The Herald

The Herald | Politics


'Doesn't let him off': Angry SNP members react to Murrell £400k plea deal offer
6 Jun 2026 at 5:00am
SNP members have given their reaction to an offer by Peter Murrell to pay back more than £400,000 he embezzled from the party as they called for an apology.


Taxpayers pay £600m repaying private firms for hospital and school construction
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
6 Jun 2026 at 5:00am
Taxpayers will spend half a billion pounds this year repaying PFI schemes for hospitals, roads and schools.


No 10 hits back after JD Vance blames Henry Nowak murder on migrant ?invasion?
by David Hughes and Helen Corbett
5 Jun 2026 at 7:35pm
The US politician claimed Mr Nowak would be alive if European elites had resisted ?the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants?.


Tory group leader welcomes decision over single-sex toilets in village school
5 Jun 2026 at 5:49pm
The Conservative group leader on West Lothian Council has welcomed a judge?s decision over single sex toilets in a newly-built village school.


People of Aberdeen have asked me to save ?dying? city, says Kemi Badenoch
by Craig Paton and Rachel Keenan
5 Jun 2026 at 4:24pm
Kemi Badenoch visited an oil and gas firm in Aberdeen on Friday alongside her party?s leader in Scotland, Russell Findlay, and Douglas Lumsden, the MSP and Tory candidate in the upcoming Aberdeen South Westminster by-election


SNP should set up KC led inquiry into Murrell scandal, says former justice se...
5 Jun 2026 at 4:18pm
SNP leader John Swinney should set up an independent inquiry led by a senior advocate to establish how Peter Murrell was able to embezzle more than £400,000 from the party over a 12 year period, according to a former justice secretary.


Nature campaigners take protest to Scottish Parliament
by jody.harrison@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Jody Harrison
5 Jun 2026 at 11:44am
Campaigners have called the Natural Environment Act a 'moment of hope' - and want to see it implemented in full


Whisky firms back hydrogen fuel drive amid concerns about key support scheme
by mark.williamson@newsquest.co.uk | Mark Williamson
5 Jun 2026 at 11:30am
Investment in hydrogen flags amid concerns about usefulness of fuel but champions hope carbon capture projects will boost market


Swinney to chair meeting on evacuated former mining village
by Ryan McDougall
5 Jun 2026 at 6:40am
Residents across around 100 homes were told on Wednesday they would need to spend eight more weeks out of their homes


Murrell will offer to pay back full £400k to SNP in plea deal
5 Jun 2026 at 5:00am
Peter Murrell will offer to pay back the full sum of more than £400,000 he embezzled from the SNP when he next appears in court, The Herald can reveal.


Tight fiscal conditions are elephant in the room with new SNP government
5 Jun 2026 at 4:30pm
By João Sousa, Senior Knowledge Exchange Fellow and Deputy Director at the Fraser of Allander Institute


Reality check needed in Scotland as free services face funding deficit
5 Jun 2026 at 11:00am
When it forces difficult trade-offs between spending and taxation, the free services model requires honest debate about costs, priorities, and sustainable social democracy


Do we have the imagination and drive to put the heart back into our towns?
5 Jun 2026 at 11:00am
The Lang Toun?s retail woes and its proposals for regeneration reflect nationwide fears for the future of High Streets . . . and a search for identity


Andy Burnham announces bid to challenge Keir Starmer for Labour leadership
by donald.erskine@newsquest.co.uk | Donald Erskine
4 Jun 2026 at 9:12pm
Andy Burnham has announced that he will challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Humza Yousaf: Nicola Sturgeon looked ?quite a broken woman? discussing Peter ...
6 Jun 2026 at 9:29am

Mr Yousaf said he was ?gobsmacked? when SNP offices were raided by police in 2023, shortly after he had succeeded Ms Sturgeon as party leader.

?It?s really sad to think that competitive swimming and water polo at Porty swim centre might have to end after more than a century? - Lorraine Brown

The Tories have sought to put energy at the centre of the campaign

Wings over Scotland

In pursuit of clarity
6 Jun 2026 at 11:12am
Wings has today sent the following emails. - The Chief Constable Police Scotland 5 Fettes Avenue Edinburgh EH4 1RB 6 June 2026 Thank you for your (very swift) reply to my letter. However, I am afraid that it leaves more questions than answers. Firstly, you state that Police Scotland ?have been advised? that the information …

The Interesting Words Round
5 Jun 2026 at 7:42pm
We received two emails today, just a few minutes apart. There are a couple of notable things about them. The first came from Claire Somebody at the Crown Office. The second one, even more thrillingly, came from Service Advisor 1989847 at Police Scotland, which we assume is some sort of advanced crime-fighting robot. In one …

The Lord Of The Rings
5 Jun 2026 at 12:14pm
John Swinney knows the rules. He can’t pretend he doesn’t. ? So let there be no mistake about this: if Police Scotland and the Crown Office refuse to investigate the First Minister’s open public confirmation this week that a serious crime was committed by the SNP over the “ring-fenced” fundraiser money from 2017 and 2019, …

