EXCLUSIVE: Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pulled out of an appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe 👉 www.thenational.scot/news/2...
Xander
@xanderelliards.bsky.social
Political editor for http://thenational.scot. Owner of one corgi and one golden retriever. Often camping. DMs always open (Surname is Elliards, was Richards)
Fantastic news out of Harris this morning, where a huge swathe of the isle (as well as numerous others and hundreds of crofts) are set to come under community ownership Story: Locals win £1m to buy 27,000-acre Scottish island estate after 14-year campaign
Locals win £1m to buy 27,000-acre Scottish island estate after 14-year campaign
A HUGE Scottish estate with its own private island is set to be purchased by the local community after a £1 million grant was secured ...
thenational.scot
🚨Leaked emails have revealed that one of Scotland's wealthiest landowners, the Duke of Roxburghe, has been given a private meeting to lobby decision-makers for a £2bn AI data centre on his estate 🧵
Reform UK councillor Audrey Dempsey shared a stage with neo-Nazis at a violent rally in Glasgow on Saturday. She has now broken her silence, claiming she saw 'nobody even remotely resembling a Nazi'. But there's a problem 🧵
Glasgow saw two far-right protests in two days. One erupted into violence, the other saw a fascist-style 'drill square' target a newspaper. The scenes have 'eerie echoes' of Hitler's rise to power, a leading expert on the rise of fascism has warned 👇 www.thenational.scot/news/2641414...
‘Eerie echoes of early Hitler’ in Scottish extremist groups, fascism expert warns
THERE are “eerie echoes” of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power playing out in far- and extreme-right protests on the streets of Scotland, an expert…
thenational.scot
Four top Labour ministers visited Scotland on Thursday. Not one of them spoke to the Scottish press ❌ Now, A leading media expert has warned Andy Burnham he risks widening the Westminster–Scotland disconnect 👇 www.thenational.scot/news/2640802...
Expert issues warning to Andy Burnham as FOUR Labour ministers snub Scottish media
PRIME Minister Andy Burnham risks worsening the disconnect that many Scottish voters already feel from Westminster by avoiding a “key aspect of a…
thenational.scot
Prized bluefin tuna are returning to UK waters, but a huge new 230-tonne fishing quota has been shared out entirely south of the Border. There are now questions about why Scotland - as well as NI - got nothing at all Story 👉 www.thenational.scot/news/2626690...
Questions as UK Government gives Scotland nothing from huge new tuna fish quota
THE UK Government is facing questions after no Scottish fishers were given the right to catch prized bluefin tuna – with every tonne of a major…
thenational.scot
Alister Jack, the former Scottish secretary, has asked the UK Government to cut the Holyrood parliament's powers. The Tory peer said he had 'a list' of things he wanted to be reserved to Westminster 👇 www.thenational.scot/news/2626436...
Former Scottish secretary Alister Jack asks UK Government to cut Holyrood's powers
FORMER Scottish secretary Alister Jack has asked the UK Government to review what is devolved to the Scottish Parliament and cut its powers ...
thenational.scot
An exhibition on Israel's genocide in Palestine is to be shown in Scotland after being cancelled in London. Lobby group UK Lawyers for Israel claimed Matthew Collings' art was antisemitic, which the artist has flatly denied www.thenational.scot/news/2622904...
Scotland to host Gaza genocide exhibition after Israel lobby group stops London show
ART focused on Israel’s genocide in Palestine is set to be shown in Scotland after its exhibition south of the Border was cancelled following…
thenational.scot
Media were invited to Police Scotland HQ last week for a confidential briefing on 'Operation Branchform', the probe into the SNP. Now Peter Murrell has been sentenced to prison, reporting restrictions have lifted. Here are 11 things we learned 👇 www.thenational.scot/news/2621960...
