The Herald

The Herald | Politics


What the latest Holyrood poll really tells us about May's election
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
15 Jan 2026 at 6:44pm
Scottish Labour has slumped to its lowest polling of the parliament, falling behind Reform and haemorrhaging support among its own 2024 voters. Survation?s latest snapshot points the finger squarely at Keir Starmer.


Kemi Badenoch: Sandie Peggie 'put through hell' in NHS Fife employment tribunal
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
15 Jan 2026 at 5:46pm
Kemi Badenoch has said Sandie Peggie has been 'put through hell' in her employment tribunal against NHS Fife as she warned governments to implement watchdog guidance.


SNP MSP in scathing warning to John Swinney over transgender prison policy
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
15 Jan 2026 at 3:18pm
SNP MSP Ruth Maguire told John Swinney she was "appalled" the Scottish Government had defended its transgender prison policy.


Reform boss say he gets cost of living crisis as he goes camping with 'normal...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
15 Jan 2026 at 2:46pm
Reform?s has unveiled millionaire financier Malcolm Offord as its Scottish leader.


'Not a sound use of resources': GPs criticise John Swinney's flagship walk-in...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
15 Jan 2026 at 2:13pm
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Scotland said the money could be better spent elsewhere. 


Scottish Government could implement buffer zones at asylum seeker hotels
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
15 Jan 2026 at 1:41pm
Previously, the government said there were no plans to bring in the controversial exclusion areas, but it now appears that ministers are reconsidering that decision. 


Labour MSP must 'resign immediately' amid new details of sex offender friendship
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
15 Jan 2026 at 12:23pm
Pam Duncan-Glancy has been told she must resign "immediately" from Holyrood after new details emerged of her friendship with convicted sex offender Sean Morton.


Kemi Badenoch: Robert Jenrick sacking was 'right' move after 'secret defectio...
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
15 Jan 2026 at 11:32am
Robert Jenrick has been sacked as shadow justice secretary amid 'irrefutable evidence' he was planning to secretly defect from the Conservative Party.


Who is Malcolm Offord, the new leader of Reform UK in Scotland?
by joe.donnelly2@newsquest.co.uk | Joe Donnelly
15 Jan 2026 at 11:18am
Everything you need to know about Malcolm Offord, the former Tory peer announced by Nigel Farage as the new leader of Reform UK in Scotland.


Nigel Farage tells would-be Holyrood defectors to join Reform UK within days
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
15 Jan 2026 at 11:09am
Nigel Farage has warned politicians considering a switch to Reform UK they have only days left to defect ahead of the Holyrood election in May.


Russia expels British diplomat it accuses of 'working undercover' for MI6
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
15 Jan 2026 at 11:01am
A British diplomat has been ordered to leave Russia after being accused of working undercover for MI6


Scots voters set to take out anger with UK Labour government on Anas Sarwar -...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
15 Jan 2026 at 9:21am
A new Survation poll suggests the SNP is heading for a fifth term in power ? but without a majority ? as voter anger with the UK Labour government dents Anas Sarwar and fuels a surge for Reform UK ahead of the Holyrood election.


Majority of Scots oppose new North Sea drilling research finds
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
15 Jan 2026 at 6:30am
New research suggests more than half of Scots oppose new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, including close to 50% in the north-east


Nigel Farage set to announce Reform?s leader in Scotland
by Craig Paton
15 Jan 2026 at 6:27am
Nigel Farage will announce Reform UK?s Scottish leader at a press conference on Thursday.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Robert Jenrick joins Reform UK in chaotic press conference
15 Jan 2026 at 4:45pm

The former Shadow Justice Secretary was booted out of the Tories earlier on Thursday for planning to defect to Nigel Farage?s party

The MP was in Scotland to unveil his party?s new leader north of the Border

Russell Findlay tells First Minister 61p a week saving ?won?t even buy you a bag of peanuts?

The Reform leader said the Scottish election will be a ?two-horse race? between his party and the SNP

Reform to field candidates in all 73 constituencies in May?s Holyrood election

Several Westminster politicians are due to descend on Scotland today.

The results come as UK?s top political leaders, including the Prime Minister, descend on Scotland today

Scotland?s Auditor General Stephen Boyle gave evidence to Holyrood?s audit committee on his damning report into Historic Environment Scotland

Irene Campbell and Brian Leishman were among 26 Labour MPs who voted against allowing the Government to call the sites national infrastructure

The Scottish Police Federation and Fire Brigades? Union had condemned the Scottish Government?s budgetfor 2026/27

A Scottish Labour UK minister has accused John Swinney of false claims over independence.

John Swinney announced in September that the Scottish Government would reverse its long-standing ban on using public money for munitions manufacturing - but only recently gave firms guidance.

