If the cap fits

The government is having another go at pushing differential fees, while Labour is using fees to have another go at the government.

The Labour Party is to force a vote in parliament later today to stop the government raising the cap on tuition fees from £9,000 to £9,250 a year. Shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner, is behind the move, which makes use of arcane parliamentary procedure. The Guardian reported her saying: “Every MP will have to answer to the people they represent if they back ever higher student fees and ever worsening terms for graduates.” HE explains the background to the vote, why it puts the Conservative-DUP coalition to the test, and why it will have no statutory effect. We broke the story last night that in contrast to initial claims by Labour, the vote would not be binding on the government:

”House of Commons officials confirmed to HE that the vote was in fact not binding on the government. They said that a resolution such as this would have no statutory effect and no consequences in law. The government would not be obliged to revoke the fee increase. Instead it would be a matter for ministers to decide whether and how to respond to the vote if the government lost.