On This Day: Scotland says “nae thanks” to independence Opinion On 18th September 2014, Scotland voted against 55 per cent to 45 per cent against independence in a referendum that was supposed to settle the question for a generation, writes Eliot Wilson It is firmly within my lifetime that the idea of Scottish independence was a harmlessly quirky cause on the fringes of politics. After [...]
Will Westminster learn the right lessons from Scotland’s education disaster? Education When experiments are run in public policy, evidence can be collected and the policies can be reviewed, scored and either rolled out, tweaked or abandoned. Not every area of policy lends itself to evidence-based analysis, but sometimes it’s clear-cut. We can see, for example, whether tax revenues rise or fall in response to fiscal reforms. [...]
SNP slammed for ‘mind-boggling’ food price cap plans Retail The Scottish government has been criticised for its “mind-boggling” plans to impose price caps on major retailers operating in the country, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Aldi. The Scottish National Party (SNP) has published a draft bill for the policy, which has been dismissed as an “unnecessary exercise” by leading retailers. SNP leader John Swinney’s initial [...]
The Highland tourist tax: Is Scotland pricing out whisky tourists? August 25, 2026 The latest available data from the Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor in Scotland (STEAM) shows that between 2012 and 2024, visitor numbers to the Highlands increased 82 per cent to 9.4m. Spending increased by a similar amount, to £2.1bn. A large share of that is directly linked to the Scotch whisky sector. You’d think, therefore, [...]
Scotland is a warning of what Andy Burnham’s devolution experiment will look like July 30, 2026 For an idea of what left-wing devolution yields, look no further than Scotland, where SNP statist’s efforts to extort the wealthy have backfired, writes Joseph Dinnage For a socialist, Andy Burnham has a funny approach to central government. Unlike his forebears across the former Soviet Union, southeast Asia and Latin America, the King of the [...]
How can wealthy Scots save £46,000 on income tax? Commute from England July 28, 2026 Higher earners in Scotland could save more than £46,000 in income tax over five years by moving south of the border and commuting to work, according to a new analysis by Rathbones. The wealth management firm found that a resident earning £250,000 could pay £8,900 less income tax in the first year alone by relocating [...]
Scotland’s tax hike may have backfired as receipt falls July 26, 2026 The Scottish government’s decision to raise the top rate of income tax may have backfired, according to analysis by the lawyer Dan Neidle. Neidle’s research on tax data suggested that a decision to increase the top income tax rate to 48 per cent led to lower receipts. HMRC data from 2024-25 suggested that the Scottish [...]
Ministers back SNP probe as Sturgeon refuses to apologise for Murrell May 31, 2026 Two top government ministers have backed an inquiry into the SNP after its former chief executive Peter Murrell admitted to embezzling over £400,000 from the party. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that there “should definitely be an inquiry because trust in politics has been fundamentally undermined by the [...]
The Capitalist: Claridge’s launches the ‘Mayfair Meal Deal’ May 28, 2026 Claridge's moves in on Tesco, things get heated at the ideas festival, and workers hide in the loo; catch up on the latest shenanigans.
Former SNP chief admits embezzling £400K of party funds to ‘bankroll lavish lifestyle’ May 25, 2026 The former chief executive of the Scottish National Party, Peter Murrell, who is also Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, has been remanded in custody after pleading guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds from the party. Murrell pleaded guilty on Monday morning when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh. Murrell admitted using “false [...]