The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Newcomer and old hand to battle for leadership of capital's SNP council group
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
18 May 2026 at 5:08pm
A Liberton/Gilmerton councillor, Ms Macinnes was elected in 2017 and served as deputy group leader for seven years.


Seagull plan agreed for Inverness amid claims birds have 'colonised' city
18 May 2026 at 5:06pm
Feelings ran high in a debate over new plans to help tackle Inverness and Nairn?s seagull population.


??Unspun: The by-election that could force the SNP's hand on oil and gas
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
18 May 2026 at 4:06pm
With a by-election looming in Aberdeen South, the SNP faces pressure to clarify its position on North Sea oil and gas and voters there know the detail.


Swinney: I have no intention of apologising for Sinn Fein ?move on? comments
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
18 May 2026 at 2:22pm
John Swinney has ?no intention? of apologising after he urged people to ?move on? from the Troubles in Northern Ireland.


Greens: Swinney must keep day one promise on independence
18 May 2026 at 12:24pm
John Swinney must keep his day one promise on independence, according to the Scottish Greens.


John Swinney to consider pitch invasion ban following Celtic fan disorder
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
18 May 2026 at 12:11pm
Following chaotic scenes at Celtic Park and violent clashes in Glasgow's Trongate area, First Minister John Swinney has condemned the "astonishingly poor behaviour" of fans.


MSPs should be 'deeply concerned' over university transparency row, union bos...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
18 May 2026 at 9:37am
Sophia Woodman of the UCU told The Herald that legislation passed in 2016 was meant to prevent situations like the one at Edinburgh.


??Unspun Morning Briefing: Swinney appoints his top team
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
18 May 2026 at 8:00am
Another busy week ahead, with Holyrood votes, reshuffles, by-elections and uncertainty over the Prime Minister's future.


I lost my school friend to an IRA bomb and John Swinney is wrong about Sinn Féin
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
18 May 2026 at 5:00am
Labour MP Graeme Downie, who lost his childhood friend Tim Parry in the 1993 Warrington IRA bombing, has condemned John Swinney for suggesting people should "move on" from Sinn Féin?s links to the Provisional IRA.


Tory grandee calls for by-election pact with Reform in Aberdeen South to 'sav...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
18 May 2026 at 7:07am
Sir Edward Leigh, Parliament's longest-serving MP, says the Tories should stand aside for Reform in Makerfield in exchange for a clear run in Aberdeen South.


Jihadist terrorism is once again expanding and going dangerously unnoticed
by david.pratt@heraldandtimes.co.uk | David Pratt
17 May 2026 at 6:15am
In a world preoccupied with ?bigger? conflicts, events unfolding in West Africa have haunting echoes of al-Qaeda and a perilous rerun of the past writes Foreign Editor David Pratt


'The current chaos is unsustainable': Starmer seeking 'dignified' way to quit...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 May 2026 at 11:31am
Sir Keir Starmer has privately told close friends he intends to stand down as Prime Minister and set out an orderly timetable for his departure, according to reports.


US-style boulevard solution proposed for plan to demolish Glasgow stretch of M8
by stewart.paterson@eveningtimes.co.uk | Stewart Paterson
17 May 2026 at 11:21am
A New York style boulevard has been proposed as a permanent solution for the M8 Woodside viaduct.


'No mood' for leadership challenge against Sarwar says MP who called on Starm...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 May 2026 at 10:53am
Zubir Ahmed, who quit the UK government over Sir Keir Starmer's leadership, has backed Anas Sarwar to remain Scottish Labour leader despite the party's worst ever Holyrood result.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Why Labour faces an existential wipeout over its opposition to Brexit
18 May 2026 at 5:02pm
Labour leadership contenders are presenting a false narrative to justify their ideological support for giving power back to unaccountable bureaucrats in Brussels


Andy Burnham talks to people on their level - unlike uneasy Keir Starmer
18 May 2026 at 4:45pm

The Greater Manchester Mayor told voters he knows why they were unhappy - showing that he understands them more than the PM.

The next Scottish health secretary is appointed later this week, and there is already great demands from the sector as A&E waiting times soar and nurses warn of increased danger to patients.

We can expect to see the First Minister and cabinet appointed this week.

The 4-point plan recommends rapid improvements to media literacy for all voters

Wings over Scotland

The Land Of No Laws
17 May 2026 at 2:20am
This game of football is not over. Except for viewers in Scotland, where no laws apply. Don’t get us wrong, readers. In the (minimum of) 32 seconds that were left to play, it was highly unlikely that Hearts were going to score the two goals they needed to win the league. It is improbable that …

Steadying The Ship
15 May 2026 at 3:20pm
Looks like this, apparently.

