Independent Scotland would charge English students £9,000 to study there (but French, Germans and Italians would be FREE) Plan to defy EU and charge English, Welsh and Northern Irish students By Graham Grant and Matt Chorley Students from England and Wales would still be charged tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year by Scottish universities following independence - while EU youngsters would continue to study here for free. The SNP is in favour of the extraordinary charging regime - despite fears it flouts EU law and would discriminate against the English and Welsh. The unfair plan was buried in the 670-page blueprint for independence launched by Alex Salmond yesterday, sparking claims that he had produced a "fantasy" manifesto. Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond launched his blueprint for independence yesterday But it also revealed that an independent Scotland would charge students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not other EU countries. It emerged earlier this year that, according to EU law, taxpayers would face a bill of at least £140 million a year if Scotland becomes independent - to pay for students from the rest of the UK (RUK) who would then be able to study here for free. Scots could still vote in the next UK-wide General Election if the SNP wins its independence referendum. The Scottish Government's White Paper suggests that 59 MPs would be elected north of the Border in 2015 under existing rules, who would then abandon Westminster in 2016 when Scotland formally becomes independent. That could have a massive overnight impact on the UK government, and is likely to meet with major opposition in England. Prime Minister David Cameron currently does not have enough MPs for an overall majority, but that would change if Scottish MPs - who mainly represent Labour - were abolished. Or Labour leader Eb Miliband could find that his majority vanishes if he wins the next General Election with the help of Scottish votes. The SNP's White Paper proposes that Holyrood would continue with its existing quota of 129 MSPs, and there would be no second chamber to scrutinise legislation. That would raise fears about the power of the Scottish Government, and would require a major overhaul of committees to ensure ministers are held to account. Under the current funding system, EU students are entitled to "free" higher education in Scotland while English, Welsh and Northern Irish youngsters pay up to £9,000 a year. The anomaly has caused controversy as critics say the rest of the UK (RUK) are being discriminated against. But if the UK were broken up and Scotland retained its EU membership, then - according to EU law - RUK students would also be entitled to degrees for which they would not have to pay, as they would be regarded as foreign EU citizens. The lost income could amount annually to at least £140 million, according to latest estimates. The independence blueprint published yesterday reveals the SNP plans to continue to provide "free" degrees for native Scots - but only by keeping tuition fees for RUK students. Critics say this policy runs against current EU law and is inherently unjust, because RUK youngsters would continue to be forced to pay to study here, while other EU youngsters would still be exempt from fees. University bosses, who have vowed to remain impartial in the independence debate, welcomed the SNP's approach last night and claimed it reflected legal advice they had received earlier this year. But Mid Scotland and Fife Labour MSP Dr Richard Simpson said: "This would be an entirely discriminatory policy and I cannot see how it would possibly comply with EU law. If there is legal advice, we need to see it now. If it were possible to charge EU students coming to Scotland, why aren't they doing it already? The answer is that, legally, they can't. Earlier this year, Alex Salmond said: "I'm not worrying about having more students studying in Scotland, but we can maintain the current arrangements, which are apparently fair; that's the advice we've got." At the time, critics accused Mr Salmond of an unaffordable policy "predicated on denial" of basic facts. The White Paper repeats the SNP's claim that RUK students should be made to pay to study here. It states: "The Government believes that continuing to charge students from other parts of the UK is the best way to achieve this balance, recognising that there is a long history of substantial numbers of students from elsewhere in the UK coming to Scottish universities to take advantage of our high-quality education, our common language and the parallel system of educational qualifications that make Scotland an attractive place for them to study. These students would pay substantial fees if studying in their own countries. We believe that in an independent Scotland it will be possible for an objective justification for this charging regime to be established. Taxpayers are footing a bill of around £25 million a year to pay tuition fees for EU students in Scotland. The number of EU students has risen in the last year but there are fewer Scots, according to recent official figures. The bill for students from elsewhere in Europe has roughly quadrupled from £6 million a decade ago - and is up from around £14.3 million in 2007. The SNP has pledged to find ways of curbing the bill but EU legal obligations have so far blocked their attempts, rendering the commitment meaningless - and undermining the new plan to keep charging RUK students. The latest row also comes amid growing concern that Scots are being frozen out of their own campuses as a result of a sharp rise in the number of fee-paying students. A