The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Scottish Government not informed of Russian-flagged tanker crew removal by US
by Rachel Keenan
28 Jan 2026 at 7:10pm
John Swinney has said the Scottish Government was not informed that two members of crew were removed from the Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel previously known as Bella-1, until after the US had done so.


Neil Gray unable to confirm all wards validated at troubled QEUH
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
28 Jan 2026 at 5:30pm
Scotland?s Health Secretary has admitted he cannot say whether every ward at Glasgow?s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital was formally validated as safe, as ministers face mounting pressure over patient safety, political accountability and unanswered questions from grieving families.


Does the Scottish Child Payment really remove incentive to work?
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
28 Jan 2026 at 4:47pm
The Scottish Tories want to introduce a two-child limit on the Scottish Child Payment, claiming it puts parents off working. But does it?


Swinney calls for UK warships to be based in Scotland amid global turmoil
28 Jan 2026 at 4:49pm
First Minister John Swinney has called for British warships to be based in Scotland to protect country's "assets" at time of global tensions.


Almost nobody in Scotland is going to see Melania Trump?s new film
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
28 Jan 2026 at 2:07pm
Amazon?s authorised documentary about Melania Trump has sold just 1.04 per cent of available tickets in Scotland?s Vue cinemas.


Scotland's transgender prison policy row with For Women Scotland explained
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
28 Jan 2026 at 1:18pm
The Scottish Government will defend its transgender prisoners' policy in court over three days in a long-running For Women Scotland row.


Catholic Church urges Holyrood to back Ash Regan's controversial prostitution...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
28 Jan 2026 at 11:52am
On Wednesday, the Bishops Conference of Scotland said that they had written to First Minister John Swinney and urged him to back the proposals.


'Discouraging': Lowest number of new homes begun since 2013 despite housing c...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
28 Jan 2026 at 10:48am
According to the firm, the number of private sector newbuilds starts fell by 4.9%, decreasing from 13,102 to 12,457.


Tories propose two-child limit on SNP flagship Scottish Child Payment
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
28 Jan 2026 at 10:53am
Scottish Conservatives propose capping the Scottish Child Payment at two children, claiming the SNP benefit discourages work and drives rising welfare costs.


Two sailors from ship seized north of Scotland released back to Russia
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
28 Jan 2026 at 9:41am
Two Russian citizens who were on board a tanker seized north of Scotland have been released and are returning to Russia, the country's foreign ministry has said


Ministers make major offer to raise legal aid fees in bid to end long running...
28 Jan 2026 at 8:31am
The Scottish Government has made a major offer to increase legal aid fees in a bid to end a long running dispute with solicitors, The Herald can reveal.


European ally fears Donald Trump 'psychological state' after Mar-a-Lago meeting
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
28 Jan 2026 at 7:54am
A European leader who met with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago was reportedly left worried by the U.S President's 'psychological state'


Glasgow rape crisis centre warns of 'west of Scotland bias' amid major fundin...
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
28 Jan 2026 at 5:30am
Glasgow's rape crisis centre has accused the national organisation of chronic underfunding, adding there could be a "west of Scotland bias" against them.


Former Fife MP intervenes after villagers face mass eviction
28 Jan 2026 at 5:00am
A former MP has urged a local council to buy the homes of dozens of people who face mass eviction within weeks after their new private landlord announced they are selling up.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Scotland faces Minnesota-style chaos as Nigel Farage plots mass deportations
28 Jan 2026 at 5:27pm
If Reform UK wins power, it plans to set up an ICE-style Deportation Command and detention camps to arrest and deport 600,000 people


Homeless people need a voice in Scotland's corridors of power
28 Jan 2026 at 5:26pm
Well-meaning systems designed to help vulnerable young people are often not designed with their needs in mind


Cosying up to China amid Donald Trump's new world order is a huge mistake
28 Jan 2026 at 5:26pm
Despite Donald Trump?s unpleasant manner, the US is our friend and China is not


Catholic Church in Scotland gives its backing to Ash Regan's Unbuyable Bill
28 Jan 2026 at 4:12pm

The Catholic Church in Scotland has become the latest body to give support to a Bill that would criminalise the purchase of sex

The Scottish Tories have set out plans to cut spending from the Scottish Government?s social security systems.

