All eyes have been on Donald Trump and events in Washington DC over the past week, although John Swinney tried to get in on the act with a speech at the Scottish Parliament about Ukraine and the idea of axing the US President’s planned state visit.
Domestically, big news for most Scottish households was emerging from town halls and city chambers over the course of the week, with the last of a list of huge council tax rises being confirmed yesterday.
Here, Associate Editor Chris Musson – with help from political team Conor Matchett and Lewis McKenzie – brings you all the latest Holyrood gossip and need-to-know news from the world of Scottish politics.
HOLYROOD WHISPERS
Throw in the vowel
Non-partisan think-tank Reform Scotland is being forced to change its name due to the risk of being mixed up with Nigel Farage’s booming Reform UK.
Director Chris Deerin announced the intention at an event on Wednesday, where one visitor took inspiration from Standard Life Aberdeen’s downright silly 2021 rebrand as abrdn (the company backtracked this week) and shouted: “Why don’t you just remove all the vowels?”
Defectoral Dysfunction?
Speaking of Reform UK, Holyrood is awash with rumours that several Tory MSPs are mulling over defecting to Nigel Farage’s party.
But one of them, whose name sounds a bit like Rayum Timpson, told me: “Don’t be silly. I know there are rumours but they are based on nothing.
Could several Tory MSPs be about to join Nigel Farage’s party?[/caption]
Yet more Reform UK news. We’re told Farage’s party had hoped to unveil four defectors yesterday, but had to settle for two in the end.
Findlay setting the a-gender…
Big news this week from Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay.
He came out as “omnigender” at that Reform Scotland event. Findlay could not resist making the gag (well, we assume it is) amid a serious discussion about flagging literacy and numeracy standards in schools.
Russell Findlay came out as ‘omnigender’ this week[/caption]
Claiming that kids were being taught about dozens of genders instead of the basics, he said: “I’m omnigender, by the way, which means I can be all things to all people any given time.” Worth a try, given the Scottish Tories’ poll ratings.
A Tory confesses
Findlay also got confessional at the event. He described himself as “feral” as a child and when asked if he was enjoying life as Scottish Tory leader and MSP, the former crime journalist described it as the “worst midlife crisis in history”.
STAR OF THE WEEK: Neil Bibby
The Labour MSP gets the gong for questioning John Swinney yesterday on my latest Scottish Sun column about the lack of speed awareness courses in Scotland.
Our Star of the Week – Neil Bibby[/caption]
If anyone thinks this sounds a bit like the ‘cash for questions’ scandal, we can assure you it’s nothing like that at all.
PLONKER OF THE WEEK: Richard Tice
The Reform UK leader came to Scotland yesterday to unveil two Tory defectors… then forgot their names.
FIVE STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED…
Flopping Nightmare
The SNP may be enjoying being back in the lead – mainly thanks to Labour’s woes – but a poll this week signalled there may be trouble ahead for John Swinney if voters’ attention turns to the Scottish Government’s record.
The Ipsos research found Scots disapproving of SNP ministers’ performance in seven key areas. Read about it here.
There may be trouble ahead for John Swinney[/caption]
Shanks & Bigfoot
Officials who worked for years under the Tories are hampering Keir Starmer’s GB Energy plan, a UK Government minister has claimed.
We revealed the civil servant-bashing comments from Rutherglen MP Michael Shanks, which may raise eyebrows given it’s typically been right-wing Tories railing against Whitehall in recent years.
Shanks said ministers have had to “push and push and push” with officials as a firm under public ownership “doesn’t fit” with their “mindset”.
Shona Herself The Door
Finance secretary Shona Robison revealed she will stand down at the 2026 election after 27 years as an MSP, shortly before a similar announcement from Transport Secretary and fellow parly veteran Fiona Hyslop.
The moves will do little to dampen speculation about Stephen Flynn and his allies eyeing a changing of the guard in the SNP at Holyrood.
Shona Robison will stand down at the 2026 election[/caption]
F-f-f-f-fourteen
Hot on the heels of Rishi Sunak’s bid for the return of National Service, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay has revealed plans for kids to be able to leave school at 14 if they go on to either an apprenticeship or college.
We have video of the issue being discussed at First Minister’s Questions yesterday.
Doge You Forget About McKee
There have been a flurry of copycat pledges from Holyrood opposition parties about creating a Scottish version of Donald Trump’s DOGE.
But John Swinney says he already has a one-man version of Elon Musk’s cost-cutting US department – run by Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee.
The First Minister says it’s already saving Scots £280million a year.
Any gossip? Want to drop someone in it? Get in touch at scotpolitics@the-sun.co.uk
