The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Hamilton Accies rebuke Sarwar over claim Labour responsible for bringing club...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 Apr 2026 at 6:39pm
Hamilton Accies have hit out at Anas Sarwar after he suggested Labour helped bring the club back to New Douglas Park, insisting the return was driven by the club, owners and supporters.


Maggie Chapman to attend Aberdeen 'unity march' to combar 'far-right'
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
17 Apr 2026 at 5:00pm
Scottish Greens candidate Maggie Chapman will speak at a unity rally in Aberdeen this weekend, one of several taking place across Scotland


Strait of Hormuz reopens after Israel agrees to Lebanon ceasefire
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
17 Apr 2026 at 3:36pm
The Strait of Hormuz, crucial to the world's oil supply, will re-open after a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel was agreed


Scottish ballots for Hungarian election cause bomb scare in Budapest
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
17 Apr 2026 at 3:16pm
A box sent from Scotland containing votes in the Hungarian election caused a bomb scare in Budapest after being fitted with a tracking device


Conservative candidate standing to replace Nicola Sturgeon suffers social med...
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
17 Apr 2026 at 2:35pm
The Scottish Conservative candidate standing to replace Nicola Sturgeon has suffered a social media hack


Lib Dems ready to strike post-election deals as they launch 'deliverable' man...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 Apr 2026 at 2:18pm
The Scottish Liberal Democrats are positioning themselves as post-election dealmakers. Alex Cole-Hamilton says the party's prospectus is "deliverable"


Anas Sarwar doubles down on call for Starmer resignation after new Mandelson ...
17 Apr 2026 at 10:33am
Anas Sarwar has doubled down on his calls for Sir Keir Starmer to quit following revelations Peter Mandelson failed security vetting.


Here's how much Prestwick Airport has earned from US military contracts
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
17 Apr 2026 at 6:30am
The Scottish Government has been urged to stop accepting 'blood money' from the United States to use Prestwick Airport for refuelling missions.


The big funding question the next Scottish Government has to address
by Colin McLean
17 Apr 2026 at 4:32am
Sweden, Denmark and Finland are examples of small company funding Scotland could follow


Pro independence candidate joins battle for Kate Forbes' seat
by caroline.wilson@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Caroline Wilson
17 Apr 2026 at 6:17pm
Pro independence candidate Laùra Hänsler has joined the battle to steal a key Highland seat from the SNP.


Scottish Government records rise in sexual harassment cases
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
17 Apr 2026 at 5:00am
Nine formal sexual harassment complaints have been raised by Scottish Government staff since 2022, data uncovered by The Herald reveals.


The SNP manifesto: Huge childcare pledge, cheaper buses and a risky food pric...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
16 Apr 2026 at 5:49pm
The SNP has launched its manifesto with sweeping pledges on childcare, transport and food prices, alongside a renewed push on independence. But with warnings over funding gaps, how realistic are these promises for Scotland?s future?


Kemi Badenoch: Reform 'paving the way' for SNP's second independence referendum
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
16 Apr 2026 at 4:55pm
Kemi Badenoch said Reform UK would make it easier for the SNP to secure a second independence referendum.


IFS warns Swinney's plan for '1970s-style price controls' risk food shortages
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
16 Apr 2026 at 1:31pm
John Swinney has unveiled plans to cap the cost of essential groceries, including bread and milk, as part of a cost-of-living response ? but retailers warn the move could disrupt markets and trigger wider price shifts.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Holyrood Election 2026: All the party manifestos and key pledges at a glance
18 Apr 2026 at 6:00am

Political parties vying for votes at May?s Holyrood elections have published their manifestos as they attempt to sway the public to back them at the ballot box.

We take a look at the key pledges and what the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) makes of the spending plans amid an extremely tight financial context.

An issue with the computer system left 60,000 carers waiting days for their vital benefits payment

According to Audit Scotland, delayed discharge cost the NHS £440 million in 2024/25

Economic experts have lambasted all parties vying for votes at next month?s election of failing to fully cost their plans amid a bleak financial backdrop.

Downing Street has blamed Foreign Office officials for clearing Lord Mandelson?s appointment as ambassador to Washington

With further revelations surfacing about the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, Sir Keir Starmer?s coat seems to be on the most shoogly of pegs.

Downing Street sources say the Prime Minister is "absolutely furious".

Wings over Scotland

The Narcissism Of No Differences
17 Apr 2026 at 3:29pm
So that’s the full set of manifestos in. You can download them all here in a oner, if you’re REALLY bored. But we don’t advise it, because we can just tell you what they say in a couple of minutes. SNP: “If you’re even reading this we know you’re absolute idiots, so here are a …

Happy Anniversary
16 Apr 2026 at 10:56am
It was exactly one year ago today that the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in the case of For Women Scotland Vs The Scottish Ministers, a judgment which has still not been implemented by the Scottish or UK governments, so it was quite bold of the SNP to choose it as the launch date for …

Do You Believe In The Westwood?
10 Apr 2026 at 12:27pm
As all alert readers will know, this site likes to keep a watchful eye on the shady and disturbing activities of paedophilia-plagued charity LGBT Youth Scotland. So we were naturally intrigued to hear that they’d hired a new convenor last month. And if you’re sitting there thinking, “Blimey, AI Christopher Walken looks very very ill”, …