Wings over Scotland

Learning Insanity
14 Jan 2026 at 4:29pm
This clip was broadcast on ITV News Wales this week. ? It’s a staggeringly obvious mess for a whole raft of reasons – a number of completely spurious, illogical and unsupported claims are accepted as facts without any sort of challenge or balancing voice (which has been standard practice on ITV News for a while …

Governing For Beginners
12 Jan 2026 at 2:31pm
My first ever real experience of politics was playing Dictator. Originally written by Don Priestley for the Sinclair ZX81 in 1982, it was a simple text-based game which subsequently came to other formats including the Commodore 64, BBC Micro, Elan Enterprise and the ZX Spectrum, which is where I encountered it. (Its legacy very much …

Grandpa John?s Nightmare
7 Jan 2026 at 12:17pm
It’s almost – almost – worth voting SNP in May because of this: ? Because it would be at least momentarily absolutely hilarious watching Swinney try to explain why his “100% guaranteed” second indyref didn’t happen if the SNP actually did get a majority on 30% of the vote (which is narrowly feasible on current …

Failure To Learn
5 Jan 2026 at 1:32pm
Scotland take on Haiti on Sunday 14 June (in the wee small hours of the morning), so this is nice, isn’t it? At least, it would be if incompetent idiots weren’t in charge. Firstly because the SNP – a party with a long and dismaying record of promising things it then doesn’t deliver – has …

And every day was exactly the same
3 Jan 2026 at 7:00am

List Voting For Cretins
2 Jan 2026 at 9:00am
This week The National published a poll it commissioned from Find Out Now for this May’s Scottish Parliament election, alongside a seat projection from Sir John Curtice. Here are the list-vote figures from the poll. The seat projection calculated that the election would result in 59 SNP MSPs (six short of the number John Swinney …

The Gulf War
1 Jan 2026 at 7:00am
Yesterday we noted in passing that independence support now outstrips that of the SNP by more than 20 points, making the party into a gigantic liability as the vehicle for enabling Scots to leave the UK. Put simply, even when voters want independence (as most now do), they’re not willing to vote SNP to get …

The Fear Of The Briar
31 Dec 2025 at 11:42am
With Reform now pretty consistently miles in front in polling for the next UK election, logically this is brilliant news for the Scottish independence movement, isn’t it? So can anyone explain why the SNP is so desperate to stop them? That’s a rhetorical question, of course. As we’ve repeatedly explored on Wings over the last …

The Curious Fringes
29 Dec 2025 at 2:14pm
There’s a post on the superwoke poll-analysis account Ballot Box Scotland today bemoaning the lack of interest in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election from polling companies, and presenting it as some sort of anti-Scottish conspiracy. The real reason nobody’s very interested, of course, is that as things stand the election is an obvious foregone conclusion …

A matter of class
19 Dec 2025 at 5:14pm
Something very odd happened when the Sandie Peggie employment tribunal delivered its judgment – and it wasn?t just the made-up quotes and mangled law. Call it institutional bias, ideological capture, or just the law doing its job, but what Employment Judge Sandy Kemp?s tribunal delivered was the most one-sided outcome since Butch and Sundance decided …

Craig Murray

Resisting the Respectable Opinion on Iran
15 Jan 2026 at 3:13pm

Iraq. Libya. Egypt. Syria. Gaza. Somalia. No CIA- and Mossad-constructed regime change operation in the Middle East has ever made life better for the ordinary people of the country, nor even delivered the promised increase in personal and political freedoms. The only limited improvement that might be gained comes from the lifting of Western sanction …

Resisting the Respectable Opinion on Iran

A Step Towards Sanity
13 Jan 2026 at 6:50pm

To my great surprise, the video recording of yesterday’s Court of Session hearing on the judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action is still active on the court’s website, and you can watch it. I do not know how long this will last. https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/livestream/court-of-session/case-p1017-25/#6dcfe87a-d9b7-49ba-9f01-ad69b8ad9c45 I have been used to the ludicrous restrictions on the …

A Step Towards Sanity

Court of Session Tomorrow on Palestine Action
11 Jan 2026 at 1:45pm

In the Western world today, fighting for freedom feels Quixotic, but I shall nevertheless wake early tomorrow to be at the Court of Session in Edinburgh by 9am to fight the proscription in Scotland of Palestine Action. I remain extremely concerned for the lives of the Palestine Action hunger strikers. As I predicted, Starmer’s government …

Court of Session Tomorrow on Palestine Action

Venezuela and Truth
4 Jan 2026 at 10:21am

The mainstream media covered Venezuela non-stop yesterday. They many times mentioned Delcy Rodríguez, Vice President, because Trump stated she is now in charge. They never mentioned that 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the torture to death of her father, socialist activist Jorge Rodríguez, by the CIA-backed security services of the US-aligned Pérez regime in …

Venezuela and Truth

Hunger Strikes and Court Cases
16 Dec 2025 at 9:15pm

Fighting the proscription of Palestine Action has become more urgent as eight brave activists enter the crucial period of their hunger strike. 12 January has finally been set for the court hearing on holding a Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action. I am frankly terrified for the hunger strikers. Qesser Zuhrah Amu …

Hunger Strikes and Court Cases

The Skripal Novichok Hoax
12 Dec 2025 at 9:58am

I did not anticipate that an open public meeting in Salisbury itself would be 95% sceptical of the official Novichok hoax – but it was. Thanks to UK Column for putting this on. I hope you find it enlightening – there is information which goes beyond my previous articles on the subject. In about a …

The Skripal Novichok Hoax

BBC Scotland

Lord Offord named as Reform UK's Scottish leader
15 Jan 2026 at 5:13pm
The former Conservative minister and Scottish Tory treasurer has been officially unveiled by Nigel Farage.

Sarwar in 'unequivocal' apology over made-up quote
15 Jan 2026 at 3:57pm
A Scottish Labour campaign leaflet featured made-up quotes from a Stranraer maternity campaigner.

