Conservative MP set to become first to resign over fees rise

Pressure: Nick Clegg has persauded his ministers to vote for fees rise

Conservative MP Lee Scott was today poised to become the first government member to resign over the increase in tuition fees.

The Ilford North MP was set to abstain from tomorrow's key vote — forcing him to quit as parliamentary private secretary to Transport Secretary Philip Hammond.

Two Liberal Democrat MPs who are junior members of the Government may also stand down.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg faced a fresh row today as it appeared that Conservative parliamentary private secretaries who abstain were set to lose their jobs but Lib-Dems would remain in government.

Jenny Willott, another Lib-Dem PPS, was understood to be agonising over whether to abstain or vote against the fee increase.

The different rules threatened to spark a backlash among Tory MPs. A senior Tory MP said Lib-Dems are being allowed to abstain on a "perversion" of the coalition agreement.

It states: "If the response of the Government to Lord Browne's report is one that Liberal Democrats cannot accept, then arrangements will be made to enable Liberal Democrat MPs to abstain in any vote."

But the senior Conservative stressed that it was clear that the university funding reform was a policy that the Lib-Dems could accept as it is being proposed by Business Secretary Vince Cable and supported by the Lib-Dem front bench.

He called for Tory and Lib-Dem MPs to be treated equally, warning that otherwise: "Inevitably it will be viewed as unfair." Deputy Prime Minister Mr Clegg is believed to have persuaded all his ministers to vote with the Government, but today about half the 57 Lib-Dem MPs were understood to be considering voting against or abstaining.

In a sign of the pressure on the Lib-Dems, education minister Sarah Teather was pursued down a street by a TV crew asking her why she was set to go back on the party's pledge to oppose tuition fee increases.

In a bid to avert more resignations, ministers offered 11th-hour concessions to potential rebels ahead of the vote tomorrow.

Mr Cable announced changes to the thresholds at which graduates will start repaying their loans. More part-time students will also be able to get loans rather than pay up-front fees. But student leaders rejected the offerings as small-scale compared with the huge increase in fees.

Under the concessions, the £21,000 salary threshold at which graduates start to repay fees will be up-rated each year in line with earnings from 2016 — not just every five, as was planned.

Critics said a £21,000 salary would be worth less in real terms every year, so the lowest-paid workers would soon be forced to pay back their loans if the threshold for repayments was not increased in line with earnings.

Today all government ministers abroad were ordered to fly home to take part in the vote as the crisis deepened. Energy Secretary Chris Huhne was set to return from Mexico where he is attending climate talks. Bizarrely, Labour reportedly suggested Lord Prescott as a stand-in for Mr Huhne in Cancun, but the Lib-Dems rejected the offer.

Lib-Dem party chiefs are furious that Mr Huhne is having to return after Labour refused to "pair" him with one of their MPs.

A senior Lib-Dem said: "Labour are putting political point-scoring ahead of the environment."

But a Labour source hit back saying: "Chris Huhne is flying back because the Lib-Dems are in complete chaos on tuition fees. They are split and have not taken the country with them."

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