11 key points from the confidential police briefing on Operation Branchform
LAST week, media were invited to Police Scotland headquarters for a briefing on the investigation which ultimately revealed Peter Murrell's…
thenational.scot
A Reform UK activist who frequently campaigns alongside top party figures has claimed that 'Jews' want to 'shatter the Union' Grant Calder, pictured here with Thomas Kerr, was pictured at the Glasgow riots where racial violence broke out on Tuesday night www.thenational.scot/news/2618424...
Top Reform activist pictured at Glasgow riot claimed 'Jews are trying to shatter UK'
A REFORM UK activist who campaigns with top party figures joined the racist rioters in Glasgow on Tuesday and has claimed that “Jews" are…
thenational.scot
The Tories and DUP have lined up to attack John Swinney over plans to work with Sinn Fein. Their concerns about 'terrorism' ring hollow, though, given their willingness to ignore the atrocities committed by their side www.thenational.scot/news/2612965...
How cynical attacks on John Swinney show the pro-UK hypocrisy on 'terrorism'
POLITICIANS have cynically and hypocritically sought to use John Swinney's comments and the Troubles for their own political ends ...
thenational.scot
The SNP lost the Western Isles to Labour by 154 votes. The Alliance to Liberate Scotland won 159 votes. If the SNP fall one seat short of a majority, expect fingers to be pointed within the independence movement Live updates here ⬇️ www.thenational.scot/news/2608844...
All the 2026 Holyrood results and updates from counts across Scotland
Follow our live blog for Scottish election 2026 results, with real‑time seat declarations, expert analysis and updates as the new Holyrood take…
thenational.scot
Israel killed more journalists in 2025 than all other nations combined, according to the very statistics cited by the UK Government. So why is there no mention of Israel, Gaza, or Palestine in the UK's statement? Cowardice seems the only answer www.thenational.scot/news/2608800...
How the UK just quietly made itself complicit in Israel's killing of journalists
THE UK has marked “World Press Freedom Day” by erasing the majority of the journalists murdered in 2025 from existence ...
thenational.scot
EXCLUSIVE: A Highlander sailing on a flotilla to Gaza has recalled the brutal treatment he witnessed while being held onboard an Israeli 'prison ship'
Highlander on Gaza flotilla recalls brutal treatment onboard Israeli 'prison ship'
thenational.scot
Professor Sir Tom Devine, considered Scotland's pre-eminent historian, has drawn comparisons between Reform UK and Nazi Germany. Reform have been dismissive of experts. This is one that'll be harder to ignore Great exclusive story from my colleague @stephbrawn.bsky.social
Eminent historian Tom Devine compares Reform to Nazi Germany amid museum row
RENOWNED Scottish historian Tom Devine has compared Reform UK to Nazi Germany after Nigel Farage's party pledged it would tell museums how to…
thenational.scot
Striking image this one The Labour frontbench unable to even look Diane Abbott in the eye as she asks about the Mandelson-Epstein scandal These are not the faces of ministers confident that they are on the right side of history
John Swinney's pledge to cap prices on supermarket essentials has won one victory for the SNP: everyone's talking about it. But can the scheme really get off the ground? ⬇️ www.thenational.scot/news/2602856...
Can SNP manifesto's flagship pledge to cap supermarket prices really work?
THE SNP’s manifesto has chalked up one win for the party already: they are dominating the conversation in Scottish politics ...
thenational.scot
Crown prosecutors have binned terror charges against a Scottish man alleged to have supported Palestine Action at a Gaza rally. The decision, thought to be a UK first, should 'start a precedent' and see other cases thrown out as well, he said www.thenational.scot/news/2595575...
'UK first' as Scottish man's Palestine Action terror charges thrown out
A SCOTTISH man who was charged with terrorism after allegedly showing support for Palestine Action has had his case thrown out in what is thought to…
thenational.scot
EXCLUSIVE: A Scottish man who was charged with terrorism after allegedly showing support for Palestine Action has had his case thrown out in what is thought to be a UK first
Last week, the Lord Advocate came under fire for tipping off the First Minister about the charges against Peter Murrell weeks before they were public. But now, new files reveal she had already told him nine months earlier ⬇️ www.thenational.scot/news/2588250...
