Heating oil prices have hit rural households hard in Stirling & Strathallan, so I welcome the Chancellor’s commitment to extra support. I am continuing to monitor the situation and will be pressing the Scottish Government to set out their plans for the funding.

The PM listed 5 things they'll do to "protect the cost of living". Most just reiteratedexisting situation, the new thing, as expected was £53m to help vulnerable with home heating oil costs. We'll starting digging into that ASAP. Will update here when I know more.

Companies House has put out a statement confirming that, for five months, every company in the UK was vulnerable to the simple exploit we identified on Friday. It enabled anyone in the world to view and change their company details.

My medical college was neutral but is now against In part because of the inadequate protection against coercion partly because of the lack of an opt out

The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, says she has reduced her alcohol consumption since her cancer diagnosis. Hopefully this will help increase awareness that alcohol causes at least 7 types of cancer. But how does it cause cancer? Watch our film: youtu.be/NAJ88YJixrQ

🚨 Can Keir Starmer avoid the UK being drawn into the US-Iran war? – latest podcast with me and @kiranstacey.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/politics/aud...

Tourism is vital to Scotland’s economy As Minister responsible for the registers of Scotland i got approval to fund them to digitise births deaths marriages & the sassine [ land & property register] I did so because I saw the added benefit in genealogical tourism. It has increased x5 since 2002.

The SNP has introduced planning rules penalising applications which could encourage tourism. Sounds like a joke, but apparently isn’t.

It is not possible to give the choice that a small number seek about the end of their life without putting a much larger vulnerable group in harm’s way. The Royal College of Psychiatrists & many others agree. That’s why I hope MSP colleagues will reject the dangerous assisted dying bill tomorrow

Tuesday’s @theguardian.com front page: PM vows UK will resist US pressure to join Iran war www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

I hope it is defeated. First [if ever] palliative and terminal care must be gold star funded

x.com/kerryburgess... This is scary.

Could it be Thanks to a campaign led by Labour MSP Monica Lennon which created the fist free periods supplies in Scotland

EXC: SNP Health Secretary accused of 'shameful' NHS failures in his own backyard. NHS Lanarkshire is: - bottom of the league on GP numbers per 10,000 people - worst on patient satisfaction on GP services - miles behind on A+E waits

Can Mandelson be prosecuted? We’ve discussed the law and the evidence with leading lawyers. The bottom line: "misconduct in public office" is the only viable route. The law is messy and proving intent is hard - but we believe there is a realistic prospect of conviction. 🧵:

Can the Scottish Government explain why John Swinney lied about having reduced public sector headcount? No. It cannot. Remarkably, it effectively disowns remarks Swinney made during on interview on BBC Radio Scotland.

I'm getting used to using this

Job Alert 📢 Please share - We are looking for a creative, confident, and experienced individual to join our team as a Fundraiser. Please see more information below and do get in touch with us if you have any queries. https://www.familiesoutside.org.uk/about-us/recruitment/

The @ipprscotland.bsky.social report - More than a Safety Net - is published today. Is the welfare state a brake on economic development? No, countries with high levels of social spending are among the most dynamic, productive and innovative economies in the world www.ippr.org/articles/mor...

🚨 BREAKING: Jewish activists heckle Nigel Farage during the launch of Reform UK's Jewish alliance "My grandmother fled Germany, you would deport her!"

Jes Staley - former senior exec at JPM and CEO of Barclays - told the FCA he and Epstein were not friends. Let's break that rule that we can't call rich/famous people "liars". Thread:

Taken together with the offshore wind auction last month we have secured the most clean, homegrown power in British history. We’re on track to deliver our clean power mission and bring down bills for good. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

In our latest blog, Jem Roberts and Dr Peter Rice unpack the panic about pub closures - and show why much of it is misleading 🍺 What’s actually happening? ⬇️ Pub numbers have fallen for over a century - this isn’t new ⬆️ Employment in pubs has stayed stable... www.ias.org.uk/2026/02/10/i...

Farage wants to bring cryptocurrency in from the cold. Tell that to the bond markets.

