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Scotland’s new first minister is set to be announced today.

Nicola Sturgeon’s shock resignation sparked an explosive leadership contest with rows over religious beliefs, arguments about the recollection of past events, and widespread criticism of secrecy surrounding the vote.

The contest has also led to a number of other resignations, including that of Ms Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell as SNP chief executive.

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Scottish National Party leadership election
(left to right) SNP leadership candidates Ash Regan, Humza Yousaf and Kate Forbes taking part in the SNP leadership debate in Inverness. Picture date: Friday March 17, 2023.
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Ash Regan, Humza Yousaf and Kate Forbes at a leadership debate in Inverness earlier this month

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and former community safety minister Ash Regan are all in the running for the top job.

Whoever becomes the new SNP leader and first minister will face a number of difficult challenges as they take office.

Here are five of the key priorities that are expected to be at the top of their agenda.

Scottish independence supporters march through Glasgow during an All Under One Banner march. Picture date: Saturday May 14, 2022.
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Scottish independence supporters at an All Under One Banner march in Glasgow last year

Defining a clear plan for independence

The campaign for Scottish independence did not stop following the results of the 2014 referendum.

The SNP leadership candidates each believe they can lead Scotland to independence but are yet to define a clear route to indyref2.

A special conference due to be held earlier this month to discuss plans was postponed following Ms Sturgeon’s resignation.

Ms Sturgeon’s preference was to treat the next general election, which will be held no later than 24 January 2025, as a de facto referendum.

The new leader will not be obligated to follow the same course and an alternative could be to treat the next Holyrood election, due in 2026, as a de facto referendum.

However, the UK government refuses to consent to a second referendum and the UK Supreme Court last year ruled that the Scottish parliament cannot legislate for another vote without Westminster approval.

Independence supporters will be keen to hear what the new first minister’s plans are to overcome the block, while those who wish to remain part of the UK will be hoping for another decade of fruitless campaigning.

People take part in a demonstration for trans rights outside the UK Government Office at Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh. The UK Government made the decision on Monday to block the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, passed by the Scottish Government in December, to prevent it obtaining Royal Assent and becoming law. Picture date: Thursday January 19, 2023.
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Protesters took to the streets after the UK government blocked the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill

How to progress with gender recognition reforms

The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill has been a contentious issue within the SNP.

In October last year, Ms Regan quit as community safety minister shortly before MSPs began debating the first stage of the bill. A total of seven SNP MSPs broke the whip to vote against the bill, which would make it easier for trans people to obtain a gender recognition certificate.

It then became a constitutional dispute in January when the UK government took the unprecedented step of using section 35 of the Scotland Act to block the bill from receiving royal assent and becoming law.

The new first minister may wish to challenge the intervention in court. The bill could also be dropped altogether or amended to satisfy the UK government.

Mr Yousaf has stated it would be “responsible” to drop a potential legal challenge if the lord advocate believed the Scottish government would lose.

Ms Regan believes any court challenge would fail, while Ms Forbes has previously pledged to amend the legislation to ensure it cannot be blocked again.

Whatever the decision, there will be displeasure from certain camps and allies of the party.

Peter Krykant lays a wreath depicting 1935 the number of overdose deaths in Scotland during a ceremony to mark International Overdose Awareness Day outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh. Picture date: Tuesday August 31, 2021.
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Campaigner Peter Krykant laying a wreath outside the Scottish parliament to mark International Overdose Awareness Day in 2021

Tackling Scotland’s drug deaths shame

Drug misuse continues to blight Scotland’s neighbourhoods.

Official data released last year showed there were 1,330 deaths in 2021 due to drug misuse.

It was the first time in eight years the figure had decreased, but Scotland continues to have the highest drug death rate recorded by any country in Europe.

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Sky’s Beth Rigby was joined by Nicola Sturgeon earlier this month

The Scottish government has been attempting to increase access to rehabilitation and support for problematic drug use, including opening two family rehab centres.

An additional £250m has also been invested to tackle the “drug deaths emergency”.

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Does hunger for independence remain in Scotland’s ‘Yes’ towns and cities?

