The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Constance bid to change Holyrood record in grooming gang row rejected by offi...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 Dec 2025 at 6:11pm
Holyrood officials reject Angela Constance?s bid to amend the parliamentary record over remarks about Professor Alexis Jay.


FOI watchdog intervenes following 'serious and systemic' concerns at NHS Fife
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
17 Dec 2025 at 5:55pm
Scotland's freedom of information (FOI) watchdog has launched a level four intervention into NHS Fife following 'serious and systemic' issues.


After a century on top, Welsh Labour faces its reckoning
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 Dec 2025 at 5:19pm
New polling suggests a deep realignment in Wales ? one that Scottish Labour recognises all too well, but still believes it can avoid.


Ministers insist grooming gangs decision must be based on evidence not 'momen...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 Dec 2025 at 3:31pm
Scottish ministers say any grooming gang inquiry must be evidence-led as opposition accuses government of delay and mishandling.


Scottish universities back plan to rejoin top student exchange scheme in 2027
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
17 Dec 2025 at 12:27pm
Claire McPherson, the director of representative body Universities Scotland, said the decision was ?very welcome news?.


'Intense scrutiny': NHS Fife chief admits Sandie Peggie case did influence re...
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
17 Dec 2025 at 11:56am
Carol Potter said the pressure of the Sandie Peggie employment tribunal was "significant" in her decision to take early retirement as NHS Fife chief executive.


Revealed: Scottish economy performance superior to that of UK
by ian.mcconnell@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Ian McConnell
17 Dec 2025 at 11:53am
Scotland's economy has outperformed the UK as a whole significantly in recent months


Angela Constance to 'consider' correcting record in Alexis Jay row
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 Dec 2025 at 11:50am
Angela Constance has told MSPs why she did not correct the parliamentary record after misrepresenting child abuse expert Alexis Jay, as new questions emerge over a private phone call that may have breached the ministerial code.


Leading trade union welcomes £150m government bailout of Grangemouth plastics...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
17 Dec 2025 at 8:16am
Working in tandem with petrochemical firm Ineos, who closed the plant's adjoining oil refinery last spring, the government cash will secure 500 jobs at the site.


Tories hit out at government over 'crippling' rise in Scottish business rates
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
17 Dec 2025 at 6:50am
Tory MSP Craig Hoy said that the revaluations posed ?an existential threat? to small firms, amid reports some businesses faced rises of more than £10,000.


Call for Police Scotland officers to be 'equipped and ready to respond with f...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 Dec 2025 at 5:00am
A former Scottish Police Federation leader warns Scotland is dangerously exposed to modern terror attacks, arguing frontline officers must be trained to use firearms as threats evolve and specialist armed units risk arriving too late.


'Constant frustration': why charities quit Scottish Government farming policy...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 Dec 2025 at 5:00am
Environmental groups including RSPB Scotland have resigned from a key Scottish Government farming policy group, citing lack of meaningful reform.


UK Government and INEOS strike £150m deal to save Grangemouth ethylene plant
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 Dec 2025 at 12:01am
The UK Government pledges £120m to secure Grangemouth ethylene complex, saving 500 jobs at the plant and hundreds more in the supply chain.


MSPs pass Bill to make dog theft punishable by up to five years in prison
by Katrine Bussey
16 Dec 2025 at 6:51pm
Sentences of up to five years in prison could be handed out for dog theft after MSPs passed new legislation at Holyrood.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


SNP warns 'limited evidence' to establish grooming gangs inquiry as ministers...
17 Dec 2025 at 6:10pm

The Scottish Government has been told to start ?rebuilding trust? with survivors of sexual abuse.

The Chancellor said job losses pre-dated the windfall tax

Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said research pointed to Iranian activity

Anas Sarwar has issued a warning over crating a two-tier homelessness system in Scotland that would be jumped on by Reform UK

Angela Constance apologised to Prof Alexis Jay after accusations she misrepresented her views but a committee appearance has raised further questions

ExxonMobil UK chair Paul Greenwood could not give the Scottish Affairs Committee figures about its profits in the House of Commons on Wednesday morning.

The Government has put in £120m alongside investment from INEOS to protect 500 jobs, on top of hundreds of others in the supply chain.

Frustrated whistleblowers at under-fire Historic Environment Scotland have said the organisation is at ?risk of collapse? following a damning watchdog report.

