Scots college cash row 'must not eclipse massive cuts'

Both Mr Russell and First Minister Alex Salmond have apologised to the Scottish Parliament in the past fortnight after wrongly suggesting that there would be more money for further education.

All three main opposition parties have called for Mr Russell to resign.

Scottish Labour frontbencher Neil Findlay slammed the SNP shambles. "Even the dogs in the street know the college budget is going down significantly," he said.

"Just like in football, the chairman has turned up to give the dreaded vote of confidence to the manager. Surely it's only a matter of time before this one's on gardening leave."

But unions warned that the row over what ministers did or didn't say risks overshadowing the massive cuts and the highly controversial merger and reorganisation plan being imposed by the SNP government.

Unison further education committee chairman Chris Greenshields said: "We hope Parliament will now concentrate not on what has been said in Holyrood - but in what is happening in our colleges."

He pointed out that colleges' teaching grants, which accounts for most of their funding, were being chopped by 35 per cent and vital services for students face the axe.

Last week, chairman of the board at Glasgow's Stow College Kirk Ramsay also had to step down after Mr Russell publicly criticised him for recording and then revealing notes of a meeting between the minister and 80 college heads.