The Herald

The Herald | Politics


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 giant warns 'window of opportunity may slam shut' as it plots acqui...
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.


John Swinney accused of 'plotting tax raid' on Scottish workers at Holyrood b...
6 Nov 2025 at 1:09pm
John Swinney was accused of 'plotting a tax raid' on Scottish workers after he refused to rule out increases to income tax.


HES under fire for not opposing planning application at historic battlefield ...
6 Nov 2025 at 11:13am
The Scottish Government's troubled heritage agency has come under fire for not opposing a planning application at one of Scotland's most important historic battlefield.


RECAP: Highland Council holding emergency meeting over Cameron Barracks asylu...
6 Nov 2025 at 10:39am
Inverness has become the focus of intense debate, following a decision by the UK Government to house up to 300 asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks in the city.


Councillor apologises for livestreaming his trip to the toilet during a meeting
6 Nov 2025 at 8:05am
A Glasgow councillor has apologised for his ?mistake? after livestreaming his trip to the toilet during a meeting.


Peter Capaldi moved by Herald reporter?s powerful story of growing up in poverty
6 Nov 2025 at 8:08am
Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi praises Herald reporter's personal poverty account and urges readers to vote for Scotland's Forgotten Children campaign.


Humza Yousaf warns of ?frightening? rise in Islamophobia in UK and US
6 Nov 2025 at 7:01am
Conspiracy theories and lies told about Muslims today are ?hauntingly reminiscent? of the language used about Jewish people in the 1930s, Humza Yousaf has warned.


Alex Salmond legal aid decision for criminal trial revealed
6 Nov 2025 at 5:00am
Alex Salmond did not apply for legal aid to help fund the fees for his defence lawyers during his criminal trial, The Herald can reveal


MSPs defend working with lobby organisations opposing abortion and gay marriage
6 Nov 2025 at 5:00am
Ash Regan and other MSPs on a cross party group in Holyrood have defended working with Christian lobby groups the Evangelical Alliance and CARE for Scotland on Ms Regan's Unbuyable Bill


Scottish Government seen as 'too slow'
6 Nov 2025 at 4:35am
The business chief flagged 'a growing feeling' that Scottish Government progress has been 'too slow or fragmented'

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Why the Scottish Parliament voting system should be overhauled to stop partie...
7 Nov 2025 at 6:00am

Stephen Kerr says too many regional list MSPs feel ?removed? from their constituents

Highland Council has blasted the Home Office for its ?secrecy? over plans to house 300 male asylum seekers in Inverness.

Deeper reform needed to address issues behind prison population in Scotland

Angus Robertson was called to give evidence before Holyrood?s culture committee on Thursday to be questioned about crisis-hit Historic Environment Scotland

The decision comes after a damning report was published into maternity services at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary

The First Minister was repeatedly asked about possible tax increases in Holyrood

Extra tax considered to offset falling fuel duty revenue as more drivers switch from petrol and diesel

The Scottish Prison Service said it was ?open and transparent? when errors occur

Wings over Scotland

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 …

No cry of ?Pish!? rang out
11 Oct 2025 at 5:00pm
It’s really very hard to overstate what mendacious, duplicitous shite this is. ?? It did its job, though. As expected, the SNP conference comprehensively voted down the rebel amendments to Swinney’s motion on independence “strategy” and backed his grand plan of winning a majority, begging Keir Starmer for a second referendum – just like Nicola …

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

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.

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.

Ex-police officer says Sheku Bayoh attack turned world 'upside down'
5 Nov 2025 at 7:49pm
Former PC Nicole Short was speaking as the first minister was criticised for agreeing to speak to Sheku Bayoh's family.

Scottish MP wants Elon Musk's chatbot shut down over claim he enabled groomin...
5 Nov 2025 at 5:14pm
SNP MP Pete Wishart says he is seeking legal advice over the "disturbing" AI-generated social media post.