Wings over Scotland

The Idiot Rodeo
14 Dec 2025 at 2:12pm
As recently as this weekend, the Scottish Government claimed that it has “made clear it accepts the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland and is taking forward the detailed work necessary”. But as with so much the Scottish Government says, it’s a barefaced lie. And we know that not just from its total inaction, …

How Far To Go, How Far
12 Dec 2025 at 1:20pm
We thought we should keep track of all the issues with the Peggie tribunal judgment, now that Sandie Peggie has officially announced her intention to appeal it. Because this story has some distance left to run. PROBLEM 1 – THE FAKE FORSTATER QUOTE Severity: HIGH Status: PARTIALLY RESOLVED The judgment cited a quote from Forstater …

Strike One
11 Dec 2025 at 2:51pm
This is absolutely extraordinary. In the light of revelations exposed and detailed by Wings that the original contained several misleadingly-edited or completely made-up citations from previous cases, the Employment Tribunal today issued a corrected version of its judgment in the Sandie Peggie case. And much like NHS Fife’s repeatedly-edited previous statement on the tribunal, we …

The ginger stepchild
11 Dec 2025 at 1:38pm
According to a new poll, fewer than a third of SNP voters even think independence is in the top three priorities facing Scotland. It’s only five points ahead of immigration in fourth place, and seven ahead of housing. So it’s hardly surprising that the SNP aren’t bothering themselves about it. Their own support, like the …

Spoiler Alert
10 Dec 2025 at 12:08pm
One must assume from reading the Sandie Peggie judgment that the tribunal was more concerned with discouraging further litigation than with giving full and fearless effect to the Equality Act. At the heart of this case lies a straightforward question: does a biologically male employee have a legal right to undress in a female-only changing …

The Valley Of The Dolls
9 Dec 2025 at 3:42pm
The first and most important thing to note about yesterday’s judgment in the Sandie Peggie tribunal is that it’s a very big victory. The tribunal found that Sandie Peggie was gravely and heinously harassed by her employer through no fault of her own, and she’ll be entitled to substantial compensation as a result. It also …

The Long Walk To Freedom
7 Dec 2025 at 12:13pm
On 5 April 2021, I sent a short and simple Freedom Of Information (FOI) request to the Scottish Government asking for: ?All written evidence to James Hamilton’s QC investigation into the FM under the ministerial code. This includes evidence from the FM, her chief of staff Liz Lloyd and any other individuals within the Scottish …

The cost of failure
4 Dec 2025 at 1:19pm
For several years now, this site has recorded how the SNP’s continued existence is now entirely dependent on UK state funding. The party would simply go bust without Westminster money. And how precarious a position that puts it in is sharply illustrated by the latest release of donations income from the Electoral Commission. In a …

Ain?t Got Time To Bleed
3 Dec 2025 at 8:12pm
It is our solemn duty to inform you we’ve received another legal threat, readers. Should we cease and desist? Let’s see. The article in question is this one, and this is everything it said about Mr McNeil: Only one “statement” is attributed to him – the words “The authorities will be there so we need …

Ginger beer and fruit and nuts
3 Dec 2025 at 1:44pm
We miss the days when this was parody, not “progressive” ideology. ? But we are where we are. And hey, it’s great news that their adult roles are still open to all.

Craig Murray

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

Your Party, and Its Conference
9 Dec 2025 at 1:14am

It is probably no bad thing that health struggles have delayed my writing up Your Party’s extraordinary Liverpool founding conference. Perspective is definitely helpful to process something unique. Personally, I could not help but be struck by the number of participants who approached me as regular readers of my blog, certainly well into three figures. …

Your Party, and Its Conference

The Filton Trial
7 Dec 2025 at 8:35pm

“The policewoman attacked by a sledgehammer” has been the constant refrain of the government against Palestine Action. A couple of days before the judicial review of the proscription in England, and despite fierce reporting restrictions on the trial, the prosecution released to the media highly edited video footage from the current trial in Woolwich Crown …

The Filton Trial

The Terrifying Case of Natalie Strecker
2 Dec 2025 at 8:30am

I am confident that over 2 million people in the UK have shared thoughts on the Genocide in Gaza that are stronger than anything Natalie Strecker has expressed. I am quite certain that I am one of those 2 million. Yet Natalie Strecker, an avowed pacifist, today faces up to ten years in prison under …

The Terrifying Case of Natalie Strecker

Resisting Authoritarianism
28 Nov 2025 at 8:34am

In the last three days I have been in London at the judicial review of Palestine Action and today I am in Jersey for the terrorist trial of Natalie Strecker. I made a brief impromptu speech outside the High Court, in intervening to try and stop some people in wheelchairs from being arrested as “terrorists”, …

Resisting Authoritarianism

BBC Scotland

Justice secretary apologises to grooming gangs expert
17 Dec 2025 at 3:24pm
Angela Constance has faced calls to resign after being accused of misrepresenting Prof Alexis Jay.

New £150m funding package to protect jobs at Grangemouth
17 Dec 2025 at 4:45pm
The UK government and owners Ineos say the funding will support 500 jobs at the site's ethylene plant.

