Latest news with #SouthLanarkshire
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Farage does not care about Scotland, says Swinney
Nigel Farage 'doesn't care about Scotland', John Swinney has said, as the Reform UK leader is set to head north of the border. Mr Farage is expected to address a press conference in Aberdeen on Monday as the race in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election enters its final days. While the SNP and Labour were seen as frontrunners in the seat in a contest sparked by Scottish Government minister Christina McKelvie, Reform UK has entered the mix ahead of the vote. But the party has come in for criticism for how it has campaigned in the seat, with attack ads on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar being branded racist. Both of the frontrunners have also turned their attacks on Reform, with Mr Sarwar describing Mr Farage as a 'poisonous little man' and the First Minister accusing him of bringing 'racism and hatred' to the South Lanarkshire race. As campaigning enters its final days, Mr Swinney warned of the potential threat from Reform, saying: 'Things remain tough for too many families who feel let down by Labour – who have given up in this campaign – and the deeply concerning rise in support for Farage. 'Be in no doubt, Nigel Farage doesn't care about Scotland. He poses a threat to our values and must be stopped, and only the SNP can do that. 'In this by-election, the SNP is the only party investing in Scotland's future, delivering for families and confronting Farage. On Thursday, vote SNP to stop Farage.' Mr Swinney touted his own Government's record, including free prescriptions, free tuition and free bus travel for the young and the elderly, as well as plans to scrap peak rail fares and mitigate the two-child benefit cap. 'On the final week of campaigning in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, it's clear which party is on Scotland's side,' he said. Mr Swinney's comments come as his party's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said Mr Farage was 'just as dangerous to Scotland's long-term energy and economic future as the activists who would shut down the oil and gas industry tomorrow'. Mr Farage has long been an opponent of net zero, while his deputy Richard Tice told the PA news agency one of his party's key policies ahead of the Holyrood elections next year would be to push for increased oil extraction. Responding, a spokesman for Reform UK said: 'The SNP's hostile environment to oil and gas has been holding Scotland back for decades. 'From standing idly by whilst the Grangemouth refinery closed, to opposing oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, the SNP have not only failed to realise the countless jobs that could be created in the sector, but also sacrificed hundreds of jobs on the altar of their net zero obsession.'
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Farage does not care about Scotland, says Swinney
Nigel Farage 'doesn't care about Scotland', John Swinney has said, as the Reform UK leader is set to head north of the border. Mr Farage is expected to address a press conference in Aberdeen on Monday as the race in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election enters its final days. While the SNP and Labour were seen as frontrunners in the seat in a contest sparked by Scottish Government minister Christina McKelvie, Reform UK has entered the mix ahead of the vote. But the party has come in for criticism for how it has campaigned in the seat, with attack ads on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar being branded racist. Both of the frontrunners have also turned their attacks on Reform, with Mr Sarwar describing Mr Farage as a 'poisonous little man' and the First Minister accusing him of bringing 'racism and hatred' to the South Lanarkshire race. As campaigning enters its final days, Mr Swinney warned of the potential threat from Reform, saying: 'Things remain tough for too many families who feel let down by Labour – who have given up in this campaign – and the deeply concerning rise in support for Farage. 'Be in no doubt, Nigel Farage doesn't care about Scotland. He poses a threat to our values and must be stopped, and only the SNP can do that. 'In this by-election, the SNP is the only party investing in Scotland's future, delivering for families and confronting Farage. On Thursday, vote SNP to stop Farage.' Mr Swinney touted his own Government's record, including free prescriptions, free tuition and free bus travel for the young and the elderly, as well as plans to scrap peak rail fares and mitigate the two-child benefit cap. 'On the final week of campaigning in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, it's clear which party is on Scotland's side,' he said. Mr Swinney's comments come as his party's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said Mr Farage was 'just as dangerous to Scotland's long-term energy and economic future as the activists who would shut down the oil and gas industry tomorrow'. Mr Farage has long been an opponent of net zero, while his deputy Richard Tice told the PA news agency one of his party's key policies ahead of the Holyrood elections next year would be to push for increased oil extraction. Responding, a spokesman for Reform UK said: 'The SNP's hostile environment to oil and gas has been holding Scotland back for decades. 'From standing idly by whilst the Grangemouth refinery closed, to opposing oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, the SNP have not only failed to realise the countless jobs that could be created in the sector, but also sacrificed hundreds of jobs on the altar of their net zero obsession.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Football club attended by Barcelona legend says pitch costs have 'easily doubled'
