Open House, with BILL JACOBS

TONY Blair may not realise it, but his victory on university tuition fees could be down to a 20-year-old East Lancashire man.

For it was Sean Serridge who persuaded Rossendale and Darwen MP Janet Anderson to back the government plans.

And then she addressed the Parliamentary Labour Party explaining why she had changed her mind on the issue -- a speech which government whips see as being crucial to persuading enough worried back benchers to change sides and secure a five-vote victory for the government.

Sean, who comes from Weir in Bacup, left Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School at 18 and currently works in Mrs Anderson's constituency office.

He said: "It didn't seem right to go to university. I didn't want to end up with all the debt that would come from having to pay tuition fees up front.

"But the proposed system of paying the money back after graduation seems much better.

"So now I've decided I want to do law and politics at Manchester University.

"I spoke to Janet about this and told her that the current system was better and fairer than the old one. I'm glad that she changed her mind and that some other MPs did as well.

"I am pleased that Tony Blair won the vote."

Mrs Anderson said: "It was Sean that finally made me change my mind. He persuaded me that this was the right thing to do."

BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw caused uproar in the Commons this week when he admitted voting against Britain staying in the European Union in 1975.

The Foreign Secretary was asked by combative Congleton Tory MP Ann Winterton how he voted.

He said: "I voted no."

Her reaction was so vigorous that Speaker Michael Martin told her to be quiet and she had to apologise for shouting at Mr Straw across the Commons Chamber.

However, he is unapologetic and said afterwards: "If there was a referendum today I would vote yes. Circumstances have changed a lot in 30 years."

SOME MPs might only be bothered about bus routes in their constituency but not so Nigel Evans.

The Ribble Valley Tory has got very upset that Argentina has suspended charter flights across its air space between Chile and the Falkland Islands.

He has put down a Commons Motion warning of the "enormous impact that this is having on cruise ship passenger exchanges" and also on tourism and development in the islands.

Mr Evans has had to register an interest as he was last year the guest of the Falkland Islands government for a "wonderful" week there.

And he blames Argentinian greed for the move.

He said: "They've not stopped scheduled flights so people can still fly from Chile to the Falklands over Argentina but they have to pay much more.

"The Argentinians basically are ready to allow charter flights as long as there are Argentinian planes. They want the money and its disgraceful."