Not So Octopus
9 Apr 2026 at 1:48pm
Alert readers will have noticed something of a minor furore in recent days around a boneheaded Scottish Greens candidate (as if there were any other kind) calling for the complete abolition of prisons. So far Kate Nevens – who on the latest polling has a very reasonable chance of being elected on the list – …

The quality of mercy
3 Apr 2026 at 1:09pm
Let’s just deal with this quickly. Because the truth is that we should all be quietly sending BBC Scotland bouquets in appreciation for doing the independence movement a favour for once. Belief in an independent Scotland IS as strong as ever, which is to say it’s pretty much where it’s been since 2014 – two …

Clocks And Calendars
30 Mar 2026 at 1:06pm
We think the lads at The Scotsman might have gotten a bit confused and/or carried away when it came to putting the clocks forward at the weekend. At 6am on Sunday morning they tweeted this: But the link was a 404. We checked the print edition of Scotland On Sunday but there was nothing there …

Sicknote Slippers
29 Mar 2026 at 6:09pm
The turnout at the “independence march and rally” yesterday was so abysmally poor that it seems almost unfair to pick on any of the scores of SNP elected representatives who didn’t bother to show up. But dear old Cosy Feet Pete Wishart had the most chef’s-kiss excuse of all. The reason he didn’t fancy getting …

Protest But Don?t Survive
28 Mar 2026 at 5:20pm
If events in Edinburgh today are anything to go by – when a march and rally announced with great fanfare seven months ago, backed by both the “independence” parties in the Scottish Parliament and featuring the First Minister as main speaker, attracted perhaps 1,500 people at the most to Calton Hill on a bright and …

Let?s Call The Whole Thing Off
24 Mar 2026 at 12:59pm
The last faint hope of any remotely positive or at least interesting outcome of May’s election just left the building. It wasn’t MUCH of a hope, and it’s absolutely no surprise in the wake of the comically shambolic, belief-defyingly inept farce that has been the birth of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s fringe-of-the fringe party, …

Irony you can?t buy
20 Mar 2026 at 12:09pm
Posted without comment. But the reason you can’t buy the irony is that she doesn’t need the money. So that’s quarter of a million pounds just for running away when things got a bit sticky, on top of the circa £225,000 in wages she’s trousered since resigning as FM despite never turning up for work …

Craig Murray

Vote for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland
15 Apr 2026 at 12:48pm

It was not my intention to run for election to the Scottish parliament from a hospital bed in Caracas, but sometimes we have to take what life gives us. I went to a clinic a week ago feeling dizzy and was immediately rushed to hospital. My heart rate was fluttering and below 20 bpm. I …

Vote for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland

The Strait of Hormuz
8 Apr 2026 at 5:02pm

In international law, Tehran has every right to close the strait of Hormuz to nations with which it is in armed conflict. Two vital points: 1) States who permit attacks on Iran to be launched from their territory can be blocked 2) Iran can block neutral ships from trading with states with which it is …

The Strait of Hormuz

The Weight on Delcy Rodriguez
31 Mar 2026 at 1:16pm

As I was leaving the University of the Communes in Tocuyito, after a joyful and uplifting visit, an earnest young Professor came up to me and pulled me aside. Very quietly, he asked me what was going to happen. A number of the students were terrified there would be regime change and they, picked as …

The Weight on Delcy Rodriguez

The Caracas Metro
26 Mar 2026 at 6:46am

The extreme nature of sanctions against Venezuela made it very challenging to keep economic activity going. One example is Caracas’s impressive five-line Metro system, where for almost twenty years they had to keep things running with no spares or maintenance support from the train manufacturers. Yet resilience and ingenuity kicked in, and Venezuela actually reverse …

The Caracas Metro

The London Ambulances Attack: Of Course It Was A False Flag
24 Mar 2026 at 12:04pm

The notion that the Iranian state would discredit itself by choosing to attack an ambulance service in London is crazy. Iran has not even attacked any hospitals or ambulances in Israel. Iran has absolutely zero record of attacks on healthcare facilities. That is of course in stark contrast to Israel which specifically targets them in …

The London Ambulances Attack: Of Course It Was A False Flag

Seeing Trump Clearly
21 Mar 2026 at 12:19pm

What if Trump’s apparently chaotic thought processes and intuitive decision making are all a blind, a charade? What if we are really witnessing, in the Middle East and more widely, a carefully constructed plan with very definite objectives? Has Trump in fact “planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway”, while flinging the …

Seeing Trump Clearly

BBC Scotland

Lib Dems vow action on NHS and cost of living in manifesto
17 Apr 2026 at 10:45am
Scottish leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has announced plans to spend an extra £400m on social care.

The Lib Dems' manifesto pledges analysed
17 Apr 2026 at 3:16pm
We have analysed some of the policies in the Scottish Lib Dems' manifesto for the 2026 Holyrood election.

