SNP MSPs returns to Holyrood
MSPs Colin Beattie and Nicola Sturgeon returned to Holyrood on Tuesday. The former was arrested last week and then released without charge. The latter is the wife of Peter Murrell who was also arrested and released without charge by Police Scotland investigating SNP finances in Operation Branchform and the former First Minister.
Following the chat which former SNP treasurer, Colin Beattie MSP, had with journalists at Holyrood on Tuesday when he said he did not know about the £100,000 motor home recovered by police from Peter Murrell’s mother’s driveway in Fife, opposition parties have let loose.
Scottish Conservative Chairman Craig Hoy MSP, said: “This casual admission from Colin Beattie beggars belief. He’s effectively saying ‘Motorhome? What motorhome?’
“He has serious questions to answer over this bombshell revelation. How on earth could someone who was Treasurer, when the accounts featuring this six-figure purchase were signed off, now claim he was never aware of it?
“The murkiness surrounding the scandal-ridden SNP increases by the day. Claims like this make a complete mockery of Keith Brown’s remarks at the weekend that the SNP was one of the most transparent parties in the UK.
“Humza Yousaf should have long since suspended senior SNP figures like Peter Murrell, Nicola Sturgeon and Colin Beattie while this investigation is ongoing, but he has failed to show any signs of leadership.
“The SNP are rotten to the core and engulfed in chaos, meaning the real priorities of the people of Scotland – such as the cost-of-living crisis and the state of our NHS – are being completely ignored as a result.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “This is yet another bombshell revelation that lays bare the chaos at the heart of the SNP.
“That the treasurer of the party did not know that over £100,000 had been spent on a motorhome is mind-boggling.
“This is a party in melt-down with nothing to offer Scots. It’s time for a clean break with Scottish Labour.”
The BBC recorded this package of the former First Minister:
Ken Buchanan
Nigel Duncan, author of a book about the boxer, was at Ken Buchanan’s funeral at St Giles yesterday. He wrote about the event for us and about how much Ken would have loved it.
Ken Buchanan’s handprints are immortalised in the flagstones in the Quad at the City Chambers as part of The Edinburgh Award which he won in recent years.
Brunton Theatre – temporary arrangements
Shows which should have been staged at the Brunton in Musselburgh have been moved during the theatre’s temporary closure. One of these takes place on Saturday evening.
EVENTS AT MUSIC HALL ASSEMBLY ROOMS
Re-live the sounds of the swinging sixties, as Britain’s No. 1 tribute show brings alive the magic of the sixties, with their tribute to over twenty five bands of that era.
The Counterfeit Sixties on Saturday 29 April at 7.30pm presents a showcase of the great bands of this unforgettable time. The fantastic music of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Dave Clark Five, The Kinks and The Monkees – to name but a few – all recreated in this stunning show.
Experience powerful star vocals in a musical evening of West End and Broadway classics. Starring Any Dream Will Do’s, Keith Jack and Chris Barton, the world’s longest playing Joseph, Mike Holoway and London’s West End’s Jonathan Dudley in Dreamcoat Stars on Tuesday 2 May at 7.30pm.
Journey into a colourful production featuring vibrant and energetic songs from the most loved shows: Joseph, Jesus Christ Superstar, SIX, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, We Will Rock You, Jersey Boys, Les Misérables, Moulin Rouge and more.
Tickets are available online at www.thebrunton.co.uk or by calling 0131 653 5245
Food bank use is increasing
The Trussell Trust has issued a report today showing that even more people in the UK have had to resort to help from food banks in the last year. This is now more than the effect of the pandemic when so many resorted to food parcels to help them get by. The effects of Brexit and the cost of living crisis have created the perfect storm for those already in a desperate situation. Some of the people using food banks are in jobs, which is even more worrying.
There are places to donate to food banks in every supermarket, and if you visit one today then you might think to make a donation if you are in a position to do so.
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
