The NUS leadership's '5 challenges for the new Prime Minister' have rightly come under fire for not once mentioning the word fees. Instead, the only point on tackling student debt is to request that the current rate of interest on student loans is maintained.

More worrying still in her response to the criticism NUS President Gemma Tumelty actually argues that we should not be campaigning against higher fees in the hope that if we stay quiet on the issue the proponents of further fees might do the same. The same argument was made at Tuesday's NEC meeting, while Labour Student, Benedict Pringle claimed that NUS has talked about fees for long enough and it is now time for a 'new agenda'.

Unfortunately, none of the supporters of fees appear to have signed up to the NUS leadership's self-imposed 'embargo'.

Commenting in the Guardian last Thursday for example, New Labour strategist Anthony Giddens wrote that 'tuition fees actually help children from disadvantaged backgrounds … the introduction of fees has generated resources to help poorer children into higher education.' Earlier in the week, Chancellor of Oxford University Chris Patten offered his view that the current £3,000 cap on top-up fees was 'ridiculously low,' and that 'fees of £5,000 would be better than £3,000, but it still would not be enough revenue to support our cash-starved universities.'

Every indication suggests that the Government's Higher Education funding review, expected to report to Parliament in 2009, will be used to pave the way for even higher fees.

To prevent this we need to be campaigning now. NUS should be shaping and winning the debate as we go into the review to secure the support of the public, trade unionists, MPs and others.

NUS should be making it clear to Gordon Brown from the outset that any attempt to make students pay more will be met with huge opposition .

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