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Daily Record
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Scots Tory councillor quits after blasting 'cowardly smear campaign' against female MSP
EXCLUSIVE: Todd Ferguson said his party had "lost its way, its moral authority, and its integrity" over the way Meghan Gallacher been treated. A Scots Tory councillor has quit the party after claiming an MSP has been the victim of a 'cowardly smear campaign' by senior Conservatives. Todd Ferguson said Meghan Gallacher had been treated 'appallingly' after raising concerns about bullying and insisted the party "lost its way, its moral authority, and its integrity." Gallacher was one of the candidates in a bitter contest last year that was won by Russell Findlay. She lodged a complaint amid claims Tory MP John Lamont had told members she was dropping out of the race. Lamont, strongly denied the allegations and said at the time he was considering legal action. On social media, Ferguson, who was hired by Gallacher to work in her office, quit the party after posting an excoriating resignation statement. The North Ayrshire councillor said: 'The way Meghan Gallacher MSP, an exceptional politician and inspirational young mother, has been treated by this party, after having the courage and confidence to stand in the leadership contest and then for bravely speaking out about bullying and threatening behaviour, is appalling. 'A complaint was made in good faith. Instead of handling it with the discretion and seriousness it deserved, senior figures have weaponised the findings by leaking them to the Daily Mail to launch another cowardly smear campaign against Meghan. That's not just a failure of process, it's a failure of character. 'For me, this is the final straw in a long and growing list. 'This is a party that has lost its way, its moral authority, and its integrity. It no longer upholds conservative values, it twists them, abandons them, and then talks of 'common sense' as if that excuses the rot at its core.' He added: 'There are far too many career politicians in this party who are in it for themselves, not the country. They posture, play games, and spin narratives while ordinary people are crying out for leadership, decency, and competency. It is little wonder the party is being punished in by-elections and polls right across the UK. 'I want to be clear: my decision is not a reflection on the North Ayrshire and Arran Association, my local councillor group, or the voters from across the political divide who put their trust in me. They have been nothing short of outstanding. 'But I will not be complicit in propping up a party that now punishes integrity and protects arrogance. 'I will serve the remainder of my council term as an Independent. And I'll be watching carefully, as many are, to see what new political movement may rise to give voice to the decent, forgotten working class majority in Britain.' Findlay's Tories have been rocked by a spate of defections to Reform UK. Opinion polls show the Tories could come fourth at the Holyrood election.
Daily Record
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Scots primary school head under fire after branding Union flag 'offensive or sectarian'
The letter which leaked on social media showed the head raising concerns about the UK's national flag being displayed at an event for parents and guardians. A major row has erupted at a Scots primary school after its headteacher branded the Union flag"potentially offensive or sectarian" i n a letter to parents. The letter which leaked on social media showed the head raising concerns about the UK's national flag being displayed at an event for parents and guardians. As the Scottish Daily Express reports, the incident unfolded at Cross Arthurlie Primary School in East Renfrewshire with the correspondence signed by the headteacher Fiona MacDonald. The official school communication has now gone viral sparking a response from Scots Tory politicians who branded the letter"daft". The criticism has forced council chiefs into an apology over the letter, with education bosses sorry for any "offence and upset" that has been caused. In the letter, the head told families of P7 leavers that the use of a Union flag in images may have been a "mistake." Writing. "Thank you for coming along last night to make the P7 leavers a special event in the life of the school. The children looked fantastic and had a great time. 'Unfortunately the use of the Union flag with staff images on caused some upset at the beginning of the evening. As a school we promote inclusion and acceptance, actively working against potentially offensive or sectarian messaging. Although we recognise this was not the intent we are concerned that others within or beyond the school community may consider that this is something we would encourage. 'I hope this helps everyone understand where mistakes have been made and we can move on enjoying the rest of the end of term celebrations.' East Renfrewshire Council confirmed that the letter is genuine. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Former Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw, who represents Eastwood in East Renfrewshire, blasted the comments as "deeply offensive." He said: "Let me be clear – to equate the Union Flag with sectarianism is totally unacceptable and deeply offensive to people both locally and across Scotland. 'Having spoken with a senior official at @EastRenCouncil this morning, I expect an urgent response, resolution, and retraction. As a start, the council must issue an unconditional apology. Our national flag is not up for debate – it is a symbol of our tradition, unity as a nation and hope for so many.' A East Renfrewshire spokesperson said: 'It was not the school's intention to imply the Union flag is sectarian and both the Head Teacher and the council apologises for any offence and upset that has been caused to pupils, parents and carers and the wider community. 'All educational establishments in East Renfrewshire should be spaces that are focused on learning, unity, and pride in a diverse British society. We expect our schools to foster an ethos of respect for diverse perspectives and national identity.'
