The Herald

The Herald | Politics


What is the 'critical' situation facing Scotland's hospitality sector?
by scott.wright@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Scott Wright
7 Jan 2026 at 5:01pm
Pubs and brewers make case for support from Scottish Government


Labour could still table motion of no confidence in Angela Constance says Sarwar
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
7 Jan 2026 at 3:35pm
Scottish Labour could still table a motion of no confidence in Justice Secretary Angela Constance, Anas Sarwar has said.


LIVE: US seizes oil tanker sailing under Russian flag north of Scotland
7 Jan 2026 at 2:03pm
The U.S has seized an oil tanker sailing under the Russian flag in international waters north of Scotland


John Swinney urged to stop trade talks with United States over Maduro capture
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
7 Jan 2026 at 1:03pm
Activists made the plea prior to a picket at the US Consulate in Edinburgh following the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.


?Idiotic?: Anas Sarwar snaps as Labour?s Scottish briefing war explodes
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
7 Jan 2026 at 12:38pm
Anas Sarwar condemns anonymous Labour briefings as ?idiotic? amid reports of unrest over Keir Starmer?s leadership.


Nigel Farage to announce Scottish leader of Reform UK ahead of Holyrood vote
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
7 Jan 2026 at 12:01pm
The Scottish leader of Reform UK will be announced at a press conference by Nigel Farage next week


Holyrood urged to do more for councils as major incident declared in Aberdeen...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
7 Jan 2026 at 11:41am
On Tuesday afternoon, Aberdeenshire Council said that a ?prolonged period of significant impacts? had necessitated the decision.


Russia sends navy to protect tanker sailing north of Scotland amid US seizure...
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
7 Jan 2026 at 9:50am
Russia has reportedly deployed its navy to protect an oil tanker off the coast of Scotland


Scottish hospitals face 'total derailment' amid rising wait times, A&E doctors...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
7 Jan 2026 at 9:09am
The leading professional body for emergency physicians has said the Scottish Government must immediately tackle ?delayed discharges and overcrowding?.


State-funded Scottish National Investment Bank reveals new chief executive
by scott.wright@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Scott Wright
7 Jan 2026 at 8:54am
David Ritchie takes over from investment veteran Al Denholm


'Brutal' business rates rise 'disconnected from reality', says hospitality body
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
7 Jan 2026 at 8:21am
The Scottish Government sets the commercial property tax every three years, while councils administer and collect the levy.


MSPs handed £3,000 pay rise ? how much will they be paid in 2026?
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
7 Jan 2026 at 6:50am
The 4.3% increase was calculated using the Office for National Statistics' average weekly earnings index.


Dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge again: Political parties' approach to IndyRef2
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
7 Jan 2026 at 4:39pm
Unionist parties are dodging defining what would trigger another independence referendum as Holyrood election campaigning intensifies.


MSPs vote to suspend Ash Regan for two days over Code of Conduct breach
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
6 Jan 2026 at 6:10pm
Ash Regan has been suspended from Holyrood after MSPs backed a finding that she breached the Parliament?s Code of Conduct.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Scottish councils to be given more powers over tourist taxes
7 Jan 2026 at 11:10am

Tourism groups have welcomed the new proposals, which the government hopes will be passed before the Holyrood election in May

The Reform UK leader said he will make the announcement at a press conference in Edinburgh on Thursday.

The Alba Party was chased for an outstanding five-figure sum, with the issue ?now resolved?

The UK Government will consult on whether to introduce a minimum learning period of three or six months as part of its road safety strategy.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats called the bill ?eye-watering?

Ash Regan?s prostitution legislation is set for its first Holyrood vote next week.

First Minister John Swinney has issued a letter reprimanding his Justice Secretary.

?There are suspicions that these errors were caused by the use of AI in writing the judgement?

