Scots cannot afford a third decade of SNP Government at Holyrood
The difference a Labour Government makes has been clear. We have decisively ended the era of Tory austerity, delivering record funding for Scotland.
We have delivered a pay rise for 200,000 of the lowest paid Scots and introduced legislation to provide the greatest boost to workers' rights in a generation.
We have restored economic stability after years of Tory chaos and overseen four interest rate cuts, helping to lower mortgages by an average of £1000 a year.
We have set up a publicly-owned GB Energy company here in Scotland so that we can reap the benefits of the green revolution. But Scotland is still being held back by a failing SNP government.
The SNP runs our NHS and it is fighting for survival. In England waiting lists are falling as a result of Labour's action, but in Scotland they're not. The SNP is responsible for housing and Scotland is in the grips of a housing emergency.
Angela Rayner is driving forward a game-changing programme of planning reforms and housebuilding, but SNP ministers are sitting on their hands. The SNP runs our schools and they are slipping down the international league tables.
The SNP runs our justice system and it is stretched to breaking point. The SNP runs our transport system and it is in chaos.
The SNP received record funding from the Labour government but managed to create a blackhole of almost £5bn in Scotland's finances.
The list goes on and on. Almost all of what is broken in Scotland is run by the SNP.
For years the Tories provided the SNP with cover for their own failures but that doesn't hold anymore. Labour has turned the page on Tory austerity and put an end to its economic chaos.
The SNP has the powers and it has the money – it just lacks the ambition. After almost two decades in charge, the SNP has simply run out of steam. This is a tired government with no positive vision and no new ideas.
At the Scottish Parliament election next year, Scotland will face a direct choice - more managed decline with an SNP government led by John Swinney or a new direction with a Scottish Labour government led by me.
We cannot afford a third decade of the SNP. We need a Scottish Government with a plan to rebuild our NHS so Scots can count on it in their hour of need.
We need a Scottish Government that will do right by the next generation and create opportunities for all. We need a Scottish Government that will end waste and treat public money with respect.
That's what Scottish Labour will deliver. I'm ready to lead a Scottish Labour government that will renew our public services, bolster our economy and give Scotland the NHS it deserves.
Legal aid system on 'verge of collapse'
Eyebrows were raised last week when it emerged that former SNP CEO Peter Murrell will receive legal aid at taxpayer expense after being charged with embezzlement. Putting the political drama aside, this episode shines a light on an important issue.
Legal aid is a lifeline for many Scots, from women fleeing abusive relationships to families seeking the truth in Fatal Accident Inquiries.
It is a fundamental part of our legal system – a way to make sure that access to justice isn't determined by wealth. It is how we ensure that the principle of equality under the law is upheld in practice as well as on paper.
But the system is on the brink of collapse under the SNP. The Law Society of Scotland has warned that 'legal aid deserts' are growing as lawyers move away from a broken system, and looming strikes threaten to make a bad picture worse.
If the SNP fails to fix this crisis it will cause chaos in the courts and deprive Scots of the legal representation they are entitled to.
We cannot tolerate a system where your income is a barrier to justice. Peter Murrell has been able to access legal aid in his hour of need – but too many people can't and that's not good enough
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Scot has becoming a mega hit with MAGA in US thanks to his ‘likeable' Trump impression
'You need to keep it light. When it gets too critical or dark then it starts to cross the line. That's something we always want to avoid. DEAD RINGER Scot has becoming a mega hit with MAGA in US thanks to his 'likeable' Trump impression MIMIC Lewis Macleod has revealed how he's become a hit with Americans thanks to making Donald Trump more 'likeable' again. The Scots copycat, who is part of Radio 4's popular long-running show Dead Ringers, saw two recent clips of him impersonating the US President receive over 22million views. 5 Lewis as Trump and his "secret service". 5 Lewis as he looks normally minus the orange tan. 5 Dead Ringers with Jan Ravens, Jon Culshaw and Lewis has been going for quarter of a century. 5 Lewis recording another episode of Dead Ringers for Radio 4. But while Hollywood stars Jamie Foxx and Alec Baldwin have become known for their brutal Trump mickey takes, US comedy legend Chevy Chase and even Make America Great Again supporters have praised Lewis's version. He says: 'Jamie does an excellent Trump as does Alec but they usually do him when he's bellowing statements out just before he steps on Air Force One. 'But I like to do him when he's talking normally, in that softer, more husky voice. That's the one people seem to really like. It's also where I believe you can get more laughs. 'I even got one message from a supporter in America saying I had made Trump more likeable again. Because when he is talking normally on the likes of Joe Rogan's podcast, he's a funny guy. 