Location of first walk-in GP clinic announced
15 Jan 2026 at 5:11pm
The new clinic in Edinburgh is the first of 15, which will be open seven days a week.

Who is Reform UK's Scottish leader Malcolm Offord?
15 Jan 2026 at 4:09pm
A banker from Greenock who joined the House of Lords in 2021, Malcolm Offord has made much of a relatively short political career.

Swinney to consider buffer zones around asylum hotels
15 Jan 2026 at 12:51pm
The first minister says people have a right to protest but it is unacceptable when it becomes "threatening".

Review recommends custody death FAIs should be completed in a year
15 Jan 2026 at 5:50pm
The Scottish government ordered the review of fatal accident inquiries following the deaths of two young people.

Labour MSP urged to quit over friendship with sex offender
15 Jan 2026 at 2:24pm
Pam Duncan-Glancy has been criticised for maintaining contact with former councillor Sean Morton.

Teaching union set to reveal strike ballot results
15 Jan 2026 at 3:20pm
National strike action by the EIS union over teachers' workloads could potentially close almost every school in Scotland.

Pro-Palestinian protesters get inside BBC Scotland HQ
15 Jan 2026 at 3:34pm
About 10 campaigners with flags and banners staged a short demonstration in the reception area of Pacific Quay in Glasgow

Finance secretary corrects Budget after missing out A96 plans
14 Jan 2026 at 6:24pm
Fergus Ewing said a commitment to dual the entire route was missing from a key Budget document.

Scottish Budget to pass as Labour vows not to oppose it
14 Jan 2026 at 1:15pm
Anas Sarwar says his party will not vote against the SNP administration's £68bn tax and spending plans.

Campaigners 'delighted' at promise of Campbeltown ferry return
15 Jan 2026 at 4:53pm
The Scottish government said it was committed to a return of the ferry next year and provision of some services this year.

Scot Goes Pop

Sensational numbers for both the SNP and Plaid Cymru in two new YouGov polls
14 Jan 2026 at 8:36am
Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already a bit over halfway towards its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

The party of Tas-beens: Alba's notorious unelected dictator finally departs -...
13 Jan 2026 at 4:20pm
Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already a bit over halfway towards its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

Has Trump ushered in an American FASCISM? His administration now has SEVEN o...
11 Jan 2026 at 9:45am
I know we were all keen for RevStew to finally put a sock in it about the trans issue, but given that he's replaced that obsession with 24/7 apologism for a woman's murder, perhaps he should be enc...

SNP have FOUR TIMES as much support as Labour in YouGov's astounding first su...
9 Jan 2026 at 1:35am
In the video below, I also give my thoughts on Stuart Campbell's frankly disturbing reaction to the fatal shooting in Minneapolis, which has shocked even his habitual supporters and defenders to th...

Alba's death-throes UPDATE: party insider makes explosive allegation that Ken...
7 Jan 2026 at 3:12pm
Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already a bit over halfway towards its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

Through their craven silence on Venezuela, the leaders of European countries ...
5 Jan 2026 at 9:44am
Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already a bit over halfway towards its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

An update about the Great Scot Goes Pop Video-Blogging Experiment, and the pr...
3 Jan 2026 at 4:31pm
A few minutes ago, my phone spontaneously managed to escape from my pocket onto the road outside my house for the second time in the space of six months, smashing the screen yet again.  I thought I...

Professor John Curtice projects the SNP *are* on course for Holyrood list sea...
3 Jan 2026 at 9:11am
The video below also briefly touches on an astoundingly ill-informed tweet from "RevStew" about Quebec politics, which rather calls into question the oft-heard claims that he's some sort of highly ...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Robert Jenrick defects to Nigel Farage?s Reform UK after Tory sacking
15 Jan 2026 at 5:26pm
Robert Jenrick was fired from the Tory party on Thursday morning for 'plotting to defect'.

?Ban Trump from using Scottish airports for Greenland attack?, Swinney urged
15 Jan 2026 at 4:53pm
It comes after US President Donald Trump has continued to step up his calls for Greenland to become part of the US.

John Swinney comes under fire from Scottish Conservatives over ?smallest tax ...
15 Jan 2026 at 3:51pm
The First Minister was challenged over the SNP?s tax and spending plans for the coming year.

?Unequivocal? apology to campaigner misquoted on Labour leaflet
15 Jan 2026 at 2:33pm
Claire Fleming claims she was misquoted on a Labour campaign leaflet.

?Wall of money? to invest in Scottish nuclear power if Labour win election
15 Jan 2026 at 1:20pm
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the SNP were saying Scotland was 'shut for business'.

John Swinney faces FMQs after unveiling tax and spending plans
15 Jan 2026 at 11:53am
The Scottish Budget includes changes to income tax, increases for Scottish child payments, and separate taxes on mansions and private jets.

Who is Nigel Farage?s new Reform leader in Scotland Malcolm Offord?
15 Jan 2026 at 11:35am
Lord Offord has been chosen to lead the party into the Holyrood election in May.

Robert Jenrick sacked by Kemi Badenoch after ?plotting to defect?
15 Jan 2026 at 11:24am
Reform leader Nigel Farage has said he has had conversations with the shadow justice secretary.

