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| Tuition fee protesters in 'cat and mouse' with police | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Students are staging demonstrations and marches across the UK in the third day of protests against increasing tuition fees and university budget cuts. | Students are staging demonstrations and marches across the UK in the third day of protests against increasing tuition fees and university budget cuts. |
| There are marchers in central London and events are taking place in Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh and Bristol. | |
| Students have been moving quickly across Westminster and London's West End in what appears to be an attempt to avoid police "kettling" tactics. | |
| Business Secretary Vince Cable says he might abstain in the vote on fees. | |
| National Union of Students leader Aaron Porter attacked the Liberal Democrats for failing to keep their promise to vote against raising fees. | |
| "The anger felt at this betrayal is real, justified, and desperately disappointing to those who placed in you their hope for a different politics," said Mr Porter, in a letter to Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg. | |
| 'Cat and mouse' | |
| In freezing conditions, thousands of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square - many appearing younger than university students. | |
| Some youngsters ran into Whitehall and were held back by a line of police. | Some youngsters ran into Whitehall and were held back by a line of police. |
| Mounted police have been moving through Westminster, the scene of clashes in two previous protests. | Mounted police have been moving through Westminster, the scene of clashes in two previous protests. |
| Demonstrators appear to be trying to avoid being caught in police lines, after thousands were held in a "kettle" last week. | |
| A 19-year-old student told the BBC their strategy was to avoid being contained by police: "Whenever the police block us off, we turn round and go the other way. | |
| "We also do not want to be panicked into violence. Smashing up windows was necessary in the beginning to get the demonstrations on the front pages, but now any violence would be counter-productive." | |
| Unlike last week's demonstration in which students were held on Whitehall as a single group, this protest has been broken up into groups moving quickly around London's West End. | |
| MPs are expected to vote on the fees package before Christmas. | MPs are expected to vote on the fees package before Christmas. |
| It remains uncertain whether Liberal Democrat ministers will abstain or support the proposals to raise tuition fees to £9,000 per year. | It remains uncertain whether Liberal Democrat ministers will abstain or support the proposals to raise tuition fees to £9,000 per year. |
| At the general election, Liberal Democrat candidates gave personal pledges to students that they would vote against any increase in fees. | At the general election, Liberal Democrat candidates gave personal pledges to students that they would vote against any increase in fees. |
| Vince Cable, the secretary of state responsible for universities, has indicated that he might not vote in favour of the fee rise, but might abstain. | |
| Labour's Shadow Business Secretary, John Denham, says it would be "extraordinary and appalling" if the secretary of state did not vote for his own proposals. | |
| Protests have also been taking place around the country. | |
| In Nottingham, protesters are claiming to have staged an occupation. | |
| Occupations are continuing in a number of other universities, including University College London and Newcastle. |