In Full: Watch the SNP Leadership Debate

The new first minister is being called to back the Scottish Conservatives’ Right to Recovery Bill and see it through parliament.

The proposed legislation would enshrine in law the right of those struggling with addiction to access their preferred method of treatment, unless ruled harmful by a clinician.

Wendy Duncan spoke to Sky News about her views on Scottish independence
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Wendy Duncan said Scotland is an ‘EU leader when it comes to drug deaths’

When Sky News visited Scotland’s “Yes” towns and cities to see if the hunger for indyref2 remained, one woman said tackling drug-related deaths should be high on the agenda.

Wendy Duncan, 80, told us that the campaign for independence was a “waste of money and a waste of time”.

She added: “We’re an EU leader when it comes to drug deaths. It’s a scandal and the government should be concentrating on those types of things in Scotland.”

File photo dated 09/04/18 of money and a Scottish purse. Just 13% of Scots believe their community is equipped to deal with the cost-of-living crisis, a new poll has found. The poll, commissioned by Places for People Scotland between February 3 and 6, found that 56% of the 1,199 respondents to the ScotPulse survey did not think their community was thriving. Of these, more than a third (35%) said that a lack of good quality housing was what resulted in their communities not thriving. Issue date:
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One woman told Sky News that ‘everything is going up in price, except wages’. File pic

Alleviating the cost of living crisis

The country barely emerged from the COVID pandemic before it plunged into a cost of living crisis.

Households are having to spend more on food and general bills and have seen their energy costs soar.

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Inflation takes surprise leap with food and booze costs to blame

Businesses have also been hit. The chip shop industry is just one of many that has been battered recently with the price of fish, cooking oil and energy skyrocketing.

As one Glasgow woman told Sky News: “Everything is going up in price, except wages. The new first minister should make sure the minimum wage goes up.”

Jean Whyte spoke to Sky News about her views on Scottish independence
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Jean Whyte said she fears for those living off benefits and those not in work

In Dundee, Jean Whyte, 66, said she fears for those living off benefits and those not in work.

Ms Whyte said: “[My partner and I] are lucky that we have a wee bit of money behind us. But we used to donate to a food bank every two weeks – that’s now once a month or every six weeks.

“I have heard that a lot of people who used to donate to food banks are now using them.”

Clinical staff and nurses make final preparations during the completion of the construction of the NHS Louisa Jordan hospital, built at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, to care for coronavirus patients.
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Although a pay deal has been accepted, union bosses say this ‘will not solve’ the NHS Scotland staffing crisis

Turning the NHS around

Scotland’s NHS is yet to recover from an extremely difficult winter which saw A&E waiting times reach record levels.

Although A&E performance has improved since the start of the year, key treatment time targets were again missed earlier this month.

NHS 24 staffing has been increased to help cope with the demand and up to £8m is being provided to health boards to alleviate pressure from delayed discharge.

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Scotland is in the grip of an NHS crisis

Unison, GMB and Royal College of Nursing members recently accepted the Scottish government’s pay offer, but union bosses have warned the deal “does nothing to solve” the NHS Scotland staffing crisis.

Patients are said to be “waiting too long for routine operations” and staff are working under “unacceptably stressful conditions”.

Margaret McGuire and Catherine McGroggan speak to Sky News about their views on Scottish independence
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Margaret Maguire and Catherine McGroggan said Scotland was ‘suffering’

In West Dunbartonshire, Margaret Maguire and Catherine McGroggan told Sky News that the country was “suffering”.

Ms McGroggan, 73, claimed the Scottish government continues to blame a lot of the NHS’s struggles on the pandemic.

She stated: “That was two years ago, and people are still struggling to get an appointment with a doctor. I’m not online so how is someone on the phone supposed to see my hands if I’ve got an issue with them?”

Ms Maguire, 75, added: “They are playing on the pandemic too much.”

