A LOCAL MP spent a restless night – torn over how to vote in today’s crucial vote on university fees.
Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney told the Examiner he was still torn between voting for government plans to allow universities to increase student fees to £9,000 a year, or to oppose them.
The MP, who was previously a member of the Liberal Democrats, said yesterday: “It’s not good. There is a lot going on at the moment and I’ve still got lots of meetings to attend before I make my decision.
“I know that the students are out protesting and it is important that they know how I am going to vote but I still need to think about it.”
If Mr McCartney votes against the move he will join Tory rebels refusing to back the fee hike – among them former Conservative leadership candidate David Davis, Ilford north MP Lee Scott and Brigg and Goole MP Andrew Percy.
Both Scott and Percy signed a pledge ahead of the general election to oppose any move to raise university fees.
Liberal Democrats also signed a promise, organised by the National Union of Students, and scores of backbenchers are threatening to rebel rather than break their pledge.
Yesterday angry students called on Huddersfield’s three local MPs to back them and vote against the move.
Protesters donned masks of Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and took to the University of Huddersfield campus to demonstrate.
Students Union vice-president Ben Hall said: “We’re wearing the masks and making images and videos to send to our local MPs.
“We’ve decided to do this because we’ve done the march down in London and we’ve asked them to reconsider.
“And now we want to give one final message to our local MPs before they go down to London and vote on our behalf.
“If it goes ahead it could put the students and the university in a really bad position.”
Huddersfield Labour MP Barry Sheerman has told the Examiner he will “emphatically” vote against increasing fees, while the Conservative MP for Dewsbury Simon Reevell is backing the Government’s plans.
Huddersfield New College Student Union executive Georgia Power has written to Mr McCartney asking him not to tow the party line.
She said: “We hope that you will be able to support the students in your constituency with this problem.
“Tuition fees are also a massive worry for our first year students or those not able to go straight into a degree course next year, with the prospect of paying up to £9,000 a year.
“I’m sure you can sympathise with their anxiety. The student union feel this measure is disgraceful, and should not be allowed to happen– it is discrimination in its clearest form.”
