Ewing's solo bid threatens to turn SNP stronghold into political battleground
Fergus Ewing's decision to stand as an independent in the Holyrood election next year doesn't come as a huge surprise.
He has been hinting at this ever since he announced he wouldn't be standing for the SNP.
Ewing has frequently been described as a thorn in the party's side in recent years.
In fact, he has been a full bed of roses given the number of issues he has disagreed with them on – the deposit return scheme, gender reform, marine protected areas, the dualling of the A9 and A96.
The Ewing name is of course steeped in SNP history.
Fergus Ewing has been an MSP since 1999. He served as a government minister for 14 years.
But now he is no longer a member of the party – he will sit as an independent backbencher at Holyrood for the rest of this parliamentary term.
Then next year he will be taking on the SNP party machine in the election.
That runs the risk for the SNP of splitting their vote, and allowing a challenger to squeeze through the middle and take what has been a safe seat.
So the Fergus Ewing headache looks set to continue for some time yet for the SNP.
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Times
an hour ago
- Times
SNP's ‘student politicians' snub submarine welding centre
Sir Keir Starmer's government is expected to step in to fund an ambitious defence facility on the Clyde after the SNP's 'student union' politicians refused grant funding on ideological grounds. A £2.5 million grant from Scottish Enterprise, the national economic development agency, for a submarine welding centre was withheld due to a party ban on 'munitions' funding. Rolls-Royce, which is ready to support the project by providing £11 million worth of specialist equipment, expressed 'dismay' at the news last week. It said the project had been classified as a 'munitions' scheme solely on the basis that it would 'support the construction of naval vessels'. • SNP ban on 'munitions' funds puts Scottish shipbuilding on the line In a letter seen by The Times, Steve Carlier, president of submarines at Rolls-Royce, warned John Swinney, the first minister, that the project 'cannot continue' without the public funding and was at risk of being formally cancelled within days. The funding, which Scottish Enterprise said had not been formally applied for, is believed to have been rejected as the Scottish government's definition of 'weapons or ammunition' would include a 'military submarine', rather than directly relating to any arms. Rolls-Royce has disputed that it is a 'munitions' company. All UK military submarines are powered by nuclear propulsion, regardless of whether or not they have the capacity to carry nuclear weapons, and Rolls-Royce technology is not used for firing warheads. John Healey, the UK defence secretary, told The Sunday Show, on BBC1 that he could 'hardly believe' a Scottish nationalist government would stand in the way of skills development in Scotland. He said: 'We have a long-term partnership with Rolls-Royce who are central to some of the military equipment that keep us all safe. Rolls-Royce want to set up a new welding skills centre, not just to support its munitions business but also to support Scotland's shipyards [to offer] essential skills, new opportunities for young people. 'If the Scottish SNP government won't step up to support skills and the future of jobs in Scotland then we will. It really strikes me as student union politics. This is not a serious government concerned about the opportunities for young people in the future or the skills base for Scotland, or indeed the industry and innovation for the future.' The SNP also has an ambition to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons, which are based at Faslane naval base on the Clyde. Healey added: 'This is a deterrent that for over 70 years has been our guarantor of security in the UK. It is what Putin fears most and the UK is the only country that commits its nuclear deterrent in full to the defence of our Nato allies. Strong deterrence is required and vital to keep people safe in the future.' • Most Scots want to keep UK's nuclear deterrent, poll shows Britain is also engaged in highly sensitive talks to purchase fighter jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons, in a major expansion of the deterrent intended to counter the growing threat posed by Russia. The move would represent the biggest development in the UK's deterrent since the Cold War and a recognition that the world has entered a more dangerous nuclear era. Healey would not reveal where the new fighters would be based but the prospect of nuclear-armed jets being deployed from RAF Lossiemouth, or on manoeuvres at the air force's ancillary training and support bases in Scotland, will incense the SNP and its core anti-nuclear supporters. Mairi Gougeon, the Scottish rural affairs secretary, told the BBC that the welding centre was never eligible for funding thanks to the 'long-standing' policy of the SNP government. She said: 'I think the key difference here between ourselves and the UK government is that when we have principles, we stick to them.' Gougeon said Scottish ministers 'completely understand' the 'really unprecedented threats' the UK faced on the world stage and confirmed the SNP supported the increased defence spending announced by the prime minister. She added: 'That doesn't mean that we can't also still maintain the policy positions that we've had for quite a long time and have been long standing within our party, that we don't support the use of public finance for the manufacture of munitions and neither do we support that for nuclear weapons.' A Scottish government spokesman said: 'We are committed to ensuring Scotland is the home of manufacturing innovation, but the Scottish government's long-standing policy position is that it does not use public money to support the manufacture of munitions. 'We recognise the important role of the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors in the Scottish economy and we regularly engage with a range of companies, alongside ADS Scotland as the industry body. 'We are investing up to £2 million to develop engineering skills in the Glasgow city region, designed by the Clyde Maritime Cluster in partnership with Skills Development Scotland. 'The Scottish government has yet to see the detail of the Defence Spending Review, but we remain firmly opposed to the threat, use and basing of nuclear weapons as a deterrent in Scotland.'
