Hundreds of protected areas are under pressure from Scotland’s massive deer herd. Most agree deer numbers must be controlled to protect the environment, but are split on what should be done.
Edinburgh University students were “interrogated” by police at their desks over posters featuring Palestinians killed by the Israeli military, prompting dozens to complain.
Unsafe levels of faecal bacteria were recorded at dozens of Scotland’s best beaches this summer. Swimmers and paddlers could be at risk, but officials insist water quality remains high.
Human rights due diligence on firms seeking Scottish Government grants will be tightened following criticism that those supplying states accused of war crimes have received taxpayers’ money.
The development follows condemnation of Scottish Enterprise, the government’s business agency, for awarding grants to firms linked to Israel amidst allegations of genocide in Gaza.
The Ferret revealed yesterday that since January 2022, Scottish Enterprise has collectively given arms firms linked to Israel at least £2,746,000, while Amnesty International found that no human rights check had been performed on a US arms giant supplying Israel since 2019.
There will now be more frequent checks on firms seeking grants and improved oversight and reporting, the Scottish Government announced.
However, Amnesty International said the Scottish Government was “light on detail” and accused ministers of publishing the review the day before parliament enters a two-month recess, “in the knowledge that MSPs will have no opportunity to scrutinise it”.
The Scottish Greens claimed Scottish Enterprise would continue giving public money to firms providing Israel with weapons, and accused the government of having “shamefully chosen the future of war profiteers over the lives of innocent Palestinians”.
A new due diligence procedure was introduced by Scottish Enterprise in March 2019, following criticism of the public body for funding arms firms linked to countries with poor human rights records. Its due diligence checks include assessing whether a company has been “associated with human rights abuses anywhere in the world”.
In 2023, however, The Ferret revealed that though hundreds of checks had been made on companies seeking grants from the public body, no firm had failed, despite some having links to states accused of war crimes, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this year, as Israel’s attack on Gaza continued, the Scottish Government promised to review Scottish Enterprise’s human rights checks.
Amnesty International – which accused Israel of committing genocide in a report last December – wrote to Scottish Enterprise recently after a freedom of information request revealed that between January 2022 and April 2025, only four human rights checks were completed by the public body on two companies within the defence sector.
Amnesty has been deeply concerned from the outset about the lack of transparency and accountability surrounding this review. And the manner in which the review has finally concluded makes clear we were right to be concerned.
Neil Cown, Amnesty International UK Scotland director.
Yesterday, deputy first minister Kate Forbes updated the Scottish Parliament. She said: “Scottish Enterprise wrote to update me on its review on June 19.That letter advised that the review included a thorough appraisal of Scottish Enterprise’s existing policy, and a retrospective assessment of checks and associated grant payments. As a result, it identified a number of opportunities for improvements to ensure Scottish Enterprise’s human rights due diligence procedures continue to align with good practice and respond consistently to the current dynamic risk environment.”
A spokesperson for Scottish Enterprise said: “This comprehensive review affirmed the strength of our existing processes while identifying areas for enhancement, reflecting the increasingly complex geopolitical landscape in which we operate.”
Improvements, they added, include strengthening checks relating to the Export Control Act 2002, increasing the frequency of checks to better respond to emerging risks, and developing a new internal digital platform to improve oversight and reporting.
But critics expressed concern at the announcement. Neil Cowan, Amnesty International UK’s Scotland director, said: “Amnesty has been deeply concerned from the outset about the lack of transparency and accountability surrounding this review. And the manner in which the review has finally concluded makes clear we were right to be concerned.”
Lorna Slater MSP, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, also criticised the government’s plans and said: “I am honestly shocked at this outcome. The SNP has been right to call out Westminster’s disgraceful complicity in Israel’s war crimes. Not a single penny of public money should be spent on funding arms companies that are profiting from war crimes and genocide in Gaza and the West Bank.”
She added: “This decision shows that the SNP not only know about their funding of Israel’s arms dealers, but they are happy to green light future deals.”
Featured image credit: iStock and WoodysPhotos
Hundreds of protected areas are under pressure from Scotland’s massive deer herd. Most agree deer numbers must be controlled to protect the environment, but are split on what should be done.
Edinburgh University students were “interrogated” by police at their desks over posters featuring Palestinians killed by the Israeli military, prompting dozens to complain.
Unsafe levels of faecal bacteria were recorded at dozens of Scotland’s best beaches this summer. Swimmers and paddlers could be at risk, but officials insist water quality remains high.
Footage of farmed trout suffocating, haemorrhaging, and being beaten with batons in a slaughterhouse has prompted an official complaint to a government regulator.
