Good morning and welcome to The Midge, your first bite of the day’s politics from Scotland and elsewhere. 

The Herald: Chancellor George Osborne

Today

  • SNP MP Natalie McGarry: party told of probe “weeks ago” 
  • Russia warns of consequences as US stands by Turkey
  • Osborne (above) set to make £20 billion cuts 
  • Surprise boost to Burrell Collection
  • Lord Steel of Aikwood warns of "one-party state" in Scotland

06.00 BBC Radio Four Today headlines

Chancellor to boost housebuilding in England … Babies born at weekends at greater risk, reports BMJ study … Kenya greets Pope … Brussels metro and schools open … Chicago police officer charged with murder of black teen … Drones to monitor Australian coast for sharks. 

07.00 BBC Good Morning Scotland headlines

Focus on Barnett share as spending cuts revealed … Obama offers support to Turkey … Brussels partially reopens … Sturgeon says McGarry resigning whip “right thing to have done” … New guidance for doctors on fitness to drive.

The front pages

The Herald:

The Herald pictures First Minister Nicola Sturgeon campaigning during the General Election with Natalie McGarry, who last night resigned the SNP whip at Westminster. The paper notes Ms McGarry now joins fellow MP Michelle Thomson in sitting as an independent. In the latter case, says the paper, the SNP denied having any prior knowledge of Ms Thomson’s property deals, but it had been aware “for a few weeks” that Women for Independence was investigating alleged financial discrepancies. 

Phil Miller of The Herald finds a silver lining in the Chancellor’s expected cuts with news of £5million coming to Glasgow’s Burrell Collection to help with refurbishment. 

The Herald: In the Evening Times, Rebecca Gray has an exclusive detailing plans for “hooligan spotters” to monitor crowds when Celtic play Ajax in Glasgow tomorrow. 

The National promises “the inside story” of how Women for Independence went to the police.  

The Scottish Daily Mail says the SNP is in chaos as a second MP is suspended, and reports that Ms Thomson and Ms McGarry were seen hugging each other in Westminster yesterday. 

The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and the Daily Record divide their front pages between the McGarry story and increasing diplomatic tensions following Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet.

The Sun says the world is holding its breath after the incident on the Syrian border, which David Cameron refused to condemn. 

The FT looks ahead to the Spending Review, reporting that the Chancellor will balance cuts with a promise to build homes in England at a rate not seen since the 1970s. 

The Guardian says today’s statement represents “a full reversal of Labour’s decade-long expansion of the British state”. 

The Scotsman carries the warning by the Scottish Police Federation that Scotland “could not cope” with a Paris level attack. 

The Daily Express discovers that Adele, the singer, earned £17 million last year, despite not working. 

Camley's cartoon

The Herald:

Camley welcomes a donation by Tunnock's to save the St Abbs lifeboat

Need to know

Storm Abigail has been and gone. Gird yourselves today for Gale George, set to blow through with his Autumn Statement and Spending Review. There will be a blizzard of numbers accompanying the headline £20 billion spending and £12 billion welfare cuts, but here are five points to watch out for. One: how will the Chancellor appease Tory rebels on tax credit cuts? Two: what is the bottom line on spending overall and how will this translate to Scotland? Three: which institutions have been chosen for a great British sell-off? Channel 4 likely to figure. Four: we know the deficit is not falling as fast as expected, but how slow is the slowdown, will more cuts come next year? Finally, Mr Osborne’s financial statements have taken to throwing down the gauntlet to the Scottish Government to put up or shut up. Will there be more of the same today now that new powers are on the way?

Talk of the steamie: the comment sections

In The Herald, Ian Bell gazes with foreboding at today’s Autumn Statement, saying the Chancellor will be cutting to a degree never before seen in modern times. Mark Smith chews over the benefits of a meat tax, while the Letters page leads on the defence review. 

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh in The National asks what can be done about Syria.

The Herald: TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Enid Blyton's typewriter and notebooks

Catherine Shoard in The Guardian looks at the romance of old school clackety-clack typewriters (above), while in the FT, Lisa Pollack is thinking of changing her smartphone for a basic “dumbphone” to ease her tech addiction. 

In the Independent, UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon looks ahead to the Paris summit on climate change. 

Former Foreign Secretary William Hague, writing in The Telegraph, says Iraq was a mistake but that should not block action in Syria.

In The Times, Magnus Linklater examines the gap between promises made at Holyrood and the reality at local authority level. 

A Daily Mail leader describes the confict in Syria as a “toxic mess” and says the UK needs a clear purpose if it is to intervene. 

The diary

  • Commons: Northern Ireland Questions; PMQs; Autumn statement, 12.30; Cameron meets PM Trudeau of Canada; SNP MP Angus MacNeil ten minute rule bill on Scotland Act; Culture Committee on BBC Charter Renewal takes evidence from corporation executives.
  • Lords: William Hague becomes peer.
  • Holyrood: Scottish Labour Debate, Keep CalMac Public.
  • Motherwell: Kezia Dugdale, Scottish Labour leader, to meet Dalzell steel workers.

Afore ye go

The Herald: Reliable robot R2D2

"Can we have some clarification on whether the charming expression 'robot' is parliamentary language or not?”

John Nicolson, SNP MP, asks the Commons speaker for a ruling after pro-Trident Labour MP John Woodcock questions the free will of SNP MPs. 

“I would be very happy to refer to them as honourable robots if that is any help”. 

Mr Woodcock strikes back for the Labour empire.

The Herald: Summer storm clouds

“If the nationalist tsunami hits the Scottish Parliament next May we will have uncontrollable government of the most dangerous kind.”

Lord Steel of Aikwood frets about the state of the nation during the Scotland Bill debate.

The Herald: Len McCluskey, General Secretary of the union Unite, has slammed Labour over the public sector pay freeze"He has been a very principled MP and been able to say what he likes, but now he's a leader and in leadership he can't necessarily say the first thing that comes into his head.”

Len McCluskey of Unite (above) offers megaphone life coaching to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

 

The Herald: NCT Christmas Party“The real victim here is whatever restaurant is having to deal with the shrinking booking for the SNP MP Christmas party.”

Jamie Ross, BuzzFeedUK politics reporter, takes a sideways look at the diminishing ranks of the SNP at Westminster, Twitter

The Herald: Margaret Curran says around one million jobs in Scotland rely on companies based elsewhere in the UK“Off for nice dinner with my husband.”

Margaret Curran (above), former Labour MP for Glasgow East, the seat won by the SNP’s Natalie McGarry, tweets about her birthday celebrations yesterday. 

The Herald: Glasgow East MP Natalie McGarry“When the power of love is greater than the love of power the world will know peace.”

Quote on the Facebook page of Natalie McGarry (above).

The Herald: Ruth Davidson celebrates her win in the Scottish Conservative leadership campaign in central Edinburgh

“Tesco has six packs of Tunnock’s Teacakes for 81p.”

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson retweets arguably the day’s most important news.

Thank you for reading The Midge: your first bite of the day’s politics from Scotland and elsewhere. See you tomorrow.