The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Scottish Politician of The Year: Three campaigns that reshaped Scotland in 2025
8 Nov 2025 at 5:00am
With The Herald?s Scottish Politician of the Year Awards approaching, meet the three inspiring nominees for Public Campaign or Campaigner of the Year.


Scottish Youth Parliament orders independent probe into sexual harassment claims
8 Nov 2025 at 5:00am
Scottish Youth Parliament launches an independent investigation into sexual harassment allegations, following complaints from a former member and pressure from current MSYPs.


Pressure on Robertson over 'meltdown' in heritage agency as secret email leaked
8 Nov 2025 at 5:00am
Angus Robertson is under pressure over the government's handling of a "meltdown" in the country's heritage agency as a secret email reveals its former chair's frustration over a lack of direct engagement with the cabinet minister and repeated requests to meet.


Activist for peace who worked at the highest levels in international affairs ...
8 Nov 2025 at 6:30am
Noting that David Speedie was Scottish, the Chechen delegation, dressed in full battle regalia, told him that their leader Maskhadov was a huge fan of ?Braveheart?


Two new board members join troubled Historic Environment Scotland
7 Nov 2025 at 6:59pm
Two new members have been appointed to the board of the Scottish Government?s troubled heritage body Historic Environment Scotland.


Sturgeon: My political appetite has been reawakened but I?m not coming back
7 Nov 2025 at 5:02pm
Nicola Sturgeon has said her ?political appetite? has been ?reawakened? by the writing of her recent memoir ? but she ruled out returning to frontline politics.


Brollygate: Police apologise to For Women Scotland director over Holyrood pro...
7 Nov 2025 at 1:39pm
Police Scotland apologise to For Women Scotland director Susan Smith after the force's review found there had been no crime committed over a Holyrood protest.


Glasgow City Region leaders call for £400m-a-year Manchester style devolution...
7 Nov 2025 at 12:41pm
Glasgow City Region leaders have called on the UK and Scottish governments to back a £400m-a-year devolution deal, arguing it would unlock major economic growth.


Specialist appointed to handle Alex Salmond?s ?effective bankruptcy?
7 Nov 2025 at 11:54am
The firm charged with managing the estate of former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has spoken about the ?unusual and complex appointment?.


Home Office accused of preferential treatment in Cameron Barracks row
7 Nov 2025 at 6:30am
Highland Council leaders hit out at the Home Office over perceived ?disrespect? and failing to clarify the plans


Shipyard with £10bn deal at risk of losing staff amid 'foreign worker 'overre...
7 Nov 2025 at 5:30am
Glasgow shipyard workers warn they risk having to move to England to secure work in the defence industry, with an overreliance on foreign workers pushing down pay


North Sea 'window of opportunity might slam shut' warns oil and gas giant
7 Nov 2025 at 4:30am
A North Sea oil and gas heavyweight is eyeing acquisitions in the area as the chancellor Rachel Reeves faces pressure to cut the windfall tax in the Budget.


Zohran Mamdan cites SNP's baby boxes as he plans New York version
6 Nov 2025 at 8:55pm
New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has said he backs a ?baby box? programme in the city ? citing Scotland?s successful version as an example.


What we learned: Highland councillors hit out at 'disrespectful' Home Office
6 Nov 2025 at 4:31pm
The SNP councillor claimed that the ?disrespectful? department of state had yet to reply to a letter of concern he sent last week.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


John Swinney is risking his political career to put trans women in female pri...
8 Nov 2025 at 6:00am
A biological male who identifies as a woman has no place in a female prison, writes Susan Dalgety


UK Budget: Scots firms urge John Swinney to 'resist temptation' to copy UK go...
8 Nov 2025 at 6:00am

Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE) and the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) both warned the First Minister that raising income tax would ?hit workers? and not help the economy

Douglas Alexander visited Coatbridge on Thursday alongside MP Frank McNally to talk about projects which could receive funding.

The Conservatives blamed ?dire workforce planning? by the SNP

Susan Smith said she was ?relieved? to draw a line under the episode

The former first minister Alex Salmond died of a heart attack at a conference in North Macedonia last year

Wings over Scotland

Rise Of The Machine
7 Nov 2025 at 11:49am
It’s Wings’ 14th birthday today, and to be entirely honest with you, readers, like a lot of teenagers we’re having a bit of an existential crisis. It’s quite difficult to see any point in being a Scottish political journalist for the next five years, because it’s just going to be one depressing Groundhog Day after …

How To Create Racists
29 Oct 2025 at 2:36pm
This really is an extraordinary headline, for multiple reasons. Because what actually IS “the rise of Reform”? ? The only thing “the rise of Reform” can possibly mean here is “more and more people choosing to vote for, or express their support for, a particular lawful political party in a democracy”. Why are we supposed …

Great news, everyone!
27 Oct 2025 at 11:04am
We?re important! Something to look forward to there, then.

