An act of violence has been used to justify a dangerous narrative. We reject the weaponisation of fear and the targeting of communities and civil liberties.
Read our full statement:
Golders Green Incident: Muslim Association of Britain statement
Tag: Politics
Four major parties make manifesto commitments on tenement reform
In a first for a Scottish Parliamentary election, the majority of major parties have endorsed tenement law reform.
Ahead of the Holyrood election, the SNP, Liberal Democrats, Labour, and Greens have explicitly mentioned supporting reforms to help tenement flat owners organise repairs in their 2026 manifestos.
This follows campaigning work from the Tenement Action Group (TAG), which asked each party to make a commitment to support the three recommendations made by the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Tenement Maintenance Working Group:
- Establishment of compulsory owners’ associations
- Obligation for tenements to be inspected every five years
- Establishment of building reserve funds
TAG members, whose membership includes architects, surveyors, flat owners, and other housing professionals from across the sector, believe that enacting these recommendations will result in well-maintained buildings providing warm homes, affordable maintenance bills, and enhanced resilience to deal with future repairs.
BEFS, the umbrella body for organisations working in Scotland’s built environment and TAG member, has published a party manifesto round-up which summarises the positions of each major political party on issues related to BEF’s 2026 Manifesto for the Built Environment.
The SNP have committed to reform the Tenements (Scotland) Act, while the Liberal Democrats specifically mention support for the introduction of mandatory owners’ associations, building reserve funds, and building inspections.
Scottish Labour have promised to speed up progress on tenement maintenance reforms, and widen eligibility for financial help for retrofit, and the Scottish Greens have committed to make it easier for tenement flat owners to manage repairs, maintenance and retrofit, specifically supporting mandatory owners’ associations.
Mike Heffron, Chief Executive of Scotland’s tenement charity Under One Roof and TAG member, said: “The successful work of the Tenement Action Group to get a majority of Scotland’s major political parties to make explicit commitments on tenement law reform is an excellent outcome for the 900,000 tenement flat owners in Scotland.
“These flat owners will be expecting reforms to be quickly enacted to ensure their homes are warm, and their buildings well-maintained, for many decades to come.”
Hazel Johnson, Director of Built Environment Forum Scotland said: “Across the new term of the Scottish Parliament BEFS will continue to advocate for tenement reform and the recommendations of the Tenement Maintenance Working Group – and how these can deliver cross cutting benefits in addressing the climate emergency, achieving net zero, and keeping Scotland’s homes warm, comfortable, and wind and watertight.
“We look forward to supporting further cross-party efforts to leverage the value of the built environment and deliver tangible positive outcomes for our people and places.”
More than 4 million voters ready to have their say at Scottish Parliament election
The final total of voters registered for the Scottish Parliament election is 4,320,981 – a record number for a Scottish Parliament election.
Those planning to vote in person on Thursday 7 May are being encouraged to check their polling place location and to exercise patience if queues form.
Voting should only take a few minutes and there is no requirement to bring photo ID.
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm and anyone in the queue at their polling station at 10pm will be able to vote.
Malcolm Burr, Convener of the Electoral Management Board for Scotland said: “A significant amount of work has gone into preparing for this election and we are confident that polling day arrangements are robust and ready for this record number of voters.
“If anyone needs additional support on the day, polling staff are there to help. Please be patient and respectful as they carry out their jobs.
“As always, we are keeping the voter at the heart of all that we do and look forward to producing results in which everyone can have full confidence.”
Cahir Hughes, Acting Head of the Electoral Commission Scotland, said: “If you become unwell or have an emergency which prevents you from attending a polling place in person next Thursday, you don’t need to miss out on your vote.
“You can apply for an emergency proxy up until 5pm on polling day, so someone you trust can vote on your behalf. You can do this by contacting your local electoral registration office.”
Almost half of Scottish voters blame Government policy for pub closures
- Over one-in-four Scottish voters said the single most impactful decision Government could do to help the sector is to make business rates fair
- One-in-ten say that their MP has spoken up for the sector and just 7% say that their MP is doing enough to protect pubs
- Ahead of the local elections, the Long Live the Local campaign calls on MPs to make pubs a priority
Scottish voters blame Government when their local closes, new research conducted by the Long Live the Local campaign and More in Common research reveals.
