Veteran Tory claims setting aside university places for the poor is 'social engineering'

The coalition government was yesterday accused of "social engineering" by a veteran Conservative politician over plans to open up access to universities.

Former minister Christopher Chope said institutions should have the freedom to pick students on merit, regardless of their background.

He said the Office for Fair Access (Offa) had been designed to get less well-off youngsters into higher education, rather than leaving universities "to allocate places on merit".

Under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat government's scheme, any institution wishing to charge tuition fees above 6,000 has to submit their proposal to Offa, detailing how they plan to ensure poorer students do not miss out.

Mr Chope told the House of Commons: "I share the concern of a lot of people in universities that the government is trying to increase regulation and interference in order to try and tick some boxes on social engineering and social mobility that is ill-conceived."

His Further and Higher Education (Access) Bill was yesterday refused a second reading by 33 votes to three after the government opposed the measure.

However, fellow Tory MP Philip Davies backed Mr Chope, saying: "It's quite depressing that the dead hand of political correctness has got itself entrenched into society so much that we have to have this argument as to whether or not people should be given places at university based on merit."

He added: "The government should not feel it necessary to stick its nose into the idea of recruitment by universities and it should allow them to do what they have always done, which is to recruit people on merit and merit alone, irrespective of people's backgrounds, gender, race or any other factor."

Further education minister John Hayes rejected the accusations made against the government's policy, saying: "Social engineering isn't part of my agenda nor the government of which I am part.

"I am a firm believer in meritocracy and the principle people should be rewarded according to their efforts and ability - whatever their circumstances or background. Merit is the driver of access."

He added that he did not see a contradiction between recruiting students "solely on merit" and institutions offering summer classes to pupils, trying to attract mature students and targeting youngsters from underprivileged schools.

Mr Hayes said: "Ambition is what we are often told the working classes lack. Of course, this is completely untrue.

"Working-class parents and grandparents seek exactly the same for their children and grandchildren as middle-class people. What they lack is the means to achieve those ambitions because they lack the wherewithal, because they don't have those social and familiar networks that understand the process by which their talents might be turned into actuality in respect of higher learning."

Mr Chope rejected attempts to reassure him his proposed legislation was unnecessary, saying he feared the government, "egged on by the minority party in the coalition", had an agenda of "interference, trying to achieve social engineering".