#holyrood-election

#holyrood-election

This was a big, bold intervention from Anas Sarwar - to be the first leading Labour figure to call for the prime minister to go. He has done so out of frustration and anger. Anger at the prime minister's handling of the Mandelson mess. He said on Thursday that the Labour peer should never have been considered for the job of UK ambassador to Washington.

With eight months still to go until the Holyrood election, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has confidently predicted that the Conservatives will soon cease to be a political force in Scotland. Farage was speaking as he announced that Graham Simpson had joined Reform after becoming the third MSP to quit the Tories in the past four months. It leaves Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay facing enormous questions about the future of his party, which is now consistently trailing Reform in opinion polls.

John Swinney wants to build the highest levels of support possible for Scottish independence, referencing the 1997 referendum where 74% wanted a Scottish parliament.