Political News Archive

  • Prime Minister orders a free vote on gay marriage
    Friday 25 May 2012

    DAVID Cameron followed Alex Salmond's lead yesterday by making clear MPs would have a free vote on the controversial issue of gay marriage and thus avoid a civil war with his party's backbenchers.

  • New airgun laws in boy's memory
    Friday 25 May 2012

    A CRACKDOWN on airguns will be introduced in Scotland in memory of a toddler murdered in a shooting.

  • Language plan funds warning
    Friday 25 May 2012

    INCREASED funding and more teachers will be needed if Scotland is to start teaching two foreign languages in primary school, MSPs heard yesterday.

  • Libya pledges Lockerbie co-operation
    Friday 25 May 2012

    Lockerbie investigators have been given fresh assurances by Libya's interim Prime Minister that his government will co-operate "as a priority" as they pursue new lines of inquiry into the terrorist outrage.

  • UK recession is worse than first thought
    Friday 25 May 2012

    BRITAIN'S double-dip recession is worse than first thought, official figures showed yesterday, prompting Labour to denounce the UK's "no growth government with its head in the sand".

  • Swinney challenges case for regional pay
    Friday 25 May 2012

    WESTMINSTER'S plans to cut public-sector pay by aligning it with local conditions are damaging and unfair, according to Finance Secretary John Swinney.

  • MSPs may summon boss of training company
    Friday 25 May 2012

    MSPs are on course to invoke for the first time the legal power to compel a witness to attend Holyrood, in the wake of the latest snub from the training company boss who branded 80% of the country's young people unemployable.

  • Holyrood backs minimum alcohol pricing
    Friday 25 May 2012

    SCOTLAND has become the first country in the UK to back minimum pricing for alcohol in a move which Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon claimed would have a significant and historic impact.

  • MPs condemn cuts threatening Scottish regiments
    Friday 25 May 2012

    Swingeing defence cuts that threaten the future of Scotland's historic regiments have been attacked by MPs.

  • Hunt sent memo backing bid for BSkyB
    Friday 25 May 2012

    Jeremy Hunt backed Rupert Murdoch's controversial BSkyB bid in a memo to David Cameron just weeks before he was put in charge of the deal, it emerged yesterday.

  • Target for Scottish electricity
    Thursday 24 May 2012

    ENERGY giant ScottishPower said Scotland could be producing 100% of its electricity requirements from renewable sources by 2020.

  • Business concern at empty property rate move
    Thursday 24 May 2012

    BUSINESS bosses have warned the Scottish Government its plans to reduce the discount on rates paid on empty commercial properties is misguided and would put people out of work.

  • Training boss fails to appear
    Thursday 24 May 2012

    THE training company boss who sparked controversy by dubbing 80% of youngsters "unemployable" angered MSPs yesterday by failing to turn up at Holyrood.

  • SNP 'dragged its feet' over shamed Walker
    Thursday 24 May 2012

    THE SNP has been accused of dragging its feet over whether shamed MSP Bill Walker would remain a member of the party after Tory leader Ruth Davidson claimed the deadline had passed for his appeal against expulsion.

  • Inquiry launched into ageing Scots
    Thursday 24 May 2012

    AN inquiry into the impact of the cost and delivery of services to Scotland's ageing population has been announced by Holyrood's Finance Committee.

  • Holyrood to mitigate Westminster's cuts
    Thursday 24 May 2012

    MSPs last night passed a bill to help Scotland cope with Westminster legislation reforming the welfare system.

  • MPs are told of separation risk to Scots defence force
    Thursday 24 May 2012

    AN independent Scotland's defence forces would not be at full strength for a generation, MPs have been warned.

  • Crackdown on off-payroll payments in public sector
    Thursday 24 May 2012

    THE UK Exchequer could have lost millions of pounds in unpaid tax because more than 2400 public officials are being paid off the Government payroll, it emerged yesterday.

  • Clegg to tell Europe it has failed over crisis
    Thursday 24 May 2012

    European countries, including the UK, have "failed" in the face of the escalating eurozone crisis, Nick Clegg will declare today.

  • Cameron to fight prison voting rights
    Thursday 24 May 2012

    David Cameron put the UK on collision course with Europe as he signalled he would fight plans to force the UK to give voting rights to prisoners.

  • Salmond acccused of snubbing UK talks
    Wednesday 23 May 2012

    Alex Salmond has been accused of snubbing a joint ministerial committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg for the second time in a row.

  • Criminals 'may pay victims'
    Wednesday 23 May 2012

    CONVICTED criminals could be force to pay cash towards supporting their victims, under plans being put out to consultation.

  • Salmond smart grid claim
    Wednesday 23 May 2012

    ALEX Salmond will claim today that up to 12,000 jobs could be created through a new strategy to capitalise on Scotland's expertise in electricity supply and demand.

  • Bank of England urged to cut interest rates to zero
    Wednesday 23 May 2012

    THE Bank of England should consider slashing interest rates to zero to boost Britain's ailing economy, the head of the world's leading economic watchdog said yesterday.

  • Greece must implement reforms
    Wednesday 23 May 2012

    GREECE will need to implement much-needed economic reforms whatever happens in next month's election, the IMF insisted yesterday.

  • Minister criticises claims
    Wednesday 23 May 2012

    THE Youth Employment Minister has hit back at claims that 80% of youngsters leaving our schools and colleges are unfit for work, insisting it was wrong to generalise.

  • Ruling may lead to voting in prison
    Wednesday 23 May 2012

    DAVID Cameron was last night called on to lift Britain's blanket ban on prisoner voting after the European Court of Human Rights ruled it was illegal and some inmates at least must be allowed to vote.

  • UK firms secure submarine deals
    Wednesday 23 May 2012

    CONTRACTS worth £350 million were yesterday awarded to British com-panies to design the next generation of nuclear submarines.

  • Salmond in row over Nato
    Wednesday 23 May 2012

    Alex Salmond has been criticised by one of his MSPs for failing to end speculation the SNP will reverse its opposition to Nato.

  • Pledge to aid cyber security
    Wednesday 23 May 2012

    The Scottish Government is developing an action plan for boosting cyber security, with Enterprise Minister Fergus Ewing to be responsible for it.