# The Ferret > Investigative journalism for Scotland. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### About us URL: https://www.theferret.scot/about/ Last updated: 2026-02-11T13:38:35.000Z # Our journalism changes things. --- The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism co-operative based in Scotland and owned by its members, not by billionaires or corporations. We dig into corruption, environmental harm, political influence and human rights abuses. Since 2015, our small team has published more than 2,600 stories which have been read by millions of people and made real world impact. We’ve also opened Scotland’s first community newsroom where anyone can meet us and pitch ideas. In a world flooded with disinformation and dominated by global tech platforms, trust in news has rarely been lower. That’s why we believe journalism should be transparent, collaborative and fact-based. We don’t chase clicks or breaking news alerts — we go deeper, bringing context, nuance and evidence to the issues that shape people’s lives. Our members not only fund The Ferret, they help decide what we investigate. Together we’re building a different kind of media, one that is accountable to the public, not to shareholders. A democratic society needs scrutiny. Your support makes it possible. Join us and help rebuild trust in news. Sign up to our newsletter or become a member from just £3.75 a month. [ ![Portrait of Karin Goodwin](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Karin-G.png) ](https://www.theferret.scot/people/) ### Karin Goodwin Co-editor and investigative journalist. Karin works to uplift the voices of marginalised communities and believes strongly in participatory media. [ ![Portrait of Billy Briggs](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_Photos-08-1-1.png) ](https://www.theferret.scot/people/) ### Billy Briggs Co-editor and investigative journalist. Billy is one of The Ferret's founders. His specialisms include far right extremism, animal welfare and human rights. [ ![Portrait of Alastair Brian](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Ali-B-2.png) ](https://www.theferret.scot/people/) ### Alastair Brian The Ferret's head of fact-checking. He's passionate about transparency and tackling misinformation. Alastair also runs many of our training workshops. [ ![Portrait of Angela Catlin](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Angie-C-3.png) ](https://www.theferret.scot/people/) ### Angela Catlin Photo-journalist based in Glasgow. She’s worked with The Ferret for 10 years on various stories, including an award-winning project in Iraq, and a major neo-Nazi trial in Greece. [ ![Portrait of Craig Campbell](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Craig-C-2.png) ](https://www.theferret.scot/people/) ### Craig Campbell Looks after financial management and reporting. Craig was previously the CEO of Social Investment Scotland, Homeless World Cup and Falkirk FC/Falkirk Foundation. [ ![Portrait of Halina Rifai](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Halina-R-1.png) ](https://www.theferret.scot/people/) ### Halina Rifai Podcast and audio producer specialising in mental health, social justice and investigative storytelling. Halina also works with The Ferret on marketing. [ ![Portrait of Iris Pase](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Iris-P-1.png) ](https://www.theferret.scot/people/) ### Iris Pase Our social media and production lead. Iris is a freelance journalist with experience in storytelling, editorial production, and community-centered media. [ ![Portrait of Jamie Mann](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Jamie-M-profile-sil.png) ](https://www.theferret.scot/people/) ### Jamie Mann Investigative journalist. Jamie has reported extensively on the far-right, and covers multiple issues including land reform and illicit finance. [ ![Portrait of Paul Dobson](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_Photos-03.png) ](https://www.theferret.scot/people/) ### Paul Dobson Investigative journalist. Paul has a particular focus on the climate crisis, environmental issues and the Just Transition. He helps to run events across Scotland. [ ![Portrait of Rob Edwards](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Rob-E.png) ](https://www.theferret.scot/people/) ### Rob Edwards Investigative reporter with more than 40 years’ experience specialising in reporting on environmental issues. He likes muckraking. ## Sign up for The Ferret Our journalism changes things. Join us Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### Membership URL: https://www.theferret.scot/membership/ Last updated: 2025-09-25T08:33:24.000Z _No content available._ ### Tip Jar URL: https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T09:51:50.000Z ![Tip jar gif](https://media.tenor.com/FjDYnXEIREQAAAAC/donate-thumbs-up-kid.gif) ### Advanced User Settings URL: https://www.theferret.scot/advanced-settings/ Last updated: 2025-09-25T14:47:47.000Z _No content available._ ### Group Subscriptions URL: https://www.theferret.scot/group-subscriptions/ Last updated: 2025-09-25T14:47:48.000Z _No content available._ ### Buy a Group Subscription URL: https://www.theferret.scot/buy-group-subscription/ Last updated: 2025-09-25T14:47:48.000Z _No content available._ ### Archive URL: https://www.theferret.scot/archive-2/ Last updated: 2025-10-07T07:50:30.000Z _No content available._ ### Tip-offs URL: https://www.theferret.scot/tip-offs/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T14:29:11.000Z Tip-offs from our readers, and insiders in organisations – ranging from government workers to company employees – have been the catalyst for many important public interest stories. If you want to highlight an issue or expose wrongdoing, but are worried about doing so, there are ways in which you can contact us more securely – and we explain these methods below. You can be assured that our journalists will always do everything in their ability to protect your identity. We are obliged as professional journalists to protect our sources. When contacting us, please be as clear and concise as you can, and let us know what evidence you have, and how we might verify it. This may involve sending us physical or digital documents, images, videos, or other materials. If you are getting in touch about an issue related to the organisation you work for, you should not use your work email, phone or computer. You may also wish to create an anonymous email account to contact us with. While we cannot pursue every lead, we carefully consider each one, and strongly encourage you to get in touch with tips. ### **Ways to contact us more securely** **By email** You can contact us via our Protonmail address: theferret.scot@proton.me It uses end-to-end encryption, which means that any messages exchanged between Protonmail users can only ever be seen by them. If you don’t already have a Protonmail account, it’s easy and completely free to [set one up](https://proton.me/support/create-a-free-email-account-address?ref=theferret.scot). **Via Signal** You can write to us, voice chat, and send us files via the [Signal](https://signal.org/?ref=theferret.scot) messaging app, which also uses end-to-end encryption. Compared to similar apps, Signal has extra security provisions which protect the service against hackers, collects less information about users that could be used to identify them, and gives you the option to auto-delete messages. You can find The Ferret on Signal by searching for our phone number, which is **07345 208161** (This phone number is not monitored for calls or text messages, please get in touch via email or Signal). **By post** If you are concerned about contacting us digitally, you can also reach us at our community newsroom by post, which is particularly useful if you want to send physical documents. Please send us an email in the first instance and we will send our mailing address. ### Stories URL: https://www.theferret.scot/stories/ Last updated: 2025-11-03T12:29:46.000Z _No content available._ ### Welcome to The Ferret! URL: https://www.theferret.scot/welcome-paid-member/ Last updated: 2025-11-19T13:32:08.000Z Thanks so much for signing up as a paid member of The Ferret. You are now a vital part of Scotland’s only independent investigative journalism co-operative, owned by members like you – not billionaires or corporations. Your contribution helps us produce journalism that changes things – and we cannot do it without you. Our monthly memberships auto-renew, so we’ll bill your card/payment method monthly. If you are on an annual subscription, that will auto-renew in a year – but we’ll let you know ahead of time when the payment is due. Stay tuned for more updates in our weekly Underground newsletter. Occasional member-only updates will help ensure you get the most from your subscription. We always love to hear from our members so drop us a line at **contact@theferret.scot** with any questions. We hope to hear more from you soon! ### Welcome to The Ferret! URL: https://www.theferret.scot/welcome-gold/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T13:36:00.000Z Thanks so much for signing up as a Gold member of The Ferret. You are now a vital part of Scotland’s only independent investigative journalism co-operative, owned by members like you – not billionaires or corporations. As a gold member, your extra commitment helps power journalism that changes things – work we cannot do without people like you. Your gold membership also helps us offer a free membership to someone on a low income. This allows more people to access high quality investigations about Scotland. Our monthly memberships auto-renew, so we’ll bill your card/payment method monthly. If you are on an annual subscription, that will auto-renew in a year – but we’ll let you know ahead of time when the payment is due. Your membership level also helps support our sponsored member scheme, meaning we can offer one free membership to someone on a low income., This allows more people allowing everyone to access high quality investigations about Scotland Stay tuned for more updates in our weekly Underground newsletter. Occasional member-only updates will help ensure you get the most from your subscription. We always love to hear from our members so drop us a line at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot) with any questions. We hope to hear more from you soon! ### Transparency URL: https://www.theferret.scot/transparency/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:47:23.000Z The Ferret is committed to doing things differently, and we believe that transparency should be at the heart of journalism. We want to be as open as possible with our readers and members about how we do stories, where we get funding, and the decisions we make. ### **Funding** The Ferret is currently **37 per cent** funded through memberships and donations, **52 per cent** from grant funding, and **11 per cent** from other sources such as content sales and events. Some of our funding comes through grants organisations and charitable bodies, which helps us to hire staff, cover core costs and produce investigations. A full list of our [funders is available here](https://www.theferret.scot/funding/). ### **Our membership** We are part-owned by our members, who help to shape our investigations and decide the future direction of The Ferret. Without this support, we would not exist. As of October 2025 we had more than 2,500 members. We want to ensure cost is not a barrier to accessing our content, so we offer a limited number of free sponsored memberships to people on low-incomes. Sponsored memberships last for one year, and they are funded by our gold members. Our members provide vital support for the co-operative and give grant funders the confidence to invest in our work. Our free Ferret Underground newsletter goes to more than 5,000 people each week. ### **Our stories** In 2024, we published more than 250 stories, and our investigations were read more than 500,000 times. To date, we’ve published more than 5000 datasets and source documents linked to our reporting. Our stories make a difference. They were cited 12 times by politicians at Holyrood in 2024\. You can find out [more about our impact here](https://www.theferret.scot/impact/). ### **Our accounts** These are our [latest accounts](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25906974-the-ferrets-annual-accounts-2025/?ref=theferret.scot). Any financial surplus shown in our accounts is re-invested into our journalism. ### **Our annual report** This is the [latest report](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25879713-ferret-annual-report-2023-24/?ref=theferret.scot) we send to our members for each AGM. ### **Our politics** The Ferret is avowedly non-partisan. This means that we are politically neutral and will not endorse any political party, or political cause. We have no position on Scottish independence or Brexit. Additionally, none of our journalists are members of any political party and we do not accept donations from political parties, or any organisation that seeks to influence our editorial independence. ### **Corrections and complaints** Part of our commitment to transparency is being open and honest when we’ve made a mistake. If a published article has an error that comes to light, we will make sure we correct and update the story as soon as possible. We will add a note saying what has changed and when. Formal complaints are dealt with by The Ferret’s reader directors and they must relate to an alleged breach of the [standards](https://www.impressorg.com/standards/impress-standards-code/our-standards-code/?ref=theferret.scot) code set out by our regulator, Impress. Our full [complaints policy is available here](https://www.theferret.scot/complaints/). ### Newsletters URL: https://www.theferret.scot/newsletters/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:31:56.000Z Our Ferret Underground newsletter is available to readers free of charge. It's a weekly email round-up of what we've been investigating, as well as some of the best investigative reporting from around the world. [Signing up](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal) to the Ferret Underground email also gives you access to five free stories every month! ## Sign up to The Ferret Underground newsletter Join us Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. --- If you're a paying member of The Ferret, please sign up to our daily emails. This means you'll get our latest stories straight to your inbox whenever we publish. [Edit email preferences](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/) ### Funding URL: https://www.theferret.scot/funding/ Last updated: 2026-03-16T12:25:04.000Z **We are part-owned by our members, who help to shape our investigations and decide the future direction of The Ferret. As of October 2025 we had more than 2,500 members.** Without this support, we would not exist. Sometimes we also work with other media organisations, who pay us to co-publish our investigations. We also deliver training and events, which brings in revenue. Some of our funding comes from organisations and charitable bodies, which helps us to hire staff, cover core costs and produce investigations. This funding must be in line with our ethical funding policy, which means we will not accept money from groups with unethical financial backing, or that seek to influence or dictate how we investigate. The Ferret is currently 37 per cent funded through memberships and donations, 52 per cent from grant funding, and 11 per cent from other sources such as content sales and events. ### 2025 In financial year up to September 30 2025, we received funding from these organisations. #### £10,000 or more: **National Lottery Community Fund** to develop training courses for librarians to teach young people how to identify disinformation online. **The Joffe Trust** to investigate illicit finance in Scotland and its links to the UK's dirty money problem. **Journalismfund Europe** to investigate the environmental impact of golf – and the effects of climate change on the sport – along with journalist partners in Italy and Spain. **The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust** to investigate how global actors are attempting to roll back rights in Scotland, linked to the ‘culture war’. --- ### 2024 In financial year up to September 30 2024, we received funding from these organisations. #### £10,000 or more: **The Joffe Trust** to support our project investigating finance called The Money Trail. **The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust** to investigate how the global ‘culture war’ is impacting Scotland. **The Logan Foundation** to support core costs at The Ferret. **The Sunrise Project** to look into fossil fuel finance. #### Less than £10,000: **Lush** to investigate welfare and other issues linked to gamebirds. --- ### Previous years Our Funders 2023 2022 Previous years __Funders by year and amount category__ | Category | Organisation | | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | | £10,000 or more | Logan Foundation | | £10,000 or more | The Caledonian Trust | | £10,000 or more | Global Strategic Communications Council | | £10,000 or more | European Journalism Centre | | £10,000 or more | Lankelly Chase Foundation | | £10,000 or more | Journalism Fund Europe | | Less than £10,000 | Lush (for an investigation) | | Less than £10,000 | Supporters of Andy Wightman defamation crowdfunder | | Less than £10,000 | Environmental Funders Network | | Less than £10,000 | Stirling University | | £10,000 or more | Luminate Group | | £10,000 or more | Lankelly Chase Foundation | | £10,000 or more | European Climate Fund | | £10,000 or more | European Journalism Centre | | £10,000 or more | Logan Foundation | | £10,000 or more | Sunrise Project | | Less than £10,000 | Caledonia Centre for Social Development | | Less than £10,000 | EU Journalism Fund | | £10,000 or more | The Seedbed Trust | | £10,000 or more | Google DNI Fund | | £10,000 or more | First Port | | £10,000 or more | Luminate Group | | £10,000 or more | European Journalism Covid-19 Support Fund | | Less than £10,000 | Uplift | | Less than £10,000 | Cooperatives UK | | Less than £10,000 | One Kind | | Less than £10,000 | 38 Degrees | | Less than £10,000 | Centre for Investigative Journalism | | Less than £10,000 | Lenfest Institute (Community Listening and Engagement Fund) | | Less than £10,000 | Lush | | Less than £10,000 | People’s Postcode Lottery | | Less than £10,000 | Google Covid-19 Emergency Fund | | Less than £10,000 | Public Interest News Foundation | ### Contact us URL: https://www.theferret.scot/contact/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T14:34:00.000Z If you want to get in touch with us, there are several ways to do so. The best way to send us a message is by email, via contact@theferret.scot You can contact us via WhatsApp or Signal. Our number is **07345 208161**. Our standard working hours are 10am to 6pm on weekdays. Please note that we’re a small team with limited capacity and may not be able to take a call or reply to a message right away, but we’ll respond as soon as we can. If you have a tip-off or want to leak information to us, there is information on how to do so securely on our [Tip Offs page](https://theferret.scot/tip-offs/?ref=theferret.scot). ### FAQs URL: https://www.theferret.scot/faqs/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T21:09:21.000Z These are some commonly asked questions about The Ferret. If you have any other questions, please contact us at contact@theferret.scot. --- ### Contents - [How do I become a member of The Ferret?](#how-do-i-become-a-member-of-the-ferret) - [Can I give a Ferret subscription as a gift?](#can-i-give-a-ferret-subscription-as-a-gift) - [How do I cancel my membership?](#how-do-i-cancel-my-membership) - [How can I change my account details?](#how-can-i-change-my-account-details) - [How can I donate to The Ferret?](#how-can-i-donate-to-the-ferret) - [What editorial standards does The Ferret adhere to?](#what-editorial-standards-does-the-ferret-adhere-to) - [What are The Ferret’s values and policies?](#what-are-the-ferrets-values-and-policies) - [What is The Ferret’s whistleblowing policy?](#what-is-the-ferrets-whistleblowing-policy) - [What is The Ferret’s complaints policy?](#what-is-the-ferrets-complaints-policy) - [What is The Ferret’s advertising policy?](#what-is-the-ferrets-advertising-policy) - [Who owns The Ferret?](#who-owns-the-ferret) - [Where does The Ferret get its funding from?](#where-does-the-ferret-get-its-funding-from) - [How can I share a story tip or idea with The Ferret?](#how-can-i-share-a-story-tip-or-idea-with-the-ferret) - [Where can I find Ferret source documents and data?](#where-can-i-find-ferret-source-documents-and-data) - [Privacy Policy](#privacy-policy) --- ### How do I become a member of The Ferret? Join us [here](https://theferret.scot/joinus?ref=theferret.scot). --- ### Can I give a Ferret subscription as a gift? Yes, you can. Please visit our [gift membership page](https://theferretghostio.outpost.pub/gift%5Fsubscription?ref=theferret.scot#/). --- ### How do I cancel my membership? If you are a paying member, you can cancel your membership by following these steps: 1. Log in to your Ferret account. 2. Go to the **Account** page. 3. Scroll down to the **Billing** section and select **Cancel my membership**. --- ### How can I change my account details? To update details such as your name, email, phone number, or address: 1. Log in to The Ferret. 2. Go to the **Account** page. Here you can update your details, including marketing preferences and payment method. If you have any issues, please contact us via contact@theferret.scot. --- ### How can I donate to The Ferret? You can donate via our [donations page](https://theferret.scot/tip-jar?ref=theferret.scot). We also encourage you to become a member of The Ferret. --- ### What editorial standards does The Ferret adhere to? The Ferret is regulated by **Impress**, the UK’s independent press regulator. Our journalists are non-partisan and all stories are reviewed by editors and lawyers when required. We publish corrections transparently, and in some cases may omit a correction note for privacy or source protection reasons. Complaints are handled by our reader directors and/or Impress — you can read our [complaints policy here](https://theferret.scot/complaints/?ref=theferret.scot). We also publish reports about our progress and use of resources. --- ### What is The Ferret’s complaints policy? You can find our complaints policy [here](https://www.theferret.scot/complaints/). Complaints, corrections, and suggestions can be sent to contact@theferret.scot. --- ### Who owns The Ferret? The Ferret is owned by its readers and writers through a **co-operative** model. Our board includes journalists, subscribers, and independent directors. We are regulated by the **Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)** and listed in the **FCA’s Mutuals Register**. --- ### Where does The Ferret get its funding from? The Ferret is **part-owned by members** who shape its investigations. We also receive funding from: - Media partnerships - Training and events - Grants from ethical organisations We adhere to an **ethical funding policy** and reject money that could influence editorial independence. A full list of funders is available [here](https://theferret.scot/funding/?ref=theferret.scot). --- ### How can I share a story tip or idea with The Ferret? We welcome all leads and ideas. Please submit them [here](https://theferret.scot/tip-offs/?ref=theferret.scot). --- ### Where can I find Ferret source documents and data? We publish many of our source materials via our **[DocumentCloud page](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/?q=%2Borganization%3Athe-ferret-1533%20&ref=theferret.scot)** and within our articles. If you’d like access to unpublished data or documents, please email via contact@theferret.scot. --- ### Where can I see The Ferret's privacy policy The Ferret Media’s full privacy policy is available [here](https://theferret.scot/privacy/?ref=theferret.scot). ### Join us URL: https://www.theferret.scot/joinus/ Last updated: 2025-11-10T13:32:19.000Z [Join today](#/portal/account/plans) ### Complaints URL: https://www.theferret.scot/complaints/ Last updated: 2026-05-12T10:32:55.000Z This policy sets out how The Ferret will respond to complaints. We are regulated by [Impress](https://www.impressorg.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and strive to ensure that our content is accurate and of the highest standard, while adhering to the law. We have a rigorous editorial process in place which means our stories are checked by experienced journalists and lawyers ahead of publication. Any factual mistakes post-publication will be corrected as soon as possible and a note to that effect will be added to the story, for transparency. ### **Clarifications and minor issues** Requests for clarifications and minor issues – such as spelling mistakes or factual errors – should be sent to The Ferret’s co-editors. Please contact Billy Briggs ([billy@theferret.scot](mailto:billy@theferret.scot)) or Karin Goodwin ([karin@theferret.scot](mailto:karin@theferret.scot)) or contact@theferret.scot. ### **Formal complaints** Formal complaints are dealt with by The Ferret’s reader directors and they must relate to an alleged breach of the [standards](https://www.impressorg.com/standards/impress-standards-code/our-standards-code/?ref=theferret.scot) code set out by our regulator, Impress. In the first instance please advise The Ferret’s co-editors that you wish to lodge a formal complaint and they will trigger the official process. We can only deal with your complaint if you are: • Personally and directly affected by an alleged breach of the code • A representative group affected by an alleged breach of the code, where there is public interest in your complaint • A third party seeking to ensure accuracy of published information Please read Impress’s [standards code](https://www.impressorg.com/standards/impress-standards-code/our-standards-code/?ref=theferret.scot) first to understand whether our directors can look into your complaint. We will acknowledge your complaint by e-mail or in writing within 7 calendar days and will normally respond to your complaint with a final decision letter within 21 calendar days. If we uphold your complaint, we will tell you the remedial actions we have taken. If you are not satisfied with the final response to your complaint, or if you do not hear from us within 21 calendar days of submitting your complaint, then you can refer your complaint to our independent regulator Impress by contacting them directly. **Website:** [impressorg.com/complaints](https://www.impressorg.com/standards/complaints/how-to-complain/?ref=theferret.scot) **Email:** [complaints@impressorg.com](mailto:complaints@impressorg.com) **Phone:** 020 3325 4288 [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/05/IMPRESS-Regulated-Member-Asset_CMYK-01.png)](https://www.impressorg.com/?ref=theferret.scot) ### Impact URL: https://www.theferret.scot/impact/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T16:11:54.000Z **Our journalism changes things.** The aim of our journalism is not to generate clicks. Change that comes when we hold the powerful to account – whether that’s to government policy or positive impacts on people’s lives – is what we’re all about. So tracking the impact of our investigations is crucial to us. The awards we win along the way are a bonus. Our work has been recognised at the Scottish Press Awards, Amnesty Media Awards, British Journalism Awards and many others. Impact is part of our origin story. A decade ago, our first major investigation tackled fracking, the controversial method for extracting underground gas. The crowdfunded series helped to ensure the controversial industrial practice was [ruled out by the Scottish Government](https://foe.scot/the-end-of-the-road-for-fracking-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2019\. Since then our investigations have helped drive positive change across a range of issues, from highlighting preventable deaths in the homeless system, which prompted National Records of Scotland to start [publishing annual statistics](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-homeless-deaths-statistics-published/), to a seven-month undercover investigation into [neo-Nazi group Scottish Dawn](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-dawn/?ref=the-ferret.ghost.io), which led to it being banned under UK terror laws. Our investigations have also resulted in better protections for the marginalised. In 2024 we investigated the rise in [suicide attempts by asylum seekers](https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-asylum-seekers-scottish-hotels/) in hotels, work that sparked questions in the Scottish Parliament. And we are community focused too. One Highland community recently saw a Norwegian multinational row back on plans for [a fish farm on a loch](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-fish-farm-scottish-highlands-misleading/) in a marine protected area following our reporting. Our journalism is tenacious and we don’t give up easily. In July 2025, the [Scottish Information Commissioner](https://www.foi.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) ordered the government’s [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) to release files it had been withholding about Scotland’s nuclear bases. It meant that after a six-year battle we could finally reveal that Long Loch on the Clyde had been contaminated by radioactive waste, a fact that would otherwise have remained hidden. Often our investigations are long-running and global in scope. Our stories on [Ithaca](https://www.theferret.scot/ithaca-energy-oil-scotland-israel/), the energy company owned by Israeli company Delek, helped spark [an international campaign](https://www.greenpeace.org/norway/vaer-med/sign-tell-equinor-to-end-the-partnership-with-ithaca-energy/?ref=theferret.scot) calling on Equinor to pull out as its partner in the Rosebank oil field. In September 2025 the Scottish Government finally announced that grants to firms supplying Israel would be halted, an issue we have investigated for many years. We get results and often work in partnerships, including sources from within communities around Scotland, campaign groups or other investigative teams such as [The Bureau of Investigative Journalism](https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and the [Investigative Reporting Project](https://www.irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) in Italy. Our work is sometimes co-published by the mainstream media and broadcasters including The Guardian and the BBC, allowing our journalism to reach more people, and helping us make a real and lasting difference. Because that’s what matters. You can help us make even more impact. [Join us](https://theferret.scot/joinus?ref=theferret.scot) for just £5 per month. ### Privacy URL: https://www.theferret.scot/privacy/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T16:37:38.000Z **The Ferret is committed to maintaining your privacy and collects only the minimum information we need about you to provide our services effectively.** We will collect and use individual user details only if we have your permission or where we need to do so in order to manage your membership, for marketing our stories and events and products, and providing key services and updates to members. We never sell, trade, or rent personal identification information to others. 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You can request a copy of all the data we hold about you, or request that we delete all the data we hold about you by asking us using our [contact page.](https://www.theferret.scot/contact/) *This policy was last updated on 13/11/2025.* ## Posts ### The UK is targeting firms linked to illegal Israeli settlements. One is still receiving millions from North Sea oil URL: https://www.theferret.scot/the-uk-is-targeting-firms-linked-to-illegal-israeli-settlements-one-is-still-receiving-millions-from-north-sea-oil/ Last updated: 2026-10-18T05:00:00.000Z ****We've been reporting on this story for four years** Impact takes time. Politicians are now picking up on our findings on Ithaca and Delek — but the years of digging behind them only happen because readers pay for our in-depth journalism. Help us keep going. [Join as a member from £3.75/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) **One of the biggest players in the North Sea oil industry paid out nearly £100m in profits to an Israeli firm linked by the UN to illegal settlements just weeks after the UK Government announced new sanctions on projects in the West Bank.** Aberdeen-based Ithaca Energy, which has stakes in six of the UK’s ten largest oil and gas fields and also holds a 20 per cent stake in Rosebank, announced in August it would be paying out almost [£200m in dividends to its shareholders](https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/ITH/payment-of-first-interim-dividend-for-2026/17774828?ref=theferret.scot). Those shareholders include the [Delek Group](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/delek-group/), which owns more than 50 per cent of Ithaca. This means Delek was in line to receive just under £100m in profits from UK oil fields, which will add to the nearly[ £800m](https://www.theferret.scot/1bn-and-counting-blacklisted-israeli-company-raking-it-in-from-north-sea-oil/) it has made from its stake in Ithaca since 2020\. The payout was made on 24 September. Delek was included on the [most recent](https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc6320-database-all-business-enterprises-involved-activities-detailed?ref=theferret.scot) UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) database of companies linked to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which was updated on 25 September. It has been on the list since 2020, when it was first produced after a UN fact-finding mission. However, Delek Group claims it has been put on the list in error, denies it operates in Israeli settlements and says it is appealing its inclusion with the UN. The Ferret has contacted the UN for clarification. As we have previously [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/firm-linked-north-sea-oil-giant-renews-idf-contract/), Delek Israel Fuel Corporation was [wholly owned](https://delek-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Delek-Group-2020-Annual-Report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by Delek Group when it won a multi-million pound [contract](https://www.israeldefense.co.il/node/43659?ref=theferret.scot) in June 2020 to provide refuelling services to Israeli military vehicles. That contract was [renewed](https://www.theferret.scot/firm-linked-north-sea-oil-giant-renews-idf-contract/) in 2024 – when it increased in value by a further £130m – although by this point the wider Delek Group only held 25 per cent of Delek Israel shares. It now holds [just under](https://delek-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Delek-Group-Q2-2026.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) 20 per cent. Research organisation [Who Profits](https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/3684?delek-israel-fuel&ref=theferret.scot) has claimed Delek Israel operates fuel stations in the occupied territories of East Jerusalem, the Syrian Golan, and the West Bank. The Ferret has found stations in all of these locations by checking Delek Israel’s [petrol station locator](https://delek.co.il/%d7%90%d7%99%d7%aa%d7%95%d7%a8-%d7%aa%d7%97%d7%a0%d7%94/?ref=theferret.scot). The Israeli Government disputes claims that settlements in these areas are illegal. Delek Group also has a 61 per cent stake in [Mehadrin](https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/4108?ref=theferret.scot), Israel's largest grower and exporter of agricultural produce, such as citrus fruits and avocados. Back in [2012 the UN rapporteur ](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-209759/?ref=theferret.scot)called for a boycott against the company due to alleged operations in illegal settlements and in 2022, Jerusalem24, Palestinian outlet Y+ and Danish investigative media Danwatch, alleged Mehadrin [exported dates produced in Israeli settlements](https://jerusalem.24fm.ps/11121.html?ref=theferret.scot) in the Jordan Valley to Europe. But Mehadrin has never featured on the OHCHR database and it denies the claims. UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband announced on 8 September that Britain would introduce sanctions against goods produced in illegally occupied territory in the West Bank, and that new [measures](https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-09-08/debates/B9E48476-ADE4-4D56-8EA8-F76BBFF188E8/IsraelAndPalestine?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fmedium=email) would “take action against specific companies” who provide “services” for “settlement expansion”. The UK is[ one of 12 countries](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/8/uk-announces-sanctions-on-illegal-israeli-settlements?ref=theferret.scot), including[ France and Canada](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-by-the-prime-minister-president-macron-and-prime-minister-carney-on-the-two-state-solution?ref=theferret.scot), which recently announced trade restrictions. Miliband described the escalating settler violence against Palestinians as “ethnic cleansing” perpetrated by “settler terrorists”, and said members of the Israeli military were “complicit”. Campaign groups working on the ground have raised [escalating concerns](https://www.972mag.com/topic/settler-violence/?ref=theferret.scot) about the levels of violence facing ordinary Palestinian families and communities living in towns and villages close to settlements or “outposts”. [Video footage](https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20261004-occupied-west-bank-palestinians-harassed-settlers-drones?ref=theferret.scot) has shown ongoing harassment of Palestinians, including the use of [drones](https://www.newarab.com/news/israeli-settlers-deploy-drones-abuse-west-banks-palestinians?ref=theferret.scot). Settlers have also reportedly cut off access to [water supplies](https://www.timesofisrael.com/settlers-divert-west-bank-spring-water-as-israel-pushes-heritage-site-takeovers/?ref=theferret.scot), while physical [violence](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvlylj41egxgo?ref=theferret.scot) is being [documented](https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-report-23-july-2026??ref=theferret.scot) on a daily basis. Earlier this year the UN[ warned](https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/07/1168045?ref=theferret.scot) that settler violence was at an all time high in the West Bank as the Israeli Government continues to approve new settlements. By 20 July, 18 Palestinians had [reportedly](https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/07/1168045?ref=theferret.scot) been killed that year in attacks involving settlers. Yair D’Vir, of Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem, said: “The Israeli regime continues to advance its project to eliminate Palestinian collective existence in the West Bank through violence and killing, ethnic cleansing, movement restrictions, economic strangulation, and attacks on social and political organisations. “These processes are becoming increasingly extreme. As long as the international community continues to issue condemnations instead of taking action, the elimination of Palestinian collective existence will continue to advance.” Previous [analysis](https://www.theferret.scot/1bn-and-counting-blacklisted-israeli-company-raking-it-in-from-north-sea-oil/) by The Ferret [found](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10IlmzhwpvkIVBAFRyl%5FivHDRBum0LW7BpD7GQMXJAKk/edit?usp=sharing&ref=theferret.scot) Ithaca paid £786m in dividends to Delek Group between 2020 and April this year. [Analysis](https://archive.ph/AOY2F?ref=theferret.scot) by WWF Norway has estimated a further £220m could flow to Delek through Ithaca’s stake in Rosebank if the controversial project goes ahead. Delek was on the UN list when the [UK Government](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/news-publications/consent-granted-for-rosebank-project/?ref=theferret.scot) granted consent for the development of the field on 27 September 2023. [Oil watchdog faces 'conflict of interests' row over directors’ Shell and BP sharesBoard members at the North Sea oil regulator hold Shell and BP shares. Critics say the investments raise questions about the body's independence.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-591dc10a-2e19-4237-b845-7731aa300cc1.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1756008792650-cfb1b82af754-8beb7ab0-3b26-41fb-ba8a-95ca9035f567.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/oil-watchdog-conflict-of-interest/) A few months after that, environmental lobby groups [Uplift and Greenpeace](https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/uplift-greenpeace-rosebank-legal-case/?ref=theferret.scot) launched legal challenges to overturn the approval of Rosebank, the country’s largest untapped North Sea oil field. In January 2025 Scotland’s Court of Session [ruled in their favour](https://www.upliftuk.org/post/rosebank-oil-field-ruled-unlawful-by-scottish-courts?ref=theferret.scot), finding approval of Rosebank was unlawful, as it did not account for the emissions that would be caused by burning the field’s oil. Lead developer Adura and Ithaca have resubmitted plans and environmental statements which the UK Government are currently reviewing. Now the same organisations [have written](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmrl6lz454lgo?ref=theferret.scot) to the UK prime minister asking it to clarify whether Delek will be impacted by the sanctions announced by Miliband last month. The leader of the Greens in England and Wales, Zack Polanski, has also argued that approval of Rosebank would contradict the proposed sanctions. Human rights organisations such as [Amnesty International](https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/uk-human-rights-and-climate-concerns-over-scottish-banks-helping-controversial-oil-firm-linked-to-israeli-settlements-raise-500m/?ref=theferret.scot) have called for the government to go further in holding Israeli companies like Delek accountable. Amnesty considers that the approval of the Rosebank oil field, because of its links to Delek, would conflict with the UK’s human rights obligations. It claims “infrastructure that funds, sustains and supports Israel’s unlawful occupation”, must be tackled along with any political, financial and military support “that contributes to Israel’s serious and systematic violations of international law”. Neil Cowan, Scotland programme director, said: "No company facilitating the existence and expansion of Israeli settlements should profit from decisions taken by the UK Government, or indeed any of its devolved counterparts,” he added. “The approval of Rosebank would fly in the face not just of the UK's climate commitments but its international human rights obligations.” He claimed the language used by Miliband last month when he announced sanctions suggested “real intention” of a “comprehensive reset” of policy in relation to Israel but he added: “We still need to see further action towards holding Israel accountable and meeting the UK's international obligations.” Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay said: “Conglomerates like Delek Group that are linked to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine should be unequivocally and categorically blocked from profiting off of Scotland and the wider UK. “John Swinney and his government must stay accountable and hold up their commitment to boycott, divest and sanction companies with links to Israel, including clarity on the Scottish Government’s stance on the Rosebank proposal. Anything less than this would backtrack on Scotland’s previous climate leadership and our unwavering commitment to international law.” [This company owns some of Scotland’s biggest oil fields. It’s also accused of complicity in Israel’s warIthaca Energy is a growing force in UK energy with stakes in six of the UK’s 10 largest oil and gas fields. It's also been linked to Israel's war in Gaza.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-18967c45-5187-49fe-ba14-34a6487dbea8.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/copy-of-copy-of-dsc03291-1-650db525-cf8d-4d0b-8ee4-7414254fb6a1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ithaca-energy-oil-scotland-israel/) However a spokesperson for Delek Group said it had “no business or operations whatsoever in Israeli settlements”, adding: “The proposed sanctions have not been enacted and should not apply to the group. “Delek Group has been wrongly included in the UN database,” they said. “Together with our legal advisers, we intend to formally challenge this and request the immediate removal of our name from the database. “Ithaca Energy is an independent UK-incorporated and London-listed company, with its own board and management. Dividends received by Delek Group from Ithaca Energy are ordinary distributions to shareholders arising from Ithaca Energy’s commercial operations. Any attempt to draw a connection between these distributions and unrelated activities is entirely unfounded and misrepresents the facts.” A spokesperson for the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office confirmed it was taking “clear action” in response to the “moral emergency” in Palestine and “creating new designation powers to go after individuals and companies that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity”. However it declined to comment on “whether particular persons or entities may be designated in the future”. The Scottish Government said: “Decisions on the consenting of individual offshore oil and gas fields are a matter currently reserved for the UK Government.” Ithaca did not respond to requests for comment. ### Police assessing whether Reform UK Holyrood candidates broke campaign spending laws URL: https://www.theferret.scot/police-assessing-whether-reform-uk-holyrood-candidates-broke-campaign-spending-laws/ Last updated: 2026-10-17T18:59:59.000Z **Police are assessing whether a number of Reform UK candidates who ran to become Holyrood MSPs broke election spending rules, The Ferret can reveal.** Four candidates representing Nigel Farage’s party at the Scottish Parliament elections apparently did not submit returns detailing how much they spent during their campaigns and the value of their donations. A further five who did submit returns apparently failed to sign off on their spending properly, our investigation has found. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/10/image.png) All other candidates for all other parties complied with the rules. Commenting on the findings, a Police Scotland spokesman said: “Information has been received and is being assessed.” It comes as the Metropolitan Police [announced](https://www.channel4.com/news/met-police-launch-criminal-investigation-into-reform-uk-donations-after-channel-4-news-report?ref=theferret.scot) last month that it was launching a criminal investigation into claims that senior figures in the party breached foreign donation rules. The party’s own internal investigation found it had not broken the law. Now, its spending at the Holyrood election is under scrutiny, as campaigners and opposition parties have demanded the party “provide full transparency” over its campaign costs. According to [electoral law](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-candidates-and-agents-scottish-parliament-elections/after-election/completing-your-return?ref=theferret.scot), all candidates must supply officials with records of any donations they receive worth more than £50, as well as [spending](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-candidates-and-agents-scottish-parliament-elections/candidate-spending/what-candidate-spending/what-activities-count-candidate-spending?ref=theferret.scot) on campaigning activities and materials, including leaflets, public meetings and social media advertising. For the Scottish parliament elections which took place in May, the deadline for these submissions was [15 June](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-candidates-and-agents-scottish-parliament-elections/after-election/deadlines?ref=theferret.scot). Our analysis shows four Reform UK candidates who ran for MSP constituency seats have failed to submit their campaign spending or disclose donations over £50. [Businessmen and wealthy donors are bankrolling Scottish politics. Who are they?The Ferret did a deep dive into the Electoral Commission’s donation records to find out who was funding Scotland's political parties.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-53869fc0-d6a4-423c-96e1-9dcc8662c8e4.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Website-images--3--11527720-d789-40a5-9722-8865fefb0658.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/meet-the-donors-funding-scottish-politics/) Although none of these candidates secured enough votes to win a seat, they each amassed thousands of votes. David McLennan, who [became](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8dyy7e0dlgo?ref=theferret.scot) Reform’s first councillor in Scotland after winning the Whitburn and Blackburn election last year [achieved](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2026/scotland/constituencies/S16000163?ref=theferret.scot) 22.5 per cent in Bathgate, West Lothian. Meanwhile, Dan Clarke [took](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2026/scotland/constituencies/S16000168?ref=theferret.scot) 22 per cent of the votes in Clydesdale, South Lanarkshire, Malcolm Jones [won](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2026/scotland/constituencies/S16000157?ref=theferret.scot) 19 per cent in Almond Valley, West Lothian, and Sean O'Hagan secured [16 per cent](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2026/scotland/constituencies/S16000194?ref=theferret.scot) in Glasgow Anniesland. Even if they did not spend any money on their campaigns or receive any donations, they are [required](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-candidates-and-agents-scottish-parliament-elections/candidate-spending/reporting-your-spending?ref=theferret.scot) to provide their local returning officers with a submission, unless they have “an authorised excuse”, according to the Electoral Commission. Candidates must also [sign a declaration](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-candidates-and-agents-scottish-parliament-elections/after-election/completing-your-return/what-happens-if-a-spending-return-declaration-isnt-submitted?ref=theferret.scot) confirming information they have filed is accurate to the best of their knowledge. Our audit shows five Reform UK candidates who ran in Edinburgh-based constituencies - David Lees, Andrew McLaughlin, Cameron Rose, Davie Thomson and Charles Turner – failed to submit these documents. The City of Edinburgh Council confirmed that five out of six Reform UK contenders who ran for constituency seats in their area did not submit the declaration to returning officers. However, it said all of those five candidates provided their spending returns, and submitted declarations for their separate campaigns on the Edinburgh regional list. The Electoral Commission confirmed that parties are responsible for the money spent on regional campaigns. However, if a candidate also stands in a constituency, as the five Reform UK candidates did, their agent must submit spending returns for both contests. Both the candidate and their agent must also sign declarations to say the information about spending in the constituency contest is accurate. Returns must be submitted to the local returning officer in the council area they ran in within 35 days of the declaration of the result – in this case [15 June](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-candidates-and-agents-scottish-parliament-elections/after-election/deadlines?ref=theferret.scot) – unless they have a valid excuse for not doing so. Returning officers then send the information to the Electoral Commission, which publishes the [headline results](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/political-registration-and-regulation/financial-reporting/campaign-spending-candidates/2026-scottish-parliament-candidate-spending?ref=theferret.scot) for the public to inspect. **‘Democratic duty’** Juliet Swann, nations and regions manager at Transparency International UK said: “Clarity on political finance is vital to understanding influence and is a crucial part of the democratic process. And limits on spending establish a level playing field so votes cannot be bought. “Spending returns both expose potential breaches of expenditure limits and show who a candidate may be indebted to. Complying with the rules on political finance is not an optional extra, it is a legal requirement and a democratic duty.” Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said The Ferret’s investigation “raises serious questions for Reform UK”. “Reform has repeatedly shown a complete disregard for following the rules that apply to us all”, she claimed. The party must “provide full transparency about the spending on their Holyrood campaign,” added Baillie. Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie claimed “the reek of sleaze off Reform is unavoidable” and said their behaviour reflected “a cavalier approach to the rules that’s beneath the dignity of public service”. “It only adds to the case for immediate and urgent action to strengthen sanctions for those who violate rules meant to safeguard the integrity of Scottish democracy.” The Electoral Commission said neither the elections watchdog nor the returning officers who oversee elections, have responsibility for verifying the completeness or accuracy of candidates’ spending returns. The commission’s website says that while it reviews returns to monitor compliance with the law, “the police are responsible for dealing with any potential breaches”. Reform UK did not respond to a request to comment. Attempts were made to contact all of the party’s candidates mentioned. ### Oil watchdog faces 'conflict of interests' row over directors’ Shell and BP shares URL: https://www.theferret.scot/oil-watchdog-conflict-of-interest/ Last updated: 2026-10-15T04:59:59.000Z **Two new board members at the UK’s oil regulator have tens of thousands of pounds invested in Shell and BP.** The holdings are disclosed in the latest [annual report](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/media/3lobcqrp/oga-annual-rreport-and-accounts-2025-2026.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), the government body which issues licences to companies that want to explore for and produce oil and gas in UK waters. The NSTA [approved](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-12212/?ref=theferret.scot) plans for the controversial Jackdaw and Rosebank fields – both now [linked](https://adura.com/who-we-are/?ref=theferret.scot) to Shell – under the last Conservative government, before those consents were effectively quashed in 2025. Ian Chisholm has over 1,600 shares in Shell, which were valued at £58,510 when he declared them in March, while Rebecca Wiles’ 3,348 BP shares were worth £19,150 at the start of May. Chisholm [worked](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/about-us/leadership-and-governance/board-of-directors-and-leadership-team/?ref=theferret.scot) in a number of finance roles at Shell and is a [trustee director](https://pensions.shell.co.uk/source/scpf/trustee-news/the-trustee-directors.html?ref=theferret.scot) of the company’s UK pension fund. Wiles worked for BP for more than 30 years and is now a director of Tullow Oil, which is currently decommissioning old wells in the North Sea. Critics said the shareholdings raise questions about the regulator’s independence and impartiality. One campaigner described the situation as a “dangerous conflict of interests”, while a regulatory expert claimed the public could perceive the NSTA as “captured” by the industry and called on directors to sell their oil shares. The NSTA, however, argued that none of its powers could “materially impact” the value of Wiles and Chisholm’s shares. The regulator told The Ferret its board is made up of “highly experienced professionals from a range of backgrounds”. But it added that direct experience of the oil and gas industry was “vital” to regulating a “highly specialised sector”. ****Helping you make sense of what really matters** From fact checks to investigations and explainers, The Ferret helps cut through noise with journalism that is careful, sourced, and worth your time. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Another new addition to the organisation’s board this year is [Mitch Flegg](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/news-publications/nsta-welcomes-three-new-non-executive-directors/?ref=theferret.scot), the former chief executive of Serica Energy – one of the North Sea biggest producers. Flegg is an ex-board member of Offshore Energies UK, the trade body that represents the sector. The NSTA’s chief executive, [Stuart Payne](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/about-us/leadership-and-governance/board-of-directors-and-leadership-team/?ref=theferret.scot), previously held positions at Dana Petroleum and Shell. Another board member, [Malcolm Brown](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/about-us/leadership-and-governance/board-of-directors-and-leadership-team/?ref=theferret.scot), spent four decades in the oil and gas industry and was a senior executive at BG Group. In 2021, The Ferret [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/oil-licensing-authority-leaders-shares/) that three directors at the NSTA – which was then known as the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) – held shares linked to the fossil fuel industry worth more than £225,000. > “It is almost impossible to see how the organisation can remain impartial when directors continue, after appointment, to hold shares in the very industry they regulate and licence.” — Andrew Watterson, University of Stirling They included Iain Lanaghan, who stepped down from the board this year with shares in Shell and BP worth nearly £19,000 combined. The NSTA was [founded](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/news-publications/establishment-of-the-oil-and-gas-authority/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2015 as the OGA, following the Wood Review – a government probe into maximising North Sea oil recovery led by the late billionaire, Sir Ian Wood. It has a controversial [double mandate](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6406ee13d3bf7f25fa417a85/north-sea-transition-authority-framework-document.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), to maximise "economic recovery" of oil and gas from the North Sea, while also supporting the transition to net zero emissions. The NSTA is responsible for issuing licences for new oil and gas fields, although some projects also [need agreemen](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-12212/?ref=theferret.scot)t from the UK energy secretary before they can be signed off. The NSTA was the body that initially approved the Rosebank oil field in 2023, as well as the Jackdaw gas project the previous year. Both projects are now controlled by Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norwegian company Equinor. [Revealed: the Sepa board member with ties to Norwegian oilA long-serving member of the board of Scotland’s environment watchdog is also a director at a North Sea oil drilling firm, The Ferret has found. Nicola Gordon became a member of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (Sepa) board in 2018 and is chair of the regulator’s![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-2cdecdb2-ec2c-4fed-9b8f-5f5224e64a33.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/sepa_staff_member-2-57bf0d7b-c2b6-4ab5-8ee4-12e821b86346.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-board-member-with-ties-to-norwegian-oil/) Rosebank and Jackdaw have since stalled after the consents issued by the NSTA were [effectively quashed](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-12212/?ref=theferret.scot) by the Court of Session in Edinburgh last year. The court ruled that the climate impacts of burning the fossil fuels produced by the two fields had not been fully considered. New environmental statements for both projects were lodged in July, with a final decision on whether they can go ahead to be taken by the UK Government. The NSTA can also [investigate and fine](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/media/ejta51em/nsta-overview-2026-final-accessible.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) companies that break rules on issues such as the flaring and venting of excess gas and the decommissioning of old wells. Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, one of the environmental campaign groups that brought the case to the Court of Session, said the NSTA's close ties to the industry amounted to a “dangerous conflict of interests” given its role in decisions over projects like Rosebank and Jackdaw. Khan said: “It is outrageous that people who are supposed to be regulating the oil and gas industry also have a direct financial interest in companies that are subject to that regulation. > “It is outrageous that people who are supposed to be regulating the oil and gas industry also have a direct financial interest in companies that are subject to that regulation.” — Tessa Khan, Uplift “The NSTA should be putting the public interest first, not the profits of oil bosses and their shareholders.” Andrew Watterson, an expert in regulation at the University of Stirling, argued the NSTA was “one of the most openly conflicted regulators in the UK” and that the public could perceive it as “captured” by the industry. “The NSTA operates, it seems, an always open revolving door for oil executives to join its board,” he said. “It is almost impossible to see how the organisation can remain impartial when directors continue, after appointment, to hold shares in the very industry they regulate and licence.” Watterson added that if the NSTA wanted to ensure it was acting with “fairness and balance”, and that it is “perceived as doing so by the public, all its directors should sell their oil, gas and related industries’ shares”. An NSTA spokesperson said its board comprised “highly experienced professionals from a range of backgrounds and is chaired by Liz Ditchburn, a public sector leader.” [Scotland’s wind industry is booming. China and Wall Street are cashing inAn investment vehicle managed by JP Morgan and state-backed firms from France, Norway and China own Scottish wind farms which have paid tens of millions in dividends this decade.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-25e568e2-3077-42ab-bf63-e78bf015d945.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-2202843536-d6e92464-d31c-44b6-b0a0-55300ed26176.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-wind-china-wall-street/) “Of course, some NSTA board members have direct experience of working in the oil and gas industry,” they continued. “This knowledge and expertise are vital in enabling the NSTA to regulate what is a highly specialised sector. “They are complemented by directors who bring knowledge of other industries and other regulators.” The NSTA said directors must declare financial interests each year and withdraw from discussions at board meetings where a conflict arises. The organisation’s annual accounts – where its register of interests is published – said the interests declared by Chisholm, Wiles and other directors were not considered to be “sufficiently significant to impair independent judgements in board discussions”. In April, the NSTA issued what is said was its [biggest fine to date](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/news-publications/enquest-heather-fined-for-collective-decommissioning-failures/?ref=theferret.scot) to oil company EnQuest for failing to decommission 33 inactive wells. ****Keep The Ferret independent** The Ferret does things differently: sharp fact checking, and public-interest investigative journalism backed by our readers. [Become a member from £5/ ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### New salmon farmers scheme condemned as “greenwashing opportunity” URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farmers-scheme-greenwashing/ Last updated: 2026-10-14T09:59:51.000Z **A new scheme to penalise salmon farmers when farmed fish escape is wholly controlled by the industry, The Ferret can reveal, prompting claims it is “a major step backwards for wild salmon conservation in Scotland”.** Three million farmed salmon – from Norwegian stock, and bred for fast growth rather than survival fitness – are estimated to have escaped into Scottish waters in the last 30 years. Escaped fish can breed with wild ones, reducing the strength of Scotland’s endangered native salmon population, and they compete with wild fish for resources. The new scheme to try and address this problem is called the[ Salmon Interactions Association](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC893956/officers?ref=theferret.scot). It was launched in June with the aim of encouraging better fish farm security and the provision of cash to help wild fish survival. Under the scheme, salmon farmers will pay into a conservation fund when their stock escapes, on a rising scale, according to the number of fish escaping. But Salmon Scotland, the industry body, has controlling interest in the scheme and it is not compulsory, with penalties capped at £50,000. ****You don’t get stories like this elsewhere** The Ferret publishes investigations that go beyond the daily news cycle, dig deeper, and ask difficult questions. Help us stay independent. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The scheme was condemned by conservation group WildFish, and a leading international academic researcher on salmon farming who said the fact that it is voluntary is “scandalous”. In Chile, fines of up to £6m are imposed, one critic pointed out. Even the[ Salmon Interactions Association’s](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC893956/officers?ref=theferret.scot) own conservation partners have suggested the scheme has limitations, arguing that further measures are needed to solve the problem of farmed salmon breaking free. Industry body[ Salmon Scotland](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC893956/officers?ref=theferret.scot), however, has staunchly defended the scheme. It rejected claims it is not a genuine partnership as “simply wrong” while claiming it will cover all salmon farmers in Scotland. The attacks on the scheme come after a[ recent study](https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/83/8/fsag153/8751554?ref=theferret.scot) by Scottish Government scientists fuelled concerns about escapes. The research showed that nearly three-quarters of rivers in the Lochaber area, at the Scottish salmon industry’s heart, have fish with farmed-salmon genes. The escapees' penalty scheme has been portrayed as a partnership between [Fisheries Management Scotland](https://fms.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) and Salmon Scotland . [Sepa branded ‘toothless’ after salmon farm accused of 15 environmental breachesThe Scottish Government’s green watchdog sent seven letters over three years alleging multiple breaches at a fish farm – and then issued a final warning letter.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-0813e012-1d83-4607-a5b8-ec5af427f05b.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-2286725963-cb7d5afc-4e55-4592-b8a4-e79f6109ac3a.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-toothless-salmon-farm-breaches/) The levy on farmers starts with a payment of £500 for up to 50 fish getting loose. Payments go up in steps from there, with 51 to 200 escaped fish meaning a £1,000 payment, 201 to 500 escaped fish costing £2,500, and a £5 per fish levy for 501 or more. The maximum is capped at £50,000, and will be paid to the Salmon Interactions Association, a private company. On both the[ Fisheries Management Scotland](https://fms.scot/new-joint-agreement-to-support-wild-salmon-conservation-following-escapes/?ref=theferret.scot) and[ Salmon Scotland websites](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/news/new-joint-agreement-to-support-wild-salmon-conservation-following-escapes?ref=theferret.scot), the voluntary scheme is reported under the headline: “New joint agreement to support wild salmon conservation following escapes.” The articles also state: “A new independent company will administer the scheme, with directors drawn from both the farmed and wild fisheries management sectors.” A[ search at Companies House](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC893956/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot), however, reveals the body with a controlling interest in this private firm is Salmon Scotland. That means the industry body can change how it operates, ignoring its two directors from the fisheries conservation side, who sit on the board alongside Salmon Scotland chief executive,[ Tavish Scott.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavish%5FScott?ref=theferret.scot) Fisheries Management Scotland said in response to criticism that it deliberately decided not to make organisations from the wild salmon sector legally part of the scheme, so they could criticise it. The Scottish Government’s[ Salmon Interactions Working Group](https://www.gov.scot/groups/salmon-interactions-working-group/?ref=theferret.scot), which looked at sea-lice infestations and escapes, came up with a series of recommendations in 2020\. One said that Scotland's finfish aquaculture regulatory regime “should be reformed to ensure that it is fit for purpose, comparable with the highest international and domestic regulatory standards”. [Seven million lice-eating fish have died at Scottish salmon farmsA campaigner has made the first estimate of the total number of cleaner fish that have died while grazing lice on farmed salmon. It’s condemned as a “colossal waste of life” that should cease.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-13832ddd-fcc8-44e8-8dea-01d52197becb.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1173111833-82b87f84-9e3b-4fa4-a9a2-8e3c359e4806.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/million-lice-eating-fish-died-at-salmon-farms/) The Salmon Scotland and Fisheries Management Scotland websites say the new system “builds on recommendations set out by the Salmon Interactions Working Group.” But Nick Underdown, Scotland director at charity[ WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which works to protect wild Atlantic salmon, said: “This arrangement is a major step backwards for wild salmon conservation in Scotland. It works directly against the recommendations of the Salmon Interactions Working Group.” Escapes should not be a “greenwashing opportunity” for salmon farm firms, he said, pointing out that Chile, where allowing escapes is an offence, has imposed[ fines of up to £6m](https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/business-finance/chilean-supreme-court-confirms-usd-8-million-fine-for-mowi-2018-salmon-escape?ref=theferret.scot). Norway, where Scotland’s biggest fish-farm operators are based, has imposed[ penalties of almost £400,000.](https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/aquaculture/norway-court-sides-with-directorate-of-fisheries-on-escape-case-fines-aller-aqua-nok-5-million?ref=theferret.scot) Underdown claimed that a lack of government action had created a vacuum into which the industry had stepped, adding: “Farmed salmon escapes should be a public environmental offence. It should never have been outsourced to a voluntary arrangement controlled by the industry responsible for the pollution.” Comparing genetic mixing in salmon to domestic dogs breeding with depleted wolf populations, he added: “Those domesticated genes enter wild populations, weakening the vital adaptations they need to survive.” [Salmon farms broke the law by letting fish suffer, say government regulatorsTwo salmon farming companies have been accused of allowing fish to die in pain at three farms in Scotland, after the release of covert video footage.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-5f758bc4-9e11-4f05-88e3-7222f2ac3622.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1177873606-1654bd5b-26ed-4213-b060-a7d554c56856.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farms-broke-law-fish-suffer/) [Professor Charlie Mather](https://www.mun.ca/geography/people/faculty/charles-mather/?ref=theferret.scot), from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, who studies how salmon farming around the world regulates escapes, argued that the scheme would maintain the status quo. “These systems never work,” he said. “What they do is allow firms to continue farming salmon, which we know is environmentally destructive.” He said the fact that the scheme is voluntary was “scandalous” and that the level of fines is too low to fund any meaningful work. “The scale of fines is bizarre... any single escape poses an environmental risk. What can you do realistically with £50,000?” he added. Fisheries Management Scotland said the crisis in the wild salmon population, which has seen numbers crash, meant urgent progress has been needed. It said the creation of the Salmon Interactions Association was a constructive step forward, while conceding it “does not resolve all of the issues associated with escapes and their impacts”. “On the question of independence, it was a deliberate decision not to make organisations from the wild fisheries sector legally part of the Salmon Interactions Association,” a spokesperson for Fisheries Management Scotland said. > “This arrangement is a major step backwards for wild salmon conservation in Scotland. It works directly against the recommendations of the Salmon Interactions Working Group.” — Nick Underdown, WildFish They added: “It was important that our involvement in developing and supporting the scheme does not diminish our ability to challenge, scrutinise and advocate for a different approach where we believe that is necessary. The Salmon Interactions Association is not intended to be the final word on farmed salmon escapes.” A spokesperson for Salmon Scotland said: “Claims that this is not a genuine partnership are simply wrong. The scheme was developed jointly with Fisheries Management Scotland and is run by three directors: two river and fishery managers and one representative of the salmon farming sector.” They added that the scheme is “treated as a requirement by salmon farming companies and retailers,” and is in the sector’s Code of Good Practice, which “all salmon farmers adhere to.” The £50,000 cap “reflects the maximum fine available under the relevant legislation**”** for some marine crimes, Salmon Scotland added. Campaign group WildFish pointed out that the courts can refer those marine crimes to higher courts for punishment by unlimited fines or even prison, whereas no such option exists in the privately-run Salmon Interactions Association scheme. Underdown said: “Fisheries Management Scotland argues that £50k per escape incident is benchmarked against marine conservation law, but this is a false equivalence asthe Marine Scotland Act creates offences that can be referred to higher courts and punishable by unlimited fines or even prison.” [Three-quarters of ‘sustainable’ salmon farms broke environmental rules. None lost their accreditation.We looked at inspection reports from the body which certifies “highest standard” farms with a public-facing ‘green tick’ — and found there have been breaches of its rules at dozens of fish farms.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-7675cd1e-3f8a-48a8-8d26-ef12e4837374.png)The FerretDaniel Shailer![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1177725754-c39ff59c-bf96-4909-a565-d98523042a20.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/three-quarters-of-sustainable-salmon-farms-broke-environmental-rules-none-lost-their-accreditation/) Fisheries Management Scotland said that despite the cap, payments for an escape can end up being up to £150,000, if the escape is “deemed significant,” with the payment being repeated over the next two years. Alternatively, instead of paying the subsequent years’ fines, the fish farm firm involved could fund a study into genetic mixing in wild salmon. The report in August, by scientists from the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate on mixing farmed salmon genes with wild populations, drilled down into the geographical spread of farmed salmon mixing. It showed that 72.4 per cent of rivers in Lochaber have fish with farmed salmon genes, as do more than half of those around Skye. These are the areas with the highest concentrations of salmon farms, and this level of introgression is six times higher than in some areas without farms. The report said: “The spatial patterns of introgression were broadly consistent with the intensity of aquaculture production in marine and freshwater, although there was also evidence of pressures outside these areas.” ButSalmon Scotland said it is “wrong to claim this study proves farm escapes caused the genetic changes found in wild salmon,” and said farm-bred salmon were deliberately stocked into west coast rivers in the 1970s and 1980s. ****Keep The Ferret independent** The Ferret does things differently: sharp fact checking, and public-interest investigative journalism backed by our readers. [Become a member from £5/ ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### The Tory treasurer, an offshore company and Scotland’s biggest data centre plan URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-data-centre-graham-edwards/ Last updated: 2026-10-11T05:00:00.000Z **The company behind Scotland’s biggest data centre proposal – and one of the largest in the world – is owned by the treasurer of the UK Conservative party via a Caribbean tax haven, The Ferret can reveal.** CX Tech Limited has lodged plans for a 1,000 megawatt (MW) data centre at the site of the former Chapelcross nuclear plant in Dumfriesshire, which could benefit from up to £23m in taxpayer support. Company [records](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/16880627/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) show CX Tech’s controlling shareholder is Wpgss Limited, which is [owned](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/11366634/filing-history/MzQ5Mzk0NDIwOGFkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0&ref=theferret.scot) by property mogul and Tory treasurer Graham Edwards through a holding company registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) – a [notorious](https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025-12-09/trouble-in-paradise-what-went-wrong-in-the-bvi?ref=theferret.scot) tax and secrecy haven. One tax expert said this complex financial structure could obscure who will ultimately benefit from the data centre and how the rewards are taxed, although CX Tech said it would be subject to UK tax on its profits. ****Helping you make sense of what really matters** From fact checks to investigations and explainers, The Ferret helps cut through noise with journalism that is careful, sourced, and worth your time. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Edwards has given more than [£6m in donations](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=Graham%20Edwards&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=RegisterName&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot) to the Conservatives since 2018 and was named treasurer in 2022\. His appointment was [controversial](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tories-crisis-partys-chief-executive-29090104?ref=theferret.scot) after it emerged he had used a tax avoidance scheme to attempt to shelter millions worth of bonuses from tax. Edwards told The Ferret he had paid full tax and national insurance on the bonuses and had received “no penalty” from HMRC. MSPs from other parties described our findings as “damning evidence” of the Tories’ links to the data centre industry. One claimed it was “disrespectful” to local residents that “potentially vast sums of money earned from a data centre powered by their natural resources” could “line the pockets of the Tory party treasurer”. CX Tech claimed it had no connection to any political party. A spokesperson for Edwards said his “political activities are entirely separate” from CX Tech and had played “no part whatsoever” in the planning application. Chapelcross is not the only data centre proposal in Scotland with links to a Tory donor. [What makes a data centre ‘green’? One major developer has lobbied for its own definitionThe Scottish Government has been supportive of controversial green data centres and is liaising with the industry. But critics argue there are environmental considerations and companies must not be allowed to “write the rules”.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-dd21a6b2-8e76-4f38-a186-dcff1d08fa31.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-2148113350-bbc53121-999a-418f-b143-2eb26dcffedf.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/what-makes-a-data-centre-green-one-major-developer-has-lobbied-for-its-own-definition/) Another financial supporter of the party, Dermot Jenkinson, is a [director and controller](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC121007/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) of Sunlaws Development Company, which is behind plans for the 225MW Southside data centre near Duns, on land owned by the Roxburghe Estate. Jenkinson has [given](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=Dermot%20Jenkinson&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=RegisterName&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot) the Scottish Borders branch of the party £10,000 since 2015\. This includes £3,000 on 20 April, just weeks before the 2026 Holyrood election. Sunlaws said these were “personal donations” and had “no connection whatsoever” to the company. It added that Jenkinson was not in line to benefit financially from his position with the company. Tory politicians represent both the Borders and Dumfriesshire at Holyrood and Westminster, and nine of its 12 MSPs voted against a recent Scottish parliament [motion](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S7M-01177?ref=theferret.scot) to suspend decisions on new ‘hyperscale’ data centres for up to 12 months until new national planning guidance is in place. The other three did not vote. The party’s deputy leader and MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Rachael Hamilton, tabled an amendment to the motion which emphasised the “economic benefits” provided by data centres, but also acknowledged their potential impacts on the environment and communities. > “The public rightly question what donors to political parties expect in return for their cash.” — Juliet Swann, Transparency International UK There is no suggestion that the MSPs’ decision on the motion was influenced by any party-level links to the industry, and Conservative politicians have [opposed](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=28203998115863990) data centre proposals in [their areas](https://www.johnlamont.org/news/john-lamont-mp-signs-statement-calling-energy-project-pause-borders?ref=theferret.scot). But transparency campaigners said the links raised “serious questions around conflicts of interest”. Data centres are essential for storing and processing data used by artificial intelligence, which is becoming increasingly advanced and widely adopted. Plans are underway for [more than 20](https://aprs.scot/data-centre-map/?ref=theferret.scot) ‘hyperscale’ facilities in Scotland, which advocates say will create skilled local jobs, attract billions of pounds of investment to Scotland, and help it be competitive within a burgeoning global industry. But fierce opposition from locals has emerged over fears that large complexes will be a blot on the landscape, cause noise, lead to an increase in carbon emissions and [energy bills](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/28/irish-datacentres-household-bills-electricity?ref=theferret.scot), and have a high demand for water. There are also concerns that the sprawling projects will not provide significant economic benefits to impacted communities. CX Tech’s [£16.5bn](https://news.sky.com/story/gigantic-16-5bn-data-centre-planned-for-former-nuclear-plant-site-in-scotland-13593921?ref=theferret.scot) proposed data centre at Chapelcross, situated next to the village of Creca, would cover [55](https://eaccess.dumgal.gov.uk/online-applications/files/6D2E2F2F3F9B7F406AA115386685931E/pdf/26%5F1649%5FPIP-Application%5FForm%5FFor%5FPlanning%5FPermission-1800883.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) hectares with buildings [up to](https://eaccess.dumgal.gov.uk/online-applications/files/8BAE1245C328BBC9CC7444FE0199593B/pdf/26%5F1649%5FPIP-EIAR%5FVolume%5F1%5FChapter%5F4%5F-%5FThe%5FProposed%5FDevelopment-1796091.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) 40 metres high. If built, the facility would [reportedly](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6qxv55882z1o?ref=theferret.scot) be one of the world’s biggest by capacity and developers claim it would deliver 450 permanent jobs. Company [accounts](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/11366634/filing-history/MzQ5Mzk0NDIwOGFkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0&ref=theferret.scot) for Wpgss Limited, which controls CX Tech, say it is “part of a group the ultimate parent company of which is WPGSS Holdings Ltd registered in the British Virgin Islands”. It adds: “Graham Edwards is the ultimate controlling party by virtue of his shareholdings”. [AI flooded the Scottish Government with wind farm objections. So they stopped accepting emailsThe Scottish Government says the move was needed to tackle the “burden” caused by the growth in AI-assisted objections to energy projects. Critics say it is a way to mute public opposition.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-16d1f349-8b91-4dae-846e-1f8964818bf7.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Website-images--5--4386248e-2986-4c6b-8a44-dfd7816ffbc9.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ai-ban-emailed-objections-energy-projects/) Asked about Edwards’ ownership of CX Tech via the BVI, Mike Lewis, director of TaxWatch, stressed that offshore ownership “doesn't necessarily mean that income and gains aren't taxed here”, but that “we just don't know”. “The ultimate beneficial owners of CX Tech Ltd should clarify how and where they plan to pay tax on income and gains from their Chapelcross proposal," Lewis said. In 2007, Edwards was found to have wrongly tried to reduce the tax on £5m he received in bonuses through an [elaborate tax avoidance scheme](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/feb/07/tax-gap-kpmg?ref=theferret.scot). A trust set up as part of the scheme was said to have been [used](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tories-crisis-partys-chief-executive-29090104?ref=theferret.scot) to buy a £1.5m country mansion for Edwards in Berkshire. A spokesperson for Edwards told The Ferret the “historic tax matter” related to a bonus he received in 2002\. “Full tax and national insurance were paid on that bonus when it was received,” they said. “Mr Edwards subsequently acted on professional advice from KPMG in relation to a tax reclaim, which was disallowed by HMRC. He received no penalty. CX Tech is a UK-registered company and subject to UK tax.” > “The ultimate beneficial owners of CX Tech Ltd should clarify how and where they plan to pay tax on income and gains from their Chapelcross proposal.” — Mike Lewis, TaxWatch Up to £23m in public funds have been earmarked to the Chapelcross project. [Minutes](https://dumfriesgalloway.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s61271/240819%2BChapelcross%2BUpdate%2Bto%2BAnnandale%2Band%2BEskdale%2BFINAL.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from a 2024 Dumfries and Galloway Council meeting state that, ”to unlock the site for development”, the local authority had committed £5.5m. A spokesperson for the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, which is funded by the Scottish and UK Governments, told The Ferret that up to £17.3m had been allocated from the deal “for site preparation and access” to bring the Chapelcross back into economic use. Both Borderlands and the council said no funding had yet been awarded. They claimed the money was not tied to a specific project or use of the site and would only be allocated “in line with a successful business case and planning approvals”, value for money of the public investment, and “all the necessary statutory consents and licenses.” The local [Say No to Chapelcross AI Data Centre](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1015424481301998/) campaign group claimed the revelations about Edwards’ ownership of CX Tech showed that the “only goal of the development” was to “generate money for wealthy people at the expense of communities”. A spokesperson also accused CX Tech of having proposed “highly uncertain community benefits”. “We are very concerned that the Conservative party, and our Conservative MSPs, could put the interests of developers ahead of the public interest,” they added. Anti-corruption campaigners and MSPs raised concerns about the potential influence of donors with an interest in data centres on Tory lawmakers. Kamila Kingstone, senior campaign lead at Spotlight on Corruption, said the fact that the Conservatives voted against a data centre moratorium in the Scottish Parliament in light of donations from Edwards and Jenkinson “raises serious questions around conflicts of interest.” Her view was echoed by Juliet Swann of Transparency International UK. “The public rightly question what donors to political parties expect in return for their cash,” said Swann. “Those who contribute large sums can be seen as attempting to shape party policy or influence decision making, particularly when this turns out in their favour.” South of Scotland MSPs from other parties roundly condemned the links. The Scottish Greens’ Laura Moodie described The Ferret’s findings as “absolutely damning evidence showing the Tories are linked to one the most concerning hyperscale data centre applications to date” at Chapelcross. It was “further proof that these projects are being developed in the interests of wealthy developers and billionaire tech companies and without concern for the impact on our environment, energy use, or local communities,” she argued. Duncan Dunlop of the Liberal Democrats added: “It’s disrespectful to South of Scotland residents that potentially vast sums of money earned from a data centre powered by their natural resources might be offshored to a tax haven and used to line the pockets of the Tory party treasurer.” He called on the Scottish Government to “get a grip and take back control over the planning and development of data centres as national infrastructure projects”. Labour’s Carol Mochan said it was “no surprise” that the Tories were “so closely linked to the companies building these data centres” and claimed they “have no interest in bringing investment to South Scotland”. A spokesperson for CX Tech stressed it was a private UK company, with no connection to any political party, and would be subject to UK tax on its profits with “ownership and control disclosed through the appropriate statutory filings”. “The company has neither sought nor received preferential political treatment in relation to the CX Technology Campus project,” they continued. “Claims that the development threatens basic necessities such as water and electricity are untrue,” the spokesperson said, arguing that impacts on the environment had been considered in a “500-plus page” assessment submitted with the plans. They claimed it was “wrong to suggest there is ‘no interest’ in bringing investment to the South of Scotland” and said the proposal “represents the potential for around £16.5bn of investment in Dumfries and Galloway”. A spokesperson for the Southside data centre, near Duns, said it also represented a £1.6 to 2.4bn investment in the Scottish economy and “could be the single largest infrastructure investment ever made in the Scottish Borders”. They added: “Preliminary economic work indicates that it could support approximately 1,000 jobs during construction and create well over 100 permanent skilled roles, bringing long-term careers in engineering, technology, facilities management and security to a rural economy.”The project, they noted, will be subject to an environmental impact assessment, further community consultation and “independent scrutiny” through the planning process. The Scottish and UK Conservatives did not respond to a request for comment. ****Our reporting makes a difference** Good journalism should reveal something new, stand up to scrutiny, and leave the public better informed. That takes time – and your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Dundee University taxpayer bailout refused after probe into £80m cash balance URL: https://www.theferret.scot/dundee-university-refused-taxpayer-bailout-after-80m-cash-balance-investigation/ Last updated: 2026-10-09T06:00:54.000Z **The University of Dundee has been refused a £7m taxpayer bailout payment following an investigation into its finances, which was first revealed by The Ferret.** The payment was due to be the second instalment of a £40m [emergency funding package](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1mz5kj8z70o?ref=theferret.scot) from the Scottish Government. Dundee received the first £13m in March. Last week, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/dundee-university-might-have-too-much-cash-to-qualify-for-its-taxpayer-bailout/) that the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) – the public body overseeing Dundee’s bailout – had asked accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to advise whether the university’s cash balance of around £80m was too high for it to qualify for more bailout funding. Interim principal, Professor Nigel Seaton, told staff on Wednesday the SFC had decided the university had not met the conditions to receive the £7m “at this time”. Seaton stressed that the remaining £27m in grants had not been withdrawn and could still be claimed before 31 July 2027, if Dundee complies with the funding agreement. He added that the decision did not put the university at risk of insolvency. ****Helping you make sense of what really matters** From fact checks to investigations and explainers, The Ferret helps cut through noise with journalism that is careful, sourced, and worth your time. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) But the Dundee branch of the University and College Union (UCU) said the university’s cash position and the SFC decision raised “serious questions about the necessity” of redundancies at the university which it said should be “halted immediately”. The Ferret’s reporting prompted the SNP MSP for Dundee City West, Heather Anderson, to [call on](https://archive.ph/mWH5d?ref=theferret.scot) the university to pause job cuts until its finances had been “fully reviewed”. However the university has told us there would be “no pause to the redundancy process, which is separate from the SFC funding”. [Dundee university might have too much cash to qualify for its taxpayer bailoutThe university has continued to argue staff cuts are needed to make ends meet. But a growing cash balance has raised questions about the need for more redundancies, and whether it qualifies for millions in public support.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-6f3ea060-64d3-400f-953d-906ac84f4b64.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/UODS0015-2-15768e10-b6d2-4e5a-93a8-8fa630317903.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/dundee-university-might-have-too-much-cash-to-qualify-for-its-taxpayer-bailout/) More than 800 staff have [already left](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/politics/5568485/dundee-university-staff-numbers/?ref=theferret.scot) Dundee since 2024, with a further [154](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98052l7y9po?ref=theferret.scot) redundancies being sought through an ongoing voluntary redundancy scheme. Dundee [faced insolvency](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crmj00l38mro?ref=theferret.scot) in spring 2025, with an independent review [blaming](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjel3ng04q4o?ref=theferret.scot) the crisis on years of financial mismanagement. The Scottish Government made £22m in emergency loans and grants [available](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crmj00l38mro?ref=theferret.scot) in March 2025 to keep it afloat. This was followed by the promise of a further £40m in grants over two years to help it recover. However this additional money [could only be claimed](https://www.sfc.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/SFC-Offer-of-Grant-Section-25-Monies-UofD-March26-RefH26031.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) if the university had less than £30m in available cash. Evidence seen by The Ferret shows that Dundee had a balance of nearly £85m at the end of June, although the university claims this had reduced to £79m by the end of August and most of it cannot be spent on day-to-day expenses. In an email to staff Seaton said that management was discussing the decision with the SFC. He claimed the funding council had acknowledged the disagreement over how Dundee’s cash should be counted was “subjective”. He wrote: “We had planned for the contingency of not receiving this funding to the anticipated timeline and have mitigations in place to minimise the impact on our cashflow. “The university is not at risk of insolvency as a result of this decision, but it does have an impact on our planning, budgeting and resource allocation.” A spokesperson for the Dundee UCU pointed out the university had repeatedly said the SFC funding was “essential” for its future sustainability. They added: “If the university does not need £27m to be financially viable, its financial case for further redundancies – which would deliver only a fraction of that saving – has collapsed. “Above all, this debacle makes clear that staff and students should not be made to pay the price for the university’s continued governance failures. In light of the most recent revelations on the university’s financial position, staff cuts must be halted immediately.” ****Go beyond the headlines with us** Deeper investigations, clear explainers, and reporting with real impact all depend on your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Ministry of Defence under pressure on Trident balloon accident URL: https://www.theferret.scot/trident-balloon-accident/ Last updated: 2026-10-06T05:00:05.000Z **The Ministry of Defence is being urged to “come clean” about an accident that reportedly destroyed the UK’s emergency nuclear war communications balloon, after The Ferret discovered that key information has been taken offline.** Byline Times [reported](https://bylinetimes.com/2026/09/08/key-uk-nuclear-deterrent-link-destroyed-over-yorkshire/?ref=theferret.scot) that the helium balloon, codenamed Sunflower and kept in Scotland, crashed to the ground after deflating during a test over Yorkshire on 4 September. The balloon is designed to lift a 1,500-metre radio antenna enabling the UK government to order [Trident](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/trident/) submarines to launch a nuclear strike after Britain has been attacked. Both the [Ministry of Defence (MoD)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/ministry-of-defence/) and the army have refused to make any comment at all, encouraging [speculation](https://jackie125.substack.com/p/did-the-russians-take-out-tridents) that the balloon could have been downed by a Russian drone. At the same time, one of the main pieces of evidence about the balloon’s history and purpose appears to have been removed from [a military website](https://web.archive.org/web/20220807172529/https://royalsignals.org/royal-signals/wire-and-journal/16) after it was highlighted in Byline Times. ****We’re committed to journalism with impact** Good reporting does more than fill the feed. Your support helps us make journalism that exposes wrongdoing and brings change. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Campaigners are now calling on the MoD to end its “completely unacceptable” silence, which they say has worsened the ministry's “embarrassment”. A former nuclear submarine commander warned that saying nothing about the accident “leaves conspiracy theorists a clear field”. He likened the balloon to the TV sitcom, [Dad’s Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dad%27s%5FArmy?ref=theferret.scot). Sunflower was brought into service in 2003 to ensure the UK retained emergency back-up communications with nuclear-armed Trident submarines on patrol under the seas. The aim was to ensure that, if other communications systems had been disabled in attacks, UK ministers would still have a way of talking to submarine commanders. [Trident problems hidden in ‘more volatile world’The UK Information Commissioner is facing criticism for endorsing the Ministry of Defence’s insistence on concealing issues with nuclear weapons because of growing threats from other countries. Secrecy allows “fake news” to fester, say campaigners.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-8a697740-3858-49a0-a7f0-63d74cc3f58c.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/HMS-Vanguard--photo-thanks-to-MoD--6efdbf44-2f68-4fc3-b24c-1045a4ce6d1f.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/trident-problems-hidden/) Known as the low frequency fall back (LFFB), the balloon has been kept in an army warehouse on a Dundee industrial estate, next to the city’s [Eastern Cemetery](https://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/service-area/neighbourhood-services/environment/bereavement-services-a-guide-to-the-city%E2%80%99s-cemeteries?ref=theferret.scot). Vehicles to transport it are believed to be housed in a hardened aircraft shelter at the army and airforce [base at Leuchars](https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/stations/leuchars-station/?ref=theferret.scot) in Fife. Every autumn, it has travelled with a police convoy to and from a former airfield at Topcliffe, near Thirsk in Yorkshire, to be tested. It was videoed by a Facebook group called [Fife Jammer Locations](https://www.facebook.com/FifeJL) going through Cupar in Fife on [29 August](https://www.facebook.com/reel/1977798536262565) and [12 September](https://www.facebook.com/reel/1653316673104909). Unfortunately, as [Byline Times reported](https://bylinetimes.com/2026/09/08/key-uk-nuclear-deterrent-link-destroyed-over-yorkshire/?ref=theferret.scot), during its latest test on 4 September the balloon was filmed by another Facebook group, [North Yorkshire Weather Updates](https://www.facebook.com/NorthYorkshireWeatherUpdates), partially deflated and [spinning on its tether](https://www.facebook.com/william.todd.1088/videos/3052651124938850/). Footage shows it [rapidly ascended](https://www.facebook.com/spanner12369/videos/2203583300426214/), was blown 12 miles east and [finally fell](https://www.facebook.com/reel/1918743015765681) into a farmer’s field near Ampleforth. ![A partially deflated white balloon-like object descending through a blue sky above a roadside barrier and trees.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/10/Balloon-falling-to-earth--photo-thanks-to-North-Yorkshire-Weather-Updates-.webp) Balloon falling to earth. Photo thanks to North Yorkshire Weather Updates The history of the balloon can be traced through back issues of magazines published by the army’s [Royal Signals Institution](https://www.royalsignals.org/royal-signals-institution?ref=theferret.scot). But one of the key sources quoted and [linked to](https://www.royalsignals.org/royal-signals/wire-and-journal/150?ref=theferret.scot#page=24) in the Byline Times story has since become unavailable on the institution’s website. That source is the March 2014 edition of the institution’s Journal, with a photo of the actor, [Colin Firth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin%5FFirth?ref=theferret.scot), on its cover. The Ferret has obtained a copy and put it [back online](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28712145-rsi-journal-march-2014/?ref=theferret.scot). An article on page 23 reported that Dundee staff sergeant, George Cowan, was awarded a silver medal for his “selfless contribution” over a decade to maintaining and improving the LFFB communications system. It was “designed to operate through the atmospherically harsh conditions of a post-nuclear strike against the UK,” the article said. Cowan was praised for his “message must get through” attitude, and described as being “the solitary flight control officer capable of flying the system for over eight years”. He was credited for "assuring its credibility within the nuclear firing chain”. ![Industrial building at the end of a quiet access road, with fencing, streetlights and several vehicles parked outside.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/10/Dundee-base--photo-from-Duncan-Campbell-.jpg) The warehouse in Dundee where the balloon was stored. Photo thanks to Duncan Campbell and Matthew Fowler The Bylines Times story on 8 September was written by the veteran investigative journalist, [Duncan Campbell](https://www.duncancampbell.org/content/biography?ref=theferret.scot). Along with researcher, [Mike Kenner](https://officeofexperiments.net/mike-kenner-archive/?ref=theferret.scot), he is writing a book on UK nuclear war planning with the provisional title ‘The Decoy Game’, updating his revelatory 1983 book, [War Plan UK](https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Plan-UK-Duncan-Campbell/dp/1326506129?ref=theferret.scot). [Dave Cullen](https://basicint.org/our-staff/dave-cullen/?ref=theferret.scot), a UK nuclear weapons expert from the [BASIC nuclear think tank](https://basicint.org/?ref=theferret.scot) in London, stressed the “vital importance” of communication with Trident submarines in a crisis. He said: “If this backup communications system relies on a single balloon, the public deserves to know what happened in this incident. Given the details that have already been published, the ongoing silence from the MoD seems to serve little purpose, other than saving them further embarrassment.” [Rob Forsyth](https://www.whytrident.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), a Royal Navy nuclear submarine commander in the 1970s who now campaigns against Trident, described the balloon as an absurd “[Heath Robinson](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3gqe0elx3o?ref=theferret.scot)” contraption. It was “so [Dad’s Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dad's%5FArmy?ref=theferret.scot) as to be unbelievable”, he said, referring to the comedy which made fun of the home guard in the Second World War. “The MoD is understandably reluctant to reveal why this happened but, by saying absolutely nothing, it leaves conspiracy theorists a clear field,” he told The Ferret. “Some explanation as to what happened and reassurance that the vulnerability of a strategically vital communication link is being addressed is needed.” > “It is completely unacceptable that they are refusing to answer questions" – Gillian Mackay MSP, Scottish Greens co-leader The [Scottish Greens](http://www.apple.com/uk?ref=theferret.scot) called on the MoD to “come clean” and explain what happened. “These are very concerning allegations that have been uncovered, and the MoD should be more transparent,” said the party’s co-leader, [Gillian Mackay MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/gillian-mackay?ref=theferret.scot). “It is completely unacceptable that they are refusing to answer questions and refusing to give any details on what was behind this when there is video footage that will rightly be concerning people across the country.” The SNP defence spokesperson, [Dave Doogan MP](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4736/contact?ref=theferret.scot), described the UK nuclear weapons programme as a “costly charade” which was fooling nobody. “Even advocates for nuclear weapon systems should be dismayed to see such vanity and extravagance undone by a balloon on the end of a string,” he said. A [Ministry of Defence](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot) spokesperson told The Ferret: “We’re not commenting on this.” A spokesperson for the [army](https://www.army.mod.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) added: “We will not be commenting.” ****Go beyond the headlines with us** Deeper investigations, clear explainers, and reporting with real impact all depend on your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Scotland’s abandoned buildings leave communities to bear the burden URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-abandoned-buildings/ Last updated: 2026-10-04T05:30:53.000Z **Inside Hartwood Hospital’s overgrown courtyard, a derelict nursing home is being strangled by a net of ivy that creeps up its crumbing facade and vanishes into the tattered roof.** A cage of spiked fencing is doing its best to keep the public out of this once-grand North Lanarkshire building. But it’s not working. “The noise coming from the hospital and the number of times the police have been up and down has just been ridiculous,” one local tells The Ferret. “Sometimes you come up and there’s six or seven police cars, there’s ambulances, there’s fire engines. It’s really getting out of hand”. Despite efforts from the Scottish Government, councils and local groups, vacant and derelict property in Scotland collectively makes up an area around 1.5 times [the size](https://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/council-plan-2022-2027/strategic-overview?ref=theferret.scot) of Dundee, according to [official statistics](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-vacant-derelict-land-statistics-2024/pages/1/?ref=theferret.scot). ****Back facts, not noise** Fact checks, explainers, and investigations take time. Supporting The Ferret helps keep our journalism rigorous, independent, and in the public interest. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) For communities, a crumbling building can be more than just an inconvenient eyesore. It can be a magnet for intimidating anti-social behaviour and arson, leaving locals fearful to walk their own area. Derelict sites can also [impact](https://www.landcommission.gov.scot/news/derelict-sites-contribute-to-perceptions-of-urban-decline?ref=theferret.scot) on residents’ physical and mental health, and [deter](https://www.landcommission.gov.scot/downloads/66f26bb07633d%5FSummary-Key-findings-from-the-2024-review-of-vacant-and-derelict-land.