Top-up fees vote: Reaction

Here is reaction after the government scraped a win in the vote on its controversial plans for university top-up fees:

BBC Political Editor Andrew Marr said the result was "pretty sensational... the biggest revolt by far against Tony Blair as prime minister. Very, very close. It shows that nobody was bluffing when they said it was so close.

"I think the overwhelming view of ministers across government is something like this must never happen again. It is no great triumph."

Education Secretary Charles Clarke told Channel 4 News: "The vote was not lost, it was carried and we have the authority to carry our programme through and that's just what we will do.

"I'm delighted we got the support. It was clear the Conservatives were entirely opportunistic in their opposition and that is why we had the difficulties that we did."

Tory shadow education secretary, Tim Yeo, told BBC Five Live that it was a key vote and the Bill was unlikely to fail at any later stage.

But he said the result spoke for itself and the "government had clearly lost the argument".

There was widespread concern about the effect the policy would have on students.

Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis told BBC Five Live: "You really do have to look at this Labour party and ask what is it about?

"We are heading for an American-style system of higher education where it is money that talks rather than brains and merit."

Ex-Labour health secretary Alan Milburn told BBC News 24: "I think it was always going to be a close vote - this is an extremely difficult reform, but a necessary one."

The fairest way of funding higher education was to ask those students benefiting from it to make a contribution, he said.

"I don't think anybody said that reform is going to be an easy process - it is difficult changing things and is always a difficult thing to do."

Mandy Telford, National Union of Students: "It's only the second reading - for us the fight is far from over.

"I think the NUS and still the majority of backbenchers are concerned over the variable fees issue."

Crossbench peer Lord Dearing, who proposed the introduction of tuition fees in 1998: "I am very glad that there is unanimity on one point - that the universities do need more money."

Labour MP Diane Organ, who voted with the government: "We've won because I believe it's the right thing to do but it hasn't been an easy battle because we hadn't done the preparation.

"This is a complex issue and ... I think it should have been handled with much better preparedness."

Labour MP James Purnell, who supported the government: "I think lessons have been learnt. We never want to get into this mess again.

"This has always been a controversial issue. I remember demonstrating against this in the 1980s when I was a student."

Labour rebel John Grogan: "I was sticking firm and voting against the government, sadly. What it showed was how deeply embedded the dislike of the policy was.

"People were saying 18 months ago, Parliament didn't mean anything. It meant something tonight so that's a good thing."

Labour MP Austin Mitchell: "This government just messes about. In the end I voted for the government through gritted teeth and very miserably. I asked for two things and I got them.

"I didn't tell the whips. I was an unknown until 6.40pm."

Labour MP Bob Marshall-Andrews said that a great deal of pressure had been put on his Labour colleagues.

"It's not surprising in those circumstances that some of them gave way," he told BBC News 24.

"It's a devastating vote for students. It's very bad for universities who won't get the funding that they want out of this and it's very bad for the government to be in this position, so in a sense it's the worst possible result."

Labour rebel Ian Gibson said: "The message got through - democracy spoke tonight. I will never sleep until I get rid of these variable fees."

Dr Gibson said he did not know why Nick Brown switched to supporting the government. "I'll ask him over a drink in the bar later. There were others who changed and I don't know why - maybe they bottled at the wrong time."

Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn told BBC News 24 the government had got a victory of sorts, but it was "a pig in a poke".

"Let's face facts: tens of thousands of students have huge debts. What this bill does - it takes away upfront fees but they still have to pay them back."

Labour's Chris Bryant told BBC News 24 the tuition fees package was "a really good deal."

"The truth is in the end a lot of Labour backbenchers have helped to make this a better bill," he said.

"It is now a good bill and people ended up being persuaded by the arguments, and we ended up winning narrowly but winning. I'm pleased because I think in the end this is going to put more money into universities."