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Higher Education Fees

My hon. Friend is entirely right. There simply has not been an adequate evaluation to allay the very real concerns out there. I am going to talk about the pledge. I did not sign just one pledge, I actually signed two: the National Union of Students pledge in this very House, and the Leeds university union pledge at the university. I do not regret signing either, but that is not the sole or, even, most important reason why I shall vote against the Government today. I shall vote against the Government today, because I simply cannot accept that fees of up to £9,000 are the fairest and most sustainable way of funding higher education. Before I became a Member, I opposed the Labour Government introducing fees in the first place, and I opposed the Labour Government introducing top-up fees. I said at the time, as did many hon. Members including courageous Labour Back Benchers, ““This will lead one day to huge increases in fees and become a never-ending path.”” Sadly, that has been shown to be absolutely correct.