Wings over Scotland

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 …

The Fear Of The Briar
31 Dec 2025 at 11:42am
With Reform now pretty consistently miles in front in polling for the next UK election, logically this is brilliant news for the Scottish independence movement, isn’t it? So can anyone explain why the SNP is so desperate to stop them? That’s a rhetorical question, of course. As we’ve repeatedly explored on Wings over the last …

The Curious Fringes
29 Dec 2025 at 2:14pm
There’s a post on the superwoke poll-analysis account Ballot Box Scotland today bemoaning the lack of interest in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election from polling companies, and presenting it as some sort of anti-Scottish conspiracy. The real reason nobody’s very interested, of course, is that as things stand the election is an obvious foregone conclusion …

A matter of class
19 Dec 2025 at 5:14pm
Something very odd happened when the Sandie Peggie employment tribunal delivered its judgment – and it wasn?t just the made-up quotes and mangled law. Call it institutional bias, ideological capture, or just the law doing its job, but what Employment Judge Sandy Kemp?s tribunal delivered was the most one-sided outcome since Butch and Sundance decided …

Contempt Of Government
19 Dec 2025 at 11:47am
This is actually pretty serious. Because, y’know, you can call us old-fashioned purists or sticklers or whatever if you like, but government ministers probably shouldn’t openly lie in prepared statements to the High Court in order to pervert the course of justice. And this is as clear a knowing, deliberate lie as you could hope …

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

Craig Murray

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

The Skripal Novichok Hoax
12 Dec 2025 at 9:58am

I did not anticipate that an open public meeting in Salisbury itself would be 95% sceptical of the official Novichok hoax – but it was. Thanks to UK Column for putting this on. I hope you find it enlightening – there is information which goes beyond my previous articles on the subject. In about a …

The Skripal Novichok Hoax

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

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

Your Party, and Its Conference

The Filton Trial
7 Dec 2025 at 8:35pm

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

The Filton Trial

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

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

The Terrifying Case of Natalie Strecker

BBC Scotland

US planes land at Scottish airport during operation to seize tanker
7 Jan 2026 at 5:42pm
Three U-28A Dracos - used by the US Air Force special operations command - stopped at Scottish -government owned Wick airport before heading north.

Justice secretary found to have breached ministerial code
6 Jan 2026 at 4:16pm
Angela Constance was given a written reprimand following a row over her comments about grooming gangs expert.

MSPs to get £3,000 pay increase next year
6 Jan 2026 at 4:47pm
The 4.3% salary hike will lead to salaries at the Scottish Parliament rising from £74,507 to £77,710.

Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of election
5 Jan 2026 at 2:15pm
John Swinney, Anas Sarwar and Russell Findlay have made their pitches for May's Holyrood vote.

Public holiday to celebrate Scotland's World Cup return
5 Jan 2026 at 12:14pm
Scotland will face Haiti in Boston on Sunday 14 June before taking on Morocco and Brazil in the US.

What to expect at Holyrood and beyond as 2026 election race steps up
2 Jan 2026 at 9:03am
BBC Scotland political editor Glenn Campbell looks at what lies ahead for Scottish politics this year with the Scottish Parliament election looming in May.

Grooming gang row 'could have been handled better' - Constance
30 Dec 2025 at 5:18pm
Angela Constance's remarks about Prof Alexis Jay are to be independently investigated to determine if they breached the ministerial code.

A&E waiting times improve ahead of busy festive period
23 Dec 2025 at 3:35pm
Figures from Public Health Scotland (PHS) show that 64% of people were seen to within the four-hour target last week compared to 59% the week before.

Resident doctor pay talks to continue over Christmas as strike looms
22 Dec 2025 at 2:52pm
Scotland's resident doctors have voted to strike in January, but the health secretary says it is an outcome both sides want to avoid.

Labour MSP to quit Holyrood over links to sex offender
21 Dec 2025 at 7:12pm
Pam Duncan-Glancy stood down as the party's education spokeswoman earlier this month after admitting a "serious error of judgement".

Call for time limits on public inquiries as costs soar
21 Dec 2025 at 9:20am
MSPs have recommended changes as they revealed almost £260m has been spent on Scotland's public inquiries since 2007.