A new book reveals the former prime minister considered making an intervention over the issue

Sir Keir Starmer had been expected to give the manufacturing facility, which would create up to 1,500 jobs, the go-ahead during his trip to China.

SNP ministers have been urged to release all the files relating to an infection deaths scandal at a flagship hospital.

The SNP Westminster leader said he was ?looking forward to working with all my colleagues? if he is successful in May

One MSP is due to question the Scottish Government on its funding to improve access to sport.

Finance Secretary Shona Robison has insisted that ?history? has shown Westminster always cough up more funding that will help local councils in the coming years.

A government minister has refused to say when the documents in the ?Salmond files? will be publicly released

The force apologised to a director of the campaign group For Women Scotland last year

Wings over Scotland

Shield Of The Phantom
26 Jan 2026 at 1:02pm
Well, we gave it a go. It seems that it’s fine to farm important judgments out to mysterious shadowy figures who just make important chunks of them up out of thin air, and then issue them in your own name. Back in your boxes, plebs.

Yelling at the tide
21 Jan 2026 at 9:26am
We figured someone had to at least try. So in the light of this, we’ve sent a letter. - TO: Judge Susan Walker, President, Employment Tribunal (Scotland) Dear Madam President, I read with considerable dismay and alarm your response to a recent complaint from a Mr Ewan Kennedy regarding the conduct of Employment Judge Alexander …

The Secondhand Amendment
19 Jan 2026 at 12:04am
We’re really not sure this makes things any better with regard to the incredible tale that’s unfolded around the judgment in Sandie Peggie vs NHS Fife. In fact, on any interpretation we can think of, quite the reverse. But we’d better give you some context. The quote in the image above comes from the reply …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Craig Murray

Being There ? In Venezuela
26 Jan 2026 at 9:46am

I have now been in Caracas for 48 hours and the contrast between what I have seen, and what I had read in the mainstream media, could not be more stark. I drove right through Caracas, from the airport through the city centre and up to posh Las Mercedes. The next morning I walked all …

Being There – In Venezuela

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

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

Resisting the Respectable Opinion on Iran

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

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

A Step Towards Sanity

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

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

Court of Session Tomorrow on Palestine Action

Venezuela and Truth
4 Jan 2026 at 10:21am

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

Venezuela and Truth

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

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

Hunger Strikes and Court Cases

BBC Scotland

US to prosecute captain of seized oil tanker
28 Jan 2026 at 7:09pm
The captain of the Marinera, accused of carrying oil for Venezuela, Russia and Iran, will be prosecuted in a US court.

'My dad's assisted death was beautiful,' says Green MSP
28 Jan 2026 at 4:31pm
Lorna Slater has spoken of travelling to Canada to be with her father as he ended his life.

Tories call for two-child cap on Scottish Child Payment
28 Jan 2026 at 3:11pm
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay says his party would cut the "bloated" welfare bill.

Early release scheme 'not enough' to reduce prisoner numbers, say jail bosses
27 Jan 2026 at 12:59pm
The latest tranche of releases has seen the total population in Scotland's overcrowded jails reduce by just 68 so far.

Review into Palestine Action ban will go ahead
27 Jan 2026 at 4:53pm
Scotland's highest civil court will consider a case over the proscribing of the group as a terrorist organisation.

The nuclear power station at the centre of the political divide in Scotland
26 Jan 2026 at 11:01pm
The twin reactors of Hinkley Point C in Somerset will form the first nuclear power plant built in the UK for 30 years.

Reform says it would scrap Scottish tax bands and cut rates
26 Jan 2026 at 5:01pm
The party's Scottish leader says funding would be taken from public bodies and environmental protection.

Swinney says it 'looks like' hospital inquiry families were lied to
25 Jan 2026 at 2:07pm
The first minister also said there has been a "cultural problem" within Glasgow's health board, which is being "flushed out" by a public inquiry.

'We knew the truth': How parents uncovered Scottish hospital's infected water...
25 Jan 2026 at 1:40pm
Dozens of patients became more unwell and some died with infections picked up at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Tory pair aim to attract 'politically homeless' with new movement
25 Jan 2026 at 5:24pm
Sir Andy Street and Baroness Ruth Davidson believe they can win back voters who have snubbed the Conservatives.

Sturgeon denies using pressure to open Glasgow hospital early
23 Jan 2026 at 6:26pm
The former first minister's remarks came as oral submissions ended in the inquiry into the design and construction of Scotland's largest hospital.