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) local investment and tourism, according to government advisors. Hartwood Hospital, which opened in 1895, was one of the [largest](https://archive.news.stv.tv/archive/1346441-hartwood-hospitals-history-up-in-smoke-as-latest-blaze-causes-more-damage.html?ref=theferret.scot) psychiatric complexes in Europe, holding up to 2,500 residents before a huge shift in mental health policy caused such large institutions to be shut down. Some residents in the nearby village of Hartwood fondly recall the lush grounds speckled with wildlife that pooled around the Victorian facility. It was entirely self-sustaining, with its own farm, power plant, reservoir and even a railway line. But since its gradual abandonment [began in 1998](https://archive.news.stv.tv/archive/1346441-hartwood-hospitals-history-up-in-smoke-as-latest-blaze-causes-more-damage.html?ref=theferret.scot), the asylum has suffered natural decay, anti-social behaviour and vandalism. Now, some locals want it razed to the ground. ![Hartwood Hospital viewed through overgrown trees, showing its ruined stone buildings and two castellated clock towers beneath a cloudy sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/10/Hartwood_Hospital_Nurses_Home_02.jpg) [Arson attacks](https://archive.news.stv.tv/archive/1346441-hartwood-hospitals-history-up-in-smoke-as-latest-blaze-causes-more-damage.html?ref=theferret.scot) saw a fire rip through the asbestos-ridden main building in 2004, destroying offices, a dining hall, and damaging the clock towers. Another blaze hit in 2011, then a third fire engulfed the site in 2016. The following year, someone was [pictured](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/calls-action-before-someone-killed-10911672?ref=theferret.scot) in the clock tower, after 15 young people reportedly entered the grounds. Yet, the hospital building still stands – skeletal, vulnerable to decay, and dangerous. Hartwood residents aren’t alone in their concerns about a dilapidated building, however. In wider North Lanarkshire, around seven in 10 people live within 500 meters of derelict land, according to the Scottish Government’s [latest statistics](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-vacant-derelict-land-statistics-2024/?ref=theferret.scot). Deserted manors, redundant industrial facilities, and abandoned homes are common sights. They include Wishaw’s Cambusnethan Priory, which has been littered with graffiti, despite a local group’s [efforts](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/clean-up-cambusnethan-priory-after-10402832?ref=theferret.scot) to “clean-up” and save the historic building. > “Sometimes you come up and there’s six or seven police cars, there’s ambulances, there’s fire engines. It’s really getting out of hand”. — Hartwood local Such issues are not confined to North Lanarkshire either – derelict buildings are commonplace for communities across the country. While the exact number of empty properties in Scotland is unknown, more than 8,850 hectares of urban vacant and derelict land were recorded in the latest [government survey](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-vacant-derelict-land-statistics-2024/pages/1/?ref=theferret.scot), in 2024. The Ferret previously [investigated](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-10-biggest-vacant-and-derelict-sites/) Scotland’s largest vacant and derelict sites – which have included the “world’s biggest” explosive plant, sprawling opencast coal mines and RAF airfields – as well as the barriers to their remediation. We’ve also explored how dereliction has impacted communities in [Dumfries and Galloway](https://www.theferret.scot/derelict-buildings-dumfries-and-galloway/) and [Glasgow.](https://www.theferret.scot/derelict-buildings-glasgow-talisman-springburn/) [‘An awful way to welcome visitors’: Dumfries and Galloway’s derelict buildingsThe Mercury Inn is “an awful way to welcome visitors to Moffat”. This is how one of many disgruntled residents described the derelict hotel that has blotted the entrance to the otherwise picturesque Dumfriesshire town for two decades. When The Ferret asked readers to flag eyesore buildings in their area,![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-ad837540-a08d-4aad-ab0c-6325eed6a401.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/geograph-5877360-by-M-J-Richardson-1-37520b85-3b07-4129-b800-9ae8e9e1504c.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/derelict-buildings-dumfries-and-galloway/) The Scottish Land Commission (SLC) [found](https://www.landcommission.gov.scot/downloads/66f26bb07633d%5FSummary-Key-findings-from-the-2024-review-of-vacant-and-derelict-land.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) that half of the population live within a kilometre of vacant or derelict land. This is more common for people living in poorer areas, and “can be harmful to physical and mental health,” it added. The SLC [says](https://www.landcommission.gov.scot/news/derelict-sites-contribute-to-perceptions-of-urban-decline?ref=theferret.scot) derelict buildings can also harm communities by deterring investment and tourism. But the visitors that some derelict buildings attract can create more immediate disruption. “You couldn’t take the children over \[to the nearby playground\] because it was full of these young adults swearing, smoking vapes, and drinking,” claimed one Hartwood resident, who asked to remain anonymous. Residents believe the problems caused by the building now overshadow the nostalgia and history it once bore, and want it to be reduced to rubble. However, the grounds are home to [listed buildings](https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB43858&ref=theferret.scot), which are protected due to historical or architectural interest. ![Close-up view of Hartwood Hospital’s two stone clock towers, with broken clock faces, empty windows and damaged sections of the surrounding building.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/10/Hartwood_Hospital_Main_Hospital_Clocktowers_03.JPG) ### **A ‘mammoth task’** To demolish a listed building, the owner [must gain](https://www.historicenvironment.scot/protect-and-care/owning-managing-and-visiting/consents-and-permissions/listed-building-and-conservation-area-consent/?ref=theferret.scot) consent from the local planning authority, which is only accepted if there is no other viable means to save it. “There is a strong presumption in favour of retaining listed buildings,” [according to](https://app-hes-pubs-prod-neu-01.azurewebsites.net/api/file/ad47e7d1-7be1-4667-8451-aa24011c3290?ref=theferret.scot) Historic Environment Scotland (HES). Demolition applications “should be refused unless their loss has been fully considered and justified.” In fact, it is a criminal offence to knock down a listed building without consent. [More than 2,000](https://www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) historic listed buildings now lie in ruin, and, if demolition is denied, repairs can be equally costly and time consuming. Because of the age of most listed buildings, HES [recommends](https://www.historicenvironment.scot/protect-and-care/owning-managing-and-visiting/consents-and-permissions/listed-building-and-conservation-area-consent/?ref=theferret.scot) only specialist tradespeople carry out any repairs or maintenance. The team at Bannockburn House Trust, a group working to restore the historic 17th century [mansion](https://blog.historicenvironment.scot/2018/06/bannockburn-house-time/?ref=theferret.scot) in Stirlingshire, which [served](https://www.bannockburnhouse.scot/our-history/bonnie-prince-charlie/?ref=theferret.scot) as an important headquarters during the Jacobite uprising of 1745, has experienced such difficulties first-hand. > “It'd be catastrophic for all sorts of reasons if these buildings would disappear”. — Professor Fiona McLachlan [Scotland’s 10 biggest vacant and derelict sitesThe “world’s biggest” explosive plant, an ammunition store, sprawling opencast coal mines, railway networks, and RAF airfields make up Scotland’s largest derelict plots of land, according to official data. With more than a quarter of the Scottish population estimated to live within 500 metres of a derelict site,![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-b81c5213-46de-4ffe-a499-d34541d043d9.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/geograph-3798244-by-stephen-clark-906ef8b6-95db-4f06-a5d3-4837909a3c56.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-10-biggest-vacant-and-derelict-sites/) “We can’t just go and dig a hole in the back garden,” says conservation trustee Dr Catherine Bradley. “We have to do archaeology and geophysics and then we have to interpret it. We can only have conservation-accredited people work on the building. Structural engineers come at a cost of more than £200 an hour.” After visiting the building, HES told the trust that restoration would be a “mammoth task”. Due to the damage caused by decay, many developers will simply not be interested because it does not stack up economically, explains Fiona McLachlan, a professor of architectural practice at the the University of Edinburgh. VAT is applicable to repairs on an old building, adding 20 per cent to the bill, she says. “So, in many cases, it's much cheaper for a developer to try and knock down a building and build a new one than it is to repair an existing building.” HES has raised the same issue. VAT was not charged on approved alterations to listed buildings [until 2012](https://ihbconline.co.uk/toolbox/research%5Fnotes/vat.html?ref=theferret.scot). Zero-rates of VAT apply to new homes, or any demolition required to make way for them, which generally makes new builds a cheaper option than restoration. In January, the [National Trust for Scotland](https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/calls-for-vat-cuts-to-save-heritage?ref=theferret.scot) called for VAT cuts on heritage buildings, urging all political parties ahead of the Holyrood election to “commit to action to save the nation’s built heritage”. Fiona said that architects are also campaigning for a change to the VAT rules on repairs. Removing VAT, she believes, is the best thing the government can do to protect listed buildings. “Certainly, in the UK, it’s a really big issue and it’s used as an excuse,” McLachlan added. ![The abandoned nurses’ home at Hartwood Hospital, seen through trees and overgrown grounds, with many windows broken or boarded and a security fence across the front.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/10/Hartwood_Hospital_Main_Hospital_Clocktowers_01.jpg) The UK Government said renovations can benefit from a reduced rate of VAT of five per cent, but only if they are for residential purposes and meet certain conditions. The Ferret has previously [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/taxable-derelict-land-increases-most-council-areas/) the rise of taxable derelict land, prompting opposition parties to argue that the rates are too low to discourage owners from allowing land to fall into disuse. In 2018, the SLC and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency created a task force with the aim of tackling Scotland’s derelict land issue. In 2020, it made 13 [recommendations](https://www.landcommission.gov.scot/downloads/5f759d9a7f69f%5FVDL-Overview%5F1.10.20.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to the Scottish Government. They included altering the tax system to make repurposing derelict properties more appealing to landowners, increasing funding for local authorities to help them bring vacant land back into use, and making long-term derelict sites a top priority in Scotland’s [national planning framework](https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-planning-framework-4/?ref=theferret.scot). An SLC [report](https://www.landcommission.gov.scot/downloads/Tax-and-the-reuse-of-long-term-derelict-land-3.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), published in July, outlined how ministers could use tax powers it said would encourage the reuse of hundreds of derelict sites and save them from a fate of further neglect. ![Close-up of the decaying stone exterior of Hartwood Hospital’s nurses’ home, showing broken and boarded windows, weather staining, vegetation and a damaged balcony.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/10/Hartwood_Hospital_Main_Hospital_Clocktowers_02.JPG) ### **Funding, and the climate cost** According to public finance minister Hannah Mary Goodlad, the Scottish Government put £13m into its [regeneration capital grant fund](https://www.gov.scot/news/revitalising-communities/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2025/26 to help councils remediate 5.9 hectares of vacant and derelict land. This support helped bring sites back into productive use, including for housing, she told The Ferret. “In addition, work is being undertaken alongside local authorities to explore potential opportunities to deliver affordable housing on vacant and derelict land and in empty town and city centre buildings,” Goodlad added. “We will continue to work with the Scottish Land Commission and others to consider how land and property taxation can support the productive use of land.” Professor McLachlan argues that rescuing buildings can not only begin to reverse the effects that derelict land has on a community – it can also preserve Scotland’s heritage and boost sustainability. “It'd be catastrophic for all sorts of reasons if these buildings would disappear,” she said. “They contain all sorts of civic, social, and cultural memories, as well as being valuable architecturally. > “I’ve got a feeling it’s not going to get better soon.” — Hartwood resident “History happens in and around buildings, so they’re vital in terms of maintaining that understanding of society through time. From a sustainability point of view, we’re now teaching that you shouldn’t be building new buildings if there are ones that actually can be used because of their embodied carbon.” A 2023 UN environment programme [report](https://www.unep.org/resources/report/building-materials-and-climate-constructing-new-future?ref=theferret.scot) named the buildings and construction sector as the largest producer of greenhouse gases, making up 37 per cent of global emissions. Producing and using materials such as steel, aluminium, and cement have “a significant carbon footprint”, it stressed. “Carbon dioxide is the problem in terms of the climate crisis,” McLachlan adds. “So, if we don’t have to build new buildings, that’s much better – we don’t release more carbon. The more we can make use of these buildings, the better.” Back in Hartwood, the creaking, fire-ravaged structures stand stark against the otherwise serene grounds. Saddened by the state of the old hospital, a local resident told us that as long as the building still stands, troublemakers are sure to return time after time. She’s hopeful that the destruction of the former nurses’ home will deter any future visitors. But as to whether this will actually happen, she’s far from certain: “I’ve got a feeling it’s not going to get better soon”. ****Be part of something bigger** Supporting The Ferret is not just about access. It’s a way to back journalism that’s accountable, impactful, and independent. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Fines for entering offshore marine protected areas don't go far enough, say critics URL: https://www.theferret.scot/fines-for-entering-offshore-marine-protected-areas-dont-go-far-enough-say-critics/ Last updated: 2026-10-01T11:00:26.000Z **It is happening hundreds of miles off Scotland’s coastlines. Boats are being fined thousands of pounds for entering marine protected areas (MPAs), where new fishing rules are designed to protect underwater species and seabed habitats.** But charities are casting doubt about whether this new enforcement system goes far enough to deter illegal fishing. They also question whether the fines will help the Scottish Government meet its own legal requirement to improve the state of the seabed, which, they say, it has so far failed to do. A total of 36 boats have been fined £140,000 in the last 10 months. Between 16 October 2025 and 20 August this year, 28 fines of £4,000 were issued, as were six fines of £2,000\. A further two people were fined twice, paying £8,000 each, according to a freedom of information request. Four of those fines have not yet been paid and their cases are being referred to the procurator fiscal. ****Back facts, not noise** Fact checks, explainers, and investigations take time. Supporting The Ferret helps keep our journalism rigorous, independent, and in the public interest. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Offshore MPAs cover vast swathes of Scottish coastal waters – around [176,000](https://www.mcsuk.org/news/article/campaign-win-protections-for-scotlands-offshore-mpas/?ref=theferret.scot) square kilometers. They were set up to protect species like 400-year-old clams, the orange roughy fish, gulper shark and Portuguese dogfish, and habitats including burrowed mud, coldwater coral reefs, ancient deepwater sponge fields and areas where methane seeps from the seabed. Although the MPAs themselves were introduced more than a decade ago, the new rules that prohibit fishing inside them only came into effect on 16 October 2025. None of the fines over the last 10 months necessarily mean these boats were fishing illegally – they only indicate that the vessels entered an offshore MPA and were travelling below the required speed of six knots. Enforcement is carried out via remote electric monitoring of boats and a "geofencing" system – which creates a virtual boundary around and records any breaches. Along with satellite imagery, this lets the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate know which boats entered an MPA, when, and how long they stayed. [Revealed: protected waters at centre of illegal scallop dredging allegationsThe locations of protected waters around Scotland where illegal scallop dredging allegedly took place during lockdown have been obtained by The Ferret following a freedom of information request. The Ferret reported in December that six fishing boats entitled to nearly £22,000 of taxpayers’ money from Covid-19 relief funding![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-1ab6dbea-c43f-43ae-9b42-ab245fd3ef6a.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/iStock-696553054.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-protected-waters-scallop-dredging-claims/) Boats can enter the GPS coordinates of the MPAs into their ‘plotter’ to make sure they avoid those areas and are allowed to enter if they call or email the UK Fisheries Monitoring Centre’s 24/7 central office to explain their presence due to, for example, bad weather or a mechanical issue. Each reported incursion is investigated by a fisheries officer. If a fine is issued, “mitigating factors” can result in the fine being halved to £2,000, but there is no further breakdown of Marine Directorate data to explain who is given a fine or what these mitigating factors are. Neither does public data on the number of MPA fines issued in a given period currently distinguish between offshore and inshore, despite the Scottish Government itself telling The Ferret that these areas are “fundamentally different”. The new fisheries management orders mean that trawling is now banned in 93.5 per cent of offshore MPAs, according to the Scottish Government, which said there had been “improved compliance” in offshore areas due to better understanding of the rules, education and "a fair and evidenced enforcement regime”. Rea Cris, public affairs manager at campaign group [Open Seas](https://www.openseas.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), said it is “vital” that fisheries authorities protect Scottish seas from illegal activity. “We welcome any evidence from the marine directorate that sanctions are being imposed,” she said. “But unless authorities are transparent about compliance and enforcement data it is impossible to have confidence in marine management." Open Seas was backed by Charles Millar, chief executive of the Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust, who said although it is good news the majority of the fines – around £108,000 have been paid already – a “persistent level of offending, or even re-offending”, can show that the deterrent effect is not working. “As to whether £4,000 \[offshore\] fines are enough, our main focus as an organisation is inshore, but I think that my initial response was ‘that doesn’t sound very high’, especially when you consider some of the inshore fines south of the border are six figures,” he added. “\[Setting fines high enough in general\] seems to us to be a potential win-win. You dissuade the small minority of bad actors from doing things illegally, and it’s a win for everyone else.” However, the head of a Scottish fishing federation, which represents offshore boats, and who wanted to stay anonymous, said there was “no justice” if a fine was handed out when a boat had, for example, simply broken down in the wrong place. Most of the offshore MPAs where the new fishing rules apply do not ban dredging and trawling across the whole site, and instead have drawn up certain zones where fishing is prohibited. This site-by-site approach was supported by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), which represents more than 450 boats, including large offshore trawlers. [Video reveals damage by illegal scallop dredging off JuraVideo footage of damage to the seabed by illegal scallop dredging off Jura has been obtained by The Ferret, prompting calls for better enforcement action against rogue fisherman. In June scallop divers working on the north-west coast of Jura witnessed damage to the seabed when they saw tramline tracks![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-10333544-9538-4218-93d5-7ddc015c1679.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/iStock-179290306.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scallop-dredging-jura-illegal-video/) In fact, only five of the 20 offshore MPAs have implemented a total site-wide ban, in contrast to what the joint nature conservation committee, the government’s own scientific advisers, recommended. The [Scottish Fishermen’s Federation](https://www.sff.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment. Calum Duncan, head of policy and advocacy at the Marine Conservation Society, pointed out that trawling below 800 metres has been illegal since 2017, therefore a large swathe of Scotland’s offshore waters were arguably already protected. He added: “The important thing now is to look forward and to ensure these sites are monitored scientifically so we understand how those sites are doing with those restrictions in place and see that they meet their conservation objectives.” In June, Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) [found](https://environmentalstandards.scot/keep-up-to-date/scottish-ministers-failing-in-legal-duties-to-protect-and-restore-seafloor-concludes-ess/?ref=theferret.scot) that Scottish ministers failed to fulfil their legal duties under the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010 to protect and restore Scotland’s seafloor. Charities and campaigners hope the ESS report will add pressure to the Scottish Government when it comes to the long-delayed consultation, launched on 14 September, on how to better protect Scotland’s large network of more than 100 MPAs. Compared to the offshore enforcement system, where the burden of proof is low, the network of inshore MPAS , which sit within 12 miles of the coastline, is much more opaque and complex. Indeed, the inshore and offshore fishing fleets are often treated as separate industries, due to the number and size of boats, the sort of gear they deploy and the species they fish. While the vast majority of offshore MPAs are closed to trawling, just 13 per cent of inshore MPAs are closed to scallop dredging and trawling for species like prawns, lobsters and langoustines. The Ferret discovered that [no fixed penalty notices were issued](https://www.gov.scot/publications/marine-scotland-list-of-fixed-penalty-notices/?ref=theferret.scot) for inshore MPAs in the whole of 2025\. ### 'Culture of non-compliance' Environmental groups previously [warned](https://www.theferret.scot/grey-fish-offences-scottish-fishing-fines/) of a widespread “culture of non-compliance” with inshore fishing after [an investigation](https://www.theferret.scot/grey-fish-offences-scottish-fishing-fines/) by The Ferret found that thousands of offences go unprosecuted every year. Only boats longer than 12 metres are required to be tracked electronically, and most of the several thousand boats that fish closer to shore are smaller than that. However, the Marine Directorate is exploring how to roll out monitoring of the entire fleet. Of the newly-launched inshore consultation, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Our focus is on ensuring that whatever measures are introduced can be enforced effectively and efficiently.” The spokesperson said inshore areas are “fundamentally different” to offshore ones, and that further work is required to determine whether a similar enforcement system of monitoring boats’ speed in MPAs would be effective closer to shore. They added that 37 per cent of Scottish seas are now designated as MPAs, with fisheries management measures already in place for a “significant percentage” of the MPA network. However, Joe Richards, Scotland project manager of the Blue Marine Foundation believes that while it is "encouraging that the monitoring and enforcement measures have been put in place, the scale of non-compliance and number of repeat offences raises questions". To his mind this does not go far enough. He said: “If Scotland is serious about restoring marine habitats, protecting coastal livelihoods and ensuring MPA measures deliver real benefits, effective monitoring and enforcement must be in place across all our waters and all fishing vessels.” ****Go beyond the headlines with us** Deeper investigations, clear explainers, and reporting with real impact all depend on your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Dundee university might have too much cash to qualify for its taxpayer bailout URL: https://www.theferret.scot/dundee-university-might-have-too-much-cash-to-qualify-for-its-taxpayer-bailout/ Last updated: 2026-09-30T22:36:42.000Z **An audit firm has been asked to examine whether the apparently cash-strapped University of Dundee has too much money to receive another £27m in bailouts from taxpayers, The Ferret has learned.** The institution was at [risk of insolvency](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crmj00l38mro?ref=theferret.scot) in 2025, with an [independent review](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjel3ng04q4o?ref=theferret.scot) later blaming the crisis on years of financial mismanagement. The Scottish Government made £22m in emergency support available to Dundee in March 2025 to keep it afloat, and later [promised](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1mz5kj8z70o?ref=theferret.scot) it a further £40m in grants over two years to help it recover. The first £13m of this second package was paid in March 2026\. But [conditions](https://www.sfc.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/SFC-Offer-of-Grant-Section-25-Monies-UofD-March26-RefH26031.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on the money mean the rest can only be claimed if Dundee has less than a “maximum funding threshold” of £30m in available cash. The Ferret has seen evidence that the university had a total cash balance of nearly £85m by the end of June this year. We understand this had risen again by August. The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) – the public body overseeing Dundee’s bailout – has now asked accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to examine the figures and advise whether the institution is eligible for £27m in further bailout funding. The local branch of the University and College Union (UCU) – whose members are in the midst of a [five-week strike](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/14651/Dundee-University-staff-begin-five-week-strike?ref=theferret.scot) over the threat of compulsory redundancies – said our findings about Dundee’s cash position “call into question” the need for further job cuts. According to figures confirmed by the university, more than 800 staff have [already left](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/politics/5568485/dundee-university-staff-numbers/?ref=theferret.scot) since 2024. The SNP MSP for Dundee West, Heather Anderson, said she was “yet to be convinced” that the level of job losses at the institution was “required to meet financial sustainability”. A spokesperson for Dundee university confirmed the PwC probe and said it was “confident” it was meeting all conditions for the additional money which, they said, was “essential for the future sustainability of the university”. ****Back facts, not noise** Fact checks, explainers, and investigations take time. Supporting The Ferret helps keep our journalism rigorous, independent, and in the public interest. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The £40m support package, [agreed in June 2025](https://www.gov.scot/news/direct-support-for-dundee-university/?ref=theferret.scot), was due to be paid in four instalments across the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years. Dundee applied for the second payment of £7m in June. In its application, the university estimated that it would have just under £80m in cash at the end of that month, around £5m lower than the actual figure. But it argued over £50m of this should not count because the money was not available to meet wages and other operational costs. This included money set aside for a major research project, an MRI scanner and the redevelopment of Bonar Hall. It also wanted the SFC to disregard £12m received as part of its previous £22m taxpayer bailout – a loan that was sitting unspent in a separate bank account. The university claimed these deductions left it with just under £30m in “net cash”. The SFC confirmed it was conducting a “robust review” of the university’s request for further funding but said it would be “inappropriate to comment” before that process had concluded. A spokesperson said: “As a public body, the SFC has a responsibility to ensure accountability for public funds. This includes ensuring that public funds are not released in advance of need.” The Ferret understands that PwC was expected to complete its work in September. [‘Nousferatu’: the notorious consultancy advising Edinburgh uni amid ‘huge’ cutsScotland’s largest university has turned to Nous Group at the same time as it is making savings that could lead to nearly 2,000 job losses. Staff say they were misled about the extent of its work.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-8eacd5d9-874a-4069-8a4d-274539b28a1c.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1284979471-e30fe0c7-e087-4001-9d93-cb184351f001.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/consultancy-advising-edinburgh-huge-cuts/) Dundee [revealed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98052l7y9po?ref=theferret.scot) in August that it was planning to cut a further 154 jobs to reduce costs. It said it was “[hopeful](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/5565180/dundee-university-154-job-cuts-new-plan/?ref=theferret.scot)” that the redundancies would be voluntary, but would select staff for compulsory severance if enough volunteers were not found. The UCU claims 149 staff had applied for voluntary redundancy. The interim principal, Professor Nigel Seaton, said staffing levels overall had been reduced by “almost a third” as a result of its financial crisis, which he [described](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw980q7r04j7o?ref=theferret.scot) as the worst faced by any UK university since the Second World War. Despite the swingeing staff reductions, the university is still projecting a financial deficit of over £8m, The Ferret understands. The UCU has previously [argued](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/politics/5571085/dundee-university-job-cuts-fix-crisis/?ref=theferret.scot) that the “fundamental” structural problem at Dundee is that it carries out an “unusually” high level of research, which is subsidised by other parts of the university. It warned that staff cuts risk “hollowing out the institution rather than recovering it”. The university disputes this assessment. A spokesperson for the Dundee UCU said our findings about the institution’s cash position were “news to us, but not unexpected, sadly”. “The union has repeatedly expressed concerns about the accuracy of financial projections, including cash flow analysis, to the SFC and the cabinet secretary for education,” they said. [Explained: Why are Scottish universities worried about money?In recent months questions have been raised about the viability of the current funding system for Scotland’s higher education sector. But where do universities get their money from? Why are their budgets stretched? And how does the situation compare to other parts of the UK? Ferret Fact Service explains.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-a9c9ed43-112e-4e38-b7a0-17f417a451a8.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-512390097-82c0c4ef-9432-44ea-934b-d4310c3367f5.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/why-are-scottish-universities-worried-about-money/) “We believe that the discrepancies highlighted in your findings call into question the need for further redundancies, whether voluntary or compulsory.” Local MSP Heather Anderson said she was concerned that the university had not conducted “genuinely meaningful” engagement with unions and the workforce which was a “key condition” of the SFC funding. Anderson added: “Since the summer of 2024, close to 1,000 hard-working staff will have lost their jobs through absolutely no fault of their own. This is a devastating blow for those staff, their families, and the wider city. “I was clear when I was elected that public money cannot be used to sack people. The SFC must ensure that the conditions of significant public funding have been met.” Iris Duane, the Scottish Greens’ education spokesperson, said management must “listen to the concerns of staff and unions and be more open about their current financial position”. Duane continued: “The university has already come close to meeting its staff job losses target. Rather than forcing through further cuts the university should urgently listen to staff and students.” A spokesperson for the University of Dundee said: “We have provided all the information requested to PwC, who have been employed by the SFC. “We are confident we are meeting all conditions regarding accessing the additional funding, which is essential for the future sustainability of the university.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Ministers are clear no public money will be used for job losses and the SFC will not release grant funding unless all conditions of funding are being complied with.” ### Scotland has apologised for the 'Tinker Experiment'. So why do some Gypsy Travellers say it’s still going on? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-has-apologised-for-the-tinker-experiment-so-why-do-some-gypsy-travellers-say-its-still-going-on/ Last updated: 2026-09-30T14:53:56.000Z The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) **In Gypsy Traveller Fiona Townsley’s archive, there’s a faded colour photograph of the camping ground where her family stayed while they waited for Double Dykes caravan site, just outside Perth, to be ready.** In the image, she’s with two of her cousins on their grassy pitch, a white touring caravan and a washing line strung up with clothes drying behind them. Her youngest cousin, sombre-faced, cradles a naked plastic baby doll, and they’re all sporting the blunt-cut fringes of the early eighties that date the image even before Fiona confirms it. “It would have been taken in 1982 when I was nine,” she remembers, “just before we moved into Double Dykes.” Under the soft focus memories of playing outside, guddling in the burn with the other kids, she knew the family was under pressure. This wasn’t a permanent place to stay. “My parents kept going down the road to see how the Double Dykes caravan site was coming on,” she says. “I knew we were waiting for it to open.” Some of the older Gypsy Travellers camped with her family had campaigned long and hard for this council-run site, a place with running water and electricity and crucially, where no-one could be moved on. She flips through the archive box to a newspaper clipping from 1963, which details how “twelve men and two women representing a colony of 20 families” were charged with trespassing on a parcel of farmland known as Double Dykes. The defendants, the report says, argued this had been a traditional Gypsy Traveller camping ground for more than 40 years. In that “colony” were three generations of Fiona’s family. “My parents, my grandparents and my great grandparents were all prosecuted for living on that site,” she explains. So moving into Double Dykes on 13 December 1982, was huge for her family. Her home base was now Double Dykes caravan site “and it’s been that way ever since”. “Living on a caravan site is part of my identity as a Gypsy Traveller,” she says. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/09/Archive-Double-Dykes-PerthJ46957.jpg) Fiona Townsley with researcher Rhona Ramsay at the Perth and Kinross archives. \[Picture by [Angela Catlin](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot)\] \_\_ More than 40 years on, she and others in this community are fighting once again. The subject this time is an upgrade to the site, which might seem – on the face of it – welcome, given concerns raised by some residents that their prior homes were inadequate, damp and mouldy. But it’s more complicated than that. The council announced the [£6.5m "transformation"](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/permanent-gypsytraveller-site-near-perth-29001309?ref=theferret.scot) to Double Dykes back in January 2023 - secured with the help of funding from the Scottish Government’s [Gypsy/Traveller accommodation fund](https://www.gov.scot/policies/gypsy-travellers/social-care-and-housing-services/?ref=theferret.scot). The aim, the council said, was to give residents “access to safe, warm, secure and energy-efficient homes that exceed current standards”. But Fiona and some other residents claim the modular homes, fixed to the ground, unlike the old mobile ones, are not culturally appropriate and the way the changes have been implemented, they say, constitute a denial of their cultural rights. More than three years on the construction team is still out in force as we put into the narrow gate to Double Dykes, where Fiona meets us to guide the way up a tarmaced road past the 20 near identical, new three-bedroom modular homes. We stop at the corner to take a look at the new homes. “The first five went in over a year ago and that’s when we realised that they were putting spikes into the ground,” Fiona explains. “The homes weren’t going in on a chassis, like a mobile home and like the previous chalets and caravans were, but going in on foundational screws. The old chalets you could hook them on to a car and pull them.” We continue to her own pitch, where we’re met by Pup Pup, a feisty but friendly chihuahua with bat-like ears, who she took in for her neighbour while she was recovering from cancer. Alongside the house there are wooden cages where she keeps her rescue cats and cooing roosting pigeons. Next to those is the traditional Gypsy Traveller wagon she built herself as a project to keep her grief-striken mind busy when her father died about a decade ago. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/09/Fiona-Double-Dykes-PerthJ46955.jpg) Fiona says her outdoor space is more important to her culturally than the inside. \[Picture by [Angela Catlin](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot)\] In recent months she’s been sleeping in the wagon, asserting her right, she says, to live according to tradition. But the council does not approve. Since the upgrade it says rules state residents may keep their caravans alongside their new modular homes, but must not live or sleep in the vans. Several residents have received enforcement visits. “These homes are no longer covered by either the mobile homes or the caravan’s act,” explains Fiona. “And the council no longer considers this a caravan site, even though it's always been one. I have always lived at Double Dykes Caravan site. What is it now?” Inside, Fiona pulls out a copy of an occupancy agreement given to residents in 2023 but which she did not sign. It encapsulates what she considers the absurd contradiction she finds herself living with. “This is the agreement which stipulates that they are living on a caravan site and that they are going to be provided with mobile homes,” she says, pointing to the wording in black and white. “But now they say this isn’t a caravan site. And that means the homes they have provided can’t be mobile ones. “How does it make sense? The occupancy agreement says the council can legally evict me off the site if I don’t stay in the mobile home provided. But it provided me with a house that doesn’t come under the mobile homes act. Then if I go and sleep in the wagon, which really is a mobile home, then the council says it will evict me.” Her neighbour, who doesn’t want to be named but whose family members were amongst those who campaigned for the site, pops in to visit. She was just 13 when the site opened and three generations of her family still live here. She shares Fiona’s concerns. Some of the younger generations, she says, now want to return to a more traditional way of life so protecting travelling sites is crucial. “But now it feels like we are on a reservation,” she says, evoking the language of [indigenous American people](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/articles/how-american-indian-reservations-came-to-be/?ref=theferret.scot), who were coerced under post-colonial policy to accept housing on pieces of land “reserved” for them by the government. “It’s like a housing scheme now,” says Fiona. “And we’re guinea pigs here. I feel like we’re being experimented on with this Scottish Government money.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/09/Double-Dykes-PerthJ46942.jpg) The upgrade has improved the conditions for some residents but feels "culturally inappropriate" to others. \[Picture by [Angela Catlin](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot)\] \_\_ The roots of what is known as “the [Tinker Experiment](https://www.gov.scot/publications/historical-policies-impacting-gypsy-traveller-communities-colloquially-known-tinker-experiment-s-scottish-governments-response/?ref=theferret.scot)” lie in historic persecution of Gypsy Travellers and it traces back to a [1895 report ](https://www.gov.scot/publications/archival-research-conducted-explore-20th-century-policies-affecting-gypsy-traveller-communities-scotland/pages/7/?ref=theferret.scot)which concluded the "eradication" of the culture was the only solution. It led to policies, including criminalising encampments and taking children into care. After the Second World War, Bobbin Mill, a Gypsy Traveller site in Pitlochry, Perthshire, became the centre of the experiment, a state-backed assimilation policy that forced Gypsy Travellers off the road and into intentionally substandard housing from the 1940s to the 1980s. In January this year[ Perth and Kinross Council issued an apology](https://perth-and-kinross.cmis.uk.com/Perth-and-kinross/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=OYeuQklCxk%2BPocxuRQkRIQNN05%2F7G6eCtOJMgZUgCQogyzGkCEy8LQ%3D%3D&rUzwRPf%2BZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3D%3D=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2FLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3D%3D&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3D%3D=hFflUdN3100%3D&kCx1AnS9%2FpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3D%3D=hFflUdN3100%3D&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2BAJvYtyA%3D%3D=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&FgPlIEJYlotS%2BYGoBi5olA%3D%3D=NHdURQburHA%3D&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&ref=theferret.scot) for the Tinker Experiment, six months after another [apology](https://www.gov.scot/news/recognising-the-legacy-of-the-tinker-experiments/?ref=theferret.scot) made by first minister John Swinney on behalf of the Scottish Government. But to Fiona the words are hollow. That same month [a report by the Scottish Human Rights Commission](https://www.scottishhumanrights.com/projects-and-programmes/spotlight-projects/cultural-recognition-of-scotlands-gypsy-travellers/?ref=theferret.scot) concluded: “The Tinker Experiment has not yet ended in Scotland. Its legacy and impacts continue to the present day.” Fiona considers the way this upgrade has unfolded, with residents’ views not acted on, to be part of this continuation. “By denying that this is a caravan site they are trying to assimilate the Gypsy Traveller communities in Scotland into the settled communities,” she says. She is not the only Gypsy Traveller who feels this way. A few doors down, lives Claire as we’ll call her because she doesn’t want to use her own name. She says she feels “traumatised” by the upgrade process, suffering panic attacks due to uncertainty in the long months residents spent in a mainstream caravan site while work was ongoing here. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/09/Double-Dykes-PerthJ46938.jpg) Picture by [Angela Catlin](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot) Like others, she has complaints about the time taken for basic amenities like water to be sorted and like Fiona, insists residents were misled by the council. Claire frets about her grandchildren growing up without knowing where they come from. “All their cousins live on caravan sites,” she says. “So what is this now if the council says it’s not a caravan site?” She resents the control imposed on her - the removal of the communal site fire pit, the fact that when her elderly and unwell uncle came to stay he wasn’t allowed to sleep in her caravan because of the site regulations, changes to the length of time they can spend away from the site on the road. “It’s all just chipping away at our culture,” she says. [Roseanna McPhee](https://makingrightsreal.org.uk/local-hero-roseanna-mcphee-attends-scottish-parliament-opening/?ref=theferret.scot) lives in [Bobbin Mill](https://www.theferret.scot/gypsy-traveller-sites-near-sewage-rubbish/), the site at the centre of the Tinker Experiment and has served on committees with Fiona. When she was growing up, she lived in a former RAF hut on the site with no running water or electricity. The huts were replaced but she is still living in substandard accommodation and fighting the council for appropriate upgrades. “It’s nice we’ve got the apology,” she says. “But what does that mean when we are still sitting here in a chalet with mould and without central heating?” Currently, she claims, the council has rejected the log cabins they have asked for and is offering replacements she describes as “like a garden shed”. She considers their position more perilous than that of Double Dykes residents. But she agrees with Fiona’s assessment of her ongoing fight to be heard as a continuation of the Tinker Experiment. “What we have in common with Fiona and the others in Double Dykes is that we are not being listened to,” she explains. “The Gypsy Traveller community is not one homogeneous group. There is no one solution that works for all of us. What’s going on in both places is a continued denial of our cultural rights.” She and others from Bobbin Mill are now petitioning for [reparations](https://www.scottishhumanrights.com/news/call-for-redress-as-scottish-human-rights-commission-exposes-lasting-harm-to-scotland-s-gypsy-travellers/?ref=theferret.scot) to be paid for the generations of harm caused by the Tinker Experiment policies, a position backed by human rights experts. ****Fuel our next investigation** This story was funded by people who want journalism that uncovers new things, challenges power, and serves the public. Help make the next one possible. [Make a donation ](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council told The Ferret that it was “committed to supporting the Gypsy/Traveller community”. The redevelopment at Double Dykes, it insists, “was never intended to change the nature of the site or encourage residents to adopt a settled lifestyle. Rather, it was undertaken to provide modern accommodation while continuing to support the culture, traditions and way of life of the Gypsy/Traveller community.”The council claims it worked closely with residents throughout the process with feedback informing the designs and says everyone has room for a caravan beside their home. While they acknowledge “individual concerns” can arise in “any major redevelopment project”, they say the majority of residents are happy with the upgrades and insist “we remain committed to listening to residents and addressing issues where they are identified.” The Ferret understands that some residents are happier with the changes, even though the process has been imperfect. But others are not. Townsley provided the Ferret with copies of surveys, with concerns about this upgrade supported by 11 residents from the 20 households on this site. Many considered there to be discrimination present and backed the view it was another version of the Tinker experiment. Meanwhile at Bobbin Mill, the council says the upgrade project is at “a very early stage” and says it is “committed to working closely with residents” to ensure they can inform proposals. "While it is disappointing to hear concerns raised about our approach, we recognise that residents are passionate about their community and want to be fully involved in decisions affecting the future of the site.” Last year the [Scottish Housing Regulator](https://www.housingregulator.gov.scot/about-us/news/regulator-finds-serious-failings-in-perth-kinross-council-gypsytraveller-sites/?ref=theferret.scot) found Perth and Kinross Council had not met the minimum standards in terms of a number of factors including fair treatment, maintenance and repairs, consultation, participation and communication. It confirmed it is receiving regular updates from the council as part of an ongoing engagement process. Campaigning organisations, like [Making Rights Real](https://makingrightsreal.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which is working with residents of several Scottish sites, also have concerns. For law professor [Máiréad Enright](https://www.lboro.ac.uk/subjects/law/staff/mairead-enright/?ref=theferret.scot) of Loughborough University, one key issue here is that reparations - which she believes could include financial compensation for those directly impacted by discriminatory policies – must also include a commitment not to make the same mistakes. She calls it a “guarantee of non-repetition”. “An apology, and even compensation payments, are inadequate if the same people who suffered under the Tinker Experiments and their wider families are being subjected to aspects of forced assimilation or inadequate housing provision,” she points out. “It is crucial that any decisions taken about their housing for the future are made on a genuinely collaborative basis.” Nothing about this community, she says, should be decided without their input. \_\_ Back in Perth’s archives Fiona puts her photographs and newspaper clippings back in their boxes, along with the freedom of information requests, complaint letters and other Double Dykes paperwork – the past packed up with the present, for now at least. [***Images by Angela Catlin***](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot) ****Be part of something bigger** Supporting The Ferret is not just about access. It’s a way to back journalism that’s accountable, impactful, and independent. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Boss of SNP-backed wind firm named in bribery scandal URL: https://www.theferret.scot/boss-of-snp-backed-wind-firm-named-in-bribery-scandal/ Last updated: 2026-09-26T18:00:17.000Z **The boss of a Chinese renewables firm, backed by the SNP to build a controversial factory in Scotland, was named in a bribery scandal, The Ferret has found.** Ming Yang Smart Energy [announced](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y7n198lpyo?ref=theferret.scot) plans last October for a £1.5bn wind turbine factory at Ardersier in the Highlands, promising up to 1,500 jobs at the former oil and gas yard. The project was effectively [blocked](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj9411wpnw1o?ref=theferret.scot) by Westminster on national security grounds in March. First minister John Swinney branded that decision “[anti-Scottish](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8e270vvq2o?ref=theferret.scot)” and last month called on new prime minister Andy Burnham to reverse it. But now his government’s [years-long](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2025/09/foi-202500474980/documents/foi-202500474980---information-released---annex/foi-202500474980---information-released---annex/govscot%3Adocument/FOI%2B202500474980%2B-%2BInformation%2Breleased%2B-%2BAnnex.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) support of Ming Yang is under renewed scrutiny after we unearthed a [court judgement ](https://www.pkulaw.com/pfnl/a25051f3312b07f3581c98d1661431dcda83b1846ea6fe61bdfb.html?ref=theferret.scot)from a 2015 corruption trial in China. It shows Ming Yang’s chairman, Zhang Chuanwei, admitted paying $20,000 (£14,800) to the head of a government department in the southern province of Guangdong between 2011 and 2013. The money is described in the judgement as a “bribe” to thank the Chinese state official for his support. The department he led had previously awarded Ming Yang 25.3m yuan (around £2.8m) in research funding. The official was jailed for life for accepting the payments and other bribes used to pay his son’s gambling debts. Ming Yang has told us that Zhang, who gave evidence as a witness, was not convicted, charged, or penalised in connection with the allegations. However, Luke De Pulford, executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, claimed the case raised “alarming questions” about the security risk posed by Ming Yang and could be used as “leverage” by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over Zhang. He said that the Scottish Government’s continuing support of the company “without identifying or confronting basic court records” was a “staggering failure of due diligence”. ****Help us keep digging** Investigations like this one take time. We had to trace court records across jurisdictions, double check translations, and put detailed questions to everyone involved. If you value careful journalism that follows the evidence wherever it leads, please help us by becoming a member of our investigative journalism co-op. [Join The Ferret from just £3.75/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Ming Yang, which is [privately owned](https://www.ft.com/content/3bbf79be-08f7-4012-b0b7-a5894181af1b?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=theferret.scot), says it is [not controlled](https://archive.ph/bsBBs?ref=theferret.scot) by the Chinese state and poses no threat to the UK. The Scottish Government insisted its due diligence was “proportionate to the nature and stage of investment proposals and any public support under consideration”. [The unremarkable Glasgow building where a fake news-peddler sells business schemes beloved by money launderersAuthorities tightened the rules around this Scottish business scheme after years of exploitation for financial crime. Moscow entities – and a man accused of facilitating child sex abuse – are still selling it to clients seeking “financial privacy”.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-88e192e9-eb67-41b3-9c54-315adc1d96f7.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Website-images--16--14c1fda1-61a1-463d-8049-1c9b2c903345.