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Leader of Tories criticises Farage after he says holding another independence vote ‘probably quite reasonable’Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative party, has accused Nigel Farage of being an opportunist who does not believe in unionism after he urged Scottish nationalists to back Reform.Farage said earlier this week he believed in “genuine nationalists” who do not support the Scottish National party’s bid to rejoin the EU, and urged them to vote Reform in the Holyrood election on 7 May. Continue reading...

Anas Sarwar says there have been ‘no stitch-ups, no deals, no backroom chats, no back-channel contact with Reform’UK politics live – latest updatesAnas Sarwar has dismissed as “a desperate lie from a desperate man” a claim by Reform UK’s Scotland leader, Malcolm Offord, that he offered to do a deal with the hard-right party to keep the Scottish National party out of power.Offord made the claim on Channel 4’s Scottish leaders’ debate on Tuesday evening, alleging the Scottish Labour leader came “bouncing up” to him at an event in December last year, suggesting they “work together to remove the SNP”. Continue reading...

David Parrish, who won Cape Wrath Ultra in 2023, had been attempting gruelling route again as fundraising challengeA 35-year-old ultramarathon champion from Dumfries has died while attempting to beat the record for a race to the most north-westerly point on mainland Britain.David Parrish, a former Royal Marine, was trying to become the fastest man to complete the Cape Wrath trail, one of Britain’s most gruelling race routes. Continue reading...

Party says plan for ‘radical change’ will be funded in part through higher taxes on aviation, gambling and landlordsUK politics live – latest updatesThe Scottish Greens have called for free bus travel, thousands of extra teachers and doctors and a universal basic income among hundreds of uncosted manifesto pledges.The party is enjoying a bounce in Scottish opinion polls, with some putting it ahead of Labour, driven partly by the surging support for the Green party of England and Wales under the leadership of Zack Polanski. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ministers accused of trying to keep investment firm’s withdrawal from partnership with NatureScot under wrapsA funding deal to raise £100m from private investors for urgently needed nature restoration in Scotland has fallen through without the Scottish parliament being told.The Guardian has learned that Aberdeen, the investment firm, decided to withdraw from a partnership with the agency NatureScot to raise at least £100m for conservation projects from commercial and private investors late last year. Continue reading...

• Coachella Valley Music Festival unveiled 2026 lineup on April 9, headlined by Olivia Rodrigo, Travis Scott, and Charli XCX for April 10-19 weekends. • Over 100 acts including Ice Spice and Megan Thee Stallion; weekend passes start at $599, VIP at $1,399. • Post-pandemic record attendance expected at 125,000 per day, boosting local economy by $600 million.