THE Lib Dems have accused students of intimidation after they protested outside the office of a Brent MP and Government minister.

Members of the University of Westminster Students' Union held a rally outside the constituency officer of Sarah Teather, MP for Brent Central, in the run up to the tuition fees vote last week.

Councillor Paul Lorber, leader of the Lib Dem group on Brent Council, claimed the direct action left vulnerable residents unable to access support from Ms Teather, who is also a minister in the Department of Education.

He said: “I fully support people’s right to engage in peaceful protest, but intimidating staff and vulnerable constituents is the wrong way to go about it.”

The party says the protest forced the office to closed on Wednesday, the day of the rally, and claims staff and residents had to be escorted out of the building by police.

They say it was shut again last Thursday on advice from the police.

But Cllr Lorber's comments have been dismissed by the students' union, which says he is cashing in on the backlash against the minority of demonstrators who were violent towards the end of the national protest in Central London on Thursday.

Robin Law, president of the organisation, said: “Obviously it's nonsense. I was at the protest outside Sarah Teather's office and the idea that any of us would have been intimidating is a complete nonsense.

“We are all sensible and intelligent people. It would have undermined our argument if any of us had been violent.”

He accused the party of letting down the people who elected them and Councillor Ann John, leader of the governing Labour administration, echoed his criticisms in her own response to the tuition fees vote.

She said: “Brent’s voters have been betrayed in the cruellest way by their Liberal Democrat MP.

“Many local residents are telling me they are dismayed their support is being used to prop up the Conservative Government’s attack on our community.”