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Russell Findlay has been elected the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

The MSP saw off competition from Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher in the bruising battle to replace Douglas Ross.

Mr Findlay won with 2,565 votes on a turnout of 60%. Mr Fraser placed second with 1,187 votes, while Ms Gallacher claimed third with 403 votes.

The announcement comes ahead of the UK Conservative Party revealing Rishi Sunak’s successor on 2 November.

Russell Findlay (right) with Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher after he is announced as new Scottish Conservatives leader, at the Radisson Hotel in Edinburgh. A leadership election was called after Douglas Ross announced he was standing down following the general election. Picture date: Friday September 27, 2024.
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Ms Gallacher, Mr Fraser and Mr Findlay on Friday. Pic: PA

Following his win, Mr Findlay said he “greatly” respected and valued Mr Fraser and Ms Gallacher.

He added: “Now, everyone in our party must come together as one united team.

“Let’s start the hard work right now – today – to win back public trust. And I want to deliver a message directly to people across Scotland who don’t feel anyone represents them.

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“Who are scunnered by the divisive policies and fringe obsessions of the Scottish parliament. Who feel let down and failed by politicians of every party – including ours.

“Who think politicians are all the same. If you feel that way, I get it. But I am not the same. I’m not a career politician.”

Mr Findlay said he understood voters’ “frustration”.

He added: “Under my leadership the Scottish Conservatives are going to change. We will work hard to earn your trust by doing things differently.

“We will be a voice for decent, mainstream Scotland and for the values of hard work, self-reliance and fairness for taxpayers.

“We’ll spend all our time and energy on your concerns, your hopes and your needs.

“We know you don’t expect miracles from politicians. We know you just want some common sense, for a change. And we are determined to deliver it.”

Russell Findlay after being announced as the new Scottish Conservatives leader, at the Radisson Hotel in Edinburgh. A leadership election was called after Douglas Ross announced he was standing down following the general election. Picture date: Friday September 27, 2024.
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Mr Findlay after his win on Friday. Pic: PA

Mr Findlay has been the MSP for West Scotland since 2021 and is currently the party’s justice spokesperson at Holyrood.

He has worked as a journalist for STV News, the Scottish Sun and the Sunday Mail.

His investigation into the disappearance of Margaret Fleming was used to help prosecute her killers.

As an author, Mr Findlay has written books on gangland crime and was the victim of an acid attack in 2015 when an assailant appeared on his doorstep disguised as a postman.

In 2017, the attacker was handed a 15-year extended sentence, with 10 years in jail and five years on licence once released back into the community.

Russell Findlay MSP with supporters at his leadership campaign launch. Pic: Dave Johnson
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Mr Findlay with supporters at his leadership campaign launch. Pic: Dave Johnson

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Six Scottish Tory MSPs initially announced bids to succeed Mr Ross, who will continue in his role as MSP for the Highlands and Islands.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, during a General Election special edition of BBC Debate Night with the leaders of the five main Scottish parties answering questions in Glasgow. Picture date: Tuesday June 11, 2024.
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Douglas Ross. Pic: PA

Brian Whittle, Liam Kerr and Jamie Greene dropped out of the race ahead of the ballot and threw their support behind Mr Fraser.

Mr Findlay, Mr Fraser and Ms Gallacher each secured the 100 nominations required to continue and took part in hustings across Scotland as they sought to convince party members why they were the best person for the job.

During his campaign launch, Mr Fraser called on Mr Findlay and Ms Gallacher to drop their bids and join his team – essentially coronating him as leader.

Scottish Conservative leadership candidate Murdo Fraser with supporters after speaking at the Royal George Hotel, Perth, at the launch of his campaign to succeed Douglas Ross as the leader of the party. Picture date: Thursday August 22, 2024.
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Mr Fraser with supporters at his leadership campaign launch. Pic: PA

In response, Mr Findlay said he’d always been “opposed to a coronation, of myself or anyone else”.

He added: “Our members should decide the next leader. Not any small group of people at Holyrood.”

Mr Findlay, who received the backing of former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, was regarded by some as the favourite to replace Mr Ross.

During the competition, MSP Mr Kerr apologised after branding ally Mr Fraser’s leadership campaign as “awful”.

In a series of posts accidentally published as status updates to his WhatsApp profile, Mr Kerr criticised Mr Fraser’s bid despite publicly backing him.

“I’m beginning to wish I’d nominated Meghan,” Mr Kerr wrote, in reference to Ms Gallacher.

File photo dated 29/04/23 of deputy leader of the Scottish Conservative Party Meghan Gallacher MSP speaking on the second day of the Scottish Conservative party conference. Meghan Gallacher will use her speech to her party's conference on Friday to demand First Minister Humza Yousaf rips up the SNP's powersharing agreement with the Greens. Issue date: Friday March 1, 2024.
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Ms Gallacher. Pic: PA

The contentious contest also saw former deputy leader Ms Gallacher lodging a complaint to the party against Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk MP John Lamont.

