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The SNP has confirmed former leader Nicola Sturgeon will not be suspended amid a police probe into the party’s funding and finances.

The former first minister was arrested on Sunday morning and questioned for around seven hours before being released without charge pending further investigation.

On Monday, the party confirmed to Sky News it will not be removing Ms Sturgeon, who is still an MSP, from the party.

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Responding to calls to suspend the 52-year-old, First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “No, I won’t be suspending Nicola Sturgeon.

“I’ll be treating her exactly in the same way as I treated, for example, Colin Beattie. Both released without charge, therefore there’s no reason for me to suspend them.”

In light of others being suspended from the SNP in the past in similar circumstances, Mr Yousaf added: “Look, I can only account for the decisions that I make, and I’m aiming to be as consistent in my approach to this. And I have shown that consistency because where individuals have been released without charge, let me emphasise that without charge, therefore I see no reason to suspend them.

“I can’t account for decisions that have been made in the past. I can only account for the decisions that I choose to make.”

Following her release from custody, Ms Sturgeon said she would “never do anything to harm either the SNP or the country” and described the situation as a “shock and deeply distressing”.

First Minister Humza Yousaf speaks to the media after Scottish Government's circular economy minister Lorna Slater made a statement to MSPs in the Scottish Parlaiment, Edinburgh , on the planned deposit return scheme. Picture date: Wednesday June 7, 2023.
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First Minister Humza Yousaf says he will not suspend Ms Sturgeon

She added: “Obviously, given the nature of this process, I cannot go into detail. However, I do wish to say this, and to do so in the strongest possible terms.

“Innocence is not just a presumption I am entitled to in law. I know beyond doubt that I am in fact innocent of any wrongdoing.”

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‘Investigation played no part in my resignation’

Police Scotland launched Operation Branchform into the SNP’s funding and finances back in 2021.

The long-running inquiry is linked to the spending of around £600,000 raised by supporters and earmarked for Scottish independence campaigning.

It is understood there have been complaints the ringfenced cash has been used improperly by being spent elsewhere.

Ms Sturgeon, the MSP for Glasgow Southside, is the third high-profile SNP politician to be arrested in connection with the probe.

A police van outside former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon's home, in Uddingtson, Glasgow, after she was arrested in the police investigation into the SNP's finances. Nicola Sturgeon has been released without charge pending further investigation after being arrested as part of a police probe into the funding and finances of the SNP, Police Scotland said. Picture date: Sunday June 11, 2023.
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A police van outside Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell’s home on Monday
Nicola Sturgeon pictured with her husband Peter Murrell, who is SNP chief executive
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Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell

Her husband, ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie were both arrested and later released without charge back in April.

Earlier on Monday, former SNP leadership candidate Ash Regan said Ms Sturgeon should consider resigning her SNP membership.

Angus MacNeil, SNP MP, also called for “political distance” amid the “soap opera”, claiming Ms Sturgeon “suspended others from the SNP for an awful lot less” during her time in charge.

SNP MSP Michelle Thomson also suggested Ms Sturgeon should resign the party whip – saying she had had to do it when she was an MP despite not being “personally under investigation” and “certainly not arrested”.

Ms Thomson stressed she was a “strong believer in natural justice”, including the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in court.

Following the announcement Ms Sturgeon would not be suspended, Craig Hoy MSP, Scottish Conservatives chairman, said: “This is the action of a weak leader unable to stand up to the predecessor to whom he owes his job.

“Humza Yousaf’s claim that he has ‘no reason’ to suspend Nicola Sturgeon from the SNP is fooling no one.

“He knows, as everyone else does, that there’s a clear precedent in his party for MPs and MSPs under investigation to be suspended until the conclusion of their case. And, in this instance, the police probe into the SNP’s murky finances is very much ongoing.”

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Anas Sarwar: SNP government ‘incompetent and dysfunctional’

He added: “Several senior SNP figures have already said it’s wrong for Nicola Sturgeon to receive favourable treatment by the party.

“But the reason Humza Yousaf will not follow the precedent – which was set by his predecessor when she was party leader – is because he’s hopelessly compromised by the fact that he only won the leadership election thanks to the backing of Nicola Sturgeon and her inner circle.”

Speaking to Sky News, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “This is a political party that is famed now for a culture of secrecy and cover-up in government, and that has had devastating consequences.

“It’s now an incompetent and dysfunctional SNP government and that’s why we need fundamental change.”

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M4 and M48 closed after human remains found

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M4 and M48 closed after human remains found

Two motorways have been shut after human remains were found on the road. 

Several drivers reported a body on the carriageway between junctions 20 and 21 of the M4 – between Almondsbury and Awkley – at about 6.40pm this evening.