The Music That Nobody Likes
24 Oct 2025 at 12:42pm
Perhaps the key graphic from last night’s by-election in Caerphilly is this one (green means Plaid Cymru in the context of Wales): In the end, Plaid won pretty comfortably in what had been predicted to be a very tight contest between them and Reform, with a majority of almost 4,000. But Plaid aren’t going to …

The Icarus Folly
22 Oct 2025 at 4:27pm
Last month, when half a football team of armed police ambushed and arrested comedy writer Graham Linehan at Heathrow Airport for a couple of tweets, we said this: Today, even more swiftly than we thought, this happened: Rarely can a hand have been overplayed so badly. Fans of free speech owe a huge vote of …

Courage Calls To None
17 Oct 2025 at 1:24pm
We should point out right at the start that a reader donated £12 back in the summer specifically to send us to Nicola Sturgeon’s book event in Bath last night. We assume it was someone we’d upset in some way. We arrived bang on 6.30, expecting to be among the first on the scene, but …

Your enemy?s mistakes
16 Oct 2025 at 5:03pm
So on the surface level this is just flat-out hilarious. Firstly because, as we showed you yesterday, the “significant proportion of Scotland’s population” which appears to have been won back to the SNP since John Swinney became its leader is… 1%. That’s all their vote has actually increased by as Scottish Labour have haemorrhaged support …

Come On Baby, Let?s Do The Twist
16 Oct 2025 at 11:34am
All of the words you’re about to read below were written by the same person in the last few days. It’s completely verbatim and none of it is taken in any way out of context. It means what it sounds like it means. But even if you’ve got a forehead the size of the “eggheads” …

A Case Study In Delusion
14 Oct 2025 at 1:19pm
Kevin McKenna has a piece in today’s Herald asking the question that is now the core issue for the Scottish independence movement. The short version of the answer is usually attributed to Mark Twain: “It is far easier to fool someone than to convince them that they’ve been fooled”. But that does nothing to explain …

The Cowards? Den
12 Oct 2025 at 4:19pm
We were going to write something today for the anniversary of Alex Salmond’s tragic death, but then we read Kevin McKenna’s piece in today’s Herald On Sunday and we can’t improve on it, so go and have a read of that before you do anything else. Alex always believed in looking forward, not back, so …

Craig Murray

The Four Mentors of King Charles
6 Nov 2025 at 3:40pm

As Godfather to Prince William, heir to the British throne, Prince Charles chose his close friend and adviser Laurens van der Post. A paedophile. Van der Post raped a 14-year-old girl who had been given into his care for the sea voyage from South Africa to London. He then installed her in a flat in …

The Four Mentors of King Charles

UK Government Opposes Application for Scottish Judicial Review of Palestine A...
30 Oct 2025 at 5:27pm

The UK government – in the undistinguished shape of Baroness Smith of Cluny, Labour party hack, youngest daughter of John Smith and Advocate-General for Scotland – has responded to the court in our request for a Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action. The Government asks that the judicial review be denied on …

UK Government Opposes Application for Scottish Judicial Review of Palestine Action Terrorist Proscription

Urgent ? We Need a Federal Your Party
29 Oct 2025 at 2:34pm

The draft Your Party constitution is for a highly centralised, London-based party which echoes the Labour Party. It “devolves” – they literally use the word – power from the centre to non-autonomous entities in Scotland and Wales. We need a Federal party – a completely different approach – where authority lies with the members, and …

Urgent – We Need a Federal Your Party

I Have Joined Your Party
27 Oct 2025 at 6:55pm

I am taking the plunge into Your Party. My worries remain about its centralist tendencies and lack of democracy, but I will work against those from within. Your Party is not a unionist party. It does not yet have a policy on Scottish Independence. I shall of course be striving for it actively to support …

I Have Joined Your Party

A Quick Intellectual Canter
20 Oct 2025 at 2:35pm

This is more video of me than anybody would ever want to see, but here are three interviews I did over the weekend. The first covers the legal action against the proscription of Palestine Action, Starmer’s summary courts for peaceful protestors charged with “terrorism”, UK and US efforts to legalise the Israeli occupation of Gaza …

A Quick Intellectual Canter

36 Minute Trials and No Jury ? Starmer?s Fascist Mass Courts
17 Oct 2025 at 9:55am

Those charged with terrorism for supporting Palestine Action will have no jury in trials limited to 36 minutes each, with prison sentences up to six months. These are the plans for Starmer Courts for mass trials of anti-Genocide protestors. The plans are devised by Justice Michael Snow. He is the epitome of judicial prejudice. When …

36 Minute Trials and No Jury – Starmer’s Fascist Mass Courts

BBC Scotland

Alex Salmond died with debts of more than £340,000
7 Nov 2025 at 7:29pm
Insolvency firm Begbies Traynor has named a trustee in sequestration to handle the former first minister's estate.