The Broken Rainbow
13 May 2026 at 2:04pm
The image below is a graph illustrating how many seats each party won in last week’s supposedly “proportional” Scottish Parliament election, compared to how many they would have won if the electoral system had been actually proportional. The SNP and Greens are now over-represented by 37% and 50% respectively, while the Unionist parties are all …

The Hills Of Far Away
12 May 2026 at 10:01am
Anyone seeking to make a compelling argument for the proposition that Scotland’s politicians and lawmakers are simply too farcically incompetent to ever be trusted with running an independent country had a gift-wrapped Godsend delivered to them last week by the idiot student children of Edinburgh. But we can’t really put the blame on the colourfully-haired, …

And Nothing Happened Forever
9 May 2026 at 3:22am
Well, we told you so. We told you in March (and indeed long before then) that the 2026 Holyrood election was a giant waste of time and money that would deliver exactly the same useless Parliament we already had, and so it proved. The SNP ended up giving half-a-dozen seats to the Greens, Labour donated …

Pick Your Poison
7 May 2026 at 12:43am
At the end of last year we noted the unusual and persistent levels of divergence in Scottish political polling. As polls have become much more frequent during the election campaign, nothing about that has changed. The final polls, published yesterday, are so far apart from each other that they tell us basically zip. Analysing this …

The value bet
6 May 2026 at 4:25pm
To pass the time on (praise be to Baby Jeebus) the last day of the Holyrood election campaign, we thought we’d do a catch-up summary of all the seat projections we could find from last month and this month. Here it is. Now, as it happens we think the potential seat ranges are significantly wider. …

Anas Sarwar is a winner
6 May 2026 at 3:14am
Specifically, of the Single Most Toe-Curlingly, Face-Palmingly Cretinous Thing Said In The 2026 Holyrood Election Campaign, And Possibly Any Election Ever, Prize. We mean, wow. We could easily write a 1000-word article purely on the top 10 things that are fatuously, obviously idiotic about those three short sentences, and so could you. So imagine how …

Binfire Of The Vanities
4 May 2026 at 3:52pm
For a nation that prides itself on hating the Tories, this is very odd. And if you don’t see how, let us illustrate. If you simply combined the Tory and Reform votes from the latest poll, the election would be on a knife-edge, with the right-wing alliance just three points behind the SNP on the …

Seven Days Too Long
30 Apr 2026 at 1:57pm
It’s nearly over, readers. Just one more week of this to endure. The most miserable Holyrood election campaign of all time will end next Thursday with an election which will deliver Scotland’s most miserable devolved government of all time. Only the exact form, colour and shape of the misery remains to be determined. So as …

Craig Murray

Dr Manivannan
14 May 2026 at 6:00pm

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

Dr Manivannan

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

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

URGENT FILTON TRIAL UPDATE

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

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

Zionism Has Poisoned the UK’s Central Nervous System

The 2026 Scottish Elections
6 May 2026 at 5:40pm

We get so trapped inside the logic of the UK’s crazy electoral systems we often do not see what is really happening. Two thirds of active voters, voted against Starmer’s Labour at the last general election. He was always highly unpopular. Just as Starmer’s landslide victory in the 2024 general election was based on only …

The 2026 Scottish Elections

The Morass of Injustice
2 May 2026 at 11:24am

A vast cloying morass of injustice has visibly submerged the British legal systems in anything connected to Palestine. In a quite incredible series of linked and kinked events this week, the senior KC representing one of the Palestine Action activists in the Filton trial was in the Court of Appeal arguing against being found in …

The Morass of Injustice

An Inspiring Story
21 Apr 2026 at 7:54am

In 2018, at the height of the economic crisis in Venezuela through crippling sanctions, Kellogg’s announced the overnight closure of their Maracay factory with hundreds of redundancies – and massive knock-on effects in the local community. The workers refused to accept the closure and, with government assistance, restarted the factory. It is still running eight …

An Inspiring Story

BBC Scotland

'I've had my nose broken twice' - assaults in schools 'becoming the norm'
18 May 2026 at 6:03am
The incident is one of thousands of attacks on teaching staff each year and many now say violence in the classroom is out of control

Scotland's top law officer Dorothy Bain to step down
15 May 2026 at 9:46am
The lord advocate leads the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and also acts as chief legal adviser to the Scottish government.

How holding the UK together became part of Labour's power struggle
15 May 2026 at 11:55am
The leadership drama at Westminster has implications that reach into the UK's home nations.

