Responding to a Telegraph article alleging that NUS "urged" a cut in grants, NUS President Aaron Porter said:

"It's hardly a secret that in the run up to the publication of the Browne review, NUS met with ministers and officials to discuss and model various potential impacts of cuts to Higher Education and the implications on other budgets that would flow from Government avoiding an increase in fees.

In all of these meetings and communications we stated our firm and clear opposition to cuts- to distort these discussions on the eve of the fees vote by suggesting  that we were somehow "urging a cut in grants to poorer students" is nothing short of political desperation from a coalition government losing the arguments on its own policies"

ENDS

NUS Press Office 07866 695010 / 0207 3806604 / pressoffice@nus.org.uk