Clarke to face anti-fees candidate

Monday, 23 August 2004 12:00 AM

The Green Party has announced it will be putting up a student candidate against the Education Secretary in the next general election.

Charles Clarke's constituency, Norwich South, has around 10,000 students living in the area, mainly as a result of the nearby University of East Anglia.

A former president of the National Union of Students, Mr Clarke had a majority of 8,816 in the 2001 general election.

Since then, Mr Clarke has been influential in pushing through the controversial Higher Education Bill that will allow universities to charge variable fees up to £3000 a year.

Today, the Green Party announced that it will be putting up 23-year-old local Norwich councillor, and postgraduate student, Adrian Ramsay, to face Mr Clarke in the next general election.

Speaking today, Mr Ramsay said: "This election should see a massive backlash against New Labour's disastrous higher education policy. Top-up fees will increase the burden of student debt and increase the gap in resources between richer and poorer universities"

"There are around 10,000 students living in the Norwich South constituency, most of whom will be registering their disapproval of top-up fees."

"Labour wasn't listening to the majority of the population when they introduced top-up fees in their mid-term. Now people can make their voices heard at the ballot box, and hopefully the Green Party will benefit."

The Greens are stressing that they have a significant presence in the city with five council seats all within Mr Clarke's Norwich South constituency.

Mr Clarke is unlikely to be too worried about the challenge. He polled over 19,000 in 2001, compared to the Greens' 1400.

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