The Aims Of Justice
4 Jun 2026 at 5:59pm
Wings has today sent the following letter to the named recipients. – The Chief Constable Police Scotland 5 Fettes Avenue Edinburgh EH4 1RB Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service 25 Chambers Street Edinburgh EH1 1LA 4 June 2026 . Dear Chief Constable and Crown Office, RE: REQUEST FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION ? ALLEGED MISAPPROPRIATION OF RING-FENCED …

For Me, But Not For Thee
4 Jun 2026 at 1:00pm
Huh. Well, that’s nice, isn’t it? The SNP are hoping to make out like bandits from Peter Murrell’s conviction. Despite Swinney’s admission yesterday that the party stole £700,000 from donors to two “ring-fenced” fundraisers, it stands to pocket a surprise bonus of £400,000 from recovering his criminal proceeds (on top of Swinney’s boasted “significant increase” …

Kings Of Crisis Management
4 Jun 2026 at 10:18am
If you subscribe to the theory that it’s better to fight 100 duck-sized horses than a single horse-sized duck, the SNP is knocking it out of the park today. Because the papers just can’t make their minds up about the biggest story with which to attack John Swinney’s beleaguered party. While the Sun leads with …

Everything Is Awesome
3 Jun 2026 at 11:10pm
You’ve had a few pretty gruelling pieces to get through in the last week or so, readers, so here’s something a little more light-hearted. It’s from an episode of Broadcasting Scotland on 27 November 2020, a month after we confirmed our big story about the SNP accounts and the missing fundraiser money. In it, snug-toed …

The Truth Does Out
3 Jun 2026 at 7:18pm
Sometimes you have to wait a while for people to catch up. But patience is everything, readers. All things, we hope, come to those who wait. The SNP tried all sorts of excuses. First up, in February 2020, immediately after Wings had broken the story that “hundreds of thousands of pounds from two supposedly ?ringfenced? …

Up The Hill And Down The Slope
3 Jun 2026 at 9:12am
On Sunday, Nicola Sturgeon told Laura Kuenssberg that the SNP’s accounts “went up and down” as her excuse for not noticing that hundreds of thousands of pounds had suddenly vanished from them overnight. ? Several things leap out immediately from that clip. One, there absolutely very much WAS “something glaringly suspicious in the accounts that …

Pandora?s Campervan
2 Jun 2026 at 11:48am
To tell you the truth, readers, we’re suffering from a little bit of option paralysis at the moment, although happily not in the same way Peter Murrell is. The endless torrent of revelations following on from Murrell’s conviction a week ago isn’t just fascinating in its own right – it also forces numerous historical issues …

Craig Murray

The Joy of Resistance
6 Jun 2026 at 9:51am

Just a quick note to say that I am very aware that lately I have been rather bitter, which is not good for anybody, especially me. The disappointments and state outrages have been no worse than usual; my frustration at my poor health, and the subsequent constraint of my ability to fight back, has rather …

The Joy of Resistance

The Power of the UK State Over Scotland
28 May 2026 at 7:50am

I went through yesterday’s preliminary hearing in the Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action with a sense of mounting horror. We had the same judge as at the permission hearing, Lord Young. We had exactly the same arguments and the same case law being deployed again by the UK government as at …

The Power of the UK State Over Scotland

Palestine Action Scottish Judicial Review ? Stitch-Up Incoming?
27 May 2026 at 12:58am

The proscription of Palestine Action was sold to MPs and the media on the basis of a deliberate campaign of lies, fronted by Yvette Cooper, then Home Secretary, and Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan police. Both have deep commitment to Israel. Cooper is owned by the Israel lobby. What is worse, they then attempted …

Palestine Action Scottish Judicial Review – Stitch-Up Incoming?

Dr Manivannan
14 May 2026 at 6:00pm

The furore around the election of Dr Manivannan to the Scottish Parliament is deeply troubling. There is no argument whatsoever that they were eligible to stand for election. The law was changed specifically in order for those on temporary visas to be able to stand in Scottish parliamentary elections. I confess I am not sure …

Dr Manivannan

URGENT FILTON TRIAL UPDATE
13 May 2026 at 6:03am

While the Court of Appeal has now stopped the High Court contempt of court action against Rajiv Menon KC for defending his client, this is purely on procedural grounds. They ruled that Judge Johnson had to go via the Attorney General to the High Court, not direct. It is now referred back to Johnson who …

URGENT FILTON TRIAL UPDATE

Zionism Has Poisoned the UK?s Central Nervous System
11 May 2026 at 7:32pm

Unquestioning Zionism has for decades been the entry ticket to the British political and media Establishment. Anybody who was not a fully certified and compliant zionist would find their career limited – as Jeremy Corbyn, Alan Duncan, Robin Cook and David Mellor all found. Most others, of course, were never allowed to progress that far. …

Zionism Has Poisoned the UK’s Central Nervous System

BBC Scotland

Sturgeon looked 'broken' in Murrell interview, says Yousaf
6 Jun 2026 at 11:52am
The former first minister said his predecessor was a "person of integrity" and that he believes she had no knowledge of her estranged husband's crimes.