Campaigners say that the survey, which found that 48% of the Scottish public blames either national or local government when a pub closes, should act as a warning to politicians ahead of the local elections that they must prioritise the sector.
When asked what would save the sector, the plurality of voters (26%) said that making business rates fair for pubs would be the best decision.
Despite the strong feelings voters in Scotland have for their local pub, few felt that their local MP was sufficiently engaged on the issue.
These results follow additional support for Scottish pubs, showing that many voters clearly believe that there is still more to be done to truly protect Britain’s pubs.
Only 10% of voters said that their MP had spoken up for the sector, whilst just 7% said that their MP had done enough to support pubs in their constituency.
Emma McClarkin, CEO of the Scottish Beer and Pub Association, said: “Despite recent important support from the Government and the many MPs across all political parties that champion pubs and brewers, voters clearly believe that there is still more to be done.
“Pubs are the soul of the community, create jobs, and, with a quarter of a million people joining our Long Live the Local campaign that supports the people behind the pint, including thousands in Scotland, it’s no wonder people care about them so much.
“What the public want is a fair tax system for pubs, one that keeps business competitive and recognises their unique role as valuable spaces for communities across the country.
“With the local elections right around the corner, it’s key for candidates to recognise just how important pubs are for so many and to back their local.
“We’re calling on the Government to continue to work with us and deliver permanent business rates reform, lower employment costs, cut beer duty and VAT to save countless locals who are burdened with huge regulatory costs.”
Luke Tryl, Executive Director at More in Common, said: “One thing comes through really strongly in this polling, the British public really care about pubs, they think they are a central part of their community and they don’t think the Government is doing enough to protect them.
“In fact, over half of British voters blame national or local government for pub closures and want to see politicians at all levels doing more to stand up for them. At a time when the Government already finds itself struggling with a restless electorate a wave of further pub closures will only reinforce the frustration that those in charge are unable or unwilling to deliver for local communities across Britain.
“On the flipside taking action on issues like rates is one way the Government can show that it gets it, recognises the value of pubs and gets the public back onside.”
The Scottish Beer and Pub Association’s Long Live the Local campaign launched in 2018 to raise awareness of the UK’s alarming rate of pub closures.
Currently standing at over 250,000 supporters from all over the country, the campaign encourages people to support the people behind the pint.
Plans for more competitive European Single Market accelerate
“Rejoining EU Single Market only sensible route for UK,”says Scotland’s European Movement Chair
The three arms of the European Union have agreed a timetable towards making the European Single Market more globally competitive. By the end of 2027, the EU aims to have in place legislation that will benefit key economic sectors. They include digital technologies, financial services and supporting the growth of EU city regions. The initiative seeks to reduce bureaucracy and costs for business and stimulate economic growth.
Known as a “roadmap” the agreement to accelerate the reform of the Single Market was announced on 24th April. It followed a meeting between senior representatives of the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission.
The plan is based on the 2024 report on the EU’s competitiveness by former Italian prime Minister Mario Draghi. Donald Trump’s “America First” policies, the almost total US monopoly of digital communications, the wars in Ukraine and the Gulf and the rise of China’s as a global economic superpower status has driven the EU to accelerate its plans to counter the threats of the new world order.
Chair of the European Movement in Scotland, David Clarke, says: “The world has dramatically changed. The EU is responding with bold ideas and a united sense of purpose.
“The UK can opt to watch from the sidelines as Europe rises to the economic challenges of our time, or it can choose to re-engage by joining the European Single Market. We can join our friends and neighbours and fight our corner, or we can be outsiders at the mercy of the USA, China and Russia. Rejoining the Single Market is the only sensible route for the UK.”
Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament said: “This Roadmap reflects what the European Parliament has been calling for: a stronger, more competitive and resilient Europe.
“It is ambitious, it strengthens our capacity to withstand shocks, and it provides predictability to our citizens and businesses. We said we would take bold decisions and we are doing it. This is Europe responding to what it needs.”
Among the key actions are:
- Cutting duplicated regulation and inconsistencies in the application of rules. A main ambition here is to help European businesses scale up and be global competitive, most notably in the digital sphere.
- Energy market integration, including investment grid in cross-border grid connections.
- A savings and investment union, so that the financial services sector has a bigger market, consumers have more choice and there is a more competitive market for business borrowers.
- Allowing city regions more say on how EU funds are spent in their localities, particularly in infrastructure, energy and transport.
