Publication

Social care leaders warn over Swinney’s NHS reform plans

JOHN Swinney has been warned social care risks being swallowed up by the NHS, after care leaders revealed they received no advance notice of the plans for reform. The First Minister announced in his Programme for Government a three-month period of...

Cushions and footrests

THE Scottish Government has spent millions of taxpayers’ cash furnishing rarely-used offices for civil servants. More than 9,000 core civil servants employed by the Scottish Government were asked to return to the office for at least 40% of the working...

Swinney to cut Scotland’s NHS health boards from 14 to two

SCOTLAND’S regional health boards are expected to be slashed from 14 to two under John Swinney’s ambitious reform plans. The Herald understands the merger is part of the First Minister’s Programme for Government, with a number of health organisations...

Plea for ‘action’ to restore Scots business confidence

SCOTLAND risks falling behind the rest of the UK unless ministers cut taxes and reduce the cost of doing business, the country’s largest business organisation has warned. The Scottish Chamber of Commerce (SCC) has urged the Scottish Government to use...

SURVIVING LORETTO

In 2023, Angus Bell broke his silence exclusively in The Herald. Now, he is bringing out a memoir and wants the public to understand just how deep such damage goes in our society.

Vision for civil service office empty by remote working

A RARELY-USED Scottish Government office building in Edinburgh could be transformed into a multi-purpose development designed to boost Leith’s economy as civil servants favour remote working. Victoria Quay, the four-storey building situated on Leith’s...

BMA chief: NHS putting reputation before patients

SCOTLAND’S health boards are too focused on “keeping the Scottish Government sweet” and protecting their reputations, at the expense of patient safety and doctors who dare to speak out, the country’s outgoing British Medical Association (BMA) chief has...

Nicola Sturgeon and Sanna Marin covered a lot of ground – except one key issue

Goodbye Bonnie

Reverend Canon Justin Davies holds a picture of Bonnie Tyler as the hearse, with a floral tribute, arrives for her funeral at Swansea Minster yesterday. The singer, famous for hit Total Eclipse of the Heart, died in hospital on July 8, aged 75

Unions brand SNP reforms a ‘dangerous cuts agenda’ for sector

SCOTLAND’S largest trade union body has accused ministers of pursuing a “dangerous brutal cuts agenda” through public service reform, warning that further workforce reductions risk damaging services already under mounting pressure. The Scottish Trades...

Drumming up crowds

TRADITIONAL music fans were banging the drum for the World Pipe Band Championships yesterday as the major event launched at Glasgow Green with hundreds of pipers and drummers assembling in the city.

School absence crisis risks ‘lost generation’ of Scots children

SCOTLAND has a “lost generation” of children who are at risk of leaving school without a job, further education or training, a leading psychologist has warned. The number of children considered severely absent from school – missing half of the school...

US pipe band entertains city’s shoppers

A PIPE band from Charlotte in North Carolina stopped shoppers in their tracks as they performed in Glasgow city centre. The Rose & Thistle Ladies Pipe Band entertained the crowds as part of Piping Live! as they prepare to compete at the World Pipe...

There goes the sun

MORE than 90% of the sun has been obscured by the moon, the most it has been blocked above Scotland’s skies since the total eclipse in 1999. Crowds of people could be seen at viewing spots in different locations – including Calton Hill, Edinburgh, and...

Stars on paper trail

Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson during a rehearsal ahead of their debut stage production of A History of Paper at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Perthshire

High old time for Festival acrobats

Acrobats from Revel Puck Circus: Wing Scuffle Spectacular jump to it at the Underbelly Circus Hub on the Meadows at the Edinburgh Fringe

Stark warning on plunging public trust in police force

ONE of Scotland’s most senior police officers has delivered a stark warning on the future of the public’s trust in tackling crime. Chief Superintendent Rob Hay, president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, questioned whether more...

Sturgeon: ‘Now I think, what a mug for worrying about Peter’

NICOLA Sturgeon has opened up about the arrest and guilty plea of Peter Murrell, saying she is still “coming to terms with being deeply betrayed by somebody I loved and trusted”. Speaking at an event at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the former first...

