Welcome to The Courier’s morning politics briefing, it’s everything you need to know about politics in your region, and across the country, before you start your day.
New this morning:
- The Scottish Government says it is “actively exploring” the future of the £1.7 million Dick Bequest education fund in the north-east after its historic links to the slave trade were exposed.
- Campaigner Jimmy Jones confirms he will make a new submission to the Crown Office to call for a fatal accident inquiry into the mid-air RAF Tornado jet crash over the Moray Firth in 2012 once a new lord advocate has been appointed.
Coming up today:
- First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will hold a coronavirus briefing today, where she will address rising case numbers in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and Clackmannanshire, and look at the vaccine rollout.
- Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar will meet with other Labour politicians and business leaders in Glasgow’s George Square to call for an urgent lockdown exit plan for the city.
- A vigil to mark one year since the death of George Floyd will be held at Holyrood.
- It is day two of the Good Law Project and EveryDoctor’s legal challenge at the High Court over the UK Government’s decision to award more than £650 million worth of contracts for PPE – the group claims nine PPE contracts were awarded unlawfully during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
- Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey will reveal the number of people who have been helped by the Job Entry Targeted Support programme, which was set up in October 2020 to help those made redundant during the coronavirus pandemic.
- Minister for business, energy and industrial strategy Kwasi Kwarteng is to answer questions on Liberty Steel and the Future of the UK Steel Industry at Westminster’s business select committee.
- The House of Commons justice committee will hold an evidence session on the fallout of quashed convictions for Post Office workers.
In case you missed it:
- Priti Patel has defended Home Office raids in Scotland, saying they are “what they British public have voted for and what they want”.
- The UK Government announces a £167 million funding boost for green technologies as part of plans to create 60,000 jobs across the country and “future proof” Scotland’s polluting industries.
- SNP MSP Ruth Maguire will take a medical leave of absence from public duties and frontline parliamentary work after being diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer.
- Scotland’s new Covid recovery secretary John Swinney says people should still not travel abroad, despite direct flights from Scotland to some ‘green list’ countries starting back up.