Potholes compensation: How much is your council paying out?
15 May 2026 at 6:44am
Scottish councils paid out more than £2m to drivers for pothole-inflicted vehicle damage over the past five years, a BBC investigation has found.

MSPs sworn in at Holyrood before electing new presiding officer
14 May 2026 at 7:54pm
Kenneth Gibson has seen off competition from two party rivals and Lib Dem Liam McArthur to land the job.

Starmer agrees to meet Swinney in face-to face meeting
12 May 2026 at 11:30pm
Swinney says the meeting will discuss the constitution but Sir Keir says it is just to talk about "shared issues".

Expert calls for safety review at Scotland's troubled superhospital
13 May 2026 at 6:10am
Andrew Poplett says it is "incredibly difficult" to say whether the hospital is safe or unsafe for all patients.

Why is there a row about an MSP's immigration status?
13 May 2026 at 5:51pm
Q Manivannan, originally from India, is on a student visa which is due to expire at the end of the year.

Teachers defend Higher Maths exam as pupils criticise questions
13 May 2026 at 6:11am
Pupils told the BBC that the wording of the questions was confusing so they did not know what was being asked.

Inquiry launched into Scottish Youth Parliament after former chairman jailed
12 May 2026 at 1:13pm
Jordan Linden carried out some of his crimes while he was the parliament's chairman between 2015 and 2016.

SNP elects Dave Doogan as new Westminster leader
12 May 2026 at 10:50am
Doogan will lead the SNP's group of MPs after Stephen Flynn was elected to the Scottish Parliament.

Holyrood leaders 'childish' for excluding Reform, MSP says
11 May 2026 at 4:49pm
Helen McDade, one of Reform's 17 new MSPs, has called for other parties to stop "posturing".

Scot Goes Pop

Israel's need to artwash the genocide continues to bring Eurovision to its kn...
17 May 2026 at 2:32am
At this time last year, someone left a comment on this blog to say that they'd actually been hoping for an Israeli win, because the prospect of a contest in Tel Aviv would have caused the whole hou...

How rigged will Eurovision be in favour of Israel this time?
16 May 2026 at 6:33pm
That, I'm afraid, is the correct way of posing the question, because there is no doubt that the voting system remains wide open to abuse by Israel's supporters across Europe, who will not only cast...

It's all or nothing for Andy Burnham - the by-election of the century will ta...
15 May 2026 at 1:32pm
Catch up with Wednesday night's blogpost: "S*** just got real, lads. The famously always wrong blogger "Stew", who said there was "zero chance, barring nuclear war or an alien invasion" of the Holy...

Two crucial Scottish parliamentary by-elections have been triggered - one sho...
14 May 2026 at 4:22pm
So the moment that couldn't be avoided has now arrived: Reform UK have, at least for the time being, overtaken the SNP as the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons due to Stephen Flynn and S...

The Scot Goes Pop fundraiser: time to aim for a rocket boost
14 May 2026 at 3:23pm
So I just thought I'd put this post up to try to give another little boost to the ongoing Scot Goes Pop fundraiser, and I'll probably keep it pinned second from top on the blog over the coming few ...

The BBC's sly defence of Israel's Eurovision participation is profoundly cyni...
14 May 2026 at 12:22pm
*  *  *If you enjoyed Scot Goes Pop's 2026 election coverage so much that you started to feel an inexplicable urge to buy me a hot chocolate or a ham-and-cheese toastie, donations are very welcome....

S*** just got real, lads. The famously always wrong blogger "Stew", who said...
13 May 2026 at 8:10pm
One of the most important truths about life, which has been passed down from father to son and from mother to daughter over the centuries, is that you always know you've succeeded in getting right ...

Wes Streeting makes his move - but the soft left should be able to block his ...
13 May 2026 at 2:17pm
*  *  *If you enjoyed Scot Goes Pop's 2026 election coverage so much that you started to feel an inexplicable urge to buy me a hot chocolate or a ham-and-cheese toastie, donations are very welcome....

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

First Minister John Swinney to look at football banning orders and pitch inva...
18 May 2026 at 1:08pm
John Swinney said the scenes that unfolded at Celtic Park on Saturday were 'completely and utterly unacceptable'

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain tells First Minister John Swinney she intends to s...
15 May 2026 at 8:55am
Dorothy Bain came under fire earlier this year after it emerged she told John Swinney of the charges against Peter Murrell before they were made public

MP quits to make way for Burnham to return to Parliament and challenge Starmer
14 May 2026 at 5:59pm
Josh Simons said he was standing down so the Mayor of Greater Manchester can 'drive the change our country is crying out for'

