David Willetts has warned that universities are “heading for very tough times” regardless of the results of the coming general election, speaking at St John’s College this Monday.

At a talk organized by CUCA and the local Conservatives, Willetts cited the actions of the last government as the cause of the situation, blaming his gloomy prediction on the “mess Labour has made of public finances”.

The Shadow Secretary of State for Universities and Skills spoke for fifty minutes about his “vision for higher education under the Conservatives”, fielding questions from the audience for the final half hour.

He highlighted a “catastrophic failure” of careers advice in recent years, and added that students are “just not getting the careers advice and guidance they need”. He called for “transparency and better information,” particularly regarding which A-level courses are considered worthwhile by universities.

In what could be construed as an attack on Lord Mandelson’s recent comments on tertiary education, Willetts made clear his intention to minimise government interference in higher education institutions, stating that the “freedom and autonomy to pursue lines of inquiry, however inconvenient they are for the government,” is “crucial”.

Regarding the pending higher education funding review, he was firm: “Fees would have to stay,” he said, and added that even the Liberal Democrats have “stopped pretending that you could afford to get rid of that.”

However, he denied the possibility that the government could grant financial aid to students if fees were to increase saying “the government cannot afford to lend students the extra money. It’s a model that requires more exchequer cash up front, and we don’t have it.”

But Willetts also used the speech to put forward Tory proposals on higher education funding. Under the Conservatives, a 10% discount would be offered as an incentive to those who repay their student loan early.

If just 1% of students did so, claimed Willetts, it would bring £300 million of “extra cash” into the system; enough to support 10,000 additional places at universities in 2010.