Times
an hour ago
- Times
SNP faces pressure to confront pacifists and embrace defence industry
John Swinney is facing pressure from within the SNP to confront his party's 'pacifists' and fully embrace the defence industry in Scotland. The first minister is understood to have faced intensive lobbying, including from SNP Holyrood backbenchers, to relax a ban on using taxpayers' cash to support munitions projects. The policy has led to damaging accusations of playing 'student politics' at a time of global turmoil, and there is a growing fear within sections of the SNP that continuing to defend the stance is becoming untenable. Writing in The Sunday Times today, Ian Blackford, a party grandee and a Swinney loyalist, insists 'times have changed' and investment in defence would 'kick-start the delivery of an industrial future for Scotland'. Meanwhile, Professor James Mitchell, one of the leading authorities on the SNP, warned that Swinney was at risk of repeating a historic mistake the party made in the 1970s, when hostility to defence projects was a factor in its defeat in a crucial by-election. That result, in Glasgow Garscadden in 1978 after the SNP candidate demanded a local shipyard stop building warships, resurrected Donald Dewar's political career and halted a surge in momentum for Scottish nationalism. ADS Scotland, which represents the defence sector, said it was engaged in an 'honest conversation' with the Scottish government about its policies. These also include a ban on the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) investing in organisations 'primarily engaged in the manufacture of munitions or weapons' on 'ethical' grounds, despite the need for armaments for causes such as Ukraine's defence against Russia. ADS urged the first minister to take new steps to make sure the defence industry operated in an environment of 'understanding and support' in Scotland. Any 'political hostility' or 'reticence' to back it, the body said, was 'out of step with current challenges'. The SNP's approach has come under major scrutiny since it emerged in May that a new state-of-the-art welding skills centre was at risk of being cancelled after a planned £2.5 million grant from Scottish Enterprise was axed because it was deemed a 'munitions' project. SNP ministers later admitted this had been because it would be used to aid the building of Royal Navy attack submarines. Swinney had previously insisted he would stick by the policy, with Mairi Gougeon, his cabinet minister, claiming it was based on SNP 'principles' and would not change. However, the first minister this week opened the door to a U-turn, suggesting the policy may be 'reconsidered' in light of rising global threats. Mitchell, professor of public policy at the University of Edinburgh, said there had 'always been a strong strain of pacifism and anti-militarism' within the SNP. This dates back to the Second World War, he said, when leading figures in the then tiny party took differing positions over whether Scots should join the British war effort against the Nazis. This hardened in the 1960s, due to an influx of Labour members upset at the party abandoning the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and Mitchell said the party had retained 'anti-military tendencies' ever since. While not officially a pacifist party and having endorsed Nato membership following a tight vote in 2012, which led to the resignation of some MSPs, the leading academic said there remains 'a pacifist element to the membership'. 'The current international situation creates headaches for the SNP,' he said. 'It wants to support Nato but would it support the position of increasing defence spending to five per cent of GDP? 'The SNP has managed to avoid many difficult questions and adopt a high moral tone because it has not had to answer any difficult questions. But times have changed. 'As the international situation has become more fraught, the SNP faces a repeat of the challenges it faced half a century ago in Garscadden. 'Does it support or oppose defence spending that would provide or protect jobs, or does it oppose increased defence spending?' Leading figures in the defence industry have called for the Scottish government to relax its ban, potentially relating to the definition of 'munitions' which would mean projects such as the welding centre would not fall foul of the ban. Within days of The Times revealing that the project, which Rolls-Royce had committed to supporting with £11 million of equipment, was facing the axe, the UK government agreed to step in and provide the funding instead, in what was seen as a political victory for Labour. Stewart McDonald, the former MP who was the SNP's defence spokesman at Westminster for six years, has also backed a rethink, saying it pains him to see that his party is 'not evolving with the serious times we live in'. There is concern within the defence industry that the approach of the SNP, which has embraced slogans such as 'bairns not bombs', has served to tacitly endorse serious protests at headquarters of Scottish defence firms, which have put staff in danger. A defence industry source said: 'Student politics are fine, but it's no way to either run a country or respond to global insecurity' Significantly, Swinney is believed to have been told by several of his backbenchers that they would favour a move away from the munitions funding ban, with a feeling the party has been made to look weak and out of touch following repeated attacks from Holyrood's unionist parties. The UK government's commitment to significantly boosting defence spending also has the potential to create thousands of well-paid jobs and boost the Scottish economy. The defence sector north of the border has 16,250 employees, generated £3.3 billion in annual turnover and accounted for £1.3 billion in gross value added (GVA), a measure of its contribution to the overall economy. 