John Swinney under fire for refusing to confirm whether Scots schools would recruit 3,500 teachers by 2026

JOHN Swinney has been slammed for repeatedly refusing to say he’d honour a flagship SNP pledge to recruit 3,500 more teachers by 2026. The new First Minister was put on the spot about the Scottish Parliament election manifesto pledge at his inaugural FMQs on Thursday after taking over from Humza Yousaf. 9 John Swinney was … Read more

SNP ministers accused of ‘passing the buck’ on child gender care

SNP ministers were last night accused of letting down vulnerable youngsters in Scotland by failing to implement the recommendations of a landmark report into gender identity services. A four-year review published last month, commissioned by NHS England, warned that kids questioning their gender should be steered away from medical treatment. 2 Dr Hilary Cass produced … Read more

Did devolution deliver to the max? 25 years after first Holyrood election, the experts have their say

THE first elections to the Scottish Parliament were held exactly a quarter of a century ago today, on May 6, 1999. The 25 years that have followed have seen Holyrood become part and parcel of public life and the centre of political drama. 14 The first election to the Scottish Parliament were held exactly a quarter of a … Read more

Airbnb says SNP’s ‘shambolic’ short-term lets policy is scaring tourists away from Scotland

AIRBNB has said the SNP’s ‘shambolic’ short-term lets policy is scaring tourists away from Scotland. The worldwide accommodation firm says the red tape shambles surrounding the industry is making potential visitors think twice about holidaying here. 3 The letting firm has said there’s been a decrease in people wanting Scots holiday homes 3 Gail Porter … Read more

Calmac accused of breaching customers’ security over their £18.5m online booking service

CALMAC was last night accused of breaching customers’ security over their £18.5million online booking service. A councillor told how personalised ticket details for ferry trips are being texted to the wrong numbers. 3 Ferry operator CalMac are being slammed over their data handlingCredit: PA 3 They were accused of breaching customers’ security over their £18.5m … Read more

SNP minister condemns ‘antisemitic’ Facebook post by his own dad

THE father of a Nats minister has resigned from the SNP amid fury over an allegation of an antisemitic social media post. Police Scotland chiefs also faced questions as they were confronted with claims they failed to properly investigate the incident. 2 The post shared on Facebook by Tom Arthur Snr. 2 SNP minister Tom … Read more

Humza Yousaf vows to finally pass laws tackling hatred of women but critics say it’s ‘too late’

HUMZA Yousaf has vowed to finally pass laws tackling hatred of women within two years. But critics accused the First Minister of being “too slow” to protect females facing abuse. 3 The First Minister vowed to pass laws tackling misogynyCredit: Alamy 3 The legislation was first proposed by then-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s National Advisory Council on Women … Read more

Shamed ex-Health Sec Michael Matheson out on official business— despite not being ‘well enough’ to attend parliament

SHAMED ex-Health Secretary Michael Matheson was out and about on official business this week — despite the SNP claiming he’s not well enough to attend parliament. The Scottish Tories were asked by officials on behalf of the Scottish Government’s business manager on Tuesday if they could “pair” with Mr Matheson for votes this week and … Read more

Creative Scotland provides major update on sex show funding

PUBLIC money will no longer be given to an explicit sex project after a furious backlash. Scottish Government agency Creative Scotland awarded £84,555 to the Rein project in January, which recruited actors to participate in “non-simulated” and “hardcore” sex scenes. 2 Leonie Rae Gasson’s project was awarded the money in January 2 Penny Mordaunt described … Read more

Scottish Labour boss Anas Sarwar tells Humza Yousaf to ‘bring it on’ amid North Sea oil row

LABOUR’s Anas Sarwar gestured at Humza Yousaf and shouted “bring it on” amid a furious Holyrood rammy over North Sea windfall tax plans. The two party leaders were involved in a fiery clash over each other’s energy strategy at First Minister’s Questions, with the SNP leader claiming Sir Keir Starmer’s plans would leave 100,000 jobs … Read more