Criminal surcharge used to support victims

Hospital violence charity among 19 to share in £1 million fund

Medics Against Violence (MAV), a charity operating across 10 hospital Emergency Departments, is among 19 organisations to receive a share of more than £1 million from the Victim Surcharge Fund, which is financed by penalties imposed on offenders who received a court fine. 

The funding will support MAV to offer practical assistance and essential items to people arriving at hospital after experiencing violence or exploitation. It will also enhance the charity’s Navigator programmes, which support people to make positive changes and connect them with community organisations.

This is the sixth round of payments from the Victim Surcharge Fund – which was established in November 2019 to provide practical help directly to victims of crime. This takes the total awarded to date from the Fund to £3,486,972.

Minister for Victims and Community Safety Siobhian Brown announced the latest funding allocation as she visited MAV’s Glasgow headquarters to learn more about its work. Ms Brown said: “It is only right that the people who commit crimes contribute towards helping victims and their families recover from trauma.

“I am pleased that since the first awards were made in January 2021, the fund has helped more than 7,000 people affected by crime, distributing almost £3.5 million in support to organisations that support victims of crime.

“The Victim Surcharge Fund allows organisations such as Medics Against Violence to respond quickly and compassionately by providing practical, immediate help to victims of crime when they need it most.”

David Duncan, Chief Executive Officer at Medics Against Violence, added: “Support from the Scottish Government’s Victim Surcharge Fund will be used directly to strengthen the help we provide to victims of crime through our Navigator programmes.

“This investment enables us to offer immediate practical assistance to people arriving in hospital after experiencing violence or exploitation, short‑term wellbeing support in the days that follow, and specialist, age‑appropriate care for children and young people who have been harmed.

“It also allows our Navigators to work alongside victims as they regain stability -advocating for access to housing, mental health services, financial advice, and community support.

“By reducing barriers for those who may feel isolated, frightened, or unsure where to turn, this funding ensures we can respond quickly, compassionately, and in a trauma‑informed way at the moments when victims of crime are most vulnerable. It makes a tangible difference to safety, recovery, and long‑term wellbeing.”

Debbie Adams, Director of Development and External Affairs at Victim Support Scotland, said: “We are extremely grateful to be recipients of the Scottish Government’s Victim Surcharge Fund. The VSF ensures that the fines received by offenders go directly towards helping people impacted by crime.

“In Victim Support Scotland’s case, the VSF goes towards our Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF), which provides a lifeline for people who are in urgent need of financial help as a result of a crime. It can provide life-essential things like emergency household goods, groceries, travel to a place of safety, costs to repair damaged items, and security equipment. 

“In 2024-25, the EAF distributed £538,974 worth of funds to people in need. One EAF recipient said that the items they received enabled them to “safeguard our household“, highlighting how it can help people take back control after experiencing crime. This funding will enable us to provide ongoing direct, immediate assistance for those in urgent need.”

Victim Surcharge Fund: guidance – gov.scot

The following organisations are set to benefit from this latest funding round of the Victim Surcharge Fund:

  • Victim Support Scotland                                                                 £525,000
  • Abernecessities                                                                              £102,000
  • Migrant Help                                                                                   £80,386
  • Grampian Women’s Aid                                                                  £70,000
  • Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland                                    £49,954
  • Kibble                                                                                             £32,594
  • Edinburgh Women’s Aid                                                                 £25,000
  • STAR Centre – Rape Crisis Ayrshire                                              £24,736
  • JustRight Scotland                                                                          £21,646
  • Dumbarton District Women’s Aid                                                    £20,900
  • East Dunbartonshire Women’s Aid                                                 £20,000
  • Action Against Stalking                                                                   £16,000
  • Medics Against Violence                                                                 £15,000
  • Committed to Ending Abuse                                                           £12,469
  • Edinburgh Youth’s Café                                                                  £5,000
  • Jubilee House                                                                                 £5,000
  • Inverclyde Women’s Aid                                                                  £5,000
  • Caledonian Women’s Service                                                         £5,000
  • Central Advocacy Partners                                                              £5,000 

The total fund award for this round is £1,040,685.

Following this latest round, a total of 27 different victim support organisations will have received awards from the Fund.

