Labour minister dodges question on party's links to private healthcare
The Good Law project has calculated that Wes Streeting has taken £58,000 people and companies linked with private healthcare companies since entering Government last July.
READ MORE: 'Important milestone' as SNP launch new disability benefit across Scotland
Speaking at Scotland Questions in the Commons on Wednesday morning, Logan said: 'With cuts to public services coming down the line, is the Secretary of State or the minister worried about the influence of private health donors on his Cabinet colleagues?'
Scotland Office minister Kirsty McNeill replied: '[He] says there have been cuts to public services.
'Let me put on record once again: this Labour Government pledged to end austerity and we have, with a record settlement for Scotland's public services, money that has been squandered by the SNP Government such that we are still in a situation where nearly one in six Scots are on a waiting list, whereas south of the Border, waiting lists have fallen for the fifth month in a row.
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'That's the difference a Labour Government with a plan and willingness to fund it makes.'
Speaking after the publication of the Good Law Project's latest probe into Streeting's links with private healthcare, executive director Jo Maugham said: 'Those backers are not stupid and this is not a remarkable coincidence. What do those backers think they are getting for their money? It's our NHS and we have a right to know.'
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Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Older people urged to take action between 11am and 3pm
People have been warned to avoid certain activities during this time of day as the sweltering summer temperatures continue Temperatures have soared past 30 degrees during the fourth heatwave of the summer. Scorching conditions pose numerous health risks, with a yellow warning already issued for parts of Britain until Monday, though certain groups face greater danger than others. Age UK charity director Caroline Abrahams cautioned that elderly people must exercise additional care during sweltering weather, particularly those with underlying medical conditions, as they're more vulnerable to heat's impact. She explained: "Older people do need to take extra care though as temperatures rise, especially if they have long term health conditions impacting their heart, lungs or kidneys. "It can exacerbate certain medical problems, and some medications make us more susceptible to hot weather. Generally, our bodies find it harder to adapt to more extreme temperatures as we age." She advised pensioners to remain indoors between 11am and 3pm. This typically represents the day's most blistering period, making it wise to dodge the sun and avoid activities like strolling, shopping or gardening during these hours. Escaping blistering heat may seem impossible when it steadily transforms your house into an oven, particularly since British homes are typically designed for chilly rather than sweltering conditions. However, several methods can help maintain your property as a refreshing refuge. Caroline said: "Most of our homes aren't really designed to cope with scorching weather, so it's a good idea to do all we can to keep the cool air in and hot air out. We can keep windows open at night, but it's best to keep both windows and curtains closed during the day." If you are venturing outdoors, straightforward adjustments like taking water with you and ensuring you remain hydrated can prove crucial during the most sweltering conditions. Donning pale-coloured garments can also reduce the impact of the heat and sun. Regular application of sun cream is also essential when outdoors, and monitoring the weather forecast and UV levels can help determine when to reapply or seek shelter in the shade. Age UK also suggested people who wear spectacles speak to their optician about prescription sunglasses. However, it is not only elderly people that the specialist is urging to take additional precautions during the hot spell. She explained: "We can also all help keep older people safe during episodes of severe heat by checking in on older relatives, friends, and neighbours to see if they need anything and to make sure they are not feeling overwhelmed by the excessive heat. You could offer help to get shopping or picking up any medication, or you may even have an extra fan you could lend." Dehydration poses a significant risk for elderly people and those with particular medical conditions during a heatwave. This can trigger muscle cramps, confusion, feelings of exhaustion and sleep difficulties. It's crucial to remember that you may not always feel thirsty even if you're dehydrated. Age UK advises that if you suspect you or someone else is suffering from dehydration, it's best to rest in a cool, dark place and drink plenty of fluids. If symptoms persist, don't hesitate to dial 111 for advice. Heat exhaustion is another risk, particularly for vulnerable people during periods of intense heat. Symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, nausea, weakness, excessive sweating and a rapid heartbeat. If left untreated, heat exhaustion can escalate into heatstroke, which can lead to confusion, disorientation, seizures and even loss of consciousness. This is a potentially fatal condition, so if these symptoms are present, immediately call 999 or activate a community alarm.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
