Publication
Murrell in fresh legal aid row over SNP embezzlement case
PETER Murrell will still be entitled to taxpayer-funded legal aid despite being able to repay more than £400,000 he embezzled from the SNP, The Herald understands. The former SNP chief executive – and the estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon – was...
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Depth of Murrell’s deceit and spending laid bare
THE day after he bought a luxury motorhome in October 2020, Peter Murrell ordered a set of Amazon guidebooks promising “inspirational journeys” across Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland. By the time police seized the vehicle in April 2023, however,...
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Residents in flight from Beirut
A boy makes a victory sign from the back seat of a car loaded with belongings as residents flee their homes, after Israel ordered attacks on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital Beirut yesterday
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Scotland fly out
The Scotland squad sets off for Florida from Glasgow Airport on their World Cup campaign Inset, Billy Gilmour, injured in Saturday’s win over Curacao, was left behind as the players departed the team hotel
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Sturgeon will regret ignoring the SNP’S ‘awkward squad’
HAD the SNP robust checks and balances in place over how the party was run Peter Murrell would not have been able to embezzle more than £400,000 from it over 12 years. That was the blunt assessment the leading criminologist Professor David Wilson made...
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‘I won’t hide away. I’ve done nothing wrong’
NICOLA Sturgeon has said Peter Murrell “put me in considerable peril” as she vowed not to “hide away” from public scrutiny following the former SNP chief executive’s guilty plea. The remarks came less than 24 hours after Ms Sturgeon appeared at a book...
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Scott in the square after makeover
Liam Lochran, project manager at Glasgow City Council, with the statue of Sir Walter Scott at the top of the writer’s monument in George Square, which has undergone its biggest restoration since it was erected in 1837, part of the £20 million...
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Swinney rejects calls for Murrell inquiry
JOHN Swinney has rejected growing calls for an independent investigation into SNP finances in the wake of the Peter Murrell scandal – with a former Scottish Government cabinet secretary the latest to demand such a probe. Alex Neil, who served as both...
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Times are tough, but future can be glorious
THE new principal of the University of Glasgow has said the institution must prepare for “tough choices” despite its current position of strength, as financial pressures mount across Scotland’s higher education sector. In his first media interview...
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‘Gross breach of trust and an abuse of your privilege’
PETER Murrell was told he had committed a “gross breach of trust” after he admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP over a period of 12 years. The former chief executive of the party was remanded in custody after his lawyer, John Scullion...
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Playing bridge helped rebuild my life after stroke, says retired teacher
A RETIRED Scottish teacher has said playing bridge helped her rebuild her life and memory after a stroke led to her being placed under a do-notresuscitate (DNR) notice. Alice Cowieson, from Dairsie, near Cupar, Fife, is speaking out as part of a...
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Paradise found
MARTIN O’neill guided Celtic to the double yesterday as the Scottish champions beat Dunfermline 3-1 in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final. The 74-year-old now has nine major honours as a Celtic manager stretching over 26 years. Photos: Andrew Milligan...
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Move for new drivers to face Scots ‘curfews’
MINISTERS are seeking powers to bring in sweeping new restrictions on newly-qualified drivers in Scotland, including motoring “curfews”, after it has been revealed young motorists north of the Border are involved in injury crashes at around twice the...
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FM accused of ‘dividing’ Scotland over Sinn Féin
VETERANS and families of soldiers killed during the Troubles have accused John Swinney of “dividing” Scotland by refusing to apologise after calling for people to “move on” from Sinn Féin’s links to the Provisional IRA. Groups gathered outside the...
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Warning safety demands ‘not met’ after rig deaths
THE RMT union has warned offshore safety demands “have still not been met” after a second worker died on the same North Sea rig where crewman Jason Thomas vanished through a dislodged deck grating. The alarm comes just days after operator Ensco was...
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Swinney’s return
JOHN Swinney has promised to be a “First Minister for all of Scotland” after MSPS backed him to keep his job. Given the SNP’S place as the largest party in Holyrood, there was little doubt he would win parliament’s backing to continue as First...
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Government agency under fire over arms summit link
A SCOTTISH Government agency has been criticised for appearing alongside some of the world’s biggest arms companies at a defence industry summit in Glasgow. Scottish Enterprise will join BAE Systems, Thales UK, Leonardo and Ministry of Defence...
