#snp

#snp

Swinney has signaled a softening of his stance on new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, stating that energy security should be considered in new decisions.

Next year will be pivotal in British politics, and 7 May will be the point around which things pivot. Elections to local councils, the Scottish parliament and the Welsh Senedd will give millions of voters across the UK a chance to express party preferences. Their verdicts could imperil Labour and Conservative leaders. In Wales, Labour might be sent into opposition for the first time since devolution. Plaid Cymru and Reform UK are set to make substantial gains.

Viewed through the Westminster prism, UK electoral politics seems a five-party contest. The narrative has been well aired in the conference season. The three established parties Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are each battling to peg back the Reform UK surge, with the Greens hovering in the wings. In Scotland and Wales, however, there are different pictures that the Westminster prism does not see.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) is set to intensify pressure on Sir Keir Starmer, threatening to compel a parliamentary vote on recognition of Palestinian statehood by the UK.

The suggestion that the Jewish state exercises outsized influence in domestic politics alludes to an age-old trope and is a breach of the International (IHRA) Definition of Antisemitism.

Nigel Farage's Reform UK achieved 26% in a byelection, outperforming polling and suggesting increased mobilization of non-voters, highlighting a potential shift in British politics.