'I went to Nicola Sturgeon's book event - it felt like an Oasis gig'
But there were no placards, no chants, no confrontation at all — only a steady stream of fans filing in with the same easy enthusiasm you might see at an Oasis gig. Oasis fans at Murrayfield, Edinburgh last week. (Image: Gordon Terris/ The Herald) Inside, the room hummed with anticipation. Three young women in front of me chatted about how impressive Ms Sturgeon had been as First Minister, their tone almost reverent. For them, it seemed, this was not just politics — it was admiration of a celebrity-like figure. It was a scene reminiscent of the concert-style events of her peak years as the SNP poster woman, when she could fill event spaces across Scotland like the Hydro with supporters eager for selfies and soft applause lines. In the past week, her return to the centre stage of the public eye has been far from smooth. Last week, her book was published earlier than planned, drawing swift criticism over her handling of the probe into Alex Salmond — particularly her claim that he leaked details of the investigation against him. She also said she would be happy to debate her gender reforms with JK Rowling, which raised the eyebrows of some of the legislation's most prominent critics given her unwillingness to engage in debate during the policy's development. READ MORE: Sturgeon takes swipe at Boris Johnson in book launch event Nicola Sturgeon: 'Summerhall wrong to cancel Kate Forbes' Sturgeon: Some gender reform critics are driven by prejudice But if there was an appetite for scrutiny, it didn't get fed at this event. Questions centred round her experience as a woman in politics and her ability to persevere in spite of any criticism. Resilience was the word of the night. Ms Sturgeon has spent much of the past week in the embrace of a friendly London media circuit — strolling along cliff tops with Julie Etchingham, taking part in searching-but-gentle interviews. The tone: reflective, personal, softly probing. And what was left for the Scottish press pack, journalists who have covered her policy record in forensic detail? They were allocated less than 14 minutes of her time. This is not just a snub; it is a deliberate media strategy. Ms Sturgeon is leaning into spaces where she can control the tempo, the topics, and, crucially, the reception. This asymmetry speaks volumes: she appears most at home when the questions are soft and the audience supportive. In many ways, these 'gently does it' interviews allow you to discover more about a Nicola Sturgeon who seems more at ease with herself and friendly. Huge round of applause as Nicola Sturgeon is welcomed onto the stage. Slightly later, someone shouts: 'You look great' NS responds: 'Thank you, mum.' — Hannah Brown (@HannahMargBrown) August 14, 2025 For example, she made a lot of funny quips during her time at the Union with host Sam Baker, a UK journalist whose current work focuses on "giving a voice to midlife women". 'Can I give you an exclusive here tonight?" Ms Sturgeon says with a smile, "Me and Dougie Ross were not boozer buddies.' For that, she was met with laughs and a round of applause. Ms Sturgeon was also comfortable throwing in the occasional swear word for comic effect to a receptive audience. 'There's lot about Salmond that p***es me off,' she says at one point and she made the joke on several occasions that her younger self would tell her to 'f off' if she ever gave her advice. Again, the crowd roared with laughter. As someone who has felt the wrath of a Nicola Sturgeon hard glare during doorstep interviews in Holyrood, I had clearly entered another world. It was as if I'd stumbled into a parallel universe where the former First Minister opened the door, made you a cup of tea, and settled in for a long, friendly chat. But the welcome here wasn't for me — nor for any other Scottish political journalist. It was her homecoming for fans. Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon at the launch of her memoir 'Frankly', at Edinburgh International Book Festival. (Image: PA) Her hostility towards the media is not unfounded. There have been headlines and stories written about Nicola Sturgeon I have shuddered at - sexist and sexual language permeating certain copy that should lead our industry to hang our heads in shame. The (UK) Daily Mail's infamous 2017 'Never mind Brexit, who won Legs-it?' front page reduced her meeting with Theresa May to a commentary on both women's legs. The Sun once ran a photoshopped image of her head on Miley Cyrus swinging naked on a wrecking ball. Since publishing her memoir, Nicola Sturgeon has been subject to commentary in the Scottish press which can portray her as nothing short of a Disney villain. Then there's the tirade of abuse on social media. Ms Sturgeon has already opened up about rape taunts and abuse she received for sharing her detailed and poignant account of her own miscarriage in her memoir. Anyone with a sliver of humanity should completely condemn abhorrent abuse like this. In that context, it is understandable that she prefers friendly rooms. But there is a danger in allowing self-protection to harden into permanent avoidance of scrutiny. 