The moment 18 MPs axed maintenance grants for England’s poorest students

Last Updated: January 16, 2016By
[Image: Getty Images.]

[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.”

Source: The moment 18 MPs ‘in a committee most people have never heard of’ axed maintenance grants for England’s poorest students | News | Student | The Independent

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No Comments

  1. Graham Loftus January 16, 2016 at 4:27 pm - Reply

    Mike, Can you publish who voted aye and who voted no please

  2. Jeffery Davies January 16, 2016 at 4:47 pm - Reply

    Norman law keep the peasants stupid

  3. daijjohn January 16, 2016 at 6:36 pm - Reply

    It would be interesting to see the breakdown by party of the Ayes and the Noes?

    • Mike Sivier January 17, 2016 at 7:46 pm - Reply

      Let us know, when you’ve looked it up.

  4. Prof_Alistair January 16, 2016 at 10:53 pm - Reply

    Wee…we still haven’t found out the name of the committee that no one’s ever heard of! Makes sense….. :-)

    • Mike Sivier January 17, 2016 at 2:21 pm - Reply

      Apparently it was the Third Delegated Legislation Committee.

  5. Terry Davies January 16, 2016 at 11:53 pm - Reply

    what about inviting student union advocates to get a fuller picture,????

    • aturtle05Tony Turtle January 17, 2016 at 3:56 pm - Reply

      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?

  6. mohandeer January 17, 2016 at 8:04 pm - Reply

    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.

  7. Michael Broadhurst January 18, 2016 at 12:01 am - Reply

    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.

  8. OALibrarian January 18, 2016 at 9:29 am - Reply

    Here’s the minutes for the Committee, votes are at the bottom publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmgeneral/deleg3/160114/160114s01.htm

    • David January 19, 2016 at 2:51 pm - Reply

      Thanks for this. We know where we stand now.

  9. mrmarcpc January 18, 2016 at 3:18 pm - Reply

    All being geared to keep out the plebs and keep it for the rich kids!

  10. David January 19, 2016 at 2:49 pm - Reply

    Orwell, thou should’st be living at this hour.

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