The moment 18 MPs axed maintenance grants for England’s poorest students
![[Image: Getty Images.]](http://voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/160116costofeducationGetty.jpg)
[Image: Getty Images.]
It took just 90 minutes for 18 MPs to axe maintenance grants for more than half a million of England’s poorest students “in a committee most people have never heard of.”
Labour MP for Ilford North, Wes Streeting, was one of several politicians present at the small debate – chaired by Tory MP Andrew Percy – on Thursday to urge ministers to keep the grants which were then ‘officially’ scrapped following a vote which saw a result of ten Ayes and eight Noes.
Addressing the committee prior to the vote, Mr Streeting said: “Only 18 members can vote in the committee, yet this issue will affect students in every constituency across the country. It is, therefore, even more surprising we find ourselves here on a committee most of our constituents have never heard of, away from the eyes of the public.”
Highlighting how the debate should have been taking place on the floor of the House of Commons, Mr Streeting appealed to the Conservative members of the committee to “think very carefully” about how seriously they take their role as “scrutineers of the Government and as effective legislators.” He added: “It is not the job of Members of Parliament to come to this place and simply allow the Government of the day – whatever our respective political colours – to railroad such dramatic changes in policy.”
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
Mike, Can you publish who voted aye and who voted no please
Norman law keep the peasants stupid
It would be interesting to see the breakdown by party of the Ayes and the Noes?
Let us know, when you’ve looked it up.
Wee…we still haven’t found out the name of the committee that no one’s ever heard of! Makes sense….. :-)
Apparently it was the Third Delegated Legislation Committee.
what about inviting student union advocates to get a fuller picture,????
Don’t be silly, the last person MP committees want to hear from are those affected by their decisions. I mean, how many relatives of the Sanctioned Benefit claimants who have died did the DWP select committee listen to?
I guess we will have to put up with more Eton idiots instead of intelligent paupers, as if we hadn’t suffered enough under these unmitigated but privileged fools.
the voting to the above was 10 Ayes,9 Con +Mr Joseph Johnson who is Minister for
Universities and Science,and 8 Noes 6 Labour and 2 SNP.
predictable wasn’t it.
Here’s the minutes for the Committee, votes are at the bottom publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmgeneral/deleg3/160114/160114s01.htm
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmgeneral/deleg3/160114/160114s01.htm
Thanks for this. We know where we stand now.
All being geared to keep out the plebs and keep it for the rich kids!
Orwell, thou should’st be living at this hour.