Thanksgiving service held for former Deputy First Minister Lord Wallace
5 Jun 2026 at 5:51pm
Politicians joined family and friends of the former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader at Dunblane Cathedral.

SNP may have claimed back tax on Murrell's illicit purchases - Swinney
4 Jun 2026 at 3:52pm
The party has contacted HMRC over fears public funds may have been misused as part of the £400,000 embezzlement.

Why is there a row about the SNP's £667,000 independence fund?
4 Jun 2026 at 3:51pm
The party is facing a fresh police complaint about cash raised for a campaign on the country's constitutional future.

Companies offered contracts worth £2bn to dual last 58 miles of A9
4 Jun 2026 at 1:41pm
It said the first of these final contracts would be for the Dalraddy and Slochd section.

Scottish government found in contempt over Salmond files
3 Jun 2026 at 5:31pm
The Court of Session said the Scottish government repeatedly missed dates to disclose information requested by FOI.

Swinney says £660,000 independence fund used on SNP 'objectives'
3 Jun 2026 at 2:45pm
Questions over the fund led to the police investigation that has exposed Peter Murrell's £400,000 embezzlement.

SNP demand probe into Alexander meeting with Mandelson's firm
3 Jun 2026 at 6:35pm
Newly-released files confirm Douglas Alexander met with Global Counsel in summer 2024 but it was not publicly declared until earlier this year.

Will Aberdeen's energy future decide the by-election?
3 Jun 2026 at 6:26am
The forthcoming poll in the north-east is a reflection of a local and national debate about Scotland's energy future.

We now know how Peter Murrell embezzled from the SNP - but not why
3 Jun 2026 at 6:26am
Details revealed in court show the persistence, cynicism and devious tactics used by the former chief executive.

Murrell used fake invoices to cover up £400,000 spending spree
2 Jun 2026 at 4:08pm
The former SNP chief executive is facing a lengthy jail sentence after admitting embezzling funds from the party.

How former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell spent the £400,000 he embezzled
2 Jun 2026 at 6:30am
BBC Scotland News has collated all of the goods bought by ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell in his £400,000 embezzlement.

Scot Goes Pop

Dark times for Stew as the full realisation dawns of just how *much* he's acc...
6 Jun 2026 at 12:17am
Please go gently with the controversial Somerset-based "Stew" blogger if you run into him, things seem to have really got on top of him over the last 36 hours and he's now rather overcome with emot...

If this Makerfield by-election poll is accurate, it's the end of the road for...
5 Jun 2026 at 2:07am
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE. Other recent videos: RUPERT LOWE could be the midwife of Scottish independence, just as Mrs Thatcher was for devolutionONE-FIFTH of Re...

RUPERT LOWE, of all people, could be the unintentional midwife of Scottish in...
4 Jun 2026 at 12:18pm
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE. Other recent videos: ONE-FIFTH of Reform UK voters in Scotland would vote Yes to independence, says new Norstat pollASTOUNDING poll su...

ONE-FIFTH of Reform UK voters in Scotland would vote Yes to independence, say...
1 Jun 2026 at 2:25pm
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE. Other recent videos: ASTOUNDING poll surge for SNP: how Stew's "Accidental Clouseau" moment may have SAVED party he hatesMore polling ...

ASTOUNDING surge for SNP in new Norstat poll: how Stew's "Accidental Clouseau...
31 May 2026 at 3:27am
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE. Other recent videos: More polling reassurance for SNP as by-elections approach, while Greens reclaim second place GB-wideGreens almost...

More polling reassurance for SNP as by-elections approach, while Greens recla...
30 May 2026 at 2:21am
In view of recent requests, I've also uploaded a podcast version of the above video on Soundcloud as a trial run, just to see if there's any interest in the audio-only format.  It's on Spotify too....

Unveiling the new funding model for Scot Goes Pop
28 May 2026 at 7:26pm
Click here to visit my new Ko-Fi page.On Sunday I published a blogpost explaining that my experiment of using YouTube as a more sustainable funding model for Scot Goes Pop wasn't really working out...

Greens almost draw level with Labour in GB-wide YouGov poll, SNP have double-...
28 May 2026 at 8:00am
In view of recent requests, I've also uploaded a podcast version of the above video on Soundcloud as a trial run, just to see if there's any interest in the audio-only format.  It's on Spotify as w...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Humza Yousaf: Nicola Sturgeon looked ?quite a broken woman? discussing Peter ...
6 Jun 2026 at 10:53am
The former first minister told BBC's Newsnight he understood people's scepticism that Sturgeon was unaware of Murrell's actions

Yvette Cooper rejects calls for disappearing messages ban for politicians
5 Jun 2026 at 10:50am
A row has emerged over exchanges between Lord Peter Mandelson and Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones which were absent from a release of files.

