The SNP has condemned the Scottish Tories for their “rank hypocrisy” over exam results published today – after nearly 40% of results in England were downgraded and students left unable to appeal results themselves.
Westminster MP Douglas Ross (pictured) – who is also Scottish Tory leader – last week demanded results be scrapped and that the Education Secretary should resign when only a quarter of results in Scotland were downgraded.
With a far more significant impact on results in England, Mr Ross has yet to speak up publicly against his Tory government colleague Gavin Williamson.
Earlier in the week, the SNP Scottish Government listened to concerns raised by affected young people, parents and teachers, and took steps to ensure that downgraded results were scrapped, and results adjusted up were retained.
The Tories are now refusing to take the same action in England and are insisting pupils have to go through a restricted appeals system or sit exams despite not being in school for nearly five months.
Commenting, the SNP’s Shadow Education spokesperson Carol Monaghan MP said:
“As concerns over exam results were raised in Scotland, Douglas Ross and the Scottish Tories were quick off the mark to play petty party politics and demand resignations.
“Their deafening silence over the exam results published in England today – with almost 40% of students having their exam results downgraded compared to 25% in Scotland – reeks of rank hypocrisy.
“The SNP Scottish Government listened to the concerns of students and teachers and took steps to ensure that candidates were not unfairly penalised through no fault of their own – with downgraded exam results scrapped and pupils receiving the grade the teacher awarded, and upgraded results retained.
“Now it’s the Tories’ turn, and they are refusing to take action to help England’s young people, some of whom may be having their chance of coming to university in Scotland destroyed by the Tories’ actions.
“This year’s exam results faced unprecedented challenges and impacted students not just in Scotland, but right across the UK.
“However, rather than engaging constructively, the Scottish Tories chose to politicise the issue for their own ends.
“Their deafening silence over calls for resignations in Westminster is telling and reveals their true colours of putting politics ahead of people’s livelihoods.”