An amateur football club says pitch increases are forcing them to scale back on helping youngsters. David O'Neil, who runs Fernhill Soccer School, has said that the cost of using Fernhill Community Centre – owned by South Lanarkshire Council – has completely shot up in recent years. (Image: Davy O'Neil, founder of Fernhill Soccer School pictured at the pitches at Fernhill Community Centre,) The 64-year-old, who is also the chairman of the club, added: 'The facility and staff at the community centre are incredible, but the cost of kids' football has gone up and up. It has easily doubled over the last few years. 'We're now in a position where we have to use all our money just to rent the pitch." It means the club is no longer able to split their money between rent and providing players with things they need for free. The club make sure that every player gets a free strip when they join and provides shin guards, Astroturf boots, waterproofs and gloves so that no kid or parent is out of pocket. They also provide the kids with a roll, fruit and a biscuit, host free Halloween and Christmas parties every year and purchase medals and trophies which are handed out to the hardest workers each month. David said: 'The basic thing for us when setting up the club was to give children a place to play football for free. 'I just want to keep doing what we do to help the kids. We don't want to cut back on helping them, we want to keep boosting morale. 'If a boy turns up and we can tell he has no money, we get him a new pair of boots and say he's won a prize, that's how we go about it.' (Image: Picture credit: Colin Mearns, Newsquest.) The club was set up around 14 years ago after a high volume of gang activity in Fernhill. David explained: 'In the 70s and 80s when I was younger, Fernhill was a bad place. 'There was a lot of rivalry between Castlemilk and Fernhill. Years ago, people from Fernhill wouldn't be able to walk into Castlemilk. There would be a lot of trouble if people mixed with one another.' (Image: Picture credit: Colin Mearns, Newsquest.) Having gotten involved in gang culture himself when he was younger, David decided to set up the club to get boys and girls mixing from different areas, with the hopes of reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, as well as getting kids off the street. He continued: 'I wanted to mix kids at a young age and in my opinion, it has worked. 'We've kept kids from different areas mixed and the rivalry that once was so strong feels a lot better nowadays.' The club has proudly integrated youngsters from areas including Castlemilk, Cathkin, Rutherglen, Blantyre and Calton, and has produced popular ballers like Callan McKenna (AFC Bournemouth) and Steve Archibald (Barcelona, Tottenham). (Image: Callan McKenna. Image: SNS.) (Image: Image of Steve Archibald)The club have survived over the last decade by relying on funding and the kindness of people and businesses in the local community. 'We rely on funding and anyone that can help us out,' David said. He added: 'Locals give us money sometimes which is really helpful.' (Image: Picture credit: Colin Mearns, Newsquest) Companies like Warburtons have provided the club with free rolls in the past and trusts have previously donated thousands of pounds. 'Without that, we would have struggled a lot last year, I think,' Davey said. The club have set up a Crowdfunder to help with running costs. If you wish to donate, click HERE (Image: Picture credit: Colin Mearns, Newsquest.) A spokesperson for South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture said: 'Due to funding pressures, it was previously agreed that concessions applied to Under 16s Clubs for our pitch bookings should drop from 75% to a 50% discount of the adult rate, phased over a three-year period, moving prices to around the average around Scotland. "That means the concession now enjoyed by Under 16s clubs from April 2025 is a 50% discount from the adult rate.' Fernhill Soccer School is for kids aged between three and 16. For more information, visit
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Starmer loss in Hamilton by-election could set the dominoes falling
It was a by-election in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, where the SNP made its breakthrough onto the national political stage in 1967. The party had only held one parliamentary seat before – and only for three months in the 1940s – but a 38 per cent swing away from Labour propelled Winnie Ewing to the House of Commons and gave the SNP a UK-wide platform. Next Thursday, when the area goes to the polls for a Scottish Parliament by-election, Nigel Farage is hoping to repeat the trick in reverse. With attention focused on Reform's high-profile defections and victories in the English local elections last month, Mr Farage's slow creep north of the border has been unnoticed by many in Westminster. But a poll last month found that if a Scottish election were to be held, the SNP would sweep back to power in Holyrood and Reform would emerge as the main opposition party, with 21 per cent of the popular vote. Thursday's by-election is a chance for Mr Farage's party to show it can seize hold of anti-establishment, anti-nationalist sentiment in Scotland and sell its brand of punchy opposition politics to non-traditional Reform voters. But it also represents a significant threat to Sir Keir Starmer, whose party became the largest in Scotland last year for the first time since 2010. Labour's path to a majority has historically run through Scotland, and Sir Keir's chance of winning another victory at the next general election will partly depend on his ability to keep hold of those seats. John Swinney, the SNP leader, has said that the Hamilton by-election is a 'straight race' between his party and Reform, but it is Sir Keir who has the most to lose if Mr Farage wins. Already there are Left-wing MPs, including in Scotland, who think the Prime Minister has gone too far on benefit cuts, and fear he will go further still in this autumn's Budget. At the last Scottish elections in 2021, Labour increased its vote share by 4 per cent in Hamilton and looked on