Podlitical

John Swinney looks set to be first minister as he's backed by potential challenger Forbes. Following his announcement he was running to be the next leader of the SNP and new First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, the former deputy to Nicola Sturgeon for almost a decade, looks set to win the top job after potential rival Kate Forbes announced she is backing him. The team analyse what might happen next, whether anyone else will put their name forward for the role, and - if Swinney is unopposed - how his premiership might unfold. Will he be able to pull a divided SNP together, and will his second time as SNP leader go more smoothly than the first?

First Minister Humza Yousaf has announced his resignation. What happens now? The team chats about how events unfolded over the weekend, culminating in First Minister Humza Yousaf announcing his plans to resign on Monday, after just 13 months in post, following the fallout from his scrapping of the Bute House agreement with the Scottish Greens the previous week. With divisions in both the party and parliament exposed, are we now heading for a Holyrood election, or an internal SNP leadership election, and who might the candidates be? As names begin to be put forward, the team discuss what might happen next.

First Minister Humza Yousaf faces a no-confidence vote after a dramatic day at Holyrood. The team react to the termination of the Bute House agreement between the SNP and the Scottish Greens, from the furious reaction from the Greens leadership to the fiery FMQs that followed. With Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross saying he will bring a no-confidence motion to Parliament next week, and the SNP's former power sharing partners confirming they will vote against the First Minister, is this the end of the line for Humza Yousaf's premiership?

The Scottish Government announces it is dropping its 2030 net zero emissions target. The team discuss the political implications of the SNP & Scottish Greens government announcing it's 2030 net zero target is "out of reach", as well dropping its annual and interim targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, including if it will hit the parties in the polls, and if this represents a wider movement from UK parties away from green promises and policies. Also in Holyrood, Scotland's only gender care clinic that prescribes puberty blockers for under 18s has announced it's stopping prescriptions following a review by Dr. Hilary Cass, and in Westminster, PM Rishi Sunak's smoking ban for those born after January 1st 2009 has passed the first hurdle, could this be the legacy legislation he's looking for?

The Scottish Labour MSP on making Scotland accessible, working for the NHS, and more. MSP for the Glasgow Region, Pam Duncan-Glancy talks to Podlitical about her first "political moment" while in school, her mission to make Scotland a more accessible place for those with disabilities, and her election as the first permanent wheelchair user in Holyrood. Duncan-Glancy shares her thoughts on the new Scottish hate crime legislation, Israel/Gaza, and how she feels Labour is "grown up" enough to have disagreements inside the party and between the Scottish and UK Labour parties. For a range of political interviews, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds.

Scottish Trade Unions Congress General Secretary Roz Foyer sits down with Podlitical. Ahead of the STUC annual congress, Roz Foyer discusses how she first got involved in unions, and rose to become the STUC's first female General Secretary. Foyer talks about how women have always been at the heart of the Scottish union movement despite the perception of it being male-dominated, how she urges politicians to offer "real delivery" of workers rights and not just "talk the talk", and her vision for what needs to change to improve the lives of working people, from devolution of employment rights to taxing the wealthiest. For a range of political interviews, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds.

The Scottish Greens MSP for the West Scotland region talks to Podlitical post-conference. Ross Greer sits down with the podcast to discuss protest in the form of direct action, including why he backs the right for protesters to disrupt First Minister's Questions at Holyrood, and the reaction to the new Scottish hate crime bill which came into force. Greer talks about his career over the last eight years, why he sees a "more urgent need" than ever for green politics, and his involvement with the 2014 independence referendum, including why he feels the Yes campaign never faced a "public reckoning" on why it didn't deliver, and why he "certainly hopes" he won't be a politician for life. For a range of political interviews, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds.

The team talk rent controls, assisted dying, and the FM's first year in office. As Holyrood takes a break for recess, the Podlitical team look at some of the big bills moving through Scottish Parliament and causing some controversy, including the Housing Bill which could see rent controls introduced in areas of Scotland, the introduction of the Assisted Dying Bill which hopes to legalise medically assisted dying for people with terminal illnesses, and new hate crime laws which some claim will stifle free speech and increase pressure on the police. The team also discusses the first year of First Minister Humza Yousaf's premiership, and analyse some of the big events of the last 12 months.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP on legalising assisted dying and representing Orkney. Liam McArthur joins Podlitical to discuss his upcoming bill on assisted dying for the terminally ill being presented at Holyrood, why he thinks a ban is unsustainable, and why he believes once a framework for assisted dying is in place we'll realise it was "long past due". McArthur also discusses the unique parts of representing a remote island constituency like Orkney, how he feels that local government has been "emasculated", and how he thinks perspectives in politics have become more binary. For a range of political interviews, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds.

How do politicians balance attacking the opposition, while appealing to their voters? In a week where parties have toed the line between attacking their political rivals while trying to woo their voter bases, the team discuss the risk of alienating the very people you want to win votes from. As the Conservative leadership look to the Rwanda Bill to define themselves as different from past iterations of the party ahead of the upcoming election, so too have opposition parties been defining themselves in relation to the Conservatives. Labour have been accused of aligning themselves with Margaret Thatcher, and the SNP have faced criticism over their rhetoric following the SNP event this week, where First Minister Humza Yousaf said he wanted to use the election to as an opportunity to make Scotland "Tory free".

