Scotland

Published 1 hour ago comments Comments Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Scotland's unemployment rate has dropped to a joint-record low, though estimated wage growth is lagging behind the overall UK figure. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found the unemployment rate has fallen by 1.1 percentage points in the past year to 3.2% – the joint lowest figure on record. Estimated wage growth in Scotland is 5.3%, compared with 6.6% for the UK. The Scottish government said the economy was showing "resilience". The ONS data reveals there were almost 90,000 people seeking work between April and July in Scotland, with the country's unemployment rate lower than the 3.8% for the UK as a whole. Inflation drives fastest fall in real pay on record Scotland's rate has dropped this low on three occasions – between February and April and January … [Read more...] about Unemployment rate in Scotland drops to record low

Published 19 July comments Comments Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Unemployment in Scotland remained at a low level of 3.5% in the last quarter, according to official figures. That is below the unemployment rate for the UK as a whole, while the number of people in jobs increased by 0.6% to 75.4% of those aged 16 to 64. Across Britain, the number of vacancies between March and May reached a new record of nearly 1.3 million. This has prompted employer groups to urge more flexibility to recruit from overseas. The figures also show pay failing to keep pace with inflation in the last year. Spending power squeeze worst for 20 years Between January and March the unemployment rate in Scotland was a record low of 3.2%, down 0.9% on the previous quarter. Commenting on the figures, Public Finance Minister Tom Arthur said: "The Scottish … [Read more...] about Unemployment in Scotland remains low amid spending squeeze

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Scotland’s rail network is expected to suffer significant disruption this week as a result of strike action. Members of the RMT union who work for Network Rail announced they will walk out on Thursday and Saturday this week over a pay dispute. While the dispute does not involve ScotRail – the publicly-owned train operator north of the border – signallers will be among those who will be striking, which will have a knock-on effect that will see most services cancelled. Previous strike action by the union allowed just 189 services to go ahead, but that figure will increase to 378 during this round as trains are set to reach Fife and the east coast. There will be two trains per hour between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street, Edinburgh and Helensburgh Central, Glasgow Central and Hamilton, Glasgow … [Read more...] about Major disruption expected on Scotland’s rail network as a result of strike

Nicola Sturgeon’s attempt to hold a second independence referendum should be thrown out of court because a new vote would not be an “abstract opinion poll” but a clear attempt to terminate the Union, UK Government lawyers have claimed. In a legal submission to the Supreme Court , Lord Stewart of Dirleton, the Advocate General for Scotland, said a plebiscite on Scottish independence would “plainly” relate to the union between England and Scotland, a reserved matter for which Holyrood does not have the power to legislate. Dorothy Bain, the Lord Advocate – Ms Sturgeon’s top law officer – has asked the court to rule on whether the Scottish Parliament could hold a referendum without Westminster’s permission . She has submitted that it could be argued an “advisory” poll is within devolved powers because it would not, in itself, break up the UK. However, lawyers for the UK Government said it could not “credibly be suggested” that any such referendum would be merely advisory, … [Read more...] about Nicola Sturgeon’s Indyref2 plan should be thrown out of court, claims UK Government

Growing numbers of middle-class Scots were fined for breaking Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid laws during last year’s second lockdown as patience with the rules waned, according to the UK’s first academic analysis of who was penalised. Research conducted by Edinburgh University found people living in the poorest areas of Scotland were 2.6 times more likely to be fined for breaking the laws than those in the wealthiest parts. The difference was far greater during the first lockdown, introduced in March 2020, when people living in the most deprived areas were 12.6 times more likely to be fined. But the ratio shrank to only 1.8 during the second lockdown, between January and May last year, as police started to deal with more people from wealthier backgrounds breaching lockdown rules. Prof Susan McVie, who led the project, found that “over time, non-compliance became more widespread across the Scottish population”. She said it was “almost unheard of” for the wealthiest Scots to be … [Read more...] about Middle-class Scots ran out of patience with Covid rules in second lockdown, study finds

