Campus ire at tuition fee plan

Campus ire at tuition fee plan

Student leaders claimed to have staged the largest campus protest in history yesterday as an estimated 2 million people boycotted lectures in protest at university tuition fees, writes Ben Russell.

The National Union of Students said the walk-out far exceeded expectations. Means-tests tuition fees of pounds 1,000 a year will be charged from October and student grants will be replaced with government-backed loans. The action came two days after the Bill to impose tuition fees suffered two defeats in the Lords. Peers voted through an amendment to restore student grants. David Blunkett, Education Secretary, has pledged to overturn the amendments. Student leaders have blamed the decision to introduce fees for a fall in the number of university applications this year.