The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Police called after pro-Palestine event in Falkirk targeted by protestors
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
13 Feb 2026 at 3:56pm
Police were called to a speaking event in Falkirk after it was targeted by protestors


Boss of RBS owner becomes highest-paid since Fred Goodwin
by scott.wright@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Scott Wright
13 Feb 2026 at 2:00pm
NatWest leader Paul Thwaite declares he is 'very fortunate' as pay surges to �6.6m


Salmond �3m compensation case against government to proceed after rock star f...
13 Feb 2026 at 1:22pm
Alex Salmond's �3 million compensation case against the Scottish Government is to go ahead, it has been annnounced.


Tax breaks for Scotland's deer wood linked to 'eat what you shoot' policy
by jody.harrison@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Jody Harrison
13 Feb 2026 at 11:53am
Scottish woods which harbour deer are to get rates relief reinstated ? but only if the animals become part of the food chain.


Glasgow homeless applications from outside Scotland surge by over 3,500 per cent
by Craig Meighan
13 Feb 2026 at 6:39am
The statistics reveal a dramatic rise in those homeless people who had no local connection


Scotland 'missing out' on share of �15bn EU funds for energy and bio-tech pro...
13 Feb 2026 at 5:00am
Scotland is missing out on a share of �15 billion European Union funds for energy and biotech projects, Keir Starmer has been warned.


Sarwar 'didn?t step back' from his calls for Starmer to quit in conversation ...
by Craig Paton
13 Feb 2026 at 2:41pm
Anas Sarwar ?didn?t step back? from his calls for the Prime Minister to quit in a conversation between the two men on Thursday, the Scottish Labour leader has said.


Activists to swarm Glasgow city centre to protest 'Trump?s Gangster Grab on G...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
12 Feb 2026 at 8:22pm
The protest is aimed at Donald Trump?s recently formed Board of Peace, which he says will help to rebuild the bombarded enclave.


'No confidence' in MacAskill as Alba MSP candidate kicked off regional list
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
12 Feb 2026 at 8:10pm
Party activist Morgwn Davies told members that he had been deselected by Alba?s governing body just 12 hours before the list announcement.


Scottish Government urged to release funding in bid to lower Glasgow bus fares
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
12 Feb 2026 at 7:44pm
Speaking in Holyrood, Paul Sweeney said that Glasweigans are paying ?unfair? prices when compared to other large UK cities, like Edinburgh and London.


Revealed: Impact of Trump tariffs on Scotch whisky exports laid bare
by scott.wright@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Scott Wright
12 Feb 2026 at 6:30pm
New figures show exports to Scotch whisky's biggest have fallen since Trump returned to White House


Japanese ambassador visits 'world's most famous traffic cone' in charm offensive
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
12 Feb 2026 at 5:44pm
Hiroshi Suzuki is visiting Scotland's largest city this week as part of his diplomatic duties.


Scottish Government budget passes after SNP agree �178m pub boost with Lib Dems
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
12 Feb 2026 at 5:38pm
Scotland's hospitality businesses have welcomed a late rise in business rates relief, after Finance Secretary Shona Robison agreed a �300 million budget deal with the Scottish Lib Dems.


Hot dogs, helmets and Holyrood: Will the NFL come to Scotland?
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
12 Feb 2026 at 4:00pm
Anas Sarwar?s call to bring the NFL to Scotland was overshadowed by his decision to knife Sir Keir Starmer in the front, but is it an idea worth pursuing?

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Sarwar calls for former nursing chief to be investigated over Disneyland claims
13 Feb 2026 at 4:45pm

The Scottish Labour leader also said John Swinney is not fit to be First Minister.

The Scottish Tories have vowed to axe the SNP government?s housing policies on immigration and net zero in an apparent appeal to Reform UK voters.

According to the charity?s figures, the number of antisemitic incidents recorded in Scotland has soared by 197 per cent since 2022.

The SNP has got its budget bill passed stage one - but economists are warning it is not fully funded.

The teenager killer could be freed two years after a bus driver died following the attack.

The plan to fund the long-awaited revamp of George Street from Edinburgh?s tourist tax has been put on hold amid last-minute negotiations at a special meeting of the full council to allocate Visitor Levy cash.

Wings over Scotland

The Modern Politician
10 Feb 2026 at 5:17pm
A play in three acts: And you thought ours were spineless. Poor old Anas, though. If 24 hours is a long time in politics these days, a week is forever. And a month hardly even bears thinking about. As for a year and a half, well, the less said the better.