Swinney denies SNP grocery price cap is 'potty gimmick'
17 Apr 2026 at 9:28am
The first minister defends his party's plans to impose a limit on the cost of "essential" items.

Supermarket food prices to be capped under SNP manifesto pledge
16 Apr 2026 at 2:49pm
The cost of "essential" items such as bread, milk and cheese are to be limited under John Swinney's plan.

The Lib Dems' Scottish election manifesto at-a-glance
17 Apr 2026 at 12:29pm
The party has announced its policy plans ahead of the Holyrood poll on 7 May.

Labour's Sarwar brands Scottish Reform leader 'a liar' over deal claim
15 Apr 2026 at 1:15pm
Scottish Labour's Anas Sarwar brands Malcolm Offord "a pathetic, poisonous, odious little man" after a TV debate clash.

The SNP's manifesto pledges analysed
16 Apr 2026 at 2:12pm
We have analysed some of the policies in the Scottish National Party's manifesto for the 2026 Holyrood election.

Scottish Green co-leader undecided over constituency vote
15 Apr 2026 at 11:14am
With Greens only standing in six constituencies, the party's co-leader does not have the option of backing his party for the seat where he lives.

Sarwar rules out 'harsh' cuts to bring down benefits bill
14 Apr 2026 at 10:12am
The Scottish Labour leader says he wants to bring down social security spending, but not by slashing benefits.

Scottish Greens' manifesto pledges analysed
14 Apr 2026 at 2:14pm
BBC Scotland journalists have analysed some of the policies in the Scottish Greens' manifesto for the 2026 Holyrood election.

Former Nato chief warns UK's national security 'in peril'
14 Apr 2026 at 9:10pm
Lord George Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary, will use a speech to accuse "non-military experts in the Treasury" of "vandalism".

Sarwar puts NHS at heart of Scottish Labour's election pitch
13 Apr 2026 at 12:14pm
The party has announced its plans for health, education and taxation ahead of next month's Holyrood election.

Scot Goes Pop

List seat BONANZA forecast by MRP poll as JL Partners suggest the SNP are on ...
16 Apr 2026 at 10:48am
I feel like I should say something about the new JL Partners / Telegraph MRP poll for the Holyrood election, but I'm actually struggling to find much information about it.  JL Partners' own website...

The question that Anas Sarwar now needs to answer
15 Apr 2026 at 12:44pm
The Scottish Labour party and its allies, including Paul Hutcheon of the Daily Record and Professor James Mitchell (who is increasingly dropping the pretence of being anything other than a Labour p...

In an analogue age Anas Sarwar might have got away with that - but this is a ...
15 Apr 2026 at 12:26am
I forgot all about the Channel 4 leaders' debate, so I didn't watch it live, but obviously I soon heard of Offord's revelation about Anas Sarwar approaching him about a post-election deal to keep o...

The Greens have now been crowned the undisputed Olympic champions of misleadi...
14 Apr 2026 at 12:16pm
A few weeks ago, the Green co-leader Ross Greer posted a Labour leaflet from Strathkelvin & Bearsden, mocking it for containing a particularly extreme example of a misleading Lib Dem-style bar char...

REVEALED: The hard science that makes Both Votes SNP such an effective strate...
12 Apr 2026 at 6:24pm
OK, the title of this blogpost is mainly there to wind up Stew, but there is actually a very serious point behind it, and it's one that may make you think about the importance of voting SNP on the ...

Even YouGov now say the Union Jack could soon be LOWERED as sensational MRP p...
10 Apr 2026 at 10:55pm
MRP Seats projection (YouGov / Sky News / The Times, 23rd March-8th April 2026):SNP 67Reform UK 20Labour 15Greens 11Liberal Democrats 9Conservatives 7Now, I've estimated the chances of the SNP winn...

The "Make Mine A Double" voting craze that is sweeping the nation: why all th...
9 Apr 2026 at 7:41pm
 There's actually a serious point here, because Stew is far from the only right-wing commentator who has argued that a Green return to government would be an unmitigated catastrophe - we've heard t...

The crazy, topsy-turvy logic (and in some cases hypocrisy) of the "tactical v...
9 Apr 2026 at 11:05am
I'm beginning to think I'm going to have to mute certain accounts on Twitter to get through the rest of the Holyrood campaign with my sanity intact.  Every single time I log in, I see retweet after...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Scotland?s ?dangerous? pothole problem revealed
17 Apr 2026 at 3:29pm
STV News reveals pothole capital as Scotland's roads are compared to the surface of the moon

Lib Dems launch manifesto with call for change ?with fairness at its heart?
17 Apr 2026 at 1:06pm
The party has set out its ?realistic? plan ?to get things done, focused on the things that matter most?

Benefits system being ?abused on an industrial scale?, says Findlay
17 Apr 2026 at 12:19pm
The Scottish Tory leader said he wanted to cut income tax funded by introducing restrictions on adult mental health benefit claims

Starmer ?furious? he wasn?t told Mandelson failed vetting as he faces calls t...
17 Apr 2026 at 11:04am
Officials overruled the recommendation from UK Security Vetting

?Pressing need? for post of minister for older people to be reinstated ? charity
17 Apr 2026 at 8:03am
Age Scotland is campaigning for the position to be restored after the May 7 Scottish election.

