MP Emily Thornberry: Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg double-crossed students

Published: 12th November, 2010
by PETER GRUNER

LABOUR MP Emily Thornberry, who joined a demonstration which ended in a riot, accused Lib Dem Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg of “double crossing” students over the increase in university tuition fees.

Ms Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, along with Islington North Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn, joined thousands of students on Wednesday’s demonstration against the fees rises which ended in violent clashes with police.

Commenting on the behaviour of some protesters, Ms Thornberry said: “While I understand the strength of feeling, riotous behaviour only gives students a bad name. 

“But people do feel angry and double-crossed. Only six months ago,  before the general election, Clegg toured the country’s student campuses promising he would not raise fees and indeed would even abolish them. 

“Now he is in Parliament calling for increases of up to £9,000 annually from 2010. There are a lot of my constituents who will be denied a university education because they can’t afford to pay.”

Mr Corbyn has always opposed tuition fees, including those introduced by the previous Labour government.

He said: “My generation were offered university education at every possible opportunity at, for most people, little or no cost, and certainly no fees. It is not the job of politicians to pull up the step-ladder behind them.” 

Mr Corbyn was delighted with the response from Islington students, particularly those at London Metropolitan University. “The Met university has been through lots of troubles,” he added. “But I’m happy to say it has come out the other end and is doing very well.” 

He was “inspired by the enthusiasm and sense of purpose” shown by so many young people during the demonstration. “What a waste to take away the next generation’s opportunities for university education,” he said.

During the march some protesters converged on the Millbank building where the Conservative Party has its offices, setting fire to placards and smashing windows.

Up to 14 people were taken to hospital and a number of police officers injured.

The National Union of Students condemned the violence as “despicable”, saying a small minority of demonstrators hijacked the march.

An investigation into the riots is expected to call into question decisions made by Metropolitan Police planners, who initially allocated 225 officers to handle the protest but had to double the number sent to the scene as the situation developed.

Policing minister Nick Herbert said the protest and policing on Wednesday “clearly did not go to plan”. 

But he added that the blame for the trouble lay with the rioters.

Mr Herbert admitted there was “a question” about how police had been deployed but insisted the force had “sufficient resources” to deal with such protests.

It would continue to have enough resources, despite the 20 per cent police cuts outlined in the government’s spending review, he added.