The Secretary General of the MCB on the new Government definition of extremism, and more. Zara Mohammed sits down with Podlitical to talk about becoming the first female, first Scottish, and youngest leader of the Muslim Council of Britain, her thoughts on the new Government definitions of extremism announced by the Conservatives last week, and the Government's non-engagement policy with the organisation. Mohammed discusses how life has changed for Muslims in the UK since the October 7th attack on Israel, how she sees a recent "barrage" of anti-Muslim sentiment coming from the top level of politics, and warns of being complacent about "Scottish Exceptionalism" when it comes to tackling inequality. For a range of political interviews, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds.

Officials face PR problems with alleged racist comments and publicly funded "pornography". The Podlitical team sit down to discuss the week's news, including a row in Westminster into alleged comments made by Tory donor Frank Hester about MP Diane Abbott which politicians and public figures have called racist, with pressure mounting on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to return the £10m donation. In Holyrood, public arts body the National Lottery Open Fund faces criticism as Scottish culture secretary Angus Robertson says an arts project involving "hardcore" sex performances which received £100k should have "in no way" been given public funding.

The SNP MSP on his suspension, his clashes with the Greens, and bullying allegations. MSP for Inverness and Nairn and former Rural Economy cabinet secretary Fergus Ewing sits down with Podlitical to discuss his efforts fighting for fishermen and farmers, and being an "apprentice rebel at 66" when it comes to speaking out against his own party's plans - sometimes in a theatrical fashion. Ewing talks about the allegations by civil servants of bullying, denying his behaviour crossed a line, but claiming he wishes he could have "handled things slightly differently" in hindsight. An outspoken critic of the Scottish Greens and the Bute House Agreement, Ewing explains why he believes the Greens in Government are "extremists" and why things haven't been going "particularly well" for the SNP recently. For a range of political interviews, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds.

Will the budget make you better or worse off, and what does it mean for Scotland? The team are joined by Mairi Spowage, Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde to deep dive into the Conservatives' 2024 spring budget, including the 2p cut to National Insurance and a proposed extension of the windfall tax on energy industry profits, which has caused concern inside the Scottish Conservatives. As the dust settles on the announcements, the team discusses if this is an election budget, if there's more to come, and if people will feel the difference in their bank accounts and bills.

The Scottish Conservatives leader on the oil industry, energy windfall tax, and more. Off the back of the Scottish Conservative Party conference, MP and MSP Douglas Ross joins the Podlitical team on the eve of UK Conservative chancellor Jeremy Hunt's budget, and explains why he's against a windfall tax on energy company profits being extended, and why he thinks backing the oil industry makes economic sense, as the Tories face what he calls a "challenging electoral map" at the next general election. Ross also talks through his early work as a farmer, how he became a referee, and why he's concerned about his family's security as a public figure. For a range of political interviews, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds.

Headaches for political parties this week as high profile members voice their opinions. Whether it was Lee Anderson losing the Conservative whip for his comments on "Islamists" controlling London Mayor Sadiq Khan, former Prime Minister Liz Truss voicing thoughts on the "deep state" alongside presidential hopeful Donald Trump's former chief advisor, or the SNP's Fergus Ewing calling his own party "authoritarian" after being suspended, the team discuss the fallout this week from some strong words. Also, First Minister Humza Yousaf considers a public inquiry into the murder of Emma Caldwell, following the conviction of her killer 19 years after the murder and what he described as "systemic failings" in the case, and the Scottish Budget passes in Holyrood.

The Scottish Labour Leader on election plans, prejudice, and being called a "traitor". Sarwar sits down with Podlitical to talk about how his father's experience being the first Muslim MP initially made him want to "run a million miles away" from politics, his hopes for Labour in the next election, and why he wants to see less "playground politics" with an acceptance no one political party has all the answers. Following the Scottish Labour conference in February, Sarwar discusses the party's plans for Scotland, and why he thinks it is "dangerous" that First Minister Humza Yousaf shared The Press & Journal newspaper front page, which called Labour leadership "The Traitors" following the party's windfall tax announcement. For a range of political interviews, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds.

Chaos in the House of Commons as a vote on a Gaza ceasefire motion turns into a row. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is facing accusations he played "party politics" by granting a vote on Labour's Gaza ceasefire motion, breaking with convention and sparking fury from SNP and Conservative MPs. He said he allowed the vote to protect MPs' safety, and later apologised, but the row continues, with the SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn saying his party has no confidence in him as speaker. The team discuss why this happened, and what might happen next.

The Scottish Greens Co-Leader and Scottish Government minister sits down with Podlitical. Patrick Harvie talks about his early exposure to Green politics and his career so far, including why he sees compromise and finding "genuine common ground" is how democracy should work, his feelings about the Bute House Agreement with the SNP, his belief that the "moral panic" over transgender rights has become toxic in a way he "would not have believed was possible" previously, and how he's coming to terms with not being cast as Dr. Who. For a range of political interviews, subscribe to Podlitical on BBC Sounds.

Michael Matheson resigns as Scottish Health Secretary ahead of a report on his iPad bill. Late last year, it was revealed that the then-Health Secretary Matheson had racked up a £11k roaming bill on his parliamentary iPad, subsequently admitting that his sons had used the iPad as a data hotspot so they could watch football. The team react to the news and the Scottish government cabinet reshuffle, discussing why the resignation has come now, and if it will have the stated intended effect of avoiding the bill becoming a distraction - as this week saw difficulties for both the Conservatives in relation to Rishi Sunak's poorly received trans jibe to Labour's Starmer in PMQs, and Labour facing backlash over plans to scrap it's £28bn a year green pledge.