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EXCLUSIVE: SNP chiefs were today forced to publish more than 100 pages of WhatsApps from ministers - despite initially claiming none existed more than two years ago
One protester is shouting "you couldn't arrest my rapist but you're going to arrest me" as they are escorted from the chamber following an outburst. Apparently some were threatened with arrest.
Carol Mochan, Scottish Labour's mental health spokesperson, and Claire Baker, Scottish Labour's drugs spokesperson, have both resigned their positions after breaking the whip at the Gender Recognition Reform stage three vote
As UK Labour attempt to land themselves comfortably on the fence with the Gender Recognition Reform S35 order, a Scottish Labour source writes:
"The long and short of it is the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) includes a load of transphobes and Starmer is terrified of them."
Humza Yousaf has distinguished himself over the last week and shown genuine leadership many didn't think he had in him, in quite possibly the hardest possible personal situation and in the midst of a political crisis in his own party.
Might be the making of him.
BREAKING: Alex Salmond has released a statement setting out the direct questions to the Lord Advocate he expects to be answered.
States he has never refused to give evidence and wants an explanation for the "unprecedented and highly irregular actions" of the Crown
BREAKING:
@spectator
has won its legal challenge. Evidence from Salmond and Geoff Aberdein will now be able to be published.
Exact reasons for the decision will be set out in writing by Lady Dorrian by the beginning of next week.
Accountants who signed off the accounts for the Lochaber smelter, owned by Sanjeev Gupta and connected to a £586m Scottish Government guarantee, are under investigation by the Financial Reporting Council
Monday, asked by
@alistairkgrant
, "was there any personal use?", Michael Matheson replied with an unambiguous "No."
We now know that was a lie.
On Thursday last week, he knew the data had been used by family members.
You can't be a cabinet minister and lie to the press.
The fact the Equalities and Human Rights Commission has lost the confidence of several of the UK's major LGBT charities seems to have been lost in the noise a bit.
Scottish Labour and the Scottish Liberal Democrats happy to sit back and watch the SNP take the flak for the Hate Crime Act
Which is a remarkable display of utter cowardice, frankly.
Nicola Sturgeon appears to have answered a question from an SNP backbencher asking for an update on the establishment of a Covid-19 inquiry with an answer solely on education and reducing risk of outbreaks in schools.
Bizarre.
Humza Yousaf again justifies his inaction on the Post Office scandal during his time as Justice Secretary on GMS by saying the Post Office is wholly reserved, so it'd never cross his desk
The truth is the Crown Office is *wholly* Scot Gov's responsibility. He has no excuse
EXCLUSIVE: Ministers unlawfully kept second wave death and case predictions secret
More than half of Scotland's Covid deaths occurred during the second wave of the pandemic.
Awkward, Two MSPs, the Green's Ross Greer and the SNP's John Mason, are late for Holyrood's finance committee due to a broken down (recently nationalised) ScotRail train.
Pretty shoddy to have absolutely no members of the Scottish Government available for the Sunday Show this morning in the middle of one of the worst parts of the pandemic.
EXCLUSIVE: The Scottish Government, with help from an SNP minister, intervened at the last second around the publication of Covid-19 deaths in individual care homes, delaying its publication by more than three months and until after the election.
Alex Salmond is telling Alba delegates about all of the things that the SNP haven't done while in power such as reducing poverty or gaining a foothold in the renewable energy sector.
It may come as a shock to him who exactly was First Minister between 2007 and 2014
Not sold by Nicola Sturgeon's explanation as to why supplies of vaccine stats should not be released
In order for roll-out to be deemed successful, supply data is necessary for any daily jab figures to have relevant context. Props to
@ChrisMusson
for bringing up and pushing
The SNP, after refusing to put up an MP or MSP on the BBC and therefore not submitting their representatives to questions around the Grady/Ewing affairs or indy, have predictably issued a press release attacking Douglas Ross' comments around indy that he made on the BBC.
Really telling bit of questioning from Jamie Dawson KC on school closures
- Not discussed by Cabinet
- No assessment on impact on poor kids
- No assessment on impact on kids mental health
- No Scotland-specific data
- No other alternatives considered
- SAGE data not interrogated
NEW: Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney alone took the decision to close schools on March 18, 2020, Mr Swinney tells the Covid-19 Inquiry
Decision wasn't discussed by cabinet, because events were "moving at an absolutely ferocious pace"
I don't think my LNER train driver is a fan of the current Scottish Government.
Describes the mask rule between Edinburgh and Berwick as having come from "Queen Nicola" and that after Berwick "it's everybody for themselves and hopefully some common sense".
A truly gobsmacking couple of hours of evidence from Jason Leitch.
- Denied his pre-bed ritual of deleting WhatsApps
- Helped Humza Yousaf circumvent mask-wearing rules
- Refused to engage with questions about whether "discussions" between officials should have been kept
The evidence from Lesley Fraser of the Scot Gov, paints a picture of a government fundamentally unequipped and unwilling and sometimes actively undermining not just transparency but the COVID-19 public inquiry.
