Fee speech

Students descended on Westminster last week to demand that MPs sign a pledge promising to vote against a rise in university top-up fees. At a meeting organised by the National Union of Students, MPs were asked to confirm that they would vote against any increase in fees in the next Parliament. The two main political parties have refused to declare their position and have set up a review of higher education funding that is expected to report only after the general election. Wes Streeting, president of the NUS, said: "The vast majority of the general public are against higher fees, and voters deserve to know where their MPs stand on this key issue. Students are making it clear to politicians that if they refuse to speak out against raising the cap on fees, we will hit them where it hurts - at the ballot box."