Pair arrested and charged following attempted robberies

An 18-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man have been arrested and charged in connection with two attempted robberies in Edinburgh.

Around 9.30am yesterday (Monday, 12 January, 2026), Police received a report from a premises on Colinton Mains Drive. Later, around 9.50am, a second report from a premises on Oxgangs Road North was received.

There were no injuries.

An 18-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man have been charged in connection with the incidents. They’re due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today – Tuesday, 13 January.

Detective Inspector Alan Sharp said: “I want to thank members of the public who assisted with these incidents before officers arrived and the local community for their support during our enquiries.”

Immigration Enforcement raids ‘at the highest level in UK history’

Record number of arrests and raids of illegal workers across the UK

Illegal working arrests and raids have reached the highest level in UK history thanks to ‘relentless activity’ by the Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement teams. 

Latest figures reveal the number of raids have soared by 77% in the UK since the government came into power, leading to an 83% rise in arrests (July 2024 to end of December 2025). 

There were 695 raids across Scotland leading to around 400 arrests.

Over 17,400 raids were made to dodgy businesses – such as nail bars, car washes, barbers and takeaway shops – targeting those attempting to undercut honest workers and hide in plain sight.  

The major uplift, which led to more than 12,300 arrests, was made possible by a £5m funding boost last year for Immigration Enforcement, to target and pursue illegal working criminality. 

In Northern Ireland, 187 raids were carried out in 2025, leading to 234 arrests – a 76% and 169% rise respectively compared to 2024.  

The crackdown on illegal working builds on this Labour government’s work to restore order to the immigration system and end the lure of illegal working that gangs use to sell spaces on small boats. 

The activity sits on top of the government’s wider work to remove and deport 50,000 illegal migrants from the UK  – a 23% increase under this government. 

Today’s figures come after the Home Secretary set out sweeping reforms to the immigration system – making it less attractive for illegal migrants to come to the UK and easier to deport and remove those with no right to be here.   

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said:  ”There is no place for illegal working in our communities. 

“That is why we have surged enforcement activity to the highest level in British history so illegal migrants in the black economy have nowhere to hide. 

“I will stop at nothing to restore order and control to our borders.”

Northern Ireland Secretary, Hilary Benn, said: “Illegal working undercuts honest businesses across Northern Ireland and fuels the criminal gangs who profit from human exploitation.

“This Government has increased enforcement to record levels, and the message is clear: there is no place for those flouting the law.”

The new figures come as Immigration Enforcement officers across the UK are now equipped with body worn video technology.

Following the start of the launch in September last year, all teams are now benefitting from this capability which will help bolster arrests and prosecutions further.   

Immigration Compliance and Enforcement Lead for Northern Ireland, Paul McHarron, said:  “Illegal working is against the law and will not be tolerated. 

“My teams will continue working around the clock to ensure those involved face the full force of the law.”

During illegal working raids last year, officers visited a range of sectors including restaurants, construction sites and nail bars:  

  • An immigration enforcement visit was conducted at VN Nail & Spa Salon in Belfast City Centre on 1 May. Three workers of Vietnamese nationality were arrested for illegal working. As a result, one individual was detained for removal.  
  • On 28 June, officers visited Europa Car Wash in Bangor. Four individuals of Romanian, Ethiopian and Jordanian nationality, were arrested for illegal working, with two detained for removal from the UK as a result.  
  • On 25 October, officers visited Beijing House in Londonderry. Three illegal workers of Chinese nationality were arrested. A Civil Penalty Referral Notice was served on the business owner.  Further inquiries to establish any liability and the liable employer will now take place. The liable employer could face a substantial fine if it’s found they employed illegal workers and failed to conduct relevant pre-employment checks.

And through the new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, the government is expanding right to work checks, so they cover the gig, casual, subcontracted and temporary worker economy, ensuring there is no hiding place for illegal workers to flout the rules. 

On top of this, the Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce is bringing together law enforcement and government partners, including the National Crime Agency, National Police Chiefs Council, Border Security Command and Immigration Enforcement, to use every available tool to identify, disrupt and dismantle criminal smuggling gangs operating in the UK. 

