John Swinney to become Scottish first minister after vote by MSPs

The new Scottish National party leader John Swinney will become Scotland’s seventh first minister after winning the backing of MSPs.

As is traditional, opposition leaders stood against Swinney in the vote, which he won just eight days after Humza Yousaf dramatically announced his departure, with the backing of 64 SNP MSPs, while the seven Scottish Greens abstained.

Accepting the nomination, Swinney spoke of how he had wrestled with the decision to stand for leadership, which he won unopposed on Monday.

He reminded the chamber that his wife, Elizabeth Quigley, lives with multiple sclerosis. “She is indefatigable in trying to make sure that MS does not get in the way of her living life to the full, but, much to her frustration, she does often have to rely on her husband for support and assistance.”

Speaking directly to her as she watched from the public gallery with his children, Swinney thanked her for “the sacrifices she is prepared to make to enable her husband to serve our country as first minster”.

He also said he took responsibility for his part in the growing polarisation of the parliament – his noisy cross-chamber heckles are well known and he has been rebuked for them by the presiding officer on multiple occasions. He promised the chamber “that will all stop – I have changed”, to a smattering of laughter.

Swinney, who was deputy first minister in Nicola Sturgeon’s government, will be officially sworn in at the court of session on Wednesday. He is expected to reshuffle his cabinet soon after, with Kate Forbes – who narrowly lost to Yousaf in last year’s leadership contest and agreed to back Swinney after private talks week – likely to take a leading position.

In his pitch to MSPs, Swinney – who must now govern from a minority position after Yousaf unilaterally axed the governing partnership with the Scottish Greens last week, precipitating his downfall – struck an emollient tone, noting the 25th anniversary of the Scottish parliament and praising other parties for their contribution over the years.

Related: John Swinney declares ‘new chapter’ as he becomes SNP leader

Opposition leaders pointed to Swinney’s involvement in past Scottish government failures – he is one of the SNP’s most experienced politicians and served as leader from 2000 to 2004. The Scottish Tory leader, Douglas Ross, accused the SNP of “replacing one continuity candidate with another” while Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar called for an early Holyrood election.

The Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater questioned whether Swinney would “retreat to the middle ground” by ditching the policy programme previously agreed between the SNP and her party, including rent controls and a ban on conversion practices, adding that “our door remains open” for future collaboration.

Yousaf made an emotional final statement as outgoing first minister, in which he thanked MSPs for the opportunity “to defy the far right, bigots and racists” who had told him to “go home” throughout his life.

“I have no other home than this one,” Yousaf, the first Muslim to hold the post, told MSPs. “I never will, I never have. My heart will forever belong to Scotland.” 

Story by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent: The Guardian

Nigel Farage drops huge election hint - and Rishi Sunak will be happy

Rishi Sunak has received a major general election boost after Nigel Farage hinted about his political future.

The former UKIP leader has suggested he will not return to frontline politics at the next general election as he pointed to "attractive options" in the US that might keep him away from returning to a full-time role with Reform UK the party he co-founded in 2018. 

It is thought the Conservative Party is fearful Farage joining Reform would boost the rival party's popularity by leading their election campaign.

The hint comes after Thursday's Blackpool South by-election, in which the Conservatives only beat Reform by 117 votes in a contest won by Labour.

But speaking to the Telegraph from the US, Farage said he felt the next US election would be more important than the one in his home country.

He said: "Yes, we've got an election year, but the biggest election in the world is taking place here. While I'm not ruling out anything in the UK completely, I think where I am this week is an indication of my thinking."

Farage was asked if he was closing the door on a UK political return, with the 60-year-old politician adding "that is a good summation", while not totally ruling out a return.

He added: "As I've said for some time, I'm weighing up a lot of options. Perhaps I'm in the fortunate position that I have a lot of attractive options this side of the pond."

He added: "The Republicans really treat me like an American, they really do. I've been commuting back and forth politically for a long time."

Farage is backing Donald Trump for re-election and hailed how "everything here feels so much more positive".

He spent last week in the US while voters in England and Wales went to the polls in local, mayorla and police and crime commissioner elections, as well as in the Blackpool South parliamentary contest.

Farage told the Telegraph: "I think the conservative movement in America has got the wind back in their sails.

"I think the causes they're fighting are similar to ours. There is a huge level of cross-over. It is just an exciting place to be at the moment." 

Russia threatens to strike UK military sites amid rising tensions over Ukraine

Russia has threatened to strike British military facilities and said it will hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons amid rising tensions over comments by senior western officials about possibly deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine.

After summoning the British ambassador to the Foreign Ministry, Moscow warned that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with UK-supplied weapons could bring retaliatory strikes against British military facilities and equipment on Ukrainian soil or elsewhere.

The remarks came on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration to a fifth term in office and in a week when Moscow on Thursday will celebrate Victory Day, its most important secular holiday, marking its defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

The drills are a response to “provocative statements and threats of certain western officials regarding the Russian Federation”, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

It is the first time Russia has publicly announced drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, although its strategic nuclear forces regularly hold exercises.