A Dumber Nation
9 Feb 2026 at 3:52pm
In politics, readers, evil and stupidity aren’t the same thing. But nor are they exclusive. Before we ask you to consider which of the terms applies to the Scottish Government led by John Swinney, we’d like you to read this letter sent to Wings by the auntie of two women imprisoned in Scottish jails. “I …

Echoes of history
8 Feb 2026 at 5:26pm
The Sunday National’s front page today elicited a sigh of “So what?” from most. We’ve already GOT a “pro-indy” majority at Holyrood and have done for the last 10 years, for all it’s been worth. But to be fair there was a paragraph in the article that at least raised a quizzical eyebrow. Because, y’know, …

A Stitch In Timing
5 Feb 2026 at 4:09pm
Readers will probably be aware that literally as you read this, the Scottish Government is in court trying to defend its policy of letting male murderers be housed in women’s prisons by arguing that the Equality Act 2010 (as ruled on by the Supreme Court in the For Women Scotland case) is incompatible with the …

The Marshalling Plan
2 Feb 2026 at 1:25pm
Another month has passed, so we suppose it must be time for the third of our polling-analysis pieces for the Scottish Parliament election in May. (Last time round we assessed the grotesque rank idiocy of voting SNP on the list if you want a pro-indy majority, and the time before that we considered the possible …

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

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

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

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

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

Craig Murray

Is The USA Controlling Venezuela
7 Feb 2026 at 5:54pm

My first video report from Venezuela: My being here reporting is entirely possible due, as is all my journalism and activism, to your individual subscriptions and donations. We now have a Venezuela reporting crowdfunder. I have simply edited the Lebanese GoFundMe crowdfunder, because that took many weeks to be approved and I don’t want to …

Is The USA Controlling Venezuela

Filton Acquittals Demolish Starmer and Cooper Lies About Palestine Action
5 Feb 2026 at 6:49pm

As the trial finished at Woolwich Crown Court of the six Palestine Action activists who entered the Filton factory to destroy Israeli killer drones, Starmer, Cooper, Lammy and Mahmood are left bereft of a single guilty verdict in the case on which they relied heavily to label Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. I could …

Filton Acquittals Demolish Starmer and Cooper Lies About Palestine Action

Trump, Pirate of the Caribbean
3 Feb 2026 at 11:14am

I have now been here a week and I think that I have absorbed enough to attempt a little analysis, as opposed to the simple impressions I gave shortly after arrival. Those impressions remain valid however: this is not a repressive state. I was on the Randy Credico show live on WBAI New York on …

Trump, Pirate of the Caribbean

Palestine Action Judicial Review
29 Jan 2026 at 6:59pm

I attach the full text of Lord Young’s decision granting the Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine. A few points. Judicial Review can only be granted where the judge believes it has a realistic chance of success. Lord Young evidently believes that we have a realistic chance of success on our three grounds …

Palestine Action Judicial Review

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

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

Being There – In Venezuela

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

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

Resisting the Respectable Opinion on Iran

BBC Scotland

Peter Murrell accused of embezzling �459,000 over 12-year period
13 Feb 2026 at 5:57pm
The former SNP chief executive is accused of illicitly purchasing items including luxury goods, jewellery, cosmetics, two cars and a motorhome.

Rock musician to fund Alex Salmond case against Scottish government
13 Feb 2026 at 5:32pm
Paul McManus, drummer with Scottish band Gun, has taken on the legal action from Salmond's family.

Sarwar stands by resignation call in conversation with Starmer
13 Feb 2026 at 3:12pm
The Scottish Labour leader has described speaking to Sir Keir Starmer days after calling on the PM to quit

Scottish government bans wet wipes containing plastic
13 Feb 2026 at 11:28am
This type of wipe is a common source of marine litter and can break down into microplastics over time, harming the environment.

Row as Scottish Borders set for 8.5% council tax rise
12 Feb 2026 at 5:15pm
Councillors argue the inflation-busting increase is needed to preserve front-line services.

Release of bus driver's killer 'sickening', says Tory leader
12 Feb 2026 at 1:47pm
Keith Rollinson, 58, died of a cardiac arrest after being attacked by a teenager in Elgin.

Health board bosses have 10% pay rise suspended after union backlash
12 Feb 2026 at 6:01am
Executives at NHS Lothian and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde were previously handed temporary rises worth up to �20,000 per year.

How community service showed me a different way to live
12 Feb 2026 at 6:02am
Josh Andrews tells BBC Scotland News that prison would have derailed his recovery and left him anchored in a life of crime.