Two obvious (simplified) reasons (not exclusive): 1) Because the people who own/fund him are business partners/associates with the people who wield most influence the media AND/OR 2) Promoting right wing ideas is profitable and is far easier/more cost effective than proper journalism.

Reform UK confirms its Welsh leader has bought a house in Bath – but claims he is living in Wales

Another one gone, and another reason for Jo Monk to quit. Councillor quits Reform over council 10% tax rise www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

BBC News, "Greater Manchester Police are investigating a report that Reform UK broke electoral law in the Gorton & Denton by-election" "It's been reported that the party sent a letter to voters that didn't include an imprint identifying the promoter of the material"

Reform candidate in Gorton & Denton Matt Goodwin wants to ‘tax people who don’t have children’

Every time #BBCLauraK reads out emails, they almost always start with something negative about the government. Impartiality my backside.

🔴NEW: Books are being removed or restricted in Scottish school libraries following complaints, creating a “chilling effect” that campaigners warn threatens both freedom of speech and inclusive education. Read the story: https://www.theferret.scot/books-scottish-schools-librarians/

PSA to the Labour left: If you get one of your own into office: Rayner, Miliband etc What happened to Corbyn will happen to them. There's just zero chance an *overtly* left wing agenda is going to be given latitude to succeed. For lots of reasons (the economy, the power of the media etc).

As Mandelson case exposes the risks of using US company Palantir for health data, how Nicola Sturgeon’s government made sure it didn’t happen in Scotland two years ago talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/02/06/a...

“These systems are capable of coordinating autonomously, infiltrating communities and fabricating consensus efficiently” https://www.theferret.scot/could-ai-misinformation-sway-the-scottish-election

If we had an Electoral Commission with teeth, or even opposable thumbs, this sort of blatant electoral fraud could be swiftly and decisively punished during the by-election period, which would also serve to encourager les autres. But we don't. And a police investigation will take us past the vote.

Both stories about Reform UK Party Ltd’s Gorton & Denton campaign are true — they, laughably, reported Labour to the police over a ‘misleading’ video, and now they face a police investigation over breaking by-election law with deliberately misleading campaign material.

One of Property118's witnesses, Neil Kumar, was asked by HMRC's barrister whether significant parts of his witness statement were simply copied and pasted from someone else's He replied that it wasn't copied and pasted - he said it was agreed with an (unknown) barrister.

Why i didn’t repost But he is mentioned over FORTY times He is very silent on his own involvement and ver vocal on the Mandelson issue Very silent on his. Judgment on Nathan Gill treason when he was a close friend and fellow MEP both spiting pro Russian views

With the complete silence from Farage regarding Epstein it's almost as if there's something to hide or some sort of racial bias going on here.🤔

His defence will be Saving the public purse And He only knew what we all including the PM knew But he cant help himself in saying PM should have known more he didn’t comment on the appointment at the time when Peter Mandelson’s history was known that didnt prevent him from thanking Mandelson

Farage is named in the Epstein files, Starmer isn't, but somehow the media seem determined to force Starmer out. I wonder why?

The best part of two decades on from the SNP promise to replace the council tax, they have barely moved an inch forward. Ministers have come and gone, claiming that they wanted to listen to other parties' proposals, without ever proposing a serious way forward.

Bot farms, fake personas and AI-generated slang: one study found 1,300 Iranian-backed accounts pushing political messages into Scottish timelines. What does that mean for Holyrood 2026? Find out more: https://www.theferret.scot/could-ai-misinformation-sway-the-scottish-election

My latest @heraldscotland.bsky.social column on economic growth and the looming Holyrood election. "What might prove elusive are clear and coherent explanations of why...growth remains a legitimate aspiration but one that is increasingly hard to achieve" www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/2582...

The connection between people in prison and their children cannot be underestimated. It can have positive impacts for all involved, increasing bonding opportunities and promoting positive parenting. Hear more about the Healthy Dads Healthy Kids programme in Barlinnie: https://ow.ly/6GKA50Y9hXV

SCOTLAND’S FAILURE to eliminate or even make a substantial difference to the Inverse Care Law where practices facing the greatest or greater need receive less funding and support is one of the consequences of 19 years of SNP priorities