Welcome to The Press and Journal’s politics morning briefing, it’s everything you need to know about politics in our region, and across the country, before you start your day.
New this morning
- Call for change as almost 200 north schools go decade without formal inspection.
- Free school meal pledges as SNP and Labour promise to tackle poverty.
- Raab condemns Myanmar regime’s ‘bullying actions’ of ambassador in London.
- Hong Kong families moving to UK to benefit from £43m support package.
Coming up today:
- Coming up on Election Hub Live this afternoon we’ve got Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross joining us for a chat from the campaign trail. St Andrew’s University’s Stephen Gethins, a former SNP MP, will be discussing whether Scotland needs its own foreign policy. Lib Dem candidate Molly Nolan tells us why Highlands voters should cast a ballot from her, and we’ve got all the day’s latest politics headlines. Watch us live at 2pm on our website or Facebook page, or catch the re-stream at any time on all your devices.
- Nicola Sturgeon is to announce plans to provide free school breakfasts and lunches to every primary school pupil in the country.
- Tories are pledging to increase funding for mental health services by hundreds of millions of pounds if they win May’s Holyrood election.
- Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Willie Rennie will be joined by UK party leader Ed Davey at a wholesaler to discuss plans to support small business.
- Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar will visit a Scottish Power Training Centre to meet apprentices who are making electric vehicles.
- Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie and North East candidate Guy Ingerson will discuss the party’s proposals to end subsidies for oil and gas and build a fair transition for workers to a renewables-based economy.
In case you missed it
- Scottish Election 2021: Here’s what happened in the Holyrood campaign on April 7.
- George Galloway claims independence could break up Scotland and leave north-east and islands in UK.
- Alex Salmond branded ‘utter disgrace’ over Russia comments as he claims Nicola Sturgeon could have done more for independence.
- Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP on course for 11-seat Holyrood majority.
- Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: Alba Party candidate facing legal hearing.
- Election Hub Live recap: Rural housing crisis, Russian disinformation, and doing business in the pandemic.
- Kate Forbes pledges action on rural housing crisis.
- Market traders on doing business during the pandemic.
🐑Do you want to see @standupfarmer Jim Smith interviewing #Scotland's political party leaders ahead of the election? Well of course you do, and we're going to make it happen at @thecourieruk and @pressjournal. Stay tuned!🗳️🏴 *sheepdog not included. #ElectionHub #SE2021 pic.twitter.com/Qk7ThfqQcQ
— David Mac Dougall (@davidmacdougall) April 7, 2021