course to challenge the SNP. The constituency's Westminster seat, Hamilton and Clyde Valley, is represented by Imogen Walker, who is married to Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir's chief of staff. A third-place finish in Hamilton next week would be a serious knock to the Labour leader's credibility, and could open a rift between him and Anas Sarwar, the charismatic Scottish Labour leader. In a sign of Labour's woes, Angela Rayner was forced to abandon a campaign stop on Friday because of protests. She denied 'doing a runner' after pro-Palestinian demonstrators shouted 'Rayner, Rayner you can't hide, you're supporting genocide'. A group of protesters stationed themselves by what appeared to be Scottish Labour's campaign office holding Palestine and Scottish Socialist Party flags. If the Labour Left moves against Sir Keir, it is clear that two goals will emerge. The first is a change of personnel at the top – with target number one being Rachel Reeves. The 'iron chancellor' has angered the party's Left-wing grass roots with a series of spending cuts that are set to continue next month with her spending review. But what is far less clear is whom those people would accept as a replacement, given that the Cabinet is stacked with centrist Starmerites. Ms Rayner may be the only face on the current front bench who could win Sir Keir Left-wing support. More realistic, perhaps, would be a change in course on fiscal policy ahead of the Budget. The two-child benefit cap, winter fuel allowance cuts and changes to disability benefits have all led to complaints about the direction of Sir Keir's government. An about-turn on those policies, likely with a watering down of Ms Reeves's fiscal rules, would be popular with some on the Labour Left but unpopular with the markets. For now, these threats are far off, and Sir Keir's control of his party is holding. Ms Reeves's spending review is likely to pass without a major rebellion in the Commons or resignation from the Cabinet. But should Reform win on Thursday, Mr Farage may find the constituency acts once again as the first domino to fall for a challenger party. Then, the test for Downing Street will be far greater indeed.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Watch: Rayner ‘runs away' from pro-Palestinian protesters
Angela Rayner was forced to abandon a by-election campaign visit in Scotland because of pro-Palestinian protesters. The Deputy Prime Minister was accused of 'doing a runner' from a visit in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, where pro-Gaza demonstrators shouted 'Rayner, Rayner, you can't hide – you're supporting genocide'. Her visit came amid a surge in support for Reform UK in Scotland ahead of the Holyrood by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse next week. The by-election was called following the death of Christina McKelvie, an SNP MSP. Ms Rayner accompanied Davy Russell, the by-election candidate, and Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, around the constituency on Thursday. A group of protesters stationed themselves by what appeared to be Scottish Labour's campaign office, holding Palestinian and Scottish Socialist Party flags. Several, including one with a megaphone, reportedly went on to shout 'Rayner's done a runner' and 'runaway Rayner' after it emerged that she would not be making a scheduled stop there. It is understood that the Deputy Prime Minister still fulfilled all her media duties and met with constituents, but that campaign visits are informed by security advice. Asked about the protests, she told Sky News: 'The protesters regarding the dire situation in Palestine I completely understand. 'Davey Russell, our local candidate here, is fighting hard for this seat, and he'll be here long after the by-election, and has been serving his community for 45 years'. Asked what she thought about having to 'do a runner', she replied: 'You didn't see me doing a runner. There was no running. What we were doing is campaigning as we always expected to do around here. I'm out on the streets as it is now, and I'll be knocking on doors.' Mr Russell has faced criticism for a lack of public appearances during the campaign, having pulled out of televised debates against opponents. But he denied keeping a low profile, telling journalists: 'If you actually go and chap [knock on] the doors, speaking to people, they don't see the SNP, they don't see Reform. They only see them in adverts.' Ms Rayner told the Daily Record that criticisms of Mr Russell, which have included accusing him of being unable to 'string a handful of words together', were 'classist'. 'He's a hard grafter and he doesn't deserve to be treated in that way, in a classist way, but I am sure he is going to prove them all wrong,' she said. 'It's just a very outdated view of people from a working-class background. I come from a working-class background. People work really hard and they over-compensate sometimes for feeling like they are not as good as someone who possibly went to a private school.' Reform UK's popularity has prompted John Swinney, the SNP First Minister, to call the race a 'straight contest' between his party and Nigel Farage's. Mr Swinney also claimed the Labour campaign was in collapse and urged voters to rally behind the SNP in order to fend off Reform. He wrote in the Daily Record on Thursday: 'You have a chance to tell Nigel Farage that his poisonous politics are not welcome. You have a chance to make the next year about the priorities you care about, not the poison of a man in it for himself.' Scottish Labour has accused Mr Farage's party of campaign adverts that amounted to ' dog-whistle racism '. The by-election campaign advert used clips of a speech by Mr Sarwar in which he said he wanted more people from South Asian backgrounds to stand for election. The clips were preceded by the caption 'Anas Sarwar has said he will prioritise the Pakistani community' – a phrase he did not use. On Tuesday, the Reform leader