First minister recalls 'moment of peace' as Christmas card revealed
21 Dec 2025 at 9:42am
John Swinney captured the image during a walk along the banks of Loch Ossian, on Rannoch Moor, in 2024.

Scot Goes Pop

Alba's death-throes UPDATE: party insider makes explosive allegation that Ken...
7 Jan 2026 at 3:12pm
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...

Through their craven silence on Venezuela, the leaders of European countries ...
5 Jan 2026 at 9:44am
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...

An update about the Great Scot Goes Pop Video-Blogging Experiment, and the pr...
3 Jan 2026 at 4:31pm
A few minutes ago, my phone spontaneously managed to escape from my pocket onto the road outside my house for the second time in the space of six months, smashing the screen yet again.  I thought I...

Professor John Curtice projects the SNP *are* on course for Holyrood list sea...
3 Jan 2026 at 9:11am
The video below also briefly touches on an astoundingly ill-informed tweet from "RevStew" about Quebec politics, which rather calls into question the oft-heard claims that he's some sort of highly ...

New Year, NEW STEW? Controversial blogger dramatically ADMITS an average of ...
2 Jan 2026 at 9:38am
Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already pretty close to halfway to its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

"Simply spellbinding": analysis of new Find Out Now poll showing support for ...
30 Dec 2025 at 8:18pm
Just a quick note to let you know that I have an analysis piece at The National about the new independence poll that the paper has commissioned from Find Out Now, and which has Yes comfortably ahea...

Exquisite end-of-year poll puts SNP / Greens on course to retain pro-independ...
30 Dec 2025 at 10:43am
Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already pretty close to halfway to its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

The year Scotland swung in favour of independence: an average of all polls in...
29 Dec 2025 at 7:52am
Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already pretty close to halfway to its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

I can still be Scotland?s next first minister, says Sarwar as he backs Starmer
7 Jan 2026 at 11:26am
The Scottish Labour leader said: ?I believe we will elect a new first minister in this country and I believe that will be me.?

?Ease the pain? and slash Scots? bills, Tories tell Swinney ahead of budget
7 Jan 2026 at 7:13am
The Scottish Conservatives have called on John Swinney to cut taxes on people and businesses.

MSP Ash Regan suspended from Holyrood for two days
6 Jan 2026 at 6:47pm
Regan was found to have breached the MSP code of conduct.

Justice secretary ?unintentionally? broke ministerial code, investigation finds
6 Jan 2026 at 3:14pm
Constance was accused of misleading MSPs by misrepresenting comments made by an expert on grooming gangs during a Holyrood debate in September.

MSP salary to rise by 4.3% in April
6 Jan 2026 at 1:40pm
The increase will see the annual MSP salary rise from £74,507 to £77,710.

First minister receives report into justice secretary misconduct claims
6 Jan 2026 at 1:26pm
Constance was accused of misleading MSPs by misrepresenting comments made by an expert on grooming gangs during a Holyrood debate in September.

Holyrood rivals clash on independence, cost of living and immigration
6 Jan 2026 at 7:11am
Senior figures from the six main parties went head-to-head in a special Scotland Tonight programme.

Scottish Labour?s Anas Sarwar admits Starmer ?not popular with public right now?
5 Jan 2026 at 4:21pm
Anas Sarwar said UK Labour had done many things well, but he said there were still many challenges they had to confront.

Donald Trump breached international law with Venezuela operation, suggests Jo...
5 Jan 2026 at 3:23pm
The South American country?s president Nicolas Maduro was arrested and taken to the US over the weekend.

Swinney ?anxious? to reach deal with doctors to stop strike ?disruption? to NHS
5 Jan 2026 at 11:26am
Health secretary Neil Gray is due to hold talks with the British Medical Association.

Scottish election: Political leaders ramp up campaigns five months ahead of H...
5 Jan 2026 at 10:16am
Thousands of voters will decide who will lead the country on May 7.

Brown says Labour must end ?disrespect for devolution? in 2026
4 Jan 2026 at 5:27pm
The SNP depute leader said Labour had broken its promises on devolution.