Starmer, Farage and Badenoch expected to appear in Scotland
15 Jan 2026 at 8:16am
Sir Keir Starmer is expected to make an announcement on clean energy after confirming one of the world?s largest offshore wind farms will be built off the coast of East Lothian.

Nigel Farage reveals Reform UK?s new leader in Scotland as Lord Malcolm Offord
15 Jan 2026 at 7:24am
The former Tory minister, who defected to Reform late last year, will lead the party into the Holyrood election in May.

Scottish Government committed to A96 dualling despite Budget mistake
14 Jan 2026 at 5:11pm
An infrastructure document neglected to include the full A96 in its plans.

Scottish Labour slams Farage?s Reform party as ?Tories in disguise? 
14 Jan 2026 at 4:34pm
Farage is expected to travel to Edinburgh on Thursday to announce the party's first leader north of the border. 

UK Government will ?not back down? over row with AI chatbot Grok
14 Jan 2026 at 2:01pm
Keir Starmer said the Government would strengthen existing laws and Ofcom would continue its independent investigation.

Scottish Budget to pass without opposition from Labour
14 Jan 2026 at 12:16pm
The Budget includes changes to income tax, increases for Scottish child payments, and separate taxes on mansions and private jets.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Keir Starmer asks 'Where is the money, John?' in dig at SNP leader on flying ...
15 Jan 2026 at 4:23pm
Starmer would not be drawn on whether his job was at risk if Labour performs badly at the Scottish Parliament election in May.

Nigel Farage suggests Scottish independence referendum could take place in 2030s
15 Jan 2026 at 3:36pm
The Reform UK leader said an IndyRef2 could be "reexamined" in the "decades to come".

Anas Sarwar apologises over Scottish Labour health campaigner blunder
15 Jan 2026 at 2:29pm
He apologised after maternity campaigner Claire Fleming said she did not say the quoted words that were in her name on a leaflet.

Millionaire Malcolm Offord quotes Dignity when asked what a yacht owner knows...
15 Jan 2026 at 12:57pm
The new Reform leader in Scotland and former Tory donor said "I go camping with normal people" when questioned about his net worth.

Kemi Badenoch sacks Robert Jenrick over 'plotting' as Tories descend into civ...
15 Jan 2026 at 12:17pm
The shadow justice secretary was axed over claims he was planning to defect to Reform UK

Labour MSP urged to quit Holyrood immediately after new details of friendship...
15 Jan 2026 at 11:49am
EXCLUSIVE: Pam Duncan-Glancy continued her friendship with Sean Morton after he committed more child sexual offences.

Reform UK and Scottish Labour in battle for second place at Holyrood election...
15 Jan 2026 at 8:47am
The SNP remains on course to be the largest party - but will fall short of the majority John Swinney says the party needs to demand an IndyRef2.

Council tax rises must be worth it as SNP Budget 'does not deliver' for local...
15 Jan 2026 at 4:30am
Record View says any rises must be justified to voters as good value for money ? or councillors could feel voters? wrath.

SNP cuts funding for drugs policy despite hundreds of Scots dying from substa...
15 Jan 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: A leading drugs charity told the Record that "investment in support and services is essential to save lives".

Scots 'couldn't buy a Mars Bar' with 'tiny' income tax savings from SNP Budget
14 Jan 2026 at 1:01pm
Scots on lower incomes will save at most £40 a year as a result of SNP changes to income tax thresholds announced this week.

The National

The National | Politics

Indyref was made possible by the SNP ?breaking? the system in 2011
15 Jan 2026 at 6:30pm

THERE have been a number of letters published in recent weeks in The National where a supposed Scottish independence supporter has proudly boasted about their intention not to vote SNP 1 and 2 or even vote SNP at all. ?I support Scottish independence but I will not be forced to vote SNP? being most often cited as the reason.

MSPs pass bill to tackle ticket resale for Euro 2028
15 Jan 2026 at 6:04pm

MSPs have voted unanimously in support of a Bill that will restrict ticket resale for the 2028 European Championships.

Robert Jenrick claims Tories 'broke Britain' as he defects to Reform UK
15 Jan 2026 at 5:18pm

ROBERT Jenrick has confirmed his defection to Reform UK as he declared that the Conservatives ?broke Britain?.

Does the BBC have a Scotland problem? Let's look at the evidence
15 Jan 2026 at 4:39pm

THE crux of the matter is whether the BBC would have simply refused to issue a correction had this not been about Scotland ...

Scottish journalist grabbed by Reform aide as Malcolm Offord squirms in inter...
15 Jan 2026 at 4:17pm

A TV journalist was grabbed by a Reform UK aide as he was grilling the party?s new leader in Scotland

Society of Editors slams Scottish Labour over made-up quote in fake magazine
15 Jan 2026 at 4:57pm

The Society of Editors has slammed Scottish Labour for making up a quote in a campaign leaflet in the form of a mock magazine

Why has Palestine Action hunger strike been paused and what happens now?
15 Jan 2026 at 3:51pm

THE Palestine Action prisoner hunger strike has been called off with inmates claiming victory.

John Curtice gives verdict on poll predicting pro-independence majority
15 Jan 2026 at 3:39pm

TOP pollster John Curtice has said the Labour UK Government's poor record continues to "hang like a cloud" over Scottish leader Anas Sarwar following a fresh Holyrood poll pointing to a pro-independence majority ...