Police warn mental health call-outs are 'unsustainable'
16 Dec 2025 at 11:05pm
Officers are spending more than 14,000 hours per month responding to mental health calls.

Justice secretary survives no confidence vote in grooming gangs row
16 Dec 2025 at 5:08pm
Opposition parties had accused Angela Constance of misrepresenting the position of a leading expert on grooming gangs.

New dog theft law passed by Scottish Parliament
16 Dec 2025 at 7:16pm
It will include a maximum prison sentence of five years and the possibility of an unlimited fine.

Scottish government drops plans to reduce national speed limit
15 Dec 2025 at 5:32pm
Plans to reduce the national speed limit on single carriageways from 60mph to 50mph were unpopular.

Family of man who died in custody call for law change
15 Dec 2025 at 5:23pm
The family of Allan Marshall want to make it mandatory that the recommendations of fatal accident inquiries are implemented.

Scotland's energy - election common ground or battleground?
14 Dec 2025 at 8:14am
Choices over oil, gas, nuclear and the transition to renewables are to set to feature highly in the debate and battle for votes.

Reform wins first by-election in Scotland
12 Dec 2025 at 4:37pm
David McLennan has been elected as a councillor in West Lothian, taking the seat from Scottish Labour.

No need for Covid measures during flu surge, says care home chief
13 Dec 2025 at 2:26pm
Donald Macaskill, the chief executive of Scottish Care, told BBC Scotland a measured approach was needed.

The nuclear power station on the front line of an election battle
12 Dec 2025 at 6:04am
Scotland's last operational plant, at Torness in East Lothian, is scheduled to cease operating in 2030.

Swinney stands by Constance in grooming gangs row
11 Dec 2025 at 6:30pm
The justice secretary is facing calls to resign after being accused of misleading the Scottish Parliament.

Scot Goes Pop

SNP are THIRTY percentage points ahead of Labour in fabulously festive Scotti...
17 Dec 2025 at 7:32am
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 pretty close to halfway to its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

Stew, hear our plea: "REVEREND CAMPBELL, THINK AGAIN"
16 Dec 2025 at 9:18am

As Eurovision winner Nemo returns the trophy, a reply to a supporter of Israe...
14 Dec 2025 at 8:50am
I was a delegate yesterday at the SNP National Council in Dundee.  Regular readers may remember that when I was a delegate at the special SNP constitutional conference in March, I asked for advice ...

Pro-independence parties on course for their BIGGEST EVER majority of seats i...
11 Dec 2025 at 9:12am
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 pretty close to halfway to its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

Ipsos poll puts support for independence at 52% - and says it will go higher ...
10 Dec 2025 at 7:47pm
Should Scotland be an independent country?  (Ipsos / STV)Yes 52%No 48%I have an analysis piece about this poll at The National, which you can read HERE.  I'm also going to try to make a video about...

Eurovision and Israel: No More Hiding Places For The BBC
9 Dec 2025 at 8:09am
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 pretty close to halfway to its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

Nigel Farage's rant about the native languages of Glasgow school pupils revea...
6 Dec 2025 at 7:52am
Today's video commentary below is in two parts.  Firstly, I look at how Nigel Farage's complaint that almost one-third of Glasgow school pupils do not speak English as a native language marks out R...

If Rachel Reeves' rejection of an independence referendum "carries little wei...
4 Dec 2025 at 8:41am
Stephen Flynn has said that Rachel Reeves' rejection of an independence referendum in the event of an SNP overall majority "carries little weight", but if it really doesn't matter what the UK gover...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Scottish ministers request to meet child sex abuse survivors in 2026
17 Dec 2025 at 4:16pm
Education secretary Jenny Gilruth and justice secretary Angela Constance jointly wrote to Holyrood's cross-party group on Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves ?doesn?t believe? 1,000 North Sea jobs are being axe...
17 Dec 2025 at 3:10pm
Rachel Reeves downplayed the figure, with Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander saying the analysis was not produced by the Government.

Justice secretary apologises to child abuse expert over grooming gangs row
17 Dec 2025 at 12:02pm
Angela Constance said she owed Prof Alexis Jay a 'professional apology'.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces PMQs as English doctors begin five-day strike
17 Dec 2025 at 11:44am
NHS services in Scotland are unaffected.

UK to rejoin EU Erasmus student exchange scheme from 2027
17 Dec 2025 at 9:48am
The UK left the scheme as part of Brexit, but will now rejoin under Sir Keir Starmer's post-Brexit reset deal.

Justice secretary Angela Constance survives no confidence vote over grooming ...
16 Dec 2025 at 3:22pm
57 MSPs voted in favour of ousting Angela Constance, while 67 voted in favour of keeping her in post.

New social housing hits almost 30-year low amid housing emergency
16 Dec 2025 at 12:32pm
The Scottish Government previously pledged to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.

