It was confirmed yesterday that Cambridge academics have submitted a Grace to the University's ruling council, proposing the motion that 'in the light of sweeping cuts to the HE budget, the trebling of tuition fees, and incoherent access policies, all decided on without adequate consultation, the University shall communicate to HM Government, by June 24, 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter, that it has no confidence in the policies of the Minister of State for Universities and Science, and that this duty be delegated to the Council'.

149 academics have signed the Grace, in the hope of following in the footsteps of lecturers at the University of Oxford, who passed a similar motion by 283 votes to five on 7 June at a meeting of the University's legislative body, Congregation. Professor Robert Gildea, the Oxford academic who proposed the motion, described the changes made by David Willetts as 'reckless, incoherent and incompetent'.

The Grace comes as academics have realised that despite governmental claims that £9,000 tuition fees would be levied only in 'exceptional circumstances', two-thirds of institutions are in fact planning to charge the maximum amount. It is feared that the Government will therefore be forced to cut the education budget further, since Treasury estimates concerning tuition loans were based on Universities charging an average of £7,500 in fees.

Academics and students are concerned about the effect of these cuts on prospective students coming from less financially-secure backgrounds. For CUSU President Rahul Mansigani, this is certainly a key issue. He said that 'this will be hugely damaging to our Access work, as the poorest applicants tend to be the most debt-averse, and it is an abandonment of state responsibility to fund higher education for its huge social benefits'. He went on to state that 'Cambridge is certainly not immune from budget cuts: Architecture and Portuguese have both come near to closure in recent years, and at other universities entire subjects are under threat'.

Cuts in the budget will be felt most strongly by humanities and arts subjects. The vote of no confidence certainly takes a great deal of support from these departments; 38 members of the Faculty of English have endorsed the Grace, making up around a quarter of its signatories. Some of the most outspoken critics of David Willett's reforms are connected with the English Faculty, such as Dr Priyamvada Gopal and Dr Jason Scott-Warren. High profile members of the faculty have signed the grace, such as Helen Cooper, chair of the Faculty Board.

Dr Edward Wilson-Lee sees the changes as 'the Tories' attempt to smuggle in ideologically-driven cuts under the guise of fiscal responsibility', and believes that the Government is attempting to push universities into privatisation, pursuing policies driven by 'their blind faith in market forces and their fundamental opposition to communal enterprise in any form'.

It has been highlighted that these cuts affect not only specific individuals and institutions, but everyone connected to higher education and, indeed, society as a whole. Dr David Hillman agrees, saying 'I have no doubt at all that the government's Higher Education policies are deeply destructive to the public good'. Fears concerning the effects of 'market forces' and privatisation have become a reality for some this week, when A.C. Grayling announced his 'New College for the Humanities', with its £18,000 tuition fees.

Cambridge academics are making a bold move in following Oxford's lead; this is the first time that an English university has passed a vote of 'no confidence' in a particular minister. When asked why he felt such official steps needed to be taken, Dr Jason Scott-Warren said 'the University has thus far declined to comment on the cuts to teaching budgets and the increase in student debts. The Grace offers a mechanism by which the University can at last find a voice.' The Council is expected to support the Grace when it is considered at a meeting on 13 June.