Donald Trump?s ?Board of Peace? for Gaza is completely indefensible
15 Jan 2026 at 3:00pm

THE proposal for a Trump-designed ?Gaza Board of Peace? ? with Keir Starmer expected to take a seat ? is politically and morally indefensible (Starmer ?to accept seat on Trump?s board to run Gaza?, January 14).

Poverty is not the problem, it's a symptom. Here's how the SNP must tackle it
15 Jan 2026 at 3:07pm

Good evening! This week's edition of the In Common newsletter comes from Craig Dalzell, head of policy and research at Common Weal.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

?Appalling?: SNP MSP hits out at Scottish Government's single-sex prisons stance
15 Jan 2026 at 1:34pm
John Swinney under pressure on transgender prisoners as For Women Scotland hearing nears

?Miserly? income tax cut used for ?cheap headline? ? Russell Findlay
15 Jan 2026 at 1:03pm
John Swinney said his government was ?on the side of the people of Scotland?

Malcolm Offord confirmed as Reform leader in Scotland
15 Jan 2026 at 11:36am
Offord has also announced his retirement from the House of Lords

SNP on course to win election while race for second place neck-and-neck
15 Jan 2026 at 10:21am
Reform and Labour are tied on 18 seats for second place, according to a poll projection

X acting to comply with UK law, says Keir Starmer
14 Jan 2026 at 3:11pm
Ofcom launched an investigation into the site on Monday

Michael Shanks: Scotland?s energy future is on the ballot
14 Jan 2026 at 3:10pm
The UK energy minister warned delegates during a speech at?Holyrood?s?Energy Summit in Edinburgh that a party that opposes nuclear?power?will??fragment the GB energy market?

Contract awarded to build one of world?s largest offshore wind farms in Scotland
14 Jan 2026 at 11:38am
The Berwick Bank wind farm in the outer of the Firth of Forth will be constructed by SSE and will feature 307 turbines generating enough electricity to power up to six million homes

Government U-turns on controversial digital ID plan
14 Jan 2026 at 11:16am
The government said the scheme would no longer be mandatory

Tech support ?barely mentioned? in Scottish budget
14 Jan 2026 at 11:03am
The chief executive of ScotlandIS said the growing cluster requires focused support from the Scottish Government if it is to reach its full potential

Scotland?s fintech cluster more than doubles in five years
14 Jan 2026 at 8:00am
FinTech Scotland has reported?that the number of firms in the sector has grown from 120 to 260 since 2020

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Multimillionaire leader of Reform in Scotland refuses to reveal net worth
15 Jan 2026 at 3:26pm
Newly appointed Malcolm Offord, who became a Tory life peer in 2021, plans to stand for Holyrood in MayUK politics live ? latest updatesThe multimillionaire financier who has been made leader of Reform UK in Scotland has refused to say how wealthy he is, claiming that is a private matter.Malcolm ...

Scottish budget: SNP government cuts taxes for lowest earners
13 Jan 2026 at 7:06pm
Ministers will hope package of measures can aid efforts to retain power in May?s Holyrood electionsMinisters in Scotland have cut taxes for the lowest earners by a modest £11 a year, as the government dug into its reserves, cut spending and increased borrowing to fund new election pledges.With fo...

UK politics: Tories call for block on Chinese super-embassy amid claims of hi...
13 Jan 2026 at 6:11pm
Shadow home office minister Alicia Kearns says unredacted plans show 208 secret rooms and approving plans would be ?insanity?Q: Why are the Liberal Democrats still using X?Davey says he is not afraid to pick a fight with Elon Musk. He says Musk has interfered in British democracy ?in the most out...

?The response is a beautiful thing?: how Glasgow is squaring up to Reform
12 Jan 2026 at 5:36am
In the face of Nigel Farage, flag-waving and a longstanding housing crisis, some Glaswegians are taking on anti-immigration rhetoricSelina Hales has a thing about pineapples. She is talking in a quiet office, set aside from the bustle of Refuweegee, the charity she founded 10 years ago, and the w...

Software tackling deepfakes to be piloted for Scottish and Welsh elections
8 Jan 2026 at 6:07pm
Electoral Commission says tools to detect AI-generated content could be in place before campaigns beginElection officials are working ?at speed? with the Home Office on a pilot project to combat the use of deepfakes to target candidates standing in this year?s Scottish and Welsh elections.Officia...

Liz Kendall says Elon Musk?s X must urgently deal with ?appalling? sexualised...
6 Jan 2026 at 5:49pm
Science secretary says the deepfake content being produced on the platform is ?unacceptable in decent society?In her Today programme interview this morning Kemi Badenoch tried to outflank Nigel Farage on net zero scepticism by claiming (wrongly) that she started talking out this before he did.Ask...

No 10 suggests UK would not vote for UN security council resolution condemnin...
5 Jan 2026 at 6:10pm
PM?s spokesperson did not contest report claiming that the UK will abstain on a possible UN voteSpeaking to reporters this morning, Keir Starmer said Nicolás Maduro, who was president of Venezuela until he was arrested by the Americans on Saturday and taken to a US jail, was not a legitimate rule...