The body is believed to be that of a man in his forties, whose next of kin have been told.

A police investigation to establish how the person came to be on the motorway continues.

Parts of the M4 and M48 motorways near Bristol are likely to remain closed until the early hours of Sunday morning, Avon and Somerset Police said.

In a statement, the force said: “Police are keen to hear from anyone who was travelling along that stretch of the M4 has any relevant information or dashcam footage.”

The road closures were likely to cause significant delays in and out of Wales tonight, with closures starting on the English side of the Prince of Wales Bridge and the Severn Bridge.

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National Highways said the M4 is shut in both directions between junctions 20 and 21, while the M48 eastbound is closed from junction 1 near Aust.

The links from the M5 junction 15 south to the M4 junction 20 west, and the M5 junction 16 north to M4 junction 20 west were also closed.

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Starmer asks US to stand by Ukraine with security guarantee as bad peace deal would be ‘disaster’ for all

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Starmer asks US to stand by Ukraine with security guarantee as bad peace deal would be 'disaster' for all

Sir Keir Starmer has urged Donald Trump to stand by Ukraine with a security guarantee as he warned a bad peace deal would be a “disaster for everyone”.

The prime minister is due to meet the US president for talks in Washington DC next week amid fragile relations between America and Europe after Mr Trump launched a verbal attack on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The US president called Ukraine’s leader a “dictator” on Wednesday and later said Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, both of whom will visit the White House in the coming days, “haven’t done anything” to end the war.

Sir Keir Starmer leaves after a meeting in Paris with European leaders on Ukraine on 17 February. Pic: Reuters
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Sir Keir Starmer met with European leaders in Paris on Monday to discuss Ukraine. Pic: Reuters

Sir Keir said a good peace “can only be won through strength” and Ukraine “must have a voice in negotiations about its future”.

And he warned that a “peace deal which does not stop Putin from attacking again would be a disaster for everyone”.

Writing in The Sun on Sunday, he said Kyiv needs strong security guarantees “so the peace will last” and America “must be part of that guarantee”.

This could mean providing air defence and a promise that the US will come to the aid of a NATO country if Russia attacks them, the paper reported.

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So far, talks aimed at ending the war have been taking place between US and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia, which have not included the Ukrainians.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey has said “any negotiations about Ukraine cannot happen without Ukraine. We all want the fighting to end, but an insecure peace risks more war”.

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‘Turn the screws’ on Russia

The third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is on Monday.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he will unveil new sanctions to “turn the screws” on Russia on Monday to coincide with the anniversary.

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Sir Keir also said the UK must increase its defence spending and play a bigger role in NATO.

And he is open to British troops playing a role in any European force in Ukraine after a peace agreement.

He added: “This is not something I say lightly.”

Sir Keir, along with other European allies and UK opposition parties, has backed Mr Zelensky as a “democratically elected leader”.

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Conflicting views over Ukraine deal

Also, Washington has warned that Europe must shoulder more of the cost of its own security.

Sir Keir is expected to use his upcoming trip to the US to confirm a timeline to raise UK defence spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in a bid to ease tensions.

It comes amid pressure from defence chiefs and opposition critics including Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who wrote to the prime minister on Saturday demanding he set out a plan for meeting the target.

:: Education secretary Bridget Phillipson, campaigner for global health and education Sarah Brown, and shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge will be discussing all the latest political stories in the UK and around the world on the Trevor Phillips on Sunday show on Sky News from 8.30am

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Girl, 3, dies after tram and van crash in Manchester city centre

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Girl, 3, dies after tram and van crash in Manchester city centre

A three-year-old girl has died after a collision between a tram and a van in Manchester city centre.

The girl was taken to hospital but died from her injuries, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

“No arrests have been made and inquiries are ongoing,” the force said.

The child was a pedestrian and was not travelling in either the tram or van, GMP said.

The fatal collision happened on Mosley Street shortly before 10am, a Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) spokesperson said.

“All of our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time. We are supporting police with their investigation,” a statement said.

A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said two ambulances, a rapid response vehicle and two air ambulance crews attended the scene.

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TfGM said there was continued disruption across the Metrolink after the incident and advised people to check the Bee Network website and app for the latest travel information.

Manchester‘s Bee Network said: “Due to a road traffic collision on Mosley Street in the city centre, no tram services are operating between St Peter’s Square and Piccadilly Gardens.”

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An X post from GMP’s traffic officers said: “Our officers are currently in attendance at a collision, involving a tram and another vehicle in Manchester city centre.

“We are presently trying to establish the circumstances however we envisage there will be a lengthy closure of surrounding streets near to St Peters Square.”

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