Top civil servant ousted after Foreign Office overruled Mandelson vetting
16 Apr 2026 at 11:02pm
Security officials initially denied Lord Mandelson clearance, but Foreign Office officials took the rare step of overruling the recommendation.

Keir Starmer ?not aware? Foreign Office overruled Lord Mandelson vetting proc...
16 Apr 2026 at 6:24pm
Security officials initally denied Lord Mandelson clearance, but this was overruled by the FCDO

SNP vow cost of living action with price cap of supermarket essential foods
16 Apr 2026 at 11:19am
John Swinney has unveiled the party?s manifesto for the Holyrood election on May 7

John Swinney pledges national ban on phones in classes if SNP wins in May
16 Apr 2026 at 9:00am
The First Minister and SNP leader is vowing to legislate on the issue if his party wins the Scottish Parliament election

Transport Secretary?s car towed away after hitting ?crater? pothole
16 Apr 2026 at 8:32am
Heidi Alexander was driving her Mini Cooper to her constituency from a Labour fundraising event

Anas Sarwar calls Reform leader a liar over claims Labour wanted deal to oust...
15 Apr 2026 at 12:00pm
Lord Malcolm Offord said Sarwar sought a deal with Nigel Farage?s party to defeat the SNP in May?s election

UK to send £752 million and 120,000 drones to Ukraine
15 Apr 2026 at 5:03am
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to confirm they payment to Kyiv ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

Greens promise to make bus travel free for all in election manifesto
14 Apr 2026 at 1:05pm
They also said Scotland?s buses should be back into public ownership

Scottish Labour puts NHS at heart of election manifesto
13 Apr 2026 at 3:48pm
Anas Sarwar also said he wanted a ?productive partnership? with the UK Government despite calling on Keir Starmer to quit

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Anas Sarwar says voting Labour is 'not an endorsement' of Prime Minister Keir...
18 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
The Scottish Labour leader has put further distance between himself and the embattled Prime Minister.

No 10 memo backs Starmer being ?not aware? of Mandelson vetting being overruled
17 Apr 2026 at 8:25pm
A Downing Street document backs Prime Minister?s claim he was kept in the dark over ambassador clearance, as questions grow over what senior officials knew and when.

Sarwar stands by call for Starmer to quit despite lack of Labour backing
17 Apr 2026 at 7:47pm
Scottish Labour leader says urging the Prime Minister to resign was ?personally painful? but necessary to prioritise Scotland, as pressure mounts on Sir Keir Starmer following fresh controversy.

Scottish politics today: John Swinney doubles down on plan to cap food prices
17 Apr 2026 at 5:00pm
The Record brings you its regular 5pm round-up of the day's Scottish politics stories.

John Swinney ?not interested? in fight with UK Government over plan to cap fo...
17 Apr 2026 at 12:21pm
The First Minister has faced a barrage of criticism over his price-capping plan.

John Swinney warned price cap plan for food will 'line the pockets of lawyers...
17 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
The SNP leader was warned his call for price caps on essential items could lead to "shortages" in shops.

Keir Starmer accused of misleading MPs after Peter Mandelson ?failed vetting?
16 Apr 2026 at 5:27pm
The Prime Minister is facing renewed calls for his resignation over the scandal.

SNP 'price capping' promise is taking Scots for fools and will never be deliv...
16 Apr 2026 at 5:00pm
Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon said the commitment to cap the price of essential food items is another promise the SNP will break.

SNP pledge to impose price controls on food could cause 'shortages' in Scots ...
16 Apr 2026 at 4:55pm
The eyebrow-raising manifesto promise by the First Minister has been condemned as "undeliverable?.

SNP 2026 election manifesto: 6 things you need to know
16 Apr 2026 at 3:07pm
John Swinney today unveiled the SNP manifesto ahead of the Holyrood election on May 7. With the Nationalists miles ahead in the polls, what will be the party's priorities if they're returned to power?

The National

The National | Politics

Hamilton Accies rebuke Anas Sarwar's 'ridiculous' claim that Labour brought c...
17 Apr 2026 at 8:39pm

ANAS Sarwar?s claim that his Labour candidate had brought the troubled Hamilton Accies football club back to the town has been branded as ?ridiculous beyond belief? ...

Keir Starmer can?t allow one vote but not the other
17 Apr 2026 at 7:40pm

STARMER knows the UK economy continues to slowly deflate year on year because of Brexit. He also knows the majority of UK voters would now support a return to the EU and the single market to restore economic stability.

All the SNP need to say if they want a certain majority is this ...
17 Apr 2026 at 7:40pm

I WANT a simple answer to a simple question. If the SNP manifesto was to say that if there was an SNP majority we would leave this voluntary Union, then what would the problem be?

Nicola Sturgeon wins prestigious award for 'visionary leadership'
17 Apr 2026 at 6:48pm

FORMER first minister Nicola Sturgeon has won a prestigious award for her ?visionary leadership? at an international event in Iceland ...

