The Herald
Badenoch buoyant as she spots a political lifeboat
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay, right, and shadow Scottish secretary Andrew Bowie, left, watch a training exercise during a visit yesterday to 3T Training Services in Aberdeen, where Ms Badenoch...
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Crane collapse kills more than 30
Rescuers work amid the wreckage after a construction crane fell on to a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand
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Palestine Action review ‘urgent’
A DECISION on whether a judicial review of the decision to proscribe Palestine Action can go ahead is expected this week, following a hearing in Edinburgh. A petition was lodged by former British diplomat Craig Murray in October requesting a review of...
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Has Sturgeon turned her back on politics?
HER allies insist she still continues to represent her constituents, but what has Nicola Sturgeon done since resigning as First Minister three years ago – and has she already checked out of frontline politics? Our political correspondent Kathleen Nutt...
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Storm Goretti arrives with rare red warning
STORM Goretti battered parts of the UK last night, bringing gusts of up to 100mph as a rare red warning for “dangerous, stormy” winds was issued. The Met Office said “violent gusts” were due to hit parts of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly over the...
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Council declares ‘major incident’ due to snowfall
ABERDEENSHIRE Council has declared a major incident as the region deals with ongoing heavy snow. The local authority says there is a “good chance” some rural communities will be cut off and there may be power cuts. Schools in the area will be also be...
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Holyrood election campaign is underway. But which leader survives the chaos?
WITH four months to go until the Holyrood election, this is without doubt the most career-defining year for John Swinney, Anas Sarwar and Russell Findlay. It may only be a few days into 2026, but for the leaders of the three largest parties, there can...
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‘Intolerable’ level of corridor care in Scotland’s hospitals
ONE of Scotland’s most under pressure emergency departments exceeded capacity by 50% in December, revealing corridor care conditions in hospitals for the first time. The Scottish Government does not record or publish statistics on the number of...
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Scotland’s ferry repair costs spiral to £260m
SCOTLAND’S state-controlled ferry operator has burned through more than £260 million just keeping its ageing fleet afloat, as repair and maintenance bills rise to record levels. Calmac’s annual repair and maintenance costs have doubled in just two...
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SNP called on to finally honour vow to scrap tax
CAMPAIGN groups have called on the SNP to honour its near 20-yearold pledge to abolish council tax as Scotland sits on a debt mountain of over £1.5 billion, with half of the money owed dating back 10 years or more, The Herald can reveal. The level of...
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Bringing in the bells
Brian Ferguson: They came in their thousands from all corners of the globe. The city’s long-held reputation as one of the places to bring in the new year appeared to be firmly intact –
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Eyes of world turn to Scotland for 2026
EDINBURGH’S Hogmanay celebrations are set to secure a share of the city’s controversial tourist tax to help secure their future. City council leader Jane Meagher told The Herald it would be “reasonable to expect” some of the revenue generated by the...
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Civil servants receive more than £1m in exit payments
CIVIL servants working for the Scottish Government’s core departments have received exit payments together worth more than £1 million, it can be revealed. The details have been published under freedom of information (FOI) legislation and showed that...
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Brigitte Bardot 1934-2025
BRIGITTE Bardot has been hailed as “a legend of the century” following her death aged 91. The film star and 1960s “sex symbol” earned worldwide fame as one of the most recognisable faces of post-war cinema but later withdrew from the showbusiness...
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‘My aspiration is to be a long-term leader. I also expect to stand in 2031’
JOHN Swinney’s 2025 as First Minister certainly passed with personal and political highs and lows, from losing to Labour in the hotly-contested Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election to the joy of becoming a grandfather. Speaking exclusive to...
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Legendary Scottish winger dies, aged 72
FORMER Nottingham Forest and Scotland winger John Robertson has died at the age of 72, the Premier League club have announced. Robertson, who started and ended his career at the City Ground either side of a spell at local rivals Derby, became a cult...
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Independent advisers aim to investigate Constance
HOLYROOD’S independent advisers have notified First Minister John Swinney they wish to initiate an investigation into the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, Angela Constance. It comes amid a row over her conduct around the Scottish...
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‘Immense sadness’ as music star Rea dies, 74
SINGER Chris Rea, whose songs include the festive hit Driving Home For Christmas, has died at the age of 74, a spokesperson for his family said. The Middlesbrough-born musician was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had his pancreas removed in 2001,...
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Pass rate for S4 maths pupils below 40%, says think tank
FEWER than 40% of S4 pupils passed National 5 maths in 2025, according to “deeply concerning data” from a think tank. The Commission on School Reform, the education arm of the independent think tank Enlighten, has released freedom of information (FOI)...
