A LIVERPOOL student attacked Labour’s plan for £6,000 annual university fees with party leader Ed Miliband sat just yards away.

Red-haired Rhiannon Lowton tore into the policy, which was announced just one day earlier, from the conference platform, arguing it undermined Labour’s appeal to young people.

Mr Miliband, who was sat behind her, looked stunned to hear such strong criticism of a plan he hoped would allow Labour to capitalise on lingering anger about higher fees.

The policy would cut the annual cap on fees from £9,000 to £6,000, funded by higher corporation tax for the banks and by forcing graduates earning more than £65,000 to pay higher interest rates on their loans.

But Ms Lowton, mature students officer at Liverpool Hope University, said: “We are not sending out the right message by advocating fees of £6,000.

“We should not be arguing for a reduction and for keeping fees – we should be arguing for free education for everybody.”

Ms Lowton praised Labour for offering reduced membership rates for young people and students, in order to attract them into joining the party.

But she added: “It is meaningless if we do not offer policies giving people the chance of an education and the chance of employment.” The speech follows confusion over whether Mr Miliband is preparing to dump his policy of a graduate tax instead of fees, a key part of his leadership campaign last year.

In interviews, the Labour leader said he would argue for £6,000 fees if an early election was held, suggesting it remained his ambition to move towards a graduate tax if the present parliament lasted until 2015.

The Conservatives argued his new policy would jeopardise the funding of universities without reducing the monthly repayments paid by graduates.