Mandelson forcing universities to lower standards and offer less choice

6.00.00am GMT Sat 2nd Jan 2010

"Only the Lib Dems promise to stand up for university students from all backgrounds", says Stephen Williams

Commenting on Government plans to cut university funding by more than £500m, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Universities Secretary Stephen Williams said: "The Government failed to live up to its commitment to fund extra university places and now it seems to be punishing the universities that went out of their way to help the pupils that had been let down."

"Mandelson has already been laying the groundwork for a massive hike in tuition fees that will leave students with tens of thousands of pounds of debt and deter those from poorer backgrounds from going at all. Now he's forcing universities to offer those who do stump up the fees lower standards, less choice and fewer teaching hours."

"Only the Liberal Democrats promise to stand up for university students from all backgrounds. That's why we've pledged to scrap tuition fees and fight any plans to raise them."