Top-up fees

Top-up fees (not their official name) are a new way of charging tuition to undergraduate and PGCE students who study at universities in the United Kingdom from the 2006-2007 academic year onwards.

Controversy

This became law despite a Labour manifesto promise reading:

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"We have no plans to introduce University top-up fees, and have legislated to prevent their introduction."

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The Labour Party has publicly defended this decision, by saying that the manifesto commitments only apply to the 2001 - 2005 Parliament, and that the legislation introducing top-up fees will not take effect this Parliament. However, many members and supporters of the Labour Party, as well as many Labour MPs, are angry at this mechanism of defence.

Related Topics:
Parliament - MP

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In the key vote in the House of Commons, the Government (which at the time had a overall majority of some 160 seats out of 660) only barely managed to contain a rebellion among its own MPs - the voting was a mere 5 votes in the Government's favour. This was the closest the Labour Government had come to defeat in the Commons since being elected in 1997.

Related Topics:
Vote - House of Commons - Majority - 1997

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