Poverty Alliance: Voters should not be disenfranchised by deprivation
Campaigners say tens of thousands of people on low incomes are at risk of being ‘disenfranchised by deprivation’ in the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections.
New research by the Poverty Alliance has found an 11% gap in voter turnout at the last Scottish elections between the top and bottom 10 constituencies in terms of deprivation.
The charity is calling on politicians to close that ‘democratic deficit’ by supporting community get-out-the-vote campaigns – and by delivering on policies that close inequality and lift people out of poverty.
Poverty Alliance chief executive Peter Kelly said: “Our democracy can only work when politicians listen and act on people’s priorities. When that doesn’t happen, people lose trust in the system and simply stop participating.
“For years people in Scotland have put issues around the cost of living and the economy near the top of their political priorities. But lack of fundamental change has led to a democratic deficit, with people in areas of higher deprivation losing faith in the process more quickly.
“We regularly work with people struggling on low incomes. They are often highly political, with strong views about what is needed in their communities, in our society, and in our unjust economy. But they increasingly feel disenfranchised from a political process that is failing to address deprivation, poverty, and inequality. That has to change.”
The Poverty Alliance research found that in 2021 the average turnout in the 10 least deprived Scottish Parliament seats was 68%. In the 10 most deprived constituencies it was just 57%. That amounts to a gap of more than 60,300 voters.
The biggest democratic deficit was found between Glasgow Maryhill & Springburn with a turnout of 52%, compared to a 76% turnout in Eastwood. If the Glasgow seat had matched that level an additional 13,300 voters would have went to the polls there.
If the 10 most deprived seats had matched the turnout in Eastwood, an extra 108,000 votes would have been cast.
The Poverty Alliance has more than 450 members organisations across Scotland. It has created ‘Vote Your Values’ campaign materials that those groups can use to help people in their communities get registered to vote, and to get to cast their ballot on election day.
Peter Kelly said: “There is evidence that get-out-the-vote campaigns can help decrease the democratic deficit in communities, and we’d like to see greater support for them from political leaders for future elections.
“But the biggest thing politicians can do to help strengthen our democracy is to invest in a better future free from the threat of hunger, debt and destitution, where each of us has what we need to build a more secure life for ourselves and our households, and a better society for everyone.”
The Poverty Alliance manifesto calls for progress towards a Minimum Income Guarantee – which would give everyone the right to an income that never falls below what is needed for life’s essentials. The policy would be delivered through a combination of fair paid work, high quality services, and strengthened social security.
The charity says new MSPs can commit to piloting the approach among unpaid carers and in rural areas. And it calls for policy steps along the road to a full Guarantee, including encouraging and incentivising employers to deliver fair work with real Living Wages, raising the Scottish Child Payment to £55 a week by 2030, and investing in home energy efficiency and affordable heating to cut people’s energy bills.
Holyrood elections 2026: Second opinion poll predicts breakthrough for new Independence Party
ALLIANCE TO LIBERATE SCOTLAND ON COURSE FOR LECTION BREAKTHROUGH?
- Tommy Sheridan in Glasgow and Craig Murray in Lothians East set to be elected to Holyrood alongside other Alliance to Liberate Scotland candidates
The Alliance to Liberate Scotland says two recent opinion polls conducted by Find Out Now point to a breakthrough result for the new pro-independence party at the Holyrood election on 7 May.
The respected polling company conducted two Scotland-wide surveys of 1,000 voters on behalf of the party, one in late March and the second in late April. The striking feature of both polls is their consistency.
In the late March poll, 8% of voters said they were either “definitely” or “very likely” to vote for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland. In the late April poll, 6% of voters said they were “definitely” or “very likely” to support the party on the regional list, which Find Out Now rounded up to 7%.
That matters because around 6% of the regional vote is widely regarded as the threshold for winning a seat in many of Scotland’s regional contests. On that basis, the two polls suggest the Alliance to Liberate Scotland is in genuine breakthrough territory.
Smaller regional samples also point in the same direction. In Glasgow, Tommy Sheridan’s support is shown fluctuating between 5% and 7%. In the 2021 election, the final regional seat in Glasgow was won by the Conservatives on just 6.1%, placing Sheridan within striking distance of election.