Scottish government facing legal action over failure to hand over Sturgeon in...
23 Jan 2026 at 3:21pm
The Scottish Information Commissioner is taking ministers to court after they missed a deadline to release documents.

Scot Goes Pop

"Unaffordable and exploitative": the Alba Party hammers its long-suffering me...
27 Jan 2026 at 3:53am
Apart from the shocking membership fee news, which Alba members already know about (as long as they've been checking their emails closely enough), this video also contains the latest gossip from my...

The Blocking of Burnham: Doomsday for Labour, Christmas for the SNP
26 Jan 2026 at 2:44am
Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already a bit over halfway towards its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

SNP secure stirring VICTORY in the Glenrothes West & Kinglassie by-election
23 Jan 2026 at 3:40pm
Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already a bit over halfway towards its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

Yet ANOTHER poll shows a pro-independence majority as natty Norstat (formerly...
20 Jan 2026 at 2:44pm
Before anyone says anything, yes, I know I screwed up and randomly started referring to Norstat as "Panelbase" midway through the video.  I haven't got time to re-record it at the moment, so just s...

Will the Greenland - Trump crisis boost support for Scottish independence?
20 Jan 2026 at 8:43am
I made this video before the news broke about Donald Trump's comments on Diego Garcia, which has resulted in this bizarre commentary from Henry Zeffman on the BBC News website (it's possibly a tran...

It's happened: now even SURVATION are showing a pro-independence majority (al...
19 Jan 2026 at 1:39pm
Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already a bit over halfway towards its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

SNP and Greens remain firmly on course for Holyrood pro-indy majority in supe...
16 Jan 2026 at 8:50am
Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already a bit over halfway towards its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

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

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Keir Starmer mocked online for ?miserable? Burns Supper of Irn Bru and Tunnoc...
28 Jan 2026 at 5:15pm
The PM's social media post was branded 'inauthentic' and 'patronising'

Tory Scottish child payment cap plans branded ?cruel? by minister
28 Jan 2026 at 2:30pm
The proposals were announced as part of a Scottish Conservative paper on welfare ahead of the election in May.

David Lammy to face PMQs after Andy Burnham blocked from by-election
28 Jan 2026 at 11:47am
The deputy Prime Minister will lead PMQs while Keir Starmer is in China.

Deacon Blue ?appalled? by Reform UK?s Scotland leader quoting their lyrics
28 Jan 2026 at 9:53am
The Reform UK Scottish leader used the song as an analogy for his own life

Matt Goodwin named as Reform UK candidate in Gorton and Denton by-election
28 Jan 2026 at 9:49am
The GB News presenter said he was 'not part of the establishment'

Vets will have to publish prices under government reforms to improve ?transpa...
28 Jan 2026 at 6:36am
Pet owners set to benefit from major shake-up of vet sector promising upfront pricing and tougher regulation

Former Greens co-leader Lorna Slater speaks about her father?s assisted death...
28 Jan 2026 at 6:35am
Former Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater speaks exclusively to Scotland Tonight about her father's assisted death in Canada.

It?s 100 days until Scots go to polls ? political parties are setting out the...
27 Jan 2026 at 6:29pm
STV's political editor Colin MacKay looks at how parties are ramping up their campaigns ahead of the election

Under two-thirds seen within four-hour target at A&E, latest figures show
27 Jan 2026 at 11:10am
In the week to January 18, 62.1% of patients were seen within the target time.

Reform UK Scotland leader Malcolm Offord plans huge savings by cutting spendi...
27 Jan 2026 at 10:07am
Lord Malcolm Offord says Reform would also cut the number of income tax bands in Scotland from six to three.

100 days to save NHS says Labour as parties set out Holyrood election stalls
27 Jan 2026 at 7:25am
Voters in Scotland will go to the polls on May 7 ? 100 days from Tuesday.

Child poverty must be ?front and centre? of Holyrood manifestos, says charity
27 Jan 2026 at 7:02am
With 100 days until the Holyrood election the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has released a new report.

