Political News Archive

  • PM defends decision to bring forward EU referendum bill
    Wednesday 15 May 2013

    DAVID Cameron has denied he was panicked into bringing forward the Conservatives' draft EU referendum bill to quell Tory unrest as Alex Salmond branded his positioning on Europe "ridiculous".

  • Government pension policies 'must be clear' before indyref
    Tuesday 14 May 2013

    The Scottish and UK governments must set out their policies for the future of Scottish pensions before the independence referendum next year to allow voters to make an informed decision, according to experts.

  • Political threat to investment in North Sea
    Tuesday 14 May 2013

    Politicians have been warned that investment in the North Sea could be hampered if both sides of the independence debate continue to use the oil and gas industry as a political football.

  • Duties on hold amid Evans sex probe
    Tuesday 14 May 2013

    Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Nigel Evans will not resume chairing duties in the chamber while police investigations continue into allegations of rape and sexual assault, a Commons spokesman said.

  • Coalition issues Scottish borrowing costs warning
    Tuesday 14 May 2013

    Scotland faces significantly higher borrowing costs than the rest of the UK – even before any move to independence, new analysis suggests.

  • Miliband under pressure over amendment vote on Europe
    Tuesday 14 May 2013

    Ed Miliband is under increasing pressure from within his own party ahead of a key Commons vote on Europe already threatening to tear apart the Conservatives.

  • SNP lifts suspension on council members
    Tuesday 14 May 2013

    THE suspension of the 11-strong SNP group on Argyll and Bute Council has been lifted by the party, but the group leader has stood down following a row over a new coalition.

  • Britain to double support for Syrian rebels
    Tuesday 14 May 2013

    BRITAIN is to double its non-lethal military support to Syria to help the opposition withstand the onslaught from Bashar al Assad's regime and to convince him he cannot win by force.

  • Voting fraud crackdown proposals
    Tuesday 14 May 2013

    Plans to restrict postal voting and introduce ballot box identity checks are being floated by an election watchdog to help crack down on polling fraud.

  • SNP confirm McDonald as candidate
    Tuesday 14 May 2013

    Mark McDonald has been confirmed as the SNP candidate for the constituency seat of Aberdeen Donside, where he will seek to succeed his "friend and mentor" Brian Adam at a by-election on June 20.

  • Farage: Ukip is relevant in Scotland
    Monday 13 May 2013

    Ukip leader Nigel Farage has insisted his party is relevant to Scottish politics as he prepares to target SNP voters in a Holyrood by-election.

  • Deputy PM 'blocked reform to stop coup'
    Monday 13 May 2013

    NICK Clegg only spoke out about UK Government plans on childcare to fight off internal Liberal Democrat efforts to oust him as leader, Michael Gove, the Conservative Education Secretary, has claimed.

  • Balls says bedroom tax is causing despair
    Monday 13 May 2013

    ED Balls has accused the UK Government of "driving people to the edge of despair" after a woman who committed suicide left a note blaming the so-called bedroom tax for her death.

  • Ministers' double whammy for Cameron on EU referendum
    Monday 13 May 2013

    DAVID Cameron's woes on Europe have intensified after two Cabinet ministers publicly declared they would vote in favour of Britain leaving the European Union on the basis of its present relationship with Brussels.

  • I back Mugabe land grab says MSP-in-waiting
    Sunday 12 May 2013

    A Frenchman in line to become a Scottish Nationalist MSP has been criticised for defending Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe's notorious land reform policies.

  • 'Fergie deserves a statue in Aberdeen'
    Sunday 12 May 2013

    HIS success at Manchester United has cemented his reputation as one of the greatest football managers of all time.

  • Only Black Tory goes
    Sunday 12 May 2013

    THE only black working-class adviser to David Cameron has been pushed out of Downing St by an Old Etonian "clique", it has been claimed.

  • Miliband warns against Euro referendum
    Sunday 12 May 2013

    LABOUR leader Ed Miliband says plans for an in/out referendum on membership of the European Union are wrong and threaten to undermine business confidence in Britain as a trade partner.

  • Miliband claims PM is in a panic over Tory Europe rebellion
    Saturday 11 May 2013

    ED Miliband today brands the Prime Minister "weak and panicked" and unable to stand up for the national interest because of the continuing Tory rebellion on Europe.

  • Thatcher 'party' candidate opts out of seat battle
    Saturday 11 May 2013

    KARIE Murphy, the frontrunner to be Labour's General Election candidate in Falkirk, the seat held by disgraced MP Eric Joyce, has dramatically pulled out of the race for the candidacy.

  • Chancellor in recovery claim as G7 ministers meet for summit
    Saturday 11 May 2013

    BRITAIN is further along the road to economic recovery than many of its rivals, George Osborne has claimed as finance ministers from the G7 leading nations gathered at a stately home in Buckinghamshire for their annual meeting.

  • Plan for coalition, Adonis tells Labour
    Saturday 11 May 2013

    Labour must draw up plans for a possible coalition with the Liberal Democrats if it fails to win the next General Election outright, a senior peer said.

  • Backlash after Gove criticises Twilight novels
    Friday 10 May 2013

    A SENIOR Cabinet minister has risked the ire of millions of teenagers – and grown-ups – by attacking the vampire novel series Twilight.

  • Lamont blasts SNP over sharp rise in A&E waiting times
    Friday 10 May 2013

    A HUGE spike in the numbers of patients facing delays in treatment at accident and emergency departments has been highlighted by Labour at Holyrood.

  • Miliband hailed a hero after helping cyclist
    Friday 10 May 2013

    Ed Miliband was hailed as an "action hero" by a woman cyclist after he came to her aid when she tumbled from her bike.

  • Cameron feels the heat from Tory 'pessimists' on Europe
    Friday 10 May 2013

    David Cameron has lashed out at Tory Eurosceptics in a sign of the increasing pressure on his authority ahead of a potential Commons showdown next week.

  • Councillor reported for calling SNP 'facists'
    Friday 10 May 2013

    A councillor has been reported to standards watchdogs over claims that she described the SNP as fascists during a stormy council meeting this week.

  • Baroness Williams says Lord Rennard 'selfless'
    Friday 10 May 2013

    BARONESS Shirley Williams said fellow Liberal Democrat peer Lord Rennard, who is currently being investigated for allegations of sexual harassment, is "absolutely selfless" and at worst guilty of "misbehaving".

  • Scots MPs told to repay profits from homes
    Friday 10 May 2013

    TWO Scottish MPs are among those politicians asked to pay back a total of almost £500,000 of profits from their taxpayer-funded homes as it emerges that Westminster's expenses watchdog has launched a legal action to recover £54,000 from just one backbencher.

  • Scots divided on Trident, says poll
    Friday 10 May 2013

    A new poll commissioned by the Tory grandee Lord Ashcroft challenges the SNP's claim that Scots are opposed to Trident, suggesting public opinion is divided.