How Scottish parties will try to maximise election votes in six months
7 Nov 2025 at 6:30am
Opinion polls point to a fifth SNP victory - but a lot could change in six months with parties working flat out for votes.

Whip restored to suspended Labour MP Leishman
7 Nov 2025 at 10:23pm
Alloa and Grangemouth MP Brian Leishman is returning to the Labour benches after a four-month suspension.

Scottish government reveals plan to reach net zero targets by 2045
6 Nov 2025 at 5:07pm
The route map includes targets to decarbonise building heat systems and phase out new petrol and diesel cars.

Swinney does not rule out tax hikes in Scotland
6 Nov 2025 at 2:06pm
The first minister was urged to give a "cast-iron" guarantee that he would not increase rates in the Budget.

Ministers to order investigation into maternity services
6 Nov 2025 at 12:33pm
The decision follows a BBC Disclosure documentary which heard calls for urgent action to improve safety.

Record number of referrals made to anti-terrorism scheme
6 Nov 2025 at 11:41am
Some 162 reports were made to Prevent, and extreme right-wing concerns made up the largest proportion.

MSPs pass land reform which could force break up of huge estates
5 Nov 2025 at 7:15pm
The legislation is designed to help reduce the concentration of rural land ownership among a small number of people.

Why the battle still rages over land ownership in Scotland
6 Nov 2025 at 6:21am
The reaction to the Scottish government's wide-ranging new laws show the divided opinions on the issue.

Mental health, buses and school meals - issues that matter to first-time voters
6 Nov 2025 at 6:21am
Teenagers who could vote for the first time next year put politicians through their paces at an event in Dumfries.

Fire safety law named in memory of Cameron House victims
5 Nov 2025 at 6:11pm
The Cameron House fire at Loch Lomond claimed the lives of London couple Simon Midgley and Richard Dyson in December 2017.

Police funding warning as reports of online child abuse doubles
5 Nov 2025 at 3:30pm
Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell said the national force received 1,500 reports in 2024-25 compared to 700 in the previous 12 months.

Scot Goes Pop

Alba Sleaze Update: Party insider makes explosive allegation that every singl...
7 Nov 2025 at 6:29pm
In my earlier post about the Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages by-election, I suggested that the fact that Alba were even able to put forward a candidate at all must mean that Chris McEleny has...

SNP stroll to big landslide win in Fife by-election
7 Nov 2025 at 3:33am
It's the middle of the night as I post this, but I'll just briefly give you the by-election result, because it's a second impressive win for the SNP in as many weeks.  I'll also try to make a video...

Stuart Campbell, the restraining order, and the "visibly distressed horse": h...
6 Nov 2025 at 9:07pm
Below you'll find today's *three* tweets about me (heaven only knows how many it is this week so far) from the man who famously "doesn't stalk me" and "barely even mentions me".  Yup, you've guesse...

YouGov latest: another swing to Yes on the independence question, and the SNP...
5 Nov 2025 at 1:17am
* .* .*With less than two months of the year left to go, the 2025 Scot Goes Pop fundraiser is still short of its target figure.  If you'd like to help keep the lights on during the several months i...

BOMBSHELL Scottish poll rocks Westminster: firmly No-friendly pollster YouGov...
4 Nov 2025 at 3:07am
It's 2.20am as I sit down to write this, so probably not the ideal time to embark on making a video (you wouldn't believe how long even the shortest of videos take to make, once you take into accou...

Controversial "Stew" blogger spells it out for anyone who mistook his meaning...
3 Nov 2025 at 11:54am
Some of you may be familiar with a controversial and increasingly far-right blogger, based in Somerset, and known almost universally as "Stew".  In spite of being such an enormous distance away, he...

SNP storm to spectacular GAIN in Stirling East by-election
31 Oct 2025 at 12:26pm
I have some audio commentary on YouTube for you about the SNP's impressive win in the Stirling East by-election - plus also I make reference to the bizarre lengths the mainstream media are going to...

Controversial "Stew" blogger inches ever-closer to his inevitable endorsement...
29 Oct 2025 at 8:45pm
The title of Stuart "Stew" Campbell's latest blogpost rant is "How to create racists", to which the obvious punchline would appear to be "och, just follow Wings Over Scotland social media accounts"...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Four Labour MPs suspended for rebelling on welfare have the whip restored
7 Nov 2025 at 8:08pm
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff, Brian Leishman, and Rachael Maskell will no longer sit as independents in the Commons.

Insolvency specialist appointed to handle Alex Salmond?s ?effective bankruptcy?
7 Nov 2025 at 1:30pm
An application was made to the Accountant in Bankruptcy insolvency service by Salmond?s widow Moira on Thursday.