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-business-schemes-money-launderers/) Despite the fact we highlighted the bribery case to the Scottish Government earlier this month, on Friday, the SNP stuck to its position that blocking the factory was Labour being “entirely political”. The party's Westminster energy spokesperson, Graham Leadbitter, [said](https://archive.ph/OIFl7?ref=theferret.scot) the fact Ming Yang had been blocked from investing in Scotland – but that Chinese companies continued to hold stakes in the UK’s energy network, including in battery storage – “confirms what we all suspected – the decision to block 1,500 Highland jobs appears to be entirely political”. He continued: “If this UK Labour government is so concerned about national security, then why is it allowing Chinese firms to invest in battery storage, nuclear plants, airports, and super-embassies south of the border - is it because it’s in the Highlands and not Hertfordshire?” Swinney has reportedly [received](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8e270vvq2o?ref=theferret.scot) a briefing from UK ministers over the national security threat that allowing Ming Yang to set up in Scotland could pose to the country. But despite this, the first minister has continued to advocate for its investment in Scotland. The first minister [hosted Zhang](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2025/09/foi-202500474980/documents/foi-202500474980---information-released---annex/foi-202500474980---information-released---annex/govscot%3Adocument/FOI%2B202500474980%2B-%2BInformation%2Breleased%2B-%2BAnnex.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=[31]) at his official residence, Bute House, in July 2025\. The pair bonded over their mutual love of running at that [meeting](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2025/09/foi-202500474980/documents/foi-202500474980---information-released---annex/foi-202500474980---information-released---annex/govscot%3Adocument/FOI%2B202500474980%2B-%2BInformation%2Breleased%2B-%2BAnnex.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) – their second in less than a year – with Swinney describing Zhang’s business career as “impressive”. Concerns raised about the use of Chinese turbines include that they could be [used to spy](https://archive.ph/Tyvq9?ref=theferret.scot) on UK waters or allow Beijing to [remotely disrupt](https://www.rechargenews.com/china/eight-reasons-chinese-clean-tech-is-a-security-threat-to-europe/2-1-1983914?ref=theferret.scot) power supplies. There are also fears the UK could become [dependent](https://loomstrategy.org/dependence/?ref=theferret.scot) on Chinese energy technology, leaving it vulnerable to price hikes or if relations deteriorate. The US [reportedly](https://www.ft.com/content/8f9fd267-ab58-4f12-8b99-2b5166626622?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=theferret.scot) warned UK officials about allowing Ming Yang into the country last year, around the same time it cautioned Keir Starmer against giving the go-ahead for Beijing’s so-called “[super-embassy](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jun/20/us-concerns-china-proposed-super-embassy-london?ref=theferret.scot)” in London. Britain’s security services have also [reportedly](https://www.renews.biz/other-news/mi5-probes-use-of-chinese-tech-in-clean-power/?ref=theferret.scot) been feeding into a review of China’s role in the UK energy system in recent years. Some industry figures argue Britain will [struggle](https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/f8f00732-4c6e-437c-a6a9-7bd1a244119f?ref=theferret.scot) to meet green energy targets without Chinese equipment, and say its [components](https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/f8f00732-4c6e-437c-a6a9-7bd1a244119f?ref=theferret.scot) are already used in offshore turbines. Ming Yang, one of the [world’s biggest turbine makers](https://merics.org/en/comment/knocking-door-ming-yang-sets-its-sights-european-expansion?ref=theferret.scot), has [denied](https://www.ft.com/content/48a0f1e7-25e3-42fb-a8ad-98e81dedc4f6?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=theferret.scot) the Chinese government could use a so-called “kill switch” to remotely shut them down. It [says](https://mingyang.com/ming-yang-on-uk-government-decision-regarding-turbine-deployment/?ref=theferret.scot) all data from UK projects would be controlled in Britain with “strict access protocols, independent oversight, and certified cybersecurity systems in place”. The Scottish Government has been [criticised](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-923X.12962?ref=theferret.scot) for failing to turn the country’s wind power boom into more manufacturing jobs. This made the potential investment at Ardersier, near Inverness – where 4,500 workers were [once employed](https://mcdermottscotlandheritage.com/early-yard-history/?ref=theferret.scot) to build platforms for the North Sea oil industry – particularly attractive. De Pulford argued that despite this, Scotland should “not be handing over critical energy infrastructure to companies tied to state-sanctioned corruption and security risks.” He said the incident raised “alarming questions about vulnerability, coercion, and national security risk”. “In China’s political system, unresolved legal liabilities like this don’t just disappear, they become state leverage,” De Pulford claimed. [Power struggle: The billionaire, the Chinese oil giant and Grangemouth’s forgotten workersGrangemouth should have been Scotland’s big opportunity to realise its ambition for a just transition – moving workers into cleaner, greener jobs. But embittered power struggles got in the way, The Ferret finds.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-258c3b31-c3d4-4be6-a122-cc9f80824821.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/chris-hamilton-rep-for-unite-the-unitej46572-1-35efbae6-1458-47da-ada8-fbf25d23230f.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-forgotten-workers/) Johanna Krebs, an analyst at the [Mercator Institute for China Studies](https://merics.org/en?ref=theferret.scot), said Beijing did not require leverage of this sort to influence private companies abroad because it already had sweeping powers to do so. Krebs said European leaders were being faced with a dilemma about Chinese involvement in European renewable energy projects, which required them to balance efforts to tackle the climate crisis with real concerns about national and economic security. “This includes the threat that Chinese companies could disrupt European grids and that the entry of Chinese companies into the European renewable market could undermine domestic manufacturers and cause even more dependence on Chinese exports,” she said. Andrew Bowie, the Conservative shadow secretary for energy security, said Swinney appeared “so desperate to do business with Beijing” that he was “willing to brush aside every warning about the risks to Scotland’s security”. He added: “Swinney must stop dismissing legitimate security concerns surrounding Ming Yang and come clean on how much background checks they carried out on this firm and its leadership.” The Scottish Government’s commercial “[due diligence guidance](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2025/09/commercial-due-diligence-guidance/documents/due-diligence-guidance-scottish-government-strategic-commercial-interventions/due-diligence-guidance-scottish-government-strategic-commercial-interventions/govscot%3Adocument/due-diligence-guidance-scottish-government-strategic-commercial-interventions.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)” states that it is “crucial to understand the ownership” of potential investors as well as “key figures within the operation”. It adds that: “This information is required to ensure proper due diligence can be undertaken as to the owners and associated personnel of a business to ensure reputational risk to SG \[Scottish Government\] is considered.” A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “Any decision to enter into a partnership with, or to provide public financial support, with any organisation would be subject to appropriate and robust due diligence.” It said these checks could include issues related to bribery, corruption and other serious misconduct. A UK Government spokesperson said it had a “strategic” approach to relations with China “whilst never compromising on security and resilience”. There were no plans to change the Government's position on Ming Yang, they said. A spokesperson for Ming Yang said: “Neither the company nor its relevant personnel have ever been convicted, charged or received any penalties issued from any competent authorities, including for bribery for the cases mentioned. “As a listed company on both the Shanghai Stock Exchange Main Board and the London Stock Exchange, Ming Yang Smart Energy strictly complies with the laws and regulations of all the countries in which it operates, and firmly opposes all forms of commercial bribery and corruption. “During the IPO application processes the company was subject to rigorous due diligence reviews by regulatory authorities of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, in 2019, and the London Stock Exchange, in 2022, regarding its internal controls, integrity, compliance, and anti-bribery systems.” ****Our reporting makes a difference** Good journalism should reveal something new, stand up to scrutiny, and leave the public better informed. That takes time – and your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Revealed: Scotland and Northern Ireland's rapidly expanding anti-immigration network URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-northern-ireland-rapidly-anti-immigration-network/ Last updated: 2026-10-01T11:02:39.000Z **As we drive into east Belfast, union flags on lampposts flap in the wind and murals with startling imagery honour banned paramilitary groups like the Ulster Defence Association and Ulster Freedom Fighters.** “This is Freedom Corner on the left – and on the right are side streets where homes and cars were burned during the riots,” says Sara, the driver, as she slows down so we can take photos. The Ferret is on Newtownards Road in this loyalist heartland. It’s a busy thoroughfare stretching from east Belfast to the city centre and this summer it was a focal point for anti-immigration riots that swept the city when homes and vehicles were set on fire – violent protests that quickly spread across the North Channel. We’re here to investigate links between far right actors in Northern Ireland and Scotland after revealing that [convicted loyalists](https://www.theferret.scot/glen-kane-mark-sinclair-glasgow-protest/) from Belfast travelled to Glasgow for an anti-immigration protest. Our investigation is a collaboration with Northern Irish investigative website The Detail and a local group called the Accountability Project. We can reveal that dozens of anti-immigration Facebook groups have been established in the past year, as well as street patrols accused of vigilantism in a rapidly growing network. Today our sources are showing us where riots took place in Belfast, but they’ve requested anonymity so we’ll call them Sara and Ruth to protect their identities as they fear retribution. ****Helping you make sense of what really matters** From fact checks to investigations and explainers, The Ferret helps cut through noise with journalism that is careful, sourced, and worth your time. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) We drive past Freedom Corner, an Ulster landmark featuring loyalist political messaging, before Sara does a U-turn then takes a left. Here, more union flags hang from windows of red-bricked terraced houses, alongside Ulster banners. The scars of arson are still visible. On McMaster Street there are houses with windows and doors boarded up. These were homes until a mob went hunting asylum seekers in what has been described as a pogrom. “There were about three or four cars in this street that were burned out,” Sara says, pointing. Just around the corner in Lendrick Street more properties, blackened by smoke, sit empty. Rioting erupted here in June after footage of a grotesque knife attack in north Belfast went viral on social media. A Sudanese refugee called Hadi Alodid was later charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie, originally from Scotland, who lost his left eye and was severely injured. Despite pleas for calm by Ogilvie’s family, violence took hold in Belfast – mostly in loyalist areas – on 9 and 10 June. Buses and cars were set ablaze and the homes of refugees and asylum seekers were targeted during widespread disorder. In response, police in riot gear and armoured vehicles deployed water cannons. At least 88 households were forced from their homes as a result of the riots, according to figures from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Community organisations estimated that around 200 people were displaced. It’s not the first time Northern Ireland has witnessed a race riot. In 2025 [Ballymena’s Roma](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedv5y9pv3lo?ref=theferret.scot) community was targeted after the alleged sexual assault of a teenager, an incident that lit a tinderbox of tensions over immigration that had simmered for years in the Country Antrim town. During that week of chaos more than [60 police](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedv5y9pv3lo?ref=theferret.scot) officers were injured and 46 people were later charged for their roles in the disorder. Up until this summer Scotland had not suffered the levels of anti-migrant violence seen in Northern Ireland, or in England where rioters set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers in 2024 after three girls were murdered in Southport. But [trouble erupted](https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-immigration-protest-activists-travel-england/) in Glasgow following the attack on Stephen Ogilvie in Belfast. Masked men in black ran amok in the city centre following a protest when the banner of a white supremacist group was displayed, heralding a summer of discontent over immigration. People of colour were attacked and police made a number of arrests. Glasgow has since seen more [anti-migrant violence and The Ferret has exposed clear links between ](https://www.theferret.scot/glen-kane-mark-sinclair-glasgow-protest/)loyalists and far right Scottish groups. ![A masked protester dressed in black stands with both arms outstretched in front of a Saltire, with police and other masked demonstrators around him.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/09/Anti-racism-rallyJ46914.jpg) Anti-immigration protestor in Glasgow on 13 June 2026\. Image by Angela Catlin. ### **The Scottish-Northern Irish anti-migrant ecosystem** There are now at least 40 anti-immigration Facebook pages in Scotland and 35 in Northern Ireland, says the Accountability Project whose research has been verified by The Ferret. There is no suggestion that all people with concerns around immigration are racist, but it is well documented that far right actors are exploiting the situation. Eighty per cent of the Scots anti-immigration Facebook pages analysed were created during 2025 and 2026, as were the vast majority in Northern Ireland. Many of these entities are also active on X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Collaboration includes reciprocal sharing and amplification of information, says Sara, who mapped the digital landscape. Other similarities between Scotland and Northern Ireland include a proliferation of ‘street patrols’ in the past year, the “division-style” namings of groups such as “patriots” and “against illegal immigration” and the sharing of propaganda framed around women’s safety and cultural identity. The publication online of photos and/or footage of people of colour alongside allegations of criminality or suspicious behaviour is common, Sara adds, as is the filming of mosques and targeting of ethnic-minority owned businesses. So-called paedophile-hunting is also on the rise, an activity often exploited by far right actors. Scots groups include Scottish Patriot Scene News, Nature’s Nationalist and Unite the Clans Scotland-Aberdeen Against Illegal Migration, which has 67,000 followers and this week publicly defended National Socialism under Hitler. A Facebook group called Save Our Future and Our Kids Futures organised protests for months in Falkirk but permanently closed in January after admitting that neo-Nazis had infiltrated its demonstrations. Key Ulster anti-immigration pages include The Great Province-wide Protest NI, which has 51,000 followers, and Our Northern Ireland Voice, with 40,000 followers. The latter claims to be “dedicated to protecting, preserving, and celebrating the culture, traditions, and heritage that make Northern Ireland unique”. Last week it called for the televised public hangings of politicians who “imported third world parasites”. Another post said: “I don't want them to assimilate...I want them to fuck right back off to where they came from!!!”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/09/20260826_164956-1.jpg) A house in Lendrick Street, Belfast, that was burned by rioters in June. Image by Billy Briggs. But this isn’t just online abuse. It spills, Sara stresses, into real world harm. She sent screenshots of posts by a Facebook page called Loyalist Glengormley whose content is currently available. On 9 June it posted messages the day after the attack on Stephen Ogilvie. The first was a “request” to people in the Cloughfern, Rathcoole and Rathfern areas of Belfast to turn off ring doorbells and cameras that evening, along with a “strict” warning that no phones or recordings were to be made. The “Glengormley anti-immigration division” is now at “war”, the post said. On 10 June locals were urged to protest outside accommodation for asylum seekers at a place called Chimney Corner, which Sara and Ruth pointed out as we toured the locality. A post on 29 June by Loyalist Glengormley said: “There will be a few homes that will soon be freed-up in the Queens Park Estate to accommodate local people, boat jockeys or fake so-called asylum seekers will not be made to feel welcome. These animals will soon learn that they have passed the fuck around stage of their journey. Now it’s time for the find out stage and unfortunately for them it’s a one way fuckin ticket.” Women and children were among those burned out of their homes in June, prompting outrage. Geraldine Hanna, the Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime in Northern Ireland, told The Ferret she’d heard “horror stories of families hiding in roof spaces to escape racist mobs attacking their homes” after speaking to victims’ representatives, adding that Northern Ireland has seen “truly sickening scenes of racist and anti-migrant violence” over the last three years. ![Police officers stand face-to-face with a group of masked protesters dressed in black, with Union Jack flags visible in the background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/09/Anti-racism-rallyJ46899.jpg) Anti-immigration protestors in Glasgow on 13 June 2026\. Image by Angela Catlin. Meanwhile, as Belfast burned, tensions started rising in Glasgow and in July The Ferret revealed that [loyalists](https://www.theferret.scot/glen-kane-mark-sinclair-glasgow-protest/) from Northern Ireland visited Scotland following the riots. They included [Jim Dowson](https://www.theferret.scot/jim-dawson-funding-vigilante-scotland/), the Scottish frontman of a right wing Christian group called Knights Templar. Based in Northern Ireland, Dowson visited Glasgow to distribute equipment for Scottish "night patrols" bought with funds raised by his far right organisation. He told The Ferret there was no paramilitary involvement in the anti-immigration movement and accused “lefties” of causing violence in Glasgow. “Those mad lefties, the Green Brigade \[an ultras group following Celtic football club\] had weapons and attacked people in Glasgow Green. The real violence comes from illegal undocumented migrants who rape and kill. They are entering the country illegally and no-one is doing anything about it,” he added. [The ex-BNP ‘Christian patriot’ raising international funding for Scottish ‘vigilante’ night patrolsFar right organisation Knights Templar International, whose frontman Jim Dowson has a long history of involvement with extremist groups, is now supporting Scotland’s new wave of night patrols.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-9dd20585-e889-4f55-ae18-cb133a870783.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/dowson-1-2aec8435-22f4-4410-adcb-1b3ca53ba6a7.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/jim-dawson-funding-vigilante-scotland/) ### **East Belfast’s vigilantes** East Belfast is of particular interest to The Ferret because street patrols started here around two years ago – a controversial phenomenon that [spread to Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-night-patrol-groups-protecting-women-children-vigilantes/) this year, apparently modelled on Northern Ireland. It was back in July 2025 that [footage emerged](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70x185xyp3o?ref=theferret.scot) of men patrolling east Belfast’s streets, confronting people from ethnic minority backgrounds and demanding documents. Police said the patrols were racist. Those patrolling denied the charge. A group of "vigilantes" call themselves East Belfast First Division (EBFD). One man involved with the group is [Mark Sinclair](https://www.youtube.com/live/xK33KAsOPko?ref=theferret.scot), formerly of the banned terror group the Ulster Volunteer Force, who was jailed for armed robberies in Scotland. He now claims to be a citizen journalist and calls himself ‘Freedom Dad’ on YouTube, where he rails against immigration and multiculturalism and argues that Northern Ireland must remain a “white christian country”. He’s a regular visitor to Scotland. In one video about Glasgow he falsely claims that migrants now out-number Scots, telling followers: "It was spot the white man unfortunately." Another person closely linked to the East Belfast First Division is Glen Kane, a loyalist killer from the Shankhill area of Belfast who was jailed for nine years for being part of a mob that [killed a Cath­olic](https://www.judiciaryni.uk/files/judiciaryni/decisions/R%20v%20Kane%20and%20Hagan.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) man dur­ing a sec­tarian riot in 1992\. Kane, aka ‘Mr X’, is a former member of the British National Party, a racist political organisation. Kane was [accused](https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/courts/belfast-man-accused-over-race-hate-religious-pamphlet-wins-legal-battle-to-have-prosecution-halted-9066886?ref=theferret.scot) of possessing a religious pamphlet for stirring up racial hatred but won a legal battle last week to have the prosecution halted. The proceedings were formally ended after a judge ruled she had no jurisdiction to hear the case because a required certificate of consent from the Director of Public Prosecutions had not been obtained. The ruling did not determine whether or the alleged material amounted to racial hatred. Both Kane and Sinclair deny being racists. Sinclair [has links](https://x.com/PurpleStandard/status/2100313304631488940?s=20&ref=theferret.scot) to an infamous exiled former loyalist paramilitary leader Johnny “Mad Dog” Adair, who has lived on Scotland’s Ayrshire coast for more than two decades. The former Shankill Road commander of the Ulster Defence Association [said recently](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kim0FZ7SM8&ref=theferret.scot) he would get involved in anti-immigration politics and warned of “serious civil unrest” in the near future. “The threat that is coming is not republicanism, the threat is illegal immigration. These people will rape, they will kill, they will steal and they have no common value of life,” said Adair in an interview on YouTube, adding he would draw on his experiences during The Troubles. [Scotland’s night patrol groups say they are protecting women and children. Critics claim they are ‘vigilantes’Our investigation indentified more than a dozen groups across Scotland claiming to provide ‘street patrols’.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-61d41122-67cb-44b6-8068-0123b7ccc07d.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-913726338-25794edc-fe1d-47ca-8ffb-a78d59ab01b5.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-night-patrol-groups-protecting-women-children-vigilantes/) Sinclair has travelled to Manchester and Dublin for anti-immigration protests and both he and Kane were pictured with the English far right activist Danny Thomas (Tommo) in east Belfast on 9 June following the riots. Thomas, a convicted attempted kidnapper and associate of the anti-Islam figure Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is behind a new group called Patriot Platform. This month Thomas rallied hundreds of masked men to protest against migrants in Dover and Portsmouth, reflecting a growing trend within the far right to quickly mobilise groups who often dress in black and wear balaclavas. Critics claim this modus operandi is paramilitary cosplaying designed to intimidate. Thomas said he [“came away inspired](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/man-behind-dover-port-blockade-came-away-inspired-after-visiting-belfast-during-racist-riots/a/161074496.html?ref=theferret.scot)” after his time in Belfast during the riots. Both Sinclair and Kane also visited Glasgow in July for an anti-immigration protest organised by the far right group, Unite the Clans, [as revealed by The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/glen-kane-mark-sinclair-glasgow-protest/). The demo took place during the Commonwealth Games when the city was busy with tourists. The pair were among a group kettled by police and questioned but they were not arrested. Sinclair also has links to a Glasgow street patrol called [Scots Active](https://www.youtube.com/live/xK33KAsOPko?ref=theferret.scot), which denies being racist but shares far right propaganda on its channels. Patrick Corrigan, head of nations and regions at Amnesty International UK, described our findings as “deeply disturbing” and said increased cooperation between individuals with links to paramilitary groups is a “deeply sinister escalation” that should serve as a “wake-up call” to authorities. Both police and politicians across the UK must treat this “escalating far right threat as the urgent priority it is”, added Corrigan, who called for a coordinated response that offers “proper protection to vulnerable communities, holds perpetrators accountable and sends a clear message that racist vigilantism will not be tolerated”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/09/35021.jpg) Anti-Islam mural in a loyalist area of Belfast called Cloughfern. Image by Billy Briggs. ### **Anti-Muslim hatred** There is widespread opposition to Islam within this growing anti-immigration network, a rallying call for the far right in both Northern Ireland and Scotland. “Unite the Clans” is a phrase used by Jim Dowson and Scottish activists: Muslims are the enemy now, not Catholics, not each other. In Newtownabbey, on the outskirts of the city, there’s a mural on the Rathfern Estate just as startling as any of those at Freedom Corner. As Sara drives through non-descript housing it suddenly comes into view on the side of a house facing a busy road. It depicts a church in flames, apparently set ablaze by Muslims, with lettering underneath proclaiming: “Islam is Satanic” and a “new evil has risen”. But it’s not unique here now. In Cloughfern, another loyalist area, there’s a mural depicting cloaked figures holding the flag of Pakistan in a Christian graveyard, an apparent reference to the UK being “invaded” by foreigners. The mural offers an apology and says “sorry it was all for nothing”. “It’s on each and every one of us to save what our forefathers fought and died for,” it adds – an apparent reference to those who died in the first and second world wars. The “apology” rhetoric has been replicated in Scotland this summer by groups clad in black who held several so-called “silent protests” in towns and cities. The first was on 18 June, when around 60 people organised into four columns outside Glasgow Cathedral – in paramilitary fashion – and laid a “wreath to our fallen” with the words “we apologise”. Six days later a similar protest was held outside the Scottish Parliament. The protests were filmed in black and white for slick propaganda videos promoted on social media by anti-Islam activists like Tommy Robinson. The “apologies” are understood to refer to the way the UK has allowed mass immigration to happen – and while there are no murals in Scotland demonising Islam, there have been an increasing number of [attacks on mosques](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-rising-racist-violence/) and Muslims in recent years, mirroring the situation in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. [Scotland’s rising tide of racist violence: Threats, assaults, stabbingsAt least 20 incidents linked to anti-migrant protests, racism and the far-right in the last two months have exposed rising political tensions across Scotland. They included attacks on mosques and asylum hotels, alleged assaults – and the jailing of a neo-Nazi for slashing a student in the face![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-df30d1b8-5dd3-4195-8569-302d7ae52da6.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-489610044-1-3984e9ae-adf5-485b-8a5d-d8593e09d619.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-rising-racist-violence/) According to Daniel Holder, director of Belfast-based human rights group the Committee on the Administration of Justice, Northern Ireland now appears to be a “model for far right activity to be emulated elsewhere” and Scotland could be “particularly vulnerable to this” given there are “already networks in play”. Pointing to recent reports by the United Nations expressing concern over links between paramilitarism and racist violence, he claimed there has been a “long pattern of elements or factions within loyalist paramilitary groups” being involved in acts of racist violence and intimidation. For three summers in a row, he continued, this has “escalated into orchestrated racist pogroms” and that during the rest of the year there is “racist intimidation” surrounding housing. “Part of this pattern is the display of materials in public spaces that either incite racial hatred – such as Islamophobic murals – or posters that directly threaten landlords who rent to migrants or Muslims,” Holder said. “Flags are also used, including paramilitary and union flags when new housing is built, along with slogans such as ‘locals only’ to deter people from taking up housing.” While the policing response has improved, he added, other public authorities remain hesitant to remove these materials because they are often placed in areas under suspected paramilitary control. “Consequently, those responsible for racist intimidation face a minimal state response to their activities in a way that would not be tolerated elsewhere on these islands,” he continued. ![A large counter-protest fills a Glasgow city street, with crowds carrying placards and Palestinian, Ukrainian, Pride and other flags around a central statue.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/09/Anti-racism-rallyJ46919.jpg) Anti-racists gathered in Glasgow on 13 June 2026 to oppose an anti-immgration protest. Image by Angela Catlin. For Sara and Ruth of the Accountability Project, a major concern is the infrastructure rapidly developing around anti-immigration sentiment in both Northern Ireland and Scotland, which, they stress, increasingly has strategy, financial capabilities, and wide ranging social media platforms for audience reach and amplification. “Our concern is therefore not about policing people's political opinions or opposition to immigration policy,” Sara says. “It is about recognising patterns early enough that institutions and communities are not left trying to reconstruct them only after harm has occurred. Serious disorder does not begin at the moment the first object is thrown. There can be an observable period beforehand in which networks develop, grievances converge, audiences are built, tactics evolve and mobilisation becomes increasingly normalised.” ****Our reporting makes a difference** Good journalism should reveal something new, stand up to scrutiny, and leave the public better informed. That takes time – and your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### The unremarkable Glasgow building linked to a fake news-peddler selling business schemes beloved by money launderers URL: https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-business-schemes-money-launderers/ Last updated: 2026-09-28T16:09:41.000Z **At number 211 on Glasgow’s Dumbarton Road, the sun beams through a neat glass door that sits unassumingly between a Tesco Express and an ATM, and illuminates the stairwell inside.** While shoppers pop into the supermarket for bread and milk, next door, a little-known business scheme with a shady reputation is being sold to international clients looking for an ‘official’ base at in Scotland, at least, according to a website that was quickly changed after our enquiries. The Ferret is outside the listed address of Scotland LP, an apparent ‘formation agent’ that says it establishes these companies, known as Scottish Limited Partnerships, or SLPs, for paid clients. We’re here to ask about the notable background of its apparent owner, Norwegian businessman Havard Arneson Haugen, and the products it’s selling. SLPs are mostly used legitimately, but also [widely abused](https://www.theferret.scot/a-timeline-of-scottish-limited-partnerships/) by money launderers, tax evaders and fraudsters. The man behind the firm we’re interested in raises further questions. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/07/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) Before pivoting to corporate services, Haugen was accused of running websites that [facilitated](https://archive.ph/bukBT?ref=theferret.scot) child sex abuse and [spread](https://www.m24.no/adresseposten-eirik-bergsen-falske-nyheter/falske-nyheter-pa-norsk-adresseposten-om-somaliere-som-lurer-nav-og-hemmelige-avtaler-mellom-ap-og-innvandrerledere/150975?ref=theferret.scot) fake news designed to sow hate and division. He’s not the only notable seller of SLPs. The Ferret has found more than a dozen SLP formation agents with Moscow offices. Some trumpet SLPs for their “financial privacy”, and rate Scotland as a five-star “offshore zone”. Just last year, Transparency International (TI) UK [warned](https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/15568/pdf/?ref=theferret.scot) a Westminster committee that Russian websites were still punting UK LPs, with TI investigations lead Ben Cowdock saying “we need to stop the supply of these dangerous companies to crooks and sanctioned individuals, by clamping down on the rogue formation agents who are setting them up”. Our most recent findings prompted a past chair of Holyrood’s cross-party group on Ukraine to formally ask the Scottish Government how to "stop this flow of dirty money” while anti-corruption experts urged UK authorities to target “rogue” formation agents and “dodgy companies”. The Westminster Government said the UK has some of the world’s “strongest controls” to fight economic crime and its reforms to the British business registry would “crack down on criminals abusing UK corporate entities”. ****You don’t get stories like this elsewhere** The Ferret publishes investigations that go beyond the daily news cycle, dig deeper, and ask difficult questions. Help us stay independent. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### **The man behind Scotland LP** In 2010, Havard Arneson Haugen [reportedly](https://archive.ph/bukBT?ref=theferret.scot) headed a company behind the web domain of an unofficial Norwegian clone of Chatroulette – a video chat website that pairs random users – in which children were allegedly pressured by men to strip and touch themselves. The firm allegedly failed to act on reports of the abuse from an employee-turned whistleblower. 2017 reports [named](https://www.m24.no/adresseposten-eirik-bergsen-falske-nyheter/falske-nyheter-pa-norsk-adresseposten-om-somaliere-som-lurer-nav-og-hemmelige-avtaler-mellom-ap-og-innvandrerledere/150975?ref=theferret.scot) Haugen as the owner of a website which spread fake news that Somalis had deceived Norway’s immigration and welfare departments, and that the Norwegian Labor Party had made a secret agreement with "immigrant leaders". Scotland LP’s website [offered](https://web.archive.org/web/20250909194912/https://scotlandlp.com/) to set up an SLP for £500, while clients could open an account with the firm’s “global banking partners” for another £400\. While there’s no record of the outfit on business registers, Scotland LP’s minimalist website said copyright belonged to two firms. [Hundreds of offshore landowners are illegally flouting Scotland’s land control registerOffshore companies which own Scottish land are breaking the law by failing to reveal who they really represent. Authorities aren’t bothering to check.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-e2b1f508-493f-4034-924c-81644423468a.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1020962977_70f14b6dd9_h-8295e7e6-e17d-4de2-be4a-7eb37526651f.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/offshore-landowners-scotland-land-control-register/) The first, [Dammcom LP](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SL033638?ref=theferret.scot), itself an SLP, was registered in 2019 and confirmed its information was up to date in March this year. Its registered office address is “Dept 347” on the first floor of 211 Dumbarton Road. Business records state that Dammcom is [owned](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SL033638/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) by Haugen. International Corporate Services ICS LLC, the other firm listed as owning copyright of Scotland LP, was incorporated in the US state of Delaware, a secrecy haven where its owners are able to stay hidden. But leaked [Paradise Papers](https://www.icij.org/investigations/paradise-papers/?ref=theferret.scot) files, obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and Süddeutsche Zeitung, and made accessible to The Ferret, reveal ICS is also linked to Haugen – he signed off documents as a director and secretary in 2011. ### **Inside 211** As 211 Dumbarton Road is home to six offices, Scotland LP’s listed address is little help to anyone hoping to visit. As we arrive, a man leaves through the front door and we take the opportunity to go inside. We reach the first floor and push the buzzer outside the first office we come to – Independent Accountants In Scotland. A woman we speak to has never heard of Scotland LP – but the name Dammcom rings a bell. She’s forwarded its letters, unopened, to another agent, [CFS Formations](https://www.cfsformations.com/?ref=theferret.scot) in Doncaster, although not recently. CFS is responsible for checking the due diligence of its clients, the woman stresses, and states her accountancy firm knows nothing about any of them. The Yorkshire firm uses mailboxes at 211 for companies it’s set up for its clients – labelled as the official sounding “Dept 347”, in the case of Dammcom. These mailboxes are presumably used to meet the UK Government’s [rules](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/set-up-and-run-a-limited-partnership?ref=theferret.scot) that an SLP’s registered address must be a physical location in the UK which serves as its “main place of business”. CFS, which did not respond to requests to comment, is not new to the scene. In 2016, the Financial Times had CFS set up offshore firms to test its vetting processes and [claimed](https://www.ft.com/content/a98e4488-fd6b-11e5-b5f5-070dca6d0a0d?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=theferret.scot) the formation agent did not care who their customer was. “Literally, just let us know what you want and we can do it for you,” a journalist was told. When contacted by The Ferret, Scotland LP said it had “never been used to provide SLP services” and that it would update [its website](https://scotlandlp.com/?ref=theferret.scot) “to avoid confusion”. Any mention of SLPs, Dammcom and ICS was removed from the website, but [archived versions](https://web.archive.org/web/20250909194912/https://scotlandlp.com/) show that the sole focus was SLPs. “Scotlandlp.com is a premium domain name available for sale,” it now states. “It was acquired as an investment and is not associated with any company or service”. A respondent, who declined to reveal their identity, would not answer questions about Haugen and his reported background, adding that The Ferret was “pursuing the wrong lead.” At 211, SLPs registered here actually predate Scotland LP, indicating that this unassuming location has long been a hotspot. In fact, this is not our first venture here. We [visited](https://www.theferret.scot/muirhouse-slp-and-the-king-of-fraud/) last year because 211 is also the listed address of an SLP owned by a businesswoman who represented criminal clients, and had links to a politician from a banned pro-Russia political party in Ukraine. [Muirhouse, SLPs and the King of Fraud“He works on the night shift and is probably asleep,” says an elderly woman as she walks past us and opens the door to her ground floor flat. She’s referring to her neighbour across the landing whose front door has empty beer bottles outside, and a large bag of![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-917fad52-0a65-49ff-a945-58dd869168eb.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/grantonj45935-bd192cab-b7cf-4e2c-84c1-1f9872ee7718.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/muirhouse-slp-and-the-king-of-fraud/) ### **£175m fraud links** Other Russia-linked firms selling SLPs include [GSL](https://gsl.org/ru/offshore/offshore-zones/western-europe/shotlandiya-lp/?ref=theferret.scot) Law and Consulting Ltd, which has offices in Moscow, London, and a dozen other cities. It sells SLP service packages for as much as £3,225, and accepts payment methods including the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. For £1,110, GSL offers directors and shareholders to appear on UK company records. In 2012, the ICIJ [reported](https://www.icij.org/investigations/offshore/nominee-directors/?ref=theferret.scot) that two Brits signed up with GSL to put their names to more than 200 offshore entities that were sold on to anonymous Russians. GSL was later embroiled in a bigger scandal. Russia’s then-biggest foreign investment firm, Hermitage Capital, claimed officials seized three of its subsidiaries to gain £175m in bogus tax rebates from the state. Hermitage claimed the thieves tried to cover their tracks by reassigning control of the entities to a company that Commonwealth Trust, an offshore services provider, set up at GSL’s request. A young whistleblower, [Sergei Magnitsky](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/06/who-was-sergei-magnitsky-and-how-did-uk-sanctions-come-about?ref=theferret.scot), was arrested and died in a Russian prison. Bill Browder, founder and CEO of Hermitage, spearheaded an international campaign to hold those responsible for his death to account and helped spark a global anticorruption movement. The events [led](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/magnitsky-sanctions/?ref=theferret.scot) to ‘Magnitsky’ sanctions in the UK, US, Canada and the Baltic states that target those responsible for human rights violations or corruption. [From Moscow to Paisley: How a blacklisted Russian oligarch secretly invested in Scottish car parksA Russian oligarch praised by Vladimir Putin has amassed a UK property portfolio under the veil of secretive offshore trusts, The Ferret can reveal. Anti-corruption campaigners say our investigation is a “shocking indictment” of the UK’s “dirty money” defences.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-f6082c60-99c9-4c9f-92fa-a986a84e09e9.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/The-Russian-oligarch-and-the-Paisley-car-park-315a75f0-61c9-4b11-9a23-f602f4c6bd7c.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/russian-oligarch-paisley/) Asked about GSL, Browder told The Ferret: “The UK has spent years promising to crack down on dirty money, yet one of the company formation agents we identified in connection with the Magnitsky money laundering network is still openly selling UK and Scottish corporate structures. “Criminals don’t launder money without facilitators. If those facilitators face no meaningful consequences, all the political promises about tackling kleptocracy ring hollow.” GSL did not respond to a request to comment. ### **Calls to stop ‘rogue actors’** SLPs are considered as legal persons which can enter into contracts, take on debts or own assets, and don’t need to file accounts. They offered greater levels of secrecy before the rules were tightened, having helped [move](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-43935839?ref=theferret.scot) £60bn out of Russia, and allowed the Kremlin to [bypass sanctions](https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/11/03/frontline-facilitators-how-secretive-uk-partnerships-supply-wartime-russia/?ref=theferret.scot) by importing battlefield components to aid its illegal invasion of Ukraine. UK Government crackdowns in recent years have reformed more than 100-year-old laws around SLPs to try and tackle their abuse, but The Ferret and others have [exposed](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-limited-partnerships/) their continued role in aiding the flow of dirty money. In doing so, they’ve used Scottish addresses ranging from [boarded up](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-offices-linked-secretive-partnerships/) back alley entrances to [a flat](https://www.theferret.scot/muirhouse-slp-and-the-king-of-fraud/) in an Edinburgh housing scheme immortalised in Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting. Transparency International UK’s Ben Cowdock warned that despite reforms, “in the wrong hands” SLPs “can still be used to hide assets and launder money”. Regulators should “work together to identify rogue actors in the UK continuing to market limited partnerships to high-risk markets,” he said. James Bolton-Jones, senior policy researcher at Spotlight on Corruption, echoed Cowdock’s concerns. It was “deeply alarming” that SLPs were still being “snapped up” and sold on to clients, he said. “These findings illustrate that the hard work of cleaning up Companies House is only just beginning.” The agency must “ramp up its efforts to kick dodgy companies off the register, and leverage its new powers to share data with law enforcement to crack down on companies involved in economic crime,” he added. The SNP’s Colin Beattie, who chaired Holyrood cross-party group on Ukraine, said: “It is concerning that this shady practice continues to be in use”. He added: “We must continue to support Ukraine in any way we can and in light of these reports I have written to the Scottish Government to determine what action can be taken to stop this flow of dirty money.” Labour MP Phil Brickell, an officer for the all-party parliamentary group on anti-corruption, said: “The registrar should urgently investigate these entities to ensure they are not being used for criminal activity. Because we have to be able to look our Ukrainian allies in the eye and say everything possible is being done to ensure no Kremlin crony finds a safe haven on our shores.” A spokesperson for the UK Government’s department for business said: “The UK already has some of the strongest controls in the world to combat economic crime and our reforms to Companies House will crack down on criminals abusing UK corporate entities.” *We amended this article at 17:09 on 28 September to clarify in the opening paragraphs that Scotland LP is an apparent formation agent, and that its website listed its address as 211 Dumbarton Road, and offered to sell SLPs. We originally described Scotland LP as a formation agent that set up SLPs at this address.* *We also changed our headline, to state the building is “linked” to Scotland LP, rather than "where" SLPs were established by Scotland LP.* ****Go beyond the headlines with us** Deeper investigations, clear explainers, and reporting with real impact all depend on your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Sepa branded ‘toothless’ after salmon farm accused of 15 environmental breaches URL: https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-toothless-salmon-farm-breaches/ Last updated: 2026-09-15T05:00:35.000Z **A salmon farm was given a “final warning” for failing to monitor the seabed after using a toxic pesticide – but only after warnings about 14 other environmental breaches in the previous three years.** The warnings were all issued to the Norwegian salmon farming company, [Mowi](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/mowi/), by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency [(Sepa)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-environment-protection-agency/) between 2003 and 2025\. They all highlighted instances in which environmental rules had allegedly been broken at the Ardgour salmon farm on Loch Linnhe, near Fort William. In its [final warning letter](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/uploads/f0201926%5Fdocece098c62e%5F20251219-ardgourmonitoring-fml%5Frr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in December 2025, Sepa said the “worrying” monitoring failure was a “major non-compliance”. Further breaches could result in prosecution or a ban on using the pesticide, it added. But campaigners accused Sepa of being “toothless” and “powerless” in the face of “a culture of non-compliance”. They criticised Mowi for “hubris” and for failing to meet its legal obligations. ****Fuel our next investigation** This story was funded by people who want journalism that uncovers new things, challenges power, and serves the public. Help make the next one possible. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Sepa told The Ferret, however, that Mowi had monitored the Loch Linnhe seabed two months after the final warning. The results showed that there had been no breach of pollution limits, and the salmon farm had since “returned to full compliance”, it said. Mowi insisted that it was “inaccurate” to suggest the company was “consistently non-compliant” or had failed to do “appropriate” monitoring. Bad weather had prevented checks at the “preferred” time, but subsequent sampling was “compliant with the environmental standards”, the company said. Eight letters from Sepa to Mowi about the Loch Linnhe salmon farm from 2023 to 2025 were released under freedom of information law. They outline a total of 15 alleged breaches of environmental rules, culminating in the final warning letter about the monitoring failure. [New footage shows deformed salmon at RSPCA-assured fish farmNewly released video footage shows salmon apparently suffering from deformity and disease at a Highland fish farm certified by leading animal welfare and environmental bodies. The footage, obtained by the WildFish conservation charity, was captured in June 2023 at a salmon farm at Invasion Bay in the Highland area of![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-98040756-2178-4066-a25b-a7bd2121eb79.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/asc-and-soil-association-certified-scottish-salmon-farm-june-2023--salmon-with-missing-eye-648112d4-a9b9-450b-ae09-d788f05421a0.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/footage-deformed-salmon-rspca-assured-fish-farm/) The first [letter](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/uploads/f0201286%5Fdocb31f887b5b%5F141.%5F20230207-linnhecomplianceassessment-ltr%5Frr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from Sepa in February 2023 listed eight "non-compliances" at Loch Linnhe, including an “exceedance” while treating fish with a pesticide, failing to carry out environmental monitoring and a series of reporting failures. The second [letter](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/uploads/f0201286%5Fdocd01ccb6d41%5F132.%5F20240307-mowicomplianceassessmentletter%5Frr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in July 2024 cited a "major non-compliance” for failing to report on biological monitoring in time. In 2025 Sepa sent Mowi a further five letters about five more alleged breaches in [January](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/uploads/f0201286%5Fdocca8f926aab%5F143.%5F20250122-ardgourbenthiccomplianceltr%5Frr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), [April](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/uploads/f0201286%5Fdoc9eb3595e58%5F144.%5F20250424-ardgourinspectionreport-ltr%5F%5F1%5F%5Frr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), [June](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/uploads/f0201286%5Fdoc9781c3d028%5F145.%5F20250626-ardgourmpffnoncompliance-ltr%5Frr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), [October](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/uploads/f0201286%5Fdoc17aacb6099%5F146.%5F20251030-ardgourlinnhemonitoring-ltr%5Frr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), and [November](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/uploads/f0201286%5Fdoc0463de197f%5F147.%5F20251104-ardgour%5Fsconserquarrynoncompliance-ltr%5Frr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), including failures to report on “self-monitoring” and to give notice of pesticide treatments and sampling. On 19 December 2025, Sepa issued Mowi a [“final warning letter”](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/uploads/f0201926%5Fdocece098c62e%5F20251219-ardgourmonitoring-fml%5Frr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for the "major non-compliance" of failing to monitor the seabed after treating salmon with a pesticide called emamectin. It leaks into lochs from salmon cages and is known to harm marine wildlife. Sepa has been [trying and failing](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-pressure-toxic-pesticide/) to restrict its use since 2016. According to Sepa’s letter, Mowi failed to carry out monitoring of the seabed to assess compliance with environmental limits after emamectin was used in August 2024\. “It is worrying that the necessary processes to track treatments and plan monitoring are not always effective,” the letter said. "A failure to monitor undermines our ability to make an appropriate assessment and take action if necessary,” it added. Sepa warned Mowi that further infringements could result in a report to the Procurator Fiscal recommending prosecution, or a suspension on the use of emamectin. > This whole sorry story reflects terribly on everyone involved – Abigail Penny, Animal Equality The campaign group, [Animal Equality](https://animalequality.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which obtained Sepa’s letters to Mowi, dismissed Sepa’s threats of tougher action as “laughable”. It demanded that salmon companies be “properly penalised” for their breaches. "Finally being compliant now doesn't suddenly erase years of documented breaches," said the group’s executive director, Abigail Penny. “Mowi failed to meet its legal obligations and the regulator failed to hold the company accountable." She added: “This whole sorry story reflects terribly on everyone involved. This toothless regulatory approach is doing little to tackle what appears to be a culture of continued non-compliance.” David Gunn, an angler who lives near Loch Linnhe, described the salmon farming industry as “self-regulating” and “self-reporting”. He blamed the lice spread by salmon farms for the decline of wild salmon and sea trout. He was pleased to see Sepa taking action but added: “Perhaps this final warning highlights the industry’s hubris and Sepa as a powerless organisation more than it does anything else.” [Ministers bow to salmon industry pressure on pesticideA new safety limit on a pesticide that kills marine wildlife has been delayed by four years following pressure from the salmon farming industry. The Scottish Government has said it will not introduce restrictions on the toxic chemical, emamectin, until 2028 because of opposition from fish farming companies. Environmental groups![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-9fabe216-be47-49ac-81a1-51519572b368.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-147521591-685b8125-15a5-4cb9-afc4-fc3de0d6ea1b.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-pressure-toxic-pesticide/) [Sepa](https://beta.sepa.