More than 1,600 newborns in Scotland with drug dependence since 2017, figures...
4 Jan 2026 at 2:26pm
Freedom of information requests showed at least 1,633 newborns in Scotland have received treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).

Do not muck about at election, First Minister John Swinney warns independence...
4 Jan 2026 at 1:21pm
The First Minister has targeted an SNP majority at this year?s Holyrood poll as the trigger for another vote on independence.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Scottish Labour briefing wars are an act of monumental stupidity
7 Jan 2026 at 2:13pm
Daily Record Political Editor says Scottish Labour MPs calling for Keir Starmer to be replaced before May are harming Anas Sarwar.

US special forces launch operation from Scots airport to seize oil tanker lin...
7 Jan 2026 at 1:46pm
US forces launched a daring raid to seize the Marinera, a rusting Russian-flagged vessel said to have escaped Donald Trump?s "total naval blockade" of Venezuela.

Anas Sarwar blasts 'idiotic' Scottish Labour MPs who want Keir Starmer to quit
7 Jan 2026 at 1:00pm
An exasperated Scottish Labour leader hit out at the continued briefings from party MPs about Starmer.

Reform UK councillor branded 'heartless' and 'ruthless' over eviction of fami...
7 Jan 2026 at 12:20pm
EXCLUSIVE: Reform's first elected councillor in Scotland has been criticised over the eviction.

John Swinney independence plan is 'cynical attempt to blame voters', says ex-...
7 Jan 2026 at 11:20am
EXCLUSIVE: The former SNP minister said the independence campaign should not be "constrained by party management or internal calculations".

ScotRail pays out £3m in compensation to passengers over delayed trains
7 Jan 2026 at 4:30am
The pay-outs were made after services were either cancelled or severely delayed.

Ash Regan given two-day Holyrood suspension after breaching MSP code of conduct
6 Jan 2026 at 7:15pm
Ms Regan had taken issue with the Green MSP Maggie Chapman?s characterisation of last year?s UK Supreme Court decision on sex and gender as a ?political attack?.

Angela Constance breached ethics rules on grooming gangs row but will not quit
6 Jan 2026 at 3:35pm
Investigators ruled the breaches were ?unintentionally".

MSPs to receive 4.3% pay rise to take salaries to £77,710
6 Jan 2026 at 1:42pm
The salary bump will come into force in April.

A&E departments in Scots hospitals in 'meltdown' with waiting times at 'worst ...
6 Jan 2026 at 1:40pm
Opposition parties said the waiting times faced by patients "makes a mockery of John Swinney?s claim that the health service is improving".

The National

The National | Politics

Scottish Government 'faces questions' over airport used in US tanker operation
7 Jan 2026 at 6:59pm

The Scottish Government has 'serious questions' to answer after US Air Force planes used a Highlands airport during an operation to seize a Russia-bound tanker

Woman dies after being 'shot in the face' by US ICE officers
7 Jan 2026 at 6:25pm

A woman has reportedly died after she was shot in the face by a US immigration officer in Minneapolis

Anas Sarwar's year couldn't have got off to a worse start
7 Jan 2026 at 5:56pm

You can get The National's Real Scottish Politics newsletter free and direct to your inbox every weekday. To sign up, click HEREand click the + button.

Celtic fans launch campaign against club over player signing
7 Jan 2026 at 5:27pm

CELTIC fans have launched a petition demanding that the club stop the signing of a player from an Israeli football club with links to the genocide in Gaza.

Hunger striker hospitalised for sixth time with 'abnormal' heart rate
7 Jan 2026 at 5:03pm

An activist on remand in a UK prison has been hospitalised for the sixth time after experiencing an 'abnormal' heart rate

British armed forces involved in US seizure of Russian-flagged oil tanker, Mo...
7 Jan 2026 at 4:09pm

BRITISH armed forces were involved in the US?s seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic between Scotland and Iceland, the Ministry of Defence has revealed ...

