the coalition government's notional majority of 84 to 21, in a vote which took place as thousands of protesters opposed to the rise in fees clashed with police in the streets outside parliament.

The vote to raise the tuition fees ceiling in England from £3,290 to a maximum of £9,000 led to the resignation of two ministerial aides – Mike Crockart and Jenny Willott. Two former Lib Dem leaders, Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell, were among the 21 Lib Dem MPs who rebelled against the government proposals .



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/dec/09/tuition-fees-vote-government-wins-narrow-victory