Meet the Labour MP going down a storm with journalists
17 Apr 2026 at 6:35pm

?AT risk of repeating myself, Starmer is missing such an open goal by not appointing this guy a minister without portfolio and tasking him with making viral content about the government?s agenda.?

Insiders say Britain is 'unsalvageable'. Why wouldn't Scots flee the wreckage?
17 Apr 2026 at 6:00pm

UNSALVAGEABLE. That was how one UK Government source described the British state ? in its entirety ? to me earlier this week.

Here's how Holyrood parties say they will tackle cost of living crisis
17 Apr 2026 at 5:34pm

THE cost-of-living crisis is hammering households across Scotland and is dominating the Holyrood 2026 election campaign.

Labour blasted as leaflet falsely claims Scottish NHS 'no longer free'
17 Apr 2026 at 5:00pm

SCOTTISH Labour have been accused of ?spreading lies about Scotland?s NHS? after an election leaflet said the healthcare service is ?no longer free at the point of need?.

Pro-Palestine protest against Israel's death penalty closes Scottish museum
17 Apr 2026 at 4:10pm

A GROUP of pro-Palestine protesters held a demonstration against Israel?s newly passed death penalty law, forcing a busy museum in Glasgow to close temporarily ...

Could a Unionist majority be Anas Sarwar's path to power ? or his worst night...
17 Apr 2026 at 4:02pm

DOES Anas Sarwar really have any viable path to power? Or has he scuppered his own chances already ...

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

John Swinney: ?Incompetent? Keir Starmer must resign
17 Apr 2026 at 12:33pm
Prime minister 'furious' over Mandelson vetting latest

Women?s charities ignoring Supreme Court ruling, according to new report
16 Apr 2026 at 4:28pm
A new report by Murray Blackburn Mackenzie has identified?a range of women?s charities?it says?are?extending?their reach to include biological?men?who identify as women

SNP pledges to cap food prices and bus fares if it wins election
16 Apr 2026 at 2:17pm
Supermarkets targeted in cost-of-living move

Local Authorities Guide: West Lothian Council
16 Apr 2026 at 7:00am
Council leader Lawrence Fitzpatrick answers questions about local authority

EU age verification app ready to protect children?s rights, Von Der Leyen says
15 Apr 2026 at 4:54pm
'Children's rights in the European Union come before commercial interest'

Anas Sarwar calls Malcolm Offord ?a liar? over claims of a deal to work again...
15 Apr 2026 at 4:00pm
Reform's leader in Scotland said Sarwar had privately said the two parties needed to work together

Michael Shanks: Labour government should have done more for North Sea transit...
15 Apr 2026 at 1:51pm
Minister reveals latest GB Energy headcount

Digital transformation in the Scottish public sector: turning strategy into b...
15 Apr 2026 at 7:00am
Pulsion partners with Scotland's public sector in developing digital strategies

Local Authorities Guide: West Dunbartonshire
15 Apr 2026 at 7:00am
Council leader Martin Rooney answers questions about local authority

Chatbots give dodgy health advice half of the time, study finds
14 Apr 2026 at 11:30pm
Five systems gave out 'problematic' answers on cancer, exercise and more

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Badenoch calls Farage an ?opportunist? after he urges Scottish nationalists t...
16 Apr 2026 at 7:17pm
Tory leader criticises Farage for saying that holding another independence vote ?probably quite reasonable?Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative party, has accused Nigel Farage of being an opportunist who does not believe in unionism after he urged Scottish nationalists to back Reform.Far...

No 10 claims Starmer did not know Mandelson failed security vetting until thi...
16 Apr 2026 at 6:54pm
The prime minister was not aware that the former US ambassador had failed the vetting process, according to Downing StreetSwinney says this is a manifesto for the whole of Scotland.He confirms that the SNP would argue for the Scottish power to have more control over energy policy (still largely r...

SNP pledges to cap bread and milk prices if it wins Scotland?s parliamentary ...
16 Apr 2026 at 3:38pm
John Swinney unveils his party?s manifesto, saying cost of living is the ?defining issue? for voters on 7 MayThe SNP will cap supermarket prices for essential goods such as bread and milk if it retains power, John Swinney has pledged, after describing the cost of living as ?the defining issue of ...

Scottish Labour leader says claim he tried to do Reform deal is ?desperate lie?
15 Apr 2026 at 5:42pm
Anas Sarwar says there have been ?no stitch-ups, no deals, no backroom chats with Reform? over Holyrood electionsAnas Sarwar has dismissed as ?a desperate lie from a desperate man? a claim by Reform UK?s Scotland leader, Malcolm Offord, that he offered to do a deal with the rightwing party to kee...

Reeves condemns Trump?s decision to launch war against Iran as ?folly?? as it...
14 Apr 2026 at 5:32pm
Chancellor ?frustrated and angry? at the effect on UK firms and families and says US went into war without a clear exit plan Q: Why are you calling for an inquiry into Nigel Farage?s investment in a bitcoin firm?Davey said that, in investing in crypto, Farage, the Reform UK leader, seemed to be c...

