PLANS to hike tuition fees will force Hampshire MP Chris Huhne to choose between voting against his Government or breaking an election pledge to students, it emerged yesterday.

Mr Huhne, Energy Secretary and Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh, signed a National Union of Students pledge during this year’s general election campaign “to vote against any increase in fees in the next Parliament and to pressure the Government to introduce a fairer alternative”.

However, according to reports, the Browne Review into student finance, to be published today, will call for the cap on tuition fees to be lifted – which could lead to annual fees more than doubling to £7,000 – and for all but the poorest graduates to pay higher rates of interest on their loans.

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition is said to be minded to accept Lord Browne’s recommendations.

The coalition’s programme for Government, published in the days following May’s election, states that Lib Dem MPs may be permitted to abstain from any vote in support of recommendations they find unacceptable.

But that would not go far enough to satisfy many students.

Aaron Porter, NUS president, said: “Liberal Democrat MPs have long opposed tuition fees and at the general election each of them signed a pledge to vote against higher fees in Parliament. It would be a complete betrayal of the electorate to abandon this flagship promise.”

Mr Huhne was unavailable for comment yesterday.