The Snippet: 25th April 2025 đď¸
Anti-far right summit, Supreme Court fallout and by-election in full swing...
Hello! After a couple of weeks of recess, weâre back and busier than ever. Letâs get straight into itâŚ
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Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great weekend.
đ Anti-far right summit
On Wednesday, John Swinney chaired a summit to counter the rise of far-right politics in Glasgow. More than 50 people attended, from representatives of civic society, faith communities, the trade union movement and Holyroodâs political leaders. The only Holyrood leader not to attend was Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay, who described the summit as a âtalking shopâ.
But what did they actually do? Well, attendees signed a âmission statementâ aimed at âstrengthening and protecting democracy in Scotlandâ. The statement highlighted their concerns that much of the political debate has âbecome polarised and souredâ. But thatâs about itâŚ
There was a (very) small protest outside the summit, which included members from Reform. Demonstrators wore T-shirts saying ânot far rightâ, although there were also signs which read âASYLUM FRAUDS OUTâ and âMASS DEPORTATION NOW!â
The First Minister described the summit as just âthe startâ - letâs see if anything comes from it.
đ Supreme Court ruling
While the Snippet was in its own recess, there was the big news that the Supreme Court ruled on the definition of a âwomanâ under the Equality Act 2010 (brought by For Women Scotland against the Scottish Government). The ruling essentially concluded that âwomenâ referred to biological sex, and that trans women with a gender recognition certificate can be excluded from single-sex spaces if âproportionateâ.
John Swinney said the Scottish Government accepted the judgment, saying that âprotecting the rights of all will underpin our actionsâ.
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar got caught in a rather embarrassing situation when he claimed on Twitter/X that he had âalways called for the protection of single sex spaces on the basis of biological sexâ, despite previously voting for the GRR bill in Holyrood. He did, of course, get community notedâŚ
UK Government ministers are set to meet with their counterparts in the devolved nations to discuss the implication of the ruling, although no date has been set for this just yet.
Greens MSP Maggie Chapman faces a vote to oust her from her role as deputy convener of Holyroodâs Equalities Committee, after she condemned what she called the âbigotry, prejudice and hatred that we see coming from the Supreme Courtâ during a rally in Aberdeen. Speaking to the media in Holyrood, Chapman said she was ânot going to stop representing the views of my trans constituents or standing up for their rightsâ. The committee - made up of 3 SNP, 2 Scottish Tory, 1 Scottish Labour and 1 Scottish Green (Chapman) - will meet on Tuesday.
Thereâs been a lot of misinformation online about the ruling - hereâs the full judgment from the Supreme Court if you want to take a look.
đłď¸ By-election in full swing
The by-election to replace the late Christina McKelvie as MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse will take place on June 5.
The candidates announced so far are:
SNP: Katy Loudon, who previously contested the Rutherglen seat at a by-election and the General Election, losing both times to Scottish Labourâs Michael Shanks
Scottish Labour: Davy Russell, who worked as Glasgow City Councilâs head of operational services and is a former business associate of Rangers boss Barry Ferguson and Anas Sarwarâs brother
Scottish Conservative: Richard Nelson (an Orange Order member and a âhypnotistâ - yes, you heard that right) which was revealed by the Daily Recordâs Paul HutcheonâŚ
Reform: Ross Lambie, a Tory councillor who defected to Reform in a bizarre press conference outside a chippy - you might remember that Reformâs deputy leader Richard Tice couldnât remember his name at the time
The by-election is largely considered a two-party race between the SNP and Scottish Labour and could paint the picture for next yearâs Holyrood election. Both John Swinney and Anas Sarwar have been out campaigning in the area. Letâs see how it turns out in JuneâŚ
đŁď¸ FMQs
Thursday saw the first FMQs after recess. Hereâs a quick debrief:
John Swinney tells Holyrood the Scottish Government will develop âtimely guidanceâ on the issue of single-sex spaces following the Supreme Court ruling
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay urged the FM to âapologise to the women of Scotlandâ in light of the judgment - Swinney said he accepted it but he doesnât say sorry, pointing out that the Equality Act expressly prohibits discrimination and harassment against trans people (this was also brought up by former Tory leader Douglas Ross)
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar hits out at the anti-far right summit (which took place in Glasgow a day earlier), saying that it lacked any reflection on the failure of SNP policies - Swinney says his government âdelivers for the people of Scotland, day in and day outâ
Scottish LibDems leader Alex Cole-Hamilton raised concerns about the lack of recruitment of maths and science teachers, with the FM saying his government will work with local authority partners to address the issue
Scottish Greens MSP Ariane Burgess raised concerns about salmon farm proposals for Loch Long, but Swinney said he couldnât currently go into detail because it was a live planning appeal
Albaâs Holyrood leader Ash Regan called on the Scottish Government to cut public funding to LGBT+ groups in light of the Supreme Court ruling
đ New poll who dis?