SNP?s Kenneth Gibson voted in as Scottish Parliament?s new presiding officer
14 May 2026 at 5:05pm
Gibson saw off challenges from fellow MSPs Liam McArthur, Stuart McMillan and Clare Haughey

Wes Streeting resigns as health secretary as pressure on Prime Minister Keir ...
14 May 2026 at 1:14pm
Streeting said in his resignation that it has become 'clear' that Starmer will not lead the party into the next general election

MSPs sworn in at Holyrood for new Scottish Parliament term
14 May 2026 at 12:58pm
SNP leader John Swinney was the first of 129 MSPs to take the oath in a ceremony at the Scottish Parliament

Ex-Aberdeen and Angus SNP MPs Stephen Flynn and Stephen Gethins hit out at We...
14 May 2026 at 12:23pm
The former SNP MPs have been elected to the Scottish Parliament after last week?s election.

Swinney to discuss independence referendum with Starmer in bid to end ?stalem...
13 May 2026 at 6:33pm
Swinney has said he will discuss the cost of living concerns during the face-to-face meeting

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage faces parliamentary watchdog investigation over...
13 May 2026 at 1:04pm
Farage received the undeclared gift from Thailand-based cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne in 2024

SNP seeks to force vote on Keir Starmer?s future
13 May 2026 at 10:57am
New SNP Westminster leader Dave Doogan said the 'leadership circus can?t go on any longer'.

Wes Streeting visits Keir Starmer at Number 10 for crunch talks as unions pul...
13 May 2026 at 9:02am
The health secretary visited the Prime Minister for less than 20 minutes on Wednesday morning

Second IndyRef on agenda in upcoming meeting between First and Prime Ministers
13 May 2026 at 6:59am
The meeting was agreed during a phone call on Tuesday evening.

Sir Keir Starmer vows to fight on as Prime Minister, so what happens next?
12 May 2026 at 2:07pm
At least 81 out of Labour?s 403 MPs have now demanded Starmer's departure after the party?s electoral mauling last week.

SNP announces Dave Doogan as new Westminster leader as Stephen Flynn elected ...
12 May 2026 at 11:46am
Dave Doogan was unanimously elected by MPs to lead the group in London

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Holyrood can't go into hiding any time disorder rears its head at Scottish fo...
18 May 2026 at 5:00pm
Politics and football don't always mix - but MSPs must make their views known on important matters of public safety, says Chris McCall

John Swinney has 'no intention' of apologising for Sinn Fein remarks
18 May 2026 at 2:52pm
Families of Scots killed in the Troubles have demanded the SNP leader apologise.

John Swinney says pitch invasions could become illegal in Scotland following ...
18 May 2026 at 11:40am
The First Minister condemned the aftermath of Saturday's dramatic Scottish Premiership title decider and slammed the "unacceptable behaviour of a minority of fans" who invaded the pitch.

IRA victims to protest outside Holyrood after John Swinney says people must '...
18 May 2026 at 10:44am
The First Minister claimed people had to "move on" after he was questioned about Sinn Fein's historic links to the Provisional IRA.

This SNP Government will get on with the work of delivering what we promised
18 May 2026 at 4:30am
In his first column for the Record since his party's election victory on May 7, the First Minister says there is "clear momentum" behind Scotland?s "right to decide our own future".

Food banks risk becoming 'permanent' fixture in poorest Scots communities unl...
18 May 2026 at 4:30am
Good Food Scotland works with housing associations and local charities to open stores in neighbourhoods which often lack regular retail outlets.

M8 motorway demolition in Glasgow could take inspiration from 'New York and S...
17 May 2026 at 5:00pm
The Woodside viaducts are crumbling - despite tens of millions of pounds being spent on propping them up - and some residents want radical alternatives to be considered.

SNP Government condemns 'disgraceful scenes of violence' in Glasgow following...
17 May 2026 at 2:20pm
The Government said it supported Police Scotland "to respond appropriately and protect the public" following the disorder in the Trongate.

Scottish Labour MP claims 'no mood' among members to force out Anas Sarwar as...
17 May 2026 at 11:04am
Scottish Labour crashed to its worst ever result in a Scottish Parliament election on May 7 with some in the party choosing to blame Keir Starmer instead of Anas Sarwar.

'Negligent and inadequate' SNP Government response to mounting UK building sa...
17 May 2026 at 4:30am
We previously told how UK regulators have warned of the structural risks around 'transfer slab' construction of multi-storey buildings.