SNP ministers are considering issuing a formal plea to the British Army and hiring a second cruise ship to house Ukrainian refugees , after Nicola Sturgeon’s flagship “super sponsor” scheme descended into chaos. The Telegraph understands that Scottish government officials have discussed the highly usual step of making a Military Aid to Civil Authorities (MACA) request to the Ministry of Defence, due to fears thousands of people fleeing the Russian invasion will arrive in Scotland with nowhere to go. Meanwhile, the Scottish government is also believed to be exploring hiring a second cruise ship, which would be based on the Clyde, despite controversy over sending Ukrainians to live on a vessel which has already docked in Edinburgh, which has windowless rooms more cramped than prison cells . While no formal MACA request has yet been made to the military, discussions about the move are believed to have taken place between Scottish and UK Government staff. Almost 30,000 visas … [Read more...] about Scottish government ‘considering formal plea to British Army’ to help house Ukrainian refugees

Scotland’s largest city has been shortlisted as a possible host for Eurovision 2023. This is a very big deal. A contest that is much derided among the educated classes as naff, camp and irrelevant, just became important now that Britain is to host it for a record-breaking ninth time. And I wish my adopted city every success. It certainly has the credentials, the experience and the facilities to pull off an unforgettable event. On the other hand, this is Scotland, so Eurovision could be about to become the latest pawn in the interminable debate about Scottish independence . Already the omens are not good: Nicola Sturgeon has tweeted her support for Glasgow. On the face of it, this is simply because Sturgeon is the First Minister and also happens to represent a Glasgow seat in the Scottish Parliament. But in Scotland, everything is about independence, and Eurovision would be no different. So we begin with a grievance in waiting: Glasgow is the only non-English venue to … [Read more...] about Party-pooper Sturgeon would ruin Eurovision for everyone

Nicola Sturgeon could embark on a new green crackdown of Scotland’s whisky industry , over fears that emissions from the “angel’s share” of casks is harming the environment and human health. Every year, around two per cent of whisky, the so-called “angel’s share” because it evaporates during the maturation process, is lost during its production. But SNP and Green ministers are concerned that the emissions could be having a detrimental impact on the environment and health, and want to find out whether action should be taken to reduce the damage. It is funding a review of the harm caused by the non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) that arise from malt whisky maturation, which have surged over recent years due to the rising international popularity of Scotland’s national drink. Researchers have been asked to suggest possible “mitigation strategies” for “controlling” whisky-related emissions, leading to a backlash from the industry. “Some loss of spirit from casks … [Read more...] about Nicola Sturgeon mulls green crackdown for Scottish malt

The Loch Ness Monster could soon be discovered with climate change impacting the depths of its underwater home, experts have warned. There are also fears that food sources in Loch Ness could be impacted by rising temperatures, meaning that soon Nessie could be "roaming the banks of Loch Ness" looking for a feed. Joan Lawrie, project manager with the North Highlands and Islands Climate Hub, said increasingly common extreme weather events - such as the recent heatwave - will create a "much more unstable" climate for the monster if it exists. READ MORE: 'Loch Ness Monster' sighting was actually an escaped Alpaca going for a swim She said: “Loch Ness, as a freshwater loch, is deep and cold making it an ideal place for Nessie to hide away from public view, ducking down to the depths to never quite be seen. “This may change with the loch getting warmer and potentially drought impacting on its depths, coupled with changing temperatures impacting the food sources … [Read more...] about Loch Ness Monster could soon be discovered as climate change ‘impacting depth of water’

When Kate Blake decided to move to the Isle of Harris and set up an arts studio with her husband six years ago, she expected to cater for a steady flood of tourists seeking a peaceful getaway. Instead, the Covid crisis kept visitors away from the couple's Hebridean Design Company business for two years. And just as they were hoping for respite this summer, widespread ferry disruption described as an “island catastrophe” left the shop empty again. “We’re holding our breath waiting for the next disaster to happen,” says Blake. “Our takings for July were considerably down on last year when we were still under some Covid restrictions. "Everybody has noticed that the roads are quieter, there’s a lot of cancellations for self-catering holidays. [Ferry disruption] is going to have a long-term impact. It’s been a very disappointing year. "There have been instances where people have had to sleep in cars as they couldn’t get off the island.” The couple are far from alone. Repeated … [Read more...] about Scottish islanders suffer disastrous summer after Nicola Sturgeon’s ferry failures