		<div class="wpcnt">
			<div class="wpa">
				<span class="wpa-about">Advertisements</span>
				<div class="u top_amp">
							<amp-ad width="300" height="265"
		 type="pubmine"
		 data-siteid="111265417"
		 data-section="2">
		</amp-ad>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div><p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/lib-dems-could-abstain-in-fees-vote.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full" title="Nick Clegg has declined to rule out Lib Dem ministers abstaining in the parliamentary vote on tuition fees" src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/min-lib-dems-could-abstain-in-fees-vote.jpg" alt="Nick Clegg has declined to rule out Lib Dem ministers abstaining in the parliamentary vote on tuition fees"/></a></p>
<p>Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has declined to rule out Liberal Democrat ministers abstaining in the crucial parliamentary vote on university tuition fees.</p>
<p>Mr Clegg said the Lib Dems are &#8220;looking at this as a party&#8221;, and pointed to provisions of the coalition agreement with Conservatives allowing the party&#8217;s MPs to abstain on the issue.</p>
<p>His comments came as Labour leader Ed Miliband said he was &#8220;tempted&#8221; to join student protesters on the streets in demonstrations against the proposed rise in fees earlier this week.</p>
<p>Mr Miliband said that although he did not condone violence, the demonstrations were fuelled by &#8220;justified&#8221; anger about changes which will see maximum fees treble to £9,000 a year.</p>
<p>Much of the student anger has been directed at Liberal Democrats because of the party&#8217;s election pledge to scrap fees, and deputy leader Simon Hughes&#8217;s London office was targeted for a sit-in on Thursday.</p>
<p>Mr Clegg himself said earlier this week that he &#8220;massively regrets&#8221; being in a position where he cannot deliver on his election promise.</p>
<p>Newspaper reports suggest that he and Business Secretary Vince Cable may be preparing to abstain in the vote &#8211; due before Christmas &#8211; in order to take some of the sting out of the issue for their party.</p>
<p>Asked about the possibility of abstentions during a visit in Sheffield, Mr Clegg told the BBC: &#8220;We are looking at this as a party.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the coalition agreement we were very, very clear that for Liberal Democrat MPs, if they didn&#8217;t like the details of the policy, they were able to abstain.&#8221;</p>
<p>But he said that more Lib Dems were becoming &#8220;comfortable&#8221; with the policy as they studied the details of the proposals.</p>
			<div style="padding-bottom:15px;" class="wordads-tag" data-slot-type="belowpost">
				<div id="atatags-dynamic-belowpost-69e3c1f868813">
					<script type="text/javascript">
						window.getAdSnippetCallback = function () {
							if ( false === ( window.isWatlV1 ?? false ) ) {
								// Use Aditude scripts.
								window.tudeMappings = window.tudeMappings || [];
								window.tudeMappings.push( {
									divId: 'atatags-dynamic-belowpost-69e3c1f868813',
									format: 'belowpost',
								} );
							}
						}

						if ( document.readyState === 'loading' ) {
							document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', window.getAdSnippetCallback );
						} else {
							window.getAdSnippetCallback();
						}
					</script>
				</div>
			</div>
Discover more from London Glossy Post
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
