Willetts the Wimp: Conservative MP bails on guest lecture over protest fears

David Willetts was due to give a guest lecture on the University of Sussex next Wednesday, but pulled out by emailing Education officer Juliette Cule on Tuesday.

The e-mail in question offers “a three-line whip on parliamentary duties” on the evening of the 14^th as an excuse for Willetts’ cancellation, and assures us that Willetts is “sorry…to let you down at such short notice”.

Although non-attendance at a three-line whip can have serious consequences for MPs, the timing seems all too conspicuous considering that students are planning to protest his appearance on campus.

Please don’t hurt me, I have many many interesting things to tell you all

Conservatives aren’t appealing to many students recently, with controversial policies including the tripling of tuition fees from 3k to 9k and the recent privatisation of the student loan book.

A Facebook event for a protest named ‘David Willetts Comes To Sussex’ with the description “show the man forcing you to pay outrageous tuition fees, saddling you with huge amounts of debt, and cutting funds to your course EXACTLY what you think of him” has 146 students listed as attending.

Will Willetts ever show his face at Sussex? Or is he too afraid of the student body? Only time will tell.

Scary? Student protesters? Don’t be silly, they’re tame creatures, honestly

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