David Pratt on what Donald Trump is really doing in Venezuela
7 Jan 2026 at 4:25pm

FOLLOWING a US attack on Venezuela and the abduction of the country's president Nicolas Maduro, many of you will have been wondering what Donald Trump is really getting up to there.

No-one but Keir Starmer believes Trump?s excuse for grabbing Maduro
7 Jan 2026 at 3:00pm

It should be no surprise that while the rest of the world watched in absolute horror Trump?s illegal invasion of another oil-rich country, Starmer should be hot out of the blocks fawning, eager to please and acquiescing to the behaviour.

Why did the US military seize Russian oil tanker off Scottish coast?
7 Jan 2026 at 2:28pm

THE US military has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Scotland as UK aircraft flew overhead.

Glasgow showcases how comedy can fight the darkness in the world, says Karen ...
7 Jan 2026 at 2:13pm

GLASGOW is an ambassador of welcoming people in and using comedy to ?laugh together? at the darkness in the world, comedian and actor Karen Dunbar has said ...

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

New cross-government cyber unit announced
7 Jan 2026 at 10:02am
The unit is being created as part of the government's cyber action plan, which was launched on Tuesday

MSPs to receive ?3,000 pay rise
6 Jan 2026 at 4:21pm
MSPs? salaries will rise from ?74,507 to ?77,710 beginning in April

Angela Constance breached ministerial code but resignation not required
6 Jan 2026 at 3:22pm
Independent advisers said the justice secretary had made two errors but a sanction beyond a reprove was not needed

Ofcom makes ?urgent contact? with X over reports its AI makes ?sexualised ima...
5 Jan 2026 at 5:14pm
Over the?last week?accounts on the social media platform X have asked the AI chatbot to edit images of women to appear in bikinis without the person in the photo?s consent

John Swinney ?cannot see? how Donald Trump strike on Venezuela meets internat...
5 Jan 2026 at 11:59am
Maduro regime was 'illegitimate', SNP leader says

John Swinney to propose bank holiday to mark Scotland?s first World Cup game
5 Jan 2026 at 10:18am
The first minister is proposing Monday 15 June be?designated?a holiday, which is the day after Scotland?s first game against Haiti

Scottish Government feared being unprepared for a pandemic, cabinet papers show
1 Jan 2026 at 9:00am
Declassified documents reveal reflections on swine flu and fears for the future

Indyref could have been held three years earlier, government papers show
1 Jan 2026 at 12:02am
Declassified documents show the first SNP government?s considerations over Yes-No vote

Ministerial code advisers to investigate Angela Constance
23 Dec 2025 at 2:45pm
It follows a row over whether the justice secretary misled parliament about the views of a child sex abuse expert

Labour MSP to stand down at election
22 Dec 2025 at 7:43am
Pam Duncan-Glancy stepped down from the front bench earlier this month

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

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...

No 10 suggests UK would not vote for UN security council resolution condemnin...
5 Jan 2026 at 6:10pm
PM?s spokesperson did not contest report claiming that the UK will abstain on a possible UN voteSpeaking to reporters this morning, Keir Starmer said Nicolás Maduro, who was president of Venezuela until he was arrested by the Americans on Saturday and taken to a US jail, was not a legitimate rule...

Scottish Labour urges Keir Starmer to stay out of Holyrood campaign
5 Jan 2026 at 2:53pm
Anas Sarwar says prime minister?s missteps have left party clear underdogs in run-up to May electionUK politics live ? latest updatesKeir Starmer and senior ministers have been urged by Scottish Labour to ?stay behind their doors? in Whitehall to avoid turning the next Holyrood election into a re...

Nativism and the disintegration of the UK
1 Jan 2026 at 5:07pm
With the weakening of pro-integration parties, Ben Wellings warns that the continuation of the UK in its current form cannot be taken for grantedStalking your editorial on the new political geography emerging in Britain (25 December) is the fear of disintegration. This is a political outcome that...

