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Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Calls for 'second homes' row union leader to quit as MoS reveals she has FIVE houses (and a £100k plot of land!)
The top union boss at the centre of a 'second homes' hypocrisy storm is facing calls to resign after it emerged she is sitting on a property empire worth £1MILLION. The Mail on Sunday can reveal Roz Foyer – who has repeatedly condemned second home ownership – has a total of FIVE houses, as well as a £100,000 plot of land. In a dramatic escalation of the hypocrisy row which has engulfed the general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), The Mail on Sunday has discovered two further properties in her portfolio. They include a flat in Edinburgh, a terraced house in Glasgow and a plot of unused land which she bought just three months ago. It comes after we revealed Ms Foyer, who earns up to £100,000 a year, has a Spanish flat which she rents out for £1,000 a week AND a holiday cottage on Jura, as well as her four-bedroom family home in the leafy suburbs of north-west Glasgow. That is despite Ms Foyer publicly blaming second home owners for exacerbating the housing and cost-of-living crisis. Now, amid a huge backlash which has seen the trade unionist branded a 'champagne socialist' and 'a sangria-sipping one too', she faces growing pressure to resign. Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay has questioned how she can continue in her role. He said: 'Scotland's leading trade unionist appears to have been more inspired by Donald Trump than Jimmy Reid. 'To secretly build a £1million property empire while railing against the supposed sin of second home ownership is hilariously hypocritical. Just another example of Scotland's self-righteous socialist establishment telling the rest of us how to behave – while doing the complete opposite. 'How Roz Foyer thinks she can continue in her role as self-styled workers' champion is a mystery and I expect her comrades might have something to say about it.' It comes after Mr Findlay joked on Friday that she clearly shared his party's values of working hard and reaping the rewards – and invited her to defect to his party. Ms Foyer was the first woman appointed to the top trade union job in Scotland and represents 500,000 workers. She has repeatedly spoken out about the impact second homes have on communities amid Scotland's 'housing emergency'. In July 2023, she called for a 300 per cent council tax premium on second and empty homes to tackle homelessness. Months later, she said: 'Scotland is facing a simultaneous housing and cost-of-living crisis putting an unbearable strain on working people. 'Second homes and short-term lets can have significantly negative impacts on communities, exacerbating these crises as well as undermining the local economy.' And in February 2024 she highlighted the number of empty properties and second homes in the Highlands, saying workers there faced 'an acute housing crisis'. But an investigation by The Mail on Sunday last week revealed Ms Foyer owns a property on the Isle of Jura with her husband, fellow union official Simon Macfarlane, which is valued at around £150,000. It comes after Holyrood last month heard how a proliferation of holiday homes was making life harder for public sector workers in Scotland – the very people that Ms Foyer claims to represent. Ms Foyer and Mr Macfarlane – a regional manager for the Unison union – are understood to spend most of their time with their two daughters at their Glasgow residence, which cost the family £280,111 in 2015. However, yesterday, the Scottish Daily Mail also revealed Ms Foyer has a holiday home in Spain that is worth around £125,000. Situated in the quaint harbour town of Puerto de Mazarrón in Murcia, the three-bedroomed apartment boasts a private balcony with panoramic views over the Mediterranean Sea and access to two communal pools. While they are not using the flat, Ms Foyer rents it out. A week's stay from June 18 to June 25 this year would cost around £920. Now, The Mail on Sunday can reveal Ms Foyer owns a further TWO properties. Official records show the trade union boss bought a terraced new-build in Glasgow in 2016 for £145,000. Additionally, she owns a 'light' and 'well-presented' two bedroom flat in Scotland's capital, which was bought last year for £240,000. Property brochures say the flat is in an 'ideal' and 'vibrant' location and has 'access to a residents' swimming pool, gym and sauna, a leafy view over a shared courtyard garden, and a secured and gated residents' car park'. The Mail on Sunday understands the properties are occupied by close friends and family. However, in a move which suggests the union official may be looking to expand her property empire even further, Ms Foyer purchased a plot of land in Glasgow for £100,000 in February. Ms Foyer last night defended her five homes, saying: 'I'm proud that the STUC has pushed for and secured a doubling of council tax on second homes and we remain committed to arguing for a proportional property tax. 'I can look in the mirror knowing that I'm actively arguing to increase my fair share to society. 'Fighting every day for fairer taxation and to spread wealth throughout the country brings its critics. 'As a woman from a working- class background, I won't be made to feel ashamed for legitimately owning property that my family and I, like of thousands of families across Scotland, have worked tirelessly for.'