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Capital punishment
THEY may have struggled slightly in the first half at Hampden yesterday, but Glasgow Warriors showed their might against Edinburgh in the second – eventually winning 24-12, which sees them now leading by 12 points going into next week's second leg in...
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Getting ahead with restoration of Sir Walter Scott Monument in city’s George Square
WORK is set to begin on the restoration of the Sir Walter Scott Monument in Glasgow as part of the project to transform George Square. The monument features a 10-feet statue of the celebrated Scottish author standing on an 80-feet Doric column. It was...
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Grangemouth mission
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves visits Grangemouth yesterday, after the government announced a £150 million investment package with chemical producer Ineos to secure 500 jobs at the site’s ethylene plant
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Anyone for more sprouts?
Workers at W&R Logan pick some of the 100 million sprouts they harvest for the Christmas period in Dunbar yesterday. Brussels sprouts, a Christmas dinner menu staple in the UK, are the third generation vegetable farm’s main crop, raising more than 210...
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Security is stepped up for UK Jews as Bondi hero hailed
THE father of Ahmed al Ahmed, the man who tackled one of the Bondi Beach gunmen, has described his son as a “hero of Australia” with an impulse to protect people. Speaking to ABC Australia, Mohamed Fateh al Ahmed said: “His friend told him, ‘Let’s go...
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Call for reset to tackle child mental health ‘emergency’
SCOTLAND cannot continue to “diagnose” the way out of the child mental health “emergency”, a leading charity has warned in a call for services and funding to be reset. Mary Glasgow, chief executive of the Children First charity, told The Herald the...
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He was a much-loved star of many parts and faces but also a man always afraid of failure
Stanley Baxter 1926–2025 ALMOST everybody knew Stanley Baxter. And almost everybody knew of his awesome legacy. He was the Queen. He was Dietrich. He was Coward and Hepburn and Cagney. He was Olivier and Welles. He was both Antony and Cleopatra – on...
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Winning wave
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela waves from the Grand Hotel, in Oslo, Norway yesterday
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Pressure grows for minister’s sacking in abuse row
JOHN Swinney is under growing pressure to sack his Justice Secretary, after correspondence confirmed Angela Constance misrepresented Professor Alexis Jay’s views during a debate on grooming gangs. The minister told MSPS in September that the former...
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Claud’s award
Television star Claudia Winkleman smiles after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by King Charles during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle in Berkshire yesterday, for services to broadcasting
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Nurse Peggie’s lawyers warn of problems for women after ruling
TRIBUNAL findings which ruled that NHS Fife harassed nurse Sandie Peggie following a transgender changing room row are “hugely problematic for women”, the nurse’s lawyer has claimed. It is a partial win for the Kirkcaldy nurse, who pursued legal...
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Historic Glasgow church gutted in major blaze
A HISTORIC church in Glasgow has been destroyed by a fire. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to reports of the blaze at Pollokshaws Parish Church, in the city’s Shawbridge Street, at around 2.45am yesterday. Photos and videos...
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Why Tory peer’s shock defection is a ‘proper coup’ for Reform in Scotland
IT was quite a day in Falkirk yesterday as Nigel Farage rolled into town and Conservative peer Lord Malcolm Offord caused shockwaves by defecting to Reform UK. As our Political Editor Andrew Learmonth and Political Correspondent Rebecca Mccurdy...
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City’s cancer hospital ‘chronically rundown’
SCOTLAND’S largest cancer hospital has been described as “chronically rundown” after leaks were discovered in the roof of the building. The Herald understands rain bins were placed in various areas of the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in...
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PM brands Farage ‘toxic’ over attack on Glasgow
SIR Keir Starmer has branded Nigel Farage a “toxic” and “divisive disgrace” as he condemned the Reform UK leader’s recent attack on Glasgow. Mr Farage singled out the city in a social media video in which he claimed one in three schoolchildren in...
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Wheel of fortune for Gray work
Valuer Sarah Trombetti admires a work by Scot Alasdair Gray, Astrological Fantasy With Zodiac (1963) in oil/mixed media on a pine panel, estimated to fetch £7,000-£15,000, as part of Great Western Auctions’ Winter Fine Art and Antiques Auction tomorrow...
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Asia flood death toll passes 1,300
The death toll from last week’s catastrophic floods and landslides surged past 1,300 in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand – with more than 800 people missing and warnings the toll will be far higher, after days of heavy monsoon rains leaving thousands...
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Christmas tree light show is the creel thing
Volunteers George Holroyd, left, and Colin Boyle check the lights on the fishing creel Christmas tree they helped to build on the harbourside in Ullapool, Wester Ross. The 30ft tree, made with 340 creels used for catching crabs and prawns, has become a...