Committee for the Future could rebuild trust in politics, Holyrood leaders told
5 Jun 2026 at 6:50am
Carnegie UK suggested setting up such a committee could 'help embed long-term thinking into everyday decision-making'

Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander under scrutiny over transparency file er...
4 Jun 2026 at 6:07pm
Douglas Alexander's Cabinet Office log has been left incomplete despite the document being uploaded to the government website

John Swinney to face First Minister?s Questions as Peter Murrell continues to...
4 Jun 2026 at 1:13pm
The First Minister has said the party will sue Murrell in a bid to recover £400,000 embezzeled from the SNP

SNP to sue Peter Murrell and try to get stolen £400,000 back
4 Jun 2026 at 11:03am
The former SNP chief executive embezzled the cash over the course of 12 years

Ministers working on ?delivering? private jet levy and mansion tax, says Gilruth
4 Jun 2026 at 6:52am
It comes after this year?s Scottish budget included plans for two new council tax bands on the most expensive properties by April 2028

Scottish Government found in contempt over Salmond files
3 Jun 2026 at 3:58pm
Judge Lady Poole said the government had shown a 'lack of respect' for the Information Commissioner.

Keir Starmer faces questions after Henry Nowak case triggers violent clashes
3 Jun 2026 at 12:18pm
The student?s killer claimed he had been the victim of a racial attack while Mr Nowak was handcuffed by police as he lay dying

Swinney pledges to expand mental health support
3 Jun 2026 at 6:43am
Swinney said his Government would support the 'valuable work' the Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) has done.

Education secretary urges schools to act ahead of new legislation on mobiles ...
2 Jun 2026 at 10:07pm
The education secretary insisted there was a 'spectrum of harm' linked to the use of mobile phones and similar devices

What did the second tranche of the Mandelson files reveal?
2 Jun 2026 at 5:18pm
A second tranche of documents on Mandelson's appointment have been released

John Swinney tells of ?horror? at Murrell?s ?colossal breach of trust?
2 Jun 2026 at 2:10pm
The former husband of Nicola Sturgeon stole more than £400,000 from the SNP over 12 years

Peter Murrell?s £124,000 motorhome only ?driven four miles?
2 Jun 2026 at 10:30am
Further details of the former SNP chief executive's embezzlement have been revealed

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Scottish Labour fighting for survival as brutal stats point to existential th...
6 Jun 2026 at 4:30am
Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon says Labour in Scotland has been so hollowed out they no longer have a sizable core vote.

Pro-independence supporters helped deliver Holyrood election drubbing for Sc...
5 Jun 2026 at 10:44am
YouGov data shows Labour continues to perform badly with Yes voters.

SNP could boycott Westminster probe into Peter Murrell scandal
5 Jun 2026 at 7:44am
EXCLUSIVE: A senior SNP figure said the party would not be obliged to take party in a Westminster probe.

Leaked document from Scottish Labour election defeat shows plans to review li...
5 Jun 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: A leaked copy of the terms of reference shows the relationship with the UK party is on the table.

'SNP refusal to order review into Peter Murrell scandal is beggars belief'
5 Jun 2026 at 4:30am
The embezzlement carried out by Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband "could not have been simpler in its execution", a leading legal figure claimed.

Peter Murrell has £600,000 worth of pensions as he faces proceeds of crime pa...
4 Jun 2026 at 6:28pm
The assets of the corrupt former SNP chief executive exceed the amount he embezzled.

John Swinney putting party over country as he tries to block scrutiny of Pete...
4 Jun 2026 at 5:00pm
Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon says John Swinney's refusal to back an inquiry will look like he is trying to protect Nicola Sturgeon.

Police Scotland declines to reinvestigate SNP over how £660,000 of donations ...
4 Jun 2026 at 4:36pm
The national constabulary said "no further action will be taken at this time" after John Swinney admitted the "ring-fenced" donations had already been spent.

SNP could face HMRC probe over 'VAT fraud' linked to Peter Murrell scandal
4 Jun 2026 at 3:30pm
Anas Sarwar revealed Scottish Labour has written to HMRC asking it to launch a "full investigation into this potential defrauding of the public purse".

SNP to demand stolen cash back from Peter Murrell after ex-CEO convicted of e...
4 Jun 2026 at 10:44am
The party's governing body has agreed to a proposal by John Swinney to launch legal action against Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband.

The National

The National | Politics

This interactive map shows rise of AI data centres across Scotland
6 Jun 2026 at 5:25pm

AN interactive map has revealed that developers are proposing a rash of AI data centres right across Scotland ? prompting concerns about the impact on electricity prices, communities and the environment

Humza Yousaf reveals his reaction to raids on SNP HQ and Murrell and Sturgeon...
6 Jun 2026 at 11:53am

FORMER Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf says he thought Nicola Sturgeon looked ?quite a broken women? during a television interview in the wake of her ex-husband Peter Murrell admitting to embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP

John Swinney's message to readers - how we're improving the SNP
6 Jun 2026 at 5:00am

AS everyone will by now know, the SNP has been the victim of a crime ? the embezzlement of more than £400,000 by our former chief executive Peter Murrell.