Over the last 12 months, there has been a 33% surge in disruptions related to migrant smuggling – with nearly 4,000 disruptions since July 2024 – and a landmark deal with France means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.  

To further ensure people can only work in the UK if they have permission, the government announced last year it will be introducing digital ID, which will be mandatory to prove someone’s right to work by the end of Parliament.   

This will create a simpler, more consistent way for employers to check someone’s  eligibility to work. The move will make it harder for illegal migrants to find work and allow the government to identify rogue business owners who are failing to conduct checks.  

This work combined forms part of the government’s ‘laser focus’ to secure the UK’s borders and end the false promise of work used to sell spaces on dangerous small boats.

STUC: Budget must prioritise ‘Scotland not political survival’

Scotland’s largest trade union body has urged the Scottish Government to prioritise the ‘people of Scotland and not political survival’ in their budget today (Tuesday).

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) are calling on the Scottish Government to take the “bold decisions” on reforming property, land and wealth taxes in their budget and to avoid “short-term electioneering” ahead of the election later this year.

Last year, on behalf of Tax Justice Scotland, the STUC published research showing Scotland’s five richest families hold more wealth than an entire quarter of Scotland’s population.

The research further showed that a modest 2% tax on all those with assets over £10 million could raise almost £500,000,000 for public services.

Commenting, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer implored the Finance Secretary Shona Robison “do what is right” and deliver for Scotland’s workers during the budget.

Ms Foyer said: “Today, the Scottish Government must do what is right and prioritise the people of Scotland not political survival.

“With the election looming large, this budget can’t sacrifice the long-term wellbeing and growth of our nation on the altar of short-term political survival. We must see bold decisions from the Finance Secretary on reforming tax on property and land, along with the introduction of wealth taxes, not more of the same measures designed to prioritise short-term electioneering.

“STUC research has shown that modest wealth taxes on Scotland’s richest few can benefit the many with almost £500,000,000 raised for the public coffers in the process.

“These are the measures the Scottish Government must prioritise if they want the support of Scotland’s workers.

“This isn’t about the next four months; if the government wishes to re-take office for the next five years, we urge them to do what is right and stand beside Scotland’s workers tomorrow, prioritising public services, job security and decent pay in their budget measures.”

STUC research ‘Taxing Wealth for a Fairer and Greener Scotland’ can be viewed here:

https://taxjustice.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/STUC-Taxing-Wealth-for-a-Fairer-and-Greener-Scotland.pdf

Edinburgh Zoo appoints Sodexo Live! as catering and hospitality partner

With a food and beverage plan built around conservation, community, and engagement, early priorities to be delivered by the team will focus on improving quality and consistency across the site, refreshing menus with seasonal produce in collaboration with local suppliers, and embedding a service culture that mirrors the zoo’s educational and conservation values. 

Adding to the list of iconic Sodexo Live! client partners across Scotland, including V&A Dundee, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Signet Library and Hampden Park, this collaboration will celebrate and strengthen the zoo’s unique identity, making food and drink an integral part of its story. 

Claire Morris, CEO of Sodexo Live! UK & Ireland, said: “Edinburgh Zoo is a world-class visitor attraction, and this partnership gives us the unique opportunity to really transform the catering offering to reflect RZSS’s vision.

“By positioning Edinburgh Zoo as a place of global exploration and education – a living classroom for all – we want to create a sense of culinary adventure and discovery through exciting, diverse global flavours aligned to the animals’ natural habitats.

“We want our food to be more than just a service – we want it to add joy and make visitors’ zoo experience even more immersive and meaningful.” 

Ben Supple, RZSS Deputy Chief Executive, said: “We want to provide visitors to Edinburgh Zoo with the very best experience as this will encourage more people to learn about and protect our natural world.

“Catering is an essential part of that and we are looking forward to working in partnership with the Sodexo Live! and Heritage Portfolio team to develop an exceptional offer which celebrates local, high quality and sustainable produce.”

The collaboration represents a truly local partnership, combining extensive Scottish hospitality knowledge with RZSS’s mission to ‘protect, value and love nature.’ Inspired by the zoo’s animals and their habitats, a ‘Feeding Natural Curiosity’ philosophy will be implemented, guiding menu development, emphasising global flavours, from-scratch cooking, zero-waste initiatives, and community partnerships. 

