London MEP celebrates London's intellectual might

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 13th Oct 2003

Last week four students from London Metropolitan University took on four students from St. John's College Oxford on BBC2's University Challenge. A thrilling first round match saw London Met proceed to the second round, beating St. John's 235-175.

London's LibDem Euro-MP, who herself studied in London, celebrated the result and said:

"Birkbeck won last year and now London Met, fresh from its successful merger*, has proved itself a force to be reckoned with in this series. Beating Blair's old college 235-175 was a fantastic result and hopefully the first of many (wins for London Met and defeats for Blair!)."

"London as a great world capital once again underlines its reputation as a capital of learning."

"What a shame though that, as we continue to watch and cheer on students on University Challenge steps are taken to make it increasingly expensive to go to University. I say end tuition fees, abandon top-up fees, and let everyone fulfil their potential - like at London Met!"

London Metropolitan University was formed last year from a merger of University of North London and London Guildhall University.