Good afternoon from The Courier’s politics team, here are your top 5 politics stories making headlines today.
1. Swinney rules out Scottish tax cut?
John Swinney has appeared to rule out cuts in income tax for Scots in next month’s Holyrood Budget – saying it would hit spending on public services.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay had called on the first minister to give taxpayers “a break after years of the SNP swiping their cash”.
Mr Findlay made the plea as he branded Wednesday’s UK Budget “the biggest tax heist ever”, with Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves setting out to raise £40 billion through various tax rises.
But Mr Swinney said cutting taxes would lead to cuts in public expenditure.
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, he said: “That is what is involved, if you reduced taxation then you reduce public expenditure in the commensurate amount, because we have to balance the budget.”
2. Juryless trial plan ditched
The SNP Government has dropped plans for juryless rape trials to be piloted in Scotland after failing to secure cross-party support.
Under the proposal, a single judge, or possibly a panel, would have provided a verdict in certain rape cases rather than a jury.
But it drew strong opposition from the legal profession, including the Law Society.
They argued trial by jury for serious crimes is a “basic right” and should not be undermined.
3. ‘Vote Kamala Harris’
Scotland’s First Minister has endorsed Kamala Harris in the US presidential election.
John Swinney joked that his endorsement is not just because her opponent Donald Trump is against Scottish independence.
Speaking to journalists after First Minister’s Questions, the SNP leader said: “People in the United States of America should vote for Kamala Harris and I have not come to that conclusion only because Donald Trump is opposed to Scottish independence.”
4. Nicola Sturgeon’s TV cash
Nicola Sturgeon was paid £25,000 to appear as an election night pundit for ITV, it has emerged.
The money was for her part in offering views at the general election on July 4.
The size of the payment led to accusations of hypocrisy at Holyrood today.
One senior SNP minister had previously said Ruth Davidson should quit as an MSP for accepting £7,500 for TV work at the 2019 general election.
5. Police treated with ‘contempt’
The Scottish Government has been accused of treating police with “utter contempt” by offering officers a pay deal below that provided to NHS staff.
David Kennedy, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) said the “final” pay offer made to police of a 4.75% rise is “not good enough”.
With the Scottish Government having been provided with extra cash as a result of the UK Budget on Wednesday, he appealed to ministers to “give our officers the pay deal they deserve”.
Conversation