The Snippet: 14th February 2025
A "hit list" on MSPs, universities in chaos and council tax reform...
Welcome to the fourth edition of The Snippet, your weekly round-up of the top Scottish politics stories written especially for young people. It’s a slightly shorter edition this week, as there’s no First Minister’s Questions…
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💗
Don’t forget to give this a share if you like what you read. Thanks for reading, and have a lovely weekend.
🗳️ More MSPs to stand down in 2026
SNP MSP Audrey Nicoll has announced she is standing down in 2026 from the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat she has held since 2021. (Adele Merson, Press & Journal)
It comes just months after Stephen Flynn - current SNP leader at Westminster - announced his plan to run for the same seat in the next Holyrood election, before walking the decision back following backlash
Nicoll said her decision was personal and that she had not been pressured to stand aside or because of Flynn. She said: “By the time you reach my age, and especially having worked in a male-dominated work environment for 31 years, I’m not in the game of being pressurised by men into doing something that isn’t right for me.” (Laura Pollock, The National)
It comes after reports emerged that allies of Flynn had drawn up a “hit list” of SNP MSPs - all of them women - to oust before the election. The list includes Karen Adam, Evelyn Tweed, Collette Stevenson, Jackie Dunbar and Emma Roddick (Connor Matchett, Scottish Sun)
Health Secretary Neil Gray MSP has said the claims of a “hit list” are just speculation and that the SNP wants the “best possible candidates” for next year’s election (Craig Paton, PA, via Independent)
Evelyn Tweed - one of the MSPs on the “hit list” - announced on Thursday she would be standing down at the next election. The Stirling MSP said she wanted to “embrace new opportunities” (Justin Bowie, The Courier)
Meanwhile, former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has suggested she could stay on as an MSP for the next 20 years, saying she has a sense of “unfinished business” in her Glasgow Southside constituency (Martin Roche, Glad Radio / Andrew Learmonth, The Herald)
🎓 Education chaos
Staff at Dundee University will begin a three-week strike later this month after bosses refused to rule out compulsory redundancies. UCU members will strike from 24th February until 14th March (Alasdair Clark, The Courier)
Elsewhere, staff at Edinburgh University have been warned schools or programmes could be closed as part of efforts to stabilise the institution’s finances. In a letter to staff, Sir Peter Mathieson, the university’s principal, said “nothing is off the table” (Calum Ross, The Scotsman)
In Glasgow, a teachers’ strike has been suspended following talks between unions an the city council. Members of the EIS union were set to walk out on 20th February (Stewart Paterson, Glasgow Times)
In other news, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar wrote to university bosses saying his party’s support for free tuition is “iron-clad” but the “status quo is not working”. The SNP slammed his letter as “hypocrisy on stilts” (Andrew Learmonth, The Herald)
🏘️ Council tax reform
The Scottish Government has announced action on council tax and has started canvassing for views on changing the system. Finance Secretary Shona Robison said: “We will be seeking a consensus on a local taxation system that is fairer, financially sustainable and fits a modern Scotland.” (PA, via STV News)
The Institute for Fiscal Studies, a leading economic think tank, said more than half of Scottish households are paying the wrong council tax rates. Households pay council tax according to “bands” which are allocated based on what the value of a home would have been in April 1991 (Xander Elliards, The National)
Fife Council leader David Ross - leader of the Labour group on Cosla (the council umbrella body) - dismissed the consultation plans as “cynical” and “a fantasy” (Alistair Grant, The Scotsman)
Meanwhile, councillors at the Scottish Borders Council have said they plan to increase council tax by 10% from April, which they said will generate £7 million. The council will meet to confirm plans later this month (BBC News)
It’s important to note that students are exempt from paying council tax. If you’re a student who lives with someone who isn’t a student, you might be eligible for council tax reduction. Find out more HERE.
🗣️ Humza Yousaf on ‘hell on earth’ in Gaza
Former first minister Humza Yousaf has said the situation in Gaza is already “hell on Earth”. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said his father-in-law has been left a “shell” and any hopes of his parents-in-law returning to Gaza is “a very distant dream” (PA, via STV News)
Maged and Elizabeth El-Nakla – the parents of Yousaf’s wife Nadia El-Nakla – were visiting relatives in Gaza when the war on Gaza broke out following October 7, 2023. They were trapped for four weeks before leaving through Egypt with other British nationals
Yousaf has also branded an exchange between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on refugees as “sickening”. He described their comments on preventing Palestinian refugees from being allowed to live in Britain under the Homes for Ukraine scheme as “institutional racism” (Holly Lennon, STV News)
👀 FMQs
There was no First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, as Holyrood is currently in recess. FMQs will resume next week!
👑 John Swinney attends ‘royal sleepover’
First Minister John Swinney attended an event with King Charles at Windsor Castle on Wednesday evening. The FM, along with Keir Starmer and the heads of the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland and Wales, was invited to an evening with the monarch (Paris Gourtsoyannis, STV News)
💰 Funding to tackle violence against women
The Scottish Government has announced an increase in funding to tackle violence against women. Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart announced more than 100 organisations will receive a share of £2.4 million (Joe Scotting, The National)
That’s all for this week! Don’t forget to subscribe to get a weekly-round up sent straight to your inbox every Friday.
If you think we should be covering something, get in touch.
You can also find The Snippet on social media (Twitter/X, Instagram, Bluesky and TikTok) @snippetscotland.