Nick Clegg has sent a sheepish message to students urging them to vote for the Liberal Democrats despite their “anger” over the tuition fee hike.
In a video to be shown this week at the National Union of Students’ conference the party leader admitted he was “surprised” to be asked to address them.
He defended the Government’s decision to raise tuition fees to £9,000 a year, despite the Lib-Dems’ pre-election pledge to oppose an increase, and said: “I hope at least some of you will support the Liberal Democrats on May 7.”
The NUS asked all political parties to record video messages for students at its annual conference in Liverpool.
Labour leader Ed Miliband, SNP chief Nicola Sturgeon, Plaid Cymru head Leanne Wood and Tory Greg Clark, minister for universities and science, also sent messages to the 1,000 delegates. In his appeal Mr Clegg said: “I can imagine you are as surprised at receiving this message from me as I was surprised in receiving the invitation to deliver this message to you.
“But I feel I have something important to say to you, because of course I am acutely aware of the considerable anger and disappointment about the decision surrounding tuition fees.”
He said his party did not have the democratic mandate to stop a rise in the fees, so did the “next best thing”.
Mr Clegg added: “We got the fairest deal we could get for students and graduates of the future.”
He said students now pay back less every month than they did under the old system.
Mr Miliband vowed to cut tuition fees to £6,000 a year. Mr Clark said universities need stability and the system now working should not be changed.
