SNP

A group of Scottish Tories who want Scotland to have access to the EU single market are urging voters at the Holyrood election to cast their second vote for Alex Salmond’s Alba Party. Scottish Yes Tories say around 15% of their members voted Yes in 2014 – a number they say has been steadily growing since the […]

An SNP councillor and a senior party official have become the latest figures to defect to Alex Salmond’s new pro-independence party. Shahid Farooq, who represents a ward in North Lanarkshire, and veteran independence supporters Dot Jessiman have switched to the Alba Party. Salmond launched the Alba Party as a rival to the SNP following a […]

Nicola Sturgeon has said the pandemic has led to her having “much less patience for those who treat politics like a game” in a speech to SNP activists. In an online speech, she also attacked Brexit and accused the Conservatives of “muscling in” on the Scottish Parliament’s responsibilities. Her speech did not directly refer to Alba, […]

Scotland’s former first minister Alex Salmond has announced he is setting up a new political party to contest May’s Scottish parliament election. Salmond will stand in the North East region and lead the Alba Party, which will field at least four candidates in the regional lists. Chris McEleny, an SNP councillor in Inverclyde, has resigned […]

Scotland’s first minister has said she would have resigned had she been found to have broken the ministerial code, but said she would not be “bullied” out of her position as she defeated an attempt to oust her. Nicola Sturgeon faced a vote of no confidence brought by the Scottish Tories, who claim she misled parliament […]

Division within the SNP could be impacting on support for Scottish independence, a new report has claimed. Scotland’s governing party has been hit by internal disputes, with former first minister Alex Salmond claiming leading figures in the SNP had been involved in a conspiracy against him. Meanwhile, his successor Nicola Sturgeon is facing a vote […]

The independent inquiry into whether Nicola Sturgeon breached the ministerial code is expected to be released imminently, according to reports. An investigation by James Hamilton QC has been examining whether Scotland’s first minister misled parliament. He is also examining if she should have recorded meetings with Alex Salmond and whether she prolonged the government’s defence […]

The SNP has requested to get indyref2 on the ballot paper at the Holyrood election in May. According to The Herald, Nicola Sturgeon’s party requested to have “Vote SNP for indyref2” and “Both votes SNP for indyref2” included on the ballot paper. The party also lodged a request to register “Nicola Sturgeon for SNP First Minister” […]

The Scottish Tories have said that a report investigating whether or not Nicola Sturgeon broke the ministerial code should be published before the Holyrood elections. James Hamilton, the former head of public prosecutions in Ireland, was tasked with investigating if the first minister had breached the ministerial code in relation to the botched handling of […]

The SNP are no longer on course to win a majority in this May’s Holyrood elections, new polling has suggested. The survey, conducted by Sevanta ComRes on behalf of The Scotsman, found Scots being put off the SNP over its leader’s botched handling of sexual harassment complaints against Alex Salmond. This is the first major poll […]

What impact will the SNP’s extraordinary internecine battle have on the prospects for Scottish independence? He wouldn’t… would he? Would Alex Salmond, smarting and furious at what he sees as a top-level plot not only to damage his reputation but to have him thrown in jail, really try to bring down his successor, and risk […]

The SNP’s John Nicolson was in for a surprise when he revisited his family’s ancestral Highland home. When John Nicolson, the redoubtable SNP politician, decided to revisit his family’s ancestral Highland home, he could have had no idea it would turn into Through the Keyhole meets the MacKardashians. “It was a modest Georgian house at Langwell, near Ullapool, […]

A former first minister for Scotland has said Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond must stop “knocking hell out of each other in public”. Labour’s Henry McLeish said there is “no serious path” to the current first minister’s resignation. McLeish told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “The first minister, I think, has rebutted most […]

A Scottish independence referendum could take place “as early as late 2021”, according to Ian Blackford. The SNP Westminster leader said, however, that the first priority of the Scottish government is tackling the Covid crisis. Blackford explained the “key” would be putting in place circumstances that would allow for an independence vote to be held. […]

Nicola Sturgeon will make her long-awaited appearance before the Holyrood inquiry into her government’s unlawful investigation of Alex Salmond on Wednesday, amid calls for her to resign. The first minister has insisted there is not “a shred of evidence” to support her former mentor’s claim there was a “malicious and concerted” attempt to see him […]

Nicola Sturgeon insisted she has no regrets about ensuring complaints against her predecessor Alex Salmond were investigated – despite the “difficulties” it has caused. The first minister spoke out as the row surrounding her government’s bungled handling of sexual harassment allegations against Salmond grew – with her political opponents claiming that the Scottish Parliament itself […]