ScotRail fares to be frozen for the next year
12 Feb 2026 at 11:11am
First Minister John Swinney says the move is part of the government's "resolute focus on the cost of living".

MSP defends friendship with sex offender after Labour suspension
11 Feb 2026 at 4:49pm
Pam Duncan-Glancy has lost the party whip due to her ties to former Moray councillor Sean Morton.

Sarwar denies being part of wider plot to oust Starmer
11 Feb 2026 at 5:13pm
The Scottish Labour leader says he stands by his call for the prime minister to resign.

Scottish Labour suspends MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy
11 Feb 2026 at 11:13am
The MSP has had the party whip removed in the Scottish Parliament over her friendship with sex offender Sean Morton.

Scot Goes Pop

REVEALED: It was the Alba Party's acting Chair, DEBBIE EWEN, who was behind t...
12 Feb 2026 at 6:52pm

BREAKING: Alba takes another major step towards total disintegration, as the ...
12 Feb 2026 at 3:53pm
It shows you the level of (justified) paranoia within the ultra-Stalinist Alba party that three different people (who as far as I know are all unconnected with each other) have contacted me about a...

"The joke is over": Now even the SALMOND FAMILY have turned their backs on th...
11 Feb 2026 at 3:28pm
Today brings the news of the resignation of Gail Hendry, Alex Salmond's sister, from the Alba NEC, and indeed after making the video below I was told that several other NEC members (plus at least o...

Which leader did Anas Sarwar just bring down - was it Keir Starmer, or himself?
10 Feb 2026 at 4:27am
There aren't many outlets that report Scottish polling accurately and without unionist bias.  If you value the service Scot Goes Pop provides, you currently have a thrilling opportunity to help wit...

Nigel Farage, so long the favourite to be the next Prime Minister, has slumpe...
7 Feb 2026 at 1:54pm
This video also contains more information about the More In Common independence polling I mentioned yesterday.   There aren't many outlets that report Scottish polling accurately and without unioni...

"Well, they're certainly keeping quiet about THAT bit!": More In Common poll ...
6 Feb 2026 at 3:14pm
There aren't many outlets that report Scottish polling accurately and without unionist bias.  If you value the service Scot Goes Pop provides, you currently have a thrilling opportunity to help wit...

My appearance on the "Two Davies" show
5 Feb 2026 at 5:55pm
Earlier today, I took part in a live stream on the "Two Davies" YouTube channel, and we all answered viewers' questions about quite a wide variety of subjects, including the current polling situati...

Gosh, I wonder if Stew has ever demonstrated quite so unwittingly and vividly...
4 Feb 2026 at 1:17am
Quite a number of years ago now, I got into a mildly bizarre email debate with someone who shall remain nameless, but who is widely regarded in Scotland as bona fide journalistic royalty.  Basicall...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

I did not step back from urging Starmer to quit in call with him ? Sarwar
13 Feb 2026 at 4:51pm
The Scottish Labour leader said he spoke to the Prime Minister on the phone on Thursday

Millionaire takes over legal rights to Salmond case against Scottish Government
13 Feb 2026 at 4:41pm
The former first minister took action against the Government, naming Nicola Sturgeon and former top civil servant Leslie Evans specifically

MSPs vote to back draft Budget as Lib Dems agree deal with Scottish Government
12 Feb 2026 at 6:44pm
The Lib Dems confirmed they had struck a deal on social care, hospices and hospitality

Release of drunk teen who killed bus driver ?weak justice?, says Tory leader
12 Feb 2026 at 2:13pm
The teenager who killed Keith Rollinson could be released within weeks after two years in secure accommodation

Sir Jim Ratcliffe apologises for claiming immigrants had ?colonised? the UK
12 Feb 2026 at 12:14pm
The Ineos boss and Manchester United co-owner said it was 'important to raise the issue' of controlled immigration

John Swinney to face FMQs ahead of first Budget vote
12 Feb 2026 at 12:01pm
The First Minister announced rail fares will be frozen for the next year ahead of the vote

Sir Jim Ratcliffe made ?mistake? with immigration comments, says John Swinney
12 Feb 2026 at 11:05am
The Ineos boss and Manchester United co-owner said the UK had been 'colonised' by immigrants

ScotRail fares to be frozen for 12 months by Scottish Government
12 Feb 2026 at 9:46am
Freeze will apply to all train tickets, including season tickets and Flexipass

Sir Jim Ratcliffe?s ?UK colonised by immigrants? claim branded ?disgraceful?
12 Feb 2026 at 8:44am
The Manchester United co-owner made the comment in an interview with Sky News.