Sodexo Live! supports some of the UK’s most iconic music, cultural and sporting events, plus conference centres and airport lounges, by delivering world class hospitality and food services. Producing outstanding catering and event services, it serves some of the most prestigious venues across Britain, delivering amazing experiences that go beyond the remarkable food it creates.

Globally, partners include The Scottish Open, Royal Ascot, the Tour de France, and exceptional venues such as the Eiffel Tower Restaurants, the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Hard Rock Stadium, and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. 

For more information see  www.sodexolive.co.uk   

European Movement in Scotland: Political heavyweights limber up for rejoin EU debate at Glasgow Uni

SNP’s Alyn Smith leads for rejoin while Political scientist Dr. Michael Scanlan opposes motion

Two heavyweight political thinkers will go head-to-head on Friday 16th January when they debate the motion ‘that Scotland and the UK should rejoin the European Union.‘

Leading in support of the motion is former SNP MP and MEP Alyn Smith. Glasgow University political scientist Dr. Michael Scanlan will oppose the proposition.

The debate has been organised by Glasgow University Dialectical Society. Several of its student members will speak respectively for and against the motion.

The debate was proposed and is being supported by the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS). Alyn Smith, who is a vice-president of EMiS, says: “There are undergraduates at universities across the UK who were still in primary school when the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016.

“They were not given a vote or a voice. They didn’t get to engage in the arguments for Remain or Leave. The debate at Glasgow University Union will help to engage a new generation in the case for Europe.”

Colson Merrill, Convener of Debates, says that Glasgow University has a global reputation for its debating. “Our debates are famous for the quality of the oratory and the expertise and intellectual grasp of speakers, both guests and students.

“Part of our tradition is that we encourage speakers to be respectful of their opponents. Speakers who deeply understand their subject and deploy facts, logic and humour are usually the most persuasive.”

Erasmus returns

Following sustained campaigning by organisations including EMiS, the London government announced in early December that the UK will rejoin the Erasmus + scheme. The Erasmus student exchange scheme was previously mainly accessed by students in higher education.

However, Erasmus will now be open to young people from a wide range of education, training courses and jobs, including apprentices and those in specialist training, including agriculture and sport, and people with disabilities.

David Clarke, chair of EMiS says: “The UK returning to Erasmus is very welcome. Our young people deserve to live in a Scotland and a UK where they can benefit from being Europeans.”

Miller Homes supports Edinburgh United Football Club 2013 with funding boost

Miller Homes Scotland East is supporting Edinburgh United Football Club 2013 with its Community Fund initiative by donating £1,000. 

Since launching in 2022, the Community Fund has made a meaningful difference to local communities across Scotland, awarding £344,000 in grants to 538 organisations. The initiative has helped a wide range of projects, from supporting foodbanks, sports teams, music groups and creative spaces. 

So far in 2025 Community Fund has supported seventeen groups across Scotland with a share of £20,000, including Edinburgh United Foodball Club. Miller Homes’ donation to the group will go towards purchasing essential equipment and aiding team building activities.

Duncan Wright, head coach at Edinburgh United Football Club said: “Thanks to a generous £1,000 donation from Miller Homes, we can continue to provide our players with the equipment and support they need to develop both on and off the pitch.

“This funding will make a real difference to our team-building activities and overall experience for the players. We’re incredibly grateful for Miller Homes’ support and their commitment to football groups in the community.”

Neil Gaffney, Regional Sales Director for Miller Homes Scotland East, said: “We are delighted to be able to continually support causes within the communities that we have developments. It has become one of the most important things that we do at Miller Homes. 

“We’re thrilled to support Edinburgh United Football Club 2013. Grassroots clubs like this bring young people together, build teamwork, and create lasting memories. We’re pleased this funding will help provide essential equipment and support team-building activities, helping the players enjoy the game and thrive in their community.”

For more information on Miller Homes’ Community Fund and to find out when the next round of funding opens, visit www.millerhomes.co.uk/communityfund.