Six months to save the NHS in Scotland, says Labour?s Anas Sarwar on countdow...
7 Nov 2025 at 7:33am
Anas Sarwar said Scotland?s NHS 'will not survive a third decade of SNP failure', as he looked ahead to the poll in May.

What does the Scottish Government?s new climate action plan say?
6 Nov 2025 at 6:00pm
Is the new climate action plan a 'damp squib' or an 'ambitious' pathway towards net zero by 2045?

Maternity services across Scotland to be reviewed following damning reports
6 Nov 2025 at 5:41pm
Staffing shortages and a 'culture of mistrust' have led to delays and patients being harmed at one hospital in Edinburgh, HIS revealed last week.

John Swinney refuses to rule out tax rises in Scotland in January
6 Nov 2025 at 4:09pm
The First Minister said decisions on tax have to be considered 'very carefully'.

Queen?s Park footballer Charlie Fox left waiting ten hours for ambulance afte...
6 Nov 2025 at 1:48pm
The First Minister said on Thursday that the length of time Charlie Fox waited for an ambulance was 'completely unacceptable'.

John Swinney to face FMQs amid latest early prisoner release scheme
6 Nov 2025 at 11:10am
The Scottish Prison Service announced last month that the prison population had hit an all-time high.

Reeves urged to examine ?legality? of Shell-Equinor deal to create new company
6 Nov 2025 at 7:04am
The new firm in Aberdeen would be the North Sea?s biggest oil and gas producer when it gets up and running.

SNP MP seeking legal advice after Elon Musk?s AI chatbot Grok calls him ?rape...
5 Nov 2025 at 5:33pm
Pete Wishart called the incident 'deeply troubling'.

Future of delayed Aberdeen treatment centre ?dependent on Autumn Budget?
5 Nov 2025 at 4:29pm
The update comes nearly two years after the Government's national treatment centre plans were first put on hold.

Unfair to say locals not consulted on asylum barracks plan, says Scottish sec...
5 Nov 2025 at 12:57pm
The Scottish Secretary hit back at claims the UK Government failed to engage with Inverness officials over proposals to house 300 migrants there.

Deputy prime minister to face PMQs after chancellor Rachel Reeves refuses to ...
5 Nov 2025 at 11:57am
PMQs will be broadcast from the House of Commons from midday on Wednesday.

MSPs urged to back ?most radical Land Reform law since devolution?
5 Nov 2025 at 10:05am
SNP MSP Emma Roddick said the legislation, which is expected to face its final vote at Holyrood on Wednesday, marked a ?watershed moment?.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

SNP Government urged to speed up plans to remove free bus passes from young t...
8 Nov 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: SNP ministers have admitted they do not have a record of the number of incidents of anti-social behaviour taking place on buses since the free pass scheme was introduced.

Scottish Labour considering blocking party members from selecting Holyrood ca...
7 Nov 2025 at 1:12pm
EXCLUSIVE: The party's governing body will discuss a proposal tomorrow which would grant List ranking places to the constituency candidates who have worked the hardest.

Nicola Sturgeon tackles "lesbian affair French diplomat" rumour in new interview
7 Nov 2025 at 11:28am
Sturgeon was the subject of multiple posts on social media falsely alleging she had a lesbian affair with a senior French diplomat during her time as First Minister.

Alex Salmond died with debts of £350,000 and assets of only £2,282
7 Nov 2025 at 11:05am
The details of the former first minister's financial problems are on the website of a government agency.

Nicola Sturgeon admits many Scots 'struggle' to believe her resignation was n...
7 Nov 2025 at 10:23am
The former SNP leader said "I would struggle to believe that as well" when asked about the timing of Operation Branchform.

SNP triumph in council by-election as Reform pushes Labour into third place
7 Nov 2025 at 9:20am
Scottish Labour's vote share fell by nearly 20 points after a difficult night for Anas Sarwar's party.

Fury as council chief executives to pocket pay hikes of up to 23% after cuts ...
7 Nov 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Council umbrella group COSLA recently agreed to back recommendations that will see CEOs pocket huge rises.

Michelle Mone 'should be nowhere near House of Lords' as disgraced peer in fr...
6 Nov 2025 at 2:33pm
Keir Starmer previously pledged to the Record "we're not going to give up on the money" when asked if taxpayers would get their cash back.

John Swinney says sorry to Queen's Park player who waited 10 hours in agony f...
6 Nov 2025 at 1:57pm
Charlie Fox suffered an horrendous injury while playing in a match at Firhill but then faced an agonising delay before he was taken to hospital.

John Swinney refuses to rule out fresh income tax rises for Scots in Budget
6 Nov 2025 at 1:51pm
The First Minister made his comments against the backdrop of a "changing landscape" on tax across the UK.

