Nicola Sturgeon under fire in row over Covid comparisons with England

Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland is not in the midst of a second coronavirus wave despite a recent spike in cases. The First Minister said at the Scottish Government's briefing on Wednesday that the increase - from two daily cases in early July to 50 in the most recent figures - is a "spike in the first wave".She added it is not clear if there will be a second wave of the virus.

Join thousands of others and get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox every Friday.Nicola Sturgeon said there are no outbreaks of coronavirus in primary schools after concerns pupils were testing positive.The First Minister confirmed more cases since the return to class full time in Scotland last week, but said they were linked to communities rather than schools."We are not seeing outbreaks in primary schools, we are seeing individual cases of primary school aged

pupils contracting Covid-19 is inevitable, Nicola Sturgeon has said. The First Minister spoke about the clusters of the virus across the country, including those affecting schools, at the Scottish Government's coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh on Tuesday.

harassment.Civil service boss Leslie Evans confirmed she raised the issue with Sturgeon in November 2017 after learning about media interest in an "incident" at Edinburgh Airport.It adds to growing questions about the government's timeline of events while the Scottish Government was drawing up a complaints policy designed to cover former ministers.Evans was appearing before MSPs on a special Holyrood committee set up to investigate the Scottish Government's botched handling of their inquiry into

blended learning if virus outbreaks meant it was required to keep pupils and teachers safe. But the First Minister stressed the Scottish Government's priority remained keeping children in class full-time and returning schools as close as possible to normal.

coronavirus in the last 24 hours in Scotland, the First Minister has announced today. But there have now been zero deaths related to the killer virus since July.

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,

pupils across Scotland caught up in an exams fiasco which penalised pupils in poorer communities.The First Minister made the significant apology days after pupils protested and calls were made for Education Secretary John Swinney to resign.At her regular briefing, Sturgeon said: "I do acknowledge that we did not get this right and I am sorry for that."The U-turn comes after defending a system brought in to grade pupils who were unable to sit normal exams because of the Covid-19 health

Nicola Sturgeon has said it is "bonkers" for people to question her commitment to Scottish independence as she confirmed her intention to stand in next year's Holyrood election. The First Minister also stated she would serve another full term if elected in the 2021 vote for the Scottish Parliament.

furious backlash by pupils and her own SNP colleagues. The First Minister admitted teenagers gathered in the middle of Glasgow were "entitled to be angry" but said they should rely on an appeals process.

Covid cases has broken out in the Greater Glasgow area. The First Minister said there were 17 confirmed cases in Scotland's largest health board yesterday - which includes the city as well as the neighbouring council areas of Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.

Nicola Sturgeon has said all pupils who are unhappy with their exam results will be able to appeal them for free as the Scottish Government faced mounting criticism over how grades were awarded. For the first time in more than 130 years, Scottish youngsters did not sit down for exams in May as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

bars and restaurants could face a “further shutdown” if Scots do not abide by strict public safety rules.The First Minister said pictures of a large queue outside an Aberdeen bar had made her want to cry.A key part of the Government’s policy of coming out of lockdown involved the reopening of pubs and restaurants.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood, Westminster and local councils, with a current focus on

pub too often after alarm at a rise in coronavirus cases.Around half of the latest positive cases of Covid-19 were among people in their 20s and 30s.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the levels are a reason for caution, while other parts of the world have also seen infection rates among young people surge.At a coronavirus briefing on Friday, Sturgeon said "nobody can safely get Covid", despite the disease causing more fatalities among older people.Urging people to "stick rigidly" to the latest

Port Glasgow, and an Amazon warehouse in Gourock, Inverclyde.Some of the cases visited the following locations when they may have been infectious to others:- The Botany on Maryhill Road in Glasgow- The Queen of the Loch by Marston's Inn, Balloch- Lomond Woods Holiday Park, Alexandria- Sweeney’s Cruises, BallochHealth and local environmental health staff are working closely with the all the businesses to trace any close contacts of the cases.Appropriate advice is being given to the individuals

coronavirus cases.The warning against non-essential travel also applies to anyone in affected areas, including Manchester, who had plans to visit Scotland.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the restrictions in the most significant step back to lockdown since the height of the pandemic in the UK.Sturgeon said: "I'm grateful to the Prime Minister for the update on the recent developments in the north west of England and all four nations agreed on the importance of sharing localised

Nicola Sturgeon has announced that pupils will be in the classroom full-time when schools return next month.Pupils will begin to return from August 11 and all young people will be back in full-time education by August 18.In a statement to Holyrood this afternoon the First Minister did say that some local authorities may opt for phased return but all pupils will have returned to school by August 18.A Scottish Government report reads: "The expectation is that all schools will reopen by August 11,

Get the stories that interest you straight to your inbox every day with our personalised newsletterNicola Sturgeon has confirmed Scottish schools will reopen from August 11.The First Minister said she expected all pupils to be back in full time education from August 18 at the latest.In a statement to Holyrood this lunchtime, Ms Sturgeon confirmed classrooms would re-open in full rather than adopting a "blended" learning approach, which had once been proposed.Every school will have to carry out a

Alex Salmond. The First Minister previously said Salmond had informed her about the complaints when they met at her house in April 2018.However, a new account claims Sturgeon was aware days earlier during a meeting with Salmond’s former chief of staff.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by 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