The Guardian view on May 2026 elections: a new political geography is coming ...
25 Dec 2025 at 5:30pm
Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today we look at the impact of devolution on growing volatility of party political allegianceNext year will be pivotal in British politics, and 7 May will be the point around which things pivot. Elections ...

Keir Starmer planning new king?s speech after May elections
18 Dec 2025 at 1:19pm
Timing seen as moment to reset after potential loss of hundreds of council seats in England and defeat in Wales and ScotlandUK politics live ? latest updatesKeir Starmer is planning for a new king?s speech after crunch elections in May next year as a reset moment for the government amid speculati...

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

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

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

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

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

A fake rebellion from a fake party
7 Jan 2026 at 11:28am
While we are distracted by Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela, the kidnapping of its president and his threats to take over Greenland, here in Scotland the parties are getting into gear for the Holyrood election campaign. Anas Sarwar has got off the starting blocks with a carefully orchestrated ‘rebellion’ against his intensely unpopular boss, Keir …

Greenland, a nation, not an American possession
6 Jan 2026 at 4:46pm
With the Trump regime ramping up its threats against the Arctic nation of Greenland, it’s a good time to take a closer look at the history and culture of Greenland. Greenland is officially called Kalaallit Nunaat in the Greenlandic language, the language of the great majority of the country’s 57,000 population. Greenlandic, or Kalaallisut, is …

In May Scotland?s destiny is in our hands
5 Jan 2026 at 6:51pm
Speaking to SNP party members in Glasgow as the campaign for the Scottish elections in May starts to ramp up, First Minister John Swinney has said that the Scottish media should be ?livid? at the UK Government’s refusal to spell out the democratic route to a second independence referendum. If we lived in a normal …

The superpower of piracy
3 Jan 2026 at 5:22pm
The international rule of law has been on life support for some time. It was battered and bludgeoned by the West’s invasion of Iraq. Israel casually ignored international law as it pursued genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank while the West, most notably the USA and the UK, enabled Netanyahu and …

Making plans for Nigel in 2026
31 Dec 2025 at 2:37pm
It’s nice to end what has been at times a trying year with some good news. On a personal level, in 2025 my mum lost her battle with cancer, and my good friend and former neighbour Mary Docherty, a stalwart of the Glasgow North East SNP branch, passed away after a long illness. Both are …

It?s not just independence that?s at stake in May?s Scottish election
29 Dec 2025 at 7:33pm
Another opinion poll has suggested that the pro-independence parties are on track to win a convincing majority in Holyrood in May’s Scottish parliament election. The poll, by Find Out Now for The National, paints a grim picture for both Labour and the Conservatives, who seem set to return their worst results in the history of …

Hope will start to dawn in 2026
27 Dec 2025 at 2:34pm
Making predictions in politics is a mug’s game, particularly if those predictions concern a year ahead. It has famously been said that a week is a long time in politics, so a year is the equivalent of a geological aeon. All sorts of unforeseen events could transpire between now and the end of next year. …

BBC Scotland, cheerleaders for Farage
20 Dec 2025 at 5:56pm
On Wednesday evening BBC Scotland’s flagship evening news programme Och Aye the News, AKA Reporting Scotlandshire carried its second puff piece about Reform UK’s recent narrow council by-election victory in West Lothian in which a Reform candidate with a questionable past scraped his way into a council seat on a 22% turnout. BBC Scotland never …

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

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

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'

Private rents 40% higher in England and significantly stronger safety nets th...
7 Jan 2026 at 11:23am
With another of their sickly, tasteless images today, the Herald has: Scotland?s housing costs safety net is failing with tens of thousands of families in need locked out of homes as support fails to cover soaring private rents, ministers have been warned. Explosive sic new analysis which lays bare the reality for those most in need, shows that just eight per cent of private rental homes are ...

Angela Constance witch-hunt ? Even the North Wales Chronicle and the Largs an...
7 Jan 2026 at 10:13am
Professor John Robertson OBA Still on the BBC Scotland website – Justice secretary found to have breached ministerial code Still on the Herald frontpage – Constance ‘breached Ministerial Code twice’ The Express, this: and on the Scotsman frontpage – Constance won’t resign despite code breaches Note that two of the above still suggest that resignation is appropriate. Nowhere in the BBC Scotland ...

