John Swinney responds to challenge over Dundee University rescue delay
John Swinney was challenged over when a rescue deal will be struck with Dundee University as it nears one month since an alternative recovery plan was published.
The crisis-hit institution proposed to make 300 jobs redundant through a voluntary severance scheme to plug a £35 million deficit.
On Thursday in Holyrood, the first minister said his government is yet to be approached as talks continue between officials, the university and the Scottish Funding Council.
Mr Swinney responded to pressure over delays by saying he could not interfere in the drawn-out negotiations.
It's feared the final bill required to bail out the struggling institution is likely to exceed £40 million.
The Scottish Government has already provided £22 million in lifeline cash.
North East Fife Lib Dem Willie Rennie, who challenged the first minister in Holyrood, said one employee had 'tears in her eyes' as she told him about the toll the jobs crisis has taken on her.
'This has been agonising for university staff,' he said.
'A cloud has been hanging over them since November.
'They simply cannot understand why we still have no financial agreement.'
Dundee-based Labour MSP Michael Marra said one staff member told him: 'The endless delays and broken promises from management and government are leaving us all in despair.'
The first minister was challenged to assure staff that the voluntary redundancy scheme would be open by the end of next week.
Mr Swinney said: 'I can't give that commitment, because that would be me dictating to an independent institution.'
The SNP leader said he had heard about the struggles of worried staff at meetings held in his own Perthshire constituency.
He told MSPs: 'We are ready to consider any requests that are made to us.
'I'm encouraged by the university's commitment to minimise job losses, but it is vital the university consults on its revised plan.
'The University of Dundee is an autonomous institution.
'It has to take the initiative to come to the funding council and the government.'
Mr Swinney insisted the university crisis will continue to have his 'most active engagement'.
Dundee University initially proposed to axe 700 jobs before this was later scaled back.
Staff went on strike this week in protest against compulsory redundancies in a leading forensic research hub at the institution.
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South Wales Argus
18 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Fact check: Reform UK migrants claim and minister's inflation mix-up
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Mr Tice referred only to 'migrants' and did not specify that he was talking about any particular group of migrants, but some on social media have suggested he intended to refer solely to Channel crossings, which have been at record levels this year and hit the headlines again this weekend after almost 1,200 migrants were recorded as arriving via small boat on Saturday. Between January 1 2025 and April 27 2025 (the day Mr Tice's article was published), government statistics show 9,885 migrants were detected crossing the English Channel in small boats, and between January 1 and May 31 this figure was 14,812. Both these figures are higher than for equivalent periods in other years going back to 2018, when statistics for this measure began. But they don't support the claim Mr Tice made – firstly because they only refer to a small proportion of all migrants, and secondly because they don't cover Labour's full time in office. 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In the 12 months to June 2024 – the last full month of the previous Conservative government – inflation stood at 2%, while in the 12 months to July 2024 – the month Labour formed a government – it was 2.2%. As of April 2025, annual CPI inflation was 3.5%, 0.9 percentage points higher than the previous month's figure. Other commonly used measures of inflation show similar trends. This isn't the first time we've seen government ministers confuse interest rate and inflation figures. Earlier this year we fact checked the Prime Minister and Home Office minister Seema Malhotra MP after they both wrongly claimed interest rates had been at 11% under the previous government. As Ms Malhotra later made clear in an edited post, the 11% figure actually referred to the peak rate of CPI inflation in 2022.
South Wales Argus
18 minutes ago
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Tories brand blaming weather ‘lazy' as likely days for Channel crossings double
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Time Out
23 minutes ago
- Time Out
Could this east London borough really split from the capital?
It's well known that London is a huge city made up of slightly smaller towns. Each borough brings its own unique identity to the capital, but one is currently trying to break free from the city and instead become part of Essex. The London borough of Havering is the city's easternmost point. It's mostly suburbs, is home to places like Romford, Upminster, and Hornchurch, and, according to Andrew Rosindel, the Tory MP for Romford, is 'geographically Essex'. Andrew Rosindell stated his case for Havering to return to its Essex roots in parliament last month. He said: 'We are historically Essex. We are culturally Essex and our social, sporting and commercial connections have always looked towards the county of Essex'. He continued: 'My constituents and I are proud of our Essex identity, which transcends local government or administrative boundaries that are forever changing—as they are again today'. This comes after Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, announced plans last year to increase devolution to local authorities and streamline local services. Currently, different responsibilities, such as bins and schooling, are often managed by different levels of local government – the current Labour government wants to see all council responsibilities come under a single, centralised form of leadership. For some smaller authorities, this could mean merging to form a larger, unitary council. This is part of what Rosindell is worried about. With only 260,000 residents, Havering would need to combine with another similarly sized borough to form a big enough authority to stay in London. Instead, he argues that the preferable option would be taking the 'once-in-almost-a-century chance to look afresh at the old boundaries of Greater London that were constructed six decades ago.' He added: 'It is also very costly for us to be part of Greater London, as we pay tens of millions of pounds per year to the Greater London Authority. 'That equates to […] an exorbitant amount of money that my constituents simply cannot afford.' The move, dubbed 'Hexit' by some local supporters, is unlikely to happen in the near future, though. Jim McMahon, the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, who Rosindell was addressing in his speech, has stated that; 'It is currently not envisaged that the boundaries of Greater London will be changed.' However, he did also say that the area covered by the Essex local mayor could be expanded in future 'should it be locally desired and should statutory tests be met', so all hope is not lost for you loyal Hexiteers. As it stands, Havering will remain in London, at least for now. However, now that the cat is out of the bag, it is not difficult to envisage a future where it returns to its rural roots and officially embraces the Essex way of life once again.
