Good afternoon from The Courier’s politics team, here are your top 5 politics stories making headlines today.
Ryanair budget response
Ryanair plans to cut flights to and from UK airports by 10% next year following Labour’s decision to increase the tax on airline tickets in the autumn Budget.
Chief executive Michael O’Leary criticised the spending statement on Friday, saying it has “damaged” UK growth prospects and “made air travel much more expensive”.
Fair funds for councils
Scottish councils say they must receive their fair share of new funds from the UK Budget, as they called for “sustainable investment” in local authorities.
Council umbrella body Cosla has written to the Scottish and UK governments seeking clarity on the funding arrangements, after Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered the first Labour Budget in 14 years earlier this week.
The Scottish Government is now in line to receive £47.7 billion in the next financial year – including £3.4 billion due as a result of decisions made by the Chancellor.
Right to treatment for addiction
A Holyrood committee is urging people to have their say about a Bill which seeks to enshrine in law a right to treatment for drug or alcohol addiction.
Health Committee convener Clare Haughey said the “tragic impact” that addition can have meant the proposal was one the committee “takes extremely seriously”.
Tory MSP Douglas Ross has introduced the Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill to Holyrood – which sets out to give those diagnosed with a drug or alcohol addiction the right to treatment.
A9 delay report
A lack of agreement on funding “significantly contributed” to the Scottish Government’s failure to dual the A9 by 2025, a Holyrood report has found.
The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee said it remains concerned about whether cash will be made available to meet the new 2035 deadline.
MSPs, who are investigating delays in the project, said issues were repeatedly raised years before the target was scrapped.
Farmers demand U-turn
Angry farmers left reeling from Labour’s Budget are calling on the Government to quickly reverse what they are describing as an “awful” family farm tax.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said Britain’s farmers and growers will take part in a mass lobby of their MPs following the plans outlined on Wednesday.
According to Budget papers, from April 2026 farmers will be able to claim a 100% relief from inheritance tax on the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business assets, falling to 50% beyond that.
Conversation