'I don't really enjoy reading political memoirs', Ms Sturgeon told the Glasgow audience. I agree with her. They are often one-sided and can erase a huge amount of history the author may not be proud of. But I'm not a sitting MSP and former first minister who has just published one. She has written Frankly — and is now touring it in settings where her version of history will go largely unchallenged. Ms Sturgeon told the Glasgow audience: 'I didn't want to write a memoir that was what most are, which is dry and quite detailed and also just recounting things that happened with the person writing it saying: 'wasn't I great and didn't I get everything right and everything else was wrong?'" But her version has its omissions. Decisions that drew serious criticism during her premiership — on education, drug deaths, ferries, the handling of internal party disputes— are reframed or smoothed over or just not referred to at all. It's not unusual for a memoir, but Nicola Sturgeon is a former First Minister whose political legacy is still contested and she is still a political representative of Glasgow Southside which she described as "the best place in the world". Of course there will be scrutiny of this memoir - as there should be. For a functioning democracy, it is vital. It is only too easy to diss the Scottish media who have followed your political decisions very closely all because you claim they are hostile towards you. Choosing to embrace only soft-ball interviews risks shielding her from legitimate challenges about her record. Another question now is whether this is the start of a sustained return to public life, or merely a victory lap before a new chapter elsewhere. In her self-published review, JK Rowling hints that Sturgeon's memoir could serve as a "CV distinguisher" which could earn her a "cushy sinecure with UN Women". Copies of 'Frankly' By Nicola Sturgeon Goes On Sale at Waterstones Piccadilly (Image:) We know Ms Sturgeon may move away from Scotland for a few years because she has suggested this at several of her book events now. Could this be a move to London? Only time will tell. She's also said she wants to explore writing fiction. Her biggest critics would argue she already has. What is clear though is that her memoir closes no doors, but Thursday's event in Glasgow suggests she's not ready to give up the stage just yet. For the people in the Union (the building we were in, that is), this was an evening of nostalgia, validation, and familiarity. For Nicola Sturgeon, it may have been a reminder that, for all the political storms of recent years, she can still very easily fill a room. The event ended, much like it did during her glory days, with her taking a selfie with the crowd.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
George Reid obituary: A lad o' pairts who revelled in being ‘of use'
As the party's Chief Executive I was taking him round the tea room after he had delivered the annual keynote Donaldson Lecture. It was a magisterial tour de force which reminded a party audience of the prodigious talents that had made him an important member of the SNP group at Westminster between 1974 and 1979. It also confirmed that he was back from his spell as Director of Public Affairs for the International Red Cross in Geneva, and keen to be involved again. Suddenly our tea room progress was blocked by a very angry looking Dr Robert MacIntyre, the SNP's first MP who won a wartime by-election in Motherwell. READ MORE: Former SNP MP and Holyrood presiding officer George Reid dies aged 86 Doc Mac, as he was known, was probably the most distinguished elder statemesmen of the SNP at that time, but he refused to shake George's hand and instead started to fulminate against the man who in the February 1974 General Election had unexpectedly won the Ochil seat. And that was the problem because Doc Mac, 21 years on, still blamed his own unexpected defeat in the neighbouring seat of Stirling on this young charismatic TV journalist who, although a late entry into the contest, had quickly drawn into his campaign most of the young, keen SNP election workers in Central Scotland – including those that Doc Mac needed to win Stirling. Soon the altercation began attracting attention but George quickly proved his mastery of such things. 'Good to see you Robert,' he said suavely. 