Tactical nuclear weapons include air bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions and are meant for use on a battlefield. They are less powerful than the strategic weapons — massive warheads that arm intercontinental ballistic missiles and are intended to obliterate entire cities.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed concern that various parties have been talking about issues regarding nuclear weapons recently.

“Current nuclear risks are at an alarmingly high level,” he said. “All actions that could lead to miscalculation, escalation with catastrophic consequences, must be avoided.”

The Russian announcement was a warning to Ukraine’s western allies about becoming more deeply engaged in the two-year-old war, where the Kremlin’s forces have gained an upper hand amid Ukraine’s shortage of manpower and weapons.

Some of Ukraine’s western partners have previously expressed concern that the conflict could spill beyond Ukraine into a war between Nato and Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron repeated last week that he does not exclude sending troops to Ukraine, and UK Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron said Kyiv’s forces will be able to use British long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia.

Some other Nato countries providing weapons to Kyiv have baulked at that possibility.

Lord David Cameron meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv© Provided by The Irish News

The Kremlin branded those comments as dangerous, heightening tension between Russia and Nato. The war already has placed significant strain on relations between Moscow and the West.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Mr Macron’s recent statement and other remarks by British and US officials had prompted the nuclear drills. 

“It’s a new round of escalation,” he said, referring to what the Kremlin regarded as provocative statements. “It’s unprecedented and requires special attention and special measures.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned the French and British ambassadors, and urged the British ambassador “to think about the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps from London”.

Sweden’s foreign minister Tobias Billstrom said the nuclear exercises “contribute to increasing instability”.

“In the current security situation, Russia’s actions may be considered particularly irresponsible and reckless,” he told Swedish news agency TT.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council which is chaired by Mr Putin, said the comments by Mr Macron and Lord Cameron risked pushing the nuclear-armed world towards a “global catastrophe”.

In March 2023, after the UK’s decision to provide Ukraine with armour-piercing shells containing depleted uranium, Mr Putin said he intended to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine’s neighbour Belarus. 

The Russian announcement stirred little reaction in Ukraine, where the spokesman for the Military Intelligence agency, Andrii Yusov, said on national television: “Nuclear blackmail is a usual practice of Putin’s regime; it does not constitute major news.”

Western officials have blamed Russia for threatening a wider war through provocative acts. Nato countries said last week they were deeply concerned by a campaign of hybrid activities on the military alliance’s soil, accusing Moscow of being behind them and saying they represent a security threat.

Mr Peskov dismissed those claims as “new, unfounded accusations levelled at our country”. 

Germany said on Monday it had recalled its ambassador to Russia for a week of consultations in Berlin after an alleged computer hack of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones hit two vehicles on Monday in Russia’s Belgorod region, killing six people and injuring 35 others, including two children, local authorities said. The area has been hit by Kyiv’s forces in recent months.

One of the vehicles was a minibus carrying farm workers, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. 

Story by Associated Press Reporters: The Irish News

China's president arrives in Europe to reinvigorate ties at a time of global tensions

Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off a three-country trip to Europe on Sunday with the continent divided over how to deal with Beijing's growing power and the U.S.-China rivalry.

European carmakers are losing ground to subsidized Chinese electric vehicles. Diplomats fret about alleged Chinese spies in European capitals. And China’s continued defense trade with Russia worries anyone in Europe who supports war-ravaged Ukraine and fears that the Russian army won’t stop there.

But Europe and China have hefty economic ties — EU-China trade is estimated at 2.3 billion euros per day — and Xi appears determined to rebuild and deepen relations with European leaders after a prolonged absence prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xi starts Sunday in France, whose president wants Europe to have more economic and strategic independence from other world powers. Then the Chinese president heads to Serbia and Hungary, both seen as China-friendly and close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and recipients of substantial Chinese investment.

Xi's trip will be closely watched in Washington for signs of diminishing European support for its key foreign policy goals. At the same time, there's increasing uncertainty in Europe about future U.S. support for trans-Atlantic allies.

Xi is being greeted at Paris’ Orly Airport by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal – and by protests by groups demanding that France pressure China to respect Tibetan and Uyghur rights. Activists seeking a free Tibet attempted to unfurl a banner Saturday beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and protested in the French capital around the same time as Xi's plane landed.

On Monday French President Emmanuel Macron will treat the Chinese leader to formal honors of a full state visit. They will also meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is expected to join Macron in pushing for fairer trade policies and for China to use its leverage with Russia to push it toward ending the war in Ukraine.

he EU launched an investigation last fall into Chinese subsidies and could impose tariffs on electric vehicles exported from China.

China claims neutrality in the Ukraine conflict but has refused to call the full-blown Russian assault on its neighbor an invasion, and has been accused of bolstering Russia’s capacity to produce weapons.