Finance Secretary Robison urges MSPs to back Budget ahead of first vote
12 Feb 2026 at 8:26am
The Budget has increased the Scottish Child Payment and paved the way for a levy on private jets and a so-called ?mansion tax?

Keir Starmer faces fresh questions over judgment after Lord Doyle controversy
12 Feb 2026 at 7:49am
Lord Doyle has had the Labour whip removed.

?Clearly not?: Lucy Powell asked if she would have ennobled Lord Doyle
11 Feb 2026 at 8:31pm
The peer, who has had the Labour whip removed, earlier apologised and said he believed Morton?s initial assertions of innocence.

Suspended Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy defends friendship with�sex offender S...
11 Feb 2026 at 5:01pm
Pam Duncan-Glancy stood down as education spokesperson after revelations about her ties with Sean Morton

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar denies being part of wider attempt to oust...
11 Feb 2026 at 4:16pm
Anas Sarwar became the most senior Labour figure to call for Sir Keir Starmer's resignation

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Peter Murrell court date postponed until after Scottish Parliament election
13 Feb 2026 at 6:24pm
Murrell, 61, has been charged with embezzlement.

Scottish politics today: Alex Salmond 'plotted against by those at top of SNP'
13 Feb 2026 at 5:00pm
The Record brings you its daily 5pm briefing of the top stories in Scottish politics.

Anas Sarwar feels 'liberated' after calling on Keir Starmer to quit as Prime ...
13 Feb 2026 at 3:21pm
The Scottish Labour leader doubled down after his demand on Monday.

Alex Salmond case against SNP Government to be bankrolled by millionaire drummer
13 Feb 2026 at 3:09pm
Paul McManus, the drummer in Scottish rock legends Gun, has been assigned the legal rights to the case by Moira Salmond.

Young men more likely to live in poverty in Scotland than elsewhere in UK, 's...
13 Feb 2026 at 10:06am
The rise is not mirrored by Scots women of the same age, prompting questions as to why men are falling behind.

Thousands of murderers and rapists hunted by Scots cops every day sparking fe...
13 Feb 2026 at 4:30am
Now frontline cops have warned that the huge number of cases is putting a massive strain on police resources.

Self-confessed Nazi conducting late night crimewatch ?patrols? in tiny Scotti...
13 Feb 2026 at 4:30am
Hitler fan John Carroll also flashes the Sieg Heil salute on videos he uploads to You Tube.

Scottish politics today: Jim Ratcliffe 'sorry' for 'choice of language' in im...
12 Feb 2026 at 5:00pm
The Record brings you its daily 5pm briefing of the top stories in Scottish politics.

John Swinney backs ex-SNP Government adviser after claims she offered grievin...
12 Feb 2026 at 4:08pm
Fiona McQueen remains the chair of the Scottish Police Authority, a position she was appointed to by the SNP Government, despite controversy over the QEUH scandal.

Jim Ratcliffe should be 'utterly ashamed of himself' as Man Utd co-owner apol...
12 Feb 2026 at 2:34pm
Anas Sarwar said people across the UK would be "furious" with the billionaire's comments.

The National

The National | Politics

Douglas Alexander sends out the goon squad
13 Feb 2026 at 5:37pm

THERE are some moments, I am sure you have them, where you wonder: ?What am I doing with my life??

SNP MP demands answers on why UK 'withheld �100m' for bust Scottish space firm
13 Feb 2026 at 5:36pm

THE UK Government has been pushed to explain why it ?withheld funding? promised to a Scottish space firm which has now gone into administration

Professor weighs in on why media ignored Jewish protest against Nigel Farage
13 Feb 2026 at 5:08pm

IT may be one of Nigel Farage?s few speeches to have gone largely ignored by the media this year so far.

Police Scotland issues statement after Palestine Action court ruling
13 Feb 2026 at 4:51pm

POLICE Scotland has issued a statement following the High Court ruling that the UK Government?s terrorism ban against Palestine Action is unlawful

Palestine Action saga shows dystopian doublethink is now UK Government policy
13 Feb 2026 at 4:21pm

Doublethink is no longer the preserve of dystopian fiction, it is UK Government policy ...

Tommy Robinson flees UK claiming he's 'a priority target for ISIS'
13 Feb 2026 at 3:49pm

FAR-RIGHT agitator Tommy Robinson has claimed that he has fled the country because he is a priority target for terror group Isis.