Scottish Greens pledge free bus travel and basic income in election manifesto
14 Apr 2026 at 3:13pm
Party says plan for ?radical change? will be funded in part through higher taxes on aviation, gambling and landlordsUK politics live ? latest updatesThe Scottish Greens have called for free bus travel, thousands of extra teachers and doctors and a universal basic income among hundreds of uncosted...

MSPs not told about collapse of funding deal for Scottish nature restoration
14 Apr 2026 at 6:00am
Exclusive: Ministers accused of trying to keep investment firm?s withdrawal from partnership with NatureScot under wrapsA funding deal to raise £100m from private investors for urgently needed nature restoration in Scotland has fallen through without the Scottish parliament being told.The Guardia...

Shabana Mahmood says Southport inquiry report exposed ?systematic failures ac...
13 Apr 2026 at 6:16pm
The home secretary made the comments after an inquiry revealed that the system ?completely failed?Keir Starmer has confirmed that he wants to stop children being exposed to addictive scrolling features on their phones as part of measures to protect them from social media.The PM is under pressure ...

Anas Sarwar asks voters in Scotland to give Labour five years to ?fix SNP?s m...
13 Apr 2026 at 3:35pm
Scottish Labour leader pledges more homes and tax cuts as party tries to reverse slump in support before May electionsAnas Sarwar has appealed to voters to give Labour five years ?to fix the Scottish National party?s mess? as he pledged more homes, tax cuts and a smaller public sector.The Scottis...

Votes for populist parties in May elections will put NHS at risk, Streeting says
12 Apr 2026 at 4:55pm
Exclusive: Health secretary warns of dangers of protest vote as he pitches NHS as key elections battlegroundVoters in May?s local and devolved elections risk putting the NHS in jeopardy if they vote for populist parties, Wes Streeting has said, as he sought to make the health service a key battle...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

We can win an SNP majority despite the moral bankruptcy of the media
17 Apr 2026 at 3:21pm
The Scottish Parliament election campaign is now well underway. Yesterday (Thursday) saw the launch of the SNP manifesto. The response of the British media in Scotland to this, and to a defining event of the campaign earlier this week Reform’s Malcolm Offord blurting out that Anas Sarwar had bounced up to him and spoke of …

The overwhelming evidence that Labour is willing to do a deal with Reform
15 Apr 2026 at 3:12pm
Sometimes events happen which define an entire election campaign, last night Reform’s Malcolm Offord responded to Anas Sarwar’s assertion that he’d never do a deal with Reform because it fields racists by saying: ?This does not square with you coming up to me at the start of this campaign, bouncing up to me at Paisley …

Labour can?t be trusted not to do a deal with Reform
14 Apr 2026 at 9:43pm
I don’t usually pay too much attention to leaders’ debates in the run up to elections. They are invariably too shouty with the leaders vying to talk over the top of each other. Anas Sarwar is invariably the worst offender. On both the leaders’ debates so far, his behaviour has bordered on the offensive, he’s …

Labour?s Scottish manifesto launch, not a campaign, a damage limitation exercise
13 Apr 2026 at 2:22pm
On Monday, Anas Sarwar launches Labour’s manifesto for the Holyrood election and attempts to reboot his party’s faltering campaign, a campaign which was holed below the waterline yesterday, firstly with Wes Streeting’s arrogantly colonialist dismissal of an independence referendum, and secondly by Sarwar’s rude and entitled performance in Sunday evening’s party leader debate, in which …

Wes Streeting?s attack on Scottish democracy will backfire
12 Apr 2026 at 9:50pm
Just when Anas Sarwar thought that the Labour campaign in the Holyrood election couldn’t get any worse, along comes Wes Streeting. Labour’s oleaginous answer to Michael Gove, the private healthcare loving health secretary in the Labour Government in Westminster, who is currently presiding over an NHS England in chaos due to a junior doctor strike …

Anas Sarwar, the Wile E Coyote of Scottish politics
10 Apr 2026 at 9:34pm
You can smell the desperation from Scottish Tory Holyrood leader Russell Findlay. At a campaign event, the soon to be sacked Findlay, pulled out the anti-English racism card against the SNP, accusing them of basing many of their policies on “a pretty bitter streak of anglophobia.” That’s rich, coming from a man who has doubled …

Daring to dream of an SNP majority
7 Apr 2026 at 11:35am
Yet another opinion poll has placed the SNP on track to win a majority in its own right in May’s Holyrood election, a majority which First Minister John Swinney has said would trigger a second independence referendum. The new poll, by Find Out Now for The National, projects the SNP to take 67 seats, giving …

Shettleston doesn?t need Reform?s racism, it needs to be part of an independe...
2 Apr 2026 at 1:10pm
On Wednesday, April Fool’s Day, Reform UK unveiled its racist and scaremongering advert for the Scottish election next month. It was appropriate that they did so on April Fool’s Day because they are taking the electorate for mugs. The consists of image showing apparent migrants crowded onto a small inflatable dinghy with text reading “Scotland …

It?s not just independence which is at stake in this election
31 Mar 2026 at 6:13pm
The weekend kicked off the election campaign with a well attended march and rally for independence held in Edinburgh on Saturday. I’m sure you all followed the reports about it on BBC Scotland, oh, right. It was far too busy talking about the ferries again wasn’t it. Every political party talks up its chances during …