And frankly a civil service willing to play along.
It is a disgrace
Nicola Sturgeon said today "It's called GDPR, read it" when asked why she can't reveal the outcome of past ministerial misconduct cases
Of course, as I'm sure the FM knows, personal data can be processed provided there is someone with a legitimate interest in it
Anas Sarwar's pledge on not doing a deal with the SNP at the next general election is just a little bit undermined by all those definitely-not-a-deals Scottish Labour did with the Tories after the council elections.
It is so, so weak for Nicola Sturgeon to say other parties have faced similar problems/complaints around sexual harassment/bullying and use that as an excuse for her own party's response.
Just because no-one owns the moral high ground doesn't make your own response acceptable
No politician can be shocked at the scenes in Glasgow today
If you let it happen once, it's guaranteed to happen again. The obfuscation around why operational decisions have been made in the way they have by police makes that worse.
Reminder:
Humza Yousaf's in-laws are trapped in Gaza, unable to get out, and don't know if they will make it through the night, the First Minister says.
Sobering reminder, not that it was needed, of what is actually at stake in Israel at the moment.
Nicola Sturgeon answering
@ChrisMusson
's question on whether the Scot Gov were trying to spare Humza Yousaf's blushes by not correcting the record quickly using a lot of words, but the short answer is Yes.
Real barrel scraping from the SNP at FMQs, blaming the Tories in Westminster for "souring industrial relations" across the UK due to an ongoing dispute there between RMT and Network Rail.
I think many unions would argue the SNP is as responsible for any "souring".
Nicola Sturgeon holding a live press conference in Edinburgh this morning, not on any particular topic and taking questions from journalists across the media.
Hopefully more of this - politicians answering questions in public arenas more regularly is only a good thing.
Humza Yousaf saying we must remember it took an ITV drama to spur the UK Gov into action on the Post Office Scandal.
As if that isn't exactly the same situation in Scotland?
No moves to exonerate Scottish victims until *checks notes* after an ITV drama!
This is a weird, weird story.
SNP need to do more to explain a) why £100k was needed a month after an election, b) why they needed their CEO to stump it up, and c) how he has the money to do so?
EXCLUSIVE: 'Not in public interest' to disclose misconduct probe outcomes against SNP ministers, including Fergus Ewing
Ministers now claiming the outcome of any misconduct complaint against them should not be made public, whether it is upheld or not.
EXCLUSIVE: Year-and-half wait and Nike conference 'cover up' among worst SNP transparency breaches
Five of the top ten longest waits for a FOI request response to the Scot Gov were about the Edinburgh Nike conference
ANALYSIS: "If it was Scottish Government policy, even informally, to regularly delete instant messaging or make use of auto-delete functions, that will be a scandal and one which could topple the First Minister."
Me for
@TheScotsman
BREAKING: DMs between Devi Sridhar and Nicola Sturgeon confirms the former first minister used private emails on government business - namely fighting the pandemic - as she urged the adviser not to "worry about protocol".
EXCLUSIVE: Humza Yousaf targeted with MORE hate crime complaints than JK Rowling
The FM has been targeted for a speech made in 2020, but police said yesterday it wasn't criminal.
The Harry Potter author's tweets were also deemed not criminal
Astonishing.
Shona Robison admits - as we revealed in The Scottish Sun just before Christmas - that ScotWind money is being used to plug holes in the SNP's budget.
£750m supposedly set aside for reinvestment in the energy sector is being raided by ministers to balance the books
John Swinney says there is "absolutely no change" in the Scottish Government's position on face masks after England moved to remove the requirement to wear them yesterday.
NEW: Michael Matheson denies misleading press and Humza Yousaf about personal usage connected to £11,000 iPad bill
Asked by
@STVColin
whether he has misled anybody during this scandal, the health secretary said: "No."
Which is, of course, a nonsense.
Jenny Gilruth announces the Scottish Government has found the missing ferry document! Transport minister says that officials finally found it today
What a pathetic state of affairs for information management within the Scottish Government for it to only turn up now
I have had four emails from the Scot Gov saying they are extending the deadline for FOIs relating to Ferguson Marine and the ferries fiasco until after the election.
This is a very common occurrence with FOI on complex issues, but it's not exactly confidence inducing
BREAKING: Oh boy, it's a big one... Travel in Edinburgh could be changed forever as
@Edinburgh_CC
plan wide-ranging changes to streets in the city as part of an active travel action plan
NEW: Lorna Slater facing 'serious questions' over whether she misled Holyrood
"The Scot Gov has not denied a Green minister misled parliament around when ministers first became aware they were using a dodgy offshore wind power statistic."