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Holyrood's ‘Speaker' accused of anti-Unionist bias after throwing out Tories' former leader
The Scottish Parliament's presiding officer has been accused of 'blatant bias' against opponents of independence after she ejected a former leader of the Scottish Tories from the Holyrood chamber. Alison Johnstone ordered Douglas Ross to leave the chamber during First Minister's Questions on Thursday, and banned him for the rest of the day. Speaking outside the chamber, Mr Ross said 'many people' were questioning if the presiding officer, a former MSP for the pro-independence Scottish Greens, was 'truly neutral' following a series of clashes with Tory members. He accused Ms Johnstone of 'taking very different approaches to nationalist politicians who step out of line compared to Unionist politicians who step out of line'. The Scottish Tories also claimed Ms Johnstone had 'shown a consistent pattern to favour certain parties at the expense of others' and demanded talks to deal with the alleged 'bias'. The Scottish Parliament said the presiding officer, whose job is equivalent to that of the Speaker at Westminster, had taken action against Mr Ross as he was a repeat offender and because of his 'persistent refusal to respect the rules of Parliament'. But Tory insiders alleged Ms Johnstone had reprimanded other Conservatives for conduct that she permitted among MSPs from other parties. This included barracking political opponents from their seats in the chamber. They highlighted how she repeatedly chastised Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory leader, during First Minister's Questions on May 1 for failing to treat John Swinney with 'courtesy and respect'. However, she failed to give the First Minister a reprimand when he accused his Conservative opponent of 'barefaced dishonesty.' Ross shouted at First Minister during Questions Ms Johnstone became a Green MSP for the Lothians region in 2011, but gave up her party affiliation when she was elected presiding officer after the 2021 Holyrood election. During Thursday's First Minister's Questions, Mr Ross could be heard shouting 'deflection' at Mr Swinney as he responded to questions from Mr Findlay about the Scottish Government's net zero targets. Ms Johnstone stopped proceedings and said: 'Mr Ross, you have persistently refused to abide by our standing orders. I ask you to leave the chamber; you are excluded for the rest of the day.' Her decision to immediately expel Mr Ross appeared to surprise him and other MSPs as she had previously dealt with those who shouted from their seats by issuing a warning. After he failed to move, she ordered him out a second time and he left. Ms Johnstone also warned two other Tory MSPs, Douglas Lumsden and Stephen Kerr, about 'shouting from your seat' during the session. Mr Ross said: 'I think Alison Johnstone has to seriously consider her neutral role because at the moment from the outside many people are questioning if she is truly neutral. After what she has just done, I struggled to accept that she has been neutral for all members. 'I think we have got to look at her actions against Conservatives in general, and how she has responded to comments from SNP ministers. For example, the First Minister is apparently allowed to call the Conservatives 'a disgusting party' with no sanction.' A Scottish Tory spokesman said: 'The presiding officer has shown a consistent pattern to favour certain parties at the expense of others. We will be seeking discussions to reiterate that the presiding officer should not show blatant bias.' Mr Kerr said: 'The presiding officer should be a stout defender of the rights of MSPs to hold ministers to account. Instead, we have one who appears more concerned with shielding ministers from scrutiny than standing up for the Parliament.' 'Repeated refusals' to respect rules But a Scottish Parliament spokesman said: 'The presiding officer has warned Mr Ross on repeated occasions recently about his behaviour in the chamber. Due to his persistent refusal to respect the rules of Parliament, the member was asked to leave the chamber. ' Holyrood insiders said Ms Johnstone had warned Mr Ross about his conduct on April 3 and twice on April 22, when she asked him to 'refrain from shouting from your seat' and challenged him over whether he wanted to leave the chamber. They added that she issued a further warning on May 8. Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, said: 'Anyone watching First Minister's Questions will know that for weeks and week Douglas Ross has been provoking the presiding officer in the hope that he would get thrown out, in a cynical bid for relevance. 'The presiding officer was quite right to eject him and my party has full confidence in her impartiality.'