'The industry has been engaging at senior level in the Scottish government regularly on all matters affecting aerospace, defence and security, and have been meeting pretty much weekly, so there is an honest conversation open,' an ADS spokeswoman said. 'Ultimately, if we are to properly protect the UK then the whole of the UK needs to be involved. If we are to properly mobilise to deter Russian aggression and be ready for potential turmoil in the wider world then it needs to be all hands on deck. 'And we do believe that Scotland and the Scottish government takes its own contribution seriously and will be a responsible domestic partner in UK security.' She added: 'The incredible industry we have here is underappreciated — MSPs themselves admitted this at Holyrood recently. 'What's important is that we all have a role, including the first minister, in taking steps towards making the environment in which we all operate one of understanding and support. 'Any political hostility and/or reticence towards the defence industry feels out of step with current challenges, and indeed opportunities. 'And there is now a huge opportunity for Scotland, whether that's building satellites in Glasgow or ships on the Forth, which has the potential to provide a huge boost to the economy.' A Scottish government spokesman said: 'We recognise the importance of the aerospace, defence and shipbuilding sectors for Scotland's economy. Together they provide high value jobs, support across the wider supply chain and make a valuable contribution to local, regional and national economies.' But he added: 'Scottish ministers have been consistently clear on the Scottish government's long-standing policy position that it does not use public money to support the manufacture of munitions.'
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Police Scotland's overtime bill doubles to £28million in five years
And the number of cops is down BIG BILL Police Scotland's overtime bill doubles to £28million in five years Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) POLICE Scotland's overtime bill has doubled to £28million in five years — amid fears cops are being left 'exhausted'. Rank-and-file chiefs also warned officers are unable to perform duties 'safely'. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Police Scotland officers at an Anti-racism, pro-refugee demonstration in Glasgow .. They blasted force cuts as figures showed extra-hours spending rose from £14million in 2020-21 — as the number of full-time officers fell from 17,431 to 16,553. David Kennedy, of the Scottish Police Federation, said: 'It's dead simple - less police officers mean more overtime. "With any events, the force can't cope without paying overtime. The attitude of saying 'we're going with 12-hour shifts' is not acceptable. 'We don't have enough officers to police safely. They are being called out on rest days. It's having a detrimental effect on the well-being of officers who are already exhausted.' Figures show the overtime spend rose to almost £37million in 2021-22, and then peaked at nearly £43million in 2022-23. It decreased to £25million last year, but is now increasing again. Bills were inflated by policing of the 2021 COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, mourning of the Queen's death in 2022 and the pandemic. Tory shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said: 'These eye- watering figures are a result of the SNP's savage cuts.' Scottish Lib Dem justice spokesperson Liam McArthur said: 'It is not sustainable to keep asking those keeping us safe day-in day-out to work beyond their limits. Past staff surveys have shown they feel the service and its resources are stretched." Police Scotland body worn cameras roll out across the country Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill added: 'Soaring levels of overtime are exhausting police officers and draining badly-needed funding. 'The SNP must work with Police Scotland to ensure it has the officers it needs to keep our communities safe.' A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Overtime is a flexible mechanism which can help to maintain effective policing for all our communities. "It is important our people are rewarded for the work they do in line with their terms and conditions." A Scottish Government spokesperson added: "Scotland's police officers provide a vital service, every day, to ensure we continue to live in safe and protected communities.