Boris Johnson has launched a new union strategy committee which has been described as a “step up” from the government’s union unit that it replaces. The committee was set up after Oliver Lewis left his position as the head of Downing Street’s Union unit last week. Lewis, a veteran of the Vote Leave campaign, had been […]

Alex Salmond believes Nicola Sturgeon and her circle have been “stitching him up”, according to a friend. SNP MSP Alex Neil said anyone proven to be involved in a conspiracy against the former first minister would be “getting their jotters” (sacked). Neil, who represents the Airdrie and Shotts constituency, is not seeking re-election in May. […]

The SNP has warned Downing Street against implementing “tit-for-tat” trade barriers following reports that ministers may restrict imports on certain goods from the EU in retaliation for its ban on shellfish. The Sunday Telegraph reported No 10 was exploring ways to end a number of agreements to export mineral water and seed potatoes to the EU […]

Scottish government buildings will be allowed to continue flying the EU flag alongside the saltire every day of the year, the SNP has said. The EU is only raised on May 9 to celebrate Europe Day. By contrast, the Union Flag will only be flown one day a year – Remembrance Sunday. The move did […]

The Scottish government will publish legislation setting out the timetable and question of a potential second Scottish independence referendum within weeks, Scotland’s constitution secretary has confirmed. The draft Bill – promised in the legislative programme first minister Nicola Sturgeon set out last year – is due to be published before the Scottish parliament enters recess […]

Boris Johnson has been branded “reckless” for visiting a Scottish vaccine plant which saw a coronavirus outbreak just 24 hours before. A report in the Daily Record revealed Johnson visited Valneva’s plant in Livingston last week as they started manufacturing their Covid-19 vaccine – just one day after public health officials uncovered a surge in coronavirus cases. Officials […]

Supporters of sacked SNP frontbencher Joanna Cherry have suggested she could challenge Nicola Sturgeon for party leadership. The MP for Edinburgh South West was ‘sacked’ from her post as home affairs and justice spokesperson by Westminster leader Ian Blackford on Monday. But an SNP parliamentarian has suggested the sacking could work to her advantage. “It’s been […]

Nicola Sturgeon could seek a second referendum on Scottish independence by Christmas, an SNP minister has signalled. Scots could soon be heading to the polls to decide whether their nation should formally break free from Westminster, the SNP’s constitution minister has suggested. Michael Russell, an architect of the SNP’s road map to independence, said the vote could be held […]

SNP MP Joanna Cherry said she had been “sacked” from her party’s front bench team at Westminster, as a reshuffled was announced. Cherry had been the SNP justice and home affairs spokeswoman at Westminster – but was also seen by many as being close to former leader Alex Salmond, as well as having come in […]

The UK government shut down the chance of continuing the Erasmus programme because it was “too European”, a Scottish minister has claimed. The education exchange programme was one of the casualties of the Brexit process, but Scotland and Wales are continuing to push for access to it. The UK government has announced a replacement scheme, […]

An SNP MP is proposing a bill to parliament which he hopes would end the “growing culture of secrecy and cronyism at the heart of government”. Owen Thompson says that the Ministerial Interests (Emergency Powers) Bill would “force government ministers to answer questions about any personal, political or financial connections they may have to a […]

The UK government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been “defined by a lack of leadership, last-minute U-turns, mixed messaging and devastating policies”, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has claimed. He said: “Last night the PM claimed we truly did everything we could to avoid the deaths of 100,000 people across the UK from Covid-19, […]

An SNP MP has asked Priti Patel why she has not quit as home secretary following the revelation she failed to close the UK’s borders back in March. The confrontation occurred during a statement from the home secretary in the Commons. Defending the government’s border strategy, Patel told MPs: “From January 2020 the government has had […]

An SNP minister has warned Boris Johnson could be breaking Scotland’s coronavirus rules by visiting the country this week. Christina McKelvie, the minister for older people and equalities, doubted whether Johnson’s trip would count as “essential work”. The prime minister is reportedly planning a visit to Scotland to make an impassioned plea for Scots to reject […]

The SNP has criticised health secretary Matt Hancock for using the Downing Street coronavirus press conference to make “overtly political statements” about the Union. Amid signs of rising support for Scottish independence, Hancock stressed the importance of collaboration between the nations in the fight against Covid-19 during the health briefing. He told the press conference […]

One reader takes exception to John Bercow’s column on Donald Trump. I must take issue with one statement in the otherwise excellent article by John Bercow on ex-president Trump. Mr Bercow credits the SNP (among others) with recognising Trump as a malign force and calling him out for his bigotry from day one. Fake news, […]