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Holyrood Presiding Officer 'blatantly biased' against Unionist politicians, claim Tories
Alison Johnstone showed the red card to former SFA match official Douglas Ross during FMQs today. The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament has been branded "blatantly biased" against Unionist politicians after she booted Douglas Ross out from FMQs today. The former Scottish Conservatives leader was ordered to leave Holyrood's debating chamber after he heckled John Swinney when the First Minister was responding to a question. Johnstone told the Tory: 'I would ask you to leave this chamber and you are excluded for the rest of the day.' Her actions resulted in the Scottish Tories accusing the Presiding Officer of 'blatant bias' against them. A party spokesperson said: 'The Presiding Officer has shown a consistent pattern to favour certain parties at the expense of others. 'We will be seeking discussions to reiterate that the Presiding Officer should not show blatant bias.' Ross said Johnstone should now 'seriously consider her neutral role'. He told reporters he represented many farmers who were left frustrated by the First Minister ducking questions. 'This is an issue that is extremely important to those individuals who are in that sector and their families and their communities, therefore they deserve to hear those answers,' he said. 'But for a member to be expelled from the chamber with no warning at all, I think may be unprecedented.' He added: "There have been concerns outwith this building about how [Johnstone] treats Conservative MSPs compared to government ministers, Green MSPs for example,' he said. 'And since this happened at lunch time, I've had senior members from other parties saying that Alison Johnstone risks losing support within the chamber for her actions.' The former Tory leader said Holyrood was 'not a library'. He continued: "There is going to be some discussion from the benches around the respective party spokespeople. That is what people watch politics for. "Now, sometimes to goes beyond the pale and action has to be taken, but I don't recall ever seeing a presiding officer take no action to try to minimise that behaviour or to warn any members before excluding them. "She reached straight for that option today, which for me raises serious concerns about it. And the speed at which she did it made me almost think it was premeditated. It didn't matter what I did today, I wonder if she was just going to go straight for that.' Ross argued the environment in the Holyrood chamber is already 'far too sterile' and Ms Johnstone had been having a 'controlling effect' on the chamber in recent weeks and months. 'You've got to look at Alison Johnstone formerly being a Green Party member, saying that she would leave her party allegiances at the door, but taking very different approaches to nationalist politicians who step out of line, compared to unionist politicians who step out of line,' he said. A Scottish Parliament spokesman said: "The Presiding Officer has warned Mr Ross on repeated occasions recently about his behaviour in the Chamber. "Due to his persistent refusal to respect the rules of Parliament, the Member was asked to leave the Chamber. This suspension is for the remainder of the day."
