Who’s not being straight now?
David Cameron suffered a torrid time at Prime Minister’s Questions alongside the embattled Nick Clegg and Vince Cable over tuition fees today.
Shamik Das
Two-thirds of Lib Dem general election voters against fees u-turn
Sixty eight per cent of those who voted Liberal Democrat in May say it is wrong for the party to break its election pledge to “vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative” – with just 21 per cent thinking the party is right to abandon its promise, a YouGov poll undertaken last week (2nd-3rd December) has reveled.
Look Left – Cameron set for school sports climbdown
Shamik Das looks back at the past week’s big political stories, including David Cameron’s welcome rethink of government plans to slash school sport funding.
Smiths legend Johnny Marr tells Cameron: “I forbid you to like us”
Smiths legend Johnny Marr has told David Cameron: “…stop saying that you like The Smiths, no you don’t. I forbid you to like it.”
Danny Alexander squirms when pressed on tuition fees vote
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander became the latest senior Liberal Democrat cabinet minister to fail to declare his hand on Question Time last night – repeatedly refusing to say whether he would vote for or against the trebling of tuition fees his government is proposing and which he is in favour of.
2018 may be lost, but PM can still deliver a brighter future for school sport
England lost out in the bid to host the 2018 World Cup today, despite having arguably the best presentation, with Prince William, David Beckham and David Cameron making the case for football to come home. Russia won the right to host the 2018 World Cup, with rank outsiders Qatar – a country with an appalling human rights record – being selected to host the 2022 World Cup.
Tory council leader calls protesters “an ugly, badly-dressed student rabble”
The Tory leader of Oxfordshire council sparked anger by tweeting: “County Hall invaded by an ugly, badly-dressed student rabble. God help us if this is our future.”
Miliband attacks “shoddy” fees scheme
Ed miliband responded to David Cameron on tuition fees today, attacking the “shoddy scheme” the government is proposing. Yesterday, the prime minister, in a column in the Standard, defended the trebling of fees, and said that “before protesting, students need to get the facts straight”. Today, the Leader of the Opposition said “universities and students deserve better” than what the government is offering.
New anti-cuts campaign launched
A new anti-cuts campaign website, False Economy, launched today, backed by the TUC.
UK Statistics Authority asked to look at government use of school sports stats
Shadow education secretary Andy Burnham today told the Commons he had written to the UK Statistics Authority to look at the government’s use of statistics in school sport. Mr Burnham was speaking during the Opposition Day School Sports Funding Debate, in which he implored education secretary Michael Gove to rethink his decision to abolish School Sport Partnerships.