The National

The National | Politics

Scotland?s independence movement must find an answer to this economic question
18 May 2026 at 7:39pm

IF Scottish independence is to mean more than constitutional change, the movement must show how it would extend democracy into the economy itself

Andy Burnham?s strategy is high-risk and may well backfire
18 May 2026 at 7:30pm

I CANNOT be the only one who thinks that Andy Burnham is being incredibly arrogant, with a galling sense of entitlement, if he thinks he can win a recently vacated seat by saying ?vote for me, I will go down to Westminster and be the next PM and sort out all the problems with the Labour-led government.?

The UK Government does not have ?all the power? over our independence
18 May 2026 at 7:00pm

IN James Walker?s piece on Sunday 17 (Convention could ?backfire? on efforts for independence), senior law lecturer Nick McKerrell implies that Holyrood?s powerlessness to run an indyref without London?s consent prevents Scotland from deciding its own fate on independence: ?There is a clear legal statement now on Section 30, but politically it still feels unfair that all the power sits with the...

John Swinney finalising new Scottish Cabinet picks as new Holyrood era begins
18 May 2026 at 5:12pm

You can get The National's Real Scottish Politics newsletter free and direct to your inbox every weekday.

Holyrood urged to act over ?toxic? culture after drop in women MSPs
18 May 2026 at 4:50pm

THE Scottish Parliament has been urged to take ?decisive action? after a drop in female MSPs, amid claims the Holyrood Chamber became a ?toxic bear pit? where ?shouty men? silence women.

UK Government told to 'urgently intervene' as flotilla activists kidnapped by...
18 May 2026 at 4:39pm

The Labour Government has been told to intervene "as a matter of urgency" after Israel kidnapped a number of UK activists while sailing in international waters on a historic aid mission to Gaza ...

Scottish Government told to ?get on with? LGBT+ conversion therapy ban
18 May 2026 at 3:54pm

THE Scottish Government should just ?get on with? bringing in an LGBT+ conversion practices ban, a charity boss has said.

Keir Starmer breaks silence amid mounting pressure to resign
18 May 2026 at 3:04pm

Keir Starmer has broken his silence as pressure continues to mount on him to resign as Prime Minister ...

John Swinney stands by Sinn Fein comments after backlash
18 May 2026 at 2:36pm

JOHN Swinney has ?no intention? of apologising after he urged people to ?move on? from the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

How First Past The Post has caused extreme inequality in UK
18 May 2026 at 2:21pm

WE all know first past the post is an unfair voting system which produces governments the vast majority of people in the UK ? and certainly Scotland ? haven't voted for.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Jack McConnell joins Lisa Nandy?s team for ?ambitious? sports push
18 May 2026 at 12:35pm
Labour peer appointed as ministerial adviser

The Cost of Inaction to the Scottish Public Purse: Why Restoring Nature Is No...
18 May 2026 at 8:00am
Investing in nature is not an optional environmental concern, it is a fundamental economic necessity.

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain to step down
15 May 2026 at 11:26am
Scotland's most senior law officer set to leave office

Kenneth Gibson elected Scottish Parliament presiding officer
14 May 2026 at 5:31pm
Gibson was elected after three rounds of voting, winning by 74 votes to Clare Haughey?s 54

Wes Streeting resigns from UK Government
14 May 2026 at 2:44pm
He is the first cabinet minister to resign since Labour suffered heavy defeats in the Scottish, Welsh, and English local elections

Wes Streeting resigns from government: Statement in full
14 May 2026 at 2:39pm
Wes Streeting has resigned as health secretary - read his statement in full

Swinney says food price cap plan won?t see costs passed onto farmers
14 May 2026 at 2:20pm
The SNP leader said the cost-of-living crisis would be top of his agenda as first minister

Whip Scottish MPs to vote down Starmer, SNP urges Anas Sarwar
14 May 2026 at 8:00am
Call to back amendment to King's Speech

Government rejects calls for new oil and gas licences in the North Sea
13 May 2026 at 5:33pm
Labour said the recent energy shock underlined the need to get off the ?fossil fuel rollercoaster?

Standards watchdog to probe Nigel Farage ?5m gift
13 May 2026 at 3:35pm
The Reform UK leader has argued it did not need to be declared

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Starmer has ?full confidence? in Streeting despite health secretary?s allies ...
13 May 2026 at 6:00pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here:Streeting to resign and challenge Starmer, allies sayLibby Brooks is the Guardian?s Scotland correspondent.An odd dispute of interpretation has emerged overnight between the Scottish and UK governments. Yesterday evening a Scottish gov...

Streeting to meet Starmer on Wednesday as the prime minister defies calls to ...
12 May 2026 at 9:22pm
A number of Streeting?s allies resigned from their ministerial posts on Tuesday and called for Keir Starmer to quitStarmer tells cabinet he will not quit without leadership challengeHere are some pictures from No 10 this morning.Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the PM, is now being interviewe...