Miner’s son reveals £10m art collection

FROM a miners’ row in Bellshill to one of the world’s most significant private collections of Scottish art, Peter Shaw’s journey is extraordinary. Raised in a working-class family with deep roots in Lanarkshire’s coal mining communities, Shaw grew up...

Diageo to swing axe at distilleries in $1bn costs drive

SCOTCH whisky giant Diageo has moved to slash operating costs by $1 billion over the next three years as part of a strategy that has put jobs on the line at distilleries in Scotland. Chief executive Sir Dave Lewis, who earned the nickname “Drastic...

Man charged with murder of Minnie, 9

A Nine-year-old girl who was killed in Arbroath has been named by police, with 35-yearold Christopher Rice charged with her murder. Minnie Merriman was found with serious injuries on the Elliot Industrial Estate at around midnight on Monday. She was...

Gaza in mourning

The funeral of 112 members of the Hassayna and Abu Sharia clan, killed in an Israeli strike in 2023 and whose remains were recovered from beneath the rubble, in Gaza City

Military on the march for Tattoo

Members of the military rehearse for the 2026 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Redford Barracks in the capital. Dating back to 1949, the Tattoo is a performance of music, dance, military precision and technology, set against the backdrop of Edinburgh...

Muslim MP calls for action over far-right rally violence

SCOTLAND’S only ethnic-minority and Muslim MP has called on the Scottish Government to fund a cohesion strategy in the wake of last month’s violent far-right rally in Glasgow. Dr Zubir Ahmed said cuts to youth provision and to community policing meant...

‘A lot of egos’

SCOTTISH Labour may be “irreparably” fractured by a fiery leadership contest, according to insiders. But the fallout is not just over who will replace Anas Sarwar at the top of the party. Inside the Labour camp, the mood is lower now than after the...

BP quits the North Sea after 60 years

PRIME Minister Andy Burnham is under growing pressure to act to protect the North Sea oil and gas industry after BP announced it is selling its North Sea business after more than 60 years of production. The energy firm announced yesterday its...

Scottish Labour leadership race rocked by ‘stitch-up’ row

THE Scottish Labour leadership contest is facing turmoil as MPS and MSPS become caught up in “stitch-up” claims involving Monica Lennon and Michael Marra. Mr Marra, who is the frontrunner to replace Anas Sarwar at the top of Scottish Labour, has been...

Superstars

ALAN Cumming has persuaded Ewan Mcgregor to appear alongside him in a new play at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. The two actors will play a gay couple coming to terms with a life-changing dementia diagnosis in an adaptation of the feature film drama...

No building warrants secured by tenant at Princes Street fire site

THE company behind a row of tax-evading gift shops located in the charred remains of 109-112 Princes Street did not secure the necessary building warrants prior to re-fitting the former Debenhams department store. The Herald can reveal that a...

FM says business titan ‘helped shape modern Scotland’

SIR Ian Wood “helped shape modern Scotland”, First Minister John Swinney said, as tributes to the industrialist poured in from the business and political worlds. The Wood family announced Sir Ian’s death yesterday morning, saying he passed away...

Amnesty probing ‘serious’ errors amid Rowling row

AMNESTY International UK has admitted it is investigating new potentially “serious” errors in an ongoing “anti-rights” row involving JK Rowling and women’s organisations. The UK arm of the global human rights charity described Beira’s Place – the...

VIOLENCE

erupted between anti-immigration and anti-racism protesters in Glasgow yesterday as police chased and held back ‘Unite the Clans’ demonstrators who ran towards an anti-fascist group, with many on both sides wearing masks.

Village evacuated amid Cairngorms wildfire

POLICE declared a major incident last night as emergency services continued to respond to the ongoing wildfire within the Cairngorms National Park. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said the decision followed a “significant change” in...

PM tells Swinney indyref2 ‘off-limits’

ANDY Burnham insisted Scottish independence was “off-limits” in his first meeting with John Swinney since becoming Prime Minister. The pair met in Glasgow ahead of the opening of the Commonwealth Games, with Mr Swinney telling journalists there were...

Civil servants blame plunging morale on hybrid work policy

CIVIL servants in Scotland have blamed the Scottish Government’s hybrid working policy, leadership and culture for declining staff morale. More than 9,000 core civil servants were told to return to the office at least 40% of the week from October last...

