NEW: Scot Govt announces furlough scheme for workers at Alexander Dennis bus manufacturers
Scot Govt putting in approx £4m which will cover 80% of staff wages - company will cover the other 20%
Scheme will run for up to 26 weeks to give firm more time to secure orders
NEW: Pilot scheme giving rape and sexual assault victims free access to court transcripts to be made a legal entitlement in Scotland
Scot Govt's accepted an amendment ahead of a vote on the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill
hellorayo.co.uk/clyde/local/...
NEW: SNP candidate list for next year’s Holyrood election is out and includes some current and former MPs
The nominations for the 2025 Commercial Radio News Awards in association with IRN and Sky News have been announced.
Speaking with @brianleishmanmp.bsky.social about redundancy letters being given to workers at the Grangemouth oil refinery
He’s writing to the Prime Minister and is urging his Scottish Labour colleagues to sign the letter
I also asked him if the PM should come to Grangemouth - “absolutely”
NEW: Dundee City West MSP Joe Fitzpatrick becomes the latest SNP MSP to announce they’re stepping down at the 2026 election
“After 19 years as an MSP, I feel that now is the right time for me to step down and give someone else the opportunity to stand as the local SNP candidate”
The Finance Secretary says the agreements will make the budget better
The deal with the Greens and Lib Dems will cost £16.7m
Shona Robison has been setting out where the money will come from
“The budget is not a referendum on the SNP”
Alex Cole-Hamilton has been explaining why the Scottish Lib Dems re also going to support the Scottish Budget
He says they’ve secured “big money” for services for babies born addicted to drugs
The Scottish Government has secured a budget deal with the Scottish Greens and Scottish Lib Dems
Greens Finance Spokesperson Ross Greer says they’ve been promised more free school meals, a £2 bus fare cap trial and more money for nature restoration
Around 100,000 households without power in Scotland according to latest Scot Govt update
First Minister John Swinney also says "There are still too many lorries on the road and I urge all HGVs to follow Police Scotland advice not to travel during the red weather warning"
Speaking with @johnswinney.bsky.social about the red weather warning issued for high winds in large parts of Scotland
The First Minister says he’s very worried about the situation and is urging people to take the warning seriously
He’s chaired a meeting of the Scot Govts resilience room
The Lord Advocate has told lead ElJamel campaigner Jules Rose it could take up to 2 years to establish any criminality
More medical experts are also being appointed to speed up the process
I spoke with her following the meeting in Edinburgh earlier
NEW: The First Minister’s describing Meta’s decision to get rid of independent fact checkers for Facebook and Instagram as “alarming”
John Swinney says he’s also giving consideration to his and the Scottish Government’s continued use of X
Former First Minister Humza Yousaf is quitting frontline politics
hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hit...
NEW: After John Swinney told me there’s a “strong argument” for banning under 16s from social media - Scottish Secretary Ian Murray is warning against overregulation
He says the UK Government will only support a ban if it’s backed up by evidence
hellorayo.co.uk/clyde/local/...
Alba MSP Ash Regan has handed her Christmas list to ‘Santa’….
Free school meals for all primary pupils tops the list
The First Minister was speaking at the launch of his Christmas card
He invited youngsters supported by Children First to Bute House to discuss their concerns and hopes for 2025
A framed copy of the signed photo will be auctioned for the charity
NEW: The First Minister says the UK should consider following Australia in banning social media for under 16s
@johnswinney.bsky.social believes there’s a “strong argument” for it
He wants more done to protect youngsters from the “social media storm”
A deal breaker for Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton is more money and time being spent on Scottish independence
So will that feature in the budget?
The minority SNP Government will need support from elsewhere in Holyrood to get its budget through
The Finance Secretary says that’ll require compromise from all but is confident of securing agreement
🧵 The Finance Secretary has been speaking ahead of delivering the Scottish Budget this afternoon
Shona Robison was visiting Logan Energy in Wallyford to talk about the climate ambitions of the budget
A deal breaker for Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton is more money and time being spent on Scottish independence
So will that feature in the budget?
The minority SNP Government will need support from elsewhere in Holyrood to get its budget through
The Finance Secretary says that’ll require compromise from all but is confident of securing agreement
Workers and unions march outside the Scottish Parliament calling for the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery to be paused to allow for an independent review of the site
NEW: The national speed limit on Scotland’s single carriageways could be reduced to 50mph
A consultation on proposed changes has been published this morning
Speed limits for HGVs could also increase on single and dual carriageways
Full details here: www.transport.gov.scot/consultation...
Co-leader of the Scottish Greens @patrickharvie.bsky.social says any Donald Trump visit to Scotland should be met with mass protests
It’s after Eric Trump, son of the US President-elect, suggested he could be here next year for the opening of a new golf course in Aberdeenshire
“The evidence speaks for itself”
First Minister John Swinney rejects claims from Eric Trump that the Scottish Government’s made it”virtually impossible” to do business in Scotland
“This is remarkable Orwellian double-think from the Labour Party”
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville reacts to Anas Sarwar’s announcement on winter fuel payments
NEW: Anas Sarwar says Scottish Labour will reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland if it wins the 2026 Holyrood election
It was cut by the Labour UK Government leading to Scot Govt axing plans to create a devolved equivalent of the benefit due to costs
NEW: The Scottish Government’s pushing the pause button on plans for a national care service
It’s after council leaders and unions pulled support for the policy
The Minister for Social Care has written to Holyrood’s health committee with this update 👇
