ANAS Sarwar is at odds with Keir Starmer after Scottish Labour said they remained committed to free university education.
The UK Labour leader on Tuesday signalled he would abandon a previous pledge to scrap tuition fees in England.
But the Scottish party have told The National that they remain committed to a 2021 manifesto pledge to maintain free tuition for Scottish students – arguing that Scottish Labour had long held a different policy on higher education than the UK party.
It comes after the SNP called on Scottish Labour to be “honest” about their position on the matter after Starmer said he was “likely to move on” from past commitments to abolish tuition fees in England.
The SNP said his comments threw up questions about Scottish Labour’s position on the issue.
Maryhill and Springburn MSP Bob Doris said: “Abandoning their commitment on free tuition fees is just the latest broken promise in a long line of Labour manoeuvres to become the new Tory party in all but name.
"People across Scotland know that they can't trust a word Keir Starmer says – we've seen him turn his back on his own promises time and time again, with not one iota of shame.
"But it's time for the Scottish Labour leader to be honest and say whether he supports Keir Starmer’s plans for tuition fees or if he supports people across Scotland continuing to have access to free university education.
"Whilst Scots can be assured that university tuition will always remain free in Scotland under an SNP government, people deserve to know where other political leaders stand – and Anas Sarwar must clarify his position on this important issue for the people of Scotland, especially our young people.
“While Starmer writes pages of his new Tory-lite manifesto for the next General Election, the SNP will continue standing up for the priorities of Scotland and offering an alternative to Westminster right-wing policies."
A spokesperson for Scottish Labour said: “There’s been over 20 years precedence of the Scottish Labour party having a different policy on this than the UK Labour Party – that’s one of the benefits of not just having a devolved party but also a devolved parliament.”
They added: “Education policy in Scotland is determined by the Scottish Labour party not Keir Starmer.”