Justice secretary to face no confidence vote over grooming gangs row
16 Dec 2025 at 10:56am
Angela Constance has been accused of 'misrepresenting' the views of a leading child abuse expert.

MSPs urged to back ?game-changing? outdoor education Bill
16 Dec 2025 at 7:10am
Tory MSP Liz Smith proposed the legislation, which faces a vote at stage three on Tuesday at Holyrood.

Ian Murray says he is yet to receive explanation for sacking as Scottish secr...
15 Dec 2025 at 6:53am
The Edinburgh South politician was made Scottish secretary when Labour swept to power in July last year.

Angela Constance summoned to give evidence at committee after no confidence m...
12 Dec 2025 at 5:48pm
Angela Constance has been accused of 'misrepresenting' the views of a leading child abuse expert.

Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf sign motion in solidarity with Palestine Act...
12 Dec 2025 at 5:02pm
Seven prisoners across the UK are on hunger strike.

Scottish Tories request probe into justice secretary Angela Constance
12 Dec 2025 at 12:52pm
Angela Constance has been accused of 'misrepresenting' the views of a leading child abuse expert.

No evidence Scottish child payment really encourages worklessness, study finds
11 Dec 2025 at 6:24pm
The research found deprivation and food insecurity would be up to 9% higher without the benefit unique to Scotland.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Rachel Reeves claims SNP 'stood on the sidelines' while UK Government saved G...
17 Dec 2025 at 2:39pm
The UK's largest chemical manufacturing plant will remain open after the UK Government gave £120m funding to Ineos to secure 500 Scots jobs.

Rachel Reeves denies 1,000 North Sea oil and gas jobs being lost every month
17 Dec 2025 at 1:56pm
Industry leaders have blamed a windfall tax on the profits earned by energy giants for thousands of lay-offs in Scotland.

Russian and Iranian interference in Scottish politics to be examined by new W...
17 Dec 2025 at 1:32pm
Russia has long been suspected of attempting to influence the outcome of the Scottish independence referendum in 2014.

SNP Justice Secretary Angela Constance admits apologising to expert over groo...
17 Dec 2025 at 10:06am
The Justice Secretary contacted Professor Alexis Jay about claims she misrepresented her on gangs.

MSP told mum of grooming gang rape victim inquiry could make life more risky ...
17 Dec 2025 at 9:07am
EXCLUSIVE: John Mason also said the row over claims Justice Secretary Angela Constance misled parliament was a "side show".

Reform councillor poses with fascist Homeland member who claims 'black people...
17 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Claire Mackie-Brown was pictured at a "local rally" alongside Josh Fernie, who this week called for all Jews and Muslims living in the UK to be deported.

500 jobs protected at Grangemouth as UK Government moves to save ethylene plant
17 Dec 2025 at 12:01am
Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the investment at Grangemouth after a difficult year for workers at Scotland's largest industrial site.

Nearly a fifth of cladding fund spent on 24/7 fire patrols of unsafe buildings
16 Dec 2025 at 3:12pm
More than £2million of taxpayers? cash went on so-called 'waking watches' where trained fire marshals patrol tower blocks deemed a fire risk.

Angela Constance survives grooming gangs no confidence vote after support fro...
16 Dec 2025 at 3:10pm
The Justice Secretary will not lose her job after a stormy debate at Holyrood.

Suspected drug deaths in Scotland jump 20% in one year as John Swinney urged ...
16 Dec 2025 at 11:59am
Labour warned the "brutal reality is that John Swinney?s approach is failing both victims and communities" when it comes to the number of Scots killed by drugs.

The National

The National | Politics

World War Three will have no winners ? all of humanity will lose
17 Dec 2025 at 6:30pm

REGARDING your story ?UK armed forces chief ?get ready to fight? call condemned? (Dec 16). No-one will win World War Three ? all humanity will lose. As Einstein stated, World War Four will be fought with sticks and stones.

We should resist the temptation to declare hard questions simple
17 Dec 2025 at 6:30pm

ANDREW Tickell?s recent column on the Sandie Peggie tribunal was a welcome reminder that courts and tribunals are neither infallible nor morally final, and that treating their decisions as beyond scrutiny is both historically illiterate and politically dangerous.

What did your MSP claim in expenses in 2024/25? See the full list here
17 Dec 2025 at 5:23pm

MSPs in Holyrood claimed a total of over £4.5 million between April 2024 and March 2025 ...

Rachel Reeves?s rejection of North Sea job cuts claim a ?new low?, says Steph...
17 Dec 2025 at 4:21pm

CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves?s rejection of expert claims 1000 jobs are being lost in the North Sea every month has been described as a ?new low?