The rapid implosion of Reform?s Scottish campaign
26 Mar 2026 at 3:05pm
As the saying goes, you’d need a heart of stone not to laugh. Within just a few days of Reform UK launching its Scottish election campaign to much fanfare and racist ‘jokes’ about tartan burqas, the wheels are already coming off Farage’s septic tank pumper wagon. The party has already lost no less than four …

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

Survey reveals shocking standards of research by trade union affiliated with ...
17 Apr 2026 at 9:54pm
By reader George S Gordon On Wednesday the Scotsman had an article based on Unison Scotland surveys of its members in the NHS, headlined ? ?Exclusive: Survey reveals ?shocking? concerns over health and care staffing?. The article refers to two surveys, one in December 2025 and the other in February 2026.  Odd that they?re reporting those now! Very unusually, the article provides survey response...

Will Anas Sarwar be asked about Starmer?s ?disastrous? pharma deal with the U...
17 Apr 2026 at 9:26pm
Thanks to Dottie for alerting us to this: From the Canary fact checker yesterday: Keir Starmer?s disastrous trade deal with Trump for US pharmaceuticals may end up costing the UK £64bn. That?s massively over the £1bn estimate that the government itself gave to the public. Worse still, the money diverted from other NHS services may cost hundreds of thousands of lives over the coming decade. That...

BBC Good Mourning Scotland ? 12 years of uninterrupted interrrupting of SNP g...
17 Apr 2026 at 2:38pm
Fiona Stalker in 2026 and James Naughtie in 2014 MSM Monitor’s post today reminded me of something 12 years ago. Research I did then reveals that nothing has changed at BBC Good Mourning Scotland. In May 2014, Newsnet Scotland published a report on an extensive study I did for them on possible bias in the reporting in their flagship news radio show. With particular regard to interrupting guests...

The SNP?s essential food price caps are compassion not communism as ITV claim...
17 Apr 2026 at 2:14pm
Detail at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/04/17/john-swinney-helping-those-struggling-with-the-cost-of-eating-is-not-communist-but-bbc-scotlands-peter-smith-is-either-thick-or-just-another-right-wing-extremist-heres-why/

Have the Scottish Labour MPs joined the campaign against the ?shameful? Palan...
17 Apr 2026 at 2:12pm
In the Guardian today: MPs have queued up to demand the government scraps its £330m NHS contract with the spy-tech company Palantir, calling it ?dreadful? and ?shameful? in a debate on Thursday, after which the government said it was ?no fan? of the US company?s politics. Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs led the calls for Palantir, which also works for Donald Trump?s ICE immigration crackdown an...

Third US request for data on campus safety cannot be provided despite on eve...
17 Apr 2026 at 2:08pm
From Police Scotland – 26-1005 – Clery Act Request (USA University) Date and time of release: April 15, 2026 18:36 Reference: 26-1005 – Clery Act Request (USA University), published today: https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/disclosure-log-2026/april/26-1005-clery-act-request-usa-university/ This is the third such Freedom of Information req...

With rising demand from children with special needs Scotland has nearly twice...
17 Apr 2026 at 7:31am
In the Guardian today: Councils in England need to hire 1,400 more educational psychologists at a cost of £140m to meet demand from children with special needs such as autism, according to a new report. Research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) found huge regional variations and chronic shortages in qualified educational psychologists working with schools, and concluded that a 40% increa...

How diplomacy by the Scottish Government helped to avert all planned health s...
17 Apr 2026 at 7:12am
In the Guardian today: Many of us reluctantly supported industrial action at the beginning, with a government that wasn?t listening ? wanting to support junior colleagues whose pay had fallen far behind contemporaries. Now we see how divided and conflicted resident doctors are too, and we long for a resolution. We recognise that the strikes are harmful. Communication and diplomacy are skills we...

John Swinney helping those struggling with the cost of eating is not ?communi...
17 Apr 2026 at 6:14am
The essential MSM Monitor captured the above astonishing claim yesterday. This claim is nonsense. Communism requires the abolition of private property, elimination of the profit motive, central planning of the whole economy including actual ownership of the supermarkets. Swinney is merely telling the massively profitable supermarket chains to absorb some of the costs. In Imperial Rome, a slave ...

Alex Cole Hamilton wastes your taxes again to find in an average 24 hour peri...
16 Apr 2026 at 4:48pm
Alex Cole Hamilton, Lib Dem leader, currently at home preparing for government, is a regular FOI man. Goodness knows how many thousands he’s wasted digging for dirt on the SNP. Often he doesn’t get what he wants, just adds up enough years to get a big number, forgets to mention an improving trend such as the babies born with drug and alcohol addictions and the MSM operating in Scotland help him...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028 - BBC
12 Apr 2026 at 10:07pm
Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028  BBC

Alan Cumming: 'The High Life was always about Scotland?s place and the notion...
17 Apr 2026 at 7:03am
Alan Cumming: 'The High Life was always about Scotland?s place and the notion of independence'  Big Issue