Following a call between the pair, Ms Gallacher was said to have been concerned she would be deselected ahead of the Holyrood election in 2026.

Mr Lamont, who backed rival Mr Findlay, strongly denied any wrongdoing and said he was “considering further action including legal options”.

Mr Findlay is expected to unveil his frontbench team at Holyrood next week.

Ahead of that, he will deliver a speech during Saturday’s celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the Scottish parliament.

And on Sunday, he will be on stage at the UK Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.

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Jury shown CCTV and bodycam footage of brothers allegedly assaulting police at Manchester Airport

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Jury shown CCTV and bodycam footage of brothers allegedly assaulting police at Manchester Airport

CCTV and police bodycam footage allegedly showing three police officers being assaulted at Manchester Airport has been played to jurors.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, are said to have struck out after police were called to the airport on 23 July last year, following Amaaz allegedly headbutting a customer at a Starbucks in Terminal 2.

Minutes later, three police officers approached the defendants at the paystation in the terminal’s car park.

A jury at Liverpool Crown Court today watched CCTV footage from opposite angles, which captured what the prosecution says was a “high level of violence” being used by the siblings.

The prosecution says Amaaz resisted as officers tried to move him to arrest him, and Amaad then intervened.

Junior counsel Adam Birkby suggested Amaaz threw 10 punches, including one to the face of PC Lydia Ward, which knocked her to the floor.

His brother Amaad is then said to have aimed six punches at firearms officer PC Zachary Marsden.

Amaaz also allegedly kicked PC Marsden and struck firearms officer PC Ellie Cook twice with his elbow.

He is said to have punched PC Marsden from behind and had a hold of him, before PC Cook discharged her Taser.

Human Rights lawyer Aamer Anwar (centre) arrives with Mohammed Fahir Amaaz (left) and Muhammed Amaad (right) at Liverpool Crown Court, where
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Mohammed Fahir Amaaz (left) and Muhammed Amaad (right) arrive at the court with their lawyer. Pic: PA

The bodycam and CCTV footage, submitted as evidence by the prosecution, allegedly shows the officers’ arrival in the Terminal 2 car park and their attempts to arrest the siblings, as well as their exchanges with them.

PC Ward can be heard saying “Oi, you b*****d” in footage from her bodycam, the prosecution evidence appears to show.

She then appears to fall to the floor and screams.

PC Cook, who is pointing her Taser at one of the defendants, then allegedly says: “Stay on the floor, stay on the floor whatever you do.”

“Get back, get back,” PC Ward appears to say.

The bodycam footage, shown to the jury by the prosecution, shows PC Marsden, who is also pointing his Taser, appear to approach the defendant who is lying on the ground and kick out at him.

Mr Birkby said: “Mr Amaaz, while prone, lifts his head towards the officers. PC Marsden kicks Mr Amaaz around the head area.

“PC Marsden stamps his foot towards the crown of Mr Amaaz’s head area but doesn’t appear to connect with Mr Amaaz.”

Amaaz denies three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm to the three police officers and one count of assault to Abdulkareem Ismaeil, the customer at Starbucks.

Amaad denies one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm to PC Marsden.

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Stephen Doohan: Paramedic who secretly gave pregnant woman abortion drug jailed for more than 10 years

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Stephen Doohan: Paramedic who secretly gave pregnant woman abortion drug jailed for more than 10 years

A paramedic who secretly gave a pregnant woman an abortion drug during sex has been jailed for more than 10 years. 

Stephen Doohan, 33, was married when he met the woman on holiday in Spain in 2021 and began a long-distance relationship.

The High Court in Glasgow heard how the victim travelled to Edinburgh in March 2023 to visit Doohan after learning she was pregnant.

During consensual sex, Doohan twice secretly administered the tablets which led to the woman suffering a miscarriage.

In May, Doohan pleaded guilty to sexual assault and causing the woman to have an abortion. He returned to the dock on Monday where he was jailed for 10 years and six months.

Lord Colbeck said Doohan caused “long-term psychological injury” to his victim.

The judge said: “You put her through considerable pain over a number of days and left her facing a lifetime of pain and loss.”

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The court heard how the woman found tablets hidden under the mattress after she became suspicious over Doohan’s behaviour in bed.

Lord Colbeck said: “The complainer then carried out an internet search for abortion tablets and confronted you over your actions.”

After the woman fell ill, Doohan convinced her to lie to medics at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh amid fears he would be arrested if she told the truth.

The victim later attended another hospital with her sister and was told she was having a miscarriage.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said Doohan sent the woman gifts including perfume, socks, facial cleansing oil, money to get her hair done and bought tickets for them to attend a football match.