SNP MP slams 'second class' treatment of Gaelic by UK Government
17 Dec 2025 at 3:58pm

GAELIC should be given equal status to Welsh in correspondence with UK Government departments, an SNP MP has said.

UK to investigate 'Iran influence' in Scottish independence debate
17 Dec 2025 at 3:26pm

A NEW Westminster probe will look into reports of Iranian influence on the Scottish independence, it has been confirmed ...

Twisting of the statistics about bilingual pupils stirs up hatred
17 Dec 2025 at 3:00pm

I AM writing in regards to the factual inaccuracy of the figures shared on Question Time regarding bilingual learners in Glasgow, which originated from the Telegraph newspaper and have been further twisted by Nigel Farage and the Reform party.

Westminster group was funded by Israeli government, investigation concludes
17 Dec 2025 at 2:55pm

A WESTMINSTER group was ?temporarily funded? by the Israeli government, an investigation has concluded ...

BBC issues correction after making false claim about Holyrood
17 Dec 2025 at 3:19pm

The BBC has issued a correction after making a false claim about Holyrood

Erasmus U-turn cannot be 'one-off fix', says student campaigner
17 Dec 2025 at 1:01pm

THE UK rejoining the Erasmus scheme must not be a ?one-off fix? and should be part of an effort to ?fully restore rights? stripped from young people post-Brexit, a leader in the Young European Movement has said.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Natalie Coull: Cyber security in the AI era
17 Dec 2025 at 11:58am
?I think AI has absolutely opened up the ability to carry out a cyberattack"

Angela Constance made apology to child abuse expert Alexis Jay in private pho...
17 Dec 2025 at 11:49am
Jay had sought a correction to the official record after the justice secretary misrepresented her views on a Scottish grooming gangs inquiry

Building systems that deliver security, not struggle, for pensioners in Scotland
17 Dec 2025 at 6:00am
It?s time for our systems to deliver security, not struggle for older people across Scotland.

Boundless opportunity
17 Dec 2025 at 6:00am
National awarding body Qualifications Scotland has started work and its chief executive Nick Page tells Holyrood it is gearing up to transform outcomes for teachers and learners

Care in the cloud: How technology is changing the face of care
17 Dec 2025 at 6:00am
As technology permeates every corner of our lives, how does the care industry adapt?

Angela Constance survives no-confidence vote
16 Dec 2025 at 3:39pm
MSPs backed the justice secretary by 67 votes to 57

John Swinney 'personally addressing? security of Scotland?s only Jewish school
16 Dec 2025 at 3:24pm
The first minister said he was ?looking closely? at the safety and security of Calderwood Lodge Primary School following the antisemitic terror attack on Bondi Beach in Australia at the weekend

US pauses ?31 billion tech deal with UK ?
16 Dec 2025 at 11:34am
The US has paused a promised investment of over ?30bn into the UK tech sector over disagreements on trade policy

UK Government launches women in tech taskforce ?
16 Dec 2025 at 10:51am
The UK Government has launched a new taskforce designed to help women "enter, stay and lead" in the UK tech sector

We can?t keep tinkering at the edges: how to put prevention into practice now
16 Dec 2025 at 6:00am
If Scotland is serious about tackling its wicked problems, we cannot keep tinkering at the edges. We must line up our budgets with what we know works, back communities with long-term support and allowing evidence to guide us even when it challenges what w

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

UK politics: Trump talks ?complete nonsense? about crime in London, says Met ...
12 Dec 2025 at 4:30pm
Mark Rowley says capital is a safe city, and claims of no-go areas are ?completely false?Members of the House of Lords have proposed ?totally unnecessary? and ?very cruel? amendments to the assisted dying bill in a bid to scupper it, Kim Leadbeater, the MP leading the campaign for the legislation...

Scotland?s looser rules on assisted dying could lead to ?death tourism?, say ...
10 Dec 2025 at 5:11pm
Cross-party group of MSPs says bill going through Holyrood could attract people from elsewhere in UKSenior Scottish politicians fear there could be a risk of ?death tourism? from terminally ill people travelling from other parts of the UK to end their lives in Scotland.A cross-party group of MSPs...

?It?s Scotland?s energy?: SNP to focus on renewables in Holyrood election
8 Dec 2025 at 6:05pm
Leader John Swinney says independence could cut household energy bills by a third in the long termThe future of Scottish renewables will underpin the Scottish National party?s Holyrood election campaign, the party leader, John Swinney, has said, as he claimed independence could cut household ener...

No 10 declines to comment on White House claim that Europe facing ?civilisati...
8 Dec 2025 at 5:49pm
US national security strategy takes aim at EU and other bodies over issues including migration, free speech and falling birthratesBadenoch is now taking questions.Q: From Sky News You said you did not want to leave any stones unturned. That is what Sajid Javid said when he ordered an inquiry in...