10 YouGov sub-polls in two months suggest SNP is really on 40%
6 Jan 2026 at 10:47pm
Professor John Robertson OBA YouGov is no friend of the SNP nor of Scottish Independence. They have an unerring ability to pluck out a NO lead in a stream of YES leads found by other pollsters and lower SNP figures than others. See below: They do this over and over by adjusting the sample so that, even after 11 or 12 years, it has a 55 to 45 ratio of No and Yes voters in 2014, in full Scotland ...

First a Scottish Labour MP, then Alex Neill and now Jackie Baillie platformed...
6 Jan 2026 at 10:15pm
Professor John Robertson OBA From the Daily Record today: A&E departments in Scots hospitals in ‘meltdown’ with waiting times at ‘worst ever’ level – A&E departments in Scots hospitals are in “meltdown” after waiting times reached their worst ever level for the month of November. First, I’ll deal with the 4 hour waits: From A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions 2025-26, 60.1% were treated in...

One year after First Minister?s promise NHS Scotland?s overall waiting list f...
6 Jan 2026 at 10:12pm
Professor John Robertson OBA In January 2025, SNP First Minister John Swinney promised to get NHS Scotland waiting lists down substantially and, based on the latest figures, he has. It’s not proving a popular narrative for the MSM in Scotland. At the end of 2025, NHS Scotland’s overall waiting list for new outpatient appointments has fallen for the 6th month in a row, to 559 077 pathways: https...

If Scotland is a ?violent society? why do England & Wales have 13 times as ma...
6 Jan 2026 at 12:10pm
Professor John Robertson OBA The Daily Record today, deploying all its skills to inform us in the most misleading way they can manage, with a view to unnerving us and hopefully, with that ‘violent society’ claim, to turn us against the government of the day. So two things – are armed police call-outs in Scotland relatively high and is that violent society claim tenable? 119 armed police call-ou...

That Alex Neil a former SNP health secretary should attack his own party lead...
6 Jan 2026 at 11:39am
Professor John Robertson OBA Is Neil in the huff over something? The youngsters in charge now not listening to his pearls of wisdom? I’ve felt the same at times but this is going too far, far too far. Why didn’t he speak to the FM or the current health secretary. Instead he’s opened the doors to the wolves just when it matters most. SOG! The comments under his post say it all about his actions ...

Would this Ayrshire Labour MP prefer her local hospital to have corridor care...
6 Jan 2026 at 10:55am
Professor John Robertson OBA In the Herald today, undeterred by their embarrassing failure in Research Methods 101, yesterday, is repeating the same claims about corridor care in Scotland but this time, allowing one Labour MP to misrepresent their local hospital. They open with: “Decisive action” is needed at an Ayrshire hospital following revelations that its A&E department exceeded capacity b...

?The Great Influenza Media Confusion? My latest column at Scots Independent a...
6 Jan 2026 at 9:58am
Professor John Robertson OBA My January 2026 column in Scots Independent: https://scotsindependent.scot/ SCOTS INDEPENDENT FOUNDED 1926STILL CAMPAIGNING FOR SCOTLAND Since 1926 the Scots Independent has been the only regularly produced publication that fully supports the cause of Independence. It has always been produced and distributed by volunteers. This remains the case today with everyone i...

Labour?s favourite union and funder, the GMB, where bullying, misogyny, crony...
5 Jan 2026 at 8:58pm
Professor John Robertson OBA Above, Gary Smith, 5 years ago, then just the GMB Scotland chief , blaming the Scottish Government for the failures of private care home owners to prepare and equip their staff for the Covid pandemic. BBC Scotland just loved him then and had him on frequently. More recently they’ve been less keen to platform him as his union sinks in a mire of misogyny and bullying....