2026 UK elections: full results from local, Scottish and Welsh votes
12 May 2026 at 8:35am
From devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales to councils and mayoralties in England, find out what happened in your areaElections mapped: how Labour lost ground in different directions Continue reading...

2026 elections mapped: how Labour lost ground in different directions
11 May 2026 at 7:43am
Keir Starmer?s party lost out to Reform and the Greens, with no respite in Scotland, Wales or England. These maps show the scale of the historic resultsFull results from England, Scotland and WalesLabour has suffered heavy losses across England, Scotland and Wales, losing ground to opponents on t...

Minority groups brace for surge in racism after Reform UK election gains
11 May 2026 at 6:00am
Members of minority communities in Birmingham and elsewhere fear results could lead to rise in hostile rhetoricConceding defeat at the election count at Birmingham?s Utilita Arena on Friday, the outgoing Labour leader of the city council, John Cotton, made a plea. ?What I would encourage the next...

Angela Rayner calls blocking Andy Burnham?s return to parliament a mistake as...
10 May 2026 at 6:09pm
Catherine West issues ultimatum for PM as ex-minister Josh Simons joins calls for prime minister to quitAt the start of her programme Laura Kuenssberg addressed Catherine West and Bridget Phillipson who were sitting waiting for the main interviews.Kuenssberg told West she wanted a cabinet ministe...

Don?t let Farage and Reform divide us, Labour?s Sarwar urges Holyrood leaders
10 May 2026 at 1:30pm
Scottish Labour leader says he aims to hold SNP to account after his party tied for second with Reform in electionsThe Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has warned other Scottish political leaders not to spend the next Holyrood parliament ?shouting about Nigel Farage?, saying his job is to ens...

Swinney keen to work with fellow nationalist devolved leaders in UK
9 May 2026 at 5:24pm
SNP leader wants to ensure voices of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland ?are heard loud and clear?John Swinney has said he plans to work with the nationalist first ministers in Wales and Northern Ireland in a coordinated opposition to Labour?s policies on the cost of living and UK government sp...

The SNP may have won again but Scottish politics has been upended
9 May 2026 at 7:50am
Public frustration gave the SNP a muted victory, while Labour tied with Reform for second and the Greens claimed a ?seismic? resultLong before the final votes were counted in Scotland, veteran Labour politicians said it was a defeat made in Downing Street.When the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sar...

John Swinney urges Starmer to show Scotland ?greater respect? after SNP victory
9 May 2026 at 1:36am
Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, concedes his party was comprehensively beaten in election as count puts his party on 17 seats, a tie with ReformElection 2026 live: latest news updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesJohn Swinney, the Scottish National party leader, has challenged...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

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

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

Labour?s rigged electoral system has bitten it on the bum
13 May 2026 at 3:51pm
Ever since the Holyrood election last week in which the SNP won a crushing victory over the dependency parties, those parties and their client media have been crowing that John Swinney must drop his “obsession” with independence because the SNP “failed” in the election and did not win an outright majority for the SNP. Alex …

John Swinney is right to lock out Reform
12 May 2026 at 3:02pm
It hasn’t even been a week since the Holyrood election which took the SNP to its record fifth election win in a row, securing more MSPs than all the anti-independence parties combined, and winning more seats than Labour ever has. The British parties and their friends in the press are getting their hysteria and outrage …

Labour and the British media, stuck in the first stages of grief
10 May 2026 at 7:37pm
They’re not taking it at all well are they. Ever since the SNP handsomely won the Holyrood election, for the fifth time in a row, winning more seats than all the branch office parties combined, and together with a record performance from the Scottish Greens, the two pro-independence secured the largest ever independence majority in …

Mission (almost) accomplished
9 May 2026 at 2:40pm
Originally I had intended to blog yesterday as the results came in, but they arrived later than I had expected and we did not have the certainty that the new Scottish Parliament would have a pro-independence majority until well into the evening. The final set of results, the allocation of list seats for the Highlands …

The British media is getting its excuses in early
6 May 2026 at 1:58pm
The British media in Scotland is getting its excuses in early. Gina Davidson, the Scotland political editor of LBC, wrote on social media that the SNP falling a couple of seats short of an absolute majority – based on the YouGov poll published the day before the election – would be a “poor result for …

Thomas Kerr, the Dumb Corleone of Scottish politics
5 May 2026 at 4:22pm
Reform’s opportunistic Thomas Kerr has completed his transformation from one nation liberal Tory to complete heid banging fascist. On Tuesday, Shettleston’s Dumb Corleone doubled down on his party’s exciting new election tactic of threatening the voters, proving that Reform UK struggles to grasp the difference between a democratic election and a protection racket. Kerr released …

