Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

UK leadership candidates seek to undermine new push for Scottish independence

Both candidates want more focus on the Scottish government’s record on health and education.

UK leadership candidates seek to undermine new push for Scottish independence

The two candidates battling to be Britain's next prime minister will vie to present themselves as defenders of Scotland's place in the UK on Tuesday (16) by promising more scrutiny of Scotland's government to undermine a new push for independence.

The Scottish National Party, which heads Scotland's semi-autonomous government, wants to hold a second independence referendum next year, which could rip apart the world's fifth-biggest economy.


The bonds holding together the four countries that make up the United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - have been severely strained over the last six years by Brexit and the government's handling of the pandemic.

Liz Truss, the foreign minister, and Rishi Sunak, the former finance minister, who are competing to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson, set out their policies for Scotland before the only election hustings in the country on Tuesday.

Both candidates want more focus on the Scottish government's record on health and education. Scotland has the highest drug deaths in Europe and two thirds of the population is either obese or overweight, while a report last year said its education system is the weakest performing in the United Kingdom.

Truss promised to give parliamentary privilege to members of the Scottish parliament to allow more scrutiny of the government, and said she would push to sign a trade deal with India to end longstanding 150% tariffs on Scotch Whisky, the country's biggest single product export.

"I'll make sure that my government does everything to ensure elected representatives hold the devolved administration to account," she said. "As a nation we are stronger together and the UK needs Scotland as much as Scotland needs the UK."

Voters in Scotland, which has a population of around 5.5 million, rejected independence in 2014. But Scotland's government says Britain's departure from the European Union, which was opposed by a majority of Scots, means the question must be put to a second vote.

Sunak said that if he becomes prime minister, he will order senior Scottish government officials to attend annual British parliament committee hearings.

"For too long the SNP has been able to obscure its failures by picking and choosing the data it publishes - I would change that, ensuring the Scottish government’s record could be held to account," he said.

(Reuters)

More For You

What’s next for Rishi Sunak? From Downing Street to a new mission

Rishi Sunak with Akshata Murty

What’s next for Rishi Sunak? From Downing Street to a new mission

NOW that he has been prime minister, what next for Rishi Sunak?

His wife, Akshata Murty, dropped a hint when she was interviewed along with her mother, Sudha Murty, for the long-running Relative Values slot in the Sunday Times.

Keep ReadingShow less
India slashes income taxes in bid to boost economy

Nirmala Sitharaman holds up a folder with the government of India's logo as she leaves her office to present the annual budget in the parliament, in New Delhi. REUTERS/Altaf Hussain

India slashes income taxes in bid to boost economy

INDIA's finance minister unveiled broad income tax cuts on Saturday (1) as prime minister Narendra Modi's government looks to bolster consumption and perk up a slowing economy.

The world's most populous country is forecast to expand at its slowest pace since the Covid pandemic in the current fiscal year, after growing at more than eight per cent last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Washington-air-crash-Getty

The collision is the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since 2001. (Photo: Getty Images)

Two Indian-American passengers among victims of Washington air crash

TWO Indian-Americans were among the 67 people killed in a mid-air collision between a US Army helicopter and a jetliner at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, media reports said.

Vikesh Patel, a GE Aerospace engineer, and Asra Hussain Raza, a Washington DC-based consultant, were on board American Airlines flight 5342 when it collided with the Army helicopter while approaching the airport on Wednesday night.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ambanis-Getty

Billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani with his wife and founder chairperson of the Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani during the wedding reception ceremony of actor Amir Khan's daughter, Ira Khan on January 13, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)

Ambanis set to acquire minority stake in Hundred’s Oval Invincibles

THE OWNERS of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Mumbai Indians have reportedly secured a deal to acquire a 49 per cent stake in Oval Invincibles, a franchise in England’s Hundred competition.

Reports on Thursday stated that Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), which owns Mumbai Indians, emerged as the successful bidder.

Keep ReadingShow less
trump-white-house-getty

peaking at a press conference, Trump confirmed that all those aboard both aircraft had died and cited pilot error on the military helicopter as a factor in the crash. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump blames diversity policies for Washington air collision

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Thursday blamed diversity hiring policies for a mid-air collision between an airliner and a military helicopter over Washington’s Potomac River, which left 67 people dead.

Speaking at a press conference, Trump confirmed that all those aboard both aircraft had died and cited pilot error on the military helicopter as a factor in the crash. However, he focused on diversity policies under former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, claiming they prevented qualified employees from being hired at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Keep ReadingShow less