The National

The National | Politics

Brian Leishman among 4 rebel MPs to have Labour whip restored
7 Nov 2025 at 7:08pm

FOUR Labour MPs suspended for repeatedly rebelling against the UK Government have had the whip restored.

Expert sets out why the US wants troops and war planes stationed in Scotland
7 Nov 2025 at 6:00pm

THE Ministry of Defence (MoD) has remained tight-lipped on the ?detachment? of US troops and war planes at RAF Lossiemouth, but one expert has set out the strategic advantages the base has for both countries.

MoD refuses to say why 'Trump's troops' are stationed in Scotland
7 Nov 2025 at 6:00pm

THE Ministry of Defence (MoD) has refused to release any details on the decision to allow US troops and war planes to be stationed at RAF Lossiemouth ? claiming it would give an ?advantage to adversaries?.

Believe in Scotland set sights on 2029 General Election as 'day UK ends'
7 Nov 2025 at 5:58pm

BELIEVE in Scotland have said that the 2029 General Election can be ?the day the UK ends? as the group sets out its road map to independence.

Is this what that convinced Labour the SNP are a 'national security threat'?
7 Nov 2025 at 5:48pm

This week, the Worst of Westminster is proud to bring you an excerpt from a classified British intelligence report* on the activities of Public Enemy No 1: The SNP.

Why was Anas Sarwar yelling down the phone on Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street?
7 Nov 2025 at 5:00pm

IF I was a public figure and had to angrily shout down the phone, I probably wouldn?t do it on Sauchiehall Street.

Scottish village hopes to use abandoned mine for UK-first community energy pr...
7 Nov 2025 at 4:50pm

A SCOTTISH village is aiming to create the UK?s first community-owned energy project powered by an abandoned coal mine.

How long can Anas Sarwar keep ignoring polls showing Labour's demise?
7 Nov 2025 at 4:23pm

Anas Sarwar has adopted a "fake it till you make it" attitude, but how long will it hold?

I arranged Nelson Mandela's visit to Glasgow ? now I'm getting him a statue
7 Nov 2025 at 3:52pm

NELSON Mandela?s ?struggle against racism shouldn?t be forgotten?, a campaigner working to bring a statue of the former South African president to Glasgow has said.

See the 5 options for Glasgow's Nelson Mandela statue tribute
7 Nov 2025 at 3:36pm

THE final options for a statue of Nelson Mandela in Glasgow have been revealed.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Scottish Greens call for reinstatement of fired Rockstar Games workers
7 Nov 2025 at 12:50pm
Ross Greer, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens, has called for the reinstatement of workers fired from video game developer Rockstar Games

Alex Salmond died with debts of ?350,000, records reveal
7 Nov 2025 at 11:59am
A trustee in sequestration has been appointed to the former first minister's estate

Scottish Government publishes net zero roadmap
6 Nov 2025 at 5:34pm
Opposition politicians and campaigners have criticised the government for not providing enough detail

John Swinney refuses to rule out tax rises
6 Nov 2025 at 2:29pm
The first minister was pressed on his government's tax and spending plans at FMQs

Dave Doogan to seek SNP Westminster leadership if Stephen Flynn enters Holyrood
6 Nov 2025 at 2:20pm
The Angus and Perthshire MP expects a contest if the job becomes vacant

John Swinney: 10-hour ambulance wait for footballer ?completely unacceptable?
6 Nov 2025 at 2:20pm
John Swinney told the chamber during First Minister?s Questions that Queen's Park player Charlie Fox?s 10-hour wait on an ambulance ?appears to me to be completely unacceptable?

First Minister calls for??toughest measures??possible?to?regulate?social medi...
6 Nov 2025 at 2:09pm
First Minister John Swinney has said he would work with the UK Government to implement the ?toughest measures? possible to regulate social media sites

Scottish Government launches refreshed?cyber strategy ?
6 Nov 2025 at 2:00pm
The Scottish Government has launched a new cybersecurity strategy, designed to protect businesses and organisations from?cyberattacks

27 prisoners released by mistake from Scottish prisons over last four years
6 Nov 2025 at 11:02am
It comes as a search is underway by police in England for two criminals who were released by accident in the last eight days

Dougie Robb:?The power of?financial?data?
6 Nov 2025 at 10:00am
?We?can?understand the intersections between things like age, gender, health conditions,?ethnicities and workforce participation?and?then we can help identify?it and remove obstacles that are preventing people from working?

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Nicola Sturgeon: I understand why people doubt my ignorance of alleged SNP em...
7 Nov 2025 at 3:20pm
?Trust me, I had no idea? about potential wrongdoing in Scottish National party, says former first ministerNicola Sturgeon on leadership, scandal and trolling the trolls ? podcastNicola Sturgeon has said she fully understands why many people find it hard to believe she had no idea about alleged e...