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Unspun: Why parties are dodging the IndyRef question ahead of the Holyrood el...
7 Jan 2026 at 6:33pm
Unspun: Why parties are dodging the IndyRef question ahead of the Holyrood election  The Herald

Kenny MacAskill: Where?s the excitement about the Scottish independence polli...
7 Jan 2026 at 12:06pm
Kenny MacAskill: Where?s the excitement about the Scottish independence polling?  albaparty.org

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

Reform?s new Scottish recruit ignores rules of the game on independence - The...
6 Jan 2026 at 11:10pm
Reform?s new Scottish recruit ignores rules of the game on independence  The Telegraph

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

Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of Holyrood election - BBC
5 Jan 2026 at 2:15pm
Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of Holyrood election  BBC

Reform UK peer Malcolm Offord admits indyref2 could come in 10 years' time - ...
6 Jan 2026 at 4:52pm
Reform UK peer Malcolm Offord admits indyref2 could come in 10 years' time  TheNational.scot

John Swinney independence plan is 'cynical attempt to blame voters', says ex-...
7 Jan 2026 at 11:20am
John Swinney independence plan is 'cynical attempt to blame voters', says ex-SNP leadership candidate  Daily Record

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

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

How a Medicare Advantage proposal could shake up Medicaid - Modern Healthcare
7 Jan 2026 at 11:03am
How a Medicare Advantage proposal could shake up Medicaid  Modern Healthcare

Scottish Labour tells SNP: tackle child poverty at ?its root? - Morning Star ...
7 Jan 2026 at 4:01pm
Scottish Labour tells SNP: tackle child poverty at ?its root?  Morning Star | The People?s Daily

SNP need to accept their independence drive is going nowhere and is holding S...
7 Jan 2026 at 6:00pm
SNP need to accept their independence drive is going nowhere and is holding Scotland back  The Scotsman

SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner SE: Release according to Article 40, Secti...
7 Jan 2026 at 10:57am
SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner SE: Release according to Article 40, Section 1 of the WpHG the German Securities Trading Act with the objective of Europe-wide distribution  TradingView ? Track All Markets

Labour could still table motion of no confidence in Angela Constance says Sar...
7 Jan 2026 at 3:36pm
Labour could still table motion of no confidence in Angela Constance says Sarwar  The Herald

Scottish Nationalists Start Comeback Bid Versus Weakened Starmer - Bloomberg.com
5 Jan 2026 at 6:00pm
Scottish Nationalists Start Comeback Bid Versus Weakened Starmer  Bloomberg.com

What to expect at Holyrood and beyond as 2026 election race steps up - BBC
2 Jan 2026 at 9:03am
What to expect at Holyrood and beyond as 2026 election race steps up  BBC

Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of Holyrood election - BBC
5 Jan 2026 at 2:15pm
Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of Holyrood election  BBC

SNP issue devastating put-down of Anas Sarwar after John Swinney TV debate ch...
5 Jan 2026 at 5:02pm
SNP issue devastating put-down of Anas Sarwar after John Swinney TV debate challenge  TheNational.scot

Anas Sarwar?s tax message reveals the SNP?s big weakness - The Times
6 Jan 2026 at 4:20pm
Anas Sarwar?s tax message reveals the SNP?s big weakness  The Times

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Unspun: Why parties are dodging the IndyRef question ahead of the Holyrood el...
7 Jan 2026 at 6:33pm
Unspun: Why parties are dodging the IndyRef question ahead of the Holyrood election  The Herald

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

Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of Holyrood election - BBC
5 Jan 2026 at 2:15pm
Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of Holyrood election  BBC

John Swinney tells Scottish media to 'be livid' over UK's block on indyref2 -...
5 Jan 2026 at 1:14pm
John Swinney tells Scottish media to 'be livid' over UK's block on indyref2  TheNational.scot

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

John Swinney independence plan is 'cynical attempt to blame voters', says ex-...
7 Jan 2026 at 11:20am
John Swinney independence plan is 'cynical attempt to blame voters', says ex-SNP leadership candidate  Daily Record

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

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

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