The National
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Neil Gray under fire over 'using ministerial car to visit the pub'
Gray has previously faced heavy criticism for having been chauffeured in a ministerial car to attend major Aberdeen cup matches at Hampden Park. The Health Secretary was gifted VIP seats on three occasions to watch the Dons play Hibernian, Rangers and Celtic in the League Cup and Scottish Cup. The Scottish Government said he was attending the games as a guest of the Scottish Football Association to discuss 'essential' business which related to his ministerial brief. Gray, who is an Aberdeen fan, declared the football trips as official business as they occurred across his time wellbeing economy, fair work and energy secretary. READ MORE: Russell Findlay objects to BBC question on Kemi Badenoch's popularity in Scotland However, The Daily Mail has now reported that Gray also used the taxpayer-funded car to travel to the Brig O'Don pub in Aberdeen before heading to the city's Pittodrie Stadium in May 2024. The trip was logged as a visit to a 'personal address, Aberdeen', despite Gray not having a personal address in the city. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'This is an administration error. Mr Gray travelled from government business to a restaurant for a personal engagement before returning to government business.' They further said the trip was 'in line with the rules around Government Car Service GCS use'. The Scottish Tories and Scottish Labour said Gray had questions to answer. Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said 'The decision to take a taxpayer-funded car to the pub is questionable enough – but the fact it was hidden from the public reeks of a cover-up. 'Neil Gray must come clean about exactly what happened here and explain why exactly this trip to the pub was legitimate government business.' And Scots Tory depute leader Rachael Hamilton said: '[Gray] needs to explain why he and his team originally claimed that his ministerial limo took him to a home address rather than to a restaurant for socialising. 'Given the scandal the misuse of his government car caused, the Health Secretary ought to have double checked every journey to make sure that his account was factually correct, so this inaccuracy is hard to fathom.' In January, Gray apologised for what he called an "inadvertent error" in his statements to parliament about the documentation of meetings at football matches he attended. The SNP minister was accused of potentially misleading the Scottish Parliament by saying that minutes were taken at all the meetings in football stadiums. Following a Freedom of Information request, the Sunday Post newspaper was told by the government there was no note produced of the meeting at the 2023 League Cup Final at Hampden Park, where Rangers defeated Aberdeen. In November, Gray said it is legitimate for ministers to attend sporting events and he will continue to do so.
Daily Record
09-06-2025
- Daily Record
Bill to keep child kidnap and murder plot trio in Scots jail hits £1m
They are still within the Scottish prison after losing a last-ditch appeal against their extradition to the US, after the FBI identified them as being behind a twisted scheme to kidnap five children and kill their parents. Three US citizens wanted over a child snatch murder plot have racked up a £1million bill for taxpayers as they remain in Scotland seven years later. Valerie Hayes, Gary Reburn and Frank Amnott were found living in Glasgow in 2018 after the FBI identified them as being behind a twisted scheme to kidnap five children and kill their parents. They are still within the Scottish prison estate more than two years after losing a last-ditch appeal against their extradition to the US. So far they have cost the public purse at least £205,278 in legal aid fees and an estimated £750,000 to £800,000 in prison costs. Scots Tory community safety spokeswoman, Sharon Dowey, said the huge bill would spark fury. She said: 'The Scottish public, who are footing the bill, will demand this case is brought to a swift conclusion.' US prosecutors say ringleader Hayes fled to Glasgow after botching an abduction plot, which 'read like a script from a bad horror movie'. They say the mum duped childless couple Frank and Jennifer Amnott into believing she was a government agent before convincing them to help her carry out the abduction in return for a child of their own. The US Attorney's Office claim Hayes, who was living in Maryland with boyfriend Reburn, fed the couple lies that she was in intelligence and three of her kids had been kidnapped and were being held by two families in the Old Order Mennonites community in Dayton. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Prosecutors say Hayes, Reburn and Frank Amnott planned to enter the first house and hold the parents at gunpoint. After Hayes secured the two kids, Reburn and Frank Amnott would kill the parents before driving to the second house, force entry, and perform a similar murder. A Department of Justice affidavit said Hayes was disguised as a Mennonite when a parent opened the door and was held at gunpoint. Another parent fled and dialled 911 and, when cops arrived, found Frank Amnott holding the parent hostage. Prosecutors say Hayes and Reburn fled to Maryland to meet Amnott's wife before all three fled to Scotland, where they were later arrested. In 2019, Frank Amnott pled guilty to conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to kill witnesses and firearm offences. He said Hayes was central to the July 2018 plot. But Hayes says she was in the UK having been granted temporary asylum as a victim of 'systematic torture' at the hands of a US intelligence officer. Their appeals against extradition were thrown out of the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court in London. In 2023, the case was sent to the European Court of Human Rights, a last chance at avoiding extradition. Hayes and Reburn, listed in court papers as being held at HMP Edinburgh, and Amnott, listed as HMP Polmont, have complained that their extradition would violate their rights because there is a risk they would receive a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without parole if convicted in the US. Interim measures have been granted by the ECHR to prevent their extradition pending a determination. The Scottish Legal Aid Board said: 'Extradition cases can result in higher costs because of their international nature but we work with legal teams to ensure these are managed effectively.' The last ECHR update said it was being 'communicated to the Government for observations' in July 2023. The US Attorney's Office, in the Western District of Virginia, said it does not comment on pending extradition matters. The Scottish Government said it would be 'inappropriate' to comment.