Letters: Scotland’s energy transition must reckon with U.S. moves in Venezuela – and minerals strategy in Greenland

Dhruva Kumar, Alba Party, Former MP Candidate writes that Scottish politics has finally woken up to the geopolitical crisis, yet remains oddly silent on an older story: how U.S. power behaves when oil and strategic resources are at stake:

Scotland speaks often about a just transition under the Labour Westminster government, yet we overlook the geopolitics that will shape it. Two arenas matter now: Venezuela, where U.S. sanctions flip-flops have jolted heavy‑crude supply, and Greenland, which banned new oil licensing but is pivotal to Western critical‑minerals and Arctic security strategies.

Greenland is the mirror image: in 2021, it ceased new oil and gas licensing, citing environmental and economic costs, yet has drawn stronger U.S./EU interest in rare earths and Arctic security.

From Venezuela to Greenland, Washington’s pattern is clear. In Venezuela, U.S. sanctions have evolved into direct control over who can sell the country’s oil and where the money goes – a shift from “regime change” to long-term management of another nation’s core resource. In Greenland, U.S. interest has moved beyond missile‑warning bases to a renewed diplomatic presence and a growing focus on minerals and rare earths as the Arctic ice retreats.​

Scotland sits at the intersection of those same pressures. The North Sea may be a mature basin, but billions of barrels of oil equivalent remain, and recent surges in revenues have reminded us how central these flows still are to our public finances. At the same time, the North Atlantic is militarily critical, Faslane anchors the UK’s nuclear deterrent, and Scotland’s offshore wind and marine resources are among Europe’s most valuable.​

Overlay that with Donald Trump. He is not just a sometime visitor with a tartan tie, but an owner of loss-making, debt-laden golf resorts at Menie and Turnberry that have relied on UK support schemes and opaque financing. He has waged a decade-long crusade against Scottish offshore wind, rhetoric that has since been exported into a wider global war on renewables from the White House. In Venezuela, he has been explicit about “taking” oil to reshape a country on U.S. terms; in Greenland, he floated outright acquisition in pursuit of strategic minerals.​

It would be naïve to assume Scotland is exempt from that mindset simply because we fly the Saltire. Our energy transition, our remaining oil and gas, and our critical geography all sit within the same mental map that links Caracas, Havana and Nuuk.​​

The question for Scotland is not whether tanks will roll up Union Street, but whether, in the next round of US–UK trade, security and energy deals, our future is quietly bargained away in boardrooms and back channels without a single Scottish voice in the room – as with the recent decisions involving Wick.​

It is time this angle was interrogated openly in our media before decisions are made for us, not by us.

Yours in shared ambition,

Dhruva Kumar

Ofcom launches investigation into X over Grok sexualised imagery

The UK’s independent online safety watchdog, Ofcom, has today opened a formal investigation into X under the UK’s Online Safety Act, to determine whether it has complied with its duties to protect people in the UK from content that is illegal in the UK.

Our initial assessment

There have been deeply concerning reports of the Grok AI chatbot account on X being used to create and share undressed images of people – which may amount to intimate image abuse or pornography – and sexualised images of children that may amount to child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

 As the UK’s independent online safety watchdog, we urgently made contact with X on Monday 5 January and set a firm deadline of Friday 9 January for it to explain what steps it has taken to comply with its duties to protect its users in the UK.

The company responded by the deadline, and we carried out an expedited assessment of available evidence as a matter of urgency.

What our investigation will examine

Ofcom has decided to open a formal investigation to establish whether X has failed to comply with its legal obligations under the Online Safety Act – in particular, to: 

  • assess the risk of people in the UK seeing content that is illegal in the UK, and to carry out an updated risk assessment before making any significant changes to their service;
  • take appropriate steps to prevent people in the UK from seeing ‘priority’ illegal content – including non-consensual intimate images and CSAM;
  • take down illegal content swiftly when they become aware of it;
  • have regard to protecting users from a breach of privacy laws;
  • assess the risk their service poses to UK children, and to carry out an updated risk assessment before making any significant changes to their service; and
  • use highly effective age assurance to protect UK children from seeing pornography.

