Nicola Sturgeon to hold cabinet meeting over school closure plans today amid 'serious concern' over rising covid figures

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a tightening of lockdown restrictions as the number of Covid-19 cases in Scotland continue to rise.Under the changes click and collect services will be limited to only essential purchases, while restrictions were also applied on takeaways meaning that residents will only be able to collect orders from outdoors to limit social interaction.Essential click and collect

Covid-19 is higher than at the height of the pandemic last spring.

Nicola Sturgeon "acted in an honourable way" after former colleague Alex Salmond reportedly claimed she breached the ministerial code by misleading the Scottish Parliament. Former first minister Mr Salmond's submissions to an inquiry into sexual assault claims against him have been obtained by national newspapers, in which he claims Ms Sturgeon's evidence over when she knew about the allegations was "simply untrue".

Nicola Sturgeon is to meet Scotland’s Lord ­Advocate to discuss a possible ­turnaround on controversial drug laws.The First Minister made the pledge to activist Peter Krykant, whose mobile ­Overdose Prevention Centre, run from a converted minibus, is testing the resolve of police and prosecutors.After online talks with ­Sturgeon and new drugs policy minister Angela Constance last night, Krykant told the Record: “If you asked me a few weeks ago I’d have said I had zero hope of Scotland’s drug

schools will be closed for the entire of January as part of the new lockdown imposed across the country. Most pupils were scheduled to return to schools on the already-delayed date of January 18 after the winter break.

lockdown travel restrictions apply to Trump as much as anyone else, adding a golf trip is not an "essential purpose".The outgoing US president is refusing to accept defeat to Joe Biden, fuelling global speculation about what he will do on inauguration day on January 20.Sturgeon, at her first coronavirus briefing of the year, was asked if she knew whether Trump was planning to visit one of his golf resorts."I hope and expect the travel plan he immediately has is it exit the White house - beyond

MSPs have been recalled to the Scottish Parliament for an announcement on whether to keep schools closed for the rest of January.Nicola Sturgeon will chair an emergency meeting of the cabinet this morning ahead of the statement this afternoon.The First Minister is aiming to provide an outline on what more will be done to reduce Covid-19 infection rates across the country after huge surge in cases over the festive period.All of mainland Scotland has been in Tier 4 coronavirus restrictions since

In a series of tweets today, Ms Sturgeon said: "The rapid increase in Covid cases, driven by the new variant, is of very serious concern. The steep increases & severe NHS pressure being experienced in other parts of the UK is a sign of what may lie ahead.

Sturgeon is set to recall Holyrood on Monday as the Scottish cabinet meets to consider the possibility of keeping schools closed throughout January to fight the surge in new coronavirus cases.

Nicola Sturgeon has made another personal plea to Scots to stay away from loved ones to help stem the spread of coronavirus. The First Minister urged families to forsake the first-foot tradition as cases are "worryingly high".There were 2,539 new cases of the deadly virus reported in Scotland in the last 24 hours.Sturgeon tweeted: ":Today’s case numbers are worryingly high again."The new variant is accelerating spread.

First Minister tweeted just after the Brexit transition period formally ended at 11pm on December 31. Scotland's trading and travel relationships with EU countries will now be governed by the agreement announced by the UK Government on Christmas Eve.

link.“Our approach throughout the pandemic has been to engage with the public, explain the legislation and guidance, and encourage compliance, but we will not hesitate to continue to use our enforcement powers as a last resort."Please follow the Scottish Government's advice, which is to celebrate Hogmanay and the New Year with your own household only, in your own home."

fast-spreading form of coronavirus, first detected earlier this month.In a statement at Holyrood, she said: "This new strain appears to be fast becoming the dominant one circulating in Scotland - and that is obviously a cause for real concern, given that it is thought to be significantly more transmissible."As I indicated before Christmas, the severity of this challenge means we can't rule out the need for restrictions that are even tighter than those in the current level 4."Sturgeon spoke after

The SNP leader issued twitter rebuttal in response Tories labelling her “no-deal Nicola” online because of the SNP decision not to back the Tory Brexit deal.

immediately attacked the settlement, saying “there is no deal that will ever make up for what Brexit takes away from us.”On a historic Christmas Eve that will set Scotland and the UK on a different political course from the rest of Europe, Johnson boasted that his “jumbo-sized Canada-style deal” was what the country needs.Johnson said the agreement resolves the European question which has “bedevilled” British politics for generations.But as Sturgeon made plain the end of the Britain’s four

Boris Johnson said the deal would "benefit every party of the UK".The Prime Minister declared it would boost the fishing industry as well as the financial sector - two key employers north of the Border.European diplomats will meet on Christmas morning to review the deal on behalf of the EU's 27 member states, while MPs are likely to vote on the agreement on December 30.But the First Minister took a less than enthusiastic view.Sturgeon tweeted: “Before the spin starts, it’s worth remembering that

First Minister said there were "no excuses" for the breach and admitted she had been in the wrong.

direct to your inboxNicola Sturgeon has apologised after she breached coronavirus lockdown rules.Scotland's First Minister took off her face mask at a funeral wake to chat to three women in a bar, a photograph published in the Scottish Sun showed.While Ms Sturgeon kept her distance, under Scottish Government Covid rules, customers in hospitality venues must wear a face covering except when seated and must wear one when moving around.Ms Sturgeon was attending a funeral wake for a Scottish