Owen Jones: Nigel Farage is reaping the ?whitelash? that Brexit has sown
6 Jun 2026 at 5:00am

BACK then, it was called the ?white backlash?.

John Swinney reveals 'significant increase' in donations to SNP amid Murrell ...
6 Jun 2026 at 5:00am

JOHN Swinney has revealed how much SNP members have donated since Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,000 from the party ...

Downing Street hits back after JD Vance comments on Henry Nowak murder
5 Jun 2026 at 7:43pm

DOWNING STREET has hit back after US vice president JD Vance blamed the murder of Henry Nowak on ?the mass invasion of migrants?.

To fight a referendum you first of all have to fight to secure one
5 Jun 2026 at 6:54pm

I AM not trying to make a firm, committed opinion on the ins and outs of the argument about ?fighting funds? ...

John Swinney visits Scottish village after 'ground movement' triggers evacuation
5 Jun 2026 at 6:24pm

JOHN Swinney has said he recognises the ?deeply distressing? situation faced by residents in a village which has been partially evacuated due to fears over ground movements ...

How we toured the Celtic Alliance and what it told us about the future of the...
5 Jun 2026 at 5:29pm

WAKING up at 5am is rarely a pleasant experience.

New poll breaks down Scottish voting trends at Holyrood election
5 Jun 2026 at 5:26pm

IT has been relatively quiet on the polling front now that the Holyrood 2026 election has come to pass, but a fresh survey from YouGov has given us some insight into how Scottish voters cast their ballots.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

SNP approaches HMRC over possible illegal VAT claims linked to Peter Murrell ...
4 Jun 2026 at 4:09pm
Anas Sarwar welcomed the decision but argued it demonstrated the need for a parliamentary inquiry

SNP committee ?power grab? likened to ?putting Dracula in charge of a blood b...
4 Jun 2026 at 3:49pm
Full list of 16 Scottish Parliament committees

John Swinney says ring-fenced independence fighting fund was used for ?SNP ac...
3 Jun 2026 at 5:40pm
More than ?660,000 was raised through donations between 2017-19 to help campaign for a second referendum

Scottish Government found in contempt of court for not releasing Salmond file...
3 Jun 2026 at 5:30pm
The information commissioner has said ministers must ?reflect carefully? on the ruling

Douglas Alexander meeting with Mandelson firm left off lobbying list 'in error'
3 Jun 2026 at 4:07pm
Talks with Global Counsel held weeks after trade appointment

Scottish Greens confirm frontbench team
3 Jun 2026 at 1:17pm
Three of the party's new MSPs take on cabinet-level portfolios

Scottish Government urges schools to act on mobile phones ahead of legislation
3 Jun 2026 at 12:31pm
Education secretary M?iri McAllan confirmed to parliament that the government will launch a consultation on phone-free classrooms within the first 100 days of government

Peter Murrell campervan was filled with embezzled goods, court hears
2 Jun 2026 at 11:43am
Ex-chief executive's false files revealed

MSPs asked to disclose trans status as Holyrood moves to restore sex data
2 Jun 2026 at 10:46am
A non-binary category was first added to the listing for male and female members after the election before the information was removed altogether

Scottish private hospital admissions reach record high in 2025
2 Jun 2026 at 1:01am
Private hospital admissions in Scotland increased by six per cent last year

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Starmer to meet Henry Nowak?s family this afternoon, No 10 says ? as it happened
4 Jun 2026 at 5:33pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereKemi Badenoch has posted a message on social media saying she met Henry Nowak?s father, mother and stepmother this morning. She praises their courage, and says:Henry?s family do not want anger to tear communities apart. They are a famil...

A new elephant in Nicola Sturgeon?s room | Brief letters
2 Jun 2026 at 5:38pm
Murrell?s motorhome | Hooked on Alan Rickman | Football fans | Nine times table | Beauty of maths | It all adds upFollowing Nicola Sturgeon?s bravura performance on BBC One?s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme (Nicola Sturgeon: I feel as if I?m serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit,...

Starmer says he ?felt sick? watching video of Henry Nowak?s arrest ? as it ha...
2 Jun 2026 at 5:32pm
The prime minister said: ?I have seen the body cam footage, it?s harrowing, and I have to say, as a father of a 17-year-old boy, I felt sick watching it.?BBC Scotland has more details of the Peter Murrell hearing this morning on its live blog. And, on its live blog, Sky News has pictures of some ...

Motorhome bought by Murrell with stolen SNP money was driven only 4 miles, co...
2 Jun 2026 at 1:29pm
High court in Edinburgh hears £125K vehicle was described as a van in faked invoice and stocked with luxury goodsThe luxury motorhome that Peter Murrell bought using money stolen from the Scottish National party was driven for only four miles, sitting unused for more than two years.Murrell, then ...