spokesman for the Universities Scotland higher education umbrella body said: "It is important to universities that arrangements are in place which support the cross-border mobility of students in sustainable numbers. We welcome the Scottish Government's view that arrangements could be developed to manage this, which builds on legal advice we received earlier this year. We will need to engage with the Scottish Government to ensure robust arrangements are put in place. Alex Salmond, yesterday published an extraordinary wish-list designed to convince Scots they would be better off voting to dissolve the 300-year-old union with England. Here, JAMES SLACK analyses the reality behind the SNP's uncosted and often fanciful list of promises. Funding the giveaways CLAIM: Scotland can afford an extraordinary list of giveaways, including 30 hours of childcare per week in term time for all three and four-year-olds; abolition of the so-called "bedroom tax"; increasing the State pension by £1.10 a week and ensuring the minimum wage rises in line with "cost of living." All existing perks, such as free prescriptions and no tuition fees, remain. REALITY: Even before yesterday's wish-list, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimated Scotland had a £3billion black hole in its finances. The SNP claims the money will be recovered by tackling tax avoidance, ending the married couples" tax allowance (which hasn't been introduced yet) and no longer funding the Westminster parliament. The No campaign insists the pledges are unaffordable without swingeing tax rises. Keeping the pound CLAIM: Scotland allowed to keep the pound. Bank of England is lender of last resort. REALITY: George Osborne and Labour's Ed Balls have both made clear they would not agree to this. Oil and gas riches CLAIM: An oil and gas-rich Scotland would be the eighth richest country in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The SNP invited ridicule yesterday when it boasted its vision for Scotland made the US Declaration of Independence "look like a Post-It note." Its 670-page manifesto includes a mass of trivial detail - such as a pledge to continue broadcasting pre-school channel CBeebies - without answering key questions on its future currency or membership of the European Union. By contrast, the US Declaration of Independence sets out the fundamental belief that "all men are created equally" and is considered to be one of the most influential documents in history. The comment was made by a parliamentary aide to SNP leader Alex Salmond in the Daily Record. REALITY: The figure is based on gross domestic product (GDP) data for 2011. But a huge proportion of the income from North Sea oil and gas goes to foreign investors, and gross national income (GNI) is therefore the figure that should be used. No Scottish data on GNI is available. UK oil and gas production has fallen by an average of 7.8 per cent a year since 1999. Nuclear disarmament CLAIM: Trident nuclear weapons, currently based on the Clyde, removed by 2020. Scotland to remain in Nato. REALITY: Senior Nato officials have warned Scotland could be barred from joining in the event of a dispute over Trident. Under article 10 of the Nato treaty, the SNP, which is opposed to nuclear weapons, would be forced to accept the alliance's first strike nuclear policy. abandoning the BRITISH ARMY CLAIM: Scotland protected by a new defence force with 15,000 regulars and 5,000 reserve personnel. REALITY: A survey by the respected Henry Jackson Society found a "majority" of Scottish soldiers will prefer to remain in the British Army, rather than sit "twiddling their thumbs." Border checkpoints CLAIM: Border checks with England will not be put in place. For non-EU migrants, a more relaxed points-based system to that used by Westminster. Dungavel Detention Centre in Lanarkshire closed and dawn raids ended. REALITY: If Scotland adopts a more lax approach to immigration, there will be a clamour for checks to take place on the English side of the border. Otherwise, Scotland would become a gateway for illegal entry to rest of the UK. the terrorist threat CLAIM: Scotland kept safe by a single security and intelligence agency, combining work of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ. REALITY: Security officials in the UK - and our allies overseas - would not be obliged to share secrets with an unproven spy agency. A report produced for the Home Secretary warned Scotland would have a "reduced capability to tackle a persistent threat." Joining the Euro CLAIM: Scotland will immediately be allowed to join the EU. It will not be forced to join the euro. REALITY: Spain may block Scottish membership, amid fears it will encourage separatists in Catalonia and the Basque region. New countries joining the EU are required to adopt the euro as soon as relevant criteria have been met. Ditching the Beeb CLAIM: A Scottish Broadcasting Service (SBS) would be established using the assets of BBC Scotland. SBS would broadcast Strictly Come Dancing, Doctor Who and CBeebies in return for giving the BBC access to its existing resources north of the border. REALITY: Programmes such as Strictly have huge commercial value. The BBC could charge a premium for the show and use the money to establish its own facilities in Scotland. The Citizenship Question CLAIM: British citizens habitually resident in Scotland will automatically be considered Scottish citizens, as will Scots-born British citizens living in England. REALITY: Many Scots living in England are furious that while Mr Salmond wants to give them a passport, he will not let them vote on independence. English people living in Scotland might want to refuse citizenship.