Lib Dem Lords falling into line on fees

Lib Dems don’t expect their Lords rebels to muster more than single figures in tonight’s vote on tuition fees.

If Labour confounded their expectations and got its way and won the vote the Government would have to come back with another resolution and get it through the Commons again in the New Year.

Universities want to issue prospectuses with new prices in the Spring ready for 2012 entry and a Whitehall source says that timings would get “very difficult.”

The Great Unknown in tonight’s vote is the Crossbenchers, but a significant proportion of them have university posts of one kind or another and their university friends are thought to be leaving them in no doubt that they want tonight’s vote passed.