Clarke attacks fee rebel plans

The tuition fees plan faces another vote by MPs on Wednesday

Labour tuition fees rebels are being accused of not understanding their own proposals.

Education Secretary Charles Clarke has warned MPs not to support attempts by backbench rebels to de-rail the Higher Education Bill in a vote this week.

Mr Clarke accused a leading fee rebel, Ian Gibson, of "not understanding the amendment he has tabled".

Rather than reducing fees for students, Mr Clarke says the rebel proposals could mean fees of more than £10,000.

This accusation has been rejected as "smear tactics" by a Labour MP who is backing the rebel amendment, John Grogan.

The education secretary says he believes the government has more parliamentary support for its university fees plan than in January, when it only won by a margin of five votes.

The government wants to allow universities to charge fees up to £3,000 per year, as part of a funding plan to increase places in higher education.

'Deregulates fees'

But Mr Clarke said he was "irritated that amendments to the Bill have not been thought through".

Charles Clarke says he is "irritated" by attempts to change the Bill

And he says that the Conservatives, who could vote alongside Labour rebels, are "cock-a-hoop" that opponents of tuition fees have adopted such an approach to Wednesday's House of Commons vote on the Bill.

The amendment by Ian Gibson has been presented as an attempt to remove universities' right to charge different levels of fees - the so-called "variable" fees.

But the education secretary says that his amendment would not achieve this - but would instead remove the upper limit on fees - allowing universities to charge whatever they want.

"If MPs vote for this amendment, it deregulates universities and allows them to charge whatever fee they want, whether it's £10,000 or something more outlandish. It will effectively scrap the cap on fees," said Mr Clarke.

"I can understand why Tim Yeo [Conservative health and education spokesman] would want deregulation - but I can't understand why Ian Gibson would put his name to this.

'Cock-a-hoop'

"The Tories are going around cock-a-hoop for pulling the wool over the eyes of Labour rebels," said the education secretary.

Charles Clarke's argument is tendentious. He is using smear tactics John Grogan, Labour MP opposing fees plan

The education secretary's attack has been dismissed by opponents of fees, who say that they have checked the wording of the amendment and that it would not remove an upper limit to fees.

"Charles Clarke's argument is tendentious. He is using smear tactics but is failing to explain why he is prepared to threaten to withdraw the Bill and grants for working class students if he does not get his way on variable fees," said John Grogan, MP for Selby.

There was also a rejection from Dr Gibson's office of the claim that there had been any "collusion" between Labour rebels and the Conservatives.

But Mr Clarke says that if MPs back the rebel amendment the government will withdraw the entire package of higher education reform, because it would become "inoperable".

He also said that if the higher education plans were defeated on Wednesday it was unlikely that anything would replace them before the next general election.

This would mean the removal of the proposed extra financial support for students, the scrapping of up-front fees and the access regulator, said Mr Clarke.