BORIS Johnson has said "no", he will not apologise to students facing higher university course fees when studying abroad after the UK left the Erasmus Scheme.
Johnson was asked about a Scottish student whose fees have jumped by more than £12,000 Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon and if he would apologise to thousands of other students like him.
The SNP MP for Stirling, Alyn Smith, said: "Anthony Jones, a ferociously bright student at Stirling University, was looking to do a masters in Amsterdam. Pre-Brexit the course fees were £2168, post-Brexit the fees are £14,600.
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“The Turing Scheme won’t touch the sides of what is necessary. Would the Prime Minister like to apologise to Anthony and countless hundreds of thousands of students like him for limiting their life horizons against their will?”
Johnson replied: “No, because I think that the Turing Scheme is fairer and it is something that will enable students on lower incomes to have access to great courses around the world and I believe it is a highly beneficial reform to the way we do [things].”
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The Erasmus+ scheme allowed around 2000 Scots to study and travel in 27 EU countries each year.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon branded the decision by to leave the Erasmus+ programme as an act of “cultural vandalism” as the UK looks to build academic links with countries outside of Europe like Australia and the US with the Government's Turing scheme.
The Scottish Government have been attempting to get a place for Scotland back in the Erasmus+ scheme - along with 140 European Parliament members - but that is unlikely to happen while Scotland remains within the UK.
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