EXCLUSIVE: Glasgow School of Art bosses reveal they cannot afford to rebuild the Mack

GLASGOW School of Art (GSA) cannot afford to fully rebuild the fire-damaged Mackintosh Building on its own, the board of governors has confirmed. The school will today unveil plans to begin work next summer “stabilising” the historic A-listed...

‘Plain road and a humble microphone will do for our Andy’

SOMETHING was missing as new Prime Minister Andrew Murray Burnham (I kid you not) stood in Downing Street addressing the UK for the first time as premier. It was not self-confidence or ambition; he had those in abundance, enough to catapult him into...

Hints of ‘pragmatic’ oil and gas policy under new PM

ANDY Burnham is due to become the UK’S seventh Prime Minister in 10 years today and is expected to make announcements including a “more pragmatic approach” to North Sea oil and gas. Reports over the weekend have suggested the former Greater Manchester...

Sturgeon turns the other cheek at Pride

AFTER a week where Tory MP David Davis used parliamentary privilege to accuse Nicola Sturgeon of ‘lying’ about the crimes of estranged husband Peter Murrell, the former FM has broken cover to appear at Pride in Glasgow.

Pensions chaos means over 18,000 civil servants have to take lump sums

MORE than 18,000 retired civil servants have been forced into taking lump sums from their pension instead of monthly payments after being locked out of the scheme for months. Significant delays began after administration of the civil service pensions...

Masterpiece’s new home

CHRIST of St John of the Cross by Salvador Dalí has been moved to a new bespoke space in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, “recognising the huge cultural significance of the artwork for the city”. Glasgow Life, the charity that delivers culture and...

JK Rowling’s women’s aid centre takes on Amnesty

LAWYERS for Beira’s Place, the sexual violence support centre founded by JK Rowling, have warned Amnesty International UK it faces court action unless it permanently drops a report labelling the charity “anti-rights” and publishes an apology on its...

‘Desperate bid’ to link Yes Scotland to Murrell crime

YES Scotland lawyers have claimed there is a “desperate attempt” to link Peter Murrell’s embezzlement crimes to the pro-independence organisation. Aamer Anwar, a leading Scottish lawyer who is also representing Nicola Sturgeon, said Murrell, the...

Bangkok tragedy toll

A HUGE fire has torn through a music bar in Bangkok, killing at least 27 people and leaving 25 in hospital in critical condition. Photographs from the Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar in a northern part of the Thai capital showed people fleeing as flames shot...

Kim the conqueror

Sport

Billionaire Easdale brothers take legal action against Scot Gov in ‘snub’ row

BUS firm Mcgill’s has launched a “multi-million-pound” legal action after being rejected as part of a Scottish Government scheme for electric buses. It was announced in March that the latest round of funding for the Scottish Zero Emission Bus...

‘We fought to stop council cutting teachers – now it is billing us for £44,000’

GLASGOW City Council has demanded that a local parents’ group pay it tens of thousands of pounds before the end of the month, The Herald can reveal. Officials are pursuing Glasgow City Parents Group (GCPG) for more than £40,000 following a failed...

MP belittles Dunblane massacre as just ‘one murder’

RESTORE Britain leader Rupert Lowe has provoked anger in Scotland after dismissing the 1996 Dunblane school massacre as “one murder” during a lengthy appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, one of the world’s biggest podcasts. Sixteen children, all...

Edinburgh £80m arena faces delay amid supply chain strain

EDINBURGH’S long-awaited indoor concert arena has stalled due to challenges in the Scottish construction industry, The Herald can reveal. Work is yet to start on the 8,500-capacity venue, more than two years after planning permission was secured, due...

Farage resigns Commons seat to trigger by-election

NIGEL Farage has resigned as an MP, triggering a by-election in his Clacton constituency, which he intends to contest. The Reform UK leader said it would be a “people versus the establishment” vote. So far, Labour, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems...

Crowds mourn Iran leader

Mourners at the funeral procession of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, seen on the banner, in the capital Tehran

Stars make Odyssey to movie premiere

MOVIE stars Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon walked the red carpet in London last night for the premiere of Odyssey, a new big-budget drama whose sweeping visuals were shot on the Moray coast. The event took place at the IET Building on the...

