In recent weeks, John Woolf, a previously outspoken supporter of the Liberal Democrats, has decided to leave the party in favour of Labour.

The former Cambridge Student Liberal Democrats (CSLD) campaigner has instead joined the Cambridge University Labour Club (CULC) claiming that “as a social democrat”; he felt neither “able to support the current coalition government nor Clegg’s Liberal Democrats”.

As a high-ranking member of CSLD his move may reflect of a more general shift amongst students away from the Liberal Democrats in the wake of their changed stance on lifting the cap on university tuition fees.

Woolf claims, however, that his move is due not just to this but to the general acquiescence of the Lib Dem’s to Tory policies and spending cuts introduced by the coalition. He feels that the parties own policies “have been lost in favour of unprincipled power and a veneer of ‘fairness’ used to cover Tory cuts”.

CSLD has also denied that Woolf’s move is a reaction to the Browne report, claiming the he resigned in an e-mail dated over a month ago.

CSLD chair Hannah Keal said that “it is very sad that the CULC are trying to use John’s change of heart to create a storm in a teacup” and that “it goes to show that Labour are still more interested in chasing headlines with spin.”

The Browne Report has become for many symbolic of this shift in Lib Dem policies and a perceived failure to honour election commitments.

This is particularly striking in light of the NUS ‘Vote for Students’ Pledge signed by both Nick Clegg and Cambridge MP Julian Huppert in which they promised to fight an increase in tuition fees.

Many students are worried about the effect that it will have on the already fraught issue of equal opportunity of access, particularly to top Universities such as Cambridge where the increase in fees is likely to be significant.

CUSU President Rahul Mansigani said: "All our efforts to increase participation in the university experience could be reversed, as debt acts as a deterrent.”

In regards to his new affiliation with Labour, Woolf said "their record, on the whole, has been beneficial to Britain."

The opposition party still find themselves behind the Conservatives in the latest polls run by research company YouGov, despite the increase in approval following the leadership election.

Ashley Walsh, the President of CULC said, “Ed Miliband has accepted Labour’s past mistakes in Iraq, civil liberties and tuition fees.” He explained that Labour was now making “changes which Liberal Democrat supporters wanted when they voted against Labour. I hope these voters will now consider us again.”

Walsh went on to say that CULC would “welcome anybody who shares our values of social justice and equality. I certainly want to welcome and praise John’s courageous decision in public.”

The extent to which this general trend is a consistent shift of students’ political views or a reaction to a single policy reversal still remains to be seen.