Scottish Labour urges Keir Starmer to stay out of Holyrood campaign
5 Jan 2026 at 2:53pm
Anas Sarwar says prime minister?s missteps have left party clear underdogs in run-up to May electionUK politics live ? latest updatesKeir Starmer and senior ministers have been urged by Scottish Labour to ?stay behind their doors? in Whitehall to avoid turning the next Holyrood election into a re...

Nativism and the disintegration of the UK
1 Jan 2026 at 5:07pm
With the weakening of pro-integration parties, Ben Wellings warns that the continuation of the UK in its current form cannot be taken for grantedStalking your editorial on the new political geography emerging in Britain (25 December) is the fear of disintegration. This is a political outcome that...

The Guardian view on May 2026 elections: a new political geography is coming ...
25 Dec 2025 at 5:30pm
Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today we look at the impact of devolution on growing volatility of party political allegianceNext year will be pivotal in British politics, and 7 May will be the point around which things pivot. Elections ...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Reform?s Scottish ?leader? ? the FIFA Peace Prize of Scottish politics
15 Jan 2026 at 2:15pm
Spare a thought for poor wee Malkie Offord, over the years he’s thrown hundreds of thousands of pounds at the political scene in a bid to make himself relevant, firstly with his ludicrously misnamed and suspiciously well funded Vote No Borders astroturfing campaign during the 2014 independence referendum, a cringeworthy campaign which made no impact …

Reform?s failing charade and the three pronged attack on Westminster rule
14 Jan 2026 at 4:34pm
Perhaps Reform UK’s bubble is about to burst. Although the private company owned by Nigel Farage is still leading in the polls in England, the far right ghouls’ polling lead has been falling in recent weeks. On Tuesday the weekly Sky News poll from YouGov put Reform on 24% across the UK as a whole, …

Farage?s new tartan puppet
12 Jan 2026 at 8:00pm
On Monday, Nigel Farage preened his insufferably smug way through a press conference at which he introduced the latest opportunistic Tory defector to Reform UK. This time it was Nadhim Zahawi, who was very briefly the Chancellor of the Exchequer under Boris Johnson. Zahawi was later found to have paid a seven figure penalty to …

BBC Scotland, an anti-independence party in May?s Scottish election
11 Jan 2026 at 4:57pm
The parties are gearing up for May’s Scottish elections. On one side there’s the SNP and their frenemies the Scottish Greens – parties which disagree on many things but which share a common belief in the principle that the people of Scotland should be the sole arbiters of government policy in Scotland and the future …

The BBC?s shameful enabling of fascism
8 Jan 2026 at 3:56pm
The failure of the BBC to report fairly and without bias on Scottish politics is a regular theme in this blog and amongst other supporters of Scottish independence. The favouritism which the Corporation displays towards Nigel Farage and his ghouls is likewise well documented, especially on the disgrace to political broadcasting that is BBC Question …

A fake rebellion from a fake party
7 Jan 2026 at 11:28am
While we are distracted by Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela, the kidnapping of its president and his threats to take over Greenland, here in Scotland the parties are getting into gear for the Holyrood election campaign. Anas Sarwar has got off the starting blocks with a carefully orchestrated ‘rebellion’ against his intensely unpopular boss, Keir …

Greenland, a nation, not an American possession
6 Jan 2026 at 4:46pm
With the Trump regime ramping up its threats against the Arctic nation of Greenland, it’s a good time to take a closer look at the history and culture of Greenland. Greenland is officially called Kalaallit Nunaat in the Greenlandic language, the language of the great majority of the country’s 57,000 population. Greenlandic, or Kalaallisut, is …

In May Scotland?s destiny is in our hands
5 Jan 2026 at 6:51pm
Speaking to SNP party members in Glasgow as the campaign for the Scottish elections in May starts to ramp up, First Minister John Swinney has said that the Scottish media should be ?livid? at the UK Government’s refusal to spell out the democratic route to a second independence referendum. If we lived in a normal …

The superpower of piracy
3 Jan 2026 at 5:22pm
The international rule of law has been on life support for some time. It was battered and bludgeoned by the West’s invasion of Iraq. Israel casually ignored international law as it pursued genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank while the West, most notably the USA and the UK, enabled Netanyahu and …

Making plans for Nigel in 2026
31 Dec 2025 at 2:37pm
It’s nice to end what has been at times a trying year with some good news. On a personal level, in 2025 my mum lost her battle with cancer, and my good friend and former neighbour Mary Docherty, a stalwart of the Glasgow North East SNP branch, passed away after a long illness. Both are …

The Courier

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Scottish Politics News From Holyrood and Westminster | The Courier

Could Rosyth-Europe ferry set sail thanks to Brexit reset?
27 May 2025 at 6:01am
Hopes have been raised for a simple solution to a cross-border problem.

Kirkcaldy MP demands pro-suicide forum is torn down
26 May 2025 at 6:01am
Around 100 suicides have been linked to the sickening forum which provides guidance to people on ending their life.

UHI Perth aviation students warn of ?unsettling times? after training firm?s ...
26 May 2025 at 6:00am
Worried Samuel Hughes, 19, is among students sharing their fears at a time of crisis for Perth College.

Fresh Dundee University strike begins over compulsory Levehulme Centre job cuts
26 May 2025 at 6:00am
University staff are taking five days of industrial action as the institution pushes ahead with plans to axe the forensic research hub.

