Vote for Students pledge
Encyclopedia
The National Union of Students (NUS) "Vote for Students" pledge is a pledge
to vote against tuition fee increases that was signed by over 1000 candidates standing in the UK general election in 2010, notably including all 57 subsequently elected Liberal Democrat
MPs.
The NUS asked politicians to sign the pledge as part of its Funding Our Future
campaign. The NUS also asked students to use their vote in the General Election to support candidates who had signed the pledge.
(with 306 MPs) and Liberal Democrats (with 57 MPs) formed a coalition government. Regarding higher education
, the Coalition Agreement stated "We will await Lord Browne’s final report into higher education funding... If the response of the Government to Lord Browne’s report is one that Liberal Democrats cannot accept, then arrangements will be made to enable Liberal Democrat MPs to abstain in any vote."
into Higher Education funding was released in October 2010, with a number of recommendations including completely removing the cap on tuition fees. The coalition government then released proposals for increased tuition fees of up to £9000 each year at some universities. The fees would be covered by student loans, which would only be paid back once the students had graduated and were earning over £21,000.
The proposed tuition fee increases led to student demonstrations in London. On the first day of protests Labour's Harriet Harman
(who did not sign the pledge) mocked Clegg, saying "During the election [Clegg] hawked himself around university campuses pledging to vote against tuition fees. By the time Freshers' week was over, he had broken his promise. Every single Liberal Democrat MP signed the pledge not to put up tuition fees; every single one of them is about to break that promise."
Nick Clegg
, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, told ITV's Daybreak
that he should have been more careful in signing the pledge. Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, argued the pledge was not binding, as his party did not win the election out-right, and hence could not keep all its manifesto promises.
Clegg said that the new proposals were progressive, stating "those who earn the least will pay much less than they do at the moment, those who earn the most will pay over the odds to provide a subsidy to allow people from poor backgrounds to go to university" and said that the change was needed "because of the financial situation, because of the compromises of the Coalition Government."
and Charles Kennedy
, and 8 abstaining including deputy leader Simon Hughes
.
The decision had a significant impact on perceptions of the Lib Dem party among students. A poll by Channel 4 News found that the percentage of students supporting the Liberal Democrats had fallen from 42% at the last general election to 11% just after the vote on fees. 83% of students said they felt let down by the Lib Dem leadership's decision, as part of the government, to raise tuition fees.
Notable signatories include:
Oath
An oath is either a statement of fact or a promise calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually God, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact. To swear is to take an oath, to make a solemn vow...
to vote against tuition fee increases that was signed by over 1000 candidates standing in the UK general election in 2010, notably including all 57 subsequently elected Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
MPs.
The pledge
The pledge states:- “I pledge to vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative.”
The NUS asked politicians to sign the pledge as part of its Funding Our Future
Funding Our Future
Funding Our Future is the name given by the National Union of Students to an ongoing series of events held in London and around the UK in 2008, 2009 and 2010...
campaign. The NUS also asked students to use their vote in the General Election to support candidates who had signed the pledge.
Coalition agreement
No party won an overall majority in the 2010 general election, and the ConservativesConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
(with 306 MPs) and Liberal Democrats (with 57 MPs) formed a coalition government. Regarding higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, the Coalition Agreement stated "We will await Lord Browne’s final report into higher education funding... If the response of the Government to Lord Browne’s report is one that Liberal Democrats cannot accept, then arrangements will be made to enable Liberal Democrat MPs to abstain in any vote."
Government proposals
The Browne ReviewBrowne Review
The Browne Review or Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance was a review to consider the future direction of higher education funding in England. It was launched on the 9 November 2009 and published its findings on 12 October 2010. It was chaired by Lord Browne of...
into Higher Education funding was released in October 2010, with a number of recommendations including completely removing the cap on tuition fees. The coalition government then released proposals for increased tuition fees of up to £9000 each year at some universities. The fees would be covered by student loans, which would only be paid back once the students had graduated and were earning over £21,000.
The proposed tuition fee increases led to student demonstrations in London. On the first day of protests Labour's Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
(who did not sign the pledge) mocked Clegg, saying "During the election [Clegg] hawked himself around university campuses pledging to vote against tuition fees. By the time Freshers' week was over, he had broken his promise. Every single Liberal Democrat MP signed the pledge not to put up tuition fees; every single one of them is about to break that promise."
Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, told ITV's Daybreak
Daybreak (ITV)
Daybreak is the weekday breakfast television programme on the British commercial ITV network that broadcasts on weekday mornings from 06:00 to 08:30 and is currently presented by Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley from Monday to Thursday with Dan Lobb and Kate Garraway on Fridays...
that he should have been more careful in signing the pledge. Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, argued the pledge was not binding, as his party did not win the election out-right, and hence could not keep all its manifesto promises.
Clegg said that the new proposals were progressive, stating "those who earn the least will pay much less than they do at the moment, those who earn the most will pay over the odds to provide a subsidy to allow people from poor backgrounds to go to university" and said that the change was needed "because of the financial situation, because of the compromises of the Coalition Government."
