Farage ‘doesn't care about Scotland', Swinney says in by-election race
Nigel Farage 'doesn't care about Scotland', Scotland's first minister John Swinney has said, as the Reform UK leader heads north of the border in the final days of the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election campaign.
The SNP and Labour are considered frontrunners in the by-election, triggered by Christina McKelvie's departure, but Reform has entered the mix ahead of the vote.
SNP First Minister John Swinney has accused Nigel Farage of not caring about Scotland and bringing "racism and hatred" to the South Lanarkshire race, warning of the threat posed by Reform UK to Scottish values.
Swinney promoted his government's achievements, such as free prescriptions and tuition, while criticising Labour and highlighting the SNP's commitment to Scotland's future.
Stephen Flynn, SNP Westminster leader, said Farage is a danger to Scotland's energy and economic future, while Reform UK defended its pro-oil extraction stance, criticising the SNP's net-zero policies for hindering Scotland's economic potential.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Polls to open in Hamilton by-election
Voters in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse will soon head to the polls to elect a new MSP. A by-election is being held following the death of the SNP's Christina polls open at 07:00 and close at 22:00, with a result expected in the early hours of Friday morning. In what is the first Scottish Parliament by-election since 2019, parties are aiming to build momentum ahead of next year's Holyrood elections. There are 10 candidates contesting the by-election. They are:Collette Bradley - Scottish Socialist PartyAndy Brady - Scottish Family PartyRoss Lambie - Reform UKKaty Loudon - SNPJanice Mackay - UK Independence PartyAnn McGuinness - Scottish Green PartyAisha Mir - Scottish Liberal DemocratsRichard Nelson - Scottish ConservativeDavy Russell - Scottish LabourMarc Wilkinson - Independent Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse had been held by McKelvie since the constituency was created in 2011. The SNP MSP served in several government roles, latterly as drugs and alcohol minister. She died aged 57 in March after being diagnosed with secondary breast new MSP will only be in place for less than a year before the Scottish Parliament elections, scheduled for May 2026. The by-election will be a first-past-the-post ballot, meaning the candidate with the highest number of votes will become the constituency's new MSP. Voters do not need ID to cast their Lanarkshire Council has advised those voting by post that if they have not sent their ballot in good time to arrive by 22:00, they can hand them in to a polling station. The council has published more advice on its website. The BBC, like other broadcasters, is not allowed to report details of campaigning or election issues while polls are polls close, the BBC Scotland News website will run a live page providing updates from the count in Hamilton, as well as expert analysis from correspondents and pundits. There will also be a BBC Scotland by-election special on BBC One Scotland, the BBC News channel and the BBC Scotland News website from midnight, presented by Martin Geissler.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
£350k boss at cash-strapped Scots university claims he 'doesn't know salary'
A university boss who is paid £350,000 a year yesterday said he did not know his 'precise' salary - as he did not 'carry that figure around in my head'. Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, principal of the University of Edinburgh, accepted he is 'very well-paid' but was unable to provide the exact sum. He spoke as lecturers prepare to walk out in a dispute over the university's refusal to rule out 'unacceptable' compulsory redundancies as part of plans to save £140million. The action will see members of the University and College Union (UCU) strike during an open day on June 20, followed by a further five-day walkout in September to coincide with the university's 'welcome week' for new students. Union members are also set to take part in action short of a strike, including working to contract, not covering for absent colleagues, and a 'possible marking and assessment boycott'. The UCU announced the action following a ballot which saw a 60 per cent turnout, with 84 per cent backing strikes and 93 per cent voting in favour of action short of a strike. The news came on the same day Sir Peter appeared before a Holyrood committee, where he defended his six-figure salary and acknowledged the university is not in deficit. Sir Peter insisted that paying the senior management team at the university 'nothing' would 'make largely no difference to the size of the expenditure challenge we face'. Pressed about the cuts the university is planning, including a £90million reduction in the wage bill, Sir Peter said: 'I'm confident the action we're taking now is in the best interests of the university and I am proud of the leadership my team and I are providing in delivering.' He told Holyrood's education committee he does 'not know the precise numbers' of his salary, telling MSPs when challenged on this: 'I don't carry that figure around in my head.' Sir Peter however accepted he is 'very well paid', with committee convener Douglas Ross pointing out the principal's reported salary of £418,000 is more than the combined wages of both First Minister John Swinney and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Sir Peter said when he had checked the salaries of the heads of organisations with a similar turnover to the university, 'for one of them it was £5million, for another it was £17million'. He added: 'I was made an offer by the University of Edinburgh when I was appointed and I accepted it, and I am very satisfied with the package I was offered.' He said his 'basic salary' is 'about £350,000', adding there is a pension supplement on top of this. Sophia Woodman, UCU Edinburgh University branch president, said it is 'not too late' for the strike to be averted, and she called on senior management to rule out compulsory redundancies. She said: 'Staff want a sustainable future for the university as much as anybody and we want to work with senior management to end this dispute. 'But we're clear that the use of compulsory redundancies is unacceptable. 'With the resources and reserves held by the university it can easily afford to rule out sacking staff. 'The decision to let the strike continue, with all the disruption to students that it entails and a possible marking and assessment boycott, is a matter of choice for Peter Mathieson and the university senior management. 