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) pointed out that two months after it issued the final warning letter to Mowi, the company carried out the required monitoring at Loch Linnhe. “The results were compliant with licence conditions,” a spokesperson told The Ferret. Further monitoring was carried out in April 2025, which also found no breaches of environmental limits. This meant that the salmon farm had “returned to full compliance”, they said. “Should there be a repeat of any similar major non-compliance in the future, further enforcement action would be considered in line with Sepa’s enforcement policy. Mowi have committed to a range of actions to improve compliance at their regulated sites.” > The allegation that Mowi’s farm at Loch Linnhe is consistently non-compliant is inaccurate – spokesperson, Mowi Scotland A spokesperson for [Mowi Scotland](https://mowi.com/uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said: “The allegation that Mowi’s farm at Loch Linnhe is consistently non-compliant and has failed to undertake appropriate sampling and seabed analysis is inaccurate. “Adverse weather conditions did prevent Mowi from carrying out one sampling activity at the preferred time. However, Mowi then submitted a compliance improvement plan, and the required chemical seabed sampling was subsequently completed at a later date. “The compliant results from that sampling were duly submitted to Sepa. Furthermore, the most recent biological seabed sampling undertaken was compliant with the environmental standards of the permit.” ****Keep The Ferret independent** The Ferret does things differently: sharp fact checking, and public-interest investigative journalism backed by our readers. [Become a member from £5/ ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Revealed: 'dark' money pressure group helped man Scots anti-asylum protests URL: https://www.theferret.scot/great-british-pac-anti-asylum-protests/ Last updated: 2026-09-13T05:00:46.000Z **Members of an opaquely-funded organisation advised by a fundraiser for Donald Trump attended anti-asylum protests in Scotland, The Ferret can reveal, prompting fears so-called “dark” money could secretly fund hard right groups.** Great British PAC’s senior personnel have included men who allegedly shared material that defended Hitler and denied the Holocaust, while its Scotland director is an anti-Islam campaigner who said everyone must “pick a side” between “good and evil”. The group [shared](https://x.com/GreatBritishPAC/status/2088946949068046580?ref=theferret.scot) a picture of nine people it said were members attending an August protest outside Falkirk’s Cladhan Hotel, former asylum accommodation that acted as a flashpoint for demonstrations. Most of these individuals have attended or spoken at similar demos across Scotland. > Proud of our Great British PAC team in Falkirk yesterday, led by our brilliant Scottish Director Ronni McMenemy. 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 > While others talk, our people turn up. > Local communities have every right to raise legitimate concerns about illegal immigration, asylum policy, public safety and… [pic.twitter.com/mGPkB9ZSW6](https://t.co/mGPkB9ZSW6?ref=theferret.scot) > > — Great British PAC (@GreatBritishPAC) [August 16, 2026](https://x.com/GreatBritishPAC/status/2088946949068046580?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=theferret.scot) The PAC[ says](https://www.greatbritishpac.com/?ref=theferret.scot) it is inspired by the political action committees (PACs) that help bankroll and influence US politics. It wants to unite right-wing parties ahead of the next general election, rally “patriots to defend British values”, support local campaigns, and influence government, including overturning a ban on new oil and gas licences in Scotland’s North Sea. But the group has yet to reveal its financiers, which it [offers](https://www.greatbritishpac.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) anonymity, has [not ruled out](https://bylinetimes.com/2026/08/14/advance-uks-great-british-successor-group-refuses-to-rule-out-foreign-funding/?ref=theferret.scot) accepting foreign money, and claims to have been invited to Washington DC by US PACs. ****Back facts, not noise** Fact checks, explainers, and investigations take time. Supporting The Ferret helps keep our journalism rigorous, independent, and in the public interest. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Democracy campaigners said the public is “entitled to know” about any overseas donors, while an MSP claimed legal loopholes could allow for “dark and opaque” money to flow to campaign groups and skew the political debate. But the PAC said it was in full compliance with UK laws, stressing “an important distinction between donor privacy and unlawful or unaccountable funding”. The group “unequivocally rejects racism, antisemitism, religious hatred and political violence”, and claimed controversial comments made by its members occurred before they joined. The [event](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62qql915q7o?ref=theferret.scot) it attended, called The Right Unites, was organised by anti-asylum group Voices for Falkirk. Such protests intensified after a hotel resident was convicted for raping a local teenage girl and another was [jailed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy071r4yqjno?ref=theferret.scot) for sexually assaulting two women. The residence [no longer](https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/people/currently-no-residents-at-falkirks-asylum-hotel-says-mp-8922408?ref=theferret.scot) houses asylum seekers. Some [144](https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/144-anti-immigration-protests-have-taken-place-in-scotland-this-year-8831334?ref=theferret.scot) similar protests took place across Scotland between January and the end of July, with more than half taking place outside the Cladhan, according to Police Scotland. This [reportedly](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/anti-migrant-protests-sweeping-scotland-37503348?ref=theferret.scot) led to a £1m police overtime bill for taxpayers. The Ferret has documented how [far right agitators](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotel/), including a [killer](https://www.theferret.scot/glen-kane-mark-sinclair-glasgow-protest/) and a former member of a banned terror group, exploited the protests. We also [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/jim-dawson-funding-vigilante-scotland/) that the frontman of a Christian nationalist organisation was raising funds internationally to buy equipment for Scottish "night patrols" accused of targeting migrants. [Far-right agitators stand accused of stirring up trouble at asylum hotel protests. But anti-racists are standing firmFollowing a sharp rise in far right activity, we’ve spent the last three months attending protests, speaking to activists under threat, and tracking anti-asylum seeker demonstrations across Scotland.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-3eb70790-b83a-469f-b7e4-d896178d1c2c.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/anti-migrant-protestj45496-f36ff4f4-a7a4-480c-a6cf-0413c4c90d14.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotel/) ### **Key personnel** The Great British PAC was founded by journalist[ Claire Bullivant](https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairebullivant/?ref=theferret.scot), its [owner](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15939470/persons-with-significant-control?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) and chief executive. Advisers[ include](https://www.greatbritishpac.com/about/people?ref=theferret.scot) a Northern Ireland MP, former Tory MPs, lords, and UK ministers, and [Greg Swenson](https://www.gregswenson.org/?ref=theferret.scot), chair of Republicans Overseas UK, which represents supporters of Trump’s party. Swenson’s group has [fundraised](https://www.ft.com/content/f9b04ece-6cd7-417e-899f-abc3d2f1f1db?ref=theferret.scot) for the US president, including at the London mansion of Reform donor, Nicky Candy, who is now Reform's treasurer. Swenson did not respond to a request to comment. Ben Habib is the PAC’s chair. He was Reform UK’s co-deputy leader, and, in 2024, [said](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/reform-uk-asylum-rwanda-channel-boats-b2533923.html?ref=theferret.scot) Britain should “absolutely” let migrants drown. He [reportedly](https://bylinetimes.com/2026/08/13/a-police-report-legal-threats-and-a-splinter-party-inside-the-demise-of-advance-uk/?ref=theferret.scot) left the party after falling out with leader Nigel Farage due to policies including Habib’s preference for mass deportations. Present in Falkirk was the PAC’s Scotland director, Ronni McMenemy. In March she [asked](https://x.com/LilRoo04/status/2033809393830007250?ref=theferret.scot) Trump for help via X. The UK Government was “allowing (facilitating) Islam to take over the UK and that includes all our military might as well!”, she wrote. In 2025, McMenemy argued that “Islam must be [removed](https://x.com/LilRoo04/status/1974764590656577623?ref=theferret.scot) from the west”. Last year she [said](https://x.com/LilRoo04/status/1966098382407032837?ref=theferret.scot) the assassination of the US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk had “ACTIVATED good against evil”, adding: “Everyone needs to get ready to pick a side”. > “UK voters are entitled to know whether any overseas donors are funding the Great British PAC and their motive for providing financial support.” — Tom Brake, Unlock Democracy Pictured alongside McMenemy was Reece Lauder, a candidate for Habib’s former Advance UK party in Scotland. [According to](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2026/04/21/the-unelectables-meet-the-far-right-candidates-in-the-may-2026-elections/?ref=theferret.scot) Hope not Hate, he campaigned to “remove \[the\] LGBTQ community out of public services”, and claimed “everything that’s wrong with the world is due to feminism”. We found that Lauder shared a post that said Muslims have “no right to feel safe in Christian lands” because “you slaughtered our ancestors" and would murder “our descendants". He also claimed the man who threw a toddler into a crocodile pen in Cambridgeshire in June was Muslim, when in fact authorities have not yet [disclosed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8d3pn5g764o?ref=theferret.scot) any information about the perpetrator's religion or race. Lauder dismissed Hope Not Hate as “extreme left” and said The Ferret had “handpicked words and memes to try and slander me”. No other PAC member or listed director named in this piece responded to requests to comment. They include activists Kenny Millson, and Jessica Gunn. Gunn [spoke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx0rQTjrwJU&ref=theferret.scot) at the Unite the Clans anti-migrant rally outside Holyrood in March, while Millson gave a speech at the Falkirk demo and [called](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LKi254iq5c&ref=theferret.scot) for mass deportations. At another event, he addressed crowds in front of a banner promoting the [extremist](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/patriotic-alternative-scotland/) Patriotic Alternative Scotland group. [These women were abused by far right groups who claimed to want to protect them. But they fought backWomen have been leading the fight against the far right in Scotland but anti-racism activism has come at a high personal cost with at least 14 having been publicly abused and threatened. But they are resolute in the face of intimidation and say they will continue defending human rights.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-21e4726e-eeac-479b-bc2a-16ee8ba8fc0a.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Far-right-rally-Dundee---2026-d080fac1-76ff-4614-af4f-7f5c946097a3.JPG)](https://www.theferret.scot/women-abused-far-right-scotland/) When contacted by The Ferret, the PAC removed all directors from its website. It previously listed Mark Tunnicliff as director for Central Scotland. He [says](https://mtfalkirk.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) he is a member of Restore Britain, a hardline Reform splinter party. Habib wound up Advance UK in June and [merged](https://www.greatbritishpac.com/about?ref=theferret.scot) it with the PAC. This, he [said](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/restore-britain-kent-rupert-lowe-kn9bsn3ql?ref=theferret.scot), would give Restore a clear run electorally. The Pakistan-born politician has condemned the ethnonationalism espoused by some Restore members. However, some senior PAC figures stayed in place after reportedly expressing racist views. Edward Oakenfull was listed as England director before The Ferret’s enquiry, despite being [dropped](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c727xz2kkgjo?ref=theferret.scot) as a Reform candidate due to [claiming](https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-gb-pac/?ref=theferret.scot) that Britain's IQ was “in severe decline” due to “sub Saharan Africans plus Muslims that inter breed”. Oakenfull said most of his remarks had been taken out of context. Antony Antoniou was also [dropped](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c51yxz8e5lro?ref=theferret.scot) as a Reform candidate, but listed as the PAC’s Northamptonshire director. He reportedly [shared](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2025/06/23/meet-the-great-british-pac-a-far-right-pressure-group-packed-with-extremists/?ref=theferret.scot) a website containing Hitler’s speeches and pointed followers to a video claiming the Nazi leader “never ordered the extermination of a single Jew”. Antoniou said these were automated posts from news feeds and he would never post anything antisemitic. The PAC previously counted Carl Benjamin as an advisor. The influencer [used](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2019/04/25/ukip-euro-candidates-vile-racial-slur-ridden-rant/?ref=theferret.scot) racial slurs in 2015, [accusing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-47974036?ref=theferret.scot) critics of following political correctness, and in 2019, [said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-47974036?ref=theferret.scot) he "wouldn't even rape" a female MP. Benjamin initially [refused](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48185348?ref=theferret.scot) to apologise for his rape comment, but eventually [did so](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbcZoAABCOA&ref=theferret.scot) five years later. [‘Fighting age males’ and coded swastikas: How the far-right is using gaming to recruit the next generation of NazisFar right actors have used gaming to recruit youngsters for some time but experts say they are increasingly using codes and imagery to avoid moderation.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-af54ab27-8fe9-45e0-8f18-8dd718cd02ff.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1323456892-f2fa7235-3bca-4f30-89f2-c8bb90505a81.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-using-gaming-to-recruit/) ### **The PAC’s funding** The PAC’s website [says](https://www.greatbritishpac.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) “a donation is only ever named publicly if you tick the box to appear on a particular appeal's donor wall” – “a common and entirely reasonable position” for those “whose work makes a public profile difficult”. However, no donors are listed. Habib [vowed](https://www.greatbritishpac.co.uk/news/ben-habib-pledges-to-match-public-donations-in-landmark-legal-fight-to-stop-the-chagos-betrayal?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) to match every donation up to £10,000 in its [legal challenge](https://observer.co.uk/news/politics/article/how-rightwing-activists-tried-to-thwart-chagos-deal?ref=theferret.scot) to stop the UK Government from transferring ownership of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. [For £10](https://www.greatbritishpac.com/?ref=theferret.scot) a month, members can join the PAC’s member council, for £100, they can enter specialist working groups, and for £500, can attend private briefings with senior PAC figures and run for senior leadership roles. In August, the PAC [told Byline Times](https://bylinetimes.com/2026/08/14/advance-uks-great-british-successor-group-refuses-to-rule-out-foreign-funding/?ref=theferret.scot) it “may receive lawful financial support from individuals or organisations outside the UK where permitted”. It would “register with the Electoral Commission in any capacity in which registration becomes legally required” and as a ‘third party campaigner’ if it decided to promote a party. The Electoral Commission told Byline Times that parties only need to check the permissibility of donors or disclose the source of their funds after they have registered, meaning such rules would not apply to money raised prior to registration. > “If these other groups are accessing very large amounts of potentially foreign money, that’s not a level playing field and that’s something we should be concerned about.” — Martyn Day MSP The PAC’s website [says](https://www.greatbritishpac.co.uk/about?ref=theferret.scot) it exists to influence what happens between elections through organising campaigns, building parliamentary alliances and mobilising public opinion. It wants to “identify, train, and back first-class MPs, councillors, and civil servants” in order to elect the UK's future leaders. It aims to use “legal strategies” to “counteract activist lawfare” and deploy a “relentless PR and media campaign” and a “rapid-response team to expose fake news”. It previously asked supporters to report on “activist judges, two-tier police and biased civil servants”, [according to](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/gb-pac-uk-right-us-reform-farage-political-action-committee-elon-musk-donors-america/?ref=theferret.scot) openDemocracy. The PAC told the publication in April that US PACs had invited it to Washington DC. ### **‘Dark and opaque’** Falkirk East SNP MSP, Martyn Day cited “[many openings](https://www.spotlightcorruption.org/report/hostile-actors-hijack-the-next-general-election/?ref=theferret.scot)” in UK laws that could “lead to money coming in legitimately that’s clearly dark and opaque”. “If you’re moving a political agenda and are spending a fortune on it… it affects how people vote and react politically,” he said. “It’s all tied together and should be treated as one.” He added: “But if these other groups are accessing very large amounts of potentially foreign money, that’s not a level playing field and that’s something we should be concerned about”. Tom Brake, a former Liberal Democrat MP who heads campaign group Unlock Democracy, said the PAC’s approach to naming donors was a “test of transparency”. “UK voters are entitled to know whether any overseas donors are funding the Great British PAC and their motive for providing financial support,” he argued. Labour MSP Jenny Young urged Scots to call out “racist, intolerant and ignorant views which seek to sow division and spread hatred in our communities.” [The ex-BNP ‘Christian patriot’ raising international funding for Scottish ‘vigilante’ night patrolsFar right organisation Knights Templar International, whose frontman Jim Dowson has a long history of involvement with extremist groups, is now supporting Scotland’s new wave of night patrols.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-4941bd19-fd0c-4eb4-b136-28bc04793a14.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/dowson-1-515dcec6-e2d4-4397-ac44-efab9f08af47.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/jim-dawson-funding-vigilante-scotland/) ### **PAC meets ‘legal and regulatory requirements’** Great British PAC’s chief executive, Claire Bullivant, told The Ferret her group “unequivocally rejects racism, antisemitism, religious hatred and political violence” and that our reporting should make “a clear distinction between people formally representing our organisation and other members of the public who attended the same events”. “Your questions cite a considerable number of comments allegedly made by various individuals on personal social media accounts, in instances before their involvement with the Great British PAC,” she said. “Individuals are responsible for their own personal comments unless they are expressly speaking on behalf of our organisation. “Where specific remarks by somebody holding an official position within the PAC are brought to our attention and appear potentially incompatible with our values, we will consider them properly and in their full context rather than reaching conclusions solely on the basis of third-party descriptions or political labels.” Bullivant stressed there was “an important distinction between donor privacy and unlawful or unaccountable funding”. “The fact that a donor's name is not automatically displayed on a public website does not mean that a donation is anonymous to the organisation, nor does it mean that funds have been accepted unlawfully,” she added. “The Great British PAC operates under UK law and complies, and will continue to comply, with the legal and regulatory requirements applicable to its activities, including any requirements relating to political campaigning, expenditure, donations and registration. Where registration or disclosure is legally required, we will comply with it.” ****Be part of something bigger** Supporting The Ferret is not just about access. It’s a way to back journalism that’s accountable, impactful, and independent. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Adult adoptees are taking desperate measures to obtain their family ‘health histories’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/adult-adoptees-health-histories/ Last updated: 2026-09-06T04:59:59.000Z **Laura Brown is one of many adult adoptees all too used to NHS consultations that start with questions about family health history. A law accountant living in Stirling, she was adopted in 1991 and didn’t meet her birth mother until late in her teens.** Sadly, her birth father died before she could meet him. So her response to these questions is weighed down with gaps in her knowledge. As Laura told us, reunion and adoption is generally complex, but when it comes to issues concerning health, the situation can get especially tricky. “Over the years I’ve had the energy to pursue getting different parts of my records,” she explained. “But it’s tiring, and you come up against resistance in the system.”It was only after meeting her birth mother that she discovered her parent had had cervical cancer several times. “I wrote to my GP to request increased cervical screening and received no reply,” she said. “It raised the question again for me, if the law doesn’t recognise \[my parents\], but they are my blood, what is the view of the medical profession?” ****You don’t get stories like this elsewhere** The Ferret publishes investigations that go beyond the daily news cycle, dig deeper, and ask difficult questions. Help us stay independent. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) There are no figures on the number of Scottish adult adoptees, but records suggest Laura is just one of hundreds of thousands living in the UK. [Close to a million](https://www.archives.org.uk/news/statement-on-recent-press-discussion-about-the-digitisation-of-adoption-records?ref=theferret.scot) people have been estimated to have been adopted in the last 100 years, since the passing of the [1926 Adoption Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/16-17/29/enacted?ref=theferret.scot), which legalised adoption. The Adoption of Children (Scotland) Act followed four years later. Across the UK, around 500,000 adoptions occurred during the peak era between 1949-1976 when adoptions were closed, meaning children no longer had any contact with their birth parents. Today more open adoptions mean children and birth parents can retain some kind of indirect contact through letters, or sometimes third parties.But back then while some children were adopted by family members, many were adopted by strangers, stripping them of the right even to access birth family information. Scottish Government [research](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scoping-study-historic-forced-adoption-final-report/pages/14/?ref=theferret.scot) confirms the same pattern north of the border, meaning that a high proportion of UK adult adoptees alive today were cut off entirely from their birth families and consequently face huge barriers in obtaining a full family medical history. Currently, NHS services have no standardised approach for handling missing biological family medical history – digital electronic health records used by GPs do not have a simple way of recording a lack of such information. Nor is there an agreed way for health professionals to flag up the lack of family history on digital records.That means “no risk” is recorded where the risks are in fact unknown, meaning screenings and other healthcare monitoring that might usually be recommended, is missed. This matters, it is argued, because adoptees cannot participate in risk-based screening for the likes of breast cancer, colon cancer or heart disease, leading to late or missed diagnoses. It puts them at a disadvantage to others who have a family history of a condition and will therefore be screened earlier for it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/09/professional-edinburgh-picture--1-.jpg) Laura Brown This healthcare gap causes issues for many adult adoptees. Susan Stewart, a former director of Open University Scotland, was adopted as a baby in 1965 without any birth family contact and had no access to her own health history as a result. She has called for free genetic testing for adoptees to close that gap between adoptees and the general population. In an essay for the 2022 book, Imagine A Country, Susan said this approach could be “transformed” not only for adopted adults, but also their adult children and grandchildren. “Everyone should have the same access to the benefits of advances in genetic science,” she wrote. Susan told The Ferret: “Genetic screening for adoptees with no medical history is not only a matter of equity and fairness, but an important part of preventative healthcare, potentially saving future NHS resources." She is urging MSPs to consider bringing forward legislation as soon as possible to improve NHS care for adoptees in Scotland. A survey of adult adoptees I conducted as part of my Tenacious Journalism award in April this year to explore experiences of healthcare, suggests her view is common. It found that adoptees were experiencing significant barriers, with 90 per cent of the 206 people surveyed saying clinicians either assumed “no relevant family history” or recorded “unknown” without adjusting the risk assessment. Some 22 per cent reported being denied further investigation because of their lack of health history. Just six per cent had a full family health history, even after many had reunited with their birth families. Respondents claimed it was difficult to ask health questions of birth family members or said information had been withheld or even falsified, causing additional distress. > “Genetic screening for adoptees with no medical history is not only a matter of equity and fairness, but an important part of preventative healthcare, potentially saving future NHS resources.” — Susan Stewart One woman, who had been reunited with her birth father, explained: “It felt shocking that he was reluctant to disclose his health history.” Others uncovered genetic health conditions. One respondent discovered that their birth mother had developed cancer, then found out that “granny and all my aunts had breast cancer young too.” She subsequently discovered that all four sisters on their birth father’s side had also had breast cancer. In one case, an adoptee discovered that several birth family members had Huntington’s Disease, a fatal genetic condition, including her birth mother. Of adoptees with children or grandchildren who responded, nearly two-thirds worried about the risk they were passing on. One adoptee is registered blind, a condition she only discovered is heritable after having children. “I may have remained childless, had I known this,” the adoptee said. A small number of respondents had decided not to have children because of their lack of knowledge. The survey also highlights mental health consequences linked to these gaps. Seventy‑two per cent reported anxiety about an unknown hereditary risk. Many adoptees said that they resorted to buying the death certificates of birth family members aiming to uncover genetic health risks. One said: “The only information I have is from death certificates…Three months ago I found that ovarian cancer runs on both sides of my blood family.” Nearly two-thirds of respondents had either bought or were considering buying DNA or health tests, but had concerns about the cost and privacy. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/09/personal---me-and-birth-uncle-david-my-wedding.jpg) Laura Brown with her birth uncle David Laura Brown has purchased a DNA test and a number of death certificates. She discovered that her birth father and another family member had experienced eating disorders, as she had at one point. But there is no mechanism for adding biological health history risks to NHS records. Respondents like Laura have called for routine screening pathways, and visible “adoptee/family history unknown” flags in electronic medical records. The survey findings chime with findings from Adoption UK, a national charity, which has done its own research on healthcare for adoptees as part of its [Adoption Barometer 2025](https://www.adoptionuk.org/barometer-2026?ref=theferret.scot). Of the 380 adult adoptees who responded, 97 per cent were asked questions about family history in healthcare settings, but only 12 per cent were either somewhat or very confident about knowing enough to answer. Just eight per cent had been offered interventions like genetic tests or screening procedures to gain a fuller picture of health risks. Emily Frith, Adoption UK’s chief executive, said: “Not knowing your family medical history can have a serious impact on your health. This not only affects adoptees themselves but their children and grandchildren and beyond. Yet health services frequently fail to recognise this.” She called for the NHS to “ensure adoptees get access to routine screening, genetic testing and other essential healthcare interventions.” The Scottish Adult Adoptee Movement, said the survey findings “demonstrate the continuing impact that adoption can have throughout life, particularly where individuals lack access to complete family medical history or where adoption is not consistently recognised within healthcare”. The UK Adult Adoptee Movement agreed, saying the findings “expose a systemic inequality that leaves adoptees at a disadvantage throughout the NHS”. They want adoptees from all four UK health systems to be granted a trauma-informed approach to health assessment, and for health records to include an ‘adoptee’ marker, allowing doctors to assess risks properly, and for further research on adoptees' physical and mental health outcomes. > “We're adults asking why we're still bound by decisions made for us as children.” — Laura Brown Despite Scotland’s drive to improve the care experience, with initiatives such as [The Promise](https://thepromise.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) – the outcome of a five-year review published in 2020 that aims to put in place radical reform by 2030 – adoptees report that their access to healthcare has remained fragmented and inconsistent.Scotland also led the way in offering an apology for [forced adoption](https://www.gov.scot/publications/apology-historical-adoption-practices-first-ministers-speech-22-march-2023/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2023, yet campaigners for adoption reform say no action has yet been taken to improve healthcare for adoptees. The survey also found that of all health professionals, GPs were the most trusted, but adoptees still experienced barriers in accessing the healthcare they felt they needed. Nearly half of those surveyed felt comfortable to discuss adoption with GPs, but found that few knew how to respond. Dr Chris Williams, vice chair of the [Royal College of GPs Scotland](https://www.rcgp.org.uk/membership/scotland?ref=theferret.scot), said: "Family medical history plays an important role in assessing a person's risk of developing a wide range of conditions. The absence of family medical history should not be interpreted as an absence of risk.” He added: “As screening programmes and advances in genomic medicine increasingly rely on family history information, it is important that the whole healthcare system considers how to ensure adoptees are not unintentionally disadvantaged and excluded because this information is missing from their medical records.” He agreed there was a strong case for ensuring that healthcare records better identify, record and code information about adoptees without access to their biological health history. Siobhian Brown, minister for children and young people, told The Ferret she recognised that “some adopted people may have limited or unavailable information about their biological family medical history, which can present challenges when discussing family history with healthcare professionals.” Brown claimed she was committed to improving “lifelong support for adopted people” and said she would work with adoptees and practitioners “to develop new adoption support guidance during this parliament.” As for Laura Brown, she believes we first need the law to recognise that biological families exist at all. “We're not the grateful children the system imagined anymore,” she says. “We're adults asking why we're still bound by decisions made for us as children”. It’s time, she argues, to recognise adoptees’ right to know the genetic hand they’ve been dealt. ****Our reporting makes a difference** Good journalism should reveal something new, stand up to scrutiny, and leave the public better informed. That takes time – and your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) *This story was supported by The Tenacious Awards, which recognise the contribution of campaigning and journalism to the public good.* ### More than 50 rivers polluted by toxic chemicals used to treat fleas on pets URL: https://www.theferret.scot/more-than-50-rivers-polluted-by-toxic-chemicals-used-to-treat-fleas-on-pets/ Last updated: 2026-09-04T07:51:53.000Z **Toxic chemicals used to kill fleas on hundreds of thousands of pets have contaminated more than 50 rivers across Scotland at levels that could harm wildlife, according to the Scottish Government’s green watchdog.** The [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-environment-protection-agency/) has found concentrations of two common flea treatment chemicals up to 25 times higher than those considered safe. Rivers that have been polluted include the Clyde, the Forth, the Almond, the Tweed, the Ayr and the Annan. The Ferret has also discovered a complaint that Sepa is failing to combat the pollution is under “detailed review” by the government agency that watches the watchdogs, [Environmental Standards Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/environmental-standards-scotland/). Campaigners have condemned the pollution as “unacceptable” and “environmentally destructive”. They called for the two chemicals to be banned, and urged Sepa to do more to limit the pollution they cause. Sepa described the chemicals as “substances of increasing concern”, and argued its monitoring could inform regulatory action “where appropriate”. It was “happy” to work with Environmental Standards Scotland, it said. The companies that make the chemicals stressed they were “essential products for animal health”. Decisions about them should be guided by “robust scientific evidence,” they said. One of the chemicals is called [fipronil](https://sitem.herts.ac.uk/aeru/ppdb/en/Reports/316.htm?ref=theferret.scot), a member of a group of hazardous [“forever chemicals”](https://www.theferret.scot/orkney-highlands-hebrides-lochs-forever-chemicals/) which can persist in the environment for many years. The other is [imidacloprid](https://sitem.herts.ac.uk/aeru/ppdb/en/Reports/397.htm?ref=theferret.scot), a [neonicotinoid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonicotinoid?ref=theferret.scot) insecticide known to harm bees and other insects. Both chemicals have been [banned for agricultural use](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp9pd4d3m5ko?ref=theferret.scot) since 2018 because of the dangers they pose to wildlife. But they are still widely and legally used by pet owners to treat fleas on dogs and cats. The problem is that they end up in rivers via sewers, after they have been washed off pets. Rivers can also be contaminated by dogs going for a swim after they have been treated for fleas. In a [new report](https://beta.sepa.scot/topics/chemicals/water-quality-monitoring-2024-pet-treatments/?ref=theferret.scot), Sepa has released data revealing how widespread the pollution is in Scotland. Representative sampling in 2024 detected harmful levels of fipronil in 16 per cent of rivers tested (43 out of 274), and of imidacloprid in four per cent of rivers (11 of 271). The rivers polluted with fipronil included the Clyde near Rutherglen, the Esk near Musselburgh, the Carron and Bonny Water in Falkirk, the Tyne in East Linton and the Braid Burn in Edinburgh. The worst contamination – 25 times above safe levels – was detected in May 2024 in Quhomery Burn at Inverquhomery in Aberdeenshire. [Map of fipronil pollution in 2024Thanks to Scottish Environment Protection AgencyMap of fipronil pollution.pdf1 MBdownload-circle](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2026/09/Map-of-fipronil-pollution.pdf "Download") The rivers polluted with imidacloprid included Padovan Burn in West Lothian, the Orchy in Argyll and Bute and three waters on the islands of Jura and Islay. The worst contamination – 12 times above safe levels – was found in the River Annan in Dumfries and Galloway in February 2024. [Map of imidacloprid pollution in 2024Thanks to Scottish Environment Protection AgencyMap of imidacloprid pollution.pdf1 MBdownload-circle](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2026/09/Map-of-imidacloprid-pollution.pdf "Download") [According Sepa](https://beta.sepa.scot/topics/chemicals/water-quality-monitoring-2024-pet-treatments/?ref=theferret.scot), discharges from sewage works were the “potential source” in 32 instances and nearby dog-walking in eight cases. In the absence of any statutory safe levels for the two chemicals, the agency says the pollution is above levels thought to cause “no effects”. [Earlier sampling](https://beta.sepa.scot/topics/chemicals/water-quality-monitoring-2024-pet-treatments/?ref=theferret.scot) by Sepa in 2021-22 also found hazardous levels of fipronil in two rivers, and of imidacloprid in four rivers. These were the Forth near Stirling, the Almond near Edinburgh, the Tweed on the border with England and the Ayr in Ayrshire. > "It is unacceptable that nearly a decade after I discovered this problem these highly toxic chemicals are being emitted at environmentally destructive levels" - Matt Shardlow, environmental campaigner [Matt Shardlow](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-shardlow-1915056/?ref=theferret.scot), an environmental campaigner and author of a [200-page report](https://www.wcl.org.uk/docs/2026/Flea%20Treatment%20Crisis%20-%20Independent%20Review%20final%20v2.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in May on the “Flea Treatment Pollution Crisis”, is worried that Sepa is not doing enough. In July he lodged a formal complaint with [Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS)](https://environmentalstandards.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). He argued that the failure to control discharges of fipronil and imidacloprid from sewage works over the last ten years meant that “unlawful” pollution had become routine. “This offends against Sepa’s statutory purposes,” he said. ESS confirmed to The Ferret that it had begun a review of Shardlow’s complaint so it could decide whether or not to launch a full investigation. It would “assess aspects of compliance with environmental law and the implementation and effectiveness of it,” said a spokesperson. Shardlow, who used to be the chief executive of the campaign group, [Buglife](https://www.buglife.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), welcomed the review. “It is unacceptable that nearly a decade after I discovered this problem these highly toxic chemicals are being emitted at environmentally destructive levels from pet homes, vets, kennels and many other establishments, and are pouring through sewage works into rivers,” he said. “Action is overdue. If the UK government won't halt their sale, then Sepa must control the pollution levels. Healthy rivers full of insect life are essential.” The campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), described fipronil and imidacloprid as “potent insecticides” which could harm invertebrates fundamental to healthy waters. “This pollution has been allowed to continue for far too long,” said head of science, [Dr Janina Gray](https://wildfish.org/latest-news/veterinary-medicines-an-overlooked-source-of-aquatic-pollution-in-the-uk/?ref=theferret.scot). “These chemicals should be removed from veterinary medicines without delay. In the meantime, Sepa must use the regulatory tools available to it to control these pollution pathways and protect Scotland’s rivers.” The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) urged ESS to conduct a “rigorous” review that resulted in “meaningful” action. “These pesticides do not simply disappear after they are used on pets,” said Green MSP, [Mark Ruskell](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/mark-ruskell?ref=theferret.scot). “They can enter the water environment, and regulators need to do much more to understand the impact and tackle this pollution. This is not about blaming pet owners.” [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) told The Ferret that it had not so far been contacted by ESS, but would “as always be happy to assist” with any review. “The 2024 monitoring marks an important step forward in establishing a new baseline that we can build on through continued monitoring,” said chief scientific advisor, Richard Allan. “The findings provide evidence on occurrence in Scotland’s water environment and potential pathways, which can inform future monitoring and research and, where appropriate, environmental and regulatory action.” Sepa pointed out that most of the pollution it detected was less than five times safe levels. Higher levels were found “in a small number of samples”, it said. Waterways were also monitored for fipronil and imidacloprid in 2025, and Sepa is aiming to publish another report in “early 2027”. Sampling and analysis for 2026 are also underway. [Lochs polluted with high levels of ‘forever chemicals’Concerning levels of ‘forever chemicals’ were found in water bodies across Scotland, including lochs in Orkney, the Highlands and Outer Hebrides.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-830a8420-f2a6-4900-8f43-d0790b19a6cb.png)The FerretDaniel Shailer![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/geograph-6476190-by-andrew-tryon-e1759751276709-e8aac753-77c3-45a0-89b6-a65d713fbad1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/orkney-highlands-hebrides-lochs-forever-chemicals/) The [National Office of Animal Health (NOAH)](https://www.noah.co.uk/about/?ref=theferret.scot), which represents companies that make flea treatment chemicals, insisted it was committed to minimising their environmental impact. “NOAH wants pet owners across Scotland to be able to do the very best for their animals, while also looking after the rivers, lochs and wildlife that make Scotland so special,” said chief executive, Dawn Howard. “Anti-parasitic veterinary medicines are essential products for animal health and welfare, treating and preventing parasites that can negatively impact animal and human health,” she told The Ferret. “It is important that any decisions on the use of such products are based on robust scientific evidence about their sources and environmental impact, however. Fipronil and imidacloprid have a range of uses, so their presence in Scotland’s waterways cannot automatically be attributed to pet parasite medicines.” ### Three-quarters of 'sustainable' salmon farms broke environmental rules. None lost their accreditation. URL: https://www.theferret.scot/three-quarters-of-sustainable-salmon-farms-broke-environmental-rules-none-lost-their-accreditation/ Last updated: 2026-08-30T06:00:32.000Z **More than three quarters of Scottish salmon farms certified as “sustainable” broke the environmental rules of the certifying body last year without losing their accreditation, The Ferret can reveal.** We examined inspection reports published by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) — which certifies “[highest standard](https://asc-aqua.org/news/asc-ranked-among-top-ecolabels-by-milieu-centraal/?ref=theferret.scot)” farms with a public-facing ‘green tick’ — and found there have been breaches of its rules at dozens of fish farms. Some sites suffered months-long lice infestations and misdeclared death tolls while others were found to have overused chemicals and deployed unsafe, unauthorised equipment. No farms had their 'green tick' accreditations removed, unless voluntarily. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The ASC works at arm's length from seafood producers. But the company it contracts to inspect Scottish farms, Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), employs the majority of its Scottish inspectors from former roles in the aquaculture industry, The Ferret can also reveal. LRQA was also responsible for [certifying Uygur labour](https://theoutlawocean.com/investigations/china-the-superpower-of-seafood/discussion/stakeholders/lloyds-register-quality-assurance-lrqa/?ref=theferret.scot) in Chinese seafood processing plants as socially responsible, despite known human rights abuses. In Scotland, LRQA’s head inspector worked in fish farming for three decades and another prominent inspector appeared to work for a fish farming company and LRQA simultaneously. Environmental campaigners described the system as “woefully lax” and accused it of misleading consumers who chose products “believing that this certification is far more robust than it is in reality”. One former auditor from another sustainability certification body described our findings as “the norm” within a system where “the people getting inspected are the people paying for a service”. ASC said helping fish farms find and fix rule-breaking is “a core part” of its “continuous improvement approach” and that suggesting farms should lose their sustainable accreditation for breaking rules “misunderstands how an independent certification system works”. Salmon Scotland, a trade body for the farmed fish industry, said ASC helps aquaculture companies “strengthen performance”. LRQAdid not respond to requests for comment. ### **'Environmental' accreditation** The ASC awards site-by-site 'green tick' certifications to recognise "[environmentally and socially responsible](https://asc-aqua.org/producers/asc-standards/species-standards/salmon-cod/?ref=theferret.scot)" farmed seafood around the world. The ticks are used in marketing to retail and [wholesale consumers](https://www.theferret.scot/aquaculture-stewardship-council-bakkafrost/), to help companies meet sustainability targets and to secure ["green" bonds](https://mowi.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Bond-Terms-NO0013699033.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for future investments. Farms which apply for the certification are judged against a [set of environmental and social criteria](https://asc-aqua.org/producers/asc-standards/species-standards/salmon-cod/?ref=theferret.scot), and subject to annual inspections. In 2025, these revealed regular breaches of certain rules — like accurate counting of dead fish and environmentally safe numbers of sea lice — as well as more unusual rule-breaks and violations. One Mowi farm in Loch Etive, near Oban, was found using an unauthorised piece of equipment to remove dead salmon which staff called “the Reaper”. Inspectors saw this “sucking up” and killing living wrasse fish which had been placed in pens to clean salmon. Mowi staff explained that the cleanerfish were new so staff were not trained to deal with them, according to the inspection report. The issue was resolved remotely after the company sent LRQA a “snap shot” of its training. Across a number of Bakkafrost farms inspectors found either that the number of dead fish reported was incorrect, or that their cause of death had been recorded incorrectly. Accurate mortality counting should allow regulators to close farms with high death tolls, [a recent parliamentary enquiry concluded.](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/committee-reports/rai/2025/1/17/rais062025r1/pdf?ref=theferret.scot) At some sites dead fish were too disfigured -- by jellyfish stings or rotting underwater -- for staff to identify a cause of death. At Gravir farm, off the Isle of Lewis, a staffer simply “called out the wrong number” of dead fish without categorising them at all. The most common rule-breaking concerned acceptable lice counts. Recent academic studies cited in government aquaculture regulations have found that lice from salmon farms [kill juvenile wild fish migrating near pens](https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2656.70051?ref=theferret.scot) and [hinder the recovery of wild populations at large](https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.14712?ref=theferret.scot). Bakkafrost blamed “occasional breaches” at nine of its farms on the fact that its fleet of boats used to treat lice infestations were too busy at other sites “where the issue is greater”. At three Mowi sites staff said fish were either too sick to treat for lice, or that their organic status restricted them from using chemicals to help. Bakkafrost staff also questioned the ASC’s thresholds (which were [raised fivefold](https://www.theferret.scot/lice-salmon-farms-alarm/) in 2023), arguing that their fish were big enough to safely support more lice. Abigail Penny, executive director of animal welfare campaign group Animal Equality UK, asked how accepting so many breaches is “supposed to deter bad practice”. "What a cosy little arrangement these farms find themselves in. They can go about their business, causing untold suffering to animals and wreaking havoc on the environment, mostly without any real risk of repercussion,” she said. “Consumers are being sorely misled into believing that this certification is something far more robust than it is in reality." Bakkafrost and Mowi are the only two Scottish fish farmers which currently apply to the ASC for accreditation. Replying on behalf of both, Salmon Scotland first asked for a list of sites which had broken rules. When The Ferret provided one, the industry group did not respond to any specific breaches. Instead, a spokesperson touted £1bn investment in “responsible farming” and celebrated survival rates and lice levels. “ASC certification provides an additional layer of independent scrutiny and is designed to drive continuous improvement through transparent reporting,” the spokesperson added. “Its audit process identifies opportunities to strengthen performance and ensures any issues are addressed.” ASC’s global press and media manager, Sophia Balod, rejected the idea that rule-breaking (a “non-conformity” in the council’s vocabulary) undermined a farm’s certification. “The suggestion that any non-conformity should automatically result in a farm losing its ASC certification misunderstands how an independent certification system works,” she told The Ferret in a written statement, which added that breaches are identified and addressed in order for a site to keep its tick. “The fact that a nonconformity is identified and publicly reported demonstrates that the audit process is identifying issues that require attention; it does not in itself mean that a farm should immediately lose certification.” The Ferret identified a number of farms which identified the same non-conformity in repeat years without losing their certification. In inspection reports for more than a dozen individual farms, non-conformities are described as “systemic” or “repeat” breaches from the year before. This included farms suffering months-long lice infestations which breached ASC thresholds, and inaccurate counts of dead fish multiple years in a row. Balod says that repeat rule-breaking “does not, on its own, indicate a lack of improvement; the circumstances, evidence and corrective actions must be considered.” ### **Revolving Door** The Ferret identified a number of LRQA’s inspectors with close ties to the aquaculture industry, according to their own professional social media profiles. The senior auditor responsible for signing off on most of ASC’s certified Scottish farms in 2025 worked for fish farming companies for three decades before joining LRQA under its previous name, Food Certification International. Another "technical expert” joined LRQA directly from fish farming company Scottish Sea Farms (SSF). Their LinkedIn profile shows the inspector working for both SSF and LRQA for an overlapping seven months. They did not respond to our request for a comment. Another technical auditor approved Scottish farms from Chile, after working for seven years as chief of certifications for Cooke’s latin american office. LRQA did not respond to requests for comment. ASC’s Balod said that evidence of an inspector working for a company while certifying the same company “would clearly warrant examination” but that “relevant professional experience within the aquaculture sector does not in itself constitute a conflict of interest”. She added that ASC contracts a third company, ASI, to oversee subcontractors like LRQA. Mark Borthwick worked as an auditor with another certification body, the Soil Association, before becoming an animal welfare researcher. “What you’ve identified is the norm across the industry,” he said. “These schemes place a downwards pressure on standards and practice: the government offloads health and welfare to these schemes, but the schemes have every incentive to be lax.” He cited both the turnover of staff between farming companies and inspectors, and the royalties ASC earns on products sold with their ticks. ASC said outsourcing audits maintains the integrity of its certifications from financial incentives. Borthwick said this “diffuses the responsibility” for holding farms to account. “Anyone could tell you the incentive structure places a downward pressure on welfare, but it's always someone else’s problem in the chain,” he said. “There’s no need for a formal conspiracy when everyone’s incentives point in the same direction.” ****Go beyond the headlines with us** Deeper investigations, clear explainers, and reporting with real impact all depend on your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Just three per cent of Scotland’s most fragile natural environments are monitored by the agency charged with protecting them URL: https://www.theferret.scot/just-three-per-cent-of-scotlands-most-fragile-natural-environments-are-monitored-by-the-agency-charged-with-protecting-them/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T11:24:54.000Z **Only a tiny percentage of Scotland’s most fragile natural environments are being monitored by the national agency tasked with protecting them, The Ferret can reveal, with the number of inspections on the decline.