Deputy first minister Kate Forbes heads to UAE for four-day trade mission
27 Jan 2026 at 6:36am
Forbes will meet senior government ministers during the four-day trip to mark the second Scotland Week UAE

Suella Braverman tells Reform she has ?come home? after defection from Conser...
26 Jan 2026 at 2:46pm
The former home secretary said she had resigned her Conservative Party membership of 30 years

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Scottish Tories target low income families by reintroducing two child benefit...
28 Jan 2026 at 1:33pm
Party leader Russell Findlay said the SNP Government's flagship Scottish child payment should only be given to the first two children in a family.

Keir Starmer delays Chinese plan to open huge windfarm factory in Scotland
28 Jan 2026 at 11:35am
Manufacturing giant Mingyang announced last year it planned to open the UK?s largest wind turbine manufacturing facility in Aberdeenshire.

Health Secretary blocks Labour councillor who faced sex message probe from NH...
28 Jan 2026 at 7:45am
EXCLUSIVE: Neil Gray intervened to reject the appointment after a complaint was made by an SNP MSP.

Donald Trump branded 'coward' by mum of Scots solider killed in Afghanistan
28 Jan 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Jane Duffy said the US President must offer a full apology to all UK troops who served in Afghanistan after he questioned their bravery.

Labour to force Holyrood vote on Queen Elizabeth University Hospital scandal
28 Jan 2026 at 4:30am
Anas Sarwar described the botched opening of the QEUH and subsequent death of patients "the single biggest scandal in the history of devolution".

Former linesman and Labour candidate opens up on death of mum from lung cancer
27 Jan 2026 at 3:00pm
Jordan Stokoe spoke about his late mum at Labour's event marking 100 days to the Holyrood election.

Deacon Blue blast Reform UK after Scottish leader compares 'Dignity' anthem t...
27 Jan 2026 at 1:15pm
The iconic Scottish band said it was ?deeply depressing? to see the ?poisonous rhetoric? of Reform take hold.

Pubs in Scotland in 'crisis' as SNP Government called on to help save communi...
27 Jan 2026 at 12:59pm
EXCLUSIVE: The UK Chancellor will announce plans to help pubs in England and Wales at a time pubs are closing at a faster rate in Scotland.

SNP 'denying reality' of housing emergency in Dundee with hundreds of kids le...
27 Jan 2026 at 10:44am
The SNP administration in the City of Discovery has twice voted against declaring a housing emergency despite being urged to do so by a leading charity.

Reform UK members in Scotland will 'not have a say' in picking Holyrood candi...
27 Jan 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: It is understood party bosses will impose the candidates for the upcoming election.

The National

The National | Politics

Scottish Government responds to claim US 'abducted two people from Scotland'
28 Jan 2026 at 6:44pm

THE Scottish Government has responded after it was claimed that the United States ?abducted? two people from Scotland despite a court order that they were not to leave the jurisdiction ...

SNP question about VAT was simply ignored by Rachel Reeves
28 Jan 2026 at 6:30pm

SNP MP Dave Doogan brought to the attention of the House of Commons the burden of the overhead costs on hospitality and in particular VAT charges. He went on to inform the House that there were 8000 fewer hospitality jobs in December compared to November and 20,000 fewer in December than in September 2025.

It?s simply untrue that Scots have the power to sack Keir Starmer
28 Jan 2026 at 6:30pm

ON Tuesday afternoon my partner, who is barely clinging to her SNP membership, received an email from the party asking for a donation to their Holyrood election campaign. The email features a picture of an ad van passing the Palace of Westminster with a picture of Labour leader Keir Starmer accompanied by the wording ?GONE IN 100 DAYS?. I doubt it will have been seen by many potential SNP voter...

Dates announced for 2026 All Under One Banner independence marches
28 Jan 2026 at 6:19pm

THE dates and locations for all of the All Under One Banner marches in 2026 have been announced ...

John Swinney's defence speech forces the question: Who's a national security ...
28 Jan 2026 at 6:00pm

TO hear Labour ministers tell it, the SNP are a national security threat. But is that the right way around?

Scottish Tory benefit reform plan would cause 'hardship' for children, expert...
28 Jan 2026 at 5:33pm

THE Scottish Tories? plans to introduce a two-child cap on the SNP?s flagship benefit would cause ?hardship? for children across Scotland, experts have warned.

Labour 'taking a sledgehammer' to Scottish jobs projects with funding switch
28 Jan 2026 at 4:35pm

LABOUR have been accused of taking ?a sledgehammer? to vital community schemes in Scotland as a result of Westminster funding reforms.

