8 h. ago Finn Russell fitness addressed by Bath after Scotland star limps out of Premiership semi

Injury fears alleviated ahead of Twickenham final

Politics

12 h. ago Andy Robertson responds to angry boos with honest verdict on Scotland humiliation

Scotland suffered more humiliation at home as Iceland secured a commanding victory with boos ringing out at Hampden Park as the players were left to face the music

Politics

24 h. ago Labour beats Reform to surprise victory in Scotland ...The Standard podcast

Plus, Cypress Hill on new Royal Albert Hall album

Politics

26 h. ago How to talk to someone who is grieving: a mother who lost her son explains

Katja Faber’s son Alex Morgan was killed a decade ago — a story we delve into in the Standard’s new chart-topping podcast, Killer Privilege . She shares her story of heartbreak, acceptance, and how she has learnt to mourn

Politics

29 h. ago Labour byelection win shows ‘SNP’s balloon has burst’, says Anas Sarwar

Scottish Labour leader accuses SNP of misinformation in its campaign and attacks Reform’s ‘dirty’ tacticsUK politics live – latest updatesScottish Labour’s surprise byelection win proves “the SNP’s balloon has burst”, a jubilant Anas Sarwar has said, after the popular local candidate Davy Russell defied predictions to beat the incumbent Scottish National party and fight off Reform UK’s “racist” campaigning in the central Scotland seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.Sarwar told a victory rally in Hamilton town centre on Friday morning that Labour had proved everyone wrong following speculation that Reform UK might push it into third place, as the rightwing populist party gained ground in Scotland for the first time. Continue reading...

Politics

29 h. ago Don’t think Nigel Farage will kill off the Tories? Just look at Reform UK’s surge in Scotland | Owen Jones

The party is making inroads among people who once chose not to vote. But as Zia Yusuf’s resignation shows, chaos still reignsIf you were doubting that Nigel Farage had a serious chance of heading a hard-right British government in 2029, the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse just poured a bucket of particularly icy water over your head. Though Labour won the Scottish parliamentary byelection, defying predictions it would be beaten into third place, Reform UK chalked up more than a quarter of the vote – trailing the victors by an unsubstantial 1,500 voters.This tells a devastating story. Nigel Farage’s outfit seriously outperformed the level of support indicated by Scottish polling: the last four surveys had Reform on between 12% and 19%, yet it secured 26% of the vote after standing here for the first time. This suggests it is mobilising previous non-voters whom pollsters are not picking up. The latest UK-wide YouGov poll, which asked people how they would vote if there wer...

Events

32 h. ago Badenoch claims ECHR being used ‘to attack democratic decisions’ – UK politics live

Tory leader says rulings by European court of human rights are ‘damaging our security and prosperity’As Jessica Elgot and Amelia Gentleman report, Downing Street is exploring new proposals for a digital ID card to crack down on illegal migration, rogue landlords and exploitative work, set out in a policy paper authored by a centre-left thinktank.Steve Reed, the environment secretary, was the government voice on the media this morning and he confirmed that the government is interested in this idea. He told Times Radio:It’s absolutely something that we are looking at, and that we should be looking at.We know we need to look at all the actions we can take to stop the levels of illegal migration that we were seeing particularly under the last government. Continue reading...

Politics

34 h. ago Starmer hails Labour victory after surprise win in Hamilton byelection for Scottish parliament – UK politics live

PM congratulates Davy Russell but Reform also performed strongly, gaining third place with 26% of the voteScottish Labour win pivotal Holyrood byelectionHere is an extract from the full statement John Swinney, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, issued after the byelection result was announced. He said it showed the need for the SNP to offer “a vision of hope and optimism”.Labour won by an absolute landslide in this area less than a year ago - we came much closer tonight but the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have made clear that we still have work to do. Over the next few days we will take time to consider the result fully. When I became leader of the SNP last year I made clear my intention to bring the party together and focus more than ever on standing up for the people of Scotland. During this campaign we heard a lot of anger about the cost of living - and it is clearer than ever that Westminster control is making Scotland poorer, whether that is the damage ...

Politics

41 h. ago Scottish Labour win pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating incumbent SNP and surging Reform UK

Voters in the central seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse rallied around popular local candidate Davy RussellScottish Labour has won a pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating the incumbent SNP and fighting off Reform UK’s aggressive racist campaigning, in a remarkable turnaround of fortunes that will boost the party ahead of next year’s Scottish parliamentary elections.Voters in the central Scotland seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse rallied round the popular local candidate Davy Russell after a toxic campaign that saw Nigel Farage launch an unprecedented series of personal racist attacks on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. Continue reading...

Politics

41 h. ago Scottish Labour wins pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating incumbent SNP and surging Reform UK

Labour celebrated the ‘incredible’ win in the central seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, as voters rallied around popular local candidate Davy RussellScottish Labour is celebrating an “incredible” win in a pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating the incumbent SNP and fighting off Reform UK’s “racist” campaigning, in a result that confounded predictions and will boost the party ahead of next year’s Scottish parliamentary elections.Voters in the central Scotland seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse rallied round the popular local candidate Davy Russell after a toxic campaign that saw Nigel Farage launch an unprecedented series of personal attacks on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, labelled racist by SNP leader John Swinney. Continue reading...

Politics

50 h. ago Exclusive: aristocrat killer from hit Standard podcast seen posing on dating app

The 40-year-old art dealer has reportedly been boasting about being a convicted criminal on dates since his release. Katie Strick, host of our exclusive podcast about the extraordinary killing, reports

Events

2 w. ago ‘I’d never date a Tory’ – but apparently, Reform voters are fair game

‘I’d never date a Tory’ is a familiar line on dating apps, but new research shows younger singles are surprisingly more open to Reform UK voters than Conservatives

Politics

2 w. ago Scotland pull out of Victory Shield as famous historic tournament could be scrapped

The 100-year-old home nations youth tournament that has been graced by some of the biggest names in British football is in crisis.

Politics