General election: In the marginal seat of North East Fife, it’s all to play for

Published

1 year ago

June 16, 2024

admin

In the marginal seat of North East Fife in this election, it is not a straight fight between red and blue, but shades of yellow too.

In 2017, the SNP won here by just two votes ahead of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. That astonishing two-vote tipping point made it the UK’s most marginal seat at the time.

But in 2019, the Lib Dems won it from the SNP, giving the party one of its four MPs in Scotland.

Today, Lib Dem posters line the winding road that takes you to Anstruther’s waterfront.

It’s a charming fishing village and overlooking the harbour are quaint restaurants and gift shops – handmade soap, whisky and fresh fish – it’s all on offer.

With this allure comes a melee of tourists who join us as we hop to each business, talking to them about how the campaigns have resonated with them here.

Election latest: Minister says election ‘not about the past’ as poll suggests Tory wipeout on 4 July

“The tourists are a big part of this area for us,” says Tom Cooper, who’s owned his whisky gift shop for over six years.

He’s even had a few celebrities pop by.

“We get up to eight to nine tourist buses each day in the summer, if we didn’t have that, we wouldn’t survive,” he adds.

He loves having them dropped off outside his door, but the tourist season isn’t long enough to make the off-season easier.

“When it’s very, very quiet, you’re talking maybe four months of the year with maybe a six or seven hours a day, that you’re not doing very much. And you can’t really drag people in the door.

“We need to bring people in. The villages needs money. You know, that’s that’s where the economy lies, I think, in the future.”

And when at the ballot box, Tom says it’ll be his shop at the forefront of his mind.

“I look for somebody that’s going to help businesses like myself, small businesses, and keep the high streets going, get people out,” he says.

This is one of the constituencies to have had its boundary lines redrawn.

Changes have now led to areas with higher levels of deprivation being added to the North East Fife seat.

Away from the picturesque coastline, further inland there are signs of a lack of investment and care.

? Click here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts ?

Glenrothes shopping centre stands partially derelict.

“That’s been like that for about six years,” someone comments, as we look on at the peeling sides of a building and faded shop signage.

This constituency has one of the highest levels of child poverty.

“People are struggling, there are a lot of people not in work,” Chris Lewis, a business owner, tells us.

Chris runs an ice cream parlour, fish and chip bar and waterfront restaurant.

“Employment is what I care about, we need to lift people back to work on a decent wage,” he says.

“I would like to see everybody getting a job, then everybody could work hard and get people off benefits.”

Chris says he has been burnt by past promises.

“This area – whether Lib Dem and SNP – to me it seems they never seem to deliver.”

Chris adds: “There’s just so many promises and you think, you’ve had your time, can someone else do more for the country. We’re a very tourist-heavy area and we can’t afford to lose that. If Scotland loses its attraction, you know, we failed.”

The national narrative and the polls are having an impact on how he is feeling.

“I never thought I’d say it, but Labour are coming to mind, I think they’re going to do more for the country than the others.

“But who do you believe? There’s always promises. And when it comes down to how many are delivered, usually very few.”

We’ve met those across this constituency who intend to back Reform, SNP and Labour throughout the day.

A sign that even the most seemingly straightforward of seats is all to play for.

The list of candidates standing in North East Fife are:

Conservatives – Bill Bowman
Liberal Democrats – Wendy Chamberlain
Labour Party – Jennifer Gallagher
SNP – Stefan Hoggan-Radu
Scottish Green Party – Morven Ovenstone-Jones
Reform UK – Matthew Wren

Politics

MSPs vote to abolish Scottish legal system’s controversial not proven verdict

Published

44 mins ago

September 17, 2025

admin

MSPs vote to abolish Scottish legal system's controversial not proven verdict

MSPs have voted to abolish Scotland’s controversial not proven verdict.

The Scottish government’s flagship Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed on Wednesday following a lengthy debate of more than 160 amendments that began the day before.

