Union calls on Nick Clegg to speak out against university privatisation, as he rules out for-profit schools

The union said the speech, at Southfields Community College, was at odds with government proposals to promote the expansion of for-profit higher education providers, which have raised serious concerns within the Liberal Democrat party.

Twenty-two Liberal Democrat MPs, including former party leaders Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell, have signed a cross-party early day motion (EDM)*, against proposals to relax regulations and allow for-profit universities greater access to taxpayers' money.

The EDM*, which has been signed by 124 MPs, points to the on-going US investigations into the recruitment and admissions practices of for-profit universities. These include the University of Phoenix, which is owned by same parent company as UK private provider BPP, which was granted university college status in the UK last year.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'I am pleased that Nick Clegg has drawn a clear line over for-profit schools and academies. It is essential that he now extends this commitment to colleges and universities.

'Tellingly, over half of his own backbenchers have voiced their concerns about the issue and he needs to put pressure on his coalition partners or they will face another NHS-style PR disaster.

'The privatisation plans endanger the quality and global reputation of UK universities and could see private companies getting rich at the expense of the taxpayer.  In the US, on which the government has modelled its plans, for-profit universities and colleges have been investigated by the US senate for the mis-selling of qualifications to vulnerable students and their families. That is the last thing we need here.'

* The EDM text and a full list of signatories can be found at www.parliament.uk/edm/2010-12/1999.