NHS Fife nurse at centre of controversial trans tribunal suing her own trade ...
25 May 2025 at 2:32pm
A&E medic Sandie Peggie is now taking legal action against the Royal College of Nursing.

EXCLUSIVE: Dundee University still to strike rescue deal with government
23 May 2025 at 5:46pm
Opposition MSPs have expressed concern at the time taken to agree a deal almost a month after the fresh recovery plan was unveiled.

6 senior figures who left Dundee University during financial crisis
23 May 2025 at 5:10pm
Several university chiefs have moved on since £30m financial black hole emerged.

Dundee University activist artist leads degree show protest over financial cr...
23 May 2025 at 4:45pm
Duncan of Jordanstone student Finn Millar says he wants to play a part in "keeping the university alive".

John Swinney admits constituents have expressed Perth leisure concerns to him
23 May 2025 at 6:01am
The first minister wants further talks between both sides of Perth leisure debate.

EXCLUSIVE: Dundee University chief operating officer Jim McGeorge quits
22 May 2025 at 1:58pm
Dr Jim McGeorge ? who was responsible for good governance - had been on a period of extended leave.

Talking up Scotland

Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz'

Lifeline burned by State Governor ? 19 000 Canadian islanders with no bridges...
14 Jan 2026 at 9:15pm
The San Juan Islands are part of an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of San Juan County. In the archipelago, four islands ONLY are accessible to vehicular and foot traffic via the Washington State Ferries system. https...

Three out of 21 ferries pulled out of service in first 3 days of year to crip...
14 Jan 2026 at 9:13pm
From Marine Link yesterday: Trio of WSF Vessels Pulled from Service for Mechanical Issues – At Washington State Ferries, 2026 has started with a thud, one ferry each of the first three days of the year were pulled from service for mechanical problems. Here’s a rundown. Tacoma 29 was taken off our Seattle/Bainbridge route Saturday night, Jan. 3. The ferry has an oil tube problem that?s causing...

Scotland completes disability benefit assessments in half the time and with d...
14 Jan 2026 at 9:11pm
In June 2015: How a society treats its most vulnerable is always the measure of its humanity1 Statement by Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of the UK Mission to the UN at the Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict in June 2015. In the same year, Ryland’s government’s treatment of the disabled in the UK, featured in the research report: ?First, do no harm?: are disability assessme...

Has Swinney told US Coastguard that devolution settlement means he cannot app...
14 Jan 2026 at 9:02pm
Swinney tells US Coastguard that devolution settlement means he cannot approve berthing of Russian ‘ghost’ tanker in Scotland and sends them to where they can (C) Man in the High Broch I’ve seen nothing yet but this man will surely approve?

Inverness Sheriff saying courts need to stop drug pushers, ?especially from E...
14 Jan 2026 at 8:59pm
Many thanks again to rtpscott for this: At the end of this P&J report: Why is the Sherriff so concerned about people from England rather than from, say, Glasgow? Might he be seeing more of the former than he’d like? From the Inverness Courier in July 2025: A 26-year-old Liverpool man who supplied heroin and cocaine across England and Scotland, including Inverness, Aviemore and Nairn, will be se...

Will Sir Keir then apologise for wilfully retaining the two child limit from ...
14 Jan 2026 at 1:46pm
By Liz S Keir Starmer posted this on ?X? on 8 January?. ?I won?t apologise for lifting almost half a million children out of poverty. I won?t apologise for putting money back in people?s pockets. That?s why we are scrapping the two-child limit?. Will he then apologise for wilfully retaining the two child limit from July 2024 to November 2025 , as this Tory generated policy was one that his Labo...

If you?re one of the highest-earning 25% ?pulled? into higher tax bands you?r...
14 Jan 2026 at 10:56am
The Herald today on behalf of the people, based on opinion polls, already predisposed to vote Labour, in the hope of cutting their taxes and the benefits of others (classic Labour these days), has: Middle-class Scots pulled into higher tax bands by Budget freeze There’s a long history of people in the UK calling themselves ‘middle-class’ when their economic circumstances are far from the middle...

12 000 babies to benefit from increase to £40 per week in SNP child benefit a...
13 Jan 2026 at 8:12pm
From Scottish Budget 2026 to 2027, published today: We will uprate the SCP in line with inflation to £28.20 per week per child. We will also begin the necessary work in 2026?27 to introduce a new SCP Premium for under ones in 2027?28. This will result in a total payment of £40 per week in respect of every child in the household under one. The additional payment is estimated to benefit the famil...

Senior BBC staff most upset by threat to their council tax bills and less fus...
13 Jan 2026 at 6:43pm
There are around 3 million taxpayers in Scotland. 55% of them (1.65m) will pay less income tax than in the rest of the UK but BBC Scotland chose to highlight the ‘Mansion Tax’ which will affect 11 330 – Anas Sarwar and few of their senior staff. Here’s a better report, from the AI assisted Policy Mogul: Changes to the basic and intermediate rate income tax thresholds will protect lower-income h...

