LEAKED EU MEMO: TORIES GEARING UP TO ROLL BACK ON FISHING PROMISES   Fishing leaders have warned the UK government not to sell out Scotland’s seafood industry after a leaked EU memo suggests the Tories will roll back on key promises.  According to the Press & Journal, the European Council has promised its members it will “demonstrate particular vigilance … in protecting...

The SNP has welcomed a new poll showing a majority of Scots backing Holyrood’s right to decide on holding an independence referendum.  The Survation poll, commissioned by Progress Scotland, found that 61% of Scots backed Holurood deciding on whether to hold an independence referendum, compared to only 39% who thought Westminster should decide.   Polling has consistently shown that a...

The SNP has opposed the Tories’ plans for government, warning that the reckless agenda shows contempt for Scotland, fails to tackle austerity, imposes restrictive immigration measures, does not protect the NHS, fails to improve workers’ rights, and disregards the devolved governments. Following a vote in the House of Commons on the government’s Queen's Speech, the SNP’s Westminster...

SCOTLAND MUST HAVE CHOICE ON INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND OVER BROKEN, BREXIT BRITAIN With just 10 days to go till Brexit day, the SNP has reiterated that the people of Scotland must have the choice over their own future as the UK is dragged towards economic and social ruin by the Tory government’s Brexit plans. As the UK prepares to officially leave the EU and enter the transition period on...

The SNP’s Carol Monaghan MP today challenged the Tories to come clean on whether the UK will continue to participate in the Erasmus programme, asking if it is the Education Secretary or the Prime Minister that is correct on the issue. Last week at Prime Minister’s Questions, Boris Johnson said Brexit would not pose a threat to the UK continuing to participate in the Erasmus scheme. However,...

CANDIDATES “PLAYING TO THE GALLERY” TO PROVE RIGHT WING CREDENTIALS   The SNP has called on Tory leadership candidates to come forward with a “clear and concrete statement on tuition fees”, after Michelle Ballantyne claimed she was working on an alternative to free university education.  Launching her campaign to become the next Tory leader in Holyrood, Ballantyne hinted to...

SCOTTISH FARMERS HAVE FACED CRIPPLING UNCERTAINTY FOR TOO LONG The SNP has slammed the Tories for failing to give farmers certainty for over three years – and said that the emergency Farm Payment Bill characterises their recklessness in pursuit of a damaging Brexit. The Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Bill – a last-minute fix for a problem flagged by the SNP Scottish...

RESTRICTIVE IMMIGRATION PLANS “A RACE TO THE BOTTOM” The SNP has condemned Tory government plans to impose further restrictions on key EU workers coming to Scotland and the UK – warning the move risks inflicting “hostile environment 2.0" and harming key industries.  Plans reported in the Sunday Telegraph reveal that Boris Johnson will scrap a temporary extension of the current...

SCOTTISH LABOUR MUST CLARIFY CONFUSED STANCE The SNP has ramped up pressure on Scottish Labour to now back a second independence referendum, after a new survey revealed that an overwhelming majority of Labour members support - or are open to supporting - Scotland’s right to choose its own future. A YouGov/Times poll found that 77% of Labour members support, or are open to support, an...

Dear FriendsThis week was our last in Strasbourg (at least for the time being). While it’s been a tough week there were a number of key votes, not least on the European Green Deal where we helped to secure crucial amendments on the role of the European Investment Bank in the Green Deal, and underlined the need for binding national targets for both renewables and energy efficiency. Europe is...

LABOUR "HOPELESSLY OUT OF TOUCH" WITH THE PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND The SNP has criticised Lisa Nandy after the Labour leadership candidate stated she would deny the people of Scotland a choice over their future if she became leader – going as far as to suggest that she would follow the example of independence movements suppressed through violence. When also asked by the BBC’s Andrew Neil if she...

CALL FOR EXTRA CASH TO HELP SELF-FUNDING STUDENTS DEFYING THE ODDS   SNP MSP Gillian Martin has this week launched a campaign to increase financial and emotional backing for estranged students who can’t rely on their parents for support.  While care experienced students have access to a bursary and an accommodation grant, students who have become estranged from their families do not...

OPPOSITION PARTIES MUST RULE OUT THREAT TO SCOTLAND’S BUSINESSES The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) in conjunction with 26 other business groups, including Federation of Small Businesses, has raised concerns over an opposition amendment to the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Bill – which would mean that rates would no longer be set nationally and business rates reliefs, including the Small...

PARTY MUST CLARIFY POSITION ON INDEPENDENCE   The SNP has called for Scottish Labour to clarify their increasingly “muddled” position on an independence referendum – after former Deputy Leader Alex Rowley said the party unequivocally “believes in the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine their own future.”  In one of the clearest expressions of support for...

The SNP has ramped up calls on the UK government to follow the SNP Scottish Government’s lead and introduce a Green New Deal. Ahead of the Queen’s Speech debate today (Wednesday) on the Green Industrial Revolution, SNP MP Alan Brown called on the UK government to ditch its nuclear obsession, invest in renewables, and match the SNP’s world-leading plans to tackle climate change. At the...

SNP SOUND THE ALARM OVER PARALLEL BREXIT TRADE TALKS The SNP has pressed the UK government to prioritise its trading relationship with the EU - the UK’s closest trading partner - ahead of a race to the bottom in standards by holding parallel trade talks with the US. The EU’s Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier has previously warned that the UK government’s transition period deadline does not...

The SNP today questioned how the Tories will deliver on their promises to Scottish fishermen as it becomes increasingly clear that fishing will be the first item on the table in any discussion on the future relationship with the EU.    The EU’s negotiating position – and the political declaration – makes any free trade deal after Brexit contingent on a fishing agreement, a...

The SNP has welcomed news by the Gambling Commission that gambling with credit cards is to be banned, but warned that the UK government must act before it’s too late to tackle problem gambling. The SNP has consistently called on the UK government to bring forward a comprehensive strategy and key reforms that look further into education, research and treatment. Ronnie Cowan MP, who is...

ALYN SMITH: UK MUST WORK WITH ALLIES, NOT BE DICTATED TO BY WHITE HOUSE SCRIPT The SNP has warned Boris Johnson against abandoning international efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal, after the Prime Minister signalled support for ditching the deal and backing a Trump deal instead. In an interview this morning with BBC Breakfast, Johnson said, “If we’re going to get rid of it (JCPOA)...

CONTINUED SUPPRESSION OF REPORT IS “UNJUSTIFIABLE” SAYS SNP’S STEWART MCDONALD The SNP has demanded the UK Tory government urgently reconvenes Westminster’s Intelligence & Security Committee and publishes a key report on the interference of Russian security agencies into UK democracy. Boris Johnson’s Security Minister, Brandon Lewis, was pressed on the long-delay to the...