12 h. ago Families meet First Minister John Swinney to demand action on deaths in custody

Six families whose loved ones have died in prison custody in the last seven years met with the First Minister John Swinney and Justice Minister Angela Constance at Scottish Government headquarters in Edinburgh for more than an hour.

Politics

4 d. ago John Swinney 'defending the indefensible' as First Minister ignores calls to sack Angela Constance

Angela Constance will face a motion of no confidence after being accused of misleading the Scottish Parliament.

Politics

6 d. ago UK member of the armed forces killed in Ukraine in ‘tragic accident’

Defence Secretary John Healey revealed his ‘devastation’ over the death.

Events

7 d. ago Airdrie & Coatbridge 41 Club once again holding Santa's Sleigh spectacular in Monklands

Father Christmas will be stopping off at various locations until December 18 to meet lucky families.

Society

7 d. ago ‘Panto season’ hits Executive amid row between ministers over budget

The Executive is expected to meet on Tuesday following budget tension between Education Minister Paul Givan and Finance Minister John O’Dowd.

Politics

7 d. ago Independence could lower Scots’ energy bills by a third, Swinney tells voters

Scottish First Minister John Swinney spoke out about how independence could allow a ‘different policy approach’ on energy.

Politics

8 d. ago Swinney kickstarts SNP election push with independence speech branding Starmer 'a second Thatcher'

John Swinney will hit out at the Prime Minister for a failure to secure Scotland’s industrial assets.

Politics

1 week ago Child poverty strategy ‘will give every child a good start in life’

comes amid a record high of 4.45 million children living in poverty in the UK.

Politics

1 week ago Call for ministerial code probe into John Swinney's 'blatant lies' over SNP tax increases

The SNP’s Holyrood manifesto vowed to “freeze income tax rates and bands” until 2026.

Politics

1 week ago John Swinney ‘lied & breached ministerial code’ claims rivals as they call for probe

JOHN Swinney should face a probe into whether his own budget “lies” have breached the ministerial code, the Tories demanded. The First Minister has repeatedly refused to admit the SNP breached their 2021 election promise to freeze income tax rates and bands, despite hiking the levies twice. The Scottish Tories have now written to the...

Politics

2 w. ago Special forces chief made ‘conscious’ choice to cover up war crimes, probe told

Members of UK special forces gave evidence to the Afghanistan Inquiry in a series of closed hearings.

Events

2 w. ago The Guardian view on the Send crisis: Bridget Phillipson must be tough with the Treasury so children aren’t penalised | Editorial

Tory special needs reforms upended council finances, but Labour’s plan to rebuild public provision won’t come cheap if it’s done properlyThe crisis over special educational needs and disabilities in England is not just a question of cash. Children and parents spend months and years battling for support to which the law entitles them, schools lack the funding to meet needs, and specialist provision is inadequate. An adversarial system shunts families towards tribunals that councils almost invariably lose.Tory reforms created obligations for local authorities but did not adequately fund them – allowing ministers to duck responsibility. The result has been financial chaos, with the overall overspend on special educational needs and disabilities (Send) predicted to reach £6.6bn by next March, and keep rising. Taking responsibility for funding away from councils and handing it to the Department for Education is the right move. But the most important questions about Send go beyond account...

Events

2 w. ago Family of murdered Claire Inglis demand John Swinney release Crown Office report into failures

Following Claire's death an expert social work report was commissioned into the case which found the 28-year-old and her son were “invisible in the system”.

Society

2 w. ago Hong Kong begins three days of mourning after deadly apartment fires

Families are combing hospitals hoping to find their loved ones as about 200 people still listed as missing, and at least 128 killedAn outpouring of grief was set to sweep Hong Kong on Saturday as an official, three-day mourning period began with a moment of silence for the 128 people killed in one of the city’s deadliest fires.City leader John Lee, along with senior ministers and dozens of top civil servants, stood in silence for three minutes on Saturday morning outside the government headquarters, where the flags of China and Hong Kong were flown at half-mast. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Budget does not go far enough in public service investment – Stormont minister

Stormont Finance Minister John O’Dowd said Rachel Reeves’ spending plan ‘strengthened the need’ for fiscal devolution in Northern Ireland.

Politics

2 w. ago FM pledges more cash for tackling poverty after Reeves scraps two

First Minister John Swinney said money freed up by the Chancellor’s announcement would be used to help in the fight against child poverty.

Politics

3 w. ago Four schemes to help you with your energy bills if you’re struggling including £2,000 grant and free fridge

IF YOU'RE worried about how you are going to pay your energy bill this winter then help is at hand. Last month millions of households saw their energy bills rise by 2% to £1,755 a year. The increase added an extra £35 to the bills of families already struggling to make ends meet. Meanwhile, from...

Economics

3 w. ago Chinook crash families say defence ministers have ‘deigned to meet us’

They said the meeting will take place at the MoD on December 16.

Politics

3 w. ago Defiant Dems receive 24/7 protection from Capitol Police after Trump accused them of 'seditious behavior' and threatened them with execution

Trump issued a furious response on Truth Social Thursday that called their action 'SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!'

Events

3 w. ago 'The most famous Finn' jets into Manchester Airport from Lapland

Stunned travellers got the ultimate festive treat as the big man made his way through arrivals and into the departures hall to meet families

Politics