'I think his own supporters like to see more of that side of him.' In one clip Lewis says as Trump, how he's going to make, 'Elon Musk the first lady and call her Elania', adding: 'Because Melania has been malfunctioning for a while. She keeps saying things like, 'I wish I'd never met you'.' Lewis says: 'You need to keep it light like that. When it gets too critical or dark then it starts to cross the line. That's something we always want to avoid.' In 2018 National Lampoon's star Chevy Chase gave the thumbs-up to the Scots' Trump impression when they met on ITV's Good Morning. But Lewis actually quit playing The Donald after his last presidency ended in disgraceful scenes with the Capitol Hill Attacks on January 6, 2021. He says: 'I stopped doing his voice and cameos right after that tragedy. I thought, 'This isn't funny anymore.' Donald Trump stuns Glasgow punters as he dances with busker to 'Man Who Sold the World' after taking tour of Scottish Sun Christmas Shop 'He had become too divisive at the time. But when he was elected again, Dead Ringers asked me to do him again, so I was up for giving him another go.' Lewis, 55, from Torrance, near Glasgow, started doing impressions at school before landing a regular slot on BBC Scotland's Off The Ball, mimicking the great and the good of Scottish football. While in 1999 he provided the voice of pod-racing alien Sebulba in the Star Wars prequel The Phantom Menace. He also played Paul McCartney in a Beatles skit on the Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse BBC sketch show Harry & Paul. And he has had several serious acting roles too including in The Crown, where he played the headmaster of Prince Charles's school Gordonstoun and the 2022 movie The Lost King opposite Oscar-winner Sally Hawkins. While in 2021 he portrayed This is Your Life host Eamonn Andrews in an episode of ITV cop drama Endeavour in 2021. But it's Trump he can't escape, as he continues to be booked to appear as the US leader at corporate dos and charity events. And Lewis, who now splits his time between homes in France with his French wife Marion and the UK, believes his 6ft 3in stature also helps him fit the bill. He explains: 'Trump is officially 6ft 3in although there are rumours he actually lied about his height during his medical, so I may actually be an inch taller. 'Donald's mum Mary MacLeod is from Lewis and so is my family. So there's a good chance we could be related. 'But I'm also born on the Fourth of July – it doesn't get any more American than that.' He adds: 'But the wig is very important. My one's made by Alex Rouse who makes wigs for loads of films from Harry Potter to James Bond and TV shows like Outlander and Game Of Thrones. 'So if you've got a good voice and a good wig - and being the right size - then I reckon you're on to a winner.' The performer also became a regular on Steve Wright in the Afternoon after he was on his Radio 2 show as a guest alongside Dead Ringers co-stars including Jan Ravens, Jon Culshaw and Duncan Wisbey. Lewis would do uncanny impressions of Steve's fellow radio host and Channel Five presenter Jeremy Vine right up until Wright's show was axed in 2022. The DJ passed away last year aged 69. The dad of two says: 'I started doing these songs with Jeremy singing and Steve absolutely loved them. 'Then these 10 second jingles just got longer and longer until we were doing whole songs. 'I would also do reworkings of Jeremy singing Dua Lipa songs, and Steve wrote all the jokes for the verbal skits. 'He always worked at high-speed and would basically direct me in the studio. But he was a genius. That's the best way to describe him.' AI IS BETTER THAN ME BUT NOT AS FUNNY LEWIS knows that AI is a threat to the voiceover industry but believes that people still prefer the human touch. A big part of the impressionists' day job is recording trailers and radio ads and promos, which he has done for three decades. But earlier this year his fellow Scots voiceover artist Gayanne Potter claimed her voice had been cloned for ScotRail's new AI-generated announcement system against her will. Lewis says: 'AI can mimic voices so perfectly now that it's indistinguishable from speech. 'More and more radio ad campaigns are using it, but I think the voices sound soulless and I'm not sure it connects with listeners. 'The difference is when I am in a studio I can make a suggestion, even just a subtle one. 'And directors still want to be able to give you instructions on exactly what they're wanting from your voiceover too.' He adds: 'I mean you can get AI versions of Trump that can do him better than I will ever be able to, but again where is the fun in that? 'People still love coming to see us recording Dead Ringers and like everything about it, including when we can't stop laughing or muck up the script. 'No one wants a robot perfectly delivering lines. They want to feel part of it and have a laugh and some fun with you too, especially when you make a mistake.' Lewis was back on Radio 2 last month (June) as a guest on Zoe Ball's new Saturday show, where he pretended to be Vine again, this time talking about the Glastonbury festival. He says: 'Zoe asked what Jeremy would talk about at the festival and I said it would have to be all about health and safety and how to find your tent. It was great. She had me on for ages.' And far from feeling ridiculed Jeremy, 60, has previously praised Lewis, saying his 'impersonation of me was so good it fooled even my own children'. But Lewis believes that even the notorious touchy Trump would find his mimicry funny. He says: 'People are always trying to do satirical sketches with Trump but how can you keep up with a man who tells the world that Israel and Iran 'don't know what the f**k they're doing?' 'Trump will continue to say things that will make everybody go, 'what the hell?'. So he owns all of that and the sketch writers can't compete.' He adds: 'But I think you can still find the laughs in the softer kind of Trump, which is why I've chosen to do him like that. 'I honestly believe It's the kind of thing that Trump would laugh at himself.' *Dead Ringers - The 25th Anniversary Tour will play Edinburgh Playhouse on August 17 then dates across the UK from September.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Hopes 'fading' for US steel deal with just two days to go until Trump's deadline for hiking tariffs to 50%
