David Willetts’s speech at the Cambridge Union on Friday night was met with protest inside and outside of the Union’s debating chamber. Inside the chamber, two students held up a banner that read "Fuck You Willetts", and were hauled out of the Union building by security personnel.

Prior to the talk, members of Cambridge Defend Education gathered outside the Union, holding banners stating: ‘Educate, Organise, Agitate’ and ‘Raise Hell not Fees’.

Protest organiser Ben Platt said: “I’m happy, we had a good turn out, we've done a great job of making our presence felt and our voices heard.”

“We believe direct action is the best form of protest”, he said. “We will continue to put pressure on the university to speak out against the changes."

Security was tight outside the Union, with exits fenced off. Student were searched and asked to give up their phones before entering.

The talk itself was poorly attended, with only 44 members in attendance despite over 200 tickets having been issued. The chants of protesters could be clearly heard from within the chamber.

Early in the talk, students Conrad Landin and Jessica O’Driscoll Breen revealed a large banner that read “Fuck You Willetts”, defying the Union president’s warning that students should not engage in protest in the chamber. They were ejected following a round of applause from the audience.

O’Driscoll Breen allegedly got the banner past security by claiming it was a “back brace”.

Willetts’ speech lasted roughly twenty minutes, after which he invited questions from the floor.

He claimed that the government’s higher education reform “entitles students to say, ‘I’m paying £9,000 for this education, I want £9,000 worth of education back’”.

He stated that: “University should be funded out of a combination of public and private support.” And that: “It’s essentially a graduate contribution scheme to the cost of the education they’re getting.”

Adding that the current system is “much more an income tax liability than a credit card liability”.

Willets highlighted the ways in which the government continues to contribute towards students’ higher education costs. Help with maintenance, support for "high-cost" subjects, and the lack of obligation to pay off student debt meant that the UK was “more favourable” than other European countries, Willetts stated.

Questions from the audience were somewhat subdued, though one student quizzed Willets on whether fees would rise to £15,000 if the Conservatives were to win the next election.

Imogen Schon, the President of the Union said: “We only host political speakers on the condition that they are willing to engage with our members. Mr Willetts was happy to do so, and spent the majority of his visit answering questions from students, following a short speech. In this instance, we also instigated a “right of reply” to our members, to better ensure students get their fair say.

“I was saddened that two members of the Union chose to disrupt the event rather than take advantage of the opportunity to ask him some tough questions, as many of those that attended went on to do.”

When asked whether O’Driscoll Breen and Landin would be subject to disciplinary procedures Schon said that it was “likely”, but she was unable to specify what disciplinary action was likely to be taken.