SIR Keir Starmer has said he plans to cut monthly student loan repayments for graduates, after his u-turn on scrapping tuition fees – which "nobody can take seriously" according to the SNP's education spokesperson.
We “could reduce the monthly repayments for every single graduate without adding a penny to government borrowing or general taxation”, Bridget Phillipson MP, Labour's education spokeswoman said.
It's the first sign of a plan from Labour that they will tackle the issue after abandoning the promise that featured in his successful 2020 leadership campaign and the party's past two manifestos.
In response to Starmer's comments, the SNP's education spokesperson, Carol Monaghan MP, is sceptical as she highlighted that numerous pledges made by Labour to students over the past 25 years have failed to materialise, rendering their commitments meaningless.
“And given that Sir Keir has already reneged on promises to abolish the Universal Credit system, increase income tax for the highest earners, roll back on Tory’s anti-protest legislation, and abolish tuition fees, nobody can take seriously this latest announcement on student debt," she said.
The pro-Brexit Labour Party continue to mirror the Tories to secure the keys to No 10 – in doing so neglecting the needs of voters in Scotland, according to the MP.
She continued: “That is why voters can be in no doubt that only the SNP are willing to stand up for Scotland’s students.
“Under our leadership, young people enjoy the benefits of free tuition and lower levels of debt, and we now have a record number of young people from deprived areas going to university - all of which was achieved with one hand tied behind our back by Westminster austerity.
“The SNP will always stand up for Scotland’s students – in contrast to a Labour party mirroring the Tories at every possible turn.”
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Chancellors of universities have said that the current system of tuition fees is "broken" and a third of the educational institutions face financial deficits.
Proposals announced last week – by the UK government – outlined that foreign students would be barred from bringing family with them unless they were on research programmes.
The plan would deter potential students from coming to study over in the UK, which means that they would lose out on lucrative international fees – the scheme is designed to reduce net migration.
A Labour official said: “We think there’s a number of ways you could achieve that [cutting monthly student loan repayments] without an additional penny of taxpayer cost, and we will be looking at which of those is fairest and most practicable.”
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