Alex Salmond apologises for misleading MSPs Meanwhile, a deposed college leader has accused Mr Russell of presiding over a "climate of fear" and bullying in the sector. Labour suggested that ministers must have been aware the £546 million college budget has dropped after informing a Holyrood inquiry about the cut three weeks ago. Johann Lamont described the First Minister's about-turn as "astonishing," telling MSPs: "The contempt that Alex Salmond shows every day for the Scottish people and our parliament is breathtaking. Every day truth seems to give way to sound bite, facts come second to the put-down and the interests of the Scottish people come second to the interests of Alex Salmond's career. After the European debacle, how can we ever believe a word Alex Salmond says again? She suggested that Mr Salmond's statistical mistake was not accidental, but to protect Mr Russell, whom she said should be sacked. SNP backbenchers are also abusing the parliamentary system to prevent proper scrutiny of minsters, she claimed. The SNP-dominated education committee has blocked an inquiry into whether Mr Russell bullied Kirk Ramsay into resigning as chair of Glasgow's Stow College. Mr Salmond was forced to apologise after Mrs Lamont used First Minister's Questions to highlight apparently contradictory statements from the Education Minister in which he said college funding was both increasing and falling. She said the reality was college funding was being "slashed" and Mr Russell should be sacked for misleading parliament by suggesting otherwise. But the First Minister repeatedly insisted that resource funding for colleges had increased from £545 million in 2011/12 to £546 million this year. He insisted "Mr Russell has factually reported the situation to parliament" and made his boast that his figures represented as "exact an answer as anyone has ever given in any parliament." But within minutes of First Minister's Questions ending, it emerged that Mr Salmond had not compared like with like and total college funding had fallen from £555.7 million to £546.4 million. Hugh Henry, Labour's education spokesman, said Mr Salmond should return to Holyrood to "explain whether he made an elementary error and is guilty of misleading Parliament through incompetence, or whether he deliberately fiddled the figures." The First Minister had little choice but to comply and, in a statement, admitted that total college funding had fallen by £9.3 million this year. The figure I used was provided to me (by officials), it was used in good faith. However, it failed to take account of budget revisions to college funding," he said, Mr Salmond said he did not intend to mislead and took "full responsibility" for his statements, before concluding: "The figure should have been £556 million, not £545 million, and I apologise to the chamber for this error." He said Mr Russell will write to Tricia Marwick, the presiding officer, apologising for making the same error in response to a parliamentary question from a Labour MSP. Gavin Brown, Scottish Tory education spokesman, said: "This is another shocking display from the man who wants the people of Scotland to trust him with their futures." Meanwhile, SNP members on Holyrood's European and external affairs committee faced accusations of protecting ministers after blocking an inquiry into Mr Salmond's claims an independent Scotland would have automatic EU membership.