SNP is using devolution for its lazy politics of divide and rule

F or neither the first nor, I fear, the last time, today's text comes courtesy of Wilkins Micawber. The relationship between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom in the devolved era is one in which, as far as the Scots are concerned, our friends in the south provide the standard by which satisfaction or contentment in north Britain may be measured.
As dear old Micawber sagely observed in David Copperfield, 'Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery.' Translate this into our politics and we may come up with a useful rule of thumb decreeing that if a policy or outcome is sixpence or half an ounce more agreeable in Scotland than in England then joy may be unconfined across the land. Should it be so very marginally worse than the way in which affairs are organised south of the border then misery and woe sweeps the land.

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Daily Mail​

an hour ago

• Daily Mail​

EXCLUSIVE Failure of SNP's green plan as motorists fork out £19m in city centre LEZ zone fines

Growing numbers of motorists are being fined for driving into Scotland's city-centres - according to new figures which call into question the value of the country's controversial low emission zones. LEZs have now been operating for two full years in Glasgow and for one full year in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee. Analysis by the Scottish Mail on Sunday of new published data reveals the massive impact on drivers - with more than 169,000 fines issued so far, worth in excess of £19million. The stated aim of the LEZs is to improve air quality in city centres by banning older vehicles which, despite being otherwise legal and road-worthy, are deemed to create too much pollution. When the schemes were introduced, it was anticipated the number of fines would gradually dwindle away as drivers either switched to public transport or upgraded to more modern, eco-friendly, cars. As expected, each LEZ saw a rapid drop in breaches within the first few months of operation. However, over the past five months, the trend has reversed and the number of fines issued has actually risen steadily. In January, across the four cities, 7,058 fines were issued. But by May the number had risen to 8,956. The figures suggest the LEZs may not be as effective at reducing air pollution as council bosses had hoped. Meanwhile critics argue there are thousands of drivers who need to travel into city centres for work - but who simply cannot afford to upgrade to newer vehicles. Opposition politicians have warned that if LEZs failed to improve air quality, they would simply become another tax on hard-pressed motorists. Scottish Conservative transport spokesperson Sue Webber MSP said: 'These figures prove what motorists already know – they're being milked for cash because the SNP have gutted council funding. 'You'd think low emission zones were about cleaner air – but in reality, they're trapping drivers who have no other option. 'Most Scots can't just shell out for a new car to meet these rules. The nationalists are completely out of touch. 'If SNP ministers are serious about getting Scots out of their cars, they should show some common sense for a change and deliver reliable and affordable public transport, instead of punishing motorists.' Analysis by the MoS shows that a total of 169,329 LEZ fines have so far been issued across the four cities - worth an astonishing £19.1m. The severity of penalties depends on how often a driver infringes the LEZ - from £60 for a single breach to a maximum of £960 if someone drives a non-compliant vehicle into the zone five or more times in a three-month period. Incredibly, 6,787 of these maximum £960 fines have so far been dished out across the country. Scotland's first LEZ was set up in Glasgow in June 2023. Policed by a network of number-plate recognition cameras, it covers a square mile of the city centre between the River Clyde and the M8 motorway. As the country's long-running LEZ, it has unsurprisingly issued the highest overall number of fines: 72,110 tickets - an average of 3,005 every month - worth a total of £7.1m. Last September Glasgow City Council said the LEZ had made a 'promising start' at improving air quality. Pollution data covering the first six months of the LEZ suggested nitrogen dioxide levels in parts of the city centre had dropped by 20 per cent - but remained high in the busiest streets. The council also revealed that, after operating costs, the scheme raised a surplus of around £750,000 in the financial year 2023/24 - which would be spent on planting trees and turning bus-stop roofs into havens for bees. Edinburgh has so far issued the highest average number of LEZ tickets - 3,988 each month. The capital's zone extends from Holyrood Park to Haymarket - and came into force in June 2024. After a sharp drop last year in the first few months of the LEZ, the number of fines in the capital has risen steadily from 2,664 in January to 3,401 in May. Last night Edinburgh City Council blamed the recent rise on tourists driving into the city - but said the scheme overall was delivering benefits. Transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson, said: 'Last year we joined Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen to implement and enforce an LEZ across the city centre, reaffirming our intentions to create a healthier, cleaner city for everyone. 'Since then, I've been really encouraged to see the number of fines for non-compliant vehicles steadily decline, showing that people are getting used to the LEZ and making changes. 'Recent fluctuations may be down to an increased number of visitors over the months that attract more tourists and we'll continue to monitor this.' Meanwhile drivers in Aberdeen have been hit with the highest average value of fines - equating to £417,930 per month. The city's LEZ, which also came into force in June 2024, is clustered around Union Street and the surrounding roads, covering an area of just half a mile squared. Dundee's LEZ is bordered by the A92 and the A991 inner ring-road and began at the very end of May 2023. It has so far issued the lowest average number of fines - just 1,292 per month. Government agency Transport Scotland has said that despite the rises in recent months, the number of LEZ breaches was still significantly lower than last June when the scheme was first introduced in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee. A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: 'In Edinburgh and Aberdeen, the number of PCNs issued in May 2025 was approximately half the number issued in June 2024. In Dundee, the figure was down by around two-thirds over the same period, while in Glasgow, there was a reduction of about one-third. 'LEZs are already working to improve air quality. In Glasgow, where the LEZ has been enforced since 2023, air quality benefits are already being accrued with average nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in the LEZ down approximately 20% compared to 2022.'