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‘Scars that will never heal’
SCOTTISH families who lost loved ones during the Troubles in Northern Ireland have condemned John Swinney after he said people should “move on” from Sinn Féin’s links to the IRA. More than 3,500 people were killed during the 30-year conflict, including...
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Donors back Sarwar to stay at Labour helm
BILLIONAIRE donors to Scottish Labour are backing Anas Sarwar remaining as party leader despite it suffering its worst election result since devolution. The Herald can reveal Sandy and James Easdale, who saw their wealth rise to £1.47 billion in this...
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Starmer fights for survival as leadership battle looms
SIR Keir Starmer’s authority lay in tatters last night after Wes Streeting resigned with a scathing personal attack on the Prime Minister and a route emerged for Andy Burnham to return to Westminster. The prospect of a lengthy and bitter leadership...
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State opening of Parliament
King Charles, wearing the Imperial State Crown and the Robe of State and Queen Camilla, wearing the George IV State Diadem, walk through the Royal Gallery during the State Opening of Parliament, in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
The First Minister tells us: ● Yes, I will work with Sinn Fein, people have got to move on ● Love of God and my family sustain me ● I am the man who saved the SNP
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Pressure rises on Starmer’s future as Scots aide quits
SIR Keir Starmer’s future as Prime Minister is in jeopardy after a Scottish aide to the UK Government resigned out of anger at his leadership. Melanie Ward, MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, became the fourth parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to...
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Virus ship evacuated
EVACUATIONS of passengers from a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak have begun, as Britons on board prepare to be flown home to isolate at the UK’S initial Covid quarantine site. The MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife yesterday morning, with Spain...
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AFTERMATH
SCOTLAND must have the power to decide its own future in the UK ahead of the next general election, John Swinney has insisted – with the SNP leader making clear he wants the country to be “fully Farage-proofed”. Yesterday, Mr Swinney took aim at Nigel...
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‘Scotland needs respect as a consequence of this outcome’
GOING into the election, the SNP’S position was that winning a majority was the “only uncontested way to deliver a new vote on Scotland’s future”. The voters of Scotland returned them to Holyrood as the biggest party, by quite some distance, but John...
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‘I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas’
SIR David Attenborough said he had been “completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings” as he thanked wellwishers “most sincerely” ahead of his centenary today. The beloved presenter and naturalist said he had hoped to celebrate his 100th birthday...
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Election in the balance as one in four are undecided
ONE in four Scottish voters could still change their mind on who they will back in the election, according to one of the last polls of the campaign. Emily Gray from Ipsos Scotland said the finding showed that “all the parties still have something to...
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Warship in Scotland ahead of Nato role Donald Erskine
THE Royal Navy’s largest and most powerful warship ever built has been pictured in a Scottish loch after refuelling and rearming before heading off to “protect UK waters”. The 280-metre-long ship, carrying helicopters and drones, left Portsmouth...
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Warning ambulance waits ‘pose high risk to patients’
NEARLY 350 ambulances were tied up at hospitals for over an hour every day last year, as the national service identified delays as a “very high” risk to patient safety in its corporate risk register. Official analysis shows 126,867 out of 355,593...
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Starry Scotch
HOLLYWOOD icon Harrison Ford has helped to create his own signature Scotch whisky that reflects his tastes, saying it is “everything I want” in a dram. The actor, who famously played Han Solo, is launching the limited edition Glenmorangie Highland...
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Scotland ‘lacks powers’ to end organised crime shop epidemic
SCOTS are exposed to organised crime on our high streets because authorities lack the legal powers to shut down rogue shops, ministers have been warned. Trading standards teams are concerned that criminal gangs are operating out of seemingly...
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Swinney formed ‘very big part’ of Trump whisky decision
First Minister John Swinney samples whisky during a visit to Deanston Distillery in Doune after US President Donald Trump said he would drop tariffs and import restrictions on whisky as a gesture following the state visit of King Charles and Queen...
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Golders Green anger at PM
Protesters critical of Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Golders Green yesterday, after two Jewish men were stabbed in north London. Police have declared the attack a terrorist incident Picture: Leon Neal/getty Images
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Crisis-hit HES may face post-election shake-up
STAFF at Scotland’s crisis-hit public heritage agency face a major shake-up if the SNP returns to power next month. The plans for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) are highlighted in the party’s manifesto for next Thursday’s Holyrood election and...