Year after year NHS Scotland ready to fulfil 98% of all ops on time with less...
13 Jan 2026 at 6:20pm
From Cancelled planned operations Month ending 30 November 2025, published today: There were 25,996 operations planned to take place across NHS Scotland. This is 5% higher (+1,232) than the number planned in November 2024 (24,764). Overall, the number of planned operations has been increasing since COVID-19 affected services. Of all planned operations during November 2025 in NHS Scotland, the c...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Scotland to elect large pro-independence majority in 2026, new poll finds - T...
15 Jan 2026 at 11:26am
Scotland to elect large pro-independence majority in 2026, new poll finds  TheNational.scot

Scottish parliament set for pro-independence majority after May elections: Po...
15 Jan 2026 at 11:23am
Scottish parliament set for pro-independence majority after May elections: Poll  Anadolu Ajans?

Iranian bots tied to Scottish independence go silent - The Jerusalem Post
13 Jan 2026 at 1:04pm
Iranian bots tied to Scottish independence go silent  The Jerusalem Post

Scottish independence accounts go dark after Iran internet blackout - The Tel...
12 Jan 2026 at 4:07pm
Scottish independence accounts go dark after Iran internet blackout  The Telegraph

Nigel Farage suggests Scottish independence referendum could take place in 20...
15 Jan 2026 at 3:46pm
Nigel Farage suggests Scottish independence referendum could take place in 2030s  Daily Record

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says - BBC
27 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says  BBC

The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage - politico.eu
13 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage  politico.eu

Network of Scottish X accounts go dark amid Iran blackout - The Herald
12 Jan 2026 at 3:30pm
Network of Scottish X accounts go dark amid Iran blackout  The Herald

Pro-Scottish independence accounts on X go dark in Iran internet blackout - a...
13 Jan 2026 at 12:05pm
Pro-Scottish independence accounts on X go dark in Iran internet blackout - after experts revealed how thousands of posts are linked to Tehran regime  Daily Mail

Labour minister hits out at 'dishonest' SNP independence energy bills claim -...
15 Jan 2026 at 6:00am
Labour minister hits out at 'dishonest' SNP independence energy bills claim  The Scotsman

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Scottish budget: SNP government cuts taxes for lowest earners | Scotland - Th...
13 Jan 2026 at 7:08pm
Scottish budget: SNP government cuts taxes for lowest earners | Scotland  The Guardian

SNP on course to win election while race for second place neck-and-neck - Hol...
15 Jan 2026 at 10:29am
SNP on course to win election while race for second place neck-and-neck  Holyrood Website

Holyrood poll shows SNP lead as Reform UK challenges Scottish Labour - The He...
15 Jan 2026 at 12:23pm
Holyrood poll shows SNP lead as Reform UK challenges Scottish Labour  The Herald

Indyref was made possible by the SNP ?breaking? the system in 2011 - TheNatio...
15 Jan 2026 at 6:42pm
Indyref was made possible by the SNP ?breaking? the system in 2011  TheNational.scot

SNP Supervisory Board Extends Contract of CEO Jens Amail Ahead of Schedule - ...
15 Jan 2026 at 11:16am
SNP Supervisory Board Extends Contract of CEO Jens Amail Ahead of Schedule  TradingView ? Track All Markets

Scottish Budget 2026: Finance Secretary Shona Robison unveils SNP government'...
13 Jan 2026 at 5:15pm
Scottish Budget 2026: Finance Secretary Shona Robison unveils SNP government's spending and tax plans  Sky News

Holyrood Election Poll: SNP on track to win, with Reform UK and Scottish Labo...
15 Jan 2026 at 8:50am
Holyrood Election Poll: SNP on track to win, with Reform UK and Scottish Labour neck-and-neck  The Scotsman

Scottish parliament set for pro-independence majority after May elections: Po...
15 Jan 2026 at 11:23am
Scottish parliament set for pro-independence majority after May elections: Poll  Anadolu Ajans?

Keir Starmer asks 'Where is the money, John?' in dig at SNP leader on flying ...
15 Jan 2026 at 4:23pm
Keir Starmer asks 'Where is the money, John?' in dig at SNP leader on flying visit to Scotland  Daily Record

A budget for Scottish families ? full text of the 2026/27 budget statement - ...
13 Jan 2026 at 5:20pm
A budget for Scottish families ? full text of the 2026/27 budget statement  snp.org

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Scottish parliament set for pro-independence majority after May elections: Po...
15 Jan 2026 at 11:23am
Scottish parliament set for pro-independence majority after May elections: Poll  Anadolu Ajans?

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says - BBC
27 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says  BBC

Nigel Farage suggests Scottish independence referendum could take place in 20...
15 Jan 2026 at 3:46pm
Nigel Farage suggests Scottish independence referendum could take place in 2030s  Daily Record

Reform will 'remove rotten' SNP but refuses to rule out independence referend...
15 Jan 2026 at 3:49pm
Reform will 'remove rotten' SNP but refuses to rule out independence referendum  Scottish Daily Express

Why Alberta?s push for independence pales in comparison to Scotland?s in 2014...
27 May 2025 at 8:00am
Why Alberta?s push for independence pales in comparison to Scotland?s in 2014  The Conversation

In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland indepen...
3 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland independence referendum  ConstitutionNet

Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shi...
24 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shifts  Courthouse News

Part Two: What an independent Scotland could look like - A Fresh Start with I...
8 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Part Two: What an independent Scotland could look like - A Fresh Start with Independence  The Scottish Government

Farage is pushing Scotland to independence - The Times
30 Dec 2025 at 8:00am
Farage is pushing Scotland to independence  The Times

The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage - politico.eu
13 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage  politico.eu