Furlough disputes could ruin Scottish businesses, warns SNP MP

lockdown.

UK Government to end its furlough scheme next month.She has also made clear it will not be 'acceptable' for the initiative to stop without Scotland being given the ability to set up an alternative.The First Minister said the UK Government ending the scheme – set up by Chancellor Rishi Sunak at the height of the coronavirus pandemic – will “narrow the options available to us in controlling the spread of the virus in the next few months”.By the end of June, some 736,500 workers across Scotland had

sex trafficking gang luring vulnerable women to Scotland has been busted in a series of raids across Europe.Guns, knives, luxury cars and cash were seized by officers and 24 traffickers were arrested in raids in Scotland, England and Romania yesterday.Trafficking victims who had been snared by the violent gang were also rescued in the UK and Romania.The operation spearheaded by Police Scotland saw four properties in Glasgow and Aberdeen targeted as part of a series of co-ordinated dawn raids.Ten

Alex Salmond has said he could go back to court to help retrieve key documents for the Holyrood inquiry into the Government’s bungled sexual misconduct investigation. David McKie told the Scottish Parliament committee Salmond is willing to try to access information that is not being handed over by Nicola Sturgeon ’s Government.

Get the stories that interest you straight to your inbox every day with our personalised newsletterPrestwick Airport has been criticised for how workers have been treated while on furlough. Bosses did not top up furlough pay past the 80 per cent wages awarded by the UK Government.Instead staff have had to use holidays to make their pay packet up to 100 per cent at the Scottish Government owned airport. A councillor said: “I am concerned that Scottish Government airport employees did not receive

UK markets after Brexit could undermine Holyrood's powers.

Ian Blackford has accused Boris Johnson of being prepared to see unemployment at levels last seen under Margaret Thatcher by withdrawing the furlough scheme in October. Scots can see a "tale of two governments" in response to the economic fall-out from the coronavirus crisis, the SNP Westminster leader claimed.

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our personalised newsletter.THE SNP must tackle the “ticking time bomb” of operation backlogs says Tory MSP Graham Simpson.The latest figures from ISD Scotland showed that 1944 fewer NHS Lanarkshire patients had operations in June than 12 months previously.Central Scotland MSP Mr Simpson said: “The continued backlog of operations is of huge concern to patients who have already been suffering in recent weeks and months.“While it

Join thousands of others and get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox every Friday.Pro-Union campaigners have claimed the UK is "more valuable than ever" to Scotland as the annual report on the nation's finances found its notional deficit has grown again.The 2020 Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) publication - which examines how much the country raises in taxes compared to how much it spends on public services - found a gap of £15.1 billion in 2019-20,

Alex Neil warns voters will reject independence if it means rejoining the EU and erecting "customs barriers" at the border. The ex Scottish Government minister was the only one in Nicola Sturgeon's cabinet to support Brexit.

flooding has been issued for Scotland as Storm Francis sweeps its way across the country.Up to 90mm of rain is set to fall, with gusts of 70mph predicted.The warning came into force at midnight and stays in place until 6am on Wednesday.Met Office forecasters say the 'bands of rain' will 'hang around for most of the day' north of the border.The warning covers southern Scotland and the central belt, with cites including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth and Stirling expected to be hit.Most of northern

The SNP must be 'honest' about the economic reality of Scottish independence in a post-Covid world, pro-Union campaigners have said. It comes as the Scottish Government prepares to publish its annual GERS report this week, which estimates the difference between what Scotland raises in taxation and what is spent on its public services.

Alex Neil has announced he will stand down as an MSP at next year's Holyrood election. The ex- health secretary is the latest former member of Alex Salmond's Cabinet to step away from the Scottish Parliament, with Stewart Stevenson and Roseanna Cunningham having previously revealed their intention to quit in 2021.

Nicola Sturgeon has made a renewed call for the UK Government to extend the furlough scheme beyond October amid fears unemployment will rocket when it is removed. The First Minister said the Treasury should follow the example of France and Germany by extending economic support for businesses which were forced to close during lockdown.

exam results for English pupils. The shambles comes one week after the Scottish Government became the first of four UK administrations to bow to mounting pressure and scrap downgraded results.

independence referendum pledge will be in the SNP's manifesto for the what she called the "most important" election in Scottish history. The SNP leader committed to offering indyref2 despite a clear and constant refusal by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to allow another vote on the constitution.

school results scandal.The First Minister praised Professor Mark Priestley, who came out for the SNP at the general election, for his skills and experience and said he is the right person for the job.Education Secretary John Swinney this week made a u-turn after confirming that around 120,000 downgraded results would be reversed following a backlash by pupils and parents.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood,

SNP members have demanded they keep a place at the "decision-making table" as the fall-out from a row over how the party selects its candidates continues. Divisions among Nationalists have emerged after the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) ruled that any sitting MP would have to resign their seat  before they could stand for election to the Scottish Parliament.