US Government responds to claim it 'unlawfully abducted two people from Scotl...
28 Jan 2026 at 4:30pm

THE United States has responded to allegations that it ?abducted? two people from Scotland despite a court order that they were not to leave the jurisdiction

John Swinney calls for UK warships to be based in Scotland to fix security 'g...
28 Jan 2026 at 4:09pm

THE UK should have warships based in Scotland to protect the country?s offshore energy assets, John Swinney has said

Labour minister dubbed 'Michael Long Shanks' ahead of visit to GB Energy in A...
28 Jan 2026 at 3:51pm

A LABOUR Energy Minister?s visit to Scotland has seen him branded ?Michael Long Shanks? as he was accused of being the ?hammer of Scots energy jobs?.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Government moves to add sex to Hate Crime Act
28 Jan 2026 at 4:07pm
MSPs have limited time to scrutinise the regulations

UK Government aims to upskill 10 million workers with AI skills hub
28 Jan 2026 at 1:45pm
Ministers say unlocking the potential of AI could generate an extra ?140bn

Tories propose two-child cap for key Scottish benefit
28 Jan 2026 at 12:29pm
It comes as the UK Government prepares to abolish the two-child cap

High-tech gloves help robots get touchy-feely
28 Jan 2026 at 10:21am
Edinburgh University team eyes commercial breakthrough

Stem charity reaches more than 50,000 people in ?landmark? year
28 Jan 2026 at 10:00am
'We have a real opportunity to build on this momentum'

The Importance of Increasing a Homegrown National Asset
28 Jan 2026 at 6:00am
By strengthening that chain now, Scotland can continue meating our potential for generations to come.

Minister denies deliberate delay in releasing Salmond files
27 Jan 2026 at 2:54pm
Graeme Dey insisted the materials would be published ?as soon as possible?

A-Aieee: Scottish scientists help create dinosaur footprint app
27 Jan 2026 at 11:13am
Algorithm reduces scale of fossil ID challenge, researchers claim

Reform tax plans would likely require cuts to services, thinktank says
27 Jan 2026 at 10:36am
The IFS said the proposals do not ?properly confront the challenges? of funding the tax cuts

Future Opportunity: Ensuring the economy of the north east is diverse enough ...
27 Jan 2026 at 6:00am
Ensuring the economy of the north east is diverse enough to meet the challenge of change

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Deacon Blue ?appalled? by Reform UK?s Scottish leader quoting their song lyrics
27 Jan 2026 at 11:04am
Exclusive: Band hit out at party?s ?poisonous rhetoric? after Malcolm Offord makes reference to Dignity during speechOne of Scotland?s most celebrated rock bands, Deacon Blue, say they are ?appalled? that one of their greatest hits is being used by Reform UK?s new Scottish leader to bolster his p...

Tories withdraw ?mental health? briefing about Suella Braverman after former ...
26 Jan 2026 at 6:10pm
Her defection means there are now eight Reform MPs in the CommonsKeir Starmer was being interview by Beth Rigby from Sky News this morning when he defended the decision not to let Andy Burnham be a byelection candidate.After Starmer delivered his first answer (see 10.15am), Rigby asked him to wha...

Reform says it would cut green policies to fund £2bn income tax cut in Scotland
26 Jan 2026 at 4:36pm
Party?s pitch to voters in May Holyrood elections dismissed as ?profoundly unserious, almost comically so? by head of IPPR ScotlandReform UK would slash what it calls ?highly dubious? environmental protection measures to help fund a £2bn cut to income tax in Scotland if it won May?s Holyrood elec...

Scottish health board admits hospital water system linked to fatal infections
19 Jan 2026 at 12:03pm
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde makes last-minute U-turn in submission to hospitals inquiryScotland?s largest health board has finally admitted that contaminated water at a Glasgow super-hospital caused serious infections in child cancer patients that were linked to four deaths.NHS Greater Glasgow ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Reform UK?s authoritarian project for power
28 Jan 2026 at 2:55pm
The American author and poet Maya Anjelou famously wrote: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” That has never been more true than where we are now in British politics with the rise of the far right, the performative cruelty it espouses and its dehumanisation of minority groups. Reform UK …