Nicola Sturgeon on leadership, scandal and trolling the trolls ? podcast
7 Nov 2025 at 5:00am
In a special, bonus episode of Politics Weekly, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey sit down with Scotland?s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon for a frank conversation about her time in office and the future of nationalist politics.Nothing is off the table: her leadership, Covid, the gender row tha...

Lammy says he was not ?equipped with the details? when facing questions on mi...
6 Nov 2025 at 5:22pm
This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereDavid Lammy, the deputy PM and justice secretary, has welcomed the fact that Billy Smith is back in custody, but described the spike in release mistakes as ?unacceptable?.According to PA Media, Lammy said:William Smith is back in c...

Met police issue statement with more information about missing Algerian priso...
5 Nov 2025 at 6:18pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereDavid Lammy starts by saying the PM is in Brazil.He says the thoughts of all MPs are still with the victims of the appalling attacks in Huntingdon and Peterborough, where, he says, he was at school for seven years. Continue reading...

Reeves says she should have checked rental licence had been obtained as letti...
30 Oct 2025 at 6:50pm
No 10 releases redacted emails between Reeves? husband and letting agentRachel Reeves? rental error: standards adviser looking at new informationRobert Peston, ITV?s political editor, says he thinks it is a mistake for the Conservatives to be saying Rachel Reeves should have to resign over the re...

MPs vote down Farage?s proposal for UK to leave ECHR ? as it happened
29 Oct 2025 at 5:20pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage hereMark Sedwill, the former cabinet secretary and former national security adviser, goes next. He is now a peer, and a member of the committee.He says the deputy national security adviser, Matthew Collins, thought there was ...

Cruise control: could a £5 ?entry? fee help balance Orkney?s needs with touri...
26 Oct 2025 at 7:00am
With tourists outnumbering locals by 20:1, islanders say levy is needed to help protect neolithic sites and maintain public servicesArtisan jewellery, gift and whisky shops crowd the main street of Kirkwall on Orkney. The town even has a new sushi shop, offering bento boxes and matcha cheesecake....

Scotland demands £24.5m from Westminster for Trump and Vance visits
22 Oct 2025 at 10:53am
Treasury says trips were private while Scottish ministers point out US president met Keir Starmer and it had to stump up for extra policingThe UK government needs to ?step up? and reimburse the £24.5m cost of Donald Trump and JD Vance?s recent visits to Scotland, Holyrood?s public finance ministe...

Badenoch accuses Labour of prioritising economic ties with China over nationa...
13 Oct 2025 at 6:22pm
Minister calls Badenoch?s claims about Chinese spy trial ?baseless smears?. This live blog is closedAt the Downing Street lobby briefing this morning the PM?s spokesperson said it was ?entirely false? to suggest the government influenced the collapse of the China spying case because of concerns B...

Swinney says Scottish government will sponsor visas for foreign care workers
13 Oct 2025 at 5:28pm
First minister tells SNP conference older people should not ?pay the price for Westminster?s prejudice? over immigrationJohn Swinney has said the Scottish government will help hundreds of overseas care workers stay in the UK, as he attacked Westminster for its rising hostility to immigrants.The f...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Labour?s doomed attempt to paint the SNP as a threat to national security
6 Nov 2025 at 3:34pm
The oil is running out, all the banks will leave, you won’t have a pension, you can’t use the pound, the EU won’t let you back in, and now we have – the SNP are a threat to national security. This wasn’t an off the cuff remark from a harried Labour minister being put under …

The need for iGERS
4 Nov 2025 at 5:13pm
The pro-independence campaign group Believe in Scotland has proposed a replacement for the discredited GERS (Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland) figures which are published every year to the delight of British nationalists up and down the land. These statistics, which as Professor of Accountancy Practice Richard Murphy regularly points out, are based on unreliable and …

Migrant hysteria, the lie driving the rise of the far right
31 Oct 2025 at 6:30pm
The far right is on the rise, and it’s on the rise due to an artificial panic manufactured by rich and powerful interests in order to distract public attention from the greed and avarice of the wealthiest in society, a tiny segment which has hoarded ever greater wealth over the past few decades even as …

Rising support for independence and the end of the so-called Union
27 Oct 2025 at 7:58pm
There have been some mixed messages recently from opinion polling about the SNP’s chances of winning a majority at next year’s Holyrood election. Over the weekend The National published a report of an analysis of recent polling which suggested that the SNP could win a majority in its own right. This contrasts with other polling …

The lessons of Caerffili for Holyrood 2026
24 Oct 2025 at 3:04pm
Some great news from Wales today. Plaid Cymru has smashed over 100 years of Labour domination and swept its way to victory in the Caerffili Senedd by election, taking 47% of votes cast. Although pollsters and bookies had fancied Reform UK to take the seat, in the end, Plaid left Reform in the dust, far …