Anas Sarwar denies being ordered to sack MSP with paedophile ties
13 Feb 2026 at 3:18pm

ANAS Sarwar has denied that he was ordered to remove the whip from Pam Duncan-Glancy over her relationship with a convicted paedophile.

Labour-supporting voters must not play make-believe this May
13 Feb 2026 at 3:00pm

WHEN I was five, I wanted to be He-Man. No matter how many times I held aloft my replica sword and yelled ?By the power of Gray Skull?, I never actually transformed into a muscle-ripped hero. For Sarwar to ever become first minister would require equally impossible magic. Regardless, Sarwar has been playing make-believe for months now.

The legal reason why The National is blocking comments on Peter Murrell stories
13 Feb 2026 at 3:00pm

ON Thursday evening, police confirmed that former�SNP�chief executive Peter Murrell has been charged amid a probe into the party?s finances ...

Millionaire rock star takes on legal rights to Alex Salmond compensation case
13 Feb 2026 at 2:20pm

A MILLIONAIRE rock drummer has taken over the legal rights to Alex Salmond's compensation claim against the Scottish Government, allowing the case to proceed, it has been announced.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Millionaire rock drummer takes on Alex Salmond case against Scottish Government
13 Feb 2026 at 2:45pm
Paul McManus of Gun brought in thanks to Fergus Ewing MSP and PR guru Jack Irvine

Peter Murrell accused of embezzling ?460,000 from the SNP in eight court charges
13 Feb 2026 at 10:27am
The estranged husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon is alleged to have used party funds to purchase luxury items, including a campervan, cosmetics, and jewellery

Anas Sarwar: Jim Ratcliffe ?colonising? comments ?disgusting and offensive?
12 Feb 2026 at 2:21pm
The billionaire has apologised for his ?choice of language? following backlash

Russell Findlay calls for ?lighter? under-25 sentencing guidelines to be scra...
12 Feb 2026 at 1:42pm
John Swinney said that "all sentencing options including imprisonment" were open to judges

John Swinney slams ?destructive? Tories as Lib Dems confirm budget support
12 Feb 2026 at 1:40pm
'Neither the Scottish Conservatives nor Scottish Labour got a penny from this budget'

Unite behind SNP budget, Shona Robison urges rivals
12 Feb 2026 at 6:00am
Lib Dems call on Scottish Government to 'meet half-way'

Changing the DNA of Care: how earlier insight can strengthen Scotland?s socia...
12 Feb 2026 at 6:00am
If we truly want to support independence for longer, we must equip care professionals with the tools to act earlier, not later.

Keir Starmer says peer with links to paedophile did not give ?full account of...
11 Feb 2026 at 12:55pm
Lord Doyle, Starmer?s former director of communications, has been suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party over his links to Sean Morton

UK at ?crucial moment? as Westminster considers social media ban for under 16...
11 Feb 2026 at 12:38pm
One of Scotland?s leading child psychotherapists said the UK Government must use the consultation to ask difficult questions about how young people?s mental health is being affected by social media platforms

NSPCC Scotland and Scottish Youth Parliament launch partnership to make child...
11 Feb 2026 at 12:24pm
It?includes?new tools aimed at helping children and young people to better understand the risks online,?such as?artificial intelligence, online bullying, and misinformation

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Scottish Labour leader says he doesn?t regret calling for Starmer to quit ? U...
13 Feb 2026 at 4:30pm
Anas Sarwar said that he stood by what he said when he announced on Monday that he wanted the prime minister to stand downThe Equality and Human Rights Commission has welcomed a high court ruling defending the interim guidance it issued to organisations about the implications of the supreme court...

Jeane Freeman obituary
12 Feb 2026 at 5:57pm
SNP politician who served as Scottish health secretary and led the government?s response to the covid pandemicJeane Freeman, who has died aged 72, held two critical roles in the SNP government at Holyrood, leading the Scottish government?s response to the Covid pandemic alongside Nicola Sturgeon ...

Anas Sarwar says Starmer can campaign in Scotland after calling for him to quit
11 Feb 2026 at 5:59pm
Scottish Labour leader agrees PM can support party?s effort to win May?s Holyrood election in abrupt about-faceThe Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has agreed that Keir Starmer can campaign for the party in the Holyrood elections just days after calling for the prime minister to resign.In a m...

Anas Sarwar says Starmer welcome to campaign for Labour in Scotland, days aft...
11 Feb 2026 at 5:56pm
Two days ago, the Scottish Labour leader said he wanted the prime minister to avoid Scotland during the election campaign because of his deep unpopularity with votersFamilies of nurses and carers have said they fear being torn apart under an immigration crackdown condemned as ?an act of economic ...

