THE Lib Dems have claimed Scotland faces an extra £1billion per year budget cut if the Conservatives fail to protect eduction spending down south.
Research by the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the party, suggests the Tories' failure to protect spending on schools, nurseries and colleges in England and Wales would have a severe knock-on effect in Scotland.
Unlike health and overseas aid, David Cameron has not promised to spare education from his programme of spending cuts.
The new research, published today (Mon), suggests Scotland faces a £2.5billion budget cut by 2019/20 if English schools budgets are slashed in line with other planned cuts.
Under the Barnett Formula, the cut would be limited to £1.5billion if education were protected south of the Border.
Michael Moore, the MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk and former Scottish Secretary, said: "The Conservatives will not protect funding for schools, nurseries and colleges in England and Wales in the next parliament, which will have dire consequences for education in Scotland.
"George Osborne must come clean about what Conservative spending plans mean for children and parents north of the border."
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