Ofcom’s role

The legal responsibility is on platforms to decide whether content breaks UK laws, and they can use our Illegal Content Judgements Guidance when making these decisions. Ofcom is not a censor – we do not tell platforms which specific posts or accounts to take down.

Our job is to judge whether sites and apps have taken appropriate steps to protect people in the UK from content that is illegal in the UK, and protect UK children from other content that is harmful to them, such as pornography.

Ofcom’s investigation process

The Online Safety Act sets out the process Ofcom must follow when investigating a company and deciding whether it has failed to comply with its legal obligations.

Our first step is to gather and analyse evidence to determine whether a breach has occurred. If, based on that evidence, we consider that a compliance failure has taken place, we will issue a provisional decision to the company, who will then have an opportunity to respond our findings in full, as required by the Act, before we make our final decision.

Enforcement powers

If our investigation finds that a company has broken the law, we can require platforms to take specific steps to come into compliance or to remedy harm caused by the breach. We can also impose fines of up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.

In the most serious cases of ongoing non-compliance, we can make an application to a court for ‘business disruption measures’, through which a court could impose an order, on an interim or full basis, requiring payment providers or advertisers to withdraw their services from a platform, or requiring internet service providers to block access to a site in the UK. The court may only impose such orders where appropriate and proportionate to prevent significant harm to individuals in the UK.

UK jurisdiction

In any industry, companies that want to provide a service to people in the UK must comply with UK laws. The UK’s Online Safety Act is concerned with protecting people in the UK. It does not require platforms to restrict what people in other countries can see.

There are ways platforms can protect people in the UK without stopping their users elsewhere in the world from continuing to see that content.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “Reports of Grok being used to create and share illegal non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material on X have been deeply concerning.

“Platforms must protect people in the UK from content that’s illegal in the UK, and we won’t hesitate to investigate where we suspect companies are failing in their duties, especially where there’s a risk of harm to children.

“We’ll progress this investigation as a matter of the highest priority, while ensuring we follow due process. As the UK’s independent online safety enforcement agency, it’s important we make sure our investigations are legally robust and fairly decided.”

Ofcom will provide an update on this investigation as soon as possible.

Delivering on social care

Investment creating jobs and providing for communities

Scotland’s Displaced Workers Scheme signals the type of country the government is working to create, according to First Minister John Swinney.

The £500,000 scheme is helping employers recruit international workers who are already in the UK and find themselves without sponsored employment. It also mitigates the loss of international recruitment caused by changes to the UK immigration system.

Ahead of publication of the draft Scottish Budget 2026-27 tomorrow, the First Minister announced that the fund is reopening for applications following positive feedback from providers.

The First Minister met internationally recruited social care employees during a visit to health and social care charity Quarriers.

He said: “The UK Government’s decision to close the adult social care visa route to new overseas applications means this vital sector faces significant recruitment challenges during a time of great need.   

“I have heard how our Displaced Workers Scheme is enabling more people to continue to build lives and livelihoods in a welcoming and open Scotland. It signals the type of country we are working to create – one with kindness and fairness at its heart – and ensures we can continue making a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable.

“We have already received 138 expressions of interest in the scheme, with positions expected to be filled over this month and next. But we want many more employers and workers to benefit, so we are reopening the fund and I would urge all eligible social care providers to express an interest in applying.

“This innovative scheme is just one example of how we are increasing capacity and relieving pressure within our health and social care system. This kind of delivery is what the people of Scotland can expect from the government’s Budget for 2026-27, which the Finance Secretary will set out tomorrow. The Scottish Budget will be firmly focused on my priorities: delivering strong and sustainable public services, growing the economy and supporting families.”

Alastair Dickson, Director of People and Wellbeing at Quarriers, said: “We were pleased to welcome the First Minister to our service in Cowdenbeath to meet international care workers and hear directly about their significant contribution to Quarriers. As an employer sponsor, this aligns with our priorities of investment, innovation, and inclusion to strengthen services and support a stable workforce.

“Quarriers is grateful for support through the Displaced Worker Scheme. It is a practical, targeted measure that helps employers like us meet the additional costs of recruiting workers who are already in the UK but have lost sponsorship through no fault of their own. This helps protect continuity of care and workforce capacity.”