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Five-year failure to enforce law ‘a betrayal of women’
Rebecca Mccurdy MORE than 1,200 women in Glasgow have suffered female genital mutilation in the past five years – and laws protecting girls from the practice remain unimplemented, despite being passed in 2020. Scottish ministers have been warned a...
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Expect ‘significant change’ to Glasgow ... in five years
SHORT-TERMISM, Susan Aitken says, is the “curse of modern politics”.“i am setting things in motion that will bear fruit long after I am no longer an elected politician,” the leader of Glasgow City Council told The Herald. Her words come as actor Peter...
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Future of GP services ‘hangs in the balance’
THE future of Scotland’s GP surgeries “hangs in the balance” and the service has just three years to rebuild following a recent funding deal, doctors’ leaders will warn today. BMA Scotland’s GP chair Dr Iain Morrison will today tell delegates at the...
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Revenue-raising Chancellor
THIS was a Budget which was probably far less chaotic and dramatic than many people might have expected, given its billing. The challenges facing Chancellor Rachel Reeves had been firmly in the spotlight for weeks, with dire warnings over the size of...
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‘I don’t think I truly understood how big a figure dad was’
ONE of the late Doddie Weir’s sons has said he feels it is time to “step up” as he was announced as captain of the Scotland team in a fundraising challenge raising money for research into motor neurone disease. Scotland rugby legend Weir died in...
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Please have your payment ready... a 5,000-year first at the Calanais Stones
THEY were built more than 5,000 years ago on a windswept moor in the Outer Hebrides and are believed to have been the site of rituals for at least two millennia. Now Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has received ministerial approval to introduce an...
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Threat of industrial action on hybrid rule
Permanent Secretary Joe Griffin – the most senior civil servant – has said it is the “future ambition” of the Scottish Government to move towards 60%. Multiple unions representing the workforce have condemned the plans, warning it will disadvantage...
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Pensions boss to be quizzed by MSPS
THE under-fire head of the public pensions agency is set to appear before MSPS over a £1.7 billion age discrimination scandal that has seen thousands of Scots unable to access their retirement savings. Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) chief...
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Big drop in ferry sailings as ageing isles fleet struggles
SCOTLAND’S west coast ferry fleet operated thousands fewer hours last year, despite two new ships joining the service, as pressure mounts on ministers over their handling of the network. Scottish Government-owned Calmac sailed for more than 3,400...
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Honouring sacrifice of war
Veterans and serving military personnel attend the Remembrance Sunday service in Edinburgh yesterday. First Minister John Swinney joined Robert Aldridge, Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, at the service to pay tribute to the fallen
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Breaking point as Calmac ‘rewarded £4bn for failure’
THE Scottish Government-owned ferry operator Calmac was fined more than £20 million for failing island communities then handed a new £4 billion contract by ministers, The Herald can reveal. Performance deductions imposed by ministers when Calmac fails...
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Pressure on Robertson in HES meetings storm
CULTURE Secretary Angus Robertson is facing mounting pressure after it emerged his department failed to follow ministerial guidelines in the handling of Scotland’s troubled public heritage agency. The Scottish Government’s management of the turmoil at...
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Yard risks losing staff over foreign workers
A CLYDE shipbuilding giant contracted to a £10 billion defence deal risks losing staff, amid warnings an “over-reliance” on foreign workers is pushing down pay and contracted hours. BAE Systems, which has yards in Govan and Scotstoun, secured the...
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Deadly typhoon’s aftermath
TYPHOON Kalmaegi has left at least 85 people dead with 75 others missing in the central Philippines, many in widespread flooding that trapped people on their roofs and swept away cars, officials said. Among the dead were six people who were killed...
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Arise, Sir David, as Beckham knighted
Former football star Sir David Beckham with his wife Lady Victoria after he was made a Knight Bachelor by the King at an investiture ceremony in Windsor Castle yesterday Picture: Andrew Matthews/ Getty Images
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Four hurt as Glasgow to London train derails
Four people suffered minor injuries after a train travelling from Glasgow to London derailed in Cumbria when it struck a landslide at 80mph
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Train investigation
A forensic investigator yesterday records evidence inside the train on which there were multiple people injured in a knife attack at Huntingdon Station in Cambridgeshire
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Is Holyrood ready for 22 Reform MSPS?
GRAHAM Simpson is currently Reform UK’S only MSP, but if last week’s Herald poll is right, the Tory defector could be one of a group of 22 next year. Political Editor Andrew Learmonth delves into potential repercussions of their success.
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Ship-shape exercise by remote control
Five uncrewed boats remotely piloted from 500 miles away swarmed HMS Tyne off the coast yesterday in a demonstration of how the Royal Navy could utilise such technology on operations. A real-life scenario of escorting a warship was played out during 72...
