Lib Dems urge delay on student fees vote

A small group of Liberal Democrat backbenchers are trying to postpone Thursday's crucial vote on university tuition fees, as the party struggles to find consensus on the divisive issue.

Leader Nick Clegg has been attempting to broker agreement on a collective abstention in the vote in the hope of preserving unity, even though he has publicly stated that he would like to vote for the package, which trebles the maximum annual fee to £9,000.

He will address his parliamentary party in the Commons on Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to prevent a three-way split, but reports suggested that he has yet to persuade key backbenchers like president Tim Farron and former leaders Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell not to join Labour in the no lobby.

Vince Cable has been increasingly public about his desire to vote in favour of the legislation, for which he is responsible as Business Secretary for taking through Parliament.

Now backbencher Greg Mulholland is pushing a fourth option of calling off the vote, so that a full public consultation on the future of university funding in England can be carried out ahead of a Government White Paper in 2011.

"It is not in anyone's interests to do this at this stage," Mr Mulholland said. "Sometimes the most courageous thing to do is to admit you need a rethink. The best thing for higher education is not to force this vote through on Thursday."

Mr Mulholland has tabled an early-day motion in the Commons, which has so far gained the support only of fellow Lib Dem John Leech and Green MP Caroline Lucas.

But he is hoping to persuade the Lib Dem leadership - and their Conservative coalition partners - that delay is the best way of avoiding a damaging split which could do serious harm to the Government's stability.