** Just 54 protected sites, which include national parks, mountains, wetlands, forests, ancient woods and peatlands, were monitored in 2025 by NatureScot, according to details released under freedom of information legislation. The figure makes up less than three per cent of protected sites, which often support diverse and endangered flora and fauna. The new data reveals that the extent of monitoring has declined to almost half what it was in 2021, when 97 sites – just over five per cent of the network – were monitored. According to Scottish Environment LINK, which obtained the figures and is today launching its nature protection scorecard scheme, the lack of monitoring means authorities could be missing threats to the ecological health of our most pristine environments. ****You don’t get stories like this elsewhere** The Ferret publishes investigations that go beyond the daily news cycle, dig deeper, and ask difficult questions. Help us stay independent. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Campaigners are calling for “a gear change” in terms of monitoring, with opposition politicians warning “Scotland’s nature is too important to be trashed or discarded”. NatureScot said it was in the process of reforming its approach to protected area monitoring, with a new system due to be introduced next year. It recognised that it was falling behind targets that aim to protect 30 per cent of Scotland’s natural environment by 2030. There are almost 2,000 existing protected areas in Scotland. They include the Cairngorms National Park, which is home to a quarter of the UK’s rare and endangered species, Glen Affric with its ancient pinewoods, and the Nevis network, which includes Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest summit, and rare species including golden eagles, red squirrels and Atlantic salmon. Others include parts of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, which aims to protect species such as the white-fronted geese and native oakwoods species. While some sites, such as Ben Nevis, have been subject to recent and regular monitoring, many have not. The most recent monitoring carried out in Edinburgh’s volcanic Arthur’s Seat was in 2016\. The site supports rare flora including the maiden pink wildflower, and bird species such as kestrels and fulmars. Forest of Clunie in Perth and Kinross, which supports many important bird species, was assessed for black grouse in 2017\. However, monitoring has not considered hen harriers since 2010, or osprey since 2011, despite both species being last assessed as “declining” in Scotland. Some other sites haven’t been assessed since 2007, according to research by Scottish Environment LINK. [NatureScot axes free service for people needing advice on batsThe Scottish Government’s nature agency is to axe a free service for people needing advice on bats in a move critics fear could result in “desperate householders” illegally destroying bat roosts. From next April people will have to pay for guidance on how to manage bats roosting in their![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-ad1c1b50-0c72-436f-a986-f318ced75fb6.png)The FerretStuart Spray![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/brown-long-eared-bats-bcf4dea5-7057-4ebe-84a6-741c29387452.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/bats-service-scotland-axed/) Monitoring allows important issues such as the encroachment of invasive species, including rhododendron, to be highlighted, or the degradation of important habitats. Environmental groups argue this allows for targeted support to be enacted before it is too late. The global biodiversity framework goal, which the Scottish Government is committed to, is built on the premise that 30 per cent of a habitat in a landscape usually provides enough space and connection between patches of habitat for wildlife to survive and travel. Dan Paris, director of policy and engagement of Scottish Environment LINK said: “Protected sites include many of our most important sites for nature. Without sufficient monitoring we can never have a full picture of the ecological health of these sites. “We know from site monitoring that invasive non-native species, overgrazing from deer, and water management are among the biggest pressures. The stronger the data, the better placed we are to target an effective response, not just on individual sites but nationally.” He claimed that the additional threats posed by climate change required more rather than less monitoring and called for a “gear change”. Scottish Environment LINK’s scorecard data showed, Paris added, that “while there are some signs of progress in areas like peatland restoration” there was a “worrying lack of capacity to get the basics right”. “With public sector reform likely to be the dominant issue of this parliament, we must make sure that our environmental agencies are given the people and resources they need to halt and reverse the decline of our environment,” he said. Ailis Watt, senior policy officer at RSPB Scotland, said: “As well as taking better care of the protected areas we already have, we need the Scottish Government to expand Scotland's network of protected areas. With the right ambition, we can meet the 30 by 30 target – but we need a real gear change now.” [Deer are damaging hundreds of protected areas across Scotland. Experts can’t agree how to stop themHundreds 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.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-731e8101-12a1-4d3e-ad13-4fa2d14b909c.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1470220463-scaled-bd233148-a1aa-4a4d-9eb3-e64739dc3cf8.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nearly-300-protected-areas-pressured-by-scotlands-rampant-deer-population/) Mark Ruskell MSP for the Scottish Greens agreed that more monitoring was urgently needed. “You can’t protect what you don’t properly monitor,” he told The Ferret. “These protected sites are supposed to safeguard our most important nature, but that can’t happen if the number of sites is small and declining. “Our nature is too important to be trashed or discarded. We all rely on clean water and air and a thriving natural environment. LINK is right to call for a gear change. We need to have a proper picture of the ecological health of these sites and can put effective remedies in place before damage becomes irreversible.” Claire Baker, Scottish Labour environment spokesperson, claimed the low level of monitoring was “unacceptable” and called for the Scottish Government to “get serious about protecting ecology and promoting biodiversity in Scotland.” A NatureScot spokesperson agreed that monitoring was “vital so that we understand the health of these sites, the pressures affecting them and the management underway or needed to ensure that they can most effectively protect and restore nature”. They added: “NatureScot is in the process of reforming our approach to protected area monitoring. We recognise that a monitoring gear change is absolutely necessary to achieve the commitment to have at least 30 per cent of Scotland safeguarded by 2030, and to ensure that these areas will be effectively managed and will deliver great things for nature.” The new system – monitoring to deliver healthy ecosystems – is due to start next year. It will be “more effective and efficient” and “consider land and seascape-scale threats” like invasive species, claimed the spokesperson. This, they said, was “a critical step if we are to halt the loss of nature by 2030”. ****Go beyond the headlines with us** Deeper investigations, clear explainers, and reporting with real impact all depend on your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### What makes a data centre 'green'? One major developer has lobbied for its own definition URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-makes-a-data-centre-green-one-major-developer-has-lobbied-for-its-own-definition/ Last updated: 2026-08-23T06:00:12.000Z **A developer has been lobbying the Scottish Government to publicly endorse its definition of a ‘green’ data centre, according to documents obtained by The Ferret.** The Scottish Government has backed the development of so-called ‘green’ data centres since 2021 and in 2023 gave them special, [streamlined](https://www.harpermacleod.co.uk/insights/data-centres-in-scotland-powering-a-sustainable-digital-future/?ref=theferret.scot) status under planning policy. But ministers have never clearly defined what a ‘green’ data centre is, despite [growing concern](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,scotland-could-block-hyperscale-data-centres?ref=theferret.scot) about the environmental impact of new ‘hyperscale’ facilities needed to support artificial intelligence (AI). Alongside concerns about water use, noise and air pollution, critics say these require huge amounts of energy, which could [increase reliance on fossil fuels](https://aprs.scot/resources/all-about-hyperscale-data-centres/?ref=theferret.scot) and [jeopardise climate targets](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/18/uk-datacentres-plan-to-burn-gas-to-generate-electricity?ref=theferret.scot). Councils are currently [left to decide](https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/documents/s100107/7.1%20-%20Data%20Centres%20Moratorium.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) whether projects in their area – many of which are marketed as ‘green’ – meet the description, often amid vocal opposition from grassroots campaigns. Any national definition could affect which data centre plans go ahead and the Scottish Government [said](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=20188&iob=224094&ref=theferret.scot) in June it is considering issuing planning guidance on the facilities. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The Ferret has found that in the months leading up to that announcement officials had discussed the definition with Apatura, which is behind [more Scottish data centre proposals than any other firm](https://aprs.scot/data-centre-map/?ref=theferret.scot). Correspondence between the company and officials on the issue appears to have started at a networking drinks event at Glasgow’s plush Corinthian Club in April. In follow-up emails, the firm repeatedly asked the Scottish Government to publicly support a [‘green data centre charter](https://consult.apatura.energy/industry-charter?ref=theferret.scot)’ it had drawn up with other industry groups. Apatura said the document could help with policy and planning decisions on data centre projects. The Scottish Government ultimately decided not to endorse the charter, Apatura told The Ferret. But emails and meeting minutes released under freedom of information (FoI) law show it was circulated across government and considered in detail. One working group on AI discussed the “suitability” of backing it, with an official saying it appeared “broadly consistent” with the Scottish Government’s approach. [AI flooded the Scottish Government with wind farm objections. So they stopped accepting emailsThe Scottish Government says the move was needed to tackle the “burden” caused by the growth in AI-assisted objections to energy projects. Critics say it is a way to mute public opposition.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-093133a7-122f-42d1-9be1-bc63b955b0e2.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Website-images--5--f120f75e-234f-4e42-b781-f6998ca302c6.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ai-ban-emailed-objections-energy-projects/) Meanwhile, while one part of the Scottish Government was considering supporting the document, another was asking Apatura to appear on a panel event it was organising at a London investment summit to help “showcase Scotland as a leading investment opportunity for data centres”. Campaigners said this was evidence of the government “cosying up” to Apatura and giving it a “preferential hearing” on the definition of a ‘green’ data centre despite what they described as the developer’s “huge conflict of interests” on the issue. They warned that companies must not be allowed to “write the rules” used to judge their own planning applications and claimed the charter shared by Apatura was “vague” and “riddled with loopholes”. Apatura argued its relationship with the Scottish Government was “entirely professional” and the correspondence “was a normal and important part of developing informed policy, particularly in an emerging sector”. The firm claimed its charter contained “practical and measurable principles” and was developed to “address the gap” caused by the lack of a clear definition of ‘green’ data centres. It rejected any claims it asked the government to adopt it as policy or “sought preferential treatment for our projects”. Data centres house the physical infrastructure needed to power the internet. They are not new, but the ‘hyperscale’ facilities proposed to support growing demand for AI are far bigger than most existing sites and require a huge amount of power. It has been [estimated](https://www.ercs.scot/news/data-centres-in-the-scottish-planning-system-would-double-scotlands-energy-demands-press-release/?ref=theferret.scot) that if all the data centres proposed across Scotland went ahead, they would more than double the country’s demand for electricity. The industry argues they can be powered by Scotland’s growing renewable energy sector, but opponents point out they will need constant power, including when the weather means wind and solar farms are producing less, potentially increasing reliance on fossil fuels. Critics have also raised concerns about the diesel backup generators they have on site and their water requirements for cooling. As a result of these issues any description of data centres as ‘green’ is highly controversial. NPF4 – Scotland’s national strategy on planning – designated ‘green’ data centres as ‘national developments’. They still require planning permission, but the fundamental need for them has already been [established](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotland-2045-fourth-national-planning-framework-draft-national-developments-report-assessment/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot) and does not need to be considered. NPF4 was published in 2023, but much of the work done on it was [reportedly](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/25/scotland-policy-green-datacentres-emissions-impact-ai-analysis?ref=theferret.scot) carried out in 2022, before the launch of technologies such as ChatGPT and the global rush to build much bigger data centres for AI. Holyrood researchers [say](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2026/06/26/data-centres/?ref=theferret.scot) the rapid growth of data centre applications in Scotland has outpaced planning policy, and there have been [growing calls](https://www.pegasusgroup.co.uk/scotland-urgently-needs-clear-guidance-on-green-data-centres/?ref=theferret.scot) for the Scottish Government to clarify what the ‘green’ data centre designation means. Pressed on the issue at first minister’s questions on 25 June, John Swinney said his government was giving “active consideration” to providing planning guidance to balance the “rapid” expansion of hyperscale data centres with climate and energy targets. [FFS explains: AI and healthcareArtificial intelligence (AI) is a term that has catapulted into the public’s consciousness in recent years, as the technology has become easily accessible for the first time. Media coverage has focused on negative impacts AI can have on political discourse, but it is already being used in Scotland’s![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-73035508-b487-430c-9d27-0cbc8603325d.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1998436026-5aa9c939-8f48-406c-a576-84bb35a444e1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-ai-and-healthcare/) FoI responses to The Ferret and the office of the Green MSP Mark Ruskell, shared with us, show that weeks before that on 5 May, a Scottish Government official wrote to a representative of the company noting that they had discussed work Apatura was doing “around \[the\] definition of green data centres” at its [Data Centre Club](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scotlands-data-centre-club-tickets-1985436707639?ref=theferret.scot) networking event at the Corinthian on 30 April. The official asked Apatura to share what it had “developed to date” and said it would be “very useful” to see the company’s position. Apatura responded on 6 May sharing its charter and saying it would “very much welcome Scottish Government involvement with a short supportive quote”. The [charter](https://consult.apatura.energy/hubfs/Sustainable%5FData%5FCentre%5FCharter/Sustainable%5FData%5FCentre%5FCharter.pdf?hsLang=en&ref=theferret.scot) itself calls for data centres to maximise the use of green energy, be built to high energy-efficiency standards, minimise water use, use excess heat in district heating schemes, and work with local communities to ensure their benefits are “maximised locally”. The firm chased the Scottish Government later in May about the endorsement, with officials responding they were unable to comment ”at this point” because ministers had not been allocated after Holyrood elections and the definition was an “extremely live point of policy discussion”. But in the weeks that followed the document seems to have been sent across departments. The FoI responses show one cross-government working group on green data centres and AI had set up a shared online document to gather feedback. A meeting of the group on 17 June discussed the “suitability” of endorsing the charter with one individual noting it was "broadly consistent with our approach to developing” green data centres. Others commented that it lacked “quantified standards” and that they would prefer to endorse a document from a wider trade body, rather than just one firm. As the document was being considered, another part of the Scottish Government was asking Apatura to help it promote the country as a “leading investment destination for data centres and renewables”. On 8 May – two days after the company requested an endorsement for its charter – a government official invited it to take part in an investment summit in London, which would highlight “Scotland’s strengths in relation to data centres and renewable energy” to the city’s “investor community”. The event – held at the Royal Society – appears to have gone [ahead on 8 June](https://invest-uk-science.com/programme/?ref=theferret.scot) and included Apatura’s chief strategy officer David Wildash and Richard Woodfield of fellow Scottish data centre developer, Data Vita. Dr Kat Jones, the director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said this was evidence that Apatura had “the ear of government” on data centres. Jones said: “The Scottish Government haven’t invited any environmental charities to give their opinions on what a ‘green’ data centre is, despite the expertise they have in environment, climate, biodiversity and planning so why should a data centre developer get a preferential hearing? “There is obviously a huge conflict of interests when a developer, which has proposed nearly half the hyperscale data centres in the planning system, is also writing their own set of rules, and trying to get the government to agree to them.” Scottish Greens MSP Patrick Harvie said: “This kind of cosy relationship with big tech companies is particularly concerning when it comes at the same time as the government claims to be writing guidelines on planning rules which could determine the long-term success of these very businesses. “We can’t allow these companies to write the rules by which their planning applications will be judged. We all know that profit-hungry developers will put their shareholders' pockets before the needs of local communities and nature.” Ben Christman, the principal solicitor and legal director at the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, said the correspondence we obtained was “very concerning” because it indicated that civil servants were “cosying up to the data centre industry”. Christman added: “If the Scottish Government’s definition of ‘green data centre’ bears any resemblance to Apatura’s charter, then it will be vague, riddled with loopholes and will likely result in proposals for data centres being granted planning permission, which are about as sustainable as the diesel generators that are a prominent feature of Apatura’s data centre plans.” An Apatura spokesperson said its charter was “developed to help support the responsible growth of data centres in Scotland, with clear principles around renewable energy, energy efficiency, responsible water use, heat recovery and meaningful community benefit.” They added: “With no agreed definition of a ‘green data centre’, we worked with organisations across Scotland to set out what good development could look like in practice, and to contribute constructively to the wider discussion around future national guidance. “We believe that is a positive thing for Scotland. Clear and consistent standards can help protect the environment, deliver benefits for communities and give responsible developers greater certainty about what is expected of them.” The Scottish Government’s public finance minister, Hannah Mary Goodlad, said: “It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on any specific development proposals in the planning system, however we have been clear that the voices of communities that will be affected by these kinds of development must be central to any considerations. “Ministers are giving active consideration as to whether the Scottish Government should provide planning guidance to balance the interest in developing hyperscale data centres with national energy and climate goals, which are vital to our future prosperity.” Last week Goodlad released a planning direction to [tighten](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26470173.scottish-ministers-tighten-oversight-major-data-centres/?ref=theferret.scot) ministerial oversight of data centre proposals. Councils must now notify the Scottish Government within seven days of validating a data centre application of more than 50MW. The [intervention](https://www.gov.scot/news/data-centre-planning-direction/?ref=theferret.scot) also said environmental impact assessments were required for two proposed data centres, including Apatura’s development at Wester Hermiston near Edinburgh. Ministers will also take over the final decision on a separate data centre in the capital, near the Gyle shopping centre. ****Our reporting makes a difference** Good journalism should reveal something new, stand up to scrutiny, and leave the public better informed. That takes time – and your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Loyalist terrorist and neo-Nazi flags displayed at Edinburgh anti-immigration protest URL: https://www.theferret.scot/loyalist-terrorist-and-neo-nazi-flags-displayed-at-edinburgh-anti-immigration-protest/ Last updated: 2026-09-09T10:24:40.000Z **The flag of banned loyalist terrorist groups and a neo-Nazi banner were displayed at a protest in Edinburgh organised by a far right group called the Scottish Defence League.** The anti-immigration demonstration took place on 15 August in the centre of Scotland’s capital on Princes Street during its busiest month of the year for tourism. Flags on display included one with the logos of both the Ulster Freedom Fighters and Ulster Defence Association – paramilitary groups from Northern Ireland banned under terror laws. Another flag on display had the names of two neo-Nazi groups – “Combat 18” and “Blood and Honour”, the latter of which was sanctioned by the UK government last year due to suspected terrorist activities. ****You don’t get stories like this elsewhere** The Ferret publishes investigations that go beyond the daily news cycle, dig deeper, and ask difficult questions. Help us stay independent. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Showing public support for proscribed organisations is a criminal offence in the UK and anyone found guilty of the crime could face a 10 year prison sentence. [Section 13](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/section/13?ref=theferret.scot) of the Terrorism Act makes it an offence to wear, carry or display an item in public in a way that arouses “reasonable suspicion” that a person is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation. The Scottish Greens urged Police Scotland to investigate the incident while an expert on far right extremism who testifies at terrorism trials said the public display of support for terrorism was “alarming”. The Scottish Defence League said: "Those flags were not SDL members flags and we do not support them in anyway, and they are not welcome to come again to any of our protests. We are not interested in terrorist behaviour nor do we support \[it\]." [Police Scotland ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70gp24xn0go?ref=theferret.scot)said it is investigating the incident. Human rights campaigners have already expressed concern this summer that far right groups appear to be increasingly emboldened and willing to publicly promote racist ideologies. The Scottish Defence League, which formed around 2009, re-emerged recently after years of apparent inactivity, at least publicly. It was an offshoot of the far right English Defence League, which opposed Islam and caused violence in English cities for years. The SDL also opposed Islam and refugees but claimed not to be racist. Critics argued that it acted as a front for neo-Nazis, religious bigots and football hooligans intent on causing violence and sectarian divisions. ![A loyalist paramilitary flag on show in Edinburgh. Photo by a Ferret source.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot--268--1.png) A loyalist paramilitary flag. Photo by a Ferret source. In 2018 [SDL member Peter Morgan](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/crime-info/terrorism-prosecutions-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) was jailed for 12 years for terror offences. His Edinburgh flat was deemed a bomb factory by police who also found a Ku Klux Klan application form and an al-Qaeda terrorism manual. The protest in Edinburgh was also attended by anti-immigration activists from England who support a group called the “North West Infidels”. The Ulster Freedom Fighters was responsible for [hundreds of deaths](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65092928?ref=theferret.scot) and proscribed as a terrorist organisation in 1973\. It was closely linked to the UDA which was banned in 1992\. The group often claimed responsibility for sectarian murders by using the cover name, the [Ulster Freedom Fighters](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/mobile/northern%5Fireland/8442746.stm?ref=theferret.scot). [Notorious](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65092928?ref=theferret.scot) attacks by the group included the shooting dead of five Catholics at a Belfast bookmakers shop in 1992 and the Greysteel massacre the following year, when gunmen entered a rural pub and opened fire, leaving eight people dead. [Facebook bans Scots far right group linked to neo-Nazis and terrorismReporting by Billy Briggs, Joshua Martin and Liam Turbett A far right group with links to neo-Nazis, a convicted paedophile and a jailed bomb-maker has been banned from Facebook for hate speech, The Ferret can reveal. The Scottish Defence League opposes Islam and refugees and is an offshoot![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-8cdd52e7-14df-4767-ada5-8137465b8cd1.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SDL-protest-thanks-to-Liam-Turbett.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-defence-league-facebook/) Loyalist terrorists had [links to neo-Nazis](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/combat-18-links-with-loyalism-deep-rooted/a/120141965.html?ref=theferret.scot) including Blood and Honour, initially a skinhead movement that takes its name from a Nazi slogan and promotes white power ideology, often through secretive music festivals. “Blood & Honour” (Blut und Ehre) was written on the personal knives of Hitler Youth. In 2025 Blood and Honour became the first extreme right-wing group to have[ financial sanctions](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/extreme-right-wing-group-sanctioned-by-hm-treasury-under-domestic-counter-terrorism-regulations?ref=theferret.scot) imposed by the UK government because it was suspected of “being involved in terrorist activities through promoting and encouraging terrorism”. Combat 18 originally served as security for Blood and Honour and ended up controlling one of its factions. Its name is code for Combat-Adolf Hitler ( numbers 1 and 8 in the alphabet). In April, [The Ferret revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/loyalist-paramilitary-groups-terror-laws/) there have been 66 alleged offences in Scotland regarding support for banned loyalist paramilitary groups since the Terrorism Act 2000 came into force. Crimes included a man successfully prosecuted after being caught with an Ulster Volunteer Force flag (UVF) on an orange walk in Glasgow in 2023, while a Livingston woman was fined for hanging a UVF flag on her house while singing sectarian songs in support of the outlawed terror group. Professor Matthew Feldman, an expert on far right extremism who has testified at more than 24 trials, mostly terrorism related, said: “The extremist UDA umbrella has been proscribed in Britain for more than 30 years. It has the blood of hundreds on its hands. These are violent, extremist groups.” He added: “The SDL is not like other 'patriotic' groups that mushroomed under the English Defence League after its emergence in 2009\. The group is far more radical and also, in my view, openly white supremacist. This isn’t a far-right group, but extreme right.” ****Our reporting makes a difference** Good journalism should reveal something new, stand up to scrutiny, and leave the public better informed. That takes time – and your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Maggie Chapman MSP, the Scottish Greens’ justice spokesperson, said: “The display of Nazi and far-right symbols at a demonstration in Edinburgh is utterly abhorrent.” She added that the symbols of Combat 18, and Blood & Honour were not “harmless provocations” but “symbols associated with racist, fascist and sectarian violence, hate and intimidation”. Their aim, she claimed, was to frighten people. Chapman continued: “There is no place for fascist intimidation on our streets. People have a right to protest and to express political views. They do not have a right to terrorise their neighbours or threaten communities with symbols of violence and hatred. "I urge Police Scotland to investigate whether offences have been committed and use every available power to hold those responsible to account. And where existing law is inadequate, governments must have the courage to strengthen it.” ### Salmon farms broke the law by letting fish suffer, say government regulators URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farms-broke-law-fish-suffer/ Last updated: 2026-09-09T10:28:29.000Z **Government watchdogs have accused three Highland salmon farms of breaching animal welfare law by causing “unnecessary suffering” and allowing fish to suffocate to death, The Ferret can reveal.** Warning letters released after appeals under freedom of information law reveal that the UK government’s [Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency?ref=theferret.scot) reprimanded the Faroese company, [Bakkafrost](https://www.bakkafrostscotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot), for animal cruelty at two [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) farms in 2025 and 2023\. [Highland Council](https://www.highland.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) also censured the Norwegian multinational, [Mowi](https://mowi.com/uk/?ref=theferret.scot), for using an “inadequate technique” for killing salmon at a certified organic farm in 2025\. The investigations by APHA and the council were prompted by secretly filmed videos of the farms posted online by campaign groups. Campaigners welcomed the release of the warning letters, but condemned them as an inadequate response to the “welfare nightmare” of salmon farming. “These shameful offences would never have come to light without the use of covert cameras,” they said. Bakkafrost and Mowi both said they had implemented the improvements requested by the regulators and insisted they were committed to the “highest standards” of fish welfare. ****You don’t get stories like this elsewhere** The Ferret publishes investigations that go beyond the daily news cycle, dig deeper, and ask difficult questions. Help us stay independent. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The Ferret [reported in February 2026](https://www.theferret.scot/weak-salmon-farm-watchdog-100-investigations-and-just-two-warning-letters/) that APHA had issued two warning letters after investigating 104 complaints about salmon farms between 2020 and 2025\. But the agency refused to say to which farms the letters were sent. We then [reported in April](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farms-rapped-over-animal-welfare/) that APHA had named the two farms after an internal review under freedom of information law. But the agency still refused to release copies of the warning letters. Now, after another internal review, APHA has provided The Ferret with [the letters](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/225369-warning-letters-to-salmon-farms/?ref=theferret.scot). For the first time, they disclose the accusations levelled against the salmon farms, and the improvements recommended. [‘Weak’ salmon farm watchdog: 100 investigations and just two warning lettersInvestigations into allegations of poor fish welfare at salmon farms by the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency have risen by more than ten times in six years, while site inspections have decreased.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-15fc5005-9c55-4cf8-9e62-5290ef815e1a.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Damaged-salmon-in-Loch-Roag--2--thanks-to-Corin-Smith-c6ab4248-1db6-4789-bee0-62a3d1353f5c.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/weak-salmon-farm-watchdog-100-investigations-and-just-two-warning-letters/) APHA launched an investigation into practices at Bakkafrost’s [Quarry Point](https://www.theferret.scot/aquaculture-stewardship-council-bakkafrost/) salmon farm on Loch Fyne after the campaign group, [Animal Equality](https://animalequality.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), released [covert video footage](https://vimeo.com/1095159692?ref=theferret.scot) and made a complaint in June 2025. The agency sent [a formal warning letter](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28543211-apha-warning-letter-to-bakkafrost-on-quarry-point-4-november-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) on 4 November 2025, accusing the company of breaching the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 by failing to prevent "unnecessary suffering”. The letter described how the video showed two members of staff putting “dead or moribund” salmon into a large plastic bin. ”At no point during the footage is there an assessment to check if fish are still alive and, if so, no attempt to humanely euthanise any of them,” said APHA. “Thus, they are left to asphyxiate.” The agency urged Bakkafrost to improve training to ensure that staff comply with company procedures, and warned that breaches must not be repeated. "We will continue to inspect operations at Bakkafrost sites and may attend future operations to verify that these corrective actions have been effectively implemented,” [APHA added](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28543211-apha-warning-letter-to-bakkafrost-on-quarry-point-4-november-2025/?ref=theferret.scot). “Inspections may be unannounced. This letter is without prejudice to any further enforcement or other action, which may be taken at a later date.” > *"These shameful offences would never have come to light without the use of covert cameras" - Abigail Penny, Animal Equality* [Animal Equality](https://animalequality.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) found it “encouraging” that APHA had at last publicly acknowledged that the breaches of animal welfare law were unacceptable. “But a warning letter is nowhere near an adequate response,” said the group’s executive director, Abigail Penny. “These animals suffered terribly and needlessly under Bakkafrost’s watch, and these shameful offences would never have come to light without the use of covert cameras. The punishment simply does not fit the crime.” APHA also investigated Bakkafrost’s salmon farm at West Strome on Loch Carron in 2023, following [a complaint and video footage](https://donstaniford.com/wp-content/uploads/complaint-vs-welfare-biosecurity-breaches-at-bakkafrost-in-loch-carron-dec-2023-2.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from the anti-salmon farming campaigners, [Don Staniford](https://www.donstaniford.org/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Jamie Moyes](https://www.facebook.com/p/Abolish-Salmon-Farming-61550960233082/). In a [warning letter sent in December 2023](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28543209-apha-warning-letter-to-bakkafrost-on-west-strome-18-december-2023/?ref=theferret.scot), the agency said the video showed a few “struggling” salmon that staff members failed to kill. “No action was taken so these few individuals suffered unnecessarily until death occurred,” APHA added. “By acting on the company protocols, the operatives could and should have prevented this unnecessary suffering from happening. It is reasonable to expect that action should have been taken.” Don Staniford, director of [Scottish Salmon Watch](https://www.facebook.com/scottishsalmonwatch.org/), has been filming salmon farms and filing complaints to APHA since 2018\. “I am normally stonewalled,” he said. “It is encouraging to hear that Bakkafrost was warned over welfare breaches in West Strome, but it would have been nice to be notified. Salmon farming is a welfare nightmare with millions of farmed salmon suffering in silence.” [Bakkafrost Scotland](https://www.bakkafrostscotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot) described warning letters as “a standard regulatory tool” used by APHA following investigations into complaints. "APHA carried out investigations and subsequently confirmed that appropriate measures had been implemented,” a company spokesperson told The Ferret. "We remain committed to the highest standards of fish welfare and continuous improvement across all our operations." [A fish farm breached animal welfare rules. The regulator still took firms there on a PR tourThe Aquaculture Stewardship Council monitors standards at Scottish fish farms to help consumers choose “environmentally and socially responsible” farmed seafood. But it showcased a farm that had breached its rules on sea lice 11 times.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-373f2747-f820-4d2f-aa4b-d7d15307c0f8.png)The FerretDaniel Shailer![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1628859742240-269783f56d17-8f99ced4-a41c-4d8e-94d7-b10232514630)](https://www.theferret.scot/aquaculture-stewardship-council-bakkafrost/) Highland Council investigated Mowi’s Loch Harport salmon farm on the Isle of Skye after the [Green Britain Foundation](https://www.greenbritainfoundation.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), founded by the green entrepreneur [Dale Vince](https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/dale-vince?ref=theferret.scot), published [video footage](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b-4eV0Oy7G7-wtMfvdDpzey7JztA7tOy/view?ref=theferret.scot) and made [a complaint](https://www.greenbritainfoundation.co.uk/updates/upermarkets-told-to-remove-scottish-salmon-by-rspca-after-seeing-extremely-upsett/?ref=theferret.scot) in May 2025\. In its [warning letter on 16 June 2025](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28543210-highland-council-warning-letter-to-mowi-on-loch-harport-16-june-2025/?ref=theferret.scot), the council said animal welfare law had been breached. The video showed “insufficient practices” during the euthanasia of farmed salmon, including “prolonged time spent out of water”, “ineffective restraint” and “inadequate technique”, it stated. “There was also footage of a fish being thrown by a Mowi employee at another Mowi employee, which then lands on the floor and is returned to the pen." The council listed 10 measures that had been agreed by Mowi to prevent a recurrence. It warned that, along with APHA, it would make future visits, “which may be unannounced”. The council said: “If any allegations of this nature are received in the future a report may be put to the Procurator Fiscal for their consideration.” Loch Harport salmon farm is certified as organic by the [Soil Association](https://www.soilassociation.org/for-business/soil-association-certification/?ref=theferret.scot), meaning that it should [uphold](https://www.soilassociation.org/what-we-do/our-standards/what-are-organic-standards/?ref=theferret.scot) “the highest possible standards of animal welfare, environmental and wildlife protection”. > *“There is no such thing as organic factory farming" - Rupert Evelyn, Green Britain Foundation.* But according to the [Green Britain Foundation](https://www.greenbritainfoundation.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), salmon farms were “factory farming” and could not be organic. Organic was “the label you buy when you want to believe the fish had a decent life”, said the group’s campaign director, Rupert Evelyn. “There is no such thing as organic factory farming. There is just factory farming with a better logo, and shoppers paying a premium for a reassurance nobody was in a position to give them.” The Soil Association is [currently reviewing](https://www.soilassociation.org/what-we-do/our-standards/standards-innovation/uk-organic-salmon-standards/?ref=theferret.scot) whether it will continue to certify salmon farms as organic. “We were deeply saddened to see this footage 15 months ago, which showed a standard of euthanasia not tolerated by Soil Association organic standards,” said a spokesperson. “We required swift corrective actions and long-term plans to prevent reoccurrence. Corrective actions, rather than removal of certification, can often be the best outcome for the animals.” But if breaches occurred again, the association warned it would review the matter. "Further actions can include removing organic status from the fish or the site,” it said. [Mowi Scotland](https://mowi.com/uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said it had implemented all 10 measures outlined in the letter from Highland Council, and that the Loch Harport farm was still certified as organic. Subsequent visits by the council, APHA and other animal welfare groups had found “no further concerns”, a spokesperson added. “The welfare of our fish is at the heart of what we do. It is also our business model. Healthy fish that grow to optimum levels are highly sought after all over the world and Scotland’s salmon farmers work to the highest welfare standards of anywhere in the world.” [APHA](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment on individual cases. "We treat all reports of suspected cases of poor welfare at salmon farms very seriously and we will not hesitate to take further action if we find evidence of cruelty or neglect,” said a spokesperson. [Highland Council](https://www.highland.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) also said it took animal welfare complaints seriously, and investigated alongside APHA. ****Fuel our next investigation** This story was funded by people who want journalism that uncovers new things, challenges power, and serves the public. Help make the next one possible. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### At Scotland’s major summer music festivals, four in five headliners are men URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-music-festivals-headliners-male/ Last updated: 2026-08-16T08:18:07.000Z **The majority of Scotland's leading summer festivals – including TRNSMT, Eden and Belladrum – have given no headline slots to solo female artists in the last two years, The Ferret has found.** In total just five solo women headlined main stages this summer according to our exclusive analysis. Only three had headliner slots on main stages in 2025\. The summer festival circuit, which is now drawing to a close, brings hundreds of thousands of people together every year and is estimated to contribute [hundreds of millions](https://www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com/news/news/2026/january/16/df-concerts-summer-events-generate-1645-million-for-scottish-economy/?ref=theferret.scot) to the [economy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g58gzxrnno?ref=theferret.scot). Due to rising costs the industry has been under [growing pressure](https://www.heraldscotland.com/life%5Fstyle/26104808.scotlands-festival-crisis-deepens-six-events-cancel-pause-/?ref=theferret.scot), with several big events cancelled this year. But festivals have also been subject to [long-standing criticism](https://musiciansunion.org.uk/news/representing-women-in-festival-line-ups?ref=theferret.scot) about the lack of prominent female artists on their bills. We found that some progress had been made in terms of gender equality. Several Scottish festivals had around 40 per cent women, non-binary and trans artists on their line-ups in 2025 and 2026, and some female musicians told us they feel better supported and welcomed. But others told us that while gender balances on summer line-ups were improving, the industry still had “a way to go”.Every Scottish summer festival analysed had more men on the line-up than women, except one festival in 2025. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Already a member? Donate ](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The majority of festivals did not respond to requests for comment. But some admitted that the issue was a concern and said action was being taken to drive progress. One claimed it had to balance the desire for diverse bills with the need to book big names that would sell tickets. The Ferret looked at the 2025 and 2026 programmes for 11 music festivals across Scotland including TRNSMT, Belladrum, Eden Festival, Kelburn Garden Party, Back Doune the Rabbit Hole, The Reeling, Sky Live Festival, Party at the Palace, Terminal V, FLY Festival, and Hebridean Celtic Festival (HebCelt). We found gender representation was varied. Only eight per cent of artists at Back Doune the Rabbit Hole were women-only in 2025\. However at HebCelt that year, almost half were women (46 per cent). Male solo artists made up 50 per cent or more of the programme at more than half of festivals with the rest of the programme being mixed bands or female artists. Solo women, on the other hand, did not make 50 per cent or over at any Scottish summer festival. But it was in headline slots that women were particularly absent. TRNSMT has [attracted controversy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8e58m78v7o?ref=theferret.scot) over the years for its consistently all-male headliners. The last two years were no exception with 50 Cent, Biffy Clyro and Snow Patrol headlining in 2025 and Richard Ashcroft, Kasabian and Lewis Capaldi topping the bill in 2026\. No women topped the bill in either year. Since launching in 2017, [only one woman](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-67507922?ref=theferret.scot) has been part of a headline act at TRNSMT – Pulp's keyboard player Candida Doyle in 2023\. But they were not the only festival to programme all male headline line-ups. In total almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of the festivals we looked at had no solo women artists closing the night in 2026 though some had mixed gender bands. TRNSMT, Eden and Party at the Palace booked only solo male acts to top the bill. In 2025 nine out of 11 festivals we analysed had no solo female artists headlining. We also found that the vast majority of festival directors and lead programmers were men, with those roles held by women at only two festivals. Those who replied to The Ferret’s requests for comment, such as Kelburn Garden Party, said their teams were well balanced, or even skewed in favour of women. Women, Kelburn added, were also booked as guest curators. Kelburn’s Chris Knight, said the festival thought hard about diversity in terms of gender, race and sexuality. He added: “Our festival management team has a balance of four females and five males. Our artistic production, crew coordination, box office, artist liaison managers are all female." Chay Woodman, the press officer for Eden Festival, and one of the bookers for Back Doune the Rabbit Hole, said in his experience that “most of the festival background team are women”. He also said the Doune stage he curated last month “was pretty much all women including a female stage manager and engineer with his female cousins acting as “stand-in artist liaisons”. The headliner on the stage, however, was male. Female and non-binary artists who spoke to The Ferret claimed some were scared to speak up about festival organisers who failed to take the issue seriously because they were afraid of the impact it might have on their careers. One claimed “nepotism” in the industry had led senior men to hire too many others who were similar in outlook and “looked like them”, known as [affinity bias](https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2024/02/21/what-is-affinity-bias-and-why-does-it-matter/?ref=theferret.scot). [Scotland’s public boards still failing on gender equalityWomen board members appointed to Scotland’s public bodies get paid half a million pounds less than their male counterparts, despite a drive for gender equality, The Ferret can reveal. Published pay arrangements for board members across 93 different public bodies, where appointments are largely overseen by the Scottish Government,![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-5de6b5b4-4b5d-465e-8e48-a14217f896f2.png)The FerretAlly Tibbitt![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/iStock-1258168138.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-public-boards-fail-gender-equality-still/) Scottish singer Tamara Schlesinger, chief executive of the [Hen Hoose music collective](https://www.henhoose.com/?ref=theferret.scot), has previously spoken out against the lack of headliners at TRNSMT, which is run by DF Concerts, telling the [BBC she was "deeply disappointed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8e58m78v7o?ref=theferret.scot), though not surprised" to see no women or non-binary artists among the headliners this summer. She said then that DF Concerts initiatives, such as [Girls Girls Girls](https://www.kingtuts.co.uk/all-events/girls-girls-girls-tickets-ae1190612?ref=theferret.scot), which gives acts the opportunity to perform at King Tut's in Glasgow, could risk "feeling tokenistic when they are not backed by systemic, measurable commitment to equity at the highest levels". She told The Ferret: “When we spoke up about DF, a lot of people \[messaged\] us saying: ‘Thank you so much. I can't say anything because I'm so afraid for my career.'” Schlesinger also claimed the promoter had a huge influence on the sector. As well as running TRNSMT and owning King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, it programmes the Summer Sessions in Glasgow’s Bellahouston park and Country to Country at the city’s Hydro, Scotland’s largest music venue. It claims to book 46 per cent of gigs there and is owned by global giant Live Nation. A [recent exposé about the practices of DF Concerts by The Glasgow Bell](https://www.glasgowbell.co.uk/king-tuts-df-concerts-glasgow-music-doss/?ref=theferret.scot), featured testimony by bands who claimed they are expected to promote their own gigs and sell the tickets, sometimes making as little as £30 between all their members. Its chief executive, Geoff Ellis, commented on its Instagram page: “Pathetic, poorly researched piece of utter pish (as well you know!) You should rename this bollox The Glasgow Bellend.” DF has not signed The Keychange 50:50 pledge, an international initiative encouraging festivals, venues and organisations to commit to working towards an equal gender balance in their programming, staffing and operations. “Actually, all they’re signing up for is to try for an equal lineup,” Shlesinger said. “So if they’re not even willing to sign up to try, then that's quite a strong message.” DF did not respond to our request for comment. Of the festivals we looked at, Skye Live, the Reeling and HebCelt had all signed. Other Scottish signatories include Celtic Connections and Glasgow International Jazz Festival. Many festivals did not respond to requests for comment about why they had not signed up. But Kelburn Garden Party’s Chris Knight said there were no plans to sign "because our programming approach at Kelburn is led first and foremost by artistic style and merit”. He added: “Within this we aim to achieve as best a balance as possible, but putting an official target as the headline goal would complicate an already difficult and time-consuming task." Some said the fact that fewer women featured on line-ups meant it was difficult to develop or build audiences, which helped explain the lack of female headline acts at Scottish festivals. Michelle Shields, HebCelt’s director and artistic programmer, said: “Headliner slots are sought after by artists as a sign of success and a following. From a festival point of view, many of your audience may decide to buy tickets based on a headliner.” In 2025, despite their near-equal line-up, two out of three headliners were male solo acts. In 2026 two headliners were solo male acts, and the third was a band with one female member. [Almost a third of Scots constituencies have only one woman candidate standing… or none at allAlmost a third of Scottish constituencies have only one woman – or no women at all – on the ballot paper according to exclusive analysis by The Ferret that reveals the extent of the gender gap in politics. More than eighty per cent of Scottish constituencies have more men than women on![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-9ccc99c4-d0ba-4213-965a-8a69505b7b57.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1948299476-328318ff-4729-4b3b-b0c5-e76f84627040.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/third-scots-constituencies-one-woman-candidate/) “Musically, it takes time to build your audience to make it to those much sought after headline spots,” Shields added. “We need to do all we can as an industry to encourage diversity in order to break those habits.” Yet she believes change is coming. “We certainly have a much more diverse industry than we had 20 years ago and this can only improve,” Shields said. “The line I always come back to is ‘you cannot be what you cannot see’. An equal, diverse and inclusive line up will inspire future generations and progress our industry in a positive way.” Some claimed it’s still too often left up to female-led collectives to find gender inclusive acts. Polka Dot Disco Club is a FLINTA club night – a German term meaning (Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Non-binary, Trans, and Agender) used by many in the industry. It was founded by Glasgow-based DJ and producer Frankie Elyse, who hosts takeovers at clubs and festivals across Scotland, exclusively booking women, non-binary and trans artists. She said that while there was still work to do the scene was increasingly inclusive. “I’ve seen women DJs get headline slots on a local level, which they wouldn’t necessarily have got 10 years ago,” Elyse added. Kelburn Garden Party is one of the more inclusive festivals we analysed, with women, non-binary and trans artists making up 37 per cent of 2026’s line-up, while men and mixed acts made up the remaining 63 per cent. This year, they invited Polka Dot Disco Club to take over the Saloon Stage with a line-up of six FLINTA acts, but it took place on the first night when the festival was only partially open. Kelburn’s Chris Knight said: “We consider ourselves to be among the industry leaders in this regard, on a nationwide level. Overall we feel we have made good progress in recent years, but know there is always more to be done.” Trad music has long been criticised for its lack of representation but Rising Trad band Dàna said there have been positive changes. "I personally would say it's a lot better than it used to be,” pianist Alex Wotherspoon told The Ferret. “But there's always going to be work that needs done.” “There are so many women behind the scenes,” added Eleanor Tout, the band's whistle player. “Having these people and platforms that celebrate women in Trad is so nice to have." Katie Goh, manager of Engender’s equal media and culture centre, said she was “disappointed” by The Ferret’s findings. “While it is positive that some progress has been made, the continuing lack of women in headline slots points to a systemic, gendered problem. Women’s contribution to Scottish music is being severely undervalued.” ****Go beyond the headlines with us** Deeper investigations, clear explainers, and reporting with real impact all depend on your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Highland trout firm accused of animal welfare abuses URL: https://www.theferret.scot/highland-trout-firm-accused-of-animal-welfare-abuses/ Last updated: 2026-08-13T09:16:01.000Z **A trout abattoir has been accused of animal welfare abuses for the second time in less than a year following covert filming at the Highland site.