The Sun

an hour ago

• The Sun

Britain's borders are broken – and we can only mend them by bringing in ID cards

FOR most people that I meet , concern about immigration is more about those arriving on small boats than those coming legally to study or work. It is the undocumented arrivals that worry people, not least when they remain here illegally and disappear into the sub-economy organised by criminal gangs. 2 Over 40,000 people arrived on our shores from France last year, and that number is expected to be much higher in 2025. Unknown numbers of those arriving this way are not claiming asylum but are absorbed into the 'black market'. They melt away to work as cash-in-hand labourers or in car washes or barbers' shops in towns and cities across the United Kingdom. It is a cycle of exploitation that leaves everyone poorer. Illegal immigrants are paid a pittance, British workers are undercut, and the state does not get any tax from this illicit economy. We have the tools to confront this abuse - but have failed to use it. The time has come to bring in ID cards. I have spoken over many years about the importance of introducing a comprehensive and robust identity system in the UK. But we have reached a moment of reckoning. The government must grasp the nettle and come up with a proper plan for ID cards, and all the safeguards that must go with it. Identity cards are a simple, cheap and practical way of tackling the illegal immigration crisis and the black market. Everyone with a right to live and work in Britain would have their details on their card. For most of us, the card would be uploaded to our smartphone - like the NHS app or our Covid vaccine passports. If someone does not have a smartphone they could carry a small ID card around in their wallet, just like a driving licence. This simple, pocket-sized card would immediately transform the state's ability to crack down on illegal immigration. At a glance the authorities would be able to tell if someone is in Britain legally or illegally. If migrants needed an ID card to work in Britain, claim benefits or receive NHS treatment, they would be far less likely to come here illegally, something that the Government has already acknowledged in the White Paper in May. By its very existence, the scheme would stem the tide of small boat migrants. Bosses would be required to check that all their workers have a proper ID card. If they didn't then sorry - no job. Dodgy bosses who hire illegal immigrants without the proper ID would be more easily identified by inspectors. Without the ability to earn cash, illegal migrants would be far less likely to come here in the first place. Those who are here would be more easily identified and deported. This would in turn help British workers, whose wages would no longer be undercut by illegal workers. And it would help the British state by ensuring businesses are legitimate and paying their fair share of tax. 2 I know ID cards can work because I tested them when I was Home Secretary. Sadly only 15,000 were rolled out. Back then, in the early 2000s, migrants were being smuggled into the UK hidden in lorries arriving through the Channel Tunnel. We saw that trade slashed by two thirds. People smuggling gangs realised it was not worth trafficking people to the UK if they could not work or claim benefits here. ID cards worked. It made no sense to ditch them. But the Coalition government of 2010 scrapped them. That was a decision that has harmed our borders ever since. I wont pretend ID cards were not controversial. Civil liberties campaigners railed against the scheme raising the spectrum of a knock on the door and a demand to see proof of identity. But this was always a farcical caricature. Most of us have willingly handed over our data when we sign up for a social media account, or get a loyalty card with our favourite supermarket. Big tech companies like Elon Musk's X or Facebook already know nearly all our details and have the capacity to analyse our online activity. Mobile phones track our activity; where we have gone that day and even how many steps we have taken. The introduction of ID cards would not create a police state, but would be a crucial weapon in our armoury to fight illegal immigration. Properly organised, with built in safeguards, an identity system of this kind would safeguard us all.