'The union's door is open to talks and I'd appeal to them to heed this final warning, rule out compulsory redundancies and end this unnecessary dispute.' The union claimed the proposed £140million of cuts would be the 'largest ever' made by a university in Scotland, and said management have failed to make a case for cuts of this size while at the same time planning 'record' investment in buildings and infrastructure. It added that research and teaching staff are the 'backbone' of the university, and cutting them rather than buildings is a 'false economy'. Jo Grady, UCU general secretary, said: 'UCU members at Edinburgh University are ready and willing to strike to save jobs and save this university, but disruption can still be avoided. 'Edinburgh University is a wealthy university with, at the last count, over £3billion in its reserves. 'The Scottish Government should follow the lead of ministers in Wales and call on universities to use their reserves to avoid job losses.' The union said walkouts will take place on June 20 and September 8-12, with action short of a strike beginning on June 20.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Reeves forced to back down in net zero row with Miliband
Ed Miliband has defeated an attempt by Rachel Reeves to raid one of his key net zero programs in next week's spending review, The Telegraph understands. The Treasury has for months been considering cuts to the £13.2 billion warm homes plan, which aims to insulate properties and make them more energy efficient. But Mr Miliband, the Energy Security Secretary, and Ms Reeves, the Chancellor, are understood to have reached an agreement in the past few days after fraught negotiations and the scheme will remain largely unaffected. The agreement is a boost for net zero supporters in government, chief among them Mr Miliband, who have warned against scaling back green plans. It will also likely be regarded as a sign of the Chancellor's waning influence as Downing Street seeks to placate backbenchers unhappy over spending cuts. The decision is expected to please the Left wing of the party, which is threatening to rebel against Sir Keir Starmer's plans to make cuts to welfare and has been emboldened by a memo sent to Ms Reeves by Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, demanding tax rises. However, it could complicate attempts, spearheaded by Number 10, to counter Reform, which is surging in support on a net zero sceptic platform and could outperform Labour in a Scottish by-election seat on Thursday. Spokesmen for the Treasury, the Energy Security Department and Number 10 all declined to comment, with announcements being unveiled at the spending review on Wednesday. Mr Miliband's victory can be disclosed hours after Ms Reeves warned that she would be tough with some Cabinet colleagues. Delivering a speech in Rochdale on Wednesday morning, the Chancellor said that 'not every department will get everything that they want next week' as she has had to 'say no' to things that she would support in an ideal world. Following a major about-turn by Sir Keir to appease backbenchers, millions of pensioners will be handed back their annual winter fuel payments of up to £300 next week, when the details of a reversal in last year's cut are announced. Some wealthy pensioners will still not receive the payment – meaning confusion continues on what the new policy will become – and it is unclear how the reversal will be funded. Meanwhile, the Government has announced that there will be £1 billion for an extra 500,000 free school meals over the next three years, lifting an estimated 100,000 children out of deprivation. Cabinet ministers have been locked in negotiations with the Treasury for months over the spending review, which will set out day-to-day departmental budgets for the next three years. Mr Miliband, the former Labour leader who heads up the net zero brief in government, was one of the few remaining Cabinet ministers still battling the Treasury this week. Sources last week were forced to deny reports he 'stormed out' of a meeting with Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, amid a row over cuts. Ms Rayner is also said to have clashed with the Chancellor over the spending review, with sources previously claiming she had complained 'forcibly' about proposed cuts to housing. But The Telegraph understands Mr Miliband has now reached agreement with Ms Reeves and has seen off an attempt to raid a major net zero scheme. The warm homes plan is an initiative to lift more than 1 million households out of fuel poverty by 2030, reducing energy bills as well as making houses more energy-efficient. It includes investment to insulate homes – thereby making them more energy-efficient – and grants for heat pumps. Labour promised an extra £6.6 billion for the plan in its general election manifesto last summer, taking the total to be spent on the program to £13.2 billion. A hint that Ms Reeves had given ground came on Wednesday morning when she said publicly that manifesto promises would be kept to in the spending review. The negotiations with ministers have been fraught because, despite a £300 billion boost to spending this parliament, some departments still face real-terms cuts in the years ahead. It has prompted protests from a string of departments and public officials, with police chiefs warning the Prime Minister that cuts would force them to decide which crimes to investigate. The politics of the Government have been shifting over its legal commitment to make the UK a 'net zero' carbon emitter, complicating Labour's approach. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has withdrawn her support for the target, making one of her first policy commitments of office the insistence that achieving the ambition by 2050 is 'impossible'. The repositioning, which comes despite it being the Conservatives under Theresa May who brought in the legal target, moves the Tories closer to Reform's position on net zero. Nigel Farage's party wants to scrap the policy entirely. Opinion polls show that while the public support hitting net zero, that drops markedly when voters are asked if they are willing to take a financial hit to achieve it. Mr Miliband has been the driving force behind the Government's net zero stance. Others in the Labour movement, including leading trade unions, oppose the new North Sea oil licence ban. The Energy Secretary's win comes after he lost battles over the expansion of Heathrow Airport and clashed with Sir Tony Blair when the former prime minister raised doubts over whether net zero was feasible.