Farage dodges press as he unveils Reform?s first peer after Conservative defe...
6 Dec 2025 at 5:20pm
Party leader leaves latest recruit, Malcolm Offord, to field questions on antisemitism allegations at Scotland rallyNigel Farage has addressed Reform UK?s largest rally in Scotland to date but refused to engage with local journalists ? leaving the newly defected peer Malcolm Offord to field quest...

John Swinney defends immigration as Scotland faces rise of Reform
6 Dec 2025 at 9:00am
Exclusive: First minister mounts robust defence of diversity as SNP prepares campaign for Holyrood election in MayScotland needs immigration to bolster the size of its working-age population, the country?s first minister has said, mounting a forceful defence of diversity in the face of rising su...

Farage criticises BBC over racism allegations and claims one fellow pupil sai...
4 Dec 2025 at 6:01pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereNigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said that in Essex county council elections were postponed. He said district councils were being replaced with a new ?pretty amorphous unitary authority?. Because of that, the area also needed ?a clea...

Starmer says budget did not break manifesto tax pledge ? as it happened
27 Nov 2025 at 5:54pm
PM says: ?We kept to our manifesto in terms of what we?ve promised. But I accept the challenge that we?ve asked everybody to contribute?Ask the Guardian your budget questionsShare your views on the new ?mansion tax?Budget calculator: find out if you are better or worse offThe Conservative party i...

Uk politics: Streeting defends asylum policy, but says he?s not ?comfortable?...
19 Nov 2025 at 5:31pm
Health secretary still maintains that forced removals are ?right thing to do for the country?Healey is now taking questions.Q: How close are are we to war?It is Labour that is the party of defence. Continue reading...

Starmer stands by McSweeney and says he has been ?assured no briefings agains...
13 Nov 2025 at 6:06pm
This blog has now closed, you can read more on this story herePA Media has more on what the monthly performance figures from NHS England show. PA says:The data shows 180,329 people in England had been waiting more than a year to start routine hospital treatment at the end of September, down from ...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

What?s in a name? The SNP and nationalism
15 Dec 2025 at 7:04pm
There’s nationalism and there’s nationalism. On the Rest is Politics podcast hosted by Tony Blair’s erstwhile Director of Communications Alastair Campbell, First Minister John Swinney addressed the issue of the SNP’s name, or rather, the non-issue. Both previous first ministers, Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon had expressed some disquiet that the SNP’s name, Scottish National …

The dangerous stupidity of Keir Starmer
10 Dec 2025 at 4:29pm
You can say many things about the opportunistic moral vacuum that is Keir Starmer, but he’s not stupid, he just behaves as though he was. The one time human rights lawyer Starmer’s latest foray into deliberate and dangerous stupidity was his plea to European leaders yesterday to curb human rights laws in order to introduce …

Westminster and Scotland?s energy, fool me once?
8 Dec 2025 at 6:21pm
Scotland is, by far and away, the most energy rich country of the islands of Britain and Ireland. Moreover it has more in the way of energy resources than just about any other country in Europe, with the exception of Norway (Russia’s vast fossil fuel resources are overwhelmingly concentrated in the Asian part of Russia …

Farage?s contemptible attack on Glesca weans
3 Dec 2025 at 9:15pm
Nigel Farage has been a racist bully again. But don’t worry, he’s only doing it indirectly and without intent to offend or insult. So that’s OK then. Just days after the Scottish Languages Act came into force the English nationalist golf club boor has taken aim at school children in Glasgow. Apparently it’s the “cultural …

The Scottish Languages Act
1 Dec 2025 at 6:56pm
Scotland’s status as a multilingual country is now recognised in law with the Scottish Languages Act coming into force on St Andrew’s Day. The Act beefs up the legal protections previously given to Gaelic and elevates it to the status of an official language of Scotland. For the first time in history, official legal recognition …

I?m disabled, here?s the truth about the Motability scheme.
29 Nov 2025 at 4:06pm
The Labour party has capitulated to right wing demonisation of the most vulnerable minority group in the country, the disabled. I’ve pointed this out before but it bears repeating. The disabled are the only minority group that anyone can become a part of at any time. Anyone can become involved in a serious accident that …

The lie that protects the rich from tax rises
27 Nov 2025 at 3:30pm
Better late than never, Rachel Reeves finally followed the lead of the SNP Government in Holyrood and announced that the heinous two child cap on benefits will finally be abolished from May next year, cue a load of hypocritical Labour MPs trying to pretend that they supported this measure all along despite voting to keep …

Hope of a better Scotland can defeat the far right
25 Nov 2025 at 2:42pm
Racists complain that migrants don’t want to learn English and integrate, but when migrants do want to learn English and integrate, racists mount a protest outside the school where English language lessons are being given to the mothers of some of the pupils, insisting that they are “protecting our kids” from unvetted adults on school …

