AMBITIOUS Blairites were left red-faced on Tuesday night after they accidentally scuppered their own attempts to commit Young Labour to a graduate tax.

At a meeting of the Young Labour national committee, rightwingers from the National Organisation of Labour Students (NOLS) forced through a wrecking amendment to a motion in favour of supporting next month’s free education demonstration. 

But they failed to notice that their amendment kept in place the commitment to support the demonstration.

The original motion, tabled by under-19s officer Rida Vaquas, called on senior Young Labour officers to organise a bloc delegation at the demo and noted the recent scrapping of tuition fees in Germany.

The amendment from NOLS secretary Grace Skelton and senior Young Labour officer Bex Bailey mistakenly gave instructions to “delete the Young Labour believes…” section of the motion, which did not exist, as opposed to the “Young Labour resolves…” section, which contained the commitment to support the rally.

An attempt to move another amendment was slapped down as the deadline had passed. The meeting then voted against the amended motion by 17 votes to six.

NOLS operates as a right-wing faction within Labour’s wider youth movement and forms a voting bloc with supporters of pro-business lobby group Progress on the national committee.

NOLS chairman Finn McGoldrick reportedly talked of “so-called free education” and said abolishing student contributions would “take money from poor people and give it to privileged kids to study philosophy at Russell Group universities.” 

Unite rep Alex Halligan fiercely contested the allegation that free education was anti-working class.

Youth members, supported by regional committees and the Young Labour Trade Union Network, are still expected to take part in the demo.