Tory leader hopeful Ken Clarke's recent comments criticising the abolition of grants and the introduction of student tuition fees should come as no surprise. His penchant for beer, fags and dishevelled dress makes him a natural student ally.
Students did not always recognise these qualities when he was a cabinet minister, however. He was challenged for the post of honorary president of Reading student union by Big Breakfast puppets Zig and Zag on the grounds that they had done more for education than he had.