Other issues that will be high up on the agenda

  • The bottle deposit return scheme
  • The dualling of the A9
  • The future of Scotland’s oil and gas industry
  • The National Care Service
  • Lowering the poverty-related attainment gap in schools

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With all eyes on who becomes the new leader of Scotland, improving results in these key areas will be a crucial challenge for the next first minister.

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A remarkable step by the government – and Donald Trump, China and Reform UK have all played their part

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A remarkable step by the government - and Donald Trump, China and Reform UK have all played their part

When the sun sets on Scunthorpe this Saturday, the town’s steelworks will likely have a new boss – Jonathan Reynolds.

The law that parliament will almost certainly approve this weekend hands the business secretary the powers to direct staff at British Steel, order raw materials and, crucially, keep the blast furnaces at the plant open.

This is not full nationalisation.

But it is an extraordinary step.

The Chinese firm Jingye will – on paper – remain the owner of British Steel.

But the UK state will insert itself into the corporate set-up to legally override the wishes of the multinational company.

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Govt to take control of steel plant

A form of martial law invoked and applied to private enterprise.

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That will come at a cost to the taxpayer.

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No number has been specified, but there are wages to pay and orders to make at a site estimated to already be losing £700,000 a day.

There is also clear frustration in government at how the Chinese owners have engaged in negotiations around modernising the Scunthorpe site.

“Jingye have not been forthright throughout this process”, said the business secretary in his department’s official announcement about the new laws.

Time is so tight because of the nature of the steel-making process.

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Inside the UK’s last blast furnaces

Once switched off, blast furnaces are very hard to turn back on.

If this had happened in Scunthorpe – as seemed likely in a matter of days – then it would have been game over.

This move keeps the show on the road and opens up more time for talks over the long-term future of the plant.

While the official line in Whitehall is that “all options are on the table”, nationalisation seems increasingly likely.

That would need more legislation, if it was done – as seems likely – without the approval of the current owner.

Finding an alternative commercial partner has not been ruled out, but one is not waiting in the wings either.

As for what that long-term future looks like, with just five years of life left in the Scunthorpe blast furnaces, modernisation is inevitable.

Port Talbot’s plant saw its blast furnaces closed last year amid a switch to the more environmentally friendly electric arc furnaces and a loss of thousands of jobs.

A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant.
Pic Reuters
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A general view shows British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant.
Pic Reuters

Political figures in Wales are now questioning why nationalisation wasn’t on the table for this site.

The response from government is that the deal was done by the previous Tory administration and the owners of the South Wales site agreed to the terms.

But there is also a sense that this decision over British Steel is being shaped by the domestic and international political context.

Labour came to power promising to revitalise left-behind communities and inject a sense of pride back into places still reeling from the loss of traditional industry.

With that in mind, it would be politically intolerable to see the UK’s last two blast furnaces closed and thousands of jobs lost in a relatively deprived part of the country.

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One of the two blast furnaces at British Steel's Scunthorpe operation
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One of the two blast furnaces at British Steel’s Scunthorpe operation

Reform UK’s position of pushing for full and immediate nationalisation is also relevant, given the party is in electoral pursuit of Labour in many parts of the country where decline in manufacturing has been felt most acutely.

The geo-political situation is perhaps more pressing though.

Just look at the strength of the prime minister’s language in his Downing Street address – “our economic and national security are all on the line”.

The government’s reaction to the turmoil caused by President Donald Trump’s pronouncements on tariffs and security has been to emphasise the need to increase domestic resilience in both business and defence.

Becoming the only G7 nation unable to produce virgin steel at a time when globalisation appears to be in retreat hardly fits with that narrative.

It would also present serious practical questions about the ability of the UK to produce steel for defence and the broader switch to green energy production.

Then there is the intriguing subplot around US-China trade.

While this decision is separate from discussions with the White House on tariffs, one can imagine how a UK move to wrestle control of a site of national importance from its Chinese owner might go down with a US president currently engaged in a fierce trade war with Beijing.

This is a remarkable step from the government, but it is more a punctuation mark than a full answer.

The tension between manufacturing and decarbonisation remains, as do the challenges presented by a global economy appearing to fragment significantly.

But one thing is for sure.