Mandelson described Starmer?s No 10 operation as ?beleaguered and bereft? in ...
1 Jun 2026 at 6:18pm
Peter Mandelson?s unfiltered remarks to cabinet officials are made public in hundreds of pages of documents relating to his appointment as US ambassador Mandelson files show no mitigation of security concernsAt the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM?s spokesperson said the release of the Mandel...

The Guardian view on the Aberdeen South byelection: the politics of energy ta...
31 May 2026 at 5:30pm
While Westminster?s attention is focused on Andy Burnham and Makerfield, another pivotal byelection is taking place in Scotland?s north-eastThe coming byelection in Makerfield, from where Andy Burnham aspires to make rapid progress towards Downing Street, is perhaps the most consequential in Brit...

Nicola?s only crime was to love too much. And to not notice the Jaguar on the...
31 May 2026 at 5:27pm
Rather than being one of the shrewdest operators in British politics for a decade, it turns out Sturgeon was just too trustingYou know how it is. You wake up and look out the bedroom window. You see a brand new Jaguar worth £81,000 parked in the driveway. You smile to yourself. That?s what you lo...

Nicola Sturgeon: I feel as if I?m serving a sentence for a crime I did not co...
31 May 2026 at 3:47pm
Former Scottish first minister says she will not apologise for actions of her ex-husband found guilty of embezzlementNicola Sturgeon has said she feels as if she is serving a sentence for a crime she did not commit, as she denied ever ?consciously? seeing the motor home bought by her estranged hu...

Nicola Sturgeon: ?I should not be held responsible for the wrongdoing of men?
29 May 2026 at 7:41pm
Ex-SNP leader says she appeared on more front pages than her husband this week, adding: ?I don?t think that?s right?Nicola Sturgeon said she ?should not be held responsible for the wrongdoing of men? after Peter Murrell, her estranged husband, admitted to embezzling hundreds of thousands of pound...

We know what former SNP chief Peter Murrell bought with £400,000 of embezzled...
29 May 2026 at 6:00am
His guilty plea means motive will for ever be a mystery. It just proves that the world can look as hard as it likes at someone?s marriage and never know what?s going onIt sounds like the haul of an unhappy trophy wife, filling her empty days with retail therapy. Three Fortnum & Mason advent calen...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

The historic failure of the media in Scotland
4 Jun 2026 at 1:28pm
The issues in my left eye, my better eye, seem to be getting a bit better so I’m only half blind now. Many thanks to everyone who left kind messages of support. Hopefully after 16 June when I have the cataract operation my eyesight will improve markedly. The Murrell scandal is of course still rumbling …

Seeing the path ahead clearly
31 May 2026 at 2:45pm
I’m not going to be blogging so much over the next couple of weeks. For the past year or so I’ve had a cataract in my right eye, which has rapidly worsened over recent months such that at an eye test at the opticians last week I found to my horror that I could not …

The first salvos have been fired in the latest stage of the independence camp...
27 May 2026 at 4:20pm
On Tuesday, the first working day of a new Scottish Parliament, with a record pro-independence majority, the fourth such majority in a row, MSPs voted by 72 to 55, a majority of 17 to adopt a motion calling on the Westminster government “to make a Section 30 order under the Scotland Act 1998 to devolve …

Explaining a parliamentary mandate for the staunch of hearing
26 May 2026 at 3:16pm
Today Holyrood gets the ball rolling on putting into action the pro-independence mandate given to it by the people of Scotland at the recent election, which as we all know by now resulted in the largest ever majority of pro-independence MSPs in the history of the Scottish Parliament. I’ll blog about the debate and vote …

Branchform?s over and the SNP is still standing
25 May 2026 at 1:41pm
Well, after five long years, murder tents, and over £2 million in police costs, it’s all over bar the inevitable shouting, and of course the not insignificant matter of what is likely to be a substantial custodial sentence. Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. …

The supposed ?Once in a generation? pledge is a Westminster myth
23 May 2026 at 12:31pm
On Thursday evening’s edition of BBC Reform Time, Fiona Bruce, the completely unbiased and neutral right wing unionist host, editorialised in aid of Tory MP Harriet Cross who had insisted that the question of independence had been “settled” in 2014 and attempts to revisit the matter “have to end, they have to end.” Bruce interjected …

John Swinney fires the starting gun on independence push
22 May 2026 at 1:30pm
He’s not mucking about. On the back of Holyrood’s record pro-independence majority, John Swinney has announced that there will be a debate and vote in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday on securing a Section 30 order for an independence referendum. With 72 pro-independence MSPs in the chamber, the motion will pass easily despite the predictable …

The British media is hiding Holyrood?s independence majorities
20 May 2026 at 5:01pm
Something interesting, and entirely predictable, has been happening in the British media since the SNP comprehensively defeated the parties of Westminster rule in this month’s Holyrood elections, being returned for a fifth term in office in a Scottish Parliament which has its largest ever pro-independence majority, making this the fourth Scottish Parliament in a row …

