I thank my hon. Friend for his question and for what he does to support higher education in Scotland. Labour has committed to ensuring that Scottish students from all backgrounds can access university, which can only be achieved with a new funding settlement that protects our world-leading universities and gives any Scottish student who wants to pursue university the opportunity to do so.

The Secretary of State reiterated that the Scottish Government is responsible for funding higher education in Scotland, and criticised the SNP for blaming Westminster instead of taking responsibility. He stated that work is ongoing within government to establish a new framework linking Skills England, Migration Advisory Committee, Industrial Strategy Council, and Department for Work and Pensions to identify workforce shortages and skills strategies for future needs. The Secretary also highlighted an overreliance on international recruitment and the need to address issues such as one in six young people not being in education, employment or training.