No confidence vote at Scottish council after 7 Tory councillors quit
Four of the councillors who quit – Andrew Giusti, Chrissie Hill, David Inglis and Richard Marsh – have now gone on to form a new group called Novantae, while the remaining three – Ian Carruthers, Karen Carruthers and Andrew Wood – have formed a separate independent group.
The move means that the Scottish Conservative group has shrunk to just nine members, while there are 11 SNP members, eight Scottish Labour, one Scottish LibDem and 14 independent/other.
READ MORE: Labour minister in 'jaw-dropping' U-turn on Glasgow drug consumption room
A vote of no confidence in the administration has been confirmed for June 16 at 2pm.
The SNP group, now the largest group at the council, submitted the motion and said the current leadership was "weakened, rudderless, and unable to govern".
Councillor Katie Hagmann, the SNP group's business manager, said: 'The Tories no longer have the confidence of this chamber, and more importantly, they no longer have the confidence of the people of Dumfries and Galloway.
'The resignation of several administration members has laid bare the dysfunction and instability at the heart of this Conservative administration.
Hagmann described the vote of no confidence as 'a moment of accountability'.
She added: 'The Conservative administration is collapsing under the weight of its own failures. It's time for a fresh start and a leadership that will put the needs of our communities first.'
The party said that their motion had received backing from other groups at the council.
READ MORE: What do the SNP want to talk about in Hamilton by-election?
The council's current leader, Gail MacGregor, said she would "love to continue in the role".
The Scottish Conservatives councillor told ITV Border News: 'Under my leadership for the past two years I've managed to steer a very steady ship with support from across the parties and having to make some compromises.
'Going forward in the next two weeks I don't know what will happen.
'I would like to assure people that my heart is always in delivering for the region and creating that stability."
"This is a chink in the road that I didn't expect.'
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Scotsman
6 hours ago
- Scotsman
Readers' Letters: Mhairi Black isn't consistent on Palestine
Once-prominent SNP MP Mhairi Black confuses reader Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... We learn that former SNP MP Mairi Black has left the party, citing differences of opinion with the party's stance over LGBTQ rights and Palestine. Both are important issues and few would deny that the current situation in Gaza is deeply tragic, but Black may also want to reflect on the persecution and violence experienced by those who do not identify as heterosexual in Palestine. Perhaps she is in denial of the reality that Hamas opposes the decriminalisation of same-sex acts across the territory, with the terrorist group seemingly also supporting flogging for acts of adultery. The conflict in the Middle East is significantly more multi-faceted than this, yet it surprises me that Black isn't more vocal on the shocking treatment of LGBTQ people in Gaza. Martin Redfern, Melrose, Roxburghshire Having stepped down as an MP last year, Mhairi Black has now quit the SNP too, because she disagrees with policies on Palestine and LCBTQ+ matters (Picture: Steve Ullathorne) Inherit the wind Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad On the eve of President Trump's visit to Scotland our First Minister felt he had to talk about Gaza and allowing peaceful protests. Why? This is a holiday for Donald Trump and he ought to be putting out the red carpet, not tacitly encouraging protests. Does anyone ever see peaceful protests any more? Can no one see that Hamas could end the suffering in Gaza at a stroke? There was a time when politicians actually did what their election manifesto promises said. This is still true about Donald Trump, less so about John Swinney or his predecessors, and definitely not true about Keir Starmer. The silent majority in Scotland may well see our country's good reputation trashed by a few militant protestors. Mr Swinney could find he has unleashed a maelstrom. Gerald Edwards, Glasgow Close Holyrood The Scottish Parliament has lost all sense of purpose. It was created by a consortium of Labour/Liberal politicians back in 1998, but it has been under SNP rule for the past 18 years. In 2007 the Nationalists formed a minority government, before going on to win the 2011 Holyrood election. But, as I am sure everyone is aware, the situation in Scotland since then has deteriorated noticeably in almost all devolved sectors. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So, unless by a sheer miracle John Swinney and his Ministers can pull the rabbit out of the hat, and make major changes in almost all sectors, the only rational way out of Scotland's dilemma is for Holyrood to be closed as a Scottish Parliament, and for Government of these Islands to return at the earliest opportunity to Westminster. Robert I G Scott, Northfield, Ceres, Fife Drink to England Today, as I make my journey home from England after a month away, I reflect on the common bonds that make the UK a wonderful entity. A love of the outdoors, a love of guid beer, similar weather systems, beautiful countryside and amazing people. England does appear to be a bit more civil in its workings; for instance, one can purchase a bottle of wine when collecting one's newspaper at 7am, thus negating the need to return at 10am, doubling the carbon footprint, due to the draconian rules imposed on us Scots. Also, said bottle of wine is £3 cheaper than in Scotland due to the lack of the MUP tax imposed upon us. If, as we are told on a regular basis, we are under the imperial boot of Westminster, then bring it on I say, if only for the two examples given. And let's not forget, it was only this June that we were 'allowed' to have a beer or a glass of wine on the train – four years after Covid. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It really makes me proud to live in such a progressive nation, where the only subjugation imposed is from the enlightened geniuses at Holyrood. Another reason giving powers to devolved 'governments' should not be allowed… as anyone will know, when people get the 'club blazer' power consumes the bearer, and they lose sight of what they are there for – to serve, not dominate. Ah well, it has been a great few weeks, now back to the daily gruel of the enlightenment! D Millar, Lauder, Scottish Borders Powerless The article by Eric Knight is interesting, forward-looking yet pitched from a UK point of view (Perspective, 21 July). Scotland's future is definitely not about fossil fuels, 'but about reshaping the UK's energy future, unlocking enduring economic value, strengthening national security and creating skilled jobs across the country for generations to come', he concludes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad All very well, however, he fails to separate Scotland from the UK in his argument. For example, he claims each GW (gigawatt) of new offshore wind capacity adds £2-3 billion to the UK economy and supports many thousands of jobs. How much of this will benefit Scotland when Westminster is in control of energy policy? Additionally, each GW of electricity can power a million homes. Scotland's expensive energy bills are the result of the UK Government's outdated energy market – a system still determined by fossil fuels and not cheap renewables. Westminster control of the purse strings prevents Holyrood from setting up its own energy company for this green energy bonanza. If over £10bn can be found to instal five subsea electricity cables from Scotland to England, why is Scotland having monster pylons planted on its picturesque countryside? The current wholesale price of wind turbine electricity is 3.7p per kWh, yet we're paying 25p per kWh! Why are we paying unnecessarily high energy charges for our own renewable electricity? England needs these connectors to access our cheap, renewable wind power. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Costs of England's Sizewell-C nuclear plant are set to spiral – leaving Scots with still higher energy bills after Energy Security Secretary Ed Miliband confirmed the plant will cost £38bn, nearly double the previous estimate. Successive UK governments profess to have an interest in Scotland's welfare when the evidence is to the contrary. DW Lowden, Mannofield, Aberdeen Rural failure The article by Katrina Bussey (25 July) highlights a £38 million spend to link Paisley with Glasgow Airport, £23m to provide faster links between Ardrossan and Glasgow and a massive spend of £3m for work on the A75 that connects Belfast with Gretna. Once again it appears the SNP have failed to point out that the upgrades for Paisley and Ardrossan need only cover a distance of about 10 miles – the distance from Cairnryan and Gretna is over 100 miles! Why, then, did the Holyrood Transport Secretary not re-allocate the cash, with £61m going to the rural South and let Paisley and Ardrossan share the £3m? After all, the SNP have allocated £5 billion for the A9 and millions on rail links in the Borders, so why their lack of support for rural Galloway ? Ian Moir, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway Bit of everything Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It appears David Millar (Letters, 24 July) would prefer that the NHS in Scotland focus on reducing long waiting times for non-urgent procedures rather than focus resources on those in need of urgent treatment. While following NHS England in this regard may capture some headlines, the fact is that the NHS in Scotland outperforms the NHS in England and Wales across a range of vital statistics, even when not meeting ambitious targets, and most people in Scotland agree with prioritising urgent treatment over long waits (which the Scottish Government is also working to reduce through committing further funding). As for Mr Millar's list of SNP failures, perhaps by way of balance he should consider the Scottish Government's performance within the framework of UK Government devolution he seemingly supports. Not just in Scotland but across the UK low-level crimes are not being reported, while the prison services are compelled to release prisoners early. Mr Millar and other contributors to these pages appear obsessed with 'the ferries' but fail to acknowledge that the SNP Scottish Government delivered the Queensferry Crossing on time and under budget, while London's Crossrail floundered and HS2 is a continuing astronomical failure by comparison (with costs in the tens of billions of pounds and sky-rocketing). As for disruption in our schools, this is an issue with which both the UK and Scottish governments are wrestling, especially following Covid and the increasingly negative impact of social media on our youth. The cost of reaching out directly to businesses in other countries is not cheap but the costs are tiny relative to the foreign investment the Scottish Government has secured, as is evidenced by Scotland being rated higher than other parts of the UK for inward investment. Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian New excuse Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad How I long for the day when someone, anyone, in authority in the SNP will take responsibility for events over which they have full control and accept they got things wrong. Usually it is the all-consuming 'Westminster' that is the omnipresent devil, causing all the problems, conniving and conspiring to make the SNP look bad. Occasionally they feel obliged to change the focus – those in charge must know even their most sheep-like followers have breaking points. And so, with Westminster out of the equation, we learn that the Covid scandal, where virus-stricken old people were released into care homes to infect others, was really all the fault of the care homes. Well, they had to find someone. Apparently, the 'care homes should have known' how to treat them. Alexander McKay, Edinburgh Write to The Scotsman