John Swinney told details of Peter Murrell charge 10 months before public, files show
THE First Minister was told that former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell would face charges of embezzling £460,000 from the party 10 months before…
thenational.scot
Labour minister claims No 10 'did not know' of Matthew Doyle's links to a paedophile before putting him in the Lords. But in December, No 10 said they did know, and investigated. So, who's telling fibs? And will there be any accountability?
Labour minister directly contradicts No 10 over peer's links to convicted paedophile
LABOUR are under pressure to explain whether a Government minister or a Downing Street spokesperson spoke “bunkum” about when they learned of…
thenational.scot
Peter Mandelson has tried to gag the press. We will not let him
The National@scotnational.bsky.social · 6mo ago🚨 This evening, a notice was circulated from representatives of Peter Mandelson, via press regulator IPSO and the Press Association news wire, to all media across the UK We believe it is strongly in the public interest to publish this memo. This is it in full 👇
Did the US just ignore a Scottish court order and 'abduct two people from Scotland'? Did the UK Government 'knowingly assist' them? As the US tramples over international law, is it flouting Scotland's as well? ⬇️ www.thenational.scot/news/2580376...
Did Donald Trump's US just 'unlawfully abduct two people from Scotland'?
THE US Government is being pushed to explain whether it ignored a Scottish court order and “abducted two people from Scotland”
thenational.scot
An SNP by-election win has raised key questions: Is Reform UK's surge in Scotland helping the SNP to victory? Are Labour a 'busted flush'? Here's what polling expert Mark Diffley had to say ⬇️ www.thenational.scot/news/2579153...
Are Reform helping SNP to victory? Polling expert gives verdict on by-election win
A POLLING expert has delivered their verdict after the SNP won a Scottish council by-election ...
thenational.scot
Douglas Alexander and John Swinney are locked in a row over UK Govt briefings to Scottish ministers (or the lack of them) At the centre of it all are four letters. Here, we publish all of them in full ⬇️
Read all the letters in the row between John Swinney and Douglas Alexander in full
JOHN Swinney branded the Scottish Secretary “discourteous and disrespectful” in a scathing letter to the Prime Minister, correspondence released…
thenational.scot
NEW: Scottish Labour insist they've not paid for bots to boost social engagement, but the experts we spoke to aren't having it. Their verdict 👇 "Something seems a bit off" "Not particularly organic" "Co-orindated, inauthentic behaviour" www.thenational.scot/politics/257...
Scottish Labour deny 'fake bots' on Anas Sarwar's Instagram. But what do experts say?
IT’S an election year, and Scotland’s politicians will be crossing fingers, counting shamrock leaves, and wishing on lucky stars for one thing…
thenational.scot
There has been some seriously odd activity on Anas Sarwar's Instagram in recent weeks. Scottish Labour deny paying for bots to boost his posts. But it seems something is up. So, we asked some experts ⬇️ www.thenational.scot/politics/257...
Scottish Labour deny 'fake bots' on Anas Sarwar's Instagram. But what do experts say?
IT’S an election year, and Scotland’s politicians will be crossing fingers, counting shamrock leaves, and wishing on lucky stars for one thing…
thenational.scot
Biggest story today? Oh just the US military flying over our heads to seize a Russian-flagged tanker off the Scottish coast after breaking the Venezuela oil blockade Full recap of our live reporting 👇
RECAP: US military seize 'Russian' oil tanker north of Scotland
US forces are reportedly attempting to seize the Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel previously known as Bella-1
thenational.scot
Much political hay has been made of Scottish Labour's theatrical split with Keir Starmer - but absent from reporting is any scrutiny of who's running the party's election campaign🤔 www.thenational.scot/news/2574498...
The glaring flaw in Scottish Labour's theatrical split from their UK bosses
“NEW year, new me.” That just about sums up the pitch to voters which Anas Sarwar made this week ...
thenational.scot