Sixth-formers should be free to join protests says Ed Miliband

Sixth-formers should be "free" to protest against Government education cuts in school time, Ed Miliband said today.

The Labour leader said he himself had always been "careful not to bunk off" while at school.

"I'm not going to encourage kids to bunk off school but I think sixth-formers who want to make a point about Educational Maintenance Allowance should be free to do so," he said.

Speaking as protesters staged a demonstration against the scrapping of EMA - the cash support given to poor sixth- formers - Mr Miliband condemned the violent elements who took part in the student protests last week.

But he added: "I understand your anger about what's happening on tuition fees, because you feel it is one front in an unprecedented attack on the hopes and dreams of the next generation."

Today thousands of students staged protests at the plans to axe EMA.

Ken Livingstone, Labour's contender for Mayor of London, joined students at BSix College in Hackney as they claimed they need the EMA to go to college and that they would be put off further study if it was abolished.

He said the poorest students would suffer from the changes and accused the Tories of breaking election promises.

"In London at least a third of kids live below the poverty line. EMA has been very effective getting the poorest to go to college. What's most cynical about this is that Michael Gove absolutely promised during the election campaign that they wouldn't scrap it and David Cameron as well.

"You're dealing here with people doing their A-levels, aged 16-19, and a lot of them couldn't carry on studying if it wasn't for this grant. What you'll see is a lot of kids leaving school without further qualifications which will affect them for life."

James Cunningham, 18, from the Isle of Dogs, said he would be forced to stay at home or find a job if it was not for the funding. He added: "Without it I wouldn't be able to afford to get here."

Christabel Yeboah, 17, from Lewisham, said: "EMA pays for my travel from south London, bills, books and lunch at school. David Cameron hasn't given us a proper reason why he's raising fees."

But Schools Minister Nick Gibb said 90 per cent of students who receive the EMA would have stayed in education without it.

Mr Cameron faced angry claims by Tory MPs that they are being treated more harshly than Liberal Democrats in the coalition.

Senior Conservative David Davis said there was "hostility" towards the Prime Minister and Nick Clegg among backbench MPs over the vote to treble university fees.

One backbencher claimed that some Tory MPs considering rebelling were told that if they did they would not get help in finding a new seat when the number of MPs is cut by 50 following boundary changes. Government sources denied this threat had been made.

Former shadow home secretary Mr Davis said many of his colleagues were angry at the treatment they had been receiving while the Lib-Dems were "cosseted".