Reform UK, the bastard offspring of Oswald Mosley and Coco the Clown
4 May 2026 at 5:17pm
  Reform has introduced a novel new campaigning tactic in the days leading up to the Holyrood election. Vote for us or we’ll put a concentration camp in your neighbourhood. It’s certainly a ‘bold’ move, but only if you define bold as utterly insane and disgustingly vile. On Monday Reform’s chairman Zia Yusuf, who is …

Shooting for the Moon on Thursday
3 May 2026 at 3:41pm
Shoot for the moon, as the saying goes, even if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars. With that in mind that’s what independence supporters need to do on Thursday. An opinion poll by the traditionally No-friendly Norstat for the Sunday Times records a whopping 55% Yes response. The media in Scotland have been very …

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

Significantly fewer Scots dissatisfied with social care services but Royal Co...
18 May 2026 at 6:37pm
Treat negativity about Scotland?s NHS and social care services with healthy scepticism: evidence of the Royal College of Nursing being plain wrong and opting to omit relevant positives. My apologies to stewartb but I’ve used my perhaps unattractive unilateral editorial powers to replace his more mature header above with my more combative version at the top! By stewartb When political advocacy i...

Massive fall in violent crime in Scotland especially among younger adults as ...
18 May 2026 at 3:15pm
There is a clear positive trend revealed in the data above from Re-conviction statistics for male offenders: FOI release published today. Violent crimes over the eight year period from 2012/13 to 2020/21, among under 21s fell from 181 to 44, more than three-quartered! For 21 to 30 year-olds from 492 to 231, it more than halved! Then, however, for all of the over 30 years groups, there were much...

Restore Britain?s position ? You live in England, you speak English
18 May 2026 at 1:58pm
By Liz S Rupert Lowe , an English Nationalist , has now created a new party that he has called ?Restore Britain?. Reading his many daily posts on ?X? you will see how often he sees England and English as the same as Britain and Britishness , as for him there seems to be no distinction between the two. Yesterday he wrote (yet another) long post about Councils , Reform UK ones, ?spending hundreds...

Top History Professor says ?All of my students must use AI? ? Me too!
18 May 2026 at 1:57pm
Regulars will have noted that TuS has been making increased use of AI in the last year or so and getting some criticism of that. I understand why many are concerned but my view is that this is another technology, like those before, we must master, a ‘tiger we must ride.’ Famous last words perhaps but we humans didn’t get where we are, on top because we are the meanest SOBs on the planet, just t...

Nurses fight for band 7 status after missing out on £9,000 pay rise in NHS Wa...
18 May 2026 at 1:55pm
From Nursing Standard on 7 May 2026, the above and: A group of 100 health visitors are taking to picket lines for two more months after their NHS employer ?refused to acknowledge? a job evaluation appeal that would see them get a pay increase of up to £9,000. The specialist nurses, who work at the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (CTMUHB ) in south Wales, are fighting for their Agenda ...

HS2 despite chopping link to Scotland to take 2 to 3 times as long as Japanes...
18 May 2026 at 1:53pm
From BBC UK today: The failings surrounding the HS2 rail project are partly due to a focus on achieving the highest possible speeds and political pressure for progress on the scheme, a review is expected to find. The scheme has been undergoing a “reset”, and in March Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander asked HS2 bosses to look at lowering top speeds to save money. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/art...

RCN Scotland?s claim of ?unsafe? patient loads on nurses ignores NHS Scotland...
18 May 2026 at 9:23am
As the Royal College of Nursing launches research claiming ‘Two-thirds of NHS nurses believe lack of staff is putting patients at risk, survey finds’ and ‘across the UK’, at their conference in Liverpool today, their Scottish branch continues to ignore, conceal, the facts on staffing. In the Herald today, there’s no mention of this crucial context their readers might need: There are 67 700 nurs...

Scotland?s environment agency is TWICE as effective in closing illegal waste ...
18 May 2026 at 8:55am
BBC UK and other MSM this morning reporting on illegal waste dumping ‘loopholes’, do not refer to the situation in Scotland. Their reports are based on this from the UK Government, published today: New reforms are set to tighten the net on waste criminals with tougher sentences for those illegally dumping waste, and advanced background checks to help put rogue operators out of business.   As pa...