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Douglas Ross kicked out of FMQs after fiery clash
The Scottish Tories have released a statement accusing the Presiding Officer of 'blatant bias' DRAMATIC EXIT Douglas Ross kicked out of First Minister's Questions after heckling John Swinney as Presiding Officer accused of 'bias' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FORMER Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross has been booted out of First Minister's Questions after heckling John Swinney. Mr Ross shouted out after the First Minister had attacked Scottish Tory boss Russell Findlay over Brexit during a fiery clash about support for farmers. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 3 Douglas Ross glares at Alison Johnstone as he exits the Holyrood chamber. 3 First Minister John Swinney was being heckled by Scottish Tory MSPs. Credit: Alamy 3 Former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross was removed from parliament during FMQs Credit: Alamy It came after Mr Findlay claimed farmers had been given 'no reassurance' by his SNP rival amid concerns over the Government's net zero target. And Mr Swinney responded: 'What was not reassuring to farmers was the Brexit that Mr Findlay supported.' But, as Scottish Tory MSPs loudly heckled the First Minister, Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone turned her fire on the Moray MSP. She told the chamber: 'Let's hear one another. Mr Ross, you have persistently refused to abide by our standing orders and I would ask you to leave this chamber, and you are excluded for the rest of the day.' However, with Mr Ross appearing to refuse to leave, Ms Johnstone said: 'Mr Ross, I have asked you to leave the chamber, please do so.' After gathering his belongings and heading to the exit, Mr Ross glared at Ms Johnstone, who ignored him and then allowed the First Minister to continue. She then reprimanded another Scottish Tory MSP, Douglas Lumsden, telling him: 'Please refrain from shouting from your seat.' Following the exchange, a Scottish Tory spokesman said: "The Presiding Officer has shown a consistent pattern to favour certain parties at the expense of others. "We will be seeking discussions to reiterate that the Presiding Officer should not show blatant bias." More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Scottish Sun. is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheScottishSun.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
SNP spending on ‘woke' civil servants rises by nearly 50pc in two years
SNP ministers have been accused of focusing on woke 'identity politics' after the number of their civil servants working on equalities and human rights surged by almost 50 per cent in two years. Scottish Government figures released under Freedom of Information (FoI) showed the costs of its Equalities and Human Rights Directorate has risen sharply after a huge increase in staffing and salary levels. The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) civil servants on the department's payroll rose from 105.6 in 2022/23 to 152.7 in 2024/25 – an increase of 44.6 per cent. The median average salaries surged by more than 70 per cent in only three years, from £28,236 in 2021/22 to £48,638 in 2024/25. This meant that the taxpayer-funded budget for the directorate also rose by more than 60 per cent, from £32.2 million in 2021/22 to £51.9 million in 2024/25. The period of the increase coincided with Nicola Sturgeon's government tabling the Gender Recognition Reform (GRR) Bill, which would have allowed biological men to change legal gender by simply signing a declaration. The legislation was passed at Holyrood in Dec 2022 but vetoed by the UK Government over concerns it undermined women's safe spaces. However, swathes of the public sector have adopted self-ID anyway. The huge increase in manpower also coincided with Ms Sturgeon offering an apology in March 2022 to women accused of witchcraft between the 16th and 18th centuries. 'Gravy train' Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Tory MSP who obtained the figures, said: 'This is the SNP's warped priorities laid bare — while Scots are struggling with collapsing local services, spiralling waiting lists, and high taxes, the SNP is quietly pouring tens of millions into an unaccountable bureaucracy pushing identity politics from behind a desk.' He added: 'This is not about protecting rights or advancing equality - it's about empire-building, feather-bedding, and creating jobs for the boys and girls of the SNP's activist class. 'They're more interested in lecturing Scots on pronouns and power structures than delivering basic services. It's a gravy train, and it's off the rails.' The FoI said the directorate was responsible for the 'successful delivery' of the Scottish Government's aim of promoting 'greater equality and inclusion and respect for human rights.' Among its specific policy areas were promoting LGBT+ equality and trans and non-binary 'inclusion', and overseeing controversial proposals to ban conversion practices. Earlier this month SNP ministers kicked into the long grass a ban on conversion therapy, which aims to change or suppress a person's sexual orientation or identity. The directorate's civil servants were also responsible for overseeing the Gender Representations Public Boards Scotland Act, which intended to increase the proportion of women serving on the boards. SNP ministers included trans women in this quota but feminist campaign group For Women Scotland launched legal action arguing it should be limited to biological women. This culminated in the group's landmark victory last month at the Supreme Court, which ruled that trans women are not women. The directorate has also worked on the development of a 'new statutory framework for human rights in Scotland' and implementing an action plan for the 'Gypsy / Traveller' community. Its other responsibilities included promoting race equality, implementing policies that tackle 'social isolation and loneliness' among the elderly and supporting delivery of a 'New Scots refugee integration strategy'. The figures disclosed that the number of FTE staff on the directorate's payroll increased slightly from 101.6 to 112.4 between 2021/22 and 2023/24, before jumping to 152.7 the following year.
