TOTTENHAM MP David Lammy joined thousands of demonstrators yesterday over Government plans to raise tuition fees up to £9,000.

Mr Lammy said the increase would discourage low-income parents in his constituency from sending their children to university and putting a clamp on social mobility.

Over the past ten years, under-graduates in Tottenham has more than doubled — soaring from 345 in 1998 to 705 in 2008.

Under the plans, top universities would be able to charge up to £9,000 per year and others would be able to charge up to £6,000.

The former minister for higher education said: "£9,000 a year is an extortionate amount to charge someone to go to university. How will trebling fees encourage the sons and daughters of nurses and dinner ladies to achieve what their parents never had the chance to do?

"There are some immensely talented individuals in Sixth Form centres across Haringey who ought to be going to university, who now will be hesitating to do so."

Last week, Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone said she remained undecided about whether or not she would honour her pre-election pledge to oppose a rise in student fees and vote against it.

The junior minister for equalities was one of the many Liberal Democrats who backed an National Union of Students (NUS) campaign promising to: "vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative".

As a minister, she is expected to vote in line with all Government proposals but said was unable to make a decision until proposals were finalised.

Ms Featherstone said: "I won't make a final decision until the final proposals are on the table.

"I will have three choices in theory: support the Government (and as a Minister this would be the norm), abstain as per the coalition agreement or vote against as per the NUS pledge."

The MP, now serving the first year of her second term, said she had always believed that education should be free "for everyone", but said it was inevitable that fees would have to rise because of pressures on public finances.

Mr Lammy said: "The proposals are on the table: trebled fees, the end of publicly financed arts degrees and higher interest rates on loans.

"It is a set of proposals that will harm the life chances of young people in all corners of Haringey. Lynne Featherstone will be letting a lot of people down if she does not vote against."

Aaron Porter, NUS president, said: "Many Liberal Democrats would have felt incredibly uncomfortable ...knowing they are being asked to railroad these proposals through Parliament and to betray the students and their families who voted for them.

"Students will remind MPs in their constituencies of the promises they made to voters."