The Scottish media?s covid double standards
21 Nov 2025 at 1:37pm
Did Nicola Sturgeon get everything right during the Covid pandemic when she headed a devolved government limited powers at its disposal and she was faced with an anti-independence Scottish media that screamed she was politicising the pandemic in order to further the cause of independence whenever she sought to diverge from the line being taken …

A Labour vote in Scotland is a vote not to matter
19 Nov 2025 at 5:01pm
You’ve got to hand it to the Labour party, they are certainly consistent, consistent in their shafting of Scottish workers. It’s almost as though, despite Labour’s protestations to the contrary, Scottish votes don’t matter to the Labour party and its strategists. We’ve seen a party which campaigned on the slogan vote Labour to save Grangemouth …

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'

One man?s ambulance wait is ?skewed data? and does not the real news make ? S...
17 Dec 2025 at 11:49am
Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland yesterday had: A great-grandfather who broke his leg in a fall spent seven hours lying on the floor of a garden centre while waiting for an ambulance. James Craig, 87, was waiting so long for emergency help that the nursery in North Lanarkshire had to stay open well past its 17:00 closing time. His granddaughter Mariann Whitson said she had lost faith i...

How the SNP?s £1 purchase of Prestwick Airport could be the end of Heathrow?s...
17 Dec 2025 at 10:59am
Professor John Robertson OBA This is conjecture and I will admit to only having an SCE Higher in Economics, C pass, 1969, but I sniff something good here. From BBC Glasgow & West Scotland, today, making it to the business page but not to the main page: Prestwick Airport has reported an increase in its financial performance as well as its cargo operations in the last year. The Scottish governmen...

Social housing in Scotland factcheck ? 40% more availability, no damaging rig...
17 Dec 2025 at 10:07am
Professor John Robertson OBA Amongst all the current media frenzy about a one-year down-turn in new social media building, even in the National, above, these important, positive, contextual facts, published in a review by the Wheatley Group in May 2024, are getting no attention: Social housing is more prevalent in Scotland than England, comprising 23% of all Scottish housing stock (11% RSLs / 1...

Police suspected drug deaths trend continues steady fall but under-educated D...
17 Dec 2025 at 9:37am
Professor John Robertson OBA Any fool can see from the above line graph what the trend is and despite the ups and downs, Scotland’s suspected drugs deaths are falling. From nearly 1 500 per year at the end of 2020 to just over 1 000 in the last 12 months, a 33% fall in only 5 years. The bar chart also show the usual seasonal fall from a winter peak. From Suspected drug deaths in Scotland: July ...

How we have paid tens of millions for fourteen years to transform the lives a...
17 Dec 2025 at 8:58am
Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland, today, in their BBC Breakfast TV insert but not on their website so just another report feed to the Pacific Quay team of a no news-value story on supposed hardship for island businesses. What’s the problem with it? There’s a very significant background story never told of just how much this SNP Government has done to transform life on the islands, fund...

50% more children at risk of being overweight or obese in England than in Sco...
16 Dec 2025 at 11:40pm
Professor John Robertson OBA From Primary 1 Body Mass Index (BMI) statistics Scotland School year 2024 to 2025, published yesterday, the above and: In school year 2024/25, 74% of Primary 1 children measured had a healthy weight, 24% were at risk of overweight or obesity and 1% were at risk of underweight. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/primary-1-body-mass-index-bmi-statistic...

Number assessed but not receiving local authority long-term support is at le...
16 Dec 2025 at 11:39pm
Professor John Robertson OBA From People requiring a social care assessment and care at home services published yesterday: The estimated number of people assessed and waiting for a care at home package was 3,207 on 24 November 2025. This is slightly higher (3%) than the number of people (3,119) waiting for a care at home package this time last year (25 November 2024). https://www.publichealthsc...

Only Scotland and Wales meet WHO target for measles protection
16 Dec 2025 at 11:36pm
Professor John Robertson OBA From Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland Quarter ending 30 September 2025, yesterday: The first dose of Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is offered between 12 and 13 months old and the second dose at 3 years 4 months old. 92.5% of children had the first dose of MMR vaccine by 24 months of age. This rose to 95.9% for children who had reached age 5. Upt...

If ever Police Scotland needed a new AI system this is it
16 Dec 2025 at 12:03pm
Professor John Robertson OBA From Liberty Investigates today: Police forces are trialling AI technology that enables them to identify and track ?suspicious? journeys by drivers on Britain?s road network. They are using an app which analyses data collected by automated number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, using artificial intelligence to identify vehicles that may be linked to ?county lines?...