No 10 confident Sarwar acted alone in call for Starmer to go
10 Feb 2026 at 8:17pm
Downing Street initially feared Scottish Labour leader?s move was part of a wider leadership challenge Downing Street is increasingly confident that Anas Sarwar?s call for Keir Starmer to stand down was not part of a coordinated plot by a leadership rival to bring down the prime minister, the Gua...

Starmer says he ?will never walk away? as Burnham joins Labour figures backin...
10 Feb 2026 at 6:12pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereKemi Badenoch has said that Keir Starmer just received a ?stay of execution? yesterday. Speaking to reporters on a visit this morning, she said:Starmer is in a very dangerous place. The Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the quie...

Starmer survives ? but for how long? ? podcast
10 Feb 2026 at 3:00am
Helen Pidd follows the twists and turns on Monday as the prime minister fought to keep his jobOn Monday morning, the prime minister was preparing to reset relations with MPs after the resignation of his chief aide, Morgan McSweeney.Just before midday, news broke that Tim Allen, Keir Starmer?s dir...

Starmer tells Labour MPs he is ?not prepared to walk away? after call for him...
9 Feb 2026 at 9:50pm
Prime minister addresses parliamentary Labour party amid Mandelson scandal falloutScottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar calls on Keir Starmer to stand downTim Allan said he was standing down to allow Keir Starmer the opportunity to build a new team.In a statement, he said:I have decided to stand dow...

Sarwar has shown his ruthless streak. But will his swipe at Starmer mean anyt...
9 Feb 2026 at 4:20pm
Scottish Labour leader is gambling that by declaring his loyalty to Scotland, the electorate will rally behind himAnas Sarwar calls for Keir Starmer to stand downAnas Sarwar has shown he has a ruthless streak. Once one of Keir Starmer?s staunchest cheerleaders and allies, the Scottish Labour lead...

Scottish Labour leader calls for Keir Starmer to resign as PM ? video
9 Feb 2026 at 3:51pm
Anas Sarwar, the leader of the Labour party in Scotland, called on Monday for Keir Starmer to resign, saying the government's failures had 'drowned out' its accomplishments. Calls for the prime minister's resignation have been growing this week after new Epstein files revelations about Peter Mand...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Billionaire tax evader blames poor people for Britain?s problems
13 Feb 2026 at 1:05pm
73 year old billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, the UK’s own racist granddad, moved to the tax haven of Monaco in 2020 in order to avoid paying his fair share of taxes. He’s doubtless one of those English people living abroad who considers himself an ‘expat’ and not an immigrant. It’s equally likely that he doesn’t speak …

Labour?s real problem in Scotland is that Sarwar and Starmer are the same.
12 Feb 2026 at 9:10am
It’s hard to overstate just how much of a shambles the Labour party in Scotland has got itself into. On Wednesday The Herald was reporting that branch manager Anas Sarwar had doubled down on his call for Keir Starmer to stand down as Prime Minister while at the very same time The Guardian’s Scottish correspondent …

Labour sleaze and its dangerous association with Palantir
11 Feb 2026 at 2:35pm
To paraphrase Shakespeare, Oh what a revolting web we weave when we mire ourselves in sleaze. Labour’s self inflicted paedophile adjacent chaos continues. Starmer has now belatedly removed the Labour whip from Labour peer Matthew Doyle, who served as Starmer’s chief of communications until March last year. Doyle was given a peerage by Starmer on …

Starmer and Sarwar, the Tweedledum and Tweedledumber of political arrogance
10 Feb 2026 at 1:26pm
If you’re having a bad day today, console yourself with the thought that Anas Sarwar is having a much worse day than you are, cue the world’s tiniest violin. Sarwar can’t do anything right, not even lay claim to the title of Scotland’s leading self-important nepo-baby, Fergus Ewing has got that one sewn up. In …

Keir Starmer gets bitten by his soon to be neutered Scottish poodle
9 Feb 2026 at 4:23pm
I’m not going to lie, I never expected that in 2026 I’d have “Excitedly awaiting a press conference from Anas Sarwar” on my bingo card. Due to the rapidly unfolding Mandelson scandal, in the space of 24 hours Keir Starmer has lost his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and his director of communications Tim Allan. …