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
BRIAN READE: 'Fat-shaming will be new bag-sizing for airlines - start worrying now'
Beware the bonus-conscious airline staff sniffing around for any chance to slap a penalty on the unwitting traveller, says Brian Reade Now that MPs are taking a break from work until a few weeks before the clocks go back, we are officially in the Silly Season. Which means, between now and the inevitable riots outside asylum hotels next month, us media outlets will seek out quirky stories to make you laugh. Like the one about the teenager who runs Warwickshire County Council for bureaucracy-slashing Reform UK demanding £150k of public money to pay people to tell him what to do. The season's biggest laugh, though, is Donald Trump's trip to Scotland, as his presence here always raises a titter. Remember last time, when paragliders flew expletive-ridden banners and comedian Janey Goodley stood outside his golf club with a placard that declared Trump was a thing that rhymed with runt? 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Bonny Prince Donnie sounds nice. And that also makes my wife Melania Queen of Scots and my son Barron The Bruce. 'Mel Gibson, who's a terrific guy - and by the way that racism stuff was fake news - told me he based his Braveheart character on me leading the January 6 uprising. Which was nice. Although, unlike that Wallace guy, I got shot and survived. 'So you see folks, no world leader has ever been more Scottish than me. The only food I eat is from Clan McDonald and when people see me in a kilt they say I have the best legs ever. 'And I have great, great plans for my homeland. I am renaming The Firth of Forth the Firth of Forty-fifth and Forty-seventh US President and I'm going to finish that terrible job done by Crooked Hadrian and build a proper wall, a beautiful wall to keep all dark-looking immigrants out. 'By the way, the Outer Hebrides remind me of Greenland, so I'm going to buy them and turn them into a big, beautiful, military base to hit Russia. 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The book called Remember When, written by our former boss Alison Phillips, charts Fiona's courageous battle against a soul-crushing disease most families have had to cope with, or probably will do. Because, scandalously, as Martin has been pointing out, for every £1 given to cancer research in this country only 31p is spent on dementia research. Which has to change. In the meantime, Fiona, may you face your battle with much courage and love. *** If you break into a cold sweat every time you go through an airport gate fearing you'll be pulled for having an oversized carry-on bag, then you now have good reason to worry. It turns out Ryanair and easyJet award bonuses of just over a quid to staff to spot bulging bags and dish out penalties. I fear this is just the start, and soon the likes of Ryanair's Michael O'Leary will make us declare our body weight on 'environmental grounds' and charge us by the kilo. Expect bonus-sniffing staff to eye you up, guess you're packing too much timber and force you onto scales, before saying: 'Sorry but Sir's been telling porkies about his porkiness. That will be another £50 please.' Fat-shaming will be the new bag-sizing. And being a fat-fascist is the best route to a bumper pay packet. *** Labour MP Dr Simon Opher is set to prescribe free tickets to football matches in a bid to beat depression. The former GP will trial it in Gloucestershire surgeries as an alternative to anti-depressants, saying: "Football is about socialising and roaring on your team, getting excited, taking yourself out of your own life for a short while.' It's also about, most weekends, at least 33% of fans walking home beaten, gutted, miserable, cursing the donkeys in their team and descending into a depression that dogs them for days. So nice idea, doc, but in practice sending already-depressed people to football matches could be a massive own goal. *** Over the decades screenwriter Jimmy McGovern has crafted many profound lines but this week he surpassed himself by condensing into one sentence the real reason why the Establishment is resisting the introduction of a full-blooded Hillsborough Law, which would compel public bodies to tell the truth in the aftermath of major disasters. 'What's going on there is people demanding the right to lie." That, in a nutshell, is the truth. And Labour must not let it happen. THE WEEK'S FIVE BIG QUESTIONS Isn't it funny how the men who abuse women footballers like Jess Carter on social media were also the ones always picked last on the playground and forced to stand, quaking, in goal? Can't the princes William and Harry do what feuding aristocrats used to do and walk into a forest with a pair of pistols and have a duel? Has any political party in any country ever been given as much air time with only four nationally-elected representatives as Reform UK? Do Andrex, with their advert claiming 76% of students hold their poo in at school, really think kids will all start opening their bowels if the toilet paper is soft? How long will it be before people can only draw their state pension on the same date they receive their 100th birthday telegram from the monarch?
