Conservative Party: A sustainable future for UK universities

The House of Commons has voted for coalition government plans to secure a sustainable future for universities and a fair system for all students.

The new proposals mean that no students will have to pay fees up front, no one will pay back fees until they earn £21k a year, every graduate will pay less per month and the poorest fifth will pay less overall.

Shortly after the vote, Ed Miliband appeared to abandon his graduate tax policy, telling the BBC that it's a promise he's "not sure [he] can keep". Miliband campaigned for the Labour Leadership promising to replace tuition fees with a graduate tax, a policy recently described as "unworkable" by his Shadow Chancellor.

Responding to Ed Miliband's abandonment of a key campaign pledge, Conservative Party Chairman Sayeeda Warsi said:

"Ed Miliband's opportunism is breathtaking. After voting against our Higher Education reform proposals, he's now dithering on his own graduate tax policy.

"He campaigned for the leadership promising a graduate tax to replace tuition fees, but after failing to convince his own Shadow Cabinet he's abandoning his pledge. No wonder Labour's policies are a blank piece of paper."