Something wicked this way comes
17 May 2026 at 1:27pm
We are rightly concerned about Reform UK, which has now gained representation in the Scottish Parliament, although as I had hoped, it performed more poorly than most polls forecast and failed to win a single constituency seat, narrowly missing out to the SNP in the Banffshire and Buchan Coast constituency which had been widely tipped …

The Celtic Alliance can break Westminter?s constitutional logjam
15 May 2026 at 6:33pm
One of the biggest developments in British political history came to pass after the recent parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, yet it predictably went all but unnoticed by a British media which struggles to comprehend England outwith the M25 and for which Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are terra incognita marked “here be dragons” …

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

BBC Scotland copies Daily Record technique to attract viewers with one cancer...
6 Jun 2026 at 10:12am
Top story today, just like the Record, three weeks ago: BBC Scotland have a tragic tale of breast cancer misdiagnosis, terrible, but a single case. How it came to their notice is not mentioned. From a family member or from a local non-SNP councillor to Fiona Stalker? How common is a breast cancer misdiagnosis? I can find no NHS Scotland research but this seems relevant. For certain cancers, res...

Labour UK Government ?risks failing to deliver on its promise to save NHS den...
6 Jun 2026 at 9:52am
The above follows immediately the British Dental Association‘s claim that ‘across the whole UK, the dentists union says it’s become much more difficult for people to access affordable care.‘ The report had opened with ‘the British Dental Association says the Government risks failing to deliver on its promise to save NHS dentistry in England. Labour has pledged to reform the struggling service i...

Horrific, unregulated, and very profitable. The companies prevented from maki...
5 Jun 2026 at 7:03pm
Before anyone accuses me of being duped, read my trenchant criticism of Nicola Sturgeon's apparent views on Hilary Clinton and US foreign policy at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/03/04/sturgeon-and-clinton-does-being-a-woman-any-woman-trump-sic-her-war-crimes-her-murder-and-betrayal-of-the-poor/ That matters to me, a lot, but nothing can deny her massive achievements on the home front. ...

Aberdeen By-election Special ? Where tory Promises Go To Die
5 Jun 2026 at 12:45pm
By Jim Mennie The Tories like to present themselves as champions of North East Scotland. Yet issues like oil and gas show they definitively are not. But it’s not just oil and gas that exposes how they treat the voters of the North East as mugs. In 2014, the then Westminster Tory-LibDem coalition government promised to make North East Scotland a world leader in carbon capture technology. The the...

Reform UK cannot speak for workers in the North Sea
5 Jun 2026 at 11:40am
By Jim Mennie Reform UK has positioned itself as a vocal advocate for the North Sea oil and gas industry, particularly in North East Scotland. The party presents its policies as a defence of high-skilled jobs, energy security and domestic energy production against what it describes as overly rapid net-zero targets and green levies. While the messaging resonates in oil-dependent communities, ser...

After intensive police investigations found nothing the presumption of innoce...
5 Jun 2026 at 11:25am
BBC Scotland today: Police Scotland says it is not launching a fresh investigation into claims about a £667,000 fund raised by the SNP for an independence referendum campaign. Independence activist Sean Clerkin reported the party to police, accusing it of “misusing” the cash by spending it on “general” campaigning, the Scottish Sun, external reported. It came after First Minister John Swinney c...

The Daily Record?s front page today seeks to conceal how safety in NHS Scotla...
5 Jun 2026 at 9:24am
We’ve had to stop saying ‘a new low for the Record.’ There seems to be none. Today, we see them sickeningly exploiting an understandably upset father and using his words, only, to apparently confirm mistakes made in the death of his newborn child. I’m no more in a position to comment on that death than is the Record but I am able to tell you this: In 2023/2024 (latest) NHS Scotland payed out £4...

Only one political leader in the whole of the UK has a positive score in favo...
4 Jun 2026 at 6:50pm
Note, Ipsos is Paris-based, thus has no horse in the race here, and is therefore trusted.

Scotland has 15% more teachers to fuel it?s better performance than England
4 Jun 2026 at 6:40pm
Thanks to Brenda Robb for this: In the Guardian today: The number of teachers working in England?s state schools has shrunk for the second year in a row, even as the government said it was meeting its promises to increase recruitment where needed. The annual school workforce census shows there are 466,300 teachers in state schools this year, a fall of more than 1,900 since last year due to decl...

