Cable constituents give verdict on fees row (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Twickenham MP Vince Cable's constituents give their verdict on university tuition fees row

11:31am Friday 10th December 2010 in News By Joe Dyke

Before the election Twickenham MP Vince Cable, like all other Liberal Democrat candidates, pledged to oppose any rise in university tuition fees.

Six months on and, in his new role as Business Secretary, he is the man responsible for the idea of hiking the cap from £3,290 to up to £9,000 a year.

The decision has split his constituents and may well have damaged his standing in the community.

Many of those who have backed Dr Cable in the past feel betrayed and said they will not do so again.

Polly Cunningham, a 48-year-old administrative assistant, from Hampton Hill, is one such voter.

She said: “I have always voted for him but I wouldn’t now. He has become a Tory and he has gone back on his pledge with the uni charges.”

Sarah Whelan, 32, a full-time mother from Whitton, has also lost faith.

She said: “I feel betrayed. I had always thought he was quite a decent bloke. I am very disappointed in him.”

But not all residents are so unsympathetic. Dr Cable still commands a lot of respect for his work on the economic crisis and many said the former Labour man often seemedunhappy toeing the Government line.

Even some students sympathised with him.

Richard Pawulski-Saunders, 16, a Richmond College pupil from Strawberry Hill, said: “I think fees probably need to be high because of the cuts and stuff but not as high as £9,000. But I think people will vote for him in the area because he is a bit of a local hero.”

In fact there may even be an up side for Dr Cable.

In an area like Twickenham, where Labour is a distant third behind Conservatives and the Lib Dems, he may be reinforcing his support with potential Tory voters. Lawrence McLane, who said he would normally vote Conservative but liked Dr Cable, will back him at the next election.

He said: “I think we have got to face up to some of the realities of the economic climate we are in. I think the Lib Dems were always a bit idealistic. You often say things when you are in opposition but when you are in power you find you can’t do it.”

How RTT revealed Vince's vote

When the Richmond and Twickenham Times’ interview with Vince Cable hit our website at 4.50pm last Friday it left the national press scrambling to follow it up.

Phones at the office were suddenly buzzing and soon after the story appeared on the BBC News Channel’s breaking news ticker – with a namecheck for the RTT.

Other broadcasters, including Sky, ITV and Channel 4 News, quickly followed suit and it became the biggest story of the night – aside from Britain still being in the grip of the big freeze.

Our exclusive was picked up on Saturday by the national newspapers, including the Guardian, the Telegraph, the Independent and the Times – and it was widely reported and followed up by the Sunday press.

The story was also picked up by the Newspaper Society, the publishers’ association that represents and promotes the interests of Britain’s regional and local media.