** The Ferret [published footage](https://www.theferret.scot/footage-trout-clubbed-slaughtered-complaint-regulator/) last October of farmed trout apparently suffocating, haemorrhaging, and being beaten with batons at a slaughterhouse in Ardnish, Loch Ailort. The site is operated by Loch Alba Trout, a company based in Stornoway. The video was obtained by Animal Equality UK which lodged an official complaint at the time with a government regulator. The charity has now obtained new footage allegedly showing fish left to “slowly suffocate after ineffective stunning” at the site. It claims the video once again “raises serious questions” about compliance with animal welfare law and “whether animals are being spared avoidable pain and suffering”. A fresh complaint has been submitted to the Animal and Plant Health Agency Scotland (APHA) by Animal Equality, which alleges breaches of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006\. RSPCA Assured, the animal welfare food labelling scheme, is also examining the new footage. Last year it issued a “formal warning with strict sanctions” – including two unannounced visits to the site – after seeing the initial footage. Abigail Penny, executive director of Animal Equality UK, claimed the regulatory system is “dismally failing farmed fish” due to “too few inspections, weak legal guidance and a lack of meaningful enforcement”. [Footage of trout being clubbed and slaughtered prompts complaint to regulator – The FerretFootage of farmed trout suffocating, haemorrhaging, and being beaten with batons in a slaughterhouse has prompted an official complaint to a government regulator.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-44725a48-dbe4-4b85-82ef-9e76b00b97c4.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1331463086-623c399d-be0d-45d2-ba82-5439fefae832.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/footage-trout-clubbed-slaughtered-complaint-regulator/) She told The Ferret: “In just a matter of minutes, we documented animals showing unmistakable signs of consciousness after attempted stunning, thrashing desperately in ice and, in one case, being punched by a worker.” RSPCA Assured confirmed it was looking into the latest allegation and said the welfare of farmed animals is an “absolute priority”. A spokesperson added: “We take all concerns about poor welfare or breaches of the RSPCA’s standards extremely seriously. Anyone concerned about the welfare of a farmed animal should contact us immediately so we can take appropriate action as quickly as possible.” A spokesperson for the Animal and Plant Health Agency Scotland said: "We treat all reports of suspected cases of poor welfare at salmon farms very seriously and we will not hesitate to take further action if we find evidence of cruelty or neglect." Loch Alba Trout has been asked to comment. Last year, when it operated under its previous name, SeaQureFarming Group, the company told The Ferret it takes fish welfare “extremely seriously” and would take “any necessary action” to improve its operations. “We are always keen to make continual improvements to all our operations and support a beyond compliance approach,” a spokesperson [told The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/footage-trout-clubbed-slaughtered-complaint-regulator/) last October. ### Families are being left without support after a suicide – and it’s causing more deaths URL: https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-place-called-here-glasgow/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T10:48:11.000Z **“It was like a domino effect,” says Fiona Ford. We’re speaking on text because, given everything Fiona has been through, she finds it easier that way. In just six years she has lost two of her daughters and her husband to suicide.** Her eldest, the bright and bubbly Rhiannon, who “didn’t take anyone’s nonsense”, was just 19 years old when she died in 2019\. At the time her younger sister Taylor - “shy but with the kindest heart” - was just 11 years old. “She kept a lot to herself,” says Fiona. “But I knew she was devastated.” She took her own life four years after her sister. And then last June, Fiona’s partner Barry - who had struggled for many years with his mental health - also died by suicide. “The impact the girls’ deaths had on us all contributed,” she says. “But when Barry begged for help, he didn’t get it.” Fiona’s situation is particularly tragic. But with research showing that people who’ve lost someone to suicide have a [significantly increased](https://www.zerosuicidealliance.com/suicide-and-risk/bereavement-by-suicide?ref=theferret.scot) risk of taking their own life, campaigners say it’s crucial families get proper support to help save lives. In real terms the current budget is less than half the annual national spend 20 years ago. More funding, charities insist, must be found to pay for it. In 2024, the most recent data available, [704 probable suicides](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/probable-suicides-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) were recorded in Scotland, an encouraging decrease of 11 per cent. But despite positive progress, the rate is still higher than in [England](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7749/?ref=theferret.scot) and statisticians warn there is [no room for complacency](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clydg0jg1zeo?ref=theferret.scot). Figures for 2025 are due to be released in coming weeks. ****You don’t get stories like this elsewhere** The Ferret publishes investigations that go beyond the daily news cycle, dig deeper, and ask difficult questions. Help us stay independent. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The Scottish Government acknowledges the additional risk for those bereaved by suicide. In 2022 it published ‘[Creating Hope Together’](https://www.gov.scot/publications/creating-hope-together-scotlands-suicide-prevention-strategy-2022-2032/pages/3/?ref=theferret.scot), a “highly ambitious” 10 year suicide prevention strategy for Scotland, which promised “access to high quality, compassionate, appropriate and timely support” for anyone affected by suicide, including family members.But mental health charities say the level of funding isn’t sufficient to meet the ambitions. The Ferret heard from multiple families who said the reality fell short. They struggled to get the psychological help they needed for themselves or their children following the suicide of a loved one. One mother said her daughter waited more than three years for bereavement counselling which was only offered for six weeks. “It was just enough to rip the plaster off,” she told us, claiming that her daughter later ended up self-harming. Others said they had to use savings for private counselling because nothing else was available. Natalie Dakhil, who in June told [The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-crisis-not-admitted-nhs/) about the loss of her father, Michael Byrne, in February 2024, waited for more than nine months for psychological support, offered through occupational health because she works for the NHS. Her GP had told her she would wait for two years through general services. She and her husband Anton were “shocked” at how difficult it was to access anything other than crisis support services and horrified that follow-up with those who had been bereaved as a prevention strategy - known as [suicide postvention](https://wellbeinghub.scot/resource/suicide-postvention/?ref=theferret.scot) \- often seemed like an afterthought. Their response was [A Place Called Here](https://aplacecalledhere.org/?page%5Fid=209&ref=theferret.scot), a voluntary peer support group that people could access for free whenever they needed it. Now some of its members have agreed to meet me, to explain why Scotland must make its strategy a reality. [Over 30,000 Scots in mental health crisis turned to A&E last year. Two thirds were not admittedLives are being lost because people are failing to get mental health support when they most urgently need it, a Ferret investigation has found.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-a67c83e9-b724-4484-b26d-d00fc5e91978.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1-05118653-a3a1-4f2d-83f2-792f7283815f.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-crisis-not-admitted-nhs/) Since it was set-up nearly two years ago, the group - where people can share their experiences, learn techniques like grounding and meditation and receive complimentary therapies – has helped over 100 people. Each Wednesday up to 45 people come along to the community hall in Balornock, Glasgow, where it now meets. “We have been totally honest and transparent from the get go,” says Natalie. “People could just relate to that. You could physically see the relief that they were in a place where they felt welcomed because of the stigma that comes with suicide.” Grief following suicide is complex, she says, and there’s lots to deal with. “I’m now two years down the line and the investigation into my dad’s death still hasn’t concluded - that’s the case for a lot of people. Sometimes the police don’t release suicide notes for weeks or months and families are sitting waiting. “Maybe they’ve had to speak to the procurator fiscal as much as two years later, or had a difficult meeting with the NHS. And where do you go with that?” For Paul, coming to the group gave him an immediate sense of belonging, and “of being in a room with people who understand me”. His dad took his life almost three decades ago, when he was only 17\. Back then there was no support. “I was screaming out for someone to listen,” he says. “I went to psychiatrists and psychologists but I felt like I didn’t find any human empathy there. And then I walked in \[to A Place Called Here\] and it felt so comfortable. When we sit together on a Wednesday night there’s a power in the room that the pain has created - it’s like electricity.” > "Spending on suicide prevention is simply too low to have the intended impact.” — Alex Cumming, Scottish Action for Mental Health Counselling, he says, “peeled off the top layer” of his trauma, leaving him feeling raw so the group helped him move past that. “I used to walk past where my dad died and I had to turn away. Now I look and tune into the happy memories that a combination of the counselling and coming to the group unlocked.” For Annie, who lost her 38-year-old partner to suicide only last year, remembering the good times is still more difficult. “In terms of accessing immediate support I was actually able to do that very quickly,” she remembers. “I think people were really concerned about me.” She got a referral to [Distress Brief Intervention (DBI)](https://www.dbi.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), a Scottish Government funded service introduced ten years ago providing community-based help as well as wellbeing support and signposting. “I think that saved my life,” she says. “I was never suicidal exactly - I never wanted to die but sometimes I didn’t want to be here either.” Normally the service is capped at three weeks but they saw Annie for six. After that though she was told she would have to wait six months for bereavement counselling. “But I couldn’t wait that long,” she says. To fill the terrifying gap opening up in front of her, a work friend sent her a flyer for A Place Called Here. [Cruse](https://www.cruse.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), the charity which provides bereavement services, says help should always be on offer before the six month point but acknowledges that demand is high and waiting times can vary across the country. [School absence rates are reaching crisis point. How can we help young people facing ‘extreme’ social isolation?Academics are raising concerns that an increasing percentage of young people, unable to cope with school, are withdrawing into their bedrooms, while families claim support is “woefully inadequate”.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-6a3aba60-91f3-4cb6-8599-9fee47b72e33.png)The FerretClaire Prentice![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-2256709877-79a68e44-1ece-4cd3-851a-8761e686f7cf.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/school-absence-scotland-crisis-point/) At the first meeting Annie could barely say her name. “I was just crying all the time,” she remembers. “Sometimes people would say how their relative had died and I was so shocked but also so relieved because I couldn’t speak to anyone in my life about the mad, intrusive thoughts I was having. “I was getting flashbacks. I was so scared because I was thinking all the time that it might happen to me too. People were saying to me - “Annie, tell me what you are thinking” and I couldn’t say. I worried I would traumatise them.” At the group she could be honest and open and started to feel better. Now she’s had lots of other support, including weekly counselling from the Manda Centre. Everyone has a different reason to be here. There’s Shona, who lost her mum to suicide in September 2020 but only finally came to the group in January this year after suppressing her trauma in oder to look after her children with additional needs. Then there's Siobhan, who [lost her dad last year](https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-crisis-not-admitted-nhs/) and believes his life could have been saved if services had provided the help he needed and asked for. It left her feeling full of anger and guilt. “It takes everyone talking together to realise it’s not our fault,” she says. “For a long time I felt guilty for laughing.” For Frank, who will never forget finding his 23-year-old daughter Chloe after she died, it saved his life. “There’s been suicide in my family - one about 40 years ago, then one 16 years ago and then Chloe. I felt as if I was doomed. My pain was so fierce at times, all I wanted was to be with her. Thank God for these people in my life. It was because of them that I went to get help from the crisis team when I needed it. If I hadn’t, I’m not sure I’d still be here. “I lost both my parents, quite suddenly, through different illnesses, and I grieve for them. But suicide is a different kind of grief. I still miss my parents dearly. But Chloe,” he trails off. “That almost broke me completely.” This group offers a place to heal and also to remember their loved ones. On anniversaries they can choose to lead the sessions, inviting family members, bringing photos and playing their favourite songs. > “Peer support doesn’t replace statutory services but it provides something different. Everyone should have the option to access both.” — Natalie Dakhil Setting up the group, Natalie says, was a way of transforming her pain into something purposeful. “You get so consumed with what happened,” she says. “And that’s where your mental health deteriorates.” Too often, she says, people are left on waiting lists and expected to cope. [Mental health](https://www.theferret.scot/access-treatment-mental-health-drug-use/) charities such as PETAL Support across Scotland told The Ferret that demand for their services was increasing. Yet funding to provide them is often not. Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) is campaigning for the suicide prevention budget to be doubled form £3m to £6m. [It points out](https://www.samh.org.uk/documents/Health%5Fand%5Fsocial%5Fcare%5Fcommittee%5Fpre%5Fbudget%5Fscrutiny%5F2026-27%5FFINAL.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) 20 years ago spending by the then Scottish Executive on its [Choose Life strategy](https://lx.iriss.org.uk/content/choose-life-national-strategy-and-action-plan-prevent-suicide-scotland.html?ref=theferret.scot) was £4m per year. In real terms that would be over £7m per year today. The Scottish Government’s mental wellbeing minister [Maree Todd](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/maree-todd?ref=theferret.scot) said she was "determined that anyone who needs it has timely access to the right mental health support" and noted that suicide prevention funding had "increased to at least £3m in 2026–27, up from £2.8m". This was supported by "broader mental health funding” which included £30m for community-based support. Alex Cumming, executive director of delivery and service development at the national charity says: "Spending on suicide prevention is simply too low to have the intended impact.” Access to suicide bereavement support should be a fundamental part of what’s on offer, he insists. “Funding should be ring-fenced locally so that communities can develop support based on local need and deliver effective interventions to support people affected by suicide.” [‘Addiewell sentenced my son to death’: Grieving mother speaks out over ‘neglect’ by Scotland’s private prisonA grieving family is planning to sue Addiewell – Scotland’s only private prison – for negligence after their beloved son and brother died alone in his cell at just 22-years old while waiting for mental health support. Jordan Burns made multiple suicide attempts in the ten months he spent on![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-3864edf8-5b60-4e88-8ba6-a3cce14fe7df.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/js363517611-22a8ba69-538c-479c-a301-3fec585b25d2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/addiewell-private-prison-scotland-grieving-family/) Natalie wishes this was already a reality. “To this day every penny we have spent has come through donations and fundraising,” she says. “Nothing comes from statutory services. I think charities like us should be recognised.” A spokesperson for [Suicide Prevention Scotland](https://www.suicideprevention.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) recently visited the group, describing it as a “powerful experience “. They acknowledged the additional risk for those bereaved by suicide. “This is why bereavement support is a key action in Creating Hope Together, Scotland’s suicide prevention strategy and action plan,” they added. “We are currently working on an approach to postvention which will make sure that anyone bereaved by suicide in Scotland has access to the support they need. It is important that as we do this, we involve people who have experienced suicide loss.” Meanwhile for Fiona Ford, the struggle to recover from the loss of her three family members continues. She is no longer looking for NHS help - she’s lost faith in the services that she believes let her loved ones down so badly. That is far from atypical, says Natalie: “The people here have tried to access services for our loved ones before they died. And then after they die we try to access services for ourselves.” Too often, she says, they have been let down. “We’ve had to rely on each other. Peer support doesn’t replace statutory services but it provides something different. Everyone should have the option to access both.” ****Go beyond the headlines with us** Deeper investigations, clear explainers, and reporting with real impact all depend on your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### AI flooded the Scottish Government with wind farm objections. So they stopped accepting emails URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ai-ban-emailed-objections-energy-projects/ Last updated: 2026-08-04T05:00:01.000Z **Artificial intelligence has fuelled a “significant” surge in objections to some of Scotland’s biggest planning applications and prompted the Scottish Government to stop accepting public responses by email.** The rules for consultations on major energy projects were changed in January after an increase in the use of AI in submissions, a [freedom of information](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/freedom-of-information/) response to The Ferret shows. The Energy Consents Unit (ECU) – the team within the Scottish Government which handles applications for projects such as wind farms and pylon lines – now only accepts objections from the public through its own online portal or by post. The change was made following what the ECU described in internal correspondence as a “significant rise in the use of AI in emailed representations”, each of which had to be “processed manually with no verification of sender identity”. Dealing with this had created a “significant administrative burden” and made it harder to distinguish “genuine individual concerns from bulk automated content”, one official wrote. The new system would ensure “protection against fraud” and maintain “the integrity of the consultation process”, the Scottish Government argued. But the move sparked a backlash in some quarters, with critics claiming it could stop people from legitimately participating in Scotland’s planning process and that AI could help people navigate the complex planning system. ****You don’t get stories like this elsewhere** The Ferret publishes investigations that go beyond the daily news cycle, dig deeper, and ask difficult questions. Help us stay independent. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) It comes amid [wider concern](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/nov/09/ai-powered-nimbyism-could-grind-uk-planning-system-to-a-halt-experts-warn?ref=theferret.scot) that a deluge of objections generated with AI could see the UK’s planning system “grind to a halt”. One application for new homes in the English midlands was [reportedly](https://longwall.substack.com/p/how-ai-is-slowing-down-the-planning) the subject of more than 500 email objections from one local resident, including a 160-page report full of errors and hallucinations (when AI generates false, misleading or fabricated information). The ECU is not the only Scottish body which says it has come under strain. The Scottish Information Commissioner had to [limit](https://www.foi.scot/new-measure-aims-protect-foi-rights-danger-ai-overload?ref=theferret.scot) the number of appeals to his office under freedom of information law after an “influx” of “machine-generated AI appeals”. The ban on email submissions has had a particular impact on [ObjectNow](https://object.now/?ref=theferret.scot), a service which generates objection letters to planning applications with the help of AI. The freedom of information response shows it wrote to the Scottish Government to protest on 20 January, days after the change was made, arguing that it had “never sought to overload the system or generate artificial volumes of representations”. According to its [website](https://object.now/how-we-help/?ref=theferret.scot), the group – which says it is not-for-profit and run by volunteers whose identities are not public – helped 50,000 people across the UK submit objections in 2025\. These were mainly made by opponents of wind farms, battery sites and pylons, but ObjectNow [says](https://object.now/faqs/?ref=theferret.scot) its service can also be used to oppose housing developments and infrastructure projects. Local groups can set up a [campaign](https://object.now/zacbury-wind-farm-demo/?ref=theferret.scot) against a project on the ObjectNow platform, which then allows individuals to produce detailed objections for free in three minutes from “[start to sent](https://object.now/how-we-help/?ref=theferret.scot)”. ObjectNow said no local campaign groups had approached it for help opposing a Scottish energy project handled by the ECU since the email ban came into force. A spokesperson said calling its objection letters "written by AI" did a "disservice to volunteers who give their time to draft the strong foundational letters" used by the system. The group said those letters are based on extensive analysis of planning documents. “At no point has ObjectNow allowed AI to generate a letter and submit it without human involvement,” they said, adding that every objection is checked to ensure that it comes from a “real person with real concerns”. ObjectNow described the ECU’s decision to scrap email responses as “a means of muting the true scale of public opposition” to energy developments and “avoid headlines” such as the over [10,000 objections](https://aberdeenbusinessnews.co.uk/more-than-10000-objections-submitted-to-70-mile-aberdeenshire-pylon-plan/?ref=theferret.scot) made to the [Kintore to Tealing](https://www.ft.com/content/810a1604-d2a4-4f6d-a266-35c07f970321?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=theferret.scot) pylon line. “A publicly funded department of the Scottish Government should have the technology, staffing and capacity to process any number of objections or representations submitted, regardless of how they are prepared or delivered,” the spokesperson added. A Scottish Government spokesperson told The Ferret: “Our planning and consenting system ensures that local communities can always have their say – and any objections and material considerations are carefully balanced when determining applications. “Due to the volume of emailed representations received in previous years, the Scottish Government invested in the Energy Consents Unit’s online portal to ensure public representations are now made directly to Scottish ministers. “This ensures protection against misrepresentations and maintains the integrity of the consultation process.” ### Read the full freedom of information response [here](https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/28531021-scottish-government-correspondence-on-ai-and-energy-applications/?embed=1&ref=theferret.scot). ****Our reporting makes a difference** Good journalism should reveal something new, stand up to scrutiny, and leave the public better informed. That takes time – and your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Scotland’s wind industry is booming. China and Wall Street are cashing in URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-wind-china-wall-street/ Last updated: 2026-08-02T05:00:27.000Z **China’s government and an investment vehicle based in the Cayman Islands are among a group of foreign owners whose Scottish wind farms have paid out more than £1bn to shareholders in recent years.** The figures come from a Ferret examination of five years of dividend payments reported in the annual accounts of some of Scotland’s biggest onshore wind projects. They have been branded “extraordinary” by critics who claim wealth from our natural resources is "filling the pockets of distant private shareholders or other countries’ treasuries” while Scots miss out. As we [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/landowners-making-millions-wind-farms-scotland/) [this year](https://www.theferret.scot/is-this-former-viking-outpost-a-model-for-a-fairer-scotland/) some communities across the country feel they are being [short-changed](https://www.theferret.scot/communities-were-promised-a-share-of-scotlands-wind-boom-some-are-being-sold-short/) by local wind farms, which are large infrastructure projects which can alter treasured landscapes for decades and cause disruption while being built. But the renewable sector said it is a major contributor to the economy – supporting over “47,000 jobs” – and the overseas investment it attracted to the country was “delivering lasting value to the Scottish people”. ****You don’t get stories like this elsewhere** The Ferret publishes investigations that go beyond the daily news cycle, dig deeper, and ask difficult questions. Help us stay independent. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Our analysis identified 37 projects ultimately owned outside the UK which reported paying £1.15bn in dividends over five years. One of the biggest potential winners identified is IIF International Holdings LP, a Cayman Islands fund managed by the Wall Street banking giant, JP Morgan. Fifteen wind farms we analysed listed the fund – which owns them through an Edinburgh-based subsidiary called Nadara – as their ultimate parent company. Together they reported paying more than £450m in dividends over the five-year period. The biggest contributor was the 40-turbine [Farr wind farm](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC166005/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) south of Inverness, which reported paying out almost £110m. Nadara is exploring plans to expand the site with another 10 turbines. The identities of the investors in the IIF International fund are not made public because of rules in the Caymans, which is [considered](https://www.deel.com/blog/cayman-islands-benefits-tax-heaven/?ref=theferret.scot) a corporate tax and secrecy haven. But they [reportedly](https://www.european-services-strategy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ESSU-Research-Report-12.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=23) include investors from the US, the Middle East and Japan. Nadara told The Ferret it has created “strong, lasting relationships” with communities near its turbines and increased its community benefit payments in 2025, alongside offering “shared ownership schemes”. “Nadara adopts a full-lifetime approach to community engagement to create long-term value for our communities as well as for our business,” a spokesperson said. [Is this former Viking outpost a model for a fairer Scotland?The tiny Danish island of Bornholm was the site of one of the world’s first offshore wind turbines back in the 1940s. Now its citizens are fighting to build one of the largest community wind farms ever, and raise the benchmark of what’s possible for locally owned energy.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-f37482a4-5c55-47a6-a64f-40aa2e9aa120.png)The FerretErin Rizzato Devlin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-2202521646-61f22a21-5550-4d6d-99d3-b277380dd707.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/is-this-former-viking-outpost-a-model-for-a-fairer-scotland/) Developments owned by overseas governments also reported more than £400m in dividends during the five-year period. Two wind farms owned or part-owned by the French state energy company EDF – [Dorenell](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05628395?ref=theferret.scot) in Moray and [Fallago Rig](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC226523/officers?ref=theferret.scot) in the Borders, which it has a stake in alongside US investor Federated Hermes – paid out more than £250m. Projects owned by Norway’s state-owned renewable company, Statkraft, reported £131m in dividends, while Sweden’s state-owned Vattenfall was in line to receive almost £13m from [Clashindarroch](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05358030/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) in Aberdeenshire. The [Afton](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10332231/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) wind farm in East Ayrshire, owned by the Chinese government’s State Development and Investment Corporation, reported £26m in dividends. The same organisation ultimately owns the [Benbrack](https://www.redrockrenewables.com/benbrack/?ref=theferret.scot) wind farm in Dumfries and Galloway, which began generating electricity last year. [Communities were promised a share of Scotland’s wind boom. Some are being sold shortMore than 20 wind farms are failing to pay an agreed amount to locals. That could cost Scottish communities over £50m.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-9197802f-9ae0-43b4-a0ae-a11f2b91a470.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-2226814875-c7aec4d5-83e6-4e47-b984-32e7e33cfe86.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/communities-were-promised-a-share-of-scotlands-wind-boom-some-are-being-sold-short/) ### **Calls for greater Scottish stake** Our analysis does not cover every major onshore wind farm in Scotland, because some do not publish separate company accounts. This includes those owned by major developers such as SSE, and ScottishPower – itself a [subsidiary](https://www.scottishpower.com/about%5Fus/iberdrola?ref=theferret.scot) of the Spanish utility company Iberdrola. Not all the cash paid out by individual projects will necessarily reach the ultimate shareholders. It often first passes through layers of holding companies, which may decide to reinvest it or use it to repay debt. But the findings provide a snapshot of the money being generated by the onshore wind sector – and where some of it could be ending up – at a time when there are [renewed calls](https://www.scottishbeacon.com/news/local-democracy/the-power-shift-democratising-energy-seizing-power/?ref=theferret.scot) for Scotland to take a much bigger stake in its renewable energy industry. In May, a coalition of campaign groups and think tanks launched the [Our Power](https://www.ourpower.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) campaign, which is calling for action to keep more of the money generated by wind, solar and hydro power locally. Liam Hainey, a spokesperson for the group, said Scots were currently being “shortchanged” with “too much wealth filling either the pockets of distant private shareholders or other countries’ treasuries”. > “If we stick to business as usual and an economy of extraction then we will look back in 20 years filled with regrets.” – Kristopher Leask MSP, Scottish Greens He added: “We urgently need action to ensure that more of the profits from the renewable sector stay in Scotland and benefit our communities which is why we’re calling on the Scottish Government to take a public stake in future projects and to do everything it can to support council and community ownership.” The Scottish Government has supported community energy through its [CARES](https://localenergy.scot/funding/?ref=theferret.scot) scheme, which provides funding and advice to groups seeking to develop or have a stake in renewable projects. It also [launched](https://www.gov.scot/news/sharing-the-gains-of-clean-energy/?ref=theferret.scot) a pilot scheme last year giving communities the first opportunity to lease and repower 10 wind farms on publicly owned land. Repowering involves replacing a project’s turbines at the end of their operational life. Meanwhile, the UK Government’s clean energy investment company, GB Energy, published its [Local Power Plan](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/698b50136c8ef8db1fcfd88e/gbe-local-power-plan-2026.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) this year, which said it “refused to accept that the days when Britain owned things are in the past”. It committed up to £1bn over three years to help more communities own local energy projects, which it claimed could become a “long-term engine for local economic growth and community wealth building”. [Wealthy landowners are making millions from Scottish wind farms. You’re subsidising themOur latest investigation has found the financial rewards of Scotland’s energy transition are being unevenly distributed. The money earned by landowners often dwarfs the payments that wind farm developers make to local communities.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-f3376cdd-6ec9-4735-ad16-b99f6cd51966.png)The FerretLouis Boyd-Madsen![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/2-9005b1c9-3cd1-4158-893b-e193f5f831ea.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/landowners-making-millions-wind-farms-scotland/) Part of the [rationale](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a047638ee62840dba48a1ec/gbe-local-power-plan-2026-evidence-annex.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for the plan was that community-owned energy projects have been found to deliver more for communities than the current model of ‘community benefit’ payments – where developers make voluntary payments to support local initiatives near their turbines. The industry [points out](https://www.scottishrenewables.com/assets/000/004/846/Community%5FBenefit%5Fin%5FAction-%5FCase%5FStudies%5Ffrom%5Fthe%5FOnshore%5FWind%5FIndustry%5F-%5FFOR%5FWEB%5FSPREADS%5Foriginal.pdf?1750862652&ref=theferret.scot) that community benefits are a “unique feature” of the renewable sector and claims “no other industry has chosen to take such a positive role in our society”. Communities [receive](https://www.scottishrenewables.com/assets/000/004/846/Community%5FBenefit%5Fin%5FAction-%5FCase%5FStudies%5Ffrom%5Fthe%5FOnshore%5FWind%5FIndustry%5F-%5FFOR%5FWEB%5FSPREADS%5Foriginal.pdf?1750862652&ref=theferret.scot) £55m from community benefits from all Scottish onshore renewable projects per year. The Farr wind farm, ultimately owned by the IIF fund, paid out nearly £95m in 2023 alone. One 2021 [study](https://www.aquatera.co.uk/news/community-owned-wind-farms-have-paid-their-communities-34-times-more-than-commercial-counterparts?ref=theferret.scot) found community-owned projects provide 34 times more money to communities than the average community benefit package. GB Energy also pointed to [evidence](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13549839.2024.2360716?ref=theferret.scot) that public support for the transition to cleaner energy increases when local people own projects and see their economic benefits firsthand. But currently only [around one per cent](https://www.communitylandscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Scottish-Community-Coalition-on-Energy-Community-Shared-Ownership-Call-to-Action.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of Scotland’s onshore wind capacity is owned by communities. That lags far behind countries like Denmark, where, since 2008, developers have been [required](https://www.theferret.scot/is-this-former-viking-outpost-a-model-for-a-fairer-scotland/) to offer communities at least a 20 per cent stake in new wind farms. In Germany, one [study](https://www.unendlich-viel-energie.de/studie-buergerenergie-bleibt-zentrale-saeule-der-energiewende?ref=theferret.scot) estimated that 40 per cent of renewable capacity is citizen-owned. > “The UK squandered our oil and gas wealth – we cannot repeat the same mistake with renewables.” – Laurie Macfarlane, Future Economy Scotland “There is nothing inevitable about a system where Scotland’s natural assets are controlled by overseas governments and multinational corporations,” the Scottish Greens MSP for the Highlands and Islands, Kristopher Leask, told The Ferret. Leask, who worked for the charity Community Energy Scotland before being elected to parliament in May, added: “Scotland has an enormous renewable energy potential, but too often our communities are seeing the disruption without sharing in the rewards. “If we stick to business as usual and an economy of extraction then we will look back in 20 years filled with regrets.” That view was shared by Laurie Macfarlane, the co-director of think tank Future Economy Scotland. “The UK squandered our oil and gas wealth – we cannot repeat the same mistake with renewables,” he said. Macfarlane claimed it was “extraordinary” that £400m in dividends had flowed from projects owned by the French, Chinese, Swedish and Norwegian governments, “while the Scottish exchequer has received nothing”. He added: “If the Scottish Government is serious about delivering a just transition, it must take bold steps to expand both public and community ownership of our renewable resources. The people of Scotland deserve a real stake in our energy future.” [Why are Scottish wind farms paid billions to switch off?Despite Scotland’s booming wind sector, turbines are still routinely paid not to spin. The Ferret unpacks why this happens, what makes it so costly, and what it means for your bills.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-faec2ae1-bacf-486a-9e53-d5edb256bded.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Denoiser-headers-1-ea59b6a6-1160-428f-905e-7902105a9cf0.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/why-are-scottish-wind-farms-paid-billions-to-switch-off/) But a spokesperson for Scottish Renewables, the body that represents the whole of the country’s green energy sector, argued it continued to attract “significant inward investment, delivering lasting value for the Scottish people, the economy and energy security”. "Renewable energy supports more than [47,000 jobs in Scotland](https://fraserofallander.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Economic-Impact-of-Scotlands-Renewable-Energy-Sector.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), creating opportunities for businesses and workers while helping to grow a strong domestic supply chain. These benefits are felt far beyond individual projects, bringing investment, skills and opportunities to communities across the country,” they continued. "Continued investment in the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) and other support programmes, alongside the significant funding delivered locally by renewable energy projects \[in community benefits\], will help more communities and local authorities capture the benefits of Scotland's renewable energy industry." ****Be part of something bigger** Supporting The Ferret is not just about access. It’s a way to back journalism that’s accountable, impactful, and independent. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Loyalist killer and former Ulster Volunteer Force member attended Glasgow anti-immigration protest URL: https://www.theferret.scot/glen-kane-mark-sinclair-glasgow-protest/ Last updated: 2026-08-13T10:29:15.000Z **A loyalist killer from Northern Ireland and a former member of the banned terror group the Ulster Volunteer Force attended an anti-immigration demonstration in Glasgow that turned violent, The Ferret can reveal.** Scotland’s first minister John Swinney and other politicians condemned the violence, which started in Glasgow Green and spread to the city centre. Anti-racists gathered at Glasgow Green on 25 July 2026 to oppose a demonstration by anti-immigration protesters. Clips on social media showed attendees performing Nazi salutes and mounted police drew batons to separate rival groups. Those attending the protest included Glen Kane - on the left in the above photograph - from Northern Ireland who was jailed for nine years for being part of a mob which [killed a Cath­olic](https://www.judiciaryni.uk/files/judiciaryni/decisions/R%20v%20Kane%20and%20Hagan.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) man dur­ing a sec­tarian riot in 1992\. ****We’re committed to journalism with impact** Good reporting does more than fill the feed. Your support helps us make journalism that exposes wrongdoing and brings change. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) He was in Glasgow last weekend with con­victed armed rob­ber and former Ulster Volunteer Force member Mark Sin­clair, who calls himself ‘Free­dom Dad’ on Youtube where he posts videos. Kane, aka ‘Mr X’, is a former member of the British National Party, a racist organisation. In June [he appeared](https://www.pressreader.com/uk/sunday-life/20260614/281505052914375?srsltid=AfmBOoqLx8jcgNGnQQHbhLsqkfFtUT0zSnVLTx2sbqrkLd2PYmcOqAos&ref=theferret.scot) at Lagan­side Courthouse, Northern Ireland, on a race-hate charge. He denies the charge and the case is due to be heard in September. Mark Sin­clair was [jailed for 18 years in 2003](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3200608.stm?ref=theferret.scot) for a series of bank robberies in Scotland. He had travelled over from his native Northern Ireland and targeted Clydesdale bank branches in Troon, Stewarton and Dalbeattie, netting almost £13,000. Sinclair, a Rangers football club fan, opposes multi-culturalism and says he regularly visits Glasgow. In a recent video posted while travelling by boat back to Northern Ireland, he said: “It was a bit of an eye opener for us in Northern Ireland to see Glasgow in such a state. It was spot the white man unfortunately and that’s the way it’s going and it’s not going to get any better. “Nobody’s being removed and they’re going to be here to stay, and they’re going to have children, and their children are going to outbreed us, and Scottish people, especially Glasgow people, will be a minority,” he added. “This is where we’re at today. It’s facts, it’s not misinformation. We aren’t far right racists to love our country, to love our traditions, and to love our cultures, and not want to see changes. [Reform UK activist claimed to know that Northern Ireland migrants would be targetedConcerns have been raised after a Reform UK campaigner claimed he knew in advance that migrants in Belfast would be targeted following the heinous attack on Stephen Ogilvie. Reform UK said it has “repeatedly and unequivocally condemned violence, intimidation and criminal damage”.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-96084a58-47bb-4c94-abe9-c2bf60f4f4b6.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1219779956-0f9c5a52-08e9-4d4f-9c65-fdfbde8aa93e.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-northern-ireland-migrants-targeted/) “We’re not going to lie down and let these people, or the government destroy what we know as our culture and traditions in Ulster, Northern Ireland. The bottom line is we’re a white Christian country.” Following the protest in Glasgow last Saturday, Sinclair posted a video claiming five people had travelled from Belfast, as well as others from Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool and Hull. He described the protest as “pretty eventful” and said “it was really dangerous coming into the demo” because a group called the Green Brigade, which supports Celtic football club, were there. In the same clip, Kane accused anti-racists of causing trouble in Glasgow. He said police questioned and photographed him at the protest while he was kettled with other anti-immigration protestors. He also admitted being a former member of the BNP but denied being a far right leader in Scotland when this was put to him by Sinclair. “I just wanted to come over and observe the right wing,” he said. “I had a good day.” Last June Sinclair attended anti-immigrant protest rallies in [Dublin and Limerick](https://x.com/caulmick/status/1936666034271830355/photo/1?ref=theferret.scot). [The ex-BNP ‘Christian patriot’ raising international funding for Scottish ‘vigilante’ night patrolsFar right organisation Knights Templar International, whose frontman Jim Dowson has a long history of involvement with extremist groups, is now supporting Scotland’s new wave of night patrols.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-55f0915d-aebe-4b6e-9c3c-e5a7cda5a63b.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/dowson-1-74882134-9b55-4185-8a68-8be5df50247c.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/jim-dawson-funding-vigilante-scotland/) Ex-BNP member and loyalist preacher Jim Dowson was also in Glasgow during the weekend of the protest. The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/jim-dawson-funding-vigilante-scotland/) yesterday he was helping to fundraise for Scottish “vigilante” patrol groups, who have been criticised for targeting migrants. [Hope not hate](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2026/07/27/glasgow-protest-exposes-the-growing-normalisation-of-neo-nazism/?ref=theferret.scot) claimed both Kane and Sinclair are “well established members of the Northern Irish far right scene”, adding: “The events in Glasgow last weekend are evidence of a growing issue whereby overtly racialised rhetoric, including ethnonationalism and neo-Nazism, is becoming less taboo.” Holly Bruce MSP, the Greens’ shadow cabinet secretary for social justice, said: “The violence and intimidation we saw in Glasgow at the weekend was appalling. The reported involvement of people with histories in loyalist paramilitarism, racist politics and serious violence is deeply alarming and cannot be dismissed as a ‘protest’.” Sinclair has been asked to comment. We were unable to contact Kane. ****Go beyond the headlines with us** Deeper investigations, clear explainers, and reporting with real impact all depend on your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### The ex-BNP ‘Christian patriot’ raising international funding for Scottish ‘vigilante’ night patrols URL: https://www.theferret.scot/jim-dawson-funding-vigilante-scotland/ Last updated: 2026-07-29T13:20:11.000Z **The frontman of a right wing, nationalist Christian group is raising funds from across the UK, Europe and the United States to buy equipment for Scottish "night patrols" accused of targeting migrants.** Britain First co-founder Jim Dowson, who is originally from Airdrie but now based in Northern Ireland, fronts Knights Templar International (KTI), a militant Christian nationalist organisation, which promotes itself by evoking the [10th century crusades](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights%5FTemplar?ref=theferret.scot). He was dubbed [“the invisible man of Britain's far right”](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b0pwgs?ref=theferret.scot) by the BBC, who ran an investigation into his activities in 2018\. Dowson posted videos revealing his financial support for the Glasgow groups to followers of KTI’s TikTok account this weekend, prior to the start of what organisers [Unite the Clans](https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-immigration-protest-activists-travel-england/) claimed was Scotland’s “largest anti-migrant rally” in Glasgow. Organisations KTI is funding include “night patrol” group [Scots Active](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-night-patrol-groups-protecting-women-children-vigilantes/), providing them with stab vests, cameras and high visibility security jackets. The Ferret, which is co-publishing this story with T[he Detail](https://www.thedetail.tv/?ref=theferret.scot), previously reported on this and other groups, who have been accused of having links to the far right and targeting migrants. KTI claims to have members in the UK, Eastern Europe, Canada and the United States, whom Dowson thanked for “their generosity” in financial support for the Scottish volunteer groups. Dowson stood down from Britain First in 2014, claiming he opposed its [“raids” on Mosques](https://newhumanist.org.uk/2014/07/28/founder-of-britain-first-quits-over-counter-productive-mosque-invasions/?ref=theferret.scot). ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) A fervent Ulster loyalist, he has also been using the phrase “unite the clans” in recent months, inferring that Protestant and Catholic groups should come together to fight the common “enemy” of migration from Muslim and other “third world countries”. In online sermons he expresses the view that getting rid of “illegals” is “not enough”. Nick Griffin, former leader of the British National Party, is also involved in the organisation and appears in several of their videos. ### Glasgow rally On Saturday, 25 July, about four or five hundred anti-migration protestors gathered in Glasgow Green to hear from speakers including Josh Fernie of the [Homeland Party](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/homeland/) and Richard McFarlane of [Patriotic Alternative](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/patriotic-alternative/) who both called for re-migration of all people of colour and led chants of “send them back”. Later some protestors were filmed abusing people of colour passing by, both verbally and in one instance, [throwing a traffic cone](https://www.thenational.scot/news/26410358.far-right-thugs-attack-glasgow-delivery-driver-traffic-cone/?ref=theferret.scot) at a fast food delivery man. Police Scotland made 15 arrests over “significant disorder" and warned it expected to make others. Several people at the Glasgow Green event were spotted wearing Dowson’s Knights Templar insignia including one draped in a cape bearing its logo. His organisation is named after The Knights Templar, which was a [military order](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military%5Forder%5F%28religious%5Fsociety%29?ref=theferret.scot) of the [Catholic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic?ref=theferret.scot) faith founded in 1118 to defend pilgrims on their way to [Jerusalem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem?ref=theferret.scot). Various groups using similar names continue to evoke their historic iconography. Some “night patrols” including Glasgow based Scots Active and a group called Scottish Crusade, supported the rally. As The Ferret has [previously reported](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-night-patrol-groups-protecting-women-children-vigilantes/), these groups claim to be peaceful activists seeking to protect women and children. Critics argue some have anti-immigration agendas, are using the issue to fuel far right narratives and have targeted [innocent people](https://news.stv.tv/west-central/scots-dad-fearing-for-his-life-after-being-wrongly-accused-of-filming-children-in-park?ref=theferret.scot). The patrol groups have been highly visible at protests in local communities across Scotland in recent weeks, some in response to the presence of convicted or suspected child abusers. In 2025-26, violence against women and girls has [risen significantly in Scotland](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cze9wgj0n3no?ref=theferret.scot), including [in Glasgow](https://onlineservices.