Starmer needs to learn that Holyrood won?t be pushed around
22 Oct 2025 at 4:25pm
Scotland’s colonial governor, Wee Dougie Alexander, Labour’s answer to the toxic oil slick that is Michael Gove, has said that Westminster would “take an SNP majority at Holyrood seriously” after being pressed by SNP MP Stephen Gethins to respond to Keir Starmer’s recent comment that “if there’s an SNP majority in Holyood, it’s got to …

The short sighted stupidity of Reform UK?s climate denialism
20 Oct 2025 at 3:23pm
A number of recent opinion polls have found that the hard right Anglo-British nationalists of Reform UK are on course to win the next Westminster general election. That alarming prospect is still four years off and it’s entirely possible that Farage’s latest political vehicle will implode before then just as all his other political parties …

England?s identity crisis is Scotland?s opportunity
17 Oct 2025 at 6:34pm
Scotland has an England problem. The largest country in this so-called union is currently in the grip of a strange national psychosis, and has fallen prey to the venomous snake oil salesmen of the English nationalist far right, who offer simplistic and hate filled nostrums for all that ails England, the housing crisis, the cost …

Joani Reid and the rat-pack
16 Oct 2025 at 1:35pm
Maybe it’s something in the water in East Kilbride and Strathaven, but the Westminster constituency seems to be cursed with morally bankrupt MPs. The present constituency boundaries are new and was first contested in the July 2024 Westminster general election, but the constituency broadly covers the same area as the abolished East Kilbride, Strathaven and …

Holyrood 2026, it?s up to all of us now
14 Oct 2025 at 2:44pm
While we were busy with a visit from my husband’s family from the United States, the SNP party conference was taking place in Aberdeen. The party came out of the conference united behind the First Minister’s plan for independence and irrespective of the merits or demerits of the plan, it cannot be denied that independence …

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

A curious tale of flag flying by an Edinburgh hotel!
7 Nov 2025 at 7:43pm
By stewartb For a little light relief on TuS from countering the gaslighting of Scotland, this is to pass on the tale of a curious vexillological journey being played out in public view in Edinburgh. It?s about the flying of flags – big, brand spanking new flags – in front of a well known hotel that is situated on a prominent site in the Bruntsfield area of the capital.  The curious thing is th...

?Scotland is the place to be for para-gymnastics so here we are? 
7 Nov 2025 at 7:29pm
Professor John Robertson OBA Scotland is the place to be for para-gymnastics, so here we are,” says Kathryn Sinnott of Hertfordshire. Why? From STV last night: It is one of the most popular Olympic sports, but surprisingly, gymnastics is not part of the Paralympic programme. It wasn’t until last year that the gymnastics governing body, the FIG (Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) ), ...

No major flu deaths surge expected in Scotland after 80% vaccine uptake and i...
7 Nov 2025 at 1:42pm
Professor John Robertson OBA The above is from the Over 5 million under 65s with a long-term health condition could miss out flu vaccine reported in the Mirror yesterday. From: Less than a third (28.9%) of people with one or more long-term health conditions (LTHCs) have had a flu vaccine. 9 million aged under 65?s in clinical risk groups are eligible but just 40% vaccinated last year (2024 to 2...

Albatraz ? a prison not a voluntary union
7 Nov 2025 at 11:04am
For those of you not following on x, Bluesky or Facebook. John

Only tiny 2% of terror referrals are in Scotland because?.
7 Nov 2025 at 9:35am
Professor John Robertson OBA Children being referred to Prevent, the anti-terror scheme, naturally interests journalists. The National headlines responsibly and informatively but the SDM (Short for SaDoMasichism?) finds something titillating for its readers. Here’s something informative, to help the vulnerable and anxious elderly (older than me of course): So, quickly, 11 times the population, ...

Prisoners released in error this year, nearly THREE times more frequent per c...
7 Nov 2025 at 8:58am
Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dorothy for suggesting this. According to the Herald yesterday, there were 9 releases in error of prisoners in Scotland, with 3 more in 2025 so far.1 The Herald, of course, has added up the figures, 8, 7 and 9 over the last 3 year to make a worryingly, for them, flat trend. All things being equal, pro rata, you’d expect the figure for England and Wales to ...

NHS England health trusts have more than TWICE as much debt as Scottish healt...
6 Nov 2025 at 5:25pm
Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to France McKie for presenting me with this opportunity. From Every Doctor, the above and: The NHS is haemorrhaging billions to private companies through Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts at a time when the health service desperately needs investment in staff and infrastructure. An EveryDoctor investigation has uncovered that 69 NHS trusts in England...