Scotsman
03-06-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Why looming £2bn benefits black hole can't be filled by more SNP tax hikes
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... Last week my friend and colleague Douglas Ross MSP was thrown out of the Scottish Parliament chamber after heckling the First Minister John Swinney. He had taken exception to Swinney's deflection – after a serious question from Scots Tory leader Russell Findlay on how farming will have to adapt should the pursuit for net zero continue – with an irrelevant reference to the impact of Brexit. I can understand Ross's frustration at the inability to get straight answers from SNP ministers. It all adds to the burden of evidence that Holyrood as an institution is in urgent need of reform to ensure that opposition MSPs are better able to get the answers they need for their constituents, and that ministers can less easily avoid giving serious responses. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Given the inadequacies of the parliamentary chamber, we should be particularly grateful to external bodies such as the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) for the detailed work they do analysing the Scottish Government's finances. Their latest report, published just last week, contains some stark warnings about the looming black hole in Holyrood funding, as a direct result of SNP policy decisions. Getting John Swinney to answer a question can prove frustrating, but he will need to find one for the looming black hole in the Scottish Government's finances (Picture: Jane Barlow/pool) | Getty Images Record funding, crumbling services We are presently in a scenario where the total amount of money available to Scottish ministers to spend is at record levels, even taking account of inflation. According to the SFC, total Scottish Government funding in the current financial year 2025-26 will be £59.6 billion, around £800 million more than was originally thought. This is against a backdrop of record high taxation across the UK, with even higher taxes in Scotland, again thanks to SNP choices. And yet, despite all this extra money, all around us we see crumbling public services and cuts being made to vital projects. Something simply doesn't add up, but the SFC is helping by putting their fingers on some of the reasons for this mismatch. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There are two major drivers of increased spending within the Scottish Budget. The first is the award of above-inflation public sector pay deals which, as the SFC point out, have exceeded the Scottish Government's published public pay policy. No one would object to public servants receiving more pay if that were in exchange for greater efficiency, but the second part of that equation appears to be missing. Clever politics? The other area is around welfare spending. Whilst even the UK Labour government has recognised the risks from an ever-expanding benefits bill, the SNP are heading in the opposite direction. The SFC forecasts that spending on devolved social security payments will increase from £6.9 billion in the current financial year to a staggering £9.4bn in 2030-31. When related to the Barnett Formula funding received from the UK Government, this leaves the Scottish Budget with an estimated £2.1 billion black hole in 2029-30. Now it is entirely a matter for the SNP to decide they are going to prioritise spending on benefits above other areas such as the NHS, schools, or infrastructure. It may even be clever politics to do so, to help create a body of voters reliant upon those benefits who will, in turn, reward the SNP with their votes. But none of this helps pay for the ever-expanding cost of benefits in Scotland, which is growing faster than other parts of the UK. And it is clear that SNP ministers have absolutely no idea how they are going to fund this growth. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Increasing taxes further to try and fill the gap is unlikely to be the answer. Already we hear concerns from Scottish business that differential rates of both personal income tax and land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT) make it increasingly difficult to attract higher earners to relocate to Scotland from other parts of the UK. 'Economic performance gap' As the SFC points out in their report, higher tax rates are not actually delivering the revenues that were projected. On a straight-line basis, the income tax hikes implemented by the SNP should be raising a net sum of £1.674 billion for the Scottish Government. But the actual projected income tax net position, compared to what it would have been prior to the devolution of Scottish income tax, is just £616 million. That means there is an astonishing £1 billion gap between what Scotland's higher income tax rates might have added to the Scottish Budget, and what they are actually projected to deliver. The SFC refers to this figure as the 'economic performance gap', which is largely made up of slower aggregate earnings and employment growth in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK, alongside effects from Scottish and UK policies, taxpayer behaviour, and differences in the sectoral make-up of the Scottish economy and in the distribution of incomes between Scotland and the rest of the UK. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In simple terms, if the Scottish economy was growing at least at the same rate as the UK as a whole, with similar increases in average earnings, we would have £1 billion more to spend on public services than we currently have, and the SNP would be halfway towards meeting the ever-expanding costs of additional welfare spending. It once again demonstrates the overriding need for Scottish ministers to focus on economic growth. A faster growing economy, where we could at least match UK average rates, would generate the wealth we need to pay the bills, without the requirement for counter-productive taxes on higher earners which we can see are already having a dampening effect on economic growth. SNP ministers now have some very serious questions to answer about their tax and spending plans going forward. We can only hope that it won't take more outbursts in the Holyrood chamber to get the answers we all require.
