Clegg faces 'weasel' jibe over tuition fees

Nick Clegg has faced continuing anger at the Liberal Democrat party conference over his refusal to commit to an unequivocal scrapping of university tuition fees.

The party leader was accused of 'weasel words' despite saying he wanted to abolish the fees 'as soon as possible'.

'I believe tuition fees are wrong. I believe they need to be abolished... and I want to do that as soon as possible,' Mr Clegg said on Saturday.

The issue dominated a Q&A session in Bournemouth on Sunday.

'There is no question-mark over the policy of the Liberal Democrats to scrap tuition fees,' Mr Clegg elaborated. 'The only question-mark is about when we can afford to scrap tuition fees.'

At this point a delegate shouted: 'Weasel words.'

Mr Clegg pointed out the 'significant financial implications' of an immediate move away from tuition fees, saying over the course of the next parliament they would open up a £12 billion hole.

When one questioner told him that this policy was about 'a lot more than just money', Mr Clegg insisted 'candour' was important too.

'There's quite a lot of uncertainty around which we can't do much about,' he added.

The leader was not applauded for his remarks. But he was later on when, talking about the importance of ensuring young people do not suffer in the recession, he stated 'these are the last people who deserve to be punished for the legacy of this recession'.