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/viewSelectedDocument.asp?c=P62AFQDNNTNTNT0G0G&ref=theferret.scot). Local protests have taken place after several [serious assaults](https://www.scotland.police.uk/what-s-happening/news/2026/june/man-arrested-and-charged-in-connection-with-sexual-assault-in-glasgow/?ref=theferret.scot), including those by [migrant men](https://www.scotland.police.uk/what-s-happening/news/2026/may/man-sentenced-to-10-years-in-prison-for-violent-and-sexual-offences-in-glasgow/?ref=theferret.scot). Ahead of Saturday’s event, several thousand counter protesters, organised by Stand Up to Racism, Women Against the Far Right and others, gathered at the gates of Glasgow Green to show vocal opposition to fascist and racist ideologies. But beforehand, Dowson filmed himself on the green in TikTok videos that appear to be targeted at US supporters. In one video, filmed beside [the doulton fountain](https://victorianweb.org/sculpture/fountains/3.html?ref=theferret.scot), Dowson says he is in Glasgow “because there are four different groups here that we’re going to try and help”. The groups, he says, are involved in Christian patrols and “keeping the people safe” and he references meeting up with them later in the day. In the video he claims that authorities are “filling the houses” in Calton, the area to the east of the city on the edge of Glasgow Green, “with Africans” and “undocumented males from all over the world”. He claims the green was “teeming with Africans” on the night before the march. He thanks Templar groups for their financial support, and asks them to “keep it coming” so that people in Glasgow can “keep their women and children safe”. He signed off with the phrase “deus vult”, a Latin phrase which means “God wills it” and has become associated with far right, white supremacist movements, especially in the United States where it was seen during the 2017 Unite the Right protest in the [Charlottesville](https://www.npr.org/2017/09/04/548505783/scholars-say-white-supremacists-chanting-deus-vult-got-history-wrong?ref=theferret.scot) along with crusader crosses. This rally became infamous after counter-protester Heather Heyer was murdered by a white supremacist. In a second video, Dowson encourages supporters to visit the Templeton carpet factory building on the green “if you ever get the chance to come to Glasgow” claiming he is “now off to meet some of the patrol groups”. In a different video he refers to Glasgow's poorer areas as “the projects”, using language to appeal to a US audience. ### 'Community safety' Another online clip features Scots Active, who have thanked him for donations including walkie talkies, stab vests and cameras. In the video Dowson claims that Scots Active are keeping women and girls safe because neither the authorities or the police are doing so. Police Scotland has previously told The Ferret that it does “not endorse, condone or encourage any group's activity”. Darren Docherty, who co-founded Scots Active, confirmed Dowson got in touch over social media and said he had long been a fan of the Knights Templar. He claimed that while he agrees with Dowson about illegal migrants, he does not agree with everything he stands for. “I am a Rangers fan but I don’t agree with everything my football club does,” he argued. “So just because I am a fan of the people in question doesn’t mean I agree with everything they say.” He condemned the violence following the protest claiming “everyone should be able to state their point of view without being attacked” and said no-one should be ever be attacked “over their skin colour”. But he added: “Put it this way and it makes things simple - if you go to Poland you want to see Polish people, yes? Same goes for Japan or Jamaica so why when we want the same for Scotland are we branded racist? “All we want is our native people to be around in our native land without foreign threats coming here and committing horrendous acts on our women and children who walk around with targets on their backs. If that makes me racist for wanting my native people to have a homeland then I must be racist.” Dowson confirmed to The Ferret that, as he expresses in online sermons, he is not content with the remigration only of "illegals" but with all new migrants “flooding to Scotland”. The BBC has previously exposed KTI for [buying paramilitary equipment](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0667x0m?ref=theferret.scot), sent to Northern Kosovo where British troops were stationed to keep the peace between the Muslim Kosovo Albanian community and Orthodox Christian Serbians. In 2017, Dowson was [expelled from Hungary](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2017/05/24/jim-dowson-expelled-hungary/?ref=theferret.scot) due to concern about his activities. He told The Ferret he was used by its government as a right wing fall guy to detract from criticism. > "Templars in history are seen as elite, chivalrous knights and we were brought up with these stories. You are not a skinhead thug anymore, you are a knight, protecting women." - Rory MacLellan, researcher Rory MacLellan, post doctoral researcher at [Royal Holloway, University of London](https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), who has been researching the organisation since 2016, said Dowson’s group was the most recent to tap into Templar mythology to market its ideology. In KTI's merchandise store website it advertises “the full knight package” for $890, which includes various knight associated regalia. “Templars in history are seen as elite, chivalrous knights and we were brought up with these stories,” MacLellan said. “So this is about a rebranding of the old right. You are not a skinhead thug anymore, you are a knight, protecting women.” He claimed that while KTI claimed to have money, images of a chapel renovation project appeared "shoddy" while some videos had AI backgrounds. “So you have to question how successful it is,” he added. “Regardless, this is a group using militant, supremacist and racist language. It is a far right group by any measure and the fact that they are funding Scottish community groups is concerning.” A spokesperson from Women Against the Far-Right Scotland said the patrols emerging around the country "do nothing to keep women safe”. “Those involved are weaponising the very serious issue of violence against women and girls to spread their racist ideology and are a method to intimidate migrants, Muslims and people of colour,” they added. “But they do not care about women; in recent reports many of the men involved in far-right organising have previously been reported for domestic abuse.” Jim Dowson, who spoke to The Ferret yesterday from Northern Ireland, claimed that his visit to Glasgow last weekend was his first to the city for 20 years. “I didn’t recognise it,” he said, claiming that the number of foreigners on the streets was “unbelievable”. Glasgow is Scotland’s most ethnically diverse city, with 19 per cent of its population from a non-White minority ethnic group, according to the most [recent figures](https://www.gcph.co.uk/assets/000/003/841/GCPH%5FGlasgow%5FCity%5FEthnicity%5FProfile%5Foriginal.pdf?1764150337&ref=theferret.scot). Only four per cent of Scotland is [non-White](https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/census-results/at-a-glance/ethnicity/?ref=theferret.scot). “There are far too many people in Glasgow who come from other cultures that are incompatible with ours,” Dowson claimed. “They are unvetted and they are dangerous.” Migrants were being housed in working class areas, he said, with “balloons” from the suburbs unable to understand the impact on communities. But his issue is not only with "illegal migrants" but with all migrants “who are flooding over here” including those who do so legally. He clarified that he had “no problem” with migrants with specialist skills where there were shortages including doctors and engineers. “I don’t object to a wee Filipino nurse,” he said. “I object to useless migrants, whether or not they are legal. It’s not just Muslims - people are coming here from third world countries and many of them have very different views on how we treat women." Asked about his views on white abusers he said: “I’m biblical and the bible is very clear, if you are an abuser you should be executed regardless of where you come from – you should be put to death.” ****Help us keep digging.** If this investigation mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is Scotland's independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### This Russian depot supplies Putin’s war in Ukraine. Its boss has a Scottish property portfolio URL: https://www.theferret.scot/this-russian-depot-supplies-putins-war-in-ukraine-its-boss-has-a-scottish-property-portfolio/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T11:39:10.000Z **A Russian investment boss’s firm owns commercial property in Glasgow, raising questions about the checks made on who is able to buy Scottish assets, claims a new report.** The [study](https://www.socace-research.org.uk/publications/rp44-bn54-illicit-trade-black-sea?ref=theferret.scot), published today, highlights how Russia is exploiting weaknesses in UK and European sanctions and security controls to import military goods for the frontline, sell and export stolen commodities from occupied Ukraine, and ship oil via its ‘shadow fleet’. The research is part of the Serious Organised Crime / Anti-Corruption Evidence [project](https://www.socace-research.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which is funded by the UK Government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office. One focus is Russia’s Kavkaz Port, which is [connected](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Port+Kavkaz,+Chushka,+Krasnodar+Krai,+Russia,+353545/Crimean+Peninsula/@45.2742442,36.1308959,61841m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x40ee95e045949fa7:0xf39c8a7c88a3fcaa!2m2!1d36.6737069!2d45.341195!1m5!1m1!1s0x40eac2a37171b3f7:0x2a6f09e02affbaeb!2m2!1d34.4997274!2d45.3453029!3e0?entry=ttu&g%5Fep=EgoyMDI2MDcyMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D&ref=theferret.scot) to Crimea by a bridge and ferries. The report claims it is important for supplies of explosives, fuel and other goods to the war’s frontline, and for shipping pillaged grain from Moscow-occupied territories. In 2024, the port’s main cargo terminal was [acquired](https://archive.ph/r2fFZ?ref=theferret.scot) by RWM Capital, an investment group [chaired](https://archive.md/qQM3D?ref=theferret.scot) by oligarch Sergey Orlov. A decade earlier, in 2015, RWM bought a portfolio of seven Glasgow properties on West George Street, Hope Street, and West George Lane, months after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-28-at-12.30.00.png) Properties on Glasgow's West George Street are owned by a company belonging to the head of an investment firm behind a Russian shipping hub. Image credit: Google The property was bought for £8.7m by Tenoma Limited in Cyprus. While it still owns the properties, control of the Cypriot firm was transferred to two individuals in October 2024, according to Cypriot corporate records. One shareholder, Feliks Blinov is RWM’s [chief executive](https://archive.md/zny0S?ref=theferret.scot#selection-757.29-760.0), while the other, Vlada Velogodskaya, is Orlov’s ex-wife, [according to](https://web.archive.org/web/20220919055033/https://vgudok.com/lenta/mzhd-maltiyskie-zheleznye-dorogi-byvshie-sotrudniki-rzhd-voshli-v-spisok-rossiyan-oformivshih) Russian news reports. Tenoma also took on a loan for more than half of the value of the property from Russian Commercial Bank in Cyprus, which was shut down due to [its Kremlin ties](https://www.occrp.org/en/investigation/the-kremlin-connections-behind-cypruss-rcb-bank?ref=theferret.scot). “...given RWM Capital and its CEO’s high-profile political affiliations, additional due diligence may have been warranted when the firm acquired the property in 2015 after Russia’s annexation of Crimea,” the report says. “The ongoing ownership of the property through two associates of RWM Capital and its CEO continues to raise similar concerns.” [Hundreds of offshore landowners are illegally flouting Scotland’s land control registerOffshore companies which own Scottish land are breaking the law by failing to reveal who they really represent. Authorities aren’t bothering to check.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-3626c1ca-92aa-44ba-8209-6d5f0c768b4d.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1020962977_70f14b6dd9_h-26a07897-63f4-4f38-93d6-11c90bf5dbfb.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/offshore-landowners-scotland-land-control-register/) According to the Scottish Assessors Association, the seven properties are mostly occupied by Tenoma, while its tenants include IT, legal and consultancy firms. The estate agent Savills is currently [advertising](https://search.savills.com/property-detail/gb0399l181315?ref=theferret.scot) one of the West George Street properties to let, and a title deed shows that Scottish Power took on an existing 60-year lease to house an electricity substation on the basement floor of one of buildings until 2051. The report said the presence of the substation indicated that the property “may also be critical infrastructure”. There is no suggestion that Savills, Scottish Power or any tenants were aware of Tenoma's Russian links. A spokesperson for Scottish Power Energy Networks said: “A secure substation has been located on this site for decades – going right back to the 1960s – and is subject to a token annual rent.” **Western sanctions’ weaknesses** The report says that despite Western sanctions and Ukrainian attacks, Russia’s trade through Black Sea ports increased every year from 2022 to 2025. “This highlights the limitations of current sanctions policy, which has insufficiently considered the critical touchpoints of UK and European business with Russia's war-related illicit trade,” it claims. The “entanglement” between such trade and UK and European financial systems is “a mutual vulnerability”, says the report. “EU and UK policymakers can either work to freeze, sanction and restrict these networks’ operations, or they will continue to infiltrate and undermine the security of Europe and the UK,” it adds. RWM Capital and Savills were approached for comment. Vlada Velogodskaya and Vladimir Yakunin could not be reached. ### Non-native trees dominate Scotland’s national woodlands. Experts are concerned URL: https://www.theferret.scot/non-native-trees-dominate-scottish-woodlands/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T16:23:14.000Z **Less than a quarter of Scotland’s public forests and woodlands are made up of native trees that scientists say are crucial to protect wildlife and the environment, The Ferret can reveal.** Scots pine, birch, oak, rowan, alder and other types of indigenous tree species make up just 23 per cent of Scotland’s nearly 356,000-hectare national forest estate. Non-native trees such as North American Sitka spruce, Douglas fir and lodgepole pine, as well as Norway spruce and Japanese larch, cover 71 per cent. The specific species that make up the remainder have not been recorded. Meanwhile, the presence of Scots pine has continued to decline, with coverage of Scotland’s national tree having fallen by 1,000 hectares in the last five years. The exclusive data, which the Royal Society of Edinburgh told The Ferret was “deeply troubling”, was obtained via freedom of information from Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS). Campaigners argued that FLS, which looks after around a third of the nation’s woodland on behalf of the public, should “do far more” than produce timber, and urged it to plant many more native trees to help tackle the climate and nature crises. ****Power our next investigation** Investigations take time, persistence, and backing from people who believe journalism should go beyond the daily news cycle. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) FLS highlighted that its predecessor was established in 1919 to secure post-war timber shortages. It said non-native trees are essential to sustainably meet a growing demand for timber without relying on imports, and that they store carbon and can [support](https://forestrycommission.blog.gov.uk/2022/10/19/why-woods-are-so-important-for-nature/?ref=theferret.scot) many native species. [According to](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/managing-land/forests-and-woodlands/history-scotlands-woodlands?ref=theferret.scot) NatureScot, forests have been planned “with greater sensitivity since the mid-1980s” in order to support biodiversity and rural development. It says there has been “a dramatic move from timber plantations to more diverse tree cover”. However, the new data casts doubt on the claim. Research has repeatedly shown indigenous trees are [typically better](https://forestrycommission.blog.gov.uk/2022/10/19/why-woods-are-so-important-for-nature/?ref=theferret.scot) for native wildlife as they have co-evolved together over thousands of years, and can support thousands of species including many plants, animals, and the wider ecosystem they rely on to survive. Commercial forests can also support native species if they are actively managed and include enough space and light. But several types of Scotland’s specialist species cannot survive in them, and experts question their overall carbon capturing capabilities. ### **What makes up our woodlands?** FLS data shows more than half of Scotland’s public woodland hosts Sitka spruce, a fast-growing timber crop from Alaska. It covers double the area of all native species combined. Sitka was first planted in Scotland in the early 1800s and has [thrived](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/blog/sitka-spruce?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=So%2C%20the%20short%20answer%20to,cover%20there%20remained%20consistently%20high.) in our climate and soils. But if left unmanaged, it can [reportedly](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/caledonian-pine-woods-may-soon-be-lost-forever-llr97lchd?ref=theferret.scot) crowd out and kill native species, and spread into peat bogs – which make up [a fifth](https://peatlands.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/exhibition/scotlands-peatlands/?ref=theferret.scot) of our land – risking the release of vast amounts of stored carbon. Scientists have also [warned](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) that during planting more carbon may be released by disturbing soils than the trees can absorb for decades, while many uses of timber mean carbon is not stored long enough to support net zero. Forestry bodies say Sitka absorbs carbon quickly, is key to woodland growth, supports 25,000 jobs, and adds £1bn to the economy. Just under an eighth of the national forest estate is covered by the iconic Scots pine, which can live for up to 300 years. However, coverage of Scotland's national tree has fallen by 1,000 fewer hectares compared to 2022. A recent [study](https://www.hutton.ac.uk/study-shows-23-tree-species-needed-to-support-40-of-scots-pine-biodiversity/?ref=theferret.scot) led by Scotland’s James Hutton Institute found that 23 tree species would be needed to support much of the variety of life that is bolstered by Scots pine. The tree supports nearly 1,600 species, almost 200 of which depend on it exclusively for survival. These include hundreds of plants and fungi, and dozens of birds and mammals. [‘Invasive’ Sitka spruce threaten Scottish species and habitats, say expertsA North American tree that kills native species and threatens protected habitats vital to fight climate change now makes up nearly half of Scotland’s forests, The Ferret can reveal. Our analysis of official forestry data shows that Sitka spruce makes up 43 per cent of Scotland’s woodlands, more![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-55168f89-495e-412e-94af-16afba302bad.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image-from-rawpixel-id-3305104-original-60a154ea-92c3-401f-bc3d-7195c496d420.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) Other common tree species in Scotland include North American lodgepole pine and Douglas fir, Norway spruce, and Japanese larch – all key timber crops – as well as native downy and silver birch. The two birch species, along with two types of oak and European beech – all native – were [found](https://www.hutton.ac.uk/study-shows-23-tree-species-needed-to-support-40-of-scots-pine-biodiversity/?ref=theferret.scot) by the Hutton Institute to be “the most promising alternative species” to Scots pine. They support 15 per cent of the biodiversity associated with Scotland’s national tree. Oaks once made up a third of Britain’s tree coverage and the two types native to Scotland can support [2,300](https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/documents/22b3d41e-7c35-4c51-9e55-0f47bb845202?ref=theferret.scot) species including mammals and birds – more than any other native tree. They also have an 800-year lifespan. A recent UK study [suggests](https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20250120-experimental-forests-reveal-the-ways-trees-help-cool-the-climate?ref=theferret.scot) that trees can also absorb more carbon as they age. But oaks make up just one per cent of our public woodlands. Rowan, which[ came second](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/living-and-working/learning-and-education/trees/rowan?ref=theferret.scot) to Scots pine in the running for our national tree, makes up less than one per cent, although its coverage has doubled since 2022. The indigenous balance in Scotland's national forestry estate has marginally improved since 2022, with the area of non-native trees having fallen by more than 10,000 hectares (ha), and native tree cover having grown by about 7,000ha . However, the overall size of the national forest estate dropped by 4,000ha. [Non-native trees dominate Galloway forest at centre of would-be national parkAt least 86 per cent of trees in Galloway forest park are non-native, The Ferret can reveal, prompting calls to diversify woodland in what could be Scotland’s third national park. The 77,300 hectare Galloway Forest Park makes up a large swath of the area proposed to be![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-6978ae79-5400-4b9f-b9d8-68c718d41314.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/geograph-5036795-by-jim-barton-58c86b86-ff96-4bff-b404-ecc2b22fddfe.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/non-native-trees-galloway-forest-national-park/) ### **Non-native dominance ‘deeply troubling’** Professor Ian Wall of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) chaired a 2024 tree planting enquiry that [called](https://rse.org.uk/rse-releases-report-calling-for-a-radical-rethink-of-tree-planting-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) for the Scottish Government’s forestry agencies to stop the spread of “invasive” species like Sitka spruce and foster more diverse plantations. The Ferret previously [calculated](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) that, as of 2023, Sitka spruce made up 43 per cent of Scotland’s woodlands – both public and private. In March this year, NatureScot [published](https://www.nature.scot/doc/scottish-action-plan-invasive-non-native-species-2026-2032?ref=theferret.scot) an action plan to tackle the threats of some non-native invasive species. But Wall claims it failed “to acknowledge the massive extent and adverse impacts of non-native tree species on biodiversity”. “It is deeply troubling to see such a prevalence of non-native species” in public woodlands, he told The Ferret. “There is growing and acute concern regarding the unchecked spread of non-native Sitka spruce onto peatland habitats, torpedoing their carbon capturing capabilities.” [Revealed: Politicians, billionaires and offshore firms’ taxpayer forestry handoutsThe King, J.K. Rowling, billionaires and politicians are among those who have been given tens of millions of pounds of taxpayer forestry subsidies, The Ferret can reveal, prompting claims that wealthy landowners are prioritised over rural communities. Nearly 2,000 recipients, including estates, investment firms and timber giants, were![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-53c63f59-04bd-4897-a183-cc3987d566db.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/untitled-design-1-6ea53481-fffc-4baa-9eab-2093df1f7b61.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/politicians-billionaires-offshore-forestry-handouts/) He added: “Sitka also supports a much lower diversity of other woodland species when compared to native species such as Scots pine or oak. This means significant public funds are required for the restoration of already damaged peatlands and could result in a cost to the public purse of close to £1bn.” Richard Bunting, of Trees for Life, added that only [fragments](https://www.nature.scot/nature-heroes-alladale-wilderness-reserve-caledonian-pinewood-restoration?ref=theferret.scot) of the once vast Caledonian forest survive, citing “artificially large numbers of deer grazing on young saplings, rhododendron choking life away, and Sitka spruce trees crowding out native Scots pines”. He stressed that Scotland is one of [Europe’s](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/edn-20210321-1?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20the%20EU%20had,1990%20%28145%20million%20hectares%29.) least [wooded countries](https://www.forestry.gov.scot/why-are-we-expanding-scotlands-woodlands-0?ref=theferret.scot), with tree coverage in the average European Union member state sitting at 39 per cent. The Scottish Government [aims](https://www.forestry.gov.scot/woodland-expansion-advisory-group-weag?ref=theferret.scot) to expand our woodlands from around 19 per cent today, to 21 per cent by 2032. Trees for Life wants native woodland to be doubled, mostly via natural regeneration, “and for nature recovery to become the primary purpose of Scotland’s national parks”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/07/iStock-1351707743.jpg) A silver birch standing in autumnal colour. Image: espy3008/iStock ### **Public forests should ‘lead the way’** Woodland Trust Scotland’s Simon Ritchie acknowledged the importance of timber produced by non-native trees. But he argued that public woodlands must “do far more” than produce it. “We need far more native woodland to benefit nature and natural processes to address the deepening challenges of nature loss and climate breakdown,” he argued. Willie McGhee of the Forest Policy Group think-tank, agreed. FLS “should be leading the way” in tackling the twin crises, he said. “Moving public land to being more species mixed, less Sitka spruce-dominated, would imbue more climate change resilience in the face of warmer, drier, windier weather; encouraging more biodiversity, with an emphasis on growing more mixed, native species-dominated forests. “And if FLS actively managed our forests, with an emphasis on local employment, greater economic and social benefits would accrue to local communities,” he added. > “We need far more native woodland to benefit nature.” – Simon Ritchie, Woodland Trust Scotland NatureScot, the Scottish Government’s wildlife agency, said: "Of all new woodlands that are currently created in Scotland, 40% are native species. While our native wildlife is generally better able to use native than non-native woodland, some – especially birds and mammals – depend on woodland conditions as much as the trees themselves, and are able to survive, and even thrive, in non-native plantations.” They claimed Norway spruce offers “a seed-rich habitat for red squirrels when it's part of a diverse tree planting mix”. “However, many of Scotland’s internationally important specialist species, \[including animals and plants\], are much more restricted, and unable to use the non-native conifers grown in most commercial plantations." The wildlife agency acknowledged the importance of Sitka spruce for timber production, “carbon and nature”, but also the “negative impacts” it can have on water systems, soil chemistry and some species when it self-seeds in nearby habitats. NatureScot works with FLS and others to advise on any potential harms caused by non-native species, and on how to promote recovery, the spokesperson added. ### **Non-native trees essential for timber** FLS highlighted that its predecessor was [established](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-50870700?ref=theferret.scot) over a century ago to secure home-grown timber after the first world war, and to reduce reliance on overseas supplies. “In an extremely volatile economic and political world, that directive is more relevant than ever,” a spokesperson stressed, with global demand for timber “set to increase substantially over the next 30 years”. Scotland’s “fast-growing commercial forests” reduce the carbon emissions, and woodland and biodiversity loss overseas associated with imports, they argued. “We have for many years been planting native species and continue to adapt our forests, changing the make-up of species and age-classes within them. “However, productive timber will continue to be fundamental to our rural economy, to Scotland’s climate emergency response and to long-term efforts to the conservation of species such as pine marten, red squirrel and raptors such as goshawks.” ****Keep The Ferret independent** The Ferret does things differently: sharp fact checking, and public-interest investigative journalism backed by our readers. [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Scottish Government accused of courting “genocide-profiteers” at Farnborough Airshow URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-farnborough-airshow/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T11:20:49.000Z **The Scottish Government has been accused of courting “genocide-profiteers” less than a year after Holyrood voted to boycott Israel and companies who supply its military.** ‘Team Scotland’ - as the coalition of government officials and quangos dubbed itself – attended the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire this week, alongside arms firms allegedly “complicit in the Israeli genocide in Palestine” and states accused of internal repression. Farnborough is renowned for its spectacular flying displays but it is also a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, including those selling weapons used in current international conflicts. Over 50 countries and territories were expected to attend this week including nations with poor human rights records like Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Dozens of [groups](https://actionnetwork.org/letters/bds-call-cut-ties-with-farnborough-international-airshow/?ref=theferret.scot) called for it to be boycotted due to concerns over human rights. ****You don’t get stories like this elsewhere** The Ferret publishes investigations that go beyond the daily news cycle, dig deeper, and ask difficult questions. Help us stay independent. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Campaign Against Arms Trade criticised the government’s presence at Farnborough, claiming Scotland needed “more than bold progressive statements to the public one day then quiet handshakes and dealings with death merchants the next”. In reply the Scottish Government said it has consistently called for peace in Gaza but that supporting the defence industry is important to protect jobs, the economy and national security. The Scottish Government and business agencies Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise were in Farnborough under the banner of ‘Team Scotland’. Officials attended despite [MSPs voting](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S6M-18686?ref=theferret.scot) last September to “immediately impose a package of boycotts, divestment and sanctions” on Israel and companies allegedly “complicit in its military operations and its occupation of Palestine.” Most members of the current Scottish Government supported the motion, put forward by former SNP MSP and minister Angus Robertson. He controversially met an [Israeli diplomat](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-ministers-israel-meeting/) as external affairs secretary in 2024 while Gaza was bombed, to discuss Scotland as a destination for Israeli businesses. [Did Scottish ministers “rewrite history” over Israel meeting?The Scottish Government changed key parts of the official record of Angus Robertson’s controversial Israel meeting after a backlash, raising questions about government secrecy.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-3a68dd1c-a5e0-43b9-9a42-4b608b6cfbad.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/46739843394_090c169266_k--1--4083922e-9cf6-4442-a12e-d283926f37bc.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-ministers-israel-meeting/) The event at Farnborough, which takes place every two years, featured over 1,000 companies including some whose products have been used in attacks in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, as well as Gaza and the West Bank. Exhibitors included Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms company. Farnborough’s principal sponsor, Barclays, is a [primary dealer](https://home.barclays/how-Barclays-supports-the-defence-sector/is-it-true-that-Barclays-funds-the-state-of-israel/?ref=theferret.scot) of Israeli government bonds and it also invests or lends to companies involved in supplying weapons to Israel, including BAE Systems. Other arms firms represented included the Italian multinational, Leonardo, and US firms Lockheed Martin and RTX Raytheon. They all have operations in Scotland and contribute to the F-35 fighter jet which has been [dubbed](https://caat.org.uk/take-action/campaign-with-us/uk%5Fout%5Ff35%5Fprogramme/?ref=theferret.scot) the “genocide jet” by critics for its role for Israel in Gaza. Angus Robertson’s motion last year called on the Scottish and UK governments to impose a “package of boycotts, divestment and sanctions” targeted at Israel and companies “complicit in its military operations and its occupation of Palestine”. It also called on the Scottish Government to update parliament on the “due diligence checks carried out by Scottish Enterprise during investment decision processes to ensure that defence products are not used in breaches of humanitarian law in Gaza or elsewhere”. > “The rhetoric is there, but the action is not. Our commitment to human rights has to mean more than speeches and carefully worded statements.” — Patrick Harvie MSP, Scottish Greens 65 MSPs out of 129 voted in favour of [the motion](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S6M-18686?ref=theferret.scot), including first minister John Swinney, while 24 opposed it. Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) spokesperson Emma Cockburn accused the government of “empty promises” and said: “While hiding under the banner of ‘Team Scotland’ the Scottish government and Scottish Enterprise have completely disregarded the campaign to boycott this event to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.” She added: “With so few actionable steps taken by the new Scottish government on its boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) commitments it’s not surprising to see them rubbing shoulders with the likes of BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin within the safe confines of the Farnborough Horror Show.” Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Greens MSP, said: “When the Scottish Parliament voted to support boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel it certainly wasn’t meant to be a greenlight to line up with Israel’s arms dealers at trade shows.” He accused the Scottish Government of being “evasive and weak” and added: “The rhetoric is there, but the action is not. Our commitment to human rights has to mean more than speeches and carefully worded statements.” [Arms firms selling weapons to Israel received nearly £10m in Scottish Enterprise grantsArms firms in Scotland who sell weapons to Israel received nearly £10m in grants from Scottish Enterprise, prompting concerns taxpayers’ money may be contributing to human rights abuses and prolonging the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Weapons provided to Israel by arms firms with sites in Scotland include rocket launchers, bombs and![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-e3cafc7f-7c88-4183-b56f-aa5fcf750723.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/iStock-1317672395.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/arms-firms-israel-10m-scottish-enterprise-grants/) A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said it has been a “clear and consistent advocate for peace, justice and human rights in Gaza and other conflicts”, and that it takes a “principled stance on providing no public money to defence companies whose products or services are provided to countries where there is plausible evidence of genocide being committed”. “Ministers will continue to raise the profile of Scotland’s world-class sectors such as space to a global audience,” the spokesperson added. Israel has been accused of perpetrating genocide in Gaza by [the UN](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-committed-genocide-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds?ref=theferret.scot), Amnesty International, and the [Israeli human rights groups](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/07/israel-opt-israeli-organizations-conclude-israel-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza-in-another-milestone-for-accountability-efforts/?ref=theferret.scot), B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel. Israel strenuously [rejects accusations](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/12/israel-rejects-accusations-of-genocide-in-gaza-war-at-icj-hearing?ref=theferret.scot) of genocide in Gaza. The above firms were all asked to comment. ****Be part of something bigger** Supporting The Ferret is not just about access. It’s a way to back journalism that’s accountable, impactful, and independent. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Alarm over bid to keep cracked reactors running by cutting nuclear safety margins URL: https://www.theferret.scot/torness-bid-cracked-reactors-safety/ Last updated: 2026-07-23T05:00:22.000Z **Moves to keep Scotland’s increasingly cracked reactors at Torness in East Lothian generating electricity until 2030 or 2032 have prompted formal action from the UK government’s nuclear safety watchdog, according to internal files obtained by The Ferret.** The station’s operator, [EDF Energy](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/edf-energy/), has been pressing for safety margins to be relaxed so reactors can keep running for as long as possible with hundreds of cracks spreading through their highly radioactive cores. But the [Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/office-for-nuclear-regulation/) has “concerns” and has demanded that the company justify its understanding of the safety implications. ONR inspectors lacked confidence in some of the company’s measurements, and accused EDF of a “trend of under-predicting cracking”. ONR has also revealed that the estimated number of cracks in one of the reactors at Torness leapt by more than a third [from 585](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-reactor-torness-585-cracks/) to 782 in just six months. A further 62 cracks have been found in the second reactor at the site, which only started cracking in May 2025. ****Helping you make sense of what really matters** From fact checks to investigations and explainers, The Ferret helps cut through noise with journalism that is careful, sourced, and worth your time. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Campaigners urged ONR not to be “bullied” by EDF into allowing safety margins to slip. The cracks were “extremely worrying” and keeping Torness running was “gambling with public safety”, they said. ONR told The Ferret that its inspectors made “independent and proportionate challenges” to EDF's claims. It stressed that the current number of cracks at Torness did not breach safety margins. EDF said that “robust challenge” by regulators was essential to a strong nuclear safety culture that prevented accidents. The company's ambition was to generate electricity from the station “for as long as it is safe and commercially viable to do so.” [Revealed: 585 cracks in Torness nuclear reactorThe estimated number of cracks in the graphite core of a nuclear reactor at Torness in East Lothian has risen to 585 – the highest so far – prompting fears of a nuclear “meltdown” and calls for its early closure. In documents released under freedom of information law, the UK Government’s![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-c2ad5b07-c195-4296-9539-5783471e8295.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/edf_34265803614-0d0ae634-7b83-4e97-a6a5-0cbdbd8ff9f8.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-reactor-torness-585-cracks/) [Torness nuclear power station](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/torness/), near Dunbar, is 37 years old, having been officially opened in May 1989 by the then Conservative prime minister, [Margaret Thatcher](https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/107476?ref=theferret.scot). The site had been the target of [anti-nuclear protests](https://www.theferret.scot/spycops-torness-anti-nuclear-scotland/) since 1978. In 2016 the planned life of the station was [extended](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35581272?ref=theferret.scot) from 2023 to 2030\. In 2021 [EDF](https://www.edfenergy.com/?ref=theferret.scot) backtracked on that, saying that Torness would be [closing two years earlier](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-nuclear-plant-close-cracks/) in 2028 because of expected cracking. But in 2024 EDF again changed its mind, and [announced](https://www.edfenergy.com/media-centre/edf-confirms-boost-uks-clean-power-targets-nuclear-life-extensions?ref=theferret.scot) that Torness would keep generating electricity until March 2030\. [According to ONR](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28468579-foi202604006-ar-and-cr-list-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot), EDF had decided to extend the lifetime of the station “to 2030 plus or minus two years”, suggesting that operating to 2032 was also being considered. Meanwhile, Scotland’s other nuclear power station at [Hunterston](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/hunterston/) in North Ayrshire was [closed down](https://www.edfenergy.com/media-centre/news-releases/zero-carbon-electricity-generation-ends-hunterston-b?ref=theferret.scot) in January 2022, more than a year earlier than planned. This followed the discovery of an [estimated 586 cracks](https://www.theferret.scot/hunterston-cracked-nuclear-reactors-another-year/) in its two reactors. The graphite bricks that surround the uranium fuel in reactors, such as those at Torness and Hunterston, crack after being bombarded by radiation for decades. The danger is that this could distort reactor cores, making them more difficult to manage. ONR [previously said](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-nuclear-reactors-cracking-2022/) that spreading cracks could result in debris inhibiting the cooling of the hot fuel. In some scenarios, this could lead to a reactor meltdown, which could result in the escape of radioactivity to the environment. [Torness nuclear reactors predicted to start cracking in 2022Cracks that could increase the risk of a radioactive accident at Torness nuclear power station in East Lothian will start appearing six years sooner than previously thought, according to the UK government’s safety watchdog. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said that cracking which could cause debris to inhibit![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-ac72b10a-31cd-4328-85c9-1c835b1baa67.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/iStock-136631421.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-nuclear-reactors-cracking-2022/) In response to a freedom of information request by The Ferret, ONR has released [11 heavily redacted files](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/225229-files-on-torness-cracks-from-office-for-nuclear-regulation/?ref=theferret.scot) about its latest moves to regulate cracking at Torness. They reveal that between April 2025 and April 2026 ONR held [23 meetings](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28468579-foi202604006-ar-and-cr-list-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) with EDF, and formally demanded action on safety issues. There have been prolonged and gritty tussles between ONR and EDF over how to understand the way in which cracks were impacting safety. Some of the technical issues at stake are difficult to understand because key words and phrases have been blacked out. But it is clear there have been a series of disagreements between the regulator and the company. EDF has been arguing to cut safety margins to allow Torness to operate for longer, while ONR has been challenging EDF’s assumptions, methodologies and conclusions. ONR raised a formal “regulatory issue” because of potential shortfalls in EDF’s understanding of how cracks are spreading. ONR [said](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28468579-foi202604006-ar-and-cr-list-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) it had “concerns over EDF’s ability adequately to predict the number of cracked bricks within the graphite core”. ONR disputed EDF moves to relax the so-called “damage tolerance boundary”, which limits the operation of Torness. According to [one account](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28468579-foi202604006-ar-and-cr-list-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) from ONR, after a series of meetings in 2025 consensus “has not been reached.” ONR pursued a second regulatory issue in 2025 because it [lacked confidence](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28503138-foi202604006-tor-crack-and-fragment-measurement-uncertainty-issue-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) in EDF’s measurements of the width of cracks and resulting fragments. The company [accepted](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28468579-foi202604006-ar-and-cr-list-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) that "a number of errors and incorrect assumptions” had been made, but rectified them and the issue was resolved. > “Safety margins cannot be something to be negotiated simply to keep an ageing reactor running.” – Kristopher Leask MSP After an inspection in September 2025, ONR’s expert graphite panel [commented](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28468579-foi202604006-ar-and-cr-list-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) that there was “reason to pause and think”. They said that EDF forecasts “suggested a continuation of the trend of under-predicting cracking”. One meeting between ONR and EDF in 2025 was about the risk of vital safety systems shutting down because of “snags” caused by cracking. EDF [was said](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28468579-foi202604006-ar-and-cr-list-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) to be proposing to increase the number of permissible snags from one to five. The Ferret also used freedom of information law to ask for an update on the number of cracks in the two reactors at Torness. We [previously reported](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-reactor-torness-585-cracks/) that there were an estimated 585 cracks in reactor one in March 2025, and the first crack had been found in reactor two in May 2025. ONR has [now told us](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28503135-foi202604006-response-letter/?ref=theferret.scot) that “reactor one was inspected in August 2025 where it was estimated the number of cracked bricks were 782.” It added that after an inspection of reactor two in February 2026 “it was estimated that 62 bricks were cracked”. The [Scottish Campaign to Resist the Atomic Menace (SCRAM)](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/news/comment/scram-reborn/?ref=theferret.scot) highlighted [recent moves](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-our-nuclear-nation-government-response-to-the-nuclear-regulatory-review-2025/building-our-nuclear-nation-government-response-to-the-nuclear-regulatory-review-2025-accessible-webpage?ref=theferret.scot) by the UK government to relax regulation to make building new nuclear power stations easier. The Ferret [reported in May](https://www.theferret.scot/starmer-nuclear-regulation-holyrood/) that this had prompted “serious concerns” from the Scottish Government. "This is an extremely worrying situation,” said SCRAM’s [Pete Roche](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). “There is bound to be huge public concern that the ONR will be bullied by EDF and the UK Government into allowing safety margins to slip.” He added: “The bottom line is that continuing to operate these reactors with cracks in the reactor core is gambling with public safety.” [Starmer plan to relax nuclear regulation opposed by HolyroodUK Government plans which could “weaken” oversight of nuclear safety in Scotland have been rejected by the Scottish Government.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-4a2862bf-3e6a-40b1-942e-da305cc79c2c.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-877850156-9d22c484-ac03-4be9-9244-60fb4961c1ed.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/starmer-nuclear-regulation-holyrood/) The Scottish Greens described The Ferret’s revelations as “deeply concerning” and called for a “just transition” for Torness. “Safety margins cannot be something to be negotiated simply to keep an ageing reactor running," said the party’s energy spokesperson, [Kristopher Leask MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/kristopher-leask?ref=theferret.scot). “EDF must answer these concerns transparently. If it cannot demonstrate safe operation against robust standards, the reactors simply must not operate.” Former government radiation adviser, [Dr Ian Fairlie](https://www.ianfairlie.org/?ref=theferret.scot), questioned whether there were “different priorities” other than safety in play. “If public safety were the number one concern then the reactors should be phased out, as their electricity is not needed in Scotland,” he said. The [Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)](https://www.onr.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) stressed that EDF had demonstrated that the reactors at Torness could be safely shut down. “This position is supported by updated modelling and inspection evidence, which is reviewed by ONR,” a spokesperson told The Ferret. ONR’s inspectors were supported by an independent technical advisory team. “This work enables our inspectors to formulate independent and proportionate challenges to EDF's assumptions and safety case claims,” the spokesperson said. “The current number of cracked fuel bricks at Torness does not challenge the safety margins set out in EDF's safety case. As the independent nuclear regulator, we will not allow any plant to operate unless we are satisfied it is safe to do so.” [EDF](https://www.edfenergy.com/?ref=theferret.scot) pointed out that changes to the graphite cores of ageing reactors had long been understood. “EDF has invested more than £300m over the past 20 years to assure good understanding of how the graphite cores age,” said a company spokesperson. This had resulted in some “incredible developments” which had helped provide “a clear understanding of the available safety margins”. New safety arguments gave “high confidence that we will be able to safely shut our reactors down in all circumstances,” the spokesperson added. “It would be surprising if the regulator did not question the operator or request more information and evidence. Robust challenge is a healthy and essential part of the regulatory regime and a strong nuclear safety culture.” When The Ferret asked EDF in June about whether it planned to keep Torness running until 2032, it said its ambition was to keep generating electricity “for as long as it is safe and commercially viable to do so”. The station’s lifetime would be kept under review “to assess whether further life extensions can be achieved”. *Both ONR and EDF requested publication of their statements in full. They are* [*here*](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28503185-onr-and-edf-statements-in-full/?ref=theferret.scot)*. The complete freedom of information response from the Office for Nuclear Regulation is* [*here*](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/225229-files-on-torness-cracks-from-office-for-nuclear-regulation/?ref=theferret.scot)*.* ****Fuel our next investigation.** This story was funded by people who want journalism that uncovers new things, challenges power, and serves the public. Help make the next one possible. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Claim Glasgow City Council put up posters of ‘high risk’ areas for sexual assault is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-city-council-posters-sexual-assault/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T14:42:20.000Z **Protests and campaigns have sprung up across Glasgow after a series of sexual assaults were reported, with some being linked to migrants in the city.** Posts on [social media](https://x.com/BritifyUK/status/2075736028548039087?ref=theferret.scot) [claimed](https://www.facebook.com/steven.morgan.3781/posts/pfbid0289vepQNP5BLAxwqfQjjyXpLVmzHdcfrtPBkNsUiD3anvHhG2RcZ6GYKneAMvFxAWl) that in response to an alleged increase in sexual crimes, Glasgow City Council had put up signs warning people they were in an area of high risk. > Purported Glasgow City Council poster warning of “high risk of sexual assault” in an area - Social media posts [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it **False.** [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/07/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) ### **Evidence** The [posters](https://x.com/rgsneddon/status/2071679335145107514?ref=theferret.scot), which were shared widely across social media platforms including X, Facebook and YouTube, were purported to be from Glasgow City Council and bear the local authority’s logo. The graphics warn people they are in an area with a “high risk of sexual assault”. It suggests a series of protection measures, telling people to “stay alert”, “travel in groups” and “avoid isolated areas after dark”. Any "suspicious” activity should be reported to police, it reads. The Ferret Fact Service could not find any evidence of these posters being put up in Glasgow, and they appear to have just been shared on social media. [Glasgow City Council](https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) told us that the poster was not official, and had not been produced by them. A spokesperson said: “We all have to take care to ensure the veracity of the information we share online about Glasgow, especially if that information has come from accounts with no connection to Glasgow.” It appears the [image originated](https://x.com/rgsneddon/status/2071679335145107514?ref=theferret.scot) with an anonymous account on social media platform, X. They suggested similar posters should be put up before the upcoming Commonwealth Games. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** The posters shared widely on social media are not connected to Glasgow City Council, and appear to have been created by an anonymous social media account. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/07/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_False_RGB.png) The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/signup) ### School absence rates are reaching crisis point. How can we help young people facing ‘extreme’ social isolation? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/school-absence-scotland-crisis-point/ Last updated: 2026-07-19T05:00:31.000Z Bianca was in primary six when she stopped going to school. She was absent for three and a half years, during which time she rarely left home and lost contact with friends. She had faced difficulties with her mental health throughout her childhood and was experiencing anxiety. She was also self-harming and had attempted suicide. Sitting in a café in Glasgow, Bianca, whose real name we’re agreed not to use to protect her privacy, is now 17\. “It was really hard, I didn't feel very good, and I couldn't cope with going to school or going out,” she says. She describes days that blurred into each other without beginning or end. “For a long time, I was just sitting in my room, not doing much. Every day was kind of the same.” Bianca’s mum sought help through her GP, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and Bianca’s school and did everything in her power to get her to return, but it didn’t work. Jack, whose name we have also changed, has been diagnosed with autism and has caring responsibilities at home. He was completely absent from school for more than six months after being bullied and getting into a fight which was shared over social media. He had been threatened with violence and didn’t feel safe going out in his local community. Looking back on their initial meetings, his link worker Elizabeth explains: “He had a lot of suppressed anger and though he had a very supportive family, he didn’t have the tool kit he needed to get out of the situation he was in.” Nodding in agreement, now 15-year-old Jack said: “It felt overwhelming, and I didn’t know what to do.” ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Bianca and Jack are far from alone. School absence rates have reached what some argue is a crisis point in Scotland. More than a third of secondary school pupils (37 per cent) are [“persistently absent](https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-attendance-absence-and-exclusions-statistics-2024-25/pages