The new legislation makes a series of changes to the justice system, including scrapping the not proven verdict; establishing a specialist sexual offences court; creating a victims and witnesses commissioner; reforming the jury process to require a two-thirds majority for conviction; and implementing Suzanne’s Law which will require the parole board to take into account if a killer continues to refuse to reveal where they hid their victim’s body.

Following Royal Assent, the legislation will be implemented in phases.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “This historic legislation will put victims and witnesses at the heart of a modern and fair justice system.

“By changing culture, process and practice across the system, it will help to ensure victims are heard, supported, protected and treated with compassion, while the rights of the accused will continue to be safeguarded.

“This legislation, which builds on progress in recent years, has been shaped by the voices of victims, survivors, their families and support organisations, and it is testimony to their tireless efforts to campaign for further improvement.

“I am grateful to those who bravely shared their experiences to inform the development of this legislation and pave a better, more compassionate path for others.”

Not proven verdict

Currently, juries in Scotland have three verdicts open to them when considering the evidence after a trial, and can find an accused person either guilty or not guilty, or that the case against them is not proven.

Like not guilty, the centuries-old not proven verdict results in an accused person being acquitted.

Critics have argued it can stigmatise a defendant by appearing not to clear them, while failing to provide closure for the alleged victim.

Notable cases which resulted in a not proven verdict include Sir Hugh Campbell and Sir George Campbell, who were tried for high treason in 1684 for being present at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge.

The murder of Amanda Duffy, 19, in South Lanarkshire in 1992 sparked a national conversation around the existence of the not proven verdict and double jeopardy rules.

Suspect Francis Auld stood trial but the case was found not proven by a jury and an attempt to secure a retrial failed in 2016. Auld died the following year.

In 2018, a sexual assault case against former television presenter John Leslie was found not proven.

And in 2020, former first minister Alex Salmond was found not guilty on 12 sexual assault charges, while one charge of sexual assault with intent to rape was found not proven.

Victim Support Scotland (VSS) had earlier urged MSPs to put aside party politics and vote “for the intention of the bill”.

Kate Wallace, chief executive of VSS, believes the act is a “solid foundation” on which to build further improvements.

She added: “The passing of this act represents a momentous occasion for Scotland’s criminal justice system.

“It marks a significant step towards creating a system that considers and prioritises the needs of people impacted by crime.”

VSS worked with the families of Arlene Fraser and Suzanne Pilley to spearhead Suzanne’s Law.

Ms Fraser was murdered by estranged husband Nat Fraser in 1998, while Ms Pilley was killed by David Gilroy in 2010. To date, the women’s bodies have never been recovered.

Before the bill, parole board rules dictated that a killer’s refusal to disclose the information “may” be taken into account.

The new legislation means parole boards “must” take the refusal to cooperate into account.

Carol Gillies, sister of Ms Fraser, and Gail Fairgrieve, sister of Ms Pilley said: “We have done everything possible to make this change to parole in memory of Arlene and Suzanne, and for other people who have lost their lives in such a horrific way.

“For our families, the passing of this act and the change to parole are momentous.”

Read more from Sky News:
Why next year’s Scottish elections could get messy

The Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour voted against the bill.

Although in support of the abolition of the not proven verdict, the Scottish Tories said they had been left with no alternative but to oppose the bill after the SNP rejected a series of amendments.

The party had called for a Scotland-only grooming gangs inquiry; wanted victims to be told if a decision was taken not to prosecute an accused; and for all victims to be informed if a plea deal was struck between defence and prosecution lawyers.

They also wanted Suzanne’s Law to be strengthened, which would have compelled killers to reveal the location of their victim’s body or risk having their parole rejected – ensuring “no body, no release”.

MSP Liam Kerr, shadow justice secretary, said: “This half-baked bill sells the victims of crime desperately short.

“By ignoring many of the key demands of victims’ groups, the SNP have squandered the chance for a long overdue rebalancing of Scotland’s justice system.

“The Scottish Conservatives’ common sense amendments would have given this legislation real teeth but, by rejecting them, the nationalists have delivered a victims’ bill in name only.

“While we back the abolition of the not proven verdict, the SNP’s intransigence on a number of key issues meant we could not support this bill in its final form.”