The SNP, which now seems to support new North Sea fossil fuel developments, wants the UK government to ringfence oil and gas tax receipts to bankroll Scotland's offshore renewables industry. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

SNP call for UK oil funds to bankroll Scotland's renewables sector

An Aberdeen MSP has called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to ‘curb the number of immoral job losses that lie on the doorstep on Number 10’

scotsman.com

This is a stark intervention from Scotland's top judges over the SNP government's latest iteration of its automatic early release of prisoner plans. A warning the proposals could put public safety at risk and that the blueprint is "likely to make matters worse" www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Scotland's judges issue warning over SNP's early prisoner release plans

The rarely-outspoken Senators of the College of Justice have criticised a key part of the Scottish government’s plan to reduce the prison population

scotsman.com

"A border poll is to be considered by the Northern Ireland Secretary when there is a clear consensus in the country - when public opinion has changed to the point where the call has to be considered. I would say exactly the same situation in Scotland." www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Scotland can have IndyRef2 if public supports it, says Andy Burnham

The Prime Minister said Scotland is ‘exactly the same situation’ as Northern Ireland - where a vote would be triggered if the UK Government minister thinks a majority of people want one

scotsman.com

Reform's woeful performance at Holyrood continues with West of Scotland MSP David Smith asking First Minister John Swinney if he will restrict the use of the burqa. Hard to argue with the FM's conclusion the aim is to "incite racial tension in our society".

SNP Justice Secretary Neil Gray has admitted a promised sexual offences court will be "difficult to deliver". The measure was one of several key aspects of the Scottish government's landmark Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Act that are yet to be implemented. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Neil Gray admits SNP's flagship sexual offences court will be 'difficult to deliver'

The flagship court has a key part of the Scottish government’s landmark justice reforms agreed by MSPs last year

scotsman.com

Leading public policy experts have called for John Swinney to embrace "Manchesterism" (dreadful term) by strengthening existing economic partnerships. They argue that it would not require the radical overhaul to councils John Swinney has opened the door to. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Call for Swinney to embrace 'Manchester model for Scotland' without council overhaul

The Scottish government has been warned regional government models can be achieved without a radical overhaul of local councils.

scotsman.com

John Swinney's plans to reshape public services are long overdue. My analysis on why not reforming NHS boards and councils in sync could be a missed opportunity and why centralising Police Scotland should act as a warning to the strategy being seen as a silver bullet www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Swinney's overdue reforms could be scuppered by a lack of joined-up thinking

Reforms to Scotland’s public sector are long-overdue but are being driven by an unsustainable financial model.

scotsman.com

John Swinney hoping to be a reformer of Scotland's public sector -Begin talks to reorganise local councils -Merging quangos, including single bodies for ferries and environmental protection -Cutting health boards from 14 to 2 @johnswinney.bsky.social: "Change will be structural but also cultural"

John Swinney is about to reveal his programme for government over the next 12 months and his five-year plan . Follow developments in our live blog www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Programme for government: Follow LIVE as John Swinney sets out his priorities

First Minister John Swinney is to set out his priorities for the year ahead.

scotsman.com

Looks like a quangos bonfire is on the cards for John Swinney. Never convinced these centralisation strategies ever save the money expected, which is the whole point. Be interesting to see how solid and "radical" the plans to reshape Scotland's public sector will be. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

John Swinney to merge Scotland's environmental agencies

It is understood the move will form part of efficiency measures contained in the programme for government

scotsman.com

NEW: John Swinney is pressing ahead with his legislative plans to cap essential food prices - a key SNP manifesto commitment. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

John Swinney to press ahead with SNP's controversial food price cap at supermarket giants

John Swinney has been under pressure to scrap the flagship SNP manifesto commitment.

scotsman.com

Excl: The Crown Office has warned that SNP ministers have not provided any funding to set up the flagship sexual offences court. The court was a key part of the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Act and will improve outcomes for survivors and cut court backlogs. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Rape survivors risk being 'let down' as SNP ministers fail to fund flagship court

SNP ministers argued the sexual offences court would help cut the backlog of court cases but have not brought forward any funding for the flagship measure.

scotsman.com

Excl: Scotland's most senior civil servant has admitted some government work will "stop or be consolidated" as part of vast cuts to the public sector to balance a £5bn funding gap. A grim backdrop to this afternoon's programme for government. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Top SNP civil servant warns services will 'stop or be consolidated'

The warning comes as John Swinney prepares to set out the “practical steps” to reform Scotland’s public services.

scotsman.com

Kemi Badenoch has replaced Andrew Bowie as her shadow Scottish secretary as part of a shake-up of her frontbench team www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Kemi Badenoch moves shadow Scotland Secretary in Conservative reshuffle

Sir Mel Stride and Dame Priti Patel were ousted as shadow chancellor and shadow foreign secretary on Monday.

scotsman.com

Exclusive in @scotsman.com: Anger at new Union Jack-style rail branding at major Glasgow station www.scotsman.com/news/transpo...

