THE architect of £140 million of cuts at Edinburgh University has warned it would be a “tragedy” if the sector’s funding crisis led to closures.

Speaking to BBC Scotland, the institution’s £418,000-a-year vice-principal, Sir Peter Mathieson, who plans slash jobs to make cuts equivalent to 10 per cent of its turnover, has called for a rethink of university funding in Scotland.

The Edinburgh vice-principal argued the £7,500 fee received for Scottish students was below cost, forcing universities to become reliant on overseas students for income.