Scot Goes Pop

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"...

Labour slump to FIFTH place in YouGov's Scottish subsample - and now face a c...
29 Oct 2025 at 8:18am
* .* .*With barely 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 it w...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

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?.

Government faces questions over tax rises after Reeves warns all must contribute
5 Nov 2025 at 9:41am
The chancellor even faced calls from the Tories to resign if she goes ahead with raising taxes in the November 26 Budget.

Scottish ministers left with ?unanswered questions? over UK asylum plans
4 Nov 2025 at 3:27pm
The Highland Council was notified last week that Cameron Barracks would be used to house around 300 asylum seekers.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

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.

Investigation into maternity services across Scotland to be launched followin...
6 Nov 2025 at 11:12am
John Swinney faced demands for an urgent investigation after inspectors raised "serious concerns" about maternity services at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Former first minister warns of ?frightening? rise in Islamophobia in UK and US
6 Nov 2025 at 7:49am
"?We cannot be passive as the threat of the far-right continues to rise."

Scots mums speak out over 'obvious' decline in maternity services as women 'w...
5 Nov 2025 at 4:22pm
Claire Fleming and Zoe Lawson shared their views of maternity services in two different parts of the country as John Swinney faces calls for his Government to take action.

SNP 'chucking promises into landfill' after landmark environment policy delay...
5 Nov 2025 at 2:49pm
Proposals to ban black-bag waste being sent to landfill sites in Scotland have been temporarily shelved.

SNP MP receives apology from Elon Musk-owned AI chatbot Grok for calling him ...
5 Nov 2025 at 12:33pm
Grok, which allows X users to ask questions on the social media platform, was forced to issue a grovelling public apology to Pete Wishart.

Scots councillor live streams toilet break during online meeting
5 Nov 2025 at 10:27am
Hanif Raja could be seen loosening his trousers before a colleague interjected.

The National

The National | Politics

The lessons for Scotland from Zohran Mamdani?s election win
7 Nov 2025 at 5:00am

THIS week saw the most astonishing and inspiring political campaign in more than 10 years achieve victory against opponents so determined to maintain the status quo that there were no tactics they considered too poisonous to deploy ...

Gillian Mackay: Zohran Mamdani election win shows us that hope can yet prevail
7 Nov 2025 at 5:00am

WATCHING US politics is usually pretty depressing. It?s almost always a choice between two billionaire-backed candidates who you don?t want anywhere near office. This week has been different ...

Explained: Why we have a white poppy on the front page
7 Nov 2025 at 5:00am

Over the coming days, The National is making a small change to its front pages.

Six arrests made at protests outside Villa Park for Maccabi Tel Aviv game
6 Nov 2025 at 8:01pm

SIX people have been arrested during protests in Birmingham ahead of Aston Villa?s match with Maccabi Tel Aviv, West Midlands Police said ...

David Lammy has a nerve to say voting SNP threatens national security
6 Nov 2025 at 7:30pm

HOW ironic that David Lammy MP is claiming that voting SNP is a threat to national security while yet more prisoners in England have been wrongly released from prison ?now about three in the past week or two!

Can we hear solutions to health boards? huge financial problems?
6 Nov 2025 at 6:30pm

TWO weeks ago John Swinney told the SNP conference his government will create a nationwide network of walk-in GP services which will be open seven days a week. The Scottish Government has previously announced additional funding for general practice of

Americans are coming to their senses ? will UK voters take the hint?
6 Nov 2025 at 6:30pm

AMERICANS are belatedly coming to their senses, voting for people who actually care about ordinary folk ? newly elected New York mayor Zohran Mamdani being the most famous example.

King finally acted because he recognised a shoogly peg when he saw one
6 Nov 2025 at 6:30pm

WHAT the great will do, the less will prattle of. No, they are not great, and we are definitely not less, but we do like prattling on about the royals, don?t we? There?s yards of headlines, front pages (but thank you, not The National on Friday!), rolling programmes on TV and across social media. And such prattling will continue. But why now for this well-deserved, draconian action against Andr...