Anger at new Union Jack-style rail branding at major Glasgow station

Incident ‘indicative of inter-government tension spilling over into poor behaviours all too often’

scotsman.com

Excl: The GMB has warned the Labour UKG that a misstep in the strategic spatial energy plan could lead to floating wind projects being "delayed or cancelled”. The SNP government has placed a lot of hope in floating wind but North Sea projects are yet to scale up. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Scottish floating wind projects could be 'delayed or cancelled'

The UK Labour government is under pressure to ensure floating offshore wind plans are not derailed by an upcoming flagship energy plan

scotsman.com

John Swinney has vowed "radical change" to Scotland's public sector as he admits his government will be required to “embrace very actively” vast cuts to the public sector when he sets out his programme for government tomorrow. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Swinney vows ‘radical change’ as swingeing public sector cuts loom

The SNP leader has warned his government will be required to “embrace very actively” vast cuts to the public sector when he sets out his prospectus tomorrow.

scotsman.com

Excl: The frontrunner to become the next Scottish Labour leader has warned the party could "lose our status as a national party" if it continues to focus on Glasgow. I also asked him about why he seems to have fallen out of favour with Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Marra warns Labour could 'lose national status' over Glasgow focus

Michael Marra told The Scotsman he has personally lobbied the UK government in recent months to end the controversial energy profits levy.

scotsman.com

Excl: The Scottish government has set out its blueprint for a Scottish visa, proposals for a five-year rural visa pilot and a Scottish graduate visa. The plans will need the Home Office to play ball, and powers wouldn't necessarily need to be devolved to work. 1/2 www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

SNP call on Andy Burnham to consider Scottish visa plans

The SNP government is calling on Andy Burnham to consider the Scottish visa plans as Scotland grapples with an impending population decline

scotsman.com

SNP ministers are proposing ending the longstanding exemption of sexual offenders and domestic abusers from controversial plans for the early release of prisoners. This comes as new stats out today show sexual offences and domestic abuse are both on the increase. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

SNP told to end rapist prisoner early release 'madness' as sexual crimes increase

The latest crime statistics show a rise in the vast majority of crime types - while overall crime has increased by seven per cent in the space of a year.

scotsman.com

Excl: Flagship floating wind projects have stalled after oil and gas companies, which were intended to harness the clear power for North Sea platforms, are having second thoughts about making the investments. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

North Sea floating wind projects stall as SNP warned not to 'squander' potential

The Scottish government has been warned not to “squander” Scotland’s renewables potential after it was revealed projects have stalled.

scotsman.com

Excl: Scotland’s onshore wind has been a real success. It's scale-up has helped the nation decarbonise at a faster rate than the rest of the UK. But there's no strategy for what happens after 2030. Now the sector is calling for clarity over its "long-term future". www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

SNP 'keeping communities in the dark' over whether onshore wind expansion on the cards

The Scottish government has not set out whether it will continue to scale up onshore wind capacity after 2030

scotsman.com

Sadly, I watched the Scottish Labour leadership TV debate so you didn't have to. If there was a winner, it was Joe Fagan - who battered Michael Marra, who looked pretty stunned by the whole thing. But the biggest loser was anyone unlucky enough to be watching www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

I watched the Marra v Fagan tetchy TV debate so you didn't have to

The two men wanting to become the next Scottish Labour leader went on the attack in the STV Scotland Tonight debate.

scotsman.com

🚨🎙️New episode of The Steamie from @scotsman.com We take a look at the Scottish Labour leadership election, whether the two remaining candidates will do anything differently than Anas Sarwar's failed strategy and what we make of the candidates so far. open.spotify.com/episode/5fWA...

And then there were two … Scottish Labour leadership latest

The Steamie by The Scotsman · Episode

open.spotify.com

🧵A few parts to the complete mess Scottish Labour has found itself in - on failing to win power from the SNP, independence and LGBTQ+ rights 1/7 www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Douglas Alexander: We 'misjudged' how popular the SNP would be

Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander has shared his view on why Scottish Labour recorded its worst ever Holyrood election result

scotsman.com

@monicalennon.bsky.social has accused Scottish Labour of being “stuck in the past” and of “punching down on trans people and other minorities” after failing to secure enough MP and MSP support to get on the leadership ballot. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Monica Lennon launches scathing attack on Scottish Labour after failing to secure place on ballot

Monica Lennon has accused Scottish Labour of being “stuck in the past” and of “punching down on trans people and other minorities”.

scotsman.com

Some pretty stark warnings from the candidates wanting to be the next Scottish Labour leader on just how bad things are in the party. Finally an acknowledgement of how awful May's election was and the "delusional" claims Labour was poised for power at Holyrood. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Scottish Labour leader candidates warn party is facing ‘worst ever crisis’

MSPs hoping to become the next Scottish Labour leader have given a bleak assessment of the party’s standing with the public

scotsman.com

John Swinney not backing down on his appeal for Andy Burnham to reconsider Labour's block on Ming Yang's Scottish factory plans. Enormous economic investment for the Scottish Highlands if national/cyber security concerns can be addressed.

John Swinney@johnswinney.bsky.social · 4w ago

The UK government’s decision to block Ming Yang investment, with 1500 planned new jobs, has serious implications for Scotland. Andy Burnham should reconsider this decision.

Excl: John Swinney has told Andy Burnham to reconsider the Labour UK government's block on a Chinese wind turbine factory for the Scottish Highlands. The GMB union is also calling for a rethink and the company, Ming Yang, has approached the government over it. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Swinney pressures Burnham on blocked Ming Yang wind factory plans

Union bosses have also appealed for the Prime Minister to review the security concerns raised over Ming Yang’s plans to build a facility in the Scottish Highlands.

scotsman.com

As highlighted by @goodlawproject.org this could well be For Women Scotland's legacy. As things stand, many inclusive women's services could end up becoming universal. A real victory for women's rights.