Starmer, Corbyn, and implications for May?s Scottish elections
9 Feb 2026 at 11:55am
The big political story of the moment is of course the psychodrama enveloping Keir Starmer and the Labour party over the fallout from Starmer’s decision to appoint serial sleaze magnet Peter Mandelson to the high profile position as British ambassador to the USA despite Mandelson’s close ties to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and decades long …

it?s not John Swinney who must be held to account for Mandelson, it?s Starmer...
8 Feb 2026 at 1:56pm
Certain individuals such as the execrable Russell Findlay, the soon to be electorally humbled branch manager of the Tories in Scotland, and Mandy Rhodes, the editor of Holyrood Magazine, a publication with considerably fewer readers than this blog, are attempting to make political capital out of the fact that when on an official visit to …

YouGov?s independence polls are comfort blankets for Unionists
6 Feb 2026 at 12:28pm
This is an expanded and revised version of a piece I wrote for The National newspaper earlier this week. Since writing it further information has come to light which casts even greater doubt on the validity of a YouGov poll on Scottish independence which was published last week, a poll which was received with immense …

Mandelson, the sleazy heart of Starmer?s right wing Labour party
5 Feb 2026 at 3:13pm
Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour party and his position as Prime Minister have been on a shoogly peg for some time. After being elected in July 2024 with a landslide victory in the Commons, albeit on a mere one third of the popular vote, Labour MPs were looking forward to settling down to a …

The independence movement must commit to a Scottish republic
4 Feb 2026 at 2:02pm
It’s well known that people in Scotland are less enamoured with the self-promoting antics of the Windsor family than people in other parts of the UK. Large royal events with all their pomp and pageantry paid for at public expense are typically met in Scotland with widespread apathy, if not anger and ridicule. The street …

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

Wes Streeting and Ian Murray humiliated as Scotland?s roll-out of health data...
13 Feb 2026 at 4:06pm
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. England’s Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, and the former Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, have delighted in the the alleged slower digitisation of health data in Scotland, even calling John Swinney, ‘analogue‘ in a very nerdy niche joke. However, in the Guardian yes...

Daily Record?s front page today exposed for what it is ? short video
13 Feb 2026 at 4:05pm
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Evidence here – https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/02/13/daily-records-confuses-suspects-with-criminals-to-scare-you-and-ignores-scotlands-far-lower-murder-rate-and-violence-against-women-to-scare-you/ Important – my full range of fleeces now exposed, still lip-scarred and no...

Should Pam Duncan-Glancy not have tried to support her long time friend in so...
13 Feb 2026 at 3:59pm
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Alasdair Macdonald You are correct as always to point out and publicize the political anti-independence bias displayed by BBC Scotland and the unionist media. I should like to make a point exemplified by the issues in the articles you have used here. It concerns the identificati...

Labour MSP and friend of convicted paedophile disappears completely from BBC ...
13 Feb 2026 at 12:29pm
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Only the day before yesterday and Labour MSP Pam Duncan Glancy had doubled down on a defence of her friendship with a convicted paedophile so, was understandably the top story on the BBC Scotland website. Surely, this one would run and run, she was defending her contact with a p...

Daily Record confuses ?suspects? with ?criminals? to scare you and ignores Sc...
13 Feb 2026 at 11:18am
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Still fighting hard for Scottish Labour, the Record has another of it’s utterly dishonest and immoral front pages today, with in the opening lines: ‘Killers and rapists are among thousands of fugitives on cops’ wanted list.’ These are presumably suspects rather than criminals, a...

Criminals stealing used cooking oil from Scotland?s chip shops are mobile gro...
13 Feb 2026 at 10:15am
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. We know that the hundred’s of County Lines drug gangs terrorising small town Scotland, increasing violent crime, prostitution, child abuse, and keeping drug deaths high are based entirely in large English cities such as London, Liverpool and Birmingham. They send child drug mule...

What kind of miserable wee s***e had the meanness of spirit to ask how much i...
12 Feb 2026 at 11:59am
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. On the 23rd January, someone wrote to the Scottish Government to ask: Please provide copies of any internal correspondence, submissions, briefings or approvals relating to the decision. Please provide the total cost incurred by the Scottish Government in producing, packaging and...

Another attempt to hide the true NHS England performance as waiting lists in ...
12 Feb 2026 at 9:50am
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Today, BBC UK present, uncritically, the suggestion that waiting lists are falling at the same time as they’re getting longer, in NHS Alice in Wonderland: BBC analysis shows more procedures and treatments are being carried out across the NHS in England, but still not enough to m...

BBC UK find ?55 babies who died may have survived with better care? to add to...
12 Feb 2026 at 9:12am
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. First thing today, on BBC Breakfast, we hear of a joint BBC News/New Statesman,�external�investigation into maternity care at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UH Sussex) which has found: No government nor former government minister is associated, in the BBC Heal...