NHS Ayrshire & Arran Health Board may be in considerable debt but is performi...
6 Nov 2025 at 4:53pm
BBC Scotland, other Scottish media and opposition politicians have been making hay with NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s level of debt, revealed in a recent Audit Scotland report. They’ve had nothing to say about the above record of achievement on page 11 of the document. Makes you wonder why? Source: https://audit.scot/publications/the-202425-audit-of-nhs-ayrshire-and-arran More on this health board:

Casual dishonesty about lower violent crime for all and lower taxation for mo...
6 Nov 2025 at 11:04am
Professor John Robertson OBA I don’t think I’ve commented on BBC Scotland’s Debate Night before. I’m guessing it is not much watched. However, last night I was taken by the astonishing lies by the two Unionists, Pauline McNeill (Labour), Justice Committee Convenor (Remember that) and Brian Whittle (Con). First the Justice Committee Convenor’s simple comment in passing above – surely she has see...

Add 309 young male asylum seekers to 10 brutal drug gangs from Liverpool and ...
6 Nov 2025 at 9:10am

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google 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

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

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

Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shi...
24 Oct 2025 at 3:53pm
Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shifts  Courthouse News

Scottish independence paper sets out defence and NATO plans - UK Defence Journal
4 Nov 2025 at 1:14pm
Scottish independence paper sets out defence and NATO plans  UK Defence Journal

A Fresh Start with Independence - The Scottish Government
8 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
A Fresh Start with Independence  The Scottish Government

'Scandalous' John Swinney 'wasted' £3k of taxpayer cash launching flop Scotti...
8 Nov 2025 at 7:39am
'Scandalous' John Swinney 'wasted' £3k of taxpayer cash launching flop Scottish independence paper  Scottish Daily Express

Scottish independence would be a 'win' for Putin, claims UK minister - Anadol...
22 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish independence would be a 'win' for Putin, claims UK minister  Anadolu Ajans?

Scottish independence: The simple reason why SNP don?t want to talk about cur...
4 Nov 2025 at 6:00pm
Scottish independence: The simple reason why SNP don?t want to talk about currency  The Scotsman

Independence only way to protect pensioners amid Nigel Farage threat, SNP say...
4 Nov 2025 at 10:36am
Independence only way to protect pensioners amid Nigel Farage threat, SNP say  TheNational.scot

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Nicola Sturgeon: I understand why people doubt my ignorance of alleged SNP em...
7 Nov 2025 at 7:51pm
Nicola Sturgeon: I understand why people doubt my ignorance of alleged SNP embezzlement  The Guardian

Scotland, NATO, and imperialism: Is the SNP a ?threat to national security?? ...
7 Nov 2025 at 3:17pm
Scotland, NATO, and imperialism: Is the SNP a ?threat to national security??  The Communist

Plaid Cymru and SNP leaders discuss forming 'progressive alliance' - BBC
30 Oct 2025 at 7:00am
Plaid Cymru and SNP leaders discuss forming 'progressive alliance'  BBC

Senior SNP figures believe Holyrood majority ?within reach? at May?s election...
10 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Senior SNP figures believe Holyrood majority ?within reach? at May?s election  The Guardian

Chris Mason: SNP are the latest proof that things change quickly in politics ...
13 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Chris Mason: SNP are the latest proof that things change quickly in politics  BBC

SNP backs Swinney?s ?clear? strategy for new independence referendum | Scotti...
11 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
SNP backs Swinney?s ?clear? strategy for new independence referendum | Scottish National party (SNP)  The Guardian

How John Swinney plans to put his stamp on the SNP as election looms - BBC
11 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
How John Swinney plans to put his stamp on the SNP as election looms  BBC

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

Swinney says 'precedent is on my side' to secure indyref2 - BBC
12 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Swinney says 'precedent is on my side' to secure indyref2  BBC

Swinney says Scottish government will sponsor visas for foreign care workers ...
13 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Swinney says Scottish government will sponsor visas for foreign care workers  The Guardian

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google 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

Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shi...
24 Oct 2025 at 3:53pm
Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shifts  Courthouse 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

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

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

First Minister John Swinney sets out latest plan for independence referendum ...
4 Sep 2025 at 8:00am
First Minister John Swinney sets out latest plan for independence referendum  Sky News

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: The simple reason why SNP don?t want to talk about cur...
4 Nov 2025 at 6:00pm
Scottish independence: The simple reason why SNP don?t want to talk about currency  The Scotsman

SNP majority only way to secure second referendum - Swinney - BBC
28 Jul 2025 at 8:00am
SNP majority only way to secure second referendum - Swinney  BBC

Women tip the balance in Scottish independence polls as gender gap reverses -...
2 Nov 2025 at 5:09am
Women tip the balance in Scottish independence polls as gender gap reverses  TheNational.scot