Hughes becomes coalition’s access officer
Simon Hughes has been given an official position by David Cameron and Nick Clegg, in the wake of “anger” over tuition fees.
The Liberal Democrat deputy leader has been appointed the ‘advocate for access to education’, reporting to the prime minister and deputy prime minister as he seeks to win over students.
Previously Mr Hughes had been the most senior Lib Dem outside the government, providing an independent voice for the party which often clashed with ministerial views.
It is not clear how his new job affects this remit. He will be unpaid but “standard rules of confidentiality with regard to government material will apply”, according to its terms of reference.
“Parliament has settled the maximum university fee level in England from 2012 and we now have a critically important task to ensure that every potential student has access to all the facts about the costs, benefits and opportunities of further and higher education,” Mr Hughes said.
“I will work with every person of goodwill to ensure that from 2011 we have the best system of educational advice, information and support in place, designed to benefit all potential students and to ensure that disadvantaged young people increasingly gain access to further and higher education.”
Protests earlier this month led to violence in central London as MPs voted to increase the cap on tuition fees to £9,000.
The issue has scarred the coalition government’s junior party, after all its parliamentary candidates signed a pledge promising to oppose any tuition fee hikes before the general election.
Mr Clegg hopes Mr Hughes will focus on explaining how the new system will work by winning over students, whose votes many Lib Dem MPs have relied on in seats like Cambridge and Bath.
He commented: “I know Simon will be tireless in seeking the best ways to communicate the opportunities open to young people, just as he will be a strong advocate for them to government.”
Mr Hughes will work closely with the inter-ministerial social mobility group as well as reporting to Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg.
He will also be tasked with engaging with 15- and 16-year-olds considering entering further and higher education to persuade them that they should not be put off by the coalition’s decision to hike tuition fees upwards.
The letter inviting Mr Hughes to take up the post noted: “For them to be deterred from entering university as a result of misinformation would be a tragedy for them.”