Starmer told Sarwar to call for his resignation allowing him to seem to be s...
11 Feb 2026 at 9:12pm
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. At 2.30pm on February 9th, Anas Sarwar called for the resignation of the deeply troubled Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. He ended up acting alone. The big beasts, Streeting and Raynor, hesitated then pledged loyalty to Starmer. If anything, Starmer is now strengthened and his j...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

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

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

The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage - politico.eu
13 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage  politico.eu

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

Jeffrey Epstein advised to bet on sterling before 2014 referendum - The Times
11 Feb 2026 at 9:21pm
Jeffrey Epstein advised to bet on sterling before 2014 referendum  The Times

Twenty-five years of data shows how link between identity and views on Scotti...
9 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Twenty-five years of data shows how link between identity and views on Scottish independence has grown stronger  The Conversation

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

X feature exposes Iranian-run pro-Scottish independence accounts - UKDJ - ???...
24 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
X feature exposes Iranian-run pro-Scottish independence accounts - UKDJ  ????? ??????????

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

Scottish leader John Swinney says SNP winning majority in May election would ...
17 Jan 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish leader John Swinney says SNP winning majority in May election would be green light for indyref2  Sky News

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell accused of embezzling �459,000 over ...
13 Feb 2026 at 5:57pm
Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell accused of embezzling �459,000 over 12-year period  BBC

Peter Murrell accused of embezzling �459,000 from SNP, court papers show - Th...
13 Feb 2026 at 3:27pm
Peter Murrell accused of embezzling �459,000 from SNP, court papers show  The Guardian

SNP Ex-Chief Peter Murrell Faces Major Embezzlement Charges - Evrim A?ac?
13 Feb 2026 at 3:07pm
SNP Ex-Chief Peter Murrell Faces Major Embezzlement Charges  Evrim A?ac?

The eight court charges against Peter Murrell including '�460k embezzlement f...
13 Feb 2026 at 10:46am
The eight court charges against Peter Murrell including '�460k embezzlement from SNP'  TheNational.scot

Evaluating The Performance Cost To AMD SEV-SNP On EPYC 9005 VMs Review - Phor...
13 Feb 2026 at 3:17pm
Evaluating The Performance Cost To AMD SEV-SNP On EPYC 9005 VMs Review  Phoronix

SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner SE: Release according to Article 40, Secti...
13 Feb 2026 at 5:12pm
SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner SE: Release according to Article 40, Section 1 of the WpHG the German Securities Trading Act with the objective of Europe-wide distribution  TradingView

LETTER: Reader calls out Liberal Democrat candidate Emma Macdonald Scottish g...
13 Feb 2026 at 4:57pm
LETTER: Reader calls out Liberal Democrat candidate Emma Macdonald Scottish government support  Shetland Times

'Asylum capital of the UK!? Scottish Tory deputy leader blasts SNP as Scotlan...
13 Feb 2026 at 5:18pm
'Asylum capital of the UK!? Scottish Tory deputy leader blasts SNP as Scotland faces housing strain  GB News

Peter Murrell: Nicola Sturgeon?s estranged husband accused of embezzling �459...
13 Feb 2026 at 6:08pm
Peter Murrell: Nicola Sturgeon?s estranged husband accused of embezzling �459,000 from SNP over 12 years  The Independent

Peter Murrell accused of embezzling �460,000 in eight court charges - The Times
13 Feb 2026 at 8:04am
Peter Murrell accused of embezzling �460,000 in eight court charges  The Times

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

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

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

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

Jeffrey Epstein advised to bet on sterling before 2014 referendum - The Times
11 Feb 2026 at 9:21pm
Jeffrey Epstein advised to bet on sterling before 2014 referendum  The Times

David Cameron - Scottish Referendum, 2015 Election, Brexit - Britannica
27 Jan 2026 at 8:00am
David Cameron - Scottish Referendum, 2015 Election, Brexit  Britannica

Independence referendum is Scotland?s choice, says Jeremy Corbyn - The Scotsman
8 Feb 2026 at 12:14pm
Independence referendum is Scotland?s choice, says Jeremy Corbyn  The Scotsman

Why Alberta?s push for independence pales in comparison to Scotland?s in 2014...
27 May 2025 at 8:00am
Why Alberta?s push for independence pales in comparison to Scotland?s in 2014  The Conversation

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

In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland indepen...
3 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland independence referendum  ConstitutionNet

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