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Mental health follow-up waits rising in Scotland
MORE than 2,000 psychiatric patients across Scotland have waited longer than two weeks for follow-up care after being discharged from hospital, according to new figures obtained through freedom of information requests. The data, compiled by the...
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Patients in limbo over complaints on health treatment
PATIENTS and families raising complaints against some of Scotland’s health boards over standards of care and treatment failures are being left to wait around nine months for a response to their concerns. In some cases, health board patient relations...
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Rising Tides
DOZENS of festivals are now staged across Scotland’s islands every, with a packed schedule of events running from the end of April till the end of September. But the idea of an island festival was almost unthinkable when Orkney’s first was launched...
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Is BBC Scotland a ‘biased branch office of London’?
PROFESSOR Catherine Happer describes herself as a ‘critical friend’ of the BBC who fears the national broadcaster is in grave danger. Having previously worked for the BBC, the director of the Glasgow University Media Group’s critique will sting all...
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Voters courted with pre-election ‘goodies’
VOTERS are being wooed with election “goodies” instead of being told hard truths about Scotland’s strained public finances, a leading economist has warned. Speaking to The Herald’s Unspun Live podcast, David Phillips, head of devolved and local...
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‘No public bailout’ for private schools in Scotland
SCOTLAND’S private schools facing financial pressure have been told not to expect any “Dundee University-style” bailouts as there remains no guarantee education will directly benefit from new UK taxes on the sector. The Scottish Council of Independent...
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Ex-manager at RBS’S global restructuring group jailed
A FORMER manager in RBS’S controversial Global Restructuring Group (GRG) has been jailed for 21 months after admitting to seeking and receiving £275,000 in bribes from wealthy customers whose business portfolios he controlled. Stuart Holloway, 49, who...
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Council nurseries face hit under SNP childcare plans
COUNCIL-RUN nurseries could be put under significant strain to restructure and absorb new costs if a major election pledge requires them to expand childcare to children younger than two. In the SNP’S 2026 election manifesto, the party pledged to...
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Go Forth
HMS Queen Elizabeth at anchor in the Firth of Forth yesterday awaiting a tidal window to pass under the Forth Bridges after leaving Rosyth, Fife, following an extended maintenance period
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Scottish Greens make hint at fresh deal with the SNP
SCOTTISH Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay has given the strongest indication yet of a fresh deal with the SNP as she weighs up the role of deputy first minister. The relationship between the two pro-independence parties has been fractured following...
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Scots can only expect to ‘live in good health’ for 59 years
SCOTLAND’S health is deteriorating – and the warning signs are no longer subtle. Healthy life expectancy, the number of years a person can expect to live in good health, has fallen over the past decade, now standing at just 59.1 years for men and 59.4...
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Council set to pay £145m interest for £138m school
A COUNCIL expects to spend more than £278 million repaying loans for a new school currently estimated to cost £138m. East Dunbartonshire Council expects to borrow £133.3m to build a replacement for Lenzie Academy, and to pay £145m in interest on that...
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SNP unveils manifesto
First Minister and leader of the SNP John Swinney launches the SNP manifesto at Barras Art & Design in Glasgow yesterday, ahead of the Scottish Parliament election, taking place on May 7
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Stars at castle for Highlander remake
Actors Kevin Mckidd, Karen Gillan and Henry Cavill on location at Eilean Donan Castle, where they are filming a remake of the Highlander movie
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Build-to-rent supply drying up as construction hits low
THE pipeline of new build-to-rent homes is close to exhaustion, property chiefs have warned, as new figures show Scotland had the biggest drop in construction starts across the UK. The Scottish Property Federation (SPF) said the decline in...
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Ticket tax ‘would fund vital grassroots venues’
A MANDATORY £1 ticket tax would be imposed on all concerts and events for crowds bigger than 2,500 under new plans put forward by the Scottish Greens. Large-scale concert halls, arenas, festivals and stadium concerts are all expected to be affected by...
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Plan for 9,000 apprentices to tackle skills shortages
SCOTTISH Labour has promised to create 9,000 new apprenticeship places and overhaul Scotland’s skill system to make it more accessible and flexible as part of its Holyrood election manifesto. Launching the plans, Anas Sarwar said the party would...