As a political parable about changes to traditional industry and the challenges of globalisation, the saga of British Steel is hard to beat.

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Teachers in England gearing up for potential strike action

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Teachers in England gearing up for potential strike action

Teachers in England are once again gearing up for potential strike action after an overwhelming majority of National Education Union (NEU) members rejected the government’s latest pay offer.

In an electronic ballot, 93.7% of respondents turned down the proposed 2.8% pay rise, labelling it inadequate and unfunded.

If the pay offer had been accepted, schools would have had to find the money from existing budgets to pay for the increase – with many saying they are already overstretched.

Some 83% of teachers said they would be willing to take industrial action to secure a better deal.

Daniel Kebede general secretary of the National Education Union speaks to members holding an 'A Christmas Carol' themed rally outside Rachel Reeves' office in Leeds, as sixth form college teachers in England continue strike action into January over a pay dispute. Picture date: Friday December 13, 2024.
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Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU. Pic: PA

The vote, which included 134,487 teachers in state schools across England (a turnout of 47.2%), was a clear signal that union leaders are not backing down.

In a statement after the vote, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said a move towards industrial action by teaching unions “would be indefensible”, given work being done to increase school attendance and urged the NEU to “put children first”.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said years of what he called “real-terms pay cuts” had left the profession in crisis.

He also took aim at the government’s decision not to fund the offer centrally.

“This will only make things worse,” Mr Kebede said. “Our members tell us every day of the desperate state their schools are in due to lack of funding.”

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The union says the offer falls below inflation and lags behind private-sector wage growth.

But critics argue strike threats will only cause more damage to students still recovering from the disruption of the pandemic.

The union’s national executive is due to meet at its Harrogate conference next week, and all eyes will be on whether full-blown strike action will be announced.

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Protests in ‘ghost town’ where £400m ships don’t fit the harbour

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Protests in 'ghost town' where £400m ships don't fit the harbour

Those unfamiliar with Scotland’s so-called ‘ferry fiasco’ would barely believe it is a true story.

The new vessels cost quadruple their original price tag, one was delivered seven years late, the other is still being built, and both are too big to fit the main harbour for their daily journeys to and from the Isle of Arran.

But in this latest chapter of the scandal, the unbelievable is very much part of the script. And, as Sky News has been hearing, the consequences are brutal.

“It is completely and utterly nuts,” one exasperated campaigner exclaims as we stand overlooking the deserted Ardrossan Harbour on Scotland’s mainland.

SN pics of Ardrossan harbour on Scotland's Ayrshire coast for a Connor Gillies story about the impact of the temporary closure of the port because ferries cannot berth there.
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The town has been hit hard by the temporary closure of the harbour

SN pics of Ardrossan harbour on Scotland's Ayrshire coast for a Connor Gillies story about the impact of the temporary closure of the port because ferries cannot berth there.
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The new ferries are too big for the harbour’s jetty and require an £80m upgrade

SN pics of Ardrossan harbour on Scotland's Ayrshire coast for a Connor Gillies story about the impact of the temporary closure of the port because ferries cannot berth there.
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Ferries are being diverted along the coast to Troon and locals say businesses in Ardrossan are suffering

Ardrossan, on the Ayrshire coast, has been the main port for the ferry service to and from Arran for decades. It is the quickest, most efficient route.

But the 30-year-old ferry serving the islands for generations is failing and two new bespoke-designed ones were ordered, with them due to enter service from 2017.

map showing Scottish town of Ardrossan and the ferry route to the Isle of Arran (start  - end points are correct)
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Ardrossan has operated a ferry service to and from Arran for decades, as it is the quickest, most efficient route

The original £100m cost ballooned to £400m, the shipyard was bought by taxpayers amid financial crisis, one vessel finally started carrying passengers in January 2025 while the other is still being built.

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And to add insult to injury, both are too big for Ardrossan Harbour’s jetty to cope with and require an £80m upgrade.

In the meantime, services are being diverted along the coast to Troon.

