Wendy Alexander yesterday set out to turn round perceptions of the SNP government, as it approaches its first anniversary in power, by portraying it as �one big let-down�.

DOUGLAS FRASER and ROBBIE DINWOODIE

Wendy Alexander yesterday set out to turn round perceptions of the SNP government, as it approaches its first anniversary in power, by portraying it as "one big let-down".

The Scottish Labour leader moved on to new political territory by accusing ministers of leaving Scottish students with lower levels of loans and grants support than in England. She said ministers underestimated the cost of free prescriptions and attacked them over the detail left out of their efficiency drive.

Ms Alexander launched a new stage of Labour's fightback by telling Holyrood journalists the extent of the SNP's broken promises, underfunding and spending cuts totals £2.7bn. "This has been a year of ditched promises, 12 months of underfunded pledges and real cuts now beginning to existing programmes," she said.

"The evidence shows the SNP have let down Scotland by overpromising, underfunding and underdelivering. They've failed to keep their word and they've failed to do what they said they would do."

The Labour analysis suggests the SNP ditched promises worth £656m from its election manifesto - including the pledge to drop student debt and introduce a grant for first-time home-buyers. Labour accused the Scottish Government of underfunding other initiatives it had promised - including drug rehabilitation, free school meals, carers' support and nursery provision - by a total of £953m.

In addition, Labour argued Nationalist ministers have cut existing spending budgets by £1.1bn over three years.

Ms Alexander went further than before, saying students from poor backgrounds in England have £1800 more in combined grants and loans than the £4400 they could get in Scotland - although Scottish students do not face £3000 in tuition fees.

She said ministers budgeted on only a 5% rise in demand for prescription as a result of charges being phased out, when experience in Wales showed demand boomed by 27%.

Labour's Holyrood leader explained her party's poor poll rating by claiming the public wanted to give the new government "the benefit of the doubt", and cuts have not yet been felt. The SNP's parliamentary business minister Bruce Crawford hit back at what he called a "moanifesto", saying: "Labour lost their first election in Scotland for 50 years because of their negativity, total lack of ideas and silly attacks on the SNP - one year on and they have clearly learned nothing."

Citing the end of the graduate endowment, the council tax freeze, business rates cuts and bridge toll abolition, he added: "This is a government that hit the ground running from day one and is delivering the most dynamic and successful policy programme of any Scottish administration."

Meanwhile, Ms Alexander clashed with First Minister Alex Salmond over Scotland Week in the US. He claimed the event had double the media coverage, when the government budget for it fell from £700,000 last year to £400,000.

Rebranded from Tartan Week and now in its 10th year, Mr Salmond told MSPs it was the most successful event yet and its advertising value was the equivalent of $10m (£5m).

"We got more bangs for our bucks this year under this government than was achieved under previous governments," he said, citing television coverage in the US and Canada and more than a dozen newspapers which had reported on the events.