Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has said he is “desperately worried” about whether his family who are trapped in Gaza are alive or dead after losing contact with them.
“We are one of many thousands of families, I suspect, across the world who are desperately worried about whether or not our loved ones are alive or dead and I simply don’t know the answer to that question,” he told Sky News.
Mr Yousaf said in the last conversation he had with his mother-in-law, Elizabeth, a retired nurse, she told him there had been an intense night of bombing and that the family home, which usually has 10 people in it, was housing 100 people.
“The hundred in the house spent a fair chunk of the evening deciding which room they would go in and which corner they would huddle into should there be an airstrike that hits the home,” he said.
“Because they wanted to find out if the house does crumble, where would they be the safest.
“That isn’t a conversation anybody should have to have – certainly not any innocent men, women and children.
“So you can imagine we are feeling quite numb, to be frank, and desperately worried about their safety.”
Mr Yousaf said his mother-in-law and father-in-law Maged, a retired business owner, are among an estimated 200 UK citizens thought to be in Gaza, who “feel abandoned by the UK government”.
He also reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire, adding: “How many more children do we need to die until people are unequivocal, their demand for no more bombs to be falling on any innocent man woman or child?”
Labour’s largest union donor, Unite, has voted to suspend Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner over her role in the Birmingham bin strike row.
Members of the trade union, one of the UK’s largest, also “overwhelmingly” voted to “re-examine its relationship” with Labour over the issue.
They said Ms Rayner, who is also housing, communities and local government secretary, Birmingham Council’s leader, John Cotton, and other Labour councillors had been suspended for “bringing the union into disrepute”.
There was confusion over Ms Rayner’s membership of Unite, with her office having said she was no longer a member and resigned months ago and therefore could not be suspended.
But Unite said she was registered as a member. Parliament’s latest register of interests had her down as a member in May.
The union said an emergency motion was put to members at its policy conference in Brighton on Friday.
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Unite is one of the Labour Party’s largest union donors, donating £414,610 in the first quarter of 2025 – the highest amount in that period by a union, company or individual.
The union condemned Birmingham’s Labour council and the government for “attacking the bin workers”.
Mountains of rubbish have been piling up in the city since January after workers first went on strike over changes to their pay, with all-out strike action starting in March. An agreement has still not been made.
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Rat catcher tackling Birmingham’s bins problem
Ms Rayner and the councillors had their membership suspended for “effectively firing and rehiring the workers, who are striking over pay cuts of up to £8,000”, the union added.
‘Missing in action’
General secretary Sharon Graham told Sky News on Saturday morning: “Angela Rayner, who has the power to solve this dispute, has been missing in action, has not been involved, is refusing to come to the table.”
She had earlier said: “Unite is crystal clear, it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette.
“Angela Rayner has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute but has instead backed a rogue council that has peddled lies and smeared its workers fighting huge pay cuts.
“The disgraceful actions of the government and a so-called Labour council, is essentially fire and rehire and makes a joke of the Employment Relations Act promises.
“People up and down the country are asking whose side is the Labour government on and coming up with the answer not workers.”
Image: Piles of rubbish built up around Birmingham because of the strike over pay
Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said the government’s “priority is and always has been the residents of Birmingham”.
He said the decision by Unite workers to go on strike had “caused disruption” to the city.
“We’ve worked to clean up streets and remain in close contact with the council […] as we support its recovery,” he added.
A total of 800 Unite delegates voted on the motion.
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