'Michael, I am sure willl pass on to me any views you have' and moving on, he glad handed the next table whilst Doc Mac re-directed his glare to me. George was an expert in large and small scale conflict resolution and that requires not just empathy and quick thinking but also the ability to square circles. He had that in spades, being a convinced nationalist who never wavered in his support for independence but also, for example, being entirely comfortable as the representative of the monarch as Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannan between 2011 and 2014 as well as acting – with aplomb – in her stead as Lord High Commissioner of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2008 and 2009. Those skills, coupled with the witty but equally charming approach of his wife Dee, allowed him to undertake a huge range of other high profile tasks from cutting edge broadcasting to chairing the Scottish Parliament, sorting out the massive burach which was the Holyrood building project (and by so doing restoring at least in part the reputation of the nascent institution), solving a crisis in governance in the very patrician National Trust for Scotland, and – in his supposed retirement – regularly being sought out to give wise advice to Parliaments and civic organisations across Europe. Of course this ability to talk with, work with and make common cause with people who were most probably irredeemably and institutionally hostile to independence made enemies as well as friends. None the less he had a strong following wihthin and outwith the party, from those who recognised his considerable intellectual abilities, his affable though reserved charm and his natural courage which had been well proved by a stint between Westminster and Holyrood working in international disaster zones including in the Armenian earthquake of 1988 for which he received the Gold Medal of the Armenian Supreme Soviet. George once told me that shortly after his narrow defeat in the Westminster election of 1979 he realised that it would be a decade or more before the SNP recovered – electorally and organisationally - from the war of attrition that had been waged against it during the first devolution era. He, and his family, suffered severely as a result of that unremitting pressure but recover he did. So having returned home from Geneva in time to stand in the 1997 General Election for the Ochil seat, Clackmannan being where he had been born and bred, he was well placed to contest it in the first elections to the Scottish Parliament. He came second but was elected to the new chamber on the Mid Scotland and Fife list. He was the SNP's obvious choice for Presiding Officer but his good friend David Steel commanded majority support. George had to settle for being one of his deputies. That was a disappointment to him, but the difficulties that the SNP had in the 2003 election worked to his subsequent advantage. Two nights before polling day George and I had a long telephone conversation in which he expressed his own fears of losing again. We agreed that if we both lost we would go off and do some consultancy or writing work together, but in the end he won the Ochil seat by 296 votes, beating the incumbent Dr Richard Simpson. His re-election in a reduced SNP group put him pole position to become Presiding Officer, particularly as all the parties now realised they needed someone extraordinary to resolve the crisis of ever escalating costs and ever lengthening delivery dates which were bedevilling construction at Holyrood. George rose to the occasion and presided over the opening of the building by the Queen in October 2004. His crucial role in making that happen was widely acknowledged but although he would have liked to have served a second term as Presiding Officer, the difficulties presented by the Holyrood electoral system meant that in the end he recognised that retirement was his best choice. Of course, George was never going to be sidelined for long. He spent the years from 2007 until his diagnosis with bladder cancer in 2013 advising and guiding those involved in causes as varied as administering the Northern Ireland Assembly and taking forward diplomatic dialogue in the EU Caucasus/Caspian Commission. He was also an Electoral Commissioner and an adviser on the Scottish Ministerial code. In addition his contribution was recognised by being chosen as the Herald's Scottish Politician of the Year twice as well as receiving a special life time achievement award in 2013. Knighted in 2012 he also became a Knight of the Thistle in 2022. His surgery in 2013 was a complete success but he did reduce commitments thereafter though he always enjoyed seeing how projects he had instigated or assisted on were proceeding. READ MORE: Scottish Government minister joins march in support of Palestine For a while I chaired the Parliament's Scottish Future's Forum which he founded and which encourages strategic thinking outwith the usual party political boundaries. We also met regularly in his role as a member of the First Minister 's Council on Europe and Brexit between 2016 and 2020. Of course he maintained a keen interest in what was happening in the SNP and sometimes worried that it had forgotten lessons from its past. He deplored the tendency in politics to see everything as a black and white battle of heroes and villains, something that damages not just Scotland nor only the UK. Moderation and compromise were in his DNA. Lord MacKay of Clashfern – another politician with a huge hinterland and a remarkable record in public service – once observed that that the role of people like him was to be 'of use'. Sir George Newlands Reid was a shining example of a politician who was supremely useful to his country and indeed further afield. His successful ability to work across political boundaries while maintaining his integrity and beliefs achieved much and attracted many plaudits. That remains a lesson worth learning. Michael Russell is a former President of the SNP