Hopes are fading that the UK can finalise a US steel deal before Donald Trump 's deadline of Wednesday. Keir Starmer paraded his Transatlantic trade pact in May, suggesting that the industry would be spared any levies. However, steel was not covered in the implementation text released last month - with the UK subject to a 25 per cent rate. Mr Trump warned that could rise to the 50 per cent being imposed on the rest of the world from July 9 unless terms can be agreed. UK sources have admitted the the issues are 'complicated', with America worried about creating a loophole for imports from China. There have been suggestions that Britain could at least avoid the highest rate of tariffs while talks continue. Standing alongside Sir Keir at the G7 summit in Canada last month, Mr Trump said the deal was 'done', and refused to make any firm commitment to further progress on steel levies. The agreement with the US had already come under fire in some quarters for 'shafting' the UK, with America openly boasting that it had managed to achieve higher tariffs than before and get more access to markets. But asked if steel tariffs would be set to zero for the UK, the US President replied: 'We're gonna let you have that information in little while.' The UK has also not obtained any guarantee that the crucial pharma industry will not be hit with tariffs, and there are claims Sir Keir has conceded the NHS will pay billions of pounds more for drugs. Asked whether Britain would be shielded from future tariffs, Mr Trump said the UK was protected 'because I like them'. 'The UK is very well protected, you know why? Because I like them. That's their ultimate protection,' he said. The order issued by the president relating to the UK deal said the US 'may increase the applicable rates of duty to 50 per cent on or after July 9'. A government source told The Times: 'We are making progress but I think both sides recognise it is going to take a bit more time. The agreement with the US had already come under fire in some quarters for 'shafting' the UK, with America openly boasting that it had managed to achieve higher tariffs than before and get more access to markets 'We are hopeful that July 9 is not a hard deadline from the American point of view and while we will not see tariffs fall to zero then neither will we see them double.' Gareth Stace, director-general of UK Steel trade group, said: 'Every day of delay costs our steelmakers dearly. Contracts slip away, investment plans stall and uncertainty freezes business decisions. 'A swift and positive resolution is urgently needed to safeguard jobs, unlock growth and restore confidence in the UK steel sector.'
Spectator
an hour ago
- Spectator
Has Labour abandoned the steel industry?
We will no doubt hear lots of familiar excuses if later this week, as seems increasingly likely, the British steel industry faces 50 per cent tariffs on its exports to the United States. There hasn't been enough time. The White House has been too busy, and so has the Prime Minister. The trouble is, none of them make sense. And so when these tariffs kick in, the Labour government, which we might expect to defend a traditional heavy industry, will have abandoned steel to its fate. When the 9 July deadline for the suspension of President Trump's tariffs expires, we can expect chaos in the global trading system. The EU's over-confident and arrogant negotiators have failed to reach a deal, leaving every exporter in the bloc facing huge tariffs from Thursday onwards. Amid all that, it might be easy to miss a small but still significant problem. The suspension of full tariffs on British-made steel will also come to an end, and, without an agreement, the industry will also face huge levies. This could be catastrophic for the industry. 'Every day of delay costs our steelmakers dearly,' argued UK Steel, the trade body for the industry. 'Contracts slip away, investment plans stall and uncertainty freezes business decisions'. It could hardly come at a worse time. The industry has already been hit by a barrage of green levies and targets. It has to face some of the highest industrial electricity prices in the world. The Budget last year imposed higher National Insurance charges on every person it employs. The list goes on and on. British Steel has already been taken under emergency control by the government after its Chinese owners gave up on it, and with 50 per cent tariffs the rest of the industry may give up as well. And yet, despite that, the government has not had the energy or commitment to negotiate an exemption for the UK, even though other exporters will face just 10 per cent tariffs in the US. There is a bigger point than just steel. The UK's industrial base is being wiped out, with almost every week bringing news of yet another closure. Last week it was the Prax Lindsey oil refinery and in the week before, Nippon Electric Glass announced the closure of the UK's largest fibreglass factory. Starmer's Labour government should be defending the interests of the people who worked in these kinds of jobs. Instead, it is complacently allowing the steel industry to be wiped out – and doesn't appear to care much about any other manufacturers either.