Although pollsters caution that smaller samples are less reliable than the standard national sample of 1,000, the repeated pattern across Glasgow, Lothians East and the national polling suggests rising support for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland across Scotland.
Commenting on the latest poll, Glasgow lead candidate and former two-term MSP Tommy Sheridan said: “One poll predicting an Alliance to Liberate Scotland breakthrough is encouraging.
“Two polls, with remarkable consistency, predicting support on the regional vote at between 6% and 8%, is a very real sign that the Alliance is fast becoming the choice of independence supporters who understand that SNP list votes are wasted votes.
“As more people grasp the two-vote system, more SNP supporters are realising their constituency vote for SNP matters, but their regional vote for SNP is futile. That approach helped unionist parties in 2016 and 2021. In 2021 the SNP won only two regional seats out of 56 contested, despite attracting over one million votes.
“Now independence supporters are increasingly choosing to give their regional vote to the party that makes independence its sole priority: the Alliance to Liberate Scotland.”
Sheridan added: “As the reality of the voting system becomes clearer, independence supporters can see the opportunity before them. The regional vote should not be wasted on the SNP, and it should not be diverted to the Greens, whose obsession with gender identity and culture-war politics has increasingly overshadowed the central mission of securing Scotland’s freedom.
“Genuine independence supporters are choosing to give their regional vote to the Alliance To Liberate Scotland over the Greens because they know independence is simply not a priority for the Greens.
“The Greens prioritise gender identity politics over Scotland’s freedom and that’s why independence activists are deciding to back the single-issue Alliance to Liberate Scotland party.”
Which political parties are prioritising stricter fireworks regulations and farmed fish welfare in Scotland?
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has published a new toolkit to help voters identify which of Scotland’s political parties are prioritising stricter fireworks regulations, farmed fish welfare, a ban on electric shock collars for dogs and cats, and other key animal welfare and veterinary workforce issues in the Holyrood elections next month.
BVA’s Manifesto for Scotland’s animals, vets, and public health 2026-2031 includes a number of key asks for Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) candidates, including a call to implement the recommendations of the Fireworks Review Group and championing the veterinary voice in farming policy. 56% of vets in Scotland believe that the latter should be one of the most urgent priorities for the new Scottish Government, according to a recent BVA Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey.
When asked to pick up to three pledges from a list, 44% of vets also wanted the incoming Scottish Government to prioritise tightening the regulation of fireworks as soon as possible, while 42% want to prioritise a ban on the sale and use of electric shock collars for dogs and cats.
Voters who wish to consider animal welfare and veterinary workforce issues when voting next month can use BVA’s new toolkit to see how the manifestos of the major parties align with BVA’s key asks championing the veterinary voice in farming policy and tightening the regulation of fireworks, as well as five other key calls to action:
- Better protect the welfare of farmed fish- Implement legislation based upon the principles of humane slaughter of farmed fish as set out by the Animal Welfare Committee. As an interim measure, we welcome the new statutory guidance issued by the Government under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
- Teach children about animal welfare- Make animal welfare and sentience part of the national curriculum. Children should learn about animals’ needs, duty of care, and the meaning of sentience so they grow up treating animals and people with compassion and respect.
- Support the veterinary workforce– Streamline the visa/sponsorship process for international vets to attract and support veterinary talent from overseas and sustain the vital roles they contribute to in Scotland, including public health.
- Ban electric shock collars – Introduce a complete ban on the sale and use of electric shock collars for dogs and cats. Evidence shows that reward-based training is not only the most effective training method for animals but also makes sure they are protected from any pain or suffering as part of their training.
- Veterinary education funding: Ensure that veterinary education is properly funded and supported by removing financial barriers for universities and students, so that more homegrown talent, particularly from rural areas, can enter the profession.
BVA Scottish Branch President Vivienne Mackinnon said: “Our manifesto highlights the key animal welfare and workforce issues that matter most to our members across Scotland’s veterinary community.
“We hope that this toolkit will help those who want to consider these issues when voting next month to see how the manifestos of the major parties align with BVA’s key asks for Scotland.”
BVA is the leading body representing vets in the UK, with around 19,000 members, including nearly 2,500 in Scotland. For more details on BVA’s voter toolkit for Scotland, visit www.bva.co.uk/scottish-branch.