‘Blighted by low turnouts’ Majority of Scots back compulsory voting in UK elections

A NARROW majority of Scots supports making voting compulsory at UK general elections, according to new polling, amid growing concern over Scotland’s slump in voter turnout. The Scotland-only figures seen by The Herald found that 51.2% of Scottish...

Capital told not to copy ‘coning’

CAN a once uniquely Glaswegian tradition survive its journey eastward? The Herald’s Edinburgh Correspondent says it is time for the capital to call time on “coning”, which has become a social media trend in the wake of Scotland fans’ World Cup...

HES chair Jones quits role early after less than a year Kathleen Nutt

SCOTLAND’S troubled heritage agency is seeking a new chair after Sir Mark Jones confirmed his resignation – stepping down from the role more than three years early. Sir Mark was appointed by former culture secretary Angus Robertson as the chair of...

Pressure mounts on Swinney over calls for Glasgow mayor

for more power to flow into places including Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Paisley and Easterhouse as he claimed areas such as Dundee feel “distant” from Holyrood. Mr Swinney has since rejected Mr Burnham’s comments as “polemics” and said he was not in a...

Top EU diplomat in Scottish universities Brexit warning

THE European Union’s most senior diplomat in the UK has underlined concerns raised with him about a decline in the number of EU students at Scottish universities in the wake of Brexit. Pedro Serrano, the EU’S Ambassador to the UK, said universities in...

Dame Penelope Keith, beloved star of The Good Life and To The Manor Born, dies aged 86

FROM playing social climber Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life to aristocrat Audrey fforbeshamilton in To The Manor Born, Dame Penelope Keith, who has died at the age of 86, was known for her snobby yet lovable and humorous characters. Born on April 2,...

Festivals bring £850m to boost Scotland’s coffers

THE overall value of Edinburgh’s flagship festivals to the Scottish economy has soared to more than £850 million, new research has revealed. Calls for more investment in Edinburgh’s year-round cultural programme have been stepped up after it emerged...

‘Murrell wanted attention’

A leading criminologist tells Kathleen Nutt that Peter Murrell’s embezzlement reflected personal turmoil – not greed – while Rebecca Mccurdy explores how he will pay back the £400K he took from the party.

Building firms blame taxes as jobs face axe

CONSTRUCTION companies are being pushed “to the brink” by UK Government tax rises and soaring costs, threatening jobs for young people and housebuilding targets, an industry leader has warned. Nearly half of construction planthire firms – 49% – expect...

Earthquakes rock Venezuela

VENEZUELANS searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair of powerful earthquakes that officials say killed at least 188 people and left more than 200 trapped. Many more were feared...

Waiting game

Sport & Page 7

‘Murrell’s conviction binds him to Nicola Sturgeon forever’

PETER Murrell arrived punctually for sentencing. If anything, the prisoner transport was a touch early. The shutters had yet to go up at the High Court in Edinburgh, and in the 20-second delay, photographers swarmed around the van taking pictures....

Burnham poised to take power after Starmer exit

ANDY Burnham is now the overwhelming favourite to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader and, in turn, become Britain’s next prime minister. If he enters No 10, he will be the seventh prime minister in a decade. The previous seven, from Ted Heath...

Glasgow’s future: Why Scotland’s biggest city is back on our agenda

GLASGOW is widely celebrated for reinventing itself three distinct times throughout its history, evolving from a humble medieval religious settlement into an industrial empire, and eventually into a modern global hub for culture and the arts. The...

Scotland’s exports to EU down £1 billion each year

SCOTLAND is selling around £1 billion a year less to Europe than it did before Brexit - as campaigners call for a rethink over the nation’s relationship with the EU. Analysis of official trade data seen by The Herald shows exports from Scotland to...

Moroccan defeat leaves Tartan Army looking for a Miami miracle

– Sport

Brexit costing Scotland £30bn annually

BREXIT has made Scotland almost £30 billion a year worse off, with the country the most damaged of UK devolved nations, a new academic study has found. The paper, “Measuring the Regional Economic Cost of Brexit: Evidence as of 2026”, by a team of...