Scottish Labour is under mounting pressure to reveal their plans for tuition fees, after they voted with the Tories last night against free tuition for Scottish students.
This follows comments from Scottish Labour’s finance spokesperson Michael Marra suggesting his party would back reintroducing charges for students wishing to study in Scotland, and Pam Duncan-Glancy’s failed attempt to rewrite history during yesterday’s debate by claiming that Labour “introduced free tuition…and that position has not changed” – despite the fact that tuition fees under the Labour government in Scotland included a £2000 “graduate endowment.”
The SNP has said that Scottish Labour must come clean on just how high their backdoor tuition fees would be for Scottish students.
In Labour-run Wales, the tuition fee cap has recently increased to £9,250.
Commenting Michelle Thomson MSP said:
“It is now abundantly clear that Labour would look to reimpose their backdoor tuition fees on students in Scotland – after shamefully lining up alongside the Tories to vote against free tuition.
“Despite Pam Duncan-Glancy’s failed attempt to rewrite history last night with her bizarre claim that a £2000 endowment fee under a Labour government counted as free tuition, it’s clear that Scottish Labour are itching to reintroduce backdoor tuition fees for students in Scotland – the only question is how much they’d be willing to charge.
“Education should always be based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay.
“Unlike Labour and the Tories, the SNP will always stand up for free tuition in Scotland.”