Daily Mail​

an hour ago

• Daily Mail​

Top headteacher's fury at politicians who 'delight in the demise of independent schools'

The head of one of the largest private schools in the UK has hit out at politicians who 'delight in the demise of independent schools' and says her school makes £45m a year for the Scottish economy. Lisa Kerr, who formerly led King Charles 's old school Gordonstoun, said those driven by their 'ideological beliefs' failed to recognise the massive economic benefits of private schools. Now Principal at prestigious George Watson's College in Edinburgh, where 1 in 4 pupils attend private schools, one of the highest numbers in the UK, said: 'Our school alone contributed £34.8 million in GVA (gross added value) to the Edinburgh economy, supporting 580 jobs in the city. 'Across Scotland, our impact rose to £44.7 million GVA and 680 jobs.' And Ms Kerr, who has previously slammed the government's VAT on fees tax raid as an 'existential threat' for private schools, said: 'The impact on Treasury coffers and state school places is only half the story. 'Those whose motivations are ideological and who delight in the demise of independent schools miss the significant economic impact we have on our communities and the benefits that are at stake as the sector shrinks.' Pointing out the huge savings City of Edinburgh Council had made because of children being educated outside the state sector, she explained: 'By educating nearly 2500 pupils, our school saved the public purse a staggering £18.9m with £15.7m of this directly relating to savings made by City of Edinburgh Council from us educating pupils in this area. 'In addition to the staff we employ directly, the school has a valuable and long term supply chain including catering, construction, engineering and cleaning, some for as long as 25 years.' The Labour-run council has been in the firing line since The Mail on Sunday first revealed its hardline anti private school policies such as charging sick kids on cancer wards at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh £115 an hour for tuition if they went to private schools while state school children received it free. Ms Kerr also warned the huge numbers quitting the independent sector – 'four times the government estimate at 13,000' – would have a devastating impact on the state sector. She said: 'Once numbers are in for the rest of the year, the Treasury sums will be further adrift. The numbers for this flawed policy just don't add up; not only will the government fail to raise the promised income but it will put serious strain on the public purse as more pupils are forced to move to already stretched state schools.' Ms Kerr has previously revealed admissions numbers are dropping at the historic college, originally founded in the 18th century, where fees have risen by up to £19,991 a year because of VAT on school fees. And she warned local partnerships which had delivered 'significant positive social impact' including work with the Edinburgh Food Project, an HIV education project and work with local primary schools were now under threat. 'As admissions and pupil numbers fall due to the introduction of the politically driven education tax, these benefits are at significant risk. This will not only damage Edinburgh's economy but will also increase the taxpayer burden. 'It is time for the government to go back to the calculator, be honest about the actual benefits that any school will ever see and to rethink this policy.' The UK Government has repeatedly defended its stance, stating that ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8billion a year by 2029/30, to be spent 'supporting the 94 per cent of children in state schools'.