Former Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell urges UK and Scottish parliaments to hold a joint inquiry into Peter Murrell's £400,000 embezzlement from the SNP. He suggests this would avoid perceptions of a cover-up or a "hatchet job" and examine the relationship between the prosecution service and government.
Q Manivannan, a Green Party MSP elected on a student visa set to expire by year-end, sparks debate over eligibility for Scottish Parliament, with opponents questioning their ability to serve the full term and the party defending the unanimous rule change allowing non-UK citizens with limited leave to remain to stand for election.
A non-binary transgender Indian national, Q Manivannan, has been elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) on a student visa. This historic win marks the first time a foreign citizen without permanent residency has held such a position. Manivannan's election has drawn controversy, with debates arising over their immigration status and political stance.
Labour party loses more than 1,400 English council seats and crashes out in Welsh and Scottish parliament votes• UK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer, the British prime minister, is facing increasing pressure to set a date for his departure after elections across much of the country resulted in massive losses for his ruling Labour party.With the bulk of results now counted after voting on Thursday, Labour had lost more than 1,400 representatives from English councils, the local government structures that deliver many neighbourhood services. Continue reading...
Results of elections for councils in England, the Senedd in Wales and the Scottish parliament could transform Great Britain’s political landscapePolls have closed across England, Scotland and Wales for local, mayoral and parliamentary elections, with the first results to be announced within hours.More than 30 million people across Britain were given the opportunity to vote on Thursday in what is widely seen as the biggest test for Keir Starmer since the 2024 general election. Results across three nations could fundamentally change the political landscape and could have repercussions for the prime minister. Continue reading...
The Scottish parliament election is the most unpredictable for some time, with Labour claiming it is winning over the don’t knowsIt was supposed to be a carefully choreographed walkabout for John Swinney through his party’s target seat of Hamilton. Instead, the Scottish National party leader was confronted by angry voters, including his own.Natasha Kelly, 35, railed against the local council’s failure to improve the damp council flat that had left her 13- and eight-year-old boys with chronic asthma. Continue reading...
Polls suggest Reform could win most seats in Senedd election but party is unlikely to be able to form governmentUK politics live – latest updatesOn a sunny but cold evening in a shopping centre car park on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil, Reform UK supporters enjoyed free pizza and loud music as they waited for what the party leader, Nigel Farage, said was his last big speech before Thursday’s Welsh Senedd, Scottish parliament and English local elections.Reform could win the most seats under Wales’s new more proportional voting system but it is unlikely to be able to form a government, as other parties have ruled out going into coalition with it. Yet Farage’s outfit is the first rightwing party with a shot at winning in Wales since the 1850s. The surge in support for a party that got 1% of the vote in the last Senedd election is impossible to ignore. Continue reading...
Polls suggest Reform could win most seats in Senedd election but party is unlikely to be able to form governmentUK politics live – latest updatesOn a sunny but cold evening in a shopping centre car park on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil, Reform UK supporters enjoyed free pizza and loud music as they waited for what the party leader, Nigel Farage, said was his last big speech before Thursday’s Welsh Senedd, Scottish parliament and English local elections.Reform could win the most seats under Wales’s new more proportional voting system but it is unlikely to be able to form a government, as other parties have ruled out going into coalition with it. Yet Farage’s outfit is the first rightwing party with a shot at winning in Wales since the 1850s. The surge in support for a party that got 1% of the vote in the last Senedd election is impossible to ignore. Continue reading...
The final week of campaigning for the Scottish parliament, Welsh Senedd and English local elections begins with Labour facing a damaging forecast. Elections expert Robert Hayward predicts Labour will lose 1850 seats nationwide, while Reform UK emerges as the biggest gainer with 1550 seats. The Conservatives are forecast to lose 600 seats, with Greens gaining 500 and Lib Dems 150. Political leaders are also focusing on responding to the Golders Green stabbing and antisemitism threats, described as a "national security emergency" by Jonathan Hall KC.
John Swinney will press for independence powers on the first day of the next Scottish parliament even without an overall SNP majority, relying on Scottish Greens support. The First Minister's stance marks a shift from his previous position that a majority was a precondition, despite it being in the party's 2026 manifesto. The UK government has repeatedly refused to approve a referendum, and the Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that only Westminster can legislate for one.
First Minister John Swinney has told BBC News he is confident the SNP will win a majority at next month's Scottish Parliament election on 7 May. Swinney predicts the party will secure the 65 seats needed for a majority, which he says would provide a mandate for a second independence referendum. The SNP has been in power for almost 20 years, previously winning a majority in 2011 that led to the 2014 independence vote. Other parties including Labour, Lib Dems, Greens and Reform UK have urged voters to prevent an SNP majority.