How SNP donors were denied the right to testify and so COPFS/Police Scotland ...
4 Jun 2026 at 6:20pm
By Jim Mennie “DONORS RIGHTS TO TESTIFY ON SNP DONATIONS” Thursday 4th June 2026 As expected, there are many bad actors now looking to demand that Murrell return the funds stolen from the SNP coffers. It?s all smear and dirty politics of course intended to hurt the SNP but it?s already backfiring with increases in SNP membership and donations. Many SNP members and donors are already in print sa...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause? -...
4 Jun 2026 at 4:20pm
Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause?  The Conversation

Scottish Parliament endorses SNP call for independence referendum - BBC
26 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish Parliament endorses SNP call for independence referendum  BBC

Scottish independence - Institute for Government
29 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish independence  Institute for Government

Ipsos Polling confirms Holyrood26 as the ?loveless election? in Scots minds -...
3 Jun 2026 at 5:28pm
Ipsos Polling confirms Holyrood26 as the ?loveless election? in Scots minds  Ipsos

How Scotland voted at the 2026 Holyrood election - YouGov
5 Jun 2026 at 9:37am
How Scotland voted at the 2026 Holyrood election  YouGov

Scotland's head of government vows to hold another independence referendum - ...
11 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scotland's head of government vows to hold another independence referendum  ConstitutionNet

Swinney admits SNP independence £600,000 fund was spent on 'general party bus...
3 Jun 2026 at 2:00pm
Swinney admits SNP independence £600,000 fund was spent on 'general party business'  The Herald

Swinney says £660,000 independence fund used on SNP 'objectives' - BBC
3 Jun 2026 at 2:45pm
Swinney says £660,000 independence fund used on SNP 'objectives'  BBC

Thousands of Scots 'set to bombard Keir Starmer's email inbox' demanding indy...
5 Jun 2026 at 8:13pm
Thousands of Scots 'set to bombard Keir Starmer's email inbox' demanding indyref2  The National Scot

Why is there a row about the SNP's £667,000 independence fund? - BBC
4 Jun 2026 at 3:51pm
Why is there a row about the SNP's £667,000 independence fund?  BBC

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Mystery over Sturgeon?s luxury hotel stay at height of SNP fraud - The Telegraph
5 Jun 2026 at 6:14pm
Mystery over Sturgeon?s luxury hotel stay at height of SNP fraud  The Telegraph

Why is there a row about the SNP's £667,000 independence fund? - BBC
4 Jun 2026 at 3:51pm
Why is there a row about the SNP's £667,000 independence fund?  BBC

We know what former SNP chief Peter Murrell bought with £400,000 of embezzled...
29 May 2026 at 8:00am
We know what former SNP chief Peter Murrell bought with £400,000 of embezzled funds. What I?d like to know is why  The Guardian

Sturgeon showed 'remarkable lack of curiosity' over SNP finances, Cherry says...
26 May 2026 at 8:00am
Sturgeon showed 'remarkable lack of curiosity' over SNP finances, Cherry says  BBC

SPICe general election Scotland 2026 results and analysis - SPICe Spotlight
9 May 2026 at 8:00am
SPICe general election Scotland 2026 results and analysis  SPICe Spotlight

Nicola Sturgeon denies any knowledge of items husband Peter Murrell bought wi...
25 May 2026 at 8:00am
Nicola Sturgeon denies any knowledge of items husband Peter Murrell bought with embezzled £400,000  Sky News

Final YouGov MRP of the 2026 Holyrood election shows the SNP falling short of...
6 May 2026 at 8:00am
Final YouGov MRP of the 2026 Holyrood election shows the SNP falling short of a majority  YouGov

Medicare Advantage in 2026: Enrollment Update and Key Trends - KFF
6 Jun 2026 at 2:03am
Medicare Advantage in 2026: Enrollment Update and Key Trends  KFF

Former Scottish National Party chief pleads guilty to embezzling $540,000 - R...
25 May 2026 at 8:00am
Former Scottish National Party chief pleads guilty to embezzling $540,000  Reuters

Big salaries, a motorhome and SNP accounts: The Nicola Sturgeon interview unw...
1 Jun 2026 at 4:29pm
Big salaries, a motorhome and SNP accounts: The Nicola Sturgeon interview unwrapped  BBC

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause? -...
4 Jun 2026 at 4:20pm
Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause?  The Conversation

Why is there a row about the SNP's £667,000 independence fund? - BBC
4 Jun 2026 at 3:51pm
Why is there a row about the SNP's £667,000 independence fund?  BBC

Scottish independence - Institute for Government
29 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish independence  Institute for Government

Ipsos Polling confirms Holyrood26 as the ?loveless election? in Scots minds -...
3 Jun 2026 at 5:28pm
Ipsos Polling confirms Holyrood26 as the ?loveless election? in Scots minds  Ipsos

Scotland's head of government vows to hold another independence referendum - ...
11 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scotland's head of government vows to hold another independence referendum  ConstitutionNet

Swinney says £660,000 independence fund used on SNP 'objectives' - BBC
3 Jun 2026 at 2:45pm
Swinney says £660,000 independence fund used on SNP 'objectives'  BBC

Swinney admits SNP independence £600,000 fund was spent on 'general party bus...
3 Jun 2026 at 2:00pm
Swinney admits SNP independence £600,000 fund was spent on 'general party business'  The Herald

The question of Scottish independence is alive but not kicking - The Economist
30 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
The question of Scottish independence is alive but not kicking  The Economist

Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028 - BBC
12 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028  BBC

Scottish Parliament elections: a balance between continuity and change - Inte...
15 May 2026 at 1:12pm
Scottish Parliament elections: a balance between continuity and change  International Viewpoint Online magazine