Derek Mackay was snuck out a side door after his appearance at Public Audit Committee, flanked by Scottish Parliament officials, and in doing so refused to answer any questions from the media and actively avoided scrutiny.
Pathetic show of cowardice.
I am shocked, shocked I say, to discover an FOI sent to the Scottish Government on a highly controversial decision by the First Minister is going to be responded to late.
If I had a pound etc.
Interesting to hear
@jasonleitch
on genomic sequencing of Covid-19 showing newer cases came from abroad and RoUK.
Suggests, as
@devisridhar
argued in Nature this week, that travel restrictions are critical to tackling the virus, something not seriously done by any UK gov.
NEW: Manchester mayor role gave me new 'perspective' on case for independence, says Burnham
Andy Burnham also called for Home Rule for Scotland short of a border, proportional representation for the Commons, and senate of nations + regions to replace HoL
Politician of the Year at the Herald's Scottish Politician of the Year Awards is Anas Sarwar, beating Nicola Sturgeon and Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater to the gong
EXCLUSIVE: Anas Sarwar accused of living wage hypocrisy over family firm's low pay
Mr Sarwar said in 2017 that his family firm would transition to a “real living wage” for all employees. It hasn't.
EXCLUSIVE: TAXPAYERS will be forced to cover the cost of doubled council tax on MSPs’ second homes, The Scottish Sun can reveal.
Politicians met in secret and thrashed out new rules shielding themselves from the rise passed by their own parliament
Fergus Ewing says of the HPMA consultation: "This is not a consultation document, this is a notice of execution."
Suggests it should either be but in the bin or "use it as a firelighter", and then proceeds to rip up the document on the chamber floor.
Drama!
EXCLUSIVE: Scottish Tories split from UK Government and back trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban
Party said it would back such a ban if legislation came to Holyrood, as it is expected to do before the end of 2023
Me: Oh, hi Police Scotland, there were some officers at a public body's HQ recently, why?
Police Scotland: We have no record of any incidents.
Me: I saw them, I know they were there, why?
Police Scotland: We've answered you already.
NEW: SNP ministers admit their claim Scotland has a quarter of Europe’s offshore wind power potential is false, despite internally conceding two years ago the figure has never been “properly sourced”
Keith Brown has just announced, in exceptionally obfuscatory jargon, that hundreds of prisoners and offenders have had incorrect risk-to-the-public assessments.
This may have seen hundreds of prisoners released without the correct level of understanding of the risk they posed
"I have no interest in getting involved in a spat" over delays to testing results, says
@NicolaSturgeon
as she gets involved in a spat over delays to testing results.
"We all know, after all, the First Minister will not resign over something she likely views as a trivial political irritant rather than what it is – a damning indictment on competence within her government."
The Scottish Greens have confirmed that every vote for them at the next general election will "count towards a pro-independence majority", the party has said.
In 2015, the SNP and Green vote combined was more than 50 per cent of the votes cast. It's been done before.
Nicola Sturgeon says that most people are turning up for second jabs
I asked whether the Scot Gov would release data on appointments v actual uptake and got told it was unlikely to happen.
Not sure how you judge success on 'offered' doses if those stats aren't made public
Scotland shuffles slowly more into line with England's approach to Omicron.
Cut to self-isolation duration to seven days is a u-turn from Nicola Sturgeon from her, er, forceful pre-Christmas stance on the issue
EXCLUSIVE: WhatsApp messages claimed to show Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings 'misled Scot Gov' on Covid
Sources said the “jaw-dropping admission” raised questions around the info shared with devolved administrations in the weeks leading to lockdown
The SNP have had another difficult quarter for donations.
As the police investigation looms large, they've reported no donations between July and September
Tories took in £15m, Labour £3m.
No reportable donations for any pro-independence party
NEW: Ministers have been found to have broken transparency rules by failing to publish analysis around how long it might take an independent Scotland to join the EU
Here's the list of the LGBT+ and associated groups who have pulled out of the UK Government-led Safe To Be Me conference
This backlash is due to the UK Government's decision to exclude trans people in its planned conversion therapy ban
Includes at least three Scottish groups
Nicola Sturgeon again criticising journalists for asking questions, this time about Mark Woolhouse's comments about modelling around students
Seeking clarification on something a minister has said they were not aware of is not an attempt at a 'got you' question.
An absolute masterclass in questioning from Jamie Dawson, who has - without doubt - been the most impressive performer during the entire Scotland module since the start of the year.
Telling the SNP manifesto for the council elections contains a commitment to work for independence, but nothing on councillors working to reform council tax, you know, an SNP pledge since 2007...
ANALYSIS: Scottish Green's independence paper is a waste of paper, time and words
"Of several questions arising from the Scottish Green’s paper setting out the case for independence, ‘why did they bother’ is top of the list."
There was a danger when Nicola Sturgeon resigned the party could fall foul of being viewed as a party on the decline
Nevermind decline, this is collapse at terminal velocity