England is driving on the right politically
26 Jan 2026 at 3:05pm
All is not well in the Labour party. Over the weekend Keir Starmer and his allies took the decision to throw away a by election in order to buy the politically ailing Starmer some more time in office. Starmer and his allies on Labour’s NEC voted to refuse permission to Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to …

The BBC?s bad treatment of NHS Scotland
24 Jan 2026 at 1:03pm
When a parent loses a child it is an unbearable tragedy, and I want to preface this blog piece with the important caveat that I in no way wish to cast any aspersions on the bereaved and fully support their drive to uncover the truth about what went on at the new Southern General Hospital …

The rich are enemies of democracy and of an independent Scotland
23 Jan 2026 at 4:39pm
The biggest political issue of our days is one that few politicians are talking about. That’s the increasing concentration of wealth in the hands of a small minority. In 2023, the world?s richest 1%, defined as those with more than $1 million, owned 47.5 percent of all the world?s wealth ? equivalent to roughly $214 …

The fork in the road for Scotland, independence or the Golf of America
21 Jan 2026 at 1:51pm
Over the past week, the reasons for Scottish independence got even more pressing and urgent. Donald Trump, the so-called ‘Peace President’, is openly threatening Greenland, Denmark, Canada, and Latin America. Trump’s unilateral destruction of the post WW2 international order as he seeks total US hegemony over the Western hemisphere and the annexation of Greenland. Once …

The days of playing by rules stacked against Scotland will soon be over
19 Jan 2026 at 4:44pm
Just eighteen months ago, we were looking at the prospect of this year’s Scottish elections with dread and trepidation. Labour was in the ascendant on the back of its victory in the July 2024 Westminster General election and Anas Sarwar was confidently expecting to install himself in Bute House as First Minister, some excitable Labour …

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

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

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

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

The Courier

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Scottish Politics News From Holyrood and Westminster | The Courier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Talking up Scotland

Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz'

Short video ? Dear voter, sick of the other parties and tempted by Reform UK?...
28 Jan 2026 at 4:09pm
Please share with anyone you know who prefers a wee video instead of reading.

Scotland?s Union nuclear legacy ? among the very highest cancer incidence and...
28 Jan 2026 at 4:05pm
Above, BBC Scotland’s headline yesterday and then another that they were never going to write but should if they really believed in informing us like their mission statement claims. The above from ECIS – European Cancer Information System for 2024, shows the cancer incidence (longer bars) and mortality rates (shorter darker bars) per 100 000.1 It’d be embarrassing, were we still in the EU, and ...

Dear voter, sick of the other parties and tempted by Reform UK? Don?t be daft...
28 Jan 2026 at 4:03pm
From the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) yesterday: Reform UK have announced plans for cuts to income tax in Scotland if they were to win the Scottish Parliament elections in May. They say they would start by realigning Scotland?s tax rates and bands with those in the rest of the UK and then cut all rates by 1 percentage point. They would aim to further cut rates so that by the end of the up...

Short video ? Why Labour?s plans for nuclear in Scotland are both stupid and ...
28 Jan 2026 at 9:58am
Nearly 75 and appearing in videos!? FFS

Why Labour?s plans for nuclear in Scotland are both stupid and risk the lives...
28 Jan 2026 at 8:16am
BBC Reporting Scotland last night offered a one-sided piece on nuclear power restarting in Scotland and, in particular – the new small modular reactors or SMRs. The piece opened and was dominated by, supporters of the idea with a token Scottish Government comment at the end but none of the real concerns. The stupid first, then the horrific risks Labour will accept on your behalf just in the hop...

Short video ? Three quarters of a million children in poverty, in England or ...
27 Jan 2026 at 4:02pm

SNP policy HALVES alcohol-related hospital admission as 93% of abusers treate...
27 Jan 2026 at 3:47pm
From Alcohol related hospital statistics Scotland financial year 2024 to 2025 published today: Alcohol-related hospital admissions in Scotland, above, peaked in 2007/2008 at 43 038, after decades of Labour power in Scotland. After the first SNP government in 2007/2008, they began to fall then after 2018 when the SNP minimum unit-pricing policy was implemented, they began to fall even more steep...

Three quarters of a million children in poverty, in England or Wales would no...
27 Jan 2026 at 3:46pm
From UK Poverty 2026, published today: Child poverty rates in Scotland (23%) remain much lower than those in England (31%) and Wales (31%), similar to levels in Northern Ireland (24%). This is likely to be due, at least in part, to the Scottish Child Payment (SCP). This highlights the effect benefits can have in reducing poverty. Another driver of lower child poverty rates in Scotland and North...