SN pics of Ardrossan harbour on Scotland's Ayrshire coast for a Connor Gillies story about the impact of the temporary closure of the port because ferries cannot berth there.
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Ardrossan is the innocent victim of several costly blunders linked to the new ferry service

Protest as tensions rise in ‘ghost town’

Ardrossan was promised it would remain the primary port for connectivity to Arran. But now the community is in limbo and is fearing for its future.

Christine Cowie, from Save Ardrossan Harbour, told Sky News: “It is completely and utterly nuts.

“Why anybody would commission a ferry which doesn’t fit the harbour for the route it is meant for is crazy. I cannot understand it at all.

“Ardrossan is like an extension of Arran. A lot of people come here to the dentist and use other businesses they don’t have on the island which are losing money since the ferries have gone away.”

Christine Cowie from 'Save Ardrossan Harbour' campaign 
SN pics of Ardrossan harbour on Scotland's Ayrshire coast for a Connor Gillies story about the impact of the temporary closure of the port because ferries cannot berth there.
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Christine Cowie from Save Ardrossan Harbour says Ardrossan is fearing for its future

A botched design process, mismanagement and a string of costly blunders have given the project the label of one of the biggest procurement disasters in the history of Scottish devolution.

People from Arran are joining Ardrossan campaigners on the mainland for a protest on Saturday. Hundreds are expected to gather as tensions boil over.

The group’s chairwoman Frances Gilmour said Ardrossan has become a “ghost town”.

She said: “It is so quiet. It is spooky. It’s frankly a disgrace. Businesses are suffering.

“Economically, this is the route. This is the economic route. We have the infrastructure. We just need the berths fixed.”

Frances Gilmour, chair of 'Save Ardrossan Harbour' campaign
SN pics of Ardrossan harbour on Scotland's Ayrshire coast for a Connor Gillies story about the impact of the temporary closure of the port because ferries cannot berth there.
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Frances Gilmour thinks Ardrossan has become a ‘ghost town’

The 33-year-old MV Caledonian Isles, which has been away over the winter for extensive repairs, is expected to return to Ardrossan next month. But locals question how reliable and sustainable that vessel is.

On the edge of the once bustling harbour carpark is the Bute MOT garage.

Manager Scott Revans says they rely on customers from Arran previously hopping off the ferry and leaving their car for repairs at their centre.

He told Sky News: “The harbour is a ghost town. We’d get the passing trade doing whatever customers need from batteries to punctures. It has had an impact on us.”

Scott Revans, manager of Bute MOT garage
SN pics of Ardrossan harbour on Scotland's Ayrshire coast for a Connor Gillies story about the impact of the temporary closure of the port because ferries cannot berth there.
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Scott Revans, who manages a garage, has been hit by a drop in passing trade from Arran

Could taxpayers pick up the bill?

Ardrossan Harbour is owned by private company Peel Ports.

The Scottish government is currently exploring buying the port, but the talks are a secret, with campaigners feeling left in the dark.

No one involved in the discussions would answer questions from Sky News about when they expect to alert communities to the next steps.

The Glen Sannox ferry entered service in January. Pic: PA
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One of the two new ferries, the Glen Sannox, entered service in January but is too big to fit the main harbour. Pic: PA

Read more from Sky News:
Delayed ferry formally begins sailings
Fiasco-hit ferry removed from service

A spokesman for the Scottish government agency Transport Scotland said: “We absolutely understand people and communities’ views in favour of retaining Ardrossan as the mainland port and remain committed to ensuring the Arran ferry service is fit for the future.

“The Scottish government has instructed officials… to explore options on purchasing Ardrossan Port.

“We will of course update parliament once there is progress and an outcome to report, however, it would be inappropriate to get in the way of these complex and sensitive discussions.”

Jim McSporran, port director at Peel Ports Clydeport, said: “Peel Ports Group welcomes the Scottish government’s statement that it intends to explore the potential purchase of Ardrossan Harbour.

“Regardless of the outcome of this process, our willingness to invest in the harbour remains steadfast. We take comfort that the port continues to operate this lifeline route and that it remains the port of choice for the people and businesses of Arran and Ardrossan.”

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