Rejoice! A new poll has dropped - this time by YouGov - which shows Reform winning the next General Election and Nigel Farage becoming the next prime minister.
In terms of seats, this works out as: Reform 254, Labour 183, Tories 75, LibDems 71, Greens 4 and SNP 35.
While 25% of people said they would back Reform across the UK, in Scotland this sat at 23% (lower than England and Wales). The SNP picked up 3% of the overall vote, with 32% of people in Scotland saying they would vote for them. Hereâs a handy breakdown of Scotland-specific results:
SNP: 32%
Reform: 23%
Scottish Labour: 14%
Scottish LibDem: 11%
Scottish Conservative: 9%
Scottish Green: 8%
Other: 4%
Looking at this, it would mean Reform would be the second largest party in Scotland at the next General Election.
đ More university drama
In the latest development in the funding crisis across higher education, around 350 staff at Edinburgh University have taken voluntary redundancy, with more jobs potentially on the line. The university is looking to cut ÂŁ140 million from its budget.
UCU Edinburgh has called on the university to rule out compulsory job cuts - saying it wouldnât be necessary because people had taken voluntary redundancy.
Elsewhere, hundreds of professional services staff at Dundee University have voted to go on strike after the university announced there could be up to 700 redundancies.
The Scottish Government has so far provided ÂŁ22 milllion in liquidity support for the university - which said it is battling a ÂŁ35 million deficit.
âŞď¸ Pope Francis funeral
The funeral of Pope Francis is taking place on Saturday in Rome. John Swinney will be going, alongside a delegation of Scottish bishops. The First Minister said he is âhonouredâ to be attending, stressing the importance of Scotland being represented in Rome.
He will fly out to Rome on Friday and will be returning after the service on Saturday.
Paying tribute to the pope, Swinney said he was âalways on the side of the poorâ and made important contributions on international conflicts - such as on Gaza and Ukraine
đşđ¸ Donald Trump coming to Scotland
Yippee - Trump has told The Times he hopes to visit Scotland as part of his trip to the UK later this year. The US president previously said he expects the visit will be taking place in September, after receiving an invitation from the King during his meeting with Keir Starmer in the Oval Office.
Thereâs been a bit of confusion about whether he would actually be visiting Scotland - the official state visit is looking likely to be at Windsor Castle, although Balmoral was also floated around.
When asked whether he would visit his Aberdeenshire golf course during his visit (just an hourâs drive from Balmoral), Trump said: âI will be there - I hope to be there.
âWeâre opening a fantastic project there and I hope Iâm going to get to see it. Itâs going to be great.â
Letâs see how that one turns out, then.
Other bits you might have missed:
Scottish Government failing to make urgent progress on cutting emissions, environmental watchdog warns - The Scotsman
Prince and Princess of Wales spend wedding anniversary visiting Mull - STV News
Unions accuse Scottish Government of âstealth campaignâ on peak rail fare pilot - The Times
John Swinney announces extra ÂŁ300k in aid for Middle East conflicts - Scottish Government
Scottish Greens lodge bill to ban greyhound racing in Scotland - Daily Record
Scottish Government drops target to cut car use 20% by 2030 - BBC
Record number of foreign nationals registered to vote in Scotland - The National
This week Iâm trying something new to wrap up the Snippet - a quick glance at some of the things you can expect next week. Here we goâŚ
For the diary:
STUC congress, Dundee (taking place over Monday and Tuesday)
Holyrood dog of the year competition (Monday)
Equalities Committee vote on Maggie Chapman (Tuesday, 9.30am)
Dundee University rally outside STUC congress (Tuesday, 12.30pm)
Scottish Government debate: Supporting Scottish Industry During Turbulent Economic Times (Tuesday)
First Ministerâs Questions (Thursday, 12pm)
Scottish Government Debate: Scotlandâs Hydrogen Future (Thursday)
Thatâs all from me this week - thanks for taking the time to read! Donât forget to share and subscribe, if you havenât already. Weâll be back next week.
You can also find us on most social media platforms @snippetscotland.