New Statesman
7 hours ago
- New Statesman
'I blame Maggie!' How sewage radicalised England
Photo by Andy Soloman/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images In classic English style, it was raining on the first day of the hosepipe ban in the Wiltshire market town of Marlborough. But this isn't classic England any more. Residents are furious – and not just about the prospect of their yellowing lawns. Hosepipe bans used to cause a disgruntled ripple across the Tory shires. Today, they open the floodgates to a torrent of rage against environmental vandalism and corporate greed that makes the middle-aged of Middle England sound like radical socialists. 'It goes far deeper now,' said one lifelong local. 'The trust is broken.' Why, residents ask, should we save water when the water companies have been frittering our money away? With sewage in the local River Kennet, rising water bills (the same local produces a letter informing him his water bill is going up £19 a month), and flooding in the town centre earlier this year, Thames Water is a dirty word in this once clean and pleasant land. I'm told children in some local schools have even been asked to bring in a spare pair of shoes – one pair to walk through the sewage-splattered ground outside, and another for indoors. The golf club put their own water tank in two years ago, bypassing a reliance on Thames Water. 'There's definitely been a change in mood,' says Charlotte Hitchmough, 56, who has been campaigning against sewage overflows in the River Kennet for two decades. 'It's a critical part of living here – the river defines the landscape, and because the water's quite mobile it's really different month-to-month: people here talk about the river like they talk about the weather.' A new government plan to streamline and strengthen regulation of the water industry hasn't quelled the anger. Locals I hear from feel they've been lumped with Thames Water's debt and believe 'they're cruising around the world on superyachts'. The proposed changes also don't cover the consequences of road run-off into rivers, which is environmentally damaging and visibly so. 'You can see the river change colour,' says Hitchmough. 'That's probably going to get worse, not better – it's the next big, scary thing.' Having started her career as a consultant for the newly privatised water industry, she now – like some other fellow residents – sees greater state oversight as the answer. 'Profit shouldn't be part of it because, fundamentally, water is not a resource that belongs to anyone. Water is a source that none of us can live without. It was like privatising air.' It should no longer come as a surprise that even in Marlborough – whose constituencies have never been anything but Conservative for a century – you hear support for renationalisation and the conclusion, as worded by one local: 'I blame Maggie!' This year, the Lib Dems and independent councillors took control of Wiltshire Council from the Conservatives. From seats in the south-west to the Blue Wall (where affluent commuter-belt and suburban seats are turning away from the Conservatives), voters are deeply concerned about the sewage spills, suggest new focus groups and polling released in May by More in Common, a research agency specialising in public attitudes towards politics and policy. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Sixty-one per cent of those polled say reducing sewage pollution should be the government's highest priority or a high priority. They still just about blame the Tories: half of voters say the previous Conservative government did a bad job on tackling sewage pollution, and 43 per cent say the same of the current Labour administration. Pollution of rivers and seas was a particularly motivating issue for people who voted Lib Dem in 2024. Asked for the top reasons why they voted for the party last July, more than one third (34 per cent) chose at least one environmental reason – the most popular being the party's campaign against sewage pollution. Local Lib Dem leaflets accusing Tory MPs of voting to pump sewage into their constituency rivers still haunt the Conservative Party – blamed in part for electoral losses in their former heartlands in the south. But it's not just Lib Dem/Tory marginals. Even Nigel Farage's Reform UK has a policy to take half the industry back into public ownership. 'In focus groups from Worthing to Clacton to Ilford North, people were bringing up sewage last year in the run-up to the election and in some since,' revealed Luke Tryl of More in Common. 'You get this with every type of voter, because it's such a visible example of state failure – it is up there with failing to stop the boats, because people can't understand why government is allowing it to happen and isn't able to stop it. That's what makes it such a potent force.' For years, polling has indicated growing public appetite for state intervention and left-economic solutions – a trend exacerbated by the pandemic. Voters of every party support more regulation of water companies, for example, and a majority feels water should be publicly owned. While these sentiments may have benefited Labour in opposition, they aren't necessarily good news for the party in government as it pursues cautious, incremental fixes to broken bits of the state. Whether you were a Conservative voter fearing a Labour government, or a supporter who backed it, you see Labour as the party most likely to stick it to bonus-hungry executives and asset-stripping investors. Ministers' arguments about fiscal rectitude and balancing books fail to resonate because they 'go against the grain' of the party's traditional brand, according to one polling analyst. All the while, voters watch dirty rivers wriggling through their towns and grow impatient for change. If Labour's plan to regulate water better doesn't bring tangible results before the next election, the confused politics of England will – like its weather – become less and less predictable. Thames Water has been contacted for comment. [See also: Who is accountable in privatised Britain?] Related
