Motherwell and Wishaw SNP MSP Clare Adamson has said that free tuition fees for students in Lanarkshire are only safe under her party.
Labour’s leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, has claimed that Labour would maintain the SNP’s policy of free tuition fees if it were elected at Holyrood.
However, tuition fees in England have risen to £9,535 since Labour came to power last year whilst fees have also risen in Labour-run Wales.
Ms Adamson said: “Scottish Labour’s campaigning now revolves around keeping popular SNP policies. Free tuition fees for students in my constituency have been protected by the SNP in Government.
“In opposition, Labour campaigned against the two-child cap, argued to keep the universal winter fuel payment, promised lower energy bills, vowed to save Grangemouth, and stood alongside the WASPI women.
“They have broken every one of these promises at the first sniff of power. So why should we trust anything Anas Sarwar has to say on tuition fees?
“Labour will not stand up for Scotland. Instead of challenging his London bosses, Anas Sarwar is adopting SNP policies and hoping no one notices.
“Under the SNP, we have record numbers of Scottish students securing places at our universities, and recent figures showed a rise in students from the most disadvantaged communities.
“This progress has only been made possible because the SNP abolished Labour’s tuition fees.”
Mr Sarwar has insisted Scottish Labour’s support for free tuition is “iron-clad”.
In a letter to the heads of the country’s 19 higher education institutions, the party leader urged them to work with Labour to ensure Scotland’s higher education system is “fit for the future”.
In Scotland, undergraduate tuition is free for the majority of Scottish students, with the funding for universities coming from the Scottish Government, research grants from the private sector, and fees charged on students from overseas.
However, the Scottish Funding Council sets a cap on the number of funded places for Scottish students.
Last year, figures revealed that the number of home students studying at Scotland’s universities fell by almost 10,000.
There were a total of 173,745 enrolments from Scottish students in 2022/23, down from 183,025 in 2021/22.
Scots made up 59 per cent of students at Scottish universities in 2022/23, with international students at 29 per cent and English students at 10 per cent.
In his letter, Mr Sarwar said his party was “committed to ensuring that Scottish students, of all backgrounds, are able to access university.”
He added: “We must create a funding settlement that both protects our world-leading universities but also gives any Scottish student who wants to pursue the university route, the opportunity and support to do so.
“Should Scottish Labour be fortunate enough to lead the next Scottish Government, we will ensure that Scotland’s universities are at the heart of our plans to drive economic growth and to expand opportunity for all.
“A Scottish Labour government would also partner with colleges and businesses to ensure that every young Scot gets the opportunities that they need to succeed regardless of the route they take.”
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