How one Nottinghamshire man might have survived an ?avoidable? deadly sepsis ...
16 Dec 2025 at 11:01am
Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Nottinghamshire today, the above and: The care given to a 45-year-old man with disabilities who died from sepsis after not being given the correct medication for 34 hours has been described as a “shambles” by his mother. The father of two – named only as Graham – was taken into Bassetlaw Hospital in Nottinghamshire with an infection in November 2022. An inv...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Interference inquiry will look at Iranian support for independence - The Times
17 Dec 2025 at 6:45pm
Interference inquiry will look at Iranian support for independence  The Times

UK to investigate 'Iran influence' in Scottish independence debate - TheNatio...
17 Dec 2025 at 3:29pm
UK to investigate 'Iran influence' in Scottish independence debate  TheNational.scot

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

UK probe to examine Iranian interference in Scottish independence debate - Th...
17 Dec 2025 at 2:14pm
UK probe to examine Iranian interference in Scottish independence debate  The Scotsman

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

UK review may examine Iranian influence in Scotland - UK Defence Journal
17 Dec 2025 at 6:30pm
UK review may examine Iranian influence in Scotland  UK Defence Journal

Alexander: Review could examine Iran?s influence on Scottish independence deb...
17 Dec 2025 at 2:39pm
Alexander: Review could examine Iran?s influence on Scottish independence debate  London Evening Standard

Twenty-five years of data shows how link between identity and views on Scotti...
9 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Twenty-five years of data shows how link between identity and views on Scottish independence has grown stronger  The Conversation

X feature exposes Iranian-run pro-Scottish independence accounts - UKDJ - ???...
24 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
X feature exposes Iranian-run pro-Scottish independence accounts - UKDJ  ????? ??????????

John Swinney's independence energy bills lowering boast rubbished by experts ...
17 Dec 2025 at 1:12pm
John Swinney's independence energy bills lowering boast rubbished by experts  Scottish Daily Express

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Stop the SNP?s Business Tax Hikes - Scottish Conservatives
17 Dec 2025 at 11:33am
Stop the SNP?s Business Tax Hikes  Scottish Conservatives

SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner SE: Release according to Article 40, Secti...
17 Dec 2025 at 1:12pm
SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner SE: Release according to Article 40, Section 1 of the WpHG the German Securities Trading Act with the objective of Europe-wide distribution  TradingView ? Track All Markets

SNP warns 'limited evidence' to establish grooming gangs inquiry as ministers...
17 Dec 2025 at 6:10pm
SNP warns 'limited evidence' to establish grooming gangs inquiry as ministers told to restore trust  The Scotsman

John Swinney addresses 'SNP name change' after former leaders raise concerns ...
15 Dec 2025 at 2:41pm
John Swinney addresses 'SNP name change' after former leaders raise concerns  TheNational.scot

Homeowners at risk of £15k fines under SNP net zero regime - The Telegraph
17 Dec 2025 at 2:01pm
Homeowners at risk of £15k fines under SNP net zero regime  The Telegraph

SNP says UK nuclear deterrent is ?America-first? - UK Defence Journal
17 Dec 2025 at 6:00am
SNP says UK nuclear deterrent is ?America-first?  UK Defence Journal

Gene copy-number features generalize better than SNPs for antimicrobial resis...
16 Dec 2025 at 6:15pm
Gene copy-number features generalize better than SNPs for antimicrobial resistance prediction in Staphylococcus aureus  Nature

SNP MP slams 'second class' treatment of Gaelic by UK Government - Yahoo News UK
17 Dec 2025 at 3:58pm
SNP MP slams 'second class' treatment of Gaelic by UK Government  Yahoo News UK

Rachel Reeves claims SNP 'stood on the sidelines' while UK Government saved G...
17 Dec 2025 at 2:39pm
Rachel Reeves claims SNP 'stood on the sidelines' while UK Government saved Grangemouth jobs  Daily Record

SNP remain ahead but Reform support in Scotland rises, while Labour support s...
10 Dec 2025 at 11:00am
SNP remain ahead but Reform support in Scotland rises, while Labour support slumps  Ipsos

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

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

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

Scottish independence could 'reduce energy bills by more than a third', First...
8 Dec 2025 at 3:23pm
Scottish independence could 'reduce energy bills by more than a third', First Minister John Swinney says  Sky News

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

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

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

Swinney sets out latest plan for an independence referendum - BBC
4 Sep 2025 at 8:00am
Swinney sets out latest plan for an independence referendum  BBC

Ukraine Today: Russia slams ?flawed? Scotland referendum; Kremlin observers c...
30 Nov 2025 at 12:20pm
Ukraine Today: Russia slams ?flawed? Scotland referendum; Kremlin observers critical of independence vote (VIDEO)  Kyiv Post

John Swinney's independence strategy backed by SNP members - BBC
11 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
John Swinney's independence strategy backed by SNP members  BBC