SNP urges UK Government to tackle student loan debt crisis facing graduates

From the Newshound archive · first published 4 October 2026.

English and Welsh students leave university carrying average debts of £47,730 — more than double the £21,000 accumulated by Scottish students — as Labour prepares to raise tuition fees to £10,050 next year, the third annual increase in a row. SNP MSP Jack Middleton accused Andy Burnham and Sir Keir Starmer of breaking explicit pledges to scrap fees entirely. Both Burnham and Starmer promised to abolish tuition fees before taking power.

Middleton accused Labour of a 'pincer movement' targeting both young people and pensioners by raising fees while axing the triple lock.

Scotland's university system remains free at the point of entry, with the SNP arguing no student should face 'ludicrously high' fees regardless of financial background.

'Our young people cannot wait for the decades Andy Burnham talks about,' Middleton said, using the row to push the SNP's case for Scottish independence.