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Jack of all trades
Scots actor Jack Lowden receives an honorary doctorate in Drama from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland at its autumn graduation ceremony
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Visa call over ‘exploitation’ of foreign care sector staff
THE leader of Scotland’s biggest trade union has demanded Scottish Labour backs visa calls for overseas staff employed in the care sector. Unison’s Scottish secretary Lilian Macer said the party “can’t keep silent” after a report by her union found...
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‘Cultural void’ risk over poor arts sector conditions
UNION leaders have warned Scotland is at risk of becoming a “cultural void” due to the poor treatment of arts workers. Urgent action to address widespread concerns over insecurity, low pay, bullying and harassment is being demanded to halt an exodus...
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Calmac ferry makes final journey down the Clyde, bound for breaker’s yard
ONE of Calmac’s oldest ferries has made her final journey down the Clyde. The MV Hebridean Isles was pulled towards the open ocean yesterday afternoon as she heads to a breaker’s yard in Denmark. The ship, known affectionately by her passengers and...
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History in the frame
A SON treated his father to an 80th birthday that “helped restore his dignity” as they visited the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where their ancestor was commissioned to create paintings for the building more than 350 years ago. Pierre de Wet, 46, and his...
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Poll puts Reform in second place at Holyrood elections
REFORM UK is predicted to return 22 MSPS at next year’s Holyrood election, making the party the second largest in the Scottish Parliament, a new poll suggests. For the first time, Survation has Reform in second place on both list and constituency...
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Pop duo are true blues
Ricky Ross and Lorraine Mcintosh, of pop group Deacon Blue, were treated with great dignity yesterday when they were awarded honorary degrees by the Open University for their ‘outstanding’ contribution to arts, culture and society at a ceremony in...
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Holy history
THE King and Pope Leo XIV made history when they prayed together in a symbolic moment of unity for Anglicans and Roman Catholics across the globe. The pontiff led the prayer during the ecumenical service in the Vatican’s famous Sistine Chapel, likely...
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Shipyard recruits foreign welders in ‘skills shortage’
ONE of Scotland’s major naval shipyards has recruited hundreds of welders from the Philippines to plug significant gaps in skilled workers, which is being partly blamed on a lack of suitable training courses being offered by colleges. At least 300...
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Chinook families in demand for answers
Families of victims of the 1994 RAF Chinook tragedy hand in a petition to 10 Downing Street as they demand answers over what happened in the incident. Twenty-five intelligence experts and four special forces crew were killed when the helicopter crashed...
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Civil servant wins claim for ministers’ unfair treatment
A CIVIL servant who asked a friend to warn Nicola Sturgeon about alleged “corruption” at a top quango has been awarded damages after a tribunal found he was unfairly treated by the Scottish Government. In a judgment issued in Edinburgh, the Employment...
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Warning of China security threat to Scots energy grid
SNP AND Labour ministers have been told “not to hand over” control of the UK’S and Scotland’s energy grid, to the Chinese Communist Party amid fears over a growing security threat from Beijing. The warning comes after Ming Yang Wind Power, China’s...
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CONFERENCE FOCUS
ROSS Greer was in a buoyant mood as he spoke to supporters and the press in Shawlands in Glasgow’s southside last week. He was in the political territory of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon who is stepping down from Holyrood next May. She has...
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Children wait 1,100 days for autism assessments
SCOTTISH children and young people have been forced to wait for more than 1,100 days to secure autism and ADHD assessments. Last month, The Herald sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to each of Scotland’s 14 regional NHS boards to ascertain how...
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Staff at crisis-hit HES ‘stressed and angry’
STAFF at crisis-hit Historic Environment Scotland (HES) are “stressed, upset and angry”, according to the head of the main trade union representing employees at the organisation. Richard Hardy, Prospect’s national secretary for Scotland and Ireland,...
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Complaint upheld on library’s gender critical book ban
THE National Library of Scotland withdrew a bestselling gender critical book from its centenary exhibition based on “inadequate consultation”, an independent advocate has said, as a major complaint was upheld. The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht, co-edited...
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Health board’s Peggie costs are revealed after challenge
OFFICIALS have agreed to reveal new costs in the Sandie Peggie employment tribunal against NHS Fife following a challenge by The Herald. NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) agreed The Herald’s request for a cost breakdown of legal fees was in the...
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Alas, poor England: this nation is now the biggest threat to the Union
SOMETIMES it’s frightening to stare too long at your own reflection. When I was a kid aged about 10, my pals and I played a game during sleepovers called “Mirror Monster”. We’d wait until it was late and all the adults were asleep, then we’d turn the...
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