Nicola Sturgeon 'bold promises' amount to 14 years of failure says Douglas Ross

Join thousands of others in getting the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox.Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross hit the campaign trail in Renfrewshire North and West in a bid to boost candidate Julie Pirone's election chances.As polling day draws ever closer, the pair were out and about in Renfrew over the weekend as Mrs Pirone continued her fight to become the constituency's first Tory MSP.Since the seat was first created in 2011, it has belonged to former SNP MSP Derek

Prime Minister over who paid for the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat.

Today programme the SNP leader said the Scottish Government would negotiate terms to "allow businesses to keep trading". Sturgeon said: "This is the frankness that certain sections of the media will seek to stir up trouble on - I am not denying that we would need to confront and resolve the issues of being in the European Union for the border between Scotland and England.

the border with England, to call for supporters of the Union to back his party at next week's Holyrood election to prevent the SNP from winning an overall majority of MSPs. Ross said there was a "very real" danger that Holyrood could be filled with a "supermajority" of pro-independence politicians clamouring for an IndyRef2 to take place in the first half of the next parliament.

Scottish Lib Dems have produced a mock cheque in Ross’ name which shows the cash windfall he would benefit from. Income tax rates and bands are a matter for the Scottish Parliament, with middle and higher income earners paying more than people south of the border.

signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood, Westminster and local councils, with a current focus on how our governments are handling the coronavirus pandemic.To sign up, simply enter your email address into the pink box near the top of this article.Alternatively, you can visit our newsletter sign up-centre.

Johnson was also accused of approving “tax breaks by text” after he told billionaire inventor Sir James Dyson the Chancellor would “fix” a tax issue for his staff working on making ventilators in the early part of the pandemic.

could create jobs in the south of the country. But the First Minister insisted: “Nobody in the SNP wants to see a border between Scotland and England”.

The same poll predicts that the Scottish Conservatives will return 32 MSPs, one more than in 2016. However there would still be a pro-independence majority at Holyrood, with the Scottish Greens forecast to return eight MSPs, two more than 2016.Ross said: “It is on a knife edge.

Join thousands of others in getting the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon vowed to secure the future of the Vale of Leven Hospital on a visit to Alexandria this morning.The SNP politician visited Dumbarton and the Vale earlier today on the campaign trail with local candidate Toni Giugliano, who is hoping to take the party’s first victory in Dumbarton since the creation of the current Scottish Parliament.Just 109 votes separated the SNP’s Gail

National Union of Students leaders' hustings last night where representatives from the main five parties discussed a range of issues. During the argument between Sturgeon and Ross, the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar jumped in to say they weren't setting a good example for young people across the country by shouting at each other.

Ross said: “If it was possible for him to come up north of the border that would be great, but I’m not putting any pressure on him.” He added: “He is also leading the UK effort against a global pandemic and I think people understand in this strange election campaign in terms of the restrictions that we’ve all got to deal with, that it may not be as easy as for the Prime Minister to come.”The move came as Downing Street issued a joint statement from the British and Indian governments cancelling

Parliament term, if she is re-elected.The First Minister revealed her plans for a second vote on Scotland's future during the SNP's manifesto launch earlier today.The SNP says it is seeking permission from the Scottish people to hold indyref2 following the devastating coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 10,000 Scots.

@scotgov and the people of Scotland - to Her Majesty The Queen and her family." The Palace said in a statement: "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh."His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle."Further announcements will made in due course."The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss."

indyref2 by the end of 2023 if the country is still “grappling” with covid.She also insisted she would not speak to Alex Salmond after the election and criticised his refusal to blame Russia for the Salisbury poisonings in 2018.Polling suggests the SNP is on course to win an outright majority at next month’s election.A key part of an SNP fourth term would be seeking a joint agreement with the UK Government on a second referendum.She has said she wants a fresh vote on Scotland’s constitutional

former First Minister also hit out at an apparent absence of “will, determination and statecraft” over the last seven years - the period in which Sturgeon has led the country.Salmond launched a new pro-indy party, Alba, in the wake of his bitter fallout with Nicola Sturgeon.Alba’s aim is to secure a “super majority” of pro-independence MSPs and is only contesting the regional List elections for Holyrood.However, despite preaching pro-independence unity, Salmond has criticised his predecessor’s

following a bad-tempered local campaign in the Ross, Skye, and Lochaber constituency.

SNP, even if that was not a Tory.Ross made the comments during a BBC Scotland radio phone-in, after one caller said he was thinking of voting Labour because their candidate had a better chance of unseating the SNP MSP.Asked “should a Conservative vote for Labour, who have a chance of winning?”, the Tory leader replied: “I think, across the country, people should look at their individual constituency and vote for the strongest candidate, which in most cases is a Conservative candidate, to defeat

Scotland. The First Minister made the announcement at her coronavirus briefing at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh earlier today.