SNP's universal benefits are all about securing independence which would rend...
18 Apr 2026 at 6:00am
SNP's universal benefits are all about securing independence which would render them unaffordable  The Scotsman

The great independence charade - Financial Times
16 Apr 2026 at 12:03pm
The great independence charade  Financial Times

Welsh Tories attack Reform over independence stance after Farage backs Scotti...
17 Apr 2026 at 8:43pm
Welsh Tories attack Reform over independence stance after Farage backs Scottish referendum  Nation.Cymru

Farage throws a wildcard into Scotland?s elections - politico.eu
17 Apr 2026 at 4:00am
Farage throws a wildcard into Scotland?s elections  politico.eu

This is what the SNP manifesto says about Scottish independence - The Nationa...
16 Apr 2026 at 1:26pm
This is what the SNP manifesto says about Scottish independence  The National Scot

I don?t care if it bores you, Scottish independence is the only issue that ma...
13 Apr 2026 at 4:57pm
I don?t care if it bores you, Scottish independence is the only issue that matters  The Telegraph

Green MSPs essential to delivering independence majority - Scottish Greens
15 Apr 2026 at 10:55am
Green MSPs essential to delivering independence majority  Scottish Greens

Promise of change from independence is only card SNP has to play - The Times
14 Apr 2026 at 4:50pm
Promise of change from independence is only card SNP has to play  The Times

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

John Swinney predicts SNP majority at Holyrood election - BBC
18 Apr 2026 at 6:00am
John Swinney predicts SNP majority at Holyrood election  BBC

SNP pledges to cap bread and milk prices if it wins Scotland?s parliamentary ...
16 Apr 2026 at 2:58pm
SNP pledges to cap bread and milk prices if it wins Scotland?s parliamentary elections  The Guardian

Initial response to the SNP?s manifesto - IFS | Institute for Fiscal Studies
16 Apr 2026 at 2:46pm
Initial response to the SNP?s manifesto  IFS | Institute for Fiscal Studies

SNP food price cap will not be legally possible, says Kemi but Keir can't be ...
16 Apr 2026 at 9:52pm
SNP food price cap will not be legally possible, says Kemi but Keir can't be trusted to block them  MSN

Supermarket food prices to be capped under SNP manifesto pledge - BBC
16 Apr 2026 at 12:05pm
Supermarket food prices to be capped under SNP manifesto pledge  BBC

SNP 'conversion therapy' ban would be 'fundamentally illiberal' - www.christi...
18 Apr 2026 at 5:57am
SNP 'conversion therapy' ban would be 'fundamentally illiberal'  www.christiantoday.com

SNP 2026 Manifesto: Always on Scotland?s side - snp.org
16 Apr 2026 at 9:00am
SNP 2026 Manifesto: Always on Scotland?s side  snp.org

Can the SNP be complacent in Yes City? Why this constituency isn't a done dea...
18 Apr 2026 at 5:04am
Can the SNP be complacent in Yes City? Why this constituency isn't a done deal  The National Scot

2026 Scottish manifesto analysis: Scottish National Party - Fraser of Allande...
17 Apr 2026 at 3:40pm
2026 Scottish manifesto analysis: Scottish National Party  Fraser of Allander Institute

Joanna Cherry: I?ve quit the SNP and I?m ashamed of them - The Times
17 Apr 2026 at 9:00pm
Joanna Cherry: I?ve quit the SNP and I?m ashamed of them  The Times

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028 - BBC
12 Apr 2026 at 10:07pm
Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028  BBC

Welsh Tories attack Reform over independence stance after Farage backs Scotti...
17 Apr 2026 at 8:43pm
Welsh Tories attack Reform over independence stance after Farage backs Scottish referendum  Nation.Cymru

Scotland Decides: Leaders debate ahead of May elections - Channel 4
14 Apr 2026 at 8:31pm
Scotland Decides: Leaders debate ahead of May elections  Channel 4

I am not convinced a de facto referendum would be respected - The National Scot
13 Apr 2026 at 8:07pm
I am not convinced a de facto referendum would be respected  The National Scot

Why Scotland needs Winston Churchill's alternative to independence - The Scot...
15 Apr 2026 at 4:45pm
Why Scotland needs Winston Churchill's alternative to independence  The Scotsman

SNP and Greens join independence march ahead of Holyrood election - BBC
28 Mar 2026 at 7:00am
SNP and Greens join independence march ahead of Holyrood election  BBC

Kemi Badenoch: Reform 'paving the way' for SNP's second independence referend...
16 Apr 2026 at 9:22pm
Kemi Badenoch: Reform 'paving the way' for SNP's second independence referendum  The Herald

John Swinney pushing 'fundamentalist' approach to Scottish independence as SN...
16 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
John Swinney pushing 'fundamentalist' approach to Scottish independence as SNP leader launches manifesto  Daily Record

Scottish independence - Institute for Government
26 Jan 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish independence  Institute for Government

Badenoch: Only Tories will stand up against SNP?s ?divisive? referendum plans...
16 Apr 2026 at 12:10am
Badenoch: Only Tories will stand up against SNP?s ?divisive? referendum plans  Royston Crow