House of Commons Vote
On 9 December 2010, the government won a House of Commons vote for the tuition fees rises. However, Lib Dem MPs split over the issue, with 27 voting for the plans including Nick Clegg and Vince Cable, 21 voting against the plans including former leaders Sir Menzies CampbellMenzies Campbell
Sir Walter Menzies "Ming" Campbell, CBE, QC, MP is a British Liberal Democrat politician and advocate, and a retired sprinter. He is the Member of Parliament for North East Fife, and was the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2 March 2006 until 15 October 2007.Campbell held the British record...
and Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
, and 8 abstaining including deputy leader Simon Hughes
Simon Hughes
Simon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...
.
The decision had a significant impact on perceptions of the Lib Dem party among students. A poll by Channel 4 News found that the percentage of students supporting the Liberal Democrats had fallen from 42% at the last general election to 11% just after the vote on fees. 83% of students said they felt let down by the Lib Dem leadership's decision, as part of the government, to raise tuition fees.
Signatories of the pledge
Signatories include Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and every Lib Dem candidate that was subsequently elected. Over 200 Labour Party candidates broke with the government line that the Browne Review, set up to review higher education funding, should not be pre-empted by opposing a rise in fees. Only 13 Conservative prospective party candidates signed the pledge.Notable signatories include:
- Nick CleggNick CleggNicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
(Lib Dem), Sheffield Hallam, Liberal Democrat Leader - Vince Cable (Lib Dem), Twickenham, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor
- Phil WoolasPhil WoolasPhilip James Woolas was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth from his election in 1997 to 2010. He was the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration in the Home Office, as well as being the Minister of State for the Treasury...
(Lab), Oldham East and Saddleworth, Immigration Minister - Tony McNultyTony McNultyAnthony "Tony" James McNulty is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Harrow East from 1997 to 2010 and was a government minister from 2002 to 2009. He was Minister for London and Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform at the Department for...
(Lab) Harrow East, ex-Home Office Minister - Roberta Blackman-WoodsRoberta Blackman-WoodsProfessor Roberta Carol Blackman-Woods is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the City of Durham since 2005.-Biography:...
(Lab), City of Durham, PPS to Higher Education Minister David Lammy - Jon CruddasJon CruddasJonathan Cruddas is a British Labour Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for Dagenham and Rainham. He was first elected in 2001 to the seat of Dagenham....
(Lab) Dagenham and Rainham, ex-Labour deputy leadership candidate - Gisela StuartGisela StuartGisela Gschaider Stuart is a German born, British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston since 1997.-Early life:...
(Lab) Birmingham Edgbaston, ex-Europe Minister - Cathy JamiesonCathy JamiesonCatherine Mary "Cathy" Jamieson is a UK Labour party politician and the Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock & Loudoun. She has previously been Deputy Leader and Acting Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, former Minister for Justice in the Scottish Executive, and Labour Co-operative Member of the...
(Lab), Kilmarnock and Loudoun, former Deputy and Acting Leader, Scottish Labour - Frank DobsonFrank DobsonFrank Gordon Dobson, is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras since 1979...
(Lab), Holborn and St Pancras, ex-Health Secretary - Sir Gerald KaufmanGerald KaufmanSir Gerald Bernard Kaufman is a British Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 1970, first for Manchester Ardwick, and then subsequently for Manchester Gorton...
(Lab), Manchester Gorton, ex-industry minister - Karen BuckKaren BuckKaren Patricia Buck is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Regent's Park and Kensington North since 1997, and is a former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport....
(Lab), Westminster North and Regents Park, ex-Transport Minister - Kate HoeyKate HoeyCatharine Letitia Hoey is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Vauxhall since 1989. She served in the Blair Government as Minister for Sport from 1999 to 2001.-Background:...
(Lab), Vauxhall, ex-Sport Minister - Nick AingerNick AingerNicholas Richard 'Nick' Ainger is a British politician. A member of the Labour Party, he served as the Member of Parliament for Pembrokeshire from 1992 to 1997 and then, following boundary changes, as MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:Ainger was born in...
(Lab), Camarthen West and Pembrokeshire South, ex-Wales Minister - Michael MeacherMichael MeacherMichael Hugh Meacher is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Oldham West and Royton since 1997. Previously he had been the MP for Oldham West, first elected in 1970. On 22 February 2007 he declared that he would be standing for the Labour Leadership, challenging...
(Lab), Oldham West and Royton, ex-Environment Minister - Steve McCabeSteve McCabe (politician)Stephen James McCabe is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hall Green from 1997 to 2010, when he was elected for Birmingham Selly Oak.-Early life:...
(Lab), Birmingham Selly Oak, Government Whip and former PPS to Charles Clarke during top-up fees bill - 2003-04 - Janet AndersonJanet AndersonJanet Anderson is an English Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Rossendale and Darwen from 1992 until 2010.-Early life:...
(Lab), Rossendale and Darwen, ex-Culture Minister - Andrew Smith (Lab), Oxford East, ex-Treasury Minister
- Alan WhiteheadAlan WhiteheadAlan Patrick Vincent Whitehead is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Southampton Test since 1997.-Early life:...
(Lab), Southampton Test, ex-Environment Minister - Caroline LucasCaroline LucasCaroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician. Lucas is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Green Party's first and only Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom...
(Green), Brighton Pavilion, Green Party leader - Salma YaqoobSalma YaqoobSalma Yaqoob is the leader, and former vice-chair, of the Respect Party and a former Birmingham City Councillor. She is also the head of the Birmingham Stop the War Coalition and a spokesperson for Birmingham Central Mosque....
, (Respect), Birmingham Hall Green, Respect Party leader