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‘Impact to be catastrophic’
THE leader of Scotland’s largest trade union has described Scottish Government plans for public service reform which could lead to almost 20,000 job losses as ‘dangerous’ and ‘delusional’. Speaking exclusively to The Herald, Scottish Secretary of...
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Food production and holidays under threat
SCOTLAND’S farmers have warned of an “immediate and severe” crisis in food production due to events in the Middle East, while summer holidays could face widespread cancellations due to European shortages of aviation fuel. The Iran conflict has seen...
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SYP ‘did not take my sex claim case seriously’
A FORMER member of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) has accused the organisation of failing to take allegations of sexual harassment seriously and claimed they were never interviewed as part of an independent review. The whistleblower, a former...
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Starmer heads to Gulf
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrives at Taif Airbase in Saudi Arabia as part of a two-day visit to the Gulf region, to meet leaders of countries who have been in the front line and discuss diplomatic efforts to support the ceasefire for a lasting...
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Iran rejects ceasefire and calls for ‘war’s end’
IRAN has rejected the latest ceasefire proposal and instead said it wants a permanent end to the conflict in the Middle East. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said Tehran had conveyed its response through Pakistan, a key mediator. Mojtaba Ferdousi...
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PM to chair Cobra meeting amid human cost of Middle East war
PRIME Minister Sir Keir Starmer is due to chair a Cobra meeting today where senior ministers will discuss the ongoing economic hit caused by the war in the Middle East. The impact of the ongoing Strait of Hormuz blockade was compounded by Iran-backed...
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Rare Bronze Age shield comes home
Dr Matthew Knight with the ‘incredibly rare’ Bronze Age shield discovered in Beith, centre left, and five other shields, found in the Borders and Aberdeenshire in the 19th century. The Beith shield has returned to Scotland for the first time in more...
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‘I think this is the time’
ACCLAIMED actor Brian Cox joined the First Minister and thousands of independence supporters in Edinburgh yesterday for a Believe In Scotland rally. He told The Herald he was there as it was an “important day” for supporters of independence. He said:...
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Supermarket boss fires fuel shortage warning
PETROL pumps are suffering “temporary shortages” due to tight supply linked to the conflict in the Middle East, the boss of Asda warned yesterday. The UK’S second-largest fuel retailer also rejected accusations that petrol sellers might be...
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Flagship homes fund ‘will send prices up’
THE SNP’S flagship plans to help first-time buyers onto the property ladder could push house prices even higher, a leading Scottish think tank has warned. The £100 million First Homes Fund, announced by John Swinney at the SNP conference earlier this...
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Watchdog calls for crucial intervention on water bills
SCOTTISH Water’s plans to hike charges annually above inflation for the next six years will “substantially” hit household budgets, the consumer watchdog has warned. The company, which is publicly owned, last month published a final business plan for...
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Food inflation ‘to top 8%’ if conflict in Iran persists
HOUSEHOLDS face food inflation above 8% within months if disruption caused by the Iran war persists, grocery industry experts have warned. The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) said the conflict in the Middle East could result in food inflation...
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No update for current MSPS on rape trials ruling impact
MSPS will not receive an update on the impact of a landmark Supreme Court ruling on how rape trials are conducted, despite warnings current cases face delays while a surge of appeals against convictions is expected as a result of the judgment. Angela...
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Netanyahu at Israel blast site
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by Dimona mayor Benny Biton, speaks to media yesterday while visiting an area destroyed by an Iranian ballistic missile, leaving more than 50 residents wounded
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‘Critics should not mock Sturgeon’s farewell speech’
Did ex-fm’s enemies miss the point of ‘tribalism’ remarks? DANI GARAVELLI ‘Iran may now become a perilous sequel to invasion of Iraq’ DAVID PRATT
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Prayers at end of Ramadan
People gather at Glasgow Central Mosque yesterday for Eid al-fitr prayers, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. These worshippers had to sit outside as the main hall was at full capacity
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‘It’s time to move on, but it’s a wrench’
NICOLA Sturgeon reflected on her legacy as she delivered an emotional final speech in Holyrood. The former first minister is stepping down as Glasgow Southside MSP in May after 27 years as an elected politician. Ms Sturgeon admitted the “time is...
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