Why AI chatbots will be a disaster for the Scottish election
6 Nov 2025 at 6:00pm

I had a strange experience this week while trying to dig out some details to answer a policy question which I think have hit home to me a new threat to democracy in the age of ?AI? ...

Labour minister breaches code for appointing donor to top football job
6 Nov 2025 at 6:04pm

LABOUR Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said she has been found to have breached the governance code on public appointments with her pick for the chairman of a new football watchdog ...

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

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?

Scottish Government ?in retreat? on climate action, Greens say
6 Nov 2025 at 7:00am
Patrick Harvie slams 'rollback' as Gillian Martin prepares to announce Climate Change Plan draft

Landowner body hits out as Land Reform Bill passes
6 Nov 2025 at 6:00am
Rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon hails 'important step'

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

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...

SNP backs Swinney?s ?clear? strategy for new independence referendum
11 Oct 2025 at 5:22pm
Members overwhelmingly endorse leadership motion that majority at next Holyrood election is only route to second voteSNP members have overwhelmingly backed leader John Swinney?s ?clear and unambiguous? independence strategy that a majority election win is the only route to another referendum.On t...

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

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

Inverness is already ?terrorised? by UK Government drug enforcement failures ...
6 Nov 2025 at 9:08am

17 newspapers sense a damp squib tonight but BBC Scotland positively lust for...
6 Nov 2025 at 8:30am

Why have there been so many mistaken prisoner releases in England and none in...
6 Nov 2025 at 8:22am

From one Robertson to another ? your Isle of Wight return crossing costs THRE...
5 Nov 2025 at 8:14pm
Professor John Robertson OBA In Isle of Wight County Press today, the above and: Isle of Wight East MP, Joe Robertson, has introduced a proposed new law in Parliament aimed at improving ferry services ? including the Island?s vital cross-Solent routes. Mr Robertson today (Wednesday, November 5) tabled the Ferry Services (Integration and Regulation) Bill in the House of Commons, under the ?10-mi...

More child sexual abuse offenders prosecuted and convicted
5 Nov 2025 at 2:30pm
Professor John Robertson OBA From Recorded crime statistics in relation to child sexual abuse: FOI release1, published today, we can see that the total number of people prosecuted and convicted in Scottish courts where the main charge was a child sexual offence was Total 2013/14 2022/23 Prosecuted 271 347 Convicted 202 285 Conviction rate 75% 82% These are at first worrying indicators of a sign...

SNP cut civil service by 5%
5 Nov 2025 at 1:49pm
Professor John Robertson OBA In June 2025, the Express told us, delightfully: Scots foot the bill for the ever-increasing numbers of pen-pushers employed in the public sector. Remarkably, they also tell us this, don’t remind us it was a UK Government policy and thus try blame it on the SNP Recently, millions had to be filtered from elsewhere to pay for an increase in National Insurance employer...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

SNP Government refuse to take any blame for Ferguson Marine ferry fiasco in s...
7 Nov 2025 at 4:00am
SNP Government refuse to take any blame for Ferguson Marine ferry fiasco in secret briefing  Scottish Daily Express

Jenny Gilruth doesn't do action on school violence... just action plans and f...
6 Nov 2025 at 10:00pm
Jenny Gilruth doesn't do action on school violence... just action plans and fatuous guidance  Scottish Daily Express

Plaid Cymru and SNP leaders discuss forming 'progressive alliance' - BBC
30 Oct 2025 at 1:07pm
Plaid Cymru and SNP leaders discuss forming 'progressive alliance'  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

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

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

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

The Guardian view on the nationalist surge: the SNP and Plaid Cymru are makin...
9 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
The Guardian view on the nationalist surge: the SNP and Plaid Cymru are making the political weather | Editorial  The Guardian

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

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

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

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