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The woman complained to the Scottish Ambulance Service in May 2023, sparking an investigation.

The court heard that on 14 March 2023, the day the woman told Doohan she was pregnant, the paramedic used a work intranet to search for abortion drugs.

Lord Colbeck said: “You planned out what you did to your victim using resources available to you as a paramedic.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Doohan was also added to the sex offenders’ register and banned from contacting his victim.

Fiona Kirkby, procurator fiscal for high court sexual offences, said: “Stephen Doohan’s calculated and heinous actions caused the loss of the victim’s pregnancy, robbing her of plans she had for the future.

“He has now been held accountable for this fundamental breach of trust.

“While offences like this are thankfully rare, I hope this prosecution sends a clear message to all those who seek to inflict sexual harm towards women.

“Our thoughts remain with the victim, who must be commended for reporting her experience and seeking justice.

“We recognise that reporting sexual offending can be difficult but would urge anyone affected to come forward and seek support when they feel ready to do so.”

The Scottish Ambulance Service branded it an “appalling case”.

A spokesperson added: “We recognise the courage it must have taken for the victim to come forward and speak out.

“As soon as we learned of these very serious allegations and charges, we immediately took action, providing ongoing support to her whilst liaising with Police Scotland throughout the investigation.

“We know nothing will change what has happened to the victim and all we can hope is this sentence provides some comfort to them.”

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UK farmers have ‘nothing more to give’ as they fear govt will compromise welfare in US-UK trade deal

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UK farmers have 'nothing more to give' as they fear govt will compromise welfare in US-UK trade deal

UK farmers have “nothing more to give” as they fear the government will use agriculture to further reduce US tariffs in a trade deal with the White House.

The UK is trying to reduce steel tariffs to zero, from a current reduced rate of 25%, but Downing Street refused to confirm if it was confident ahead of Donald Trump’s deadline of 9 July.

Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said UK agriculture had already been used to reduce Trump-imposed tariffs on cars but any other concessions would have serious repercussions for farmers, food security and the UK’s high animal welfare standards.

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He told Sky News: “It just feels like we, as the agricultural sector, had to shoulder the responsibility to reduce the tariffs on cars from 25%.

“We can’t do it anymore, we have nothing more to give.

“It’s clear the steel quotas and tariffs aren’t sorted yet, so we just want to be very clear with the government: if they’re sitting around the negotiating table – which we understand they are – they can’t expect agriculture to give any more.”

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Tom Bradshaw, the head of the NFU, speaking to Sky News
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Tom Bradshaw, the head of the NFU, said farmers cannot give any more

‘Massively undermine our standards’

Since 30 June, the US has been able to import 13,000 tonnes of hormone-free British beef without tariffs under a deal made earlier this year, which farmers feel was to reduce the car import levy Mr Trump imposed.

The UK was also given tariff-free access to 1.4bn litres of US ethanol, which farmers say will put the UK’s bioethanol and associated sectors under pressure.

Allowing lower US food standards would “massively undermine our standards” and would mean fewer sales to the European Union where food standards are also high, Mr Bradshaw said.

It would leave British farmers competing on a playing field that is “anything but fair”, he said, because US food can be produced – and sold – much cheaper due to low welfare which could see a big reduction in investment in UK farms, food security and the environment.

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‘The US will push hard for more access’

He said the US narrative has always suggested they want access to British agriculture products “as a start and they’ll negotiate for more”.

“The narrative from the White House on 8 May, when a US-UK trade deal was announced, was all about further access to our agriculture products – it was very different to what our government was saying,” he added.

“So far, the UK has stood firm and upheld our higher welfare standards, but the US will push very hard to have further access.

“No country in the world has proved they can reduce the 10% tariffs further.”

US poultry welfare is lower than the UK, with much more intensive farming that means the meat has to be washed with antimicrobials. Pic: AP
Image:
US poultry welfare is lower than the UK, with much more intensive farming that means the meat has to be washed with antimicrobials. Pic: AP

US ‘will target poultry and pork’

The Essex farmer said he expects the US to push “very hard” to get the UK to lower its standards on poultry and pork, specifically.

US poultry is often washed with antimicrobials, including chlorine, in an attempt to wash off high levels of bacteria caused by poor hygiene, antibiotic use and low animal welfare conditions not allowed in UK farming.

US pig rearing methods are also quite different, with intensive farming and the use of feed additive ractopamine legal, with both banned in the UK.

A government spokesperson told Sky News: “We regularly speak to businesses across the UK to understand the impact of tariffs and will only ever act in the national interest.

“Our Plan for Change has delivered a deal which will open up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market for the first time ever and all agricultural imports coming to the UK will have to meet our high SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) standards.”

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