Edinburgh MP says websites advertising prostitution “facilitating industrial scale sex-trafficking”
TRACY GILBERT URGES POLICE TO LAUNCH CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
On Tuesday, 21 April 2026, Tracy Gilbert MP, the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith, accused websites advertising prostitution of facilitating industrial-scale sex-trafficking in Scotland and revealed she has written to Police Scotland urging them to launch a criminal investigation into the websites, which continue to openly operate in Scotland.
Websites advertising prostitution are commercial online platforms dedicated solely or partly to advertising individuals for prostitution. A report in February by the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner identified nearly 63,000 listings of women across 12 websites advertising prostitution in the UK at a single point in time. In just one month, the same websites received almost 41.7 million visits.
Frequently referred to as ‘pimping websites’, the UK Government has acknowledged through a written parliamentary question that “adult service websites are now the most significant enabler of trafficking for sexual exploitation”.
Leading a debate in the UK Parliament on sex trafficking in Scotland, Tracy Gilbert MP argued that it is not just third-party criminals using these websites who should be the focus of police attention. Instead, it should be the website operators themselves facing investigation for sex trafficking.
In her speech, the Edinburgh North and Leith MP revealed that she had written to the Chief Constable at Police Scotland, urging a criminal investigation into pimping websites.
She stated that websites advertising prostitution knowingly aid prostitution and facilitate the travel of individuals for prostitution – by listing and categorising prostitution adverts according to whether the advertised individual will do so-called ‘outcalls’ – which is where a person travels to the sex buyer for the purpose of prostitution.
These actions, Tracy Gilbert MP stated, mean that the websites themselves constitute human trafficking operations under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015.
Following the debate, Tracy Gilbert MP said: “It is a national scandal that the individuals operating Adultwork and Vivastreet have not only been allowed to operate for years with total impunity, but that they have been publicly presented by Government and the National Crime Agency as partners in tackling sex trafficking.
“Pimping websites openly and explicitly facilitate the transportation or transfer of individuals for prostitution. The operators of these platforms publish prostitution adverts in a standardised format – which includes specifying whether the individual being advertised will do ‘out-calls’. …Facilitating the transportation of individuals for prostitution is built into the architecture of Adultwork and Vivastreet.
“I believe the seriousness and scale of these activities warrant an immediate criminal investigation.”
Letter: The D’Hondt Disaster
How the Independence Movement is Mathematically Defeating Itself
Dear Editor,
For years, the Scottish independence movement has been shackled by a fundamental misunderstanding of Holyrood’s Additional Member System.
The persistent rallying cry of “SNP 1, SNP 2” has not only failed to maximise our representation, but it has actively handed parliamentary power to unionist MSPs. The electoral facts prove that millions of pro-independence votes are being routinely wasted.
In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, the SNP dominated the constituency ballot, winning 59 seats. However, the regional list system mathematically penalises parties that win heavily in the constituencies.
Consequently, the SNP’s 953,587 regional list votes yielded a mere 4 list seats.
The D’Hondt formula rendered nearly a million peach ballot votes virtually worthless, allowing the Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour to use their regional votes to sweep 24 and 21 list seats, respectively.
In 2021, this electoral tragedy repeated itself. Pro-independence voters dutifully followed the dual-vote strategy, helping the SNP win a record 62 constituency seats.
Yet, despite securing over a million votes on the regional list, the SNP returned just 2 regional MSPs. Over a million independence votes were essentially torched. This inefficiency directly enabled unionist parties to comfortably fill the regional lists, artificially inflating their influence in parliament.
I argue that some still argue for an “Indy 1, Indy 2” approach, assuming that backing the same dominant independence party on the peach ballot paper will secure victory. It fundamentally does not work for the Scottish Independence movement. Continuing to pile list votes onto a party that has already swept the constituencies is mathematically self-defeating.
To break this deadlock and secure a genuine pro-independence supermajority, our strategy must evolve. We must stop throwing our regional votes into the D’Hondt trap. The formula for success is clear: it has to be Indy 1 on the constituency ballot, and Alliance to Liberate Scotland 2 on the regional vote on the peach ballot paper.
Only by splitting our votes strategically can we capture the regional lists, lock unionist MSPs out of Holyrood, and finally deliver the parliament Scotland needs to secure its independence.
Yours for Scotland,
Dhruva Kumar
Glasgow Region List Candidate
Alliance to Liberate Scotland
Former MP Candidate, Glasgow, ALBA Party