?Only seven ?countries? meet World Health Organisation air quality standard, ...
27 Jan 2026 at 10:54am
In the Guardian today: Air pollution kills thousands a year in the UK and abroad ? why isn?t there a bigger uproar? by Prof Devi Sridhar who though based in Edinburgh makes no mention of Scotland. Why should she: ?Only seven countries meet WHO air quality standard, research finds??.plus Scotland According to the Guardian in March 2024, Scotland is not a country and by implication falls with the...

Is it insensitive to want a hard border when ?UK? loses WHO status as being m...
27 Jan 2026 at 9:16am
The above shocking news Sun is all over the media but none are telling us this: Only Scotland and Wales meet WHO target for measles protection From Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland Quarter ending 30 September 2025, yesterday: The first dose of Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is offered between 12 and 13 months old and the second dose at 3 years 4 months old. 92.5% of childr...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Scottish independence - Institute for Government
26 Jan 2026 at 4:30pm
Scottish independence  Institute for Government

Dates announced for 2026 All Under One Banner independence marches - TheNatio...
28 Jan 2026 at 6:20pm
Dates announced for 2026 All Under One Banner independence marches  TheNational.scot

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

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

SNP drops independence message in scramble for votes - The Telegraph
25 Jan 2026 at 10:00pm
SNP drops independence message in scramble for votes  The Telegraph

Scottish independence poll 2025 - Statista
28 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish independence poll 2025  Statista

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

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 8:00am
Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shifts  Courthouse 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

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

So why is the SNP afraid to fight a Scottish election? - The Times
28 Jan 2026 at 6:28pm
So why is the SNP afraid to fight a Scottish election?  The Times

FACT CHECK: Tory claim 'SNP review found Scottish Child Payment hurts employm...
28 Jan 2026 at 1:03pm
FACT CHECK: Tory claim 'SNP review found Scottish Child Payment hurts employment'  TheNational.scot

Benefits claimants handed ?£56k salary? under SNP - The Telegraph
28 Jan 2026 at 2:55pm
Benefits claimants handed ?£56k salary? under SNP  The Telegraph

'Something rotten in the state of Scotland' as SNP refuses to set a date to r...
28 Jan 2026 at 6:00am
'Something rotten in the state of Scotland' as SNP refuses to set a date to release 'Salmond files'  scotsman.com

Tories propose two-child limit on SNP flagship Scottish Child Payment - The H...
28 Jan 2026 at 1:41pm
Tories propose two-child limit on SNP flagship Scottish Child Payment  The Herald

Midlothian Deserves Better ? and It Starts With Standing Up to Bad SNP Decisi...
28 Jan 2026 at 9:38am
Midlothian Deserves Better ? and It Starts With Standing Up to Bad SNP Decisions  midlothianview.com

North Ayrshire Council leader Marie Burns steps down in shock move - ardrossa...
26 Jan 2026 at 10:18pm
North Ayrshire Council leader Marie Burns steps down in shock move  ardrossanherald.com

It?s time for Scotland and the SNP to get serious about defence - enlighten.scot
24 Jan 2026 at 2:11am
It?s time for Scotland and the SNP to get serious about defence  enlighten.scot

Jim Sillars: The election is a real test for the SNP ? I think they will fail...
27 Jan 2026 at 2:03am
Jim Sillars: The election is a real test for the SNP ? I think they will fail  holyrood.com

SNP question about VAT was simply ignored by Rachel Reeves - TheNational.scot
28 Jan 2026 at 6:34pm
SNP question about VAT was simply ignored by Rachel Reeves  TheNational.scot

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Scottish independence - Institute for Government
26 Jan 2026 at 4:30pm
Scottish independence  Institute for Government

Scottish first minister says a May majority means new independence push - Reu...
18 Jan 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish first minister says a May majority means new independence push  Reuters

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

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

Holyrood parties set out election priorities as countdown hits 100 days - The...
27 Jan 2026 at 12:02am
Holyrood parties set out election priorities as countdown hits 100 days  The Herald

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

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

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

Scottish independence poll 2025 - Statista
28 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish independence poll 2025  Statista

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