Eurovision ? When they see ?United Kingdom? they think ?ENGLAND? and ?nil point?
17 May 2026 at 12:55pm
I’ve had to correct the above because while governments and top politicians know to call it the UK, hardly anyone else from Portugal to Bulgaria does. After centuries of the UK’s elites and those Celts co-opted to it, self-referring to it as ‘England’, that’s what 99% of Europeans and beyond call it. Protests against the UK in Tehran chant against ‘Inglesi’. Here are typical examples: Source: h...

Reposted as the Guardian once more claims to be defending press freedom but i...
17 May 2026 at 8:47am

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

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

John Swinney 'must give clear route to independence on day one', Greens say -...
18 May 2026 at 7:00pm
John Swinney 'must give clear route to independence on day one', Greens say  The National Scot

Swinney must keep day one promise on independence, say Greens - Scottish Greens
18 May 2026 at 12:18pm
Swinney must keep day one promise on independence, say Greens  Scottish Greens

Greens: Swinney must keep day one promise on independence - The Herald
18 May 2026 at 6:14pm
Greens: Swinney must keep day one promise on independence  The Herald

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

Caught between the UK and EU: What?s next for young Scots? - France 24
27 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Caught between the UK and EU: What?s next for young Scots?  France 24

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

Madcap Scottish Greens want first Holyrood debate to be about breaking up the...
18 May 2026 at 3:46pm
Madcap Scottish Greens want first Holyrood debate to be about breaking up the UK  Scottish Daily Express

SNP can make ?Scotland?s oil? a rallying cry for independence once again - Th...
17 May 2026 at 4:51pm
SNP can make ?Scotland?s oil? a rallying cry for independence once again  The Times

The Scottish independence lie - The Spectator
29 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
The Scottish independence lie  The Spectator

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Classroom violence is 'out of control' under the SNP as staff suffer broken b...
18 May 2026 at 2:08pm
Classroom violence is 'out of control' under the SNP as staff suffer broken bones and brain bleeds  Scottish Daily Express

SNP's Westminster leader accused of 'self-delusion' over Nats pro-business cl...
18 May 2026 at 11:48am
SNP's Westminster leader accused of 'self-delusion' over Nats pro-business claim  Scottish Daily Express

John Swinney urges Starmer to show Scotland ?greater respect? after SNP victo...
8 May 2026 at 8:00am
John Swinney urges Starmer to show Scotland ?greater respect? after SNP victory | Scottish politics  The Guardian

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

SNP wins Scottish election as Reform and Labour tie for second - BBC
8 May 2026 at 8:00am
SNP wins Scottish election as Reform and Labour tie for second  BBC

The results are in ? general election 2026 - SPICe Spotlight
9 May 2026 at 8:00am
The results are in ? general election 2026  SPICe Spotlight

SNP is Scotland's biggest winner with pressure for independence vote likely t...
9 May 2026 at 8:00am
SNP is Scotland's biggest winner with pressure for independence vote likely to follow  Sky News

More in Common Final Holyrood MRP - More in Common UK
4 May 2026 at 8:00am
More in Common Final Holyrood MRP  More in Common UK

SNP on track for majority ? and fresh referendum on breaking up the UK - The ...
15 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
SNP on track for majority ? and fresh referendum on breaking up the UK  The Telegraph

The SNP may have won again but Scottish politics has been upended | Scottish ...
9 May 2026 at 8:00am
The SNP may have won again but Scottish politics has been upended | Scottish elections 2026  The Guardian

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

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

Scotland's head of government vows to hold another independence referendum - ...
12 May 2026 at 1:00am
Scotland's head of government vows to hold another independence referendum  ConstitutionNet

Starmer agrees to meet Swinney in face-to-face meeting - BBC
12 May 2026 at 11:30pm
Starmer agrees to meet Swinney in face-to-face meeting  BBC

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

David Cameron - Scottish Referendum, 2015 Election, Brexit - Britannica
12 May 2026 at 6:00am
David Cameron - Scottish Referendum, 2015 Election, Brexit  Britannica

Keir Starmer rolls back on independence referendum talks with John Swinney - ...
13 May 2026 at 8:04am
Keir Starmer rolls back on independence referendum talks with John Swinney  The National Scot

Caught between the UK and EU: What?s next for young Scots? - France 24
27 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Caught between the UK and EU: What?s next for young Scots?  France 24

SNP vows to push for new independence vote with or without a majority - Finan...
27 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
SNP vows to push for new independence vote with or without a majority  Financial Times

Support for independence is not surging in Scotland - The Spectator Australia
14 May 2026 at 9:56am
Support for independence is not surging in Scotland  The Spectator Australia

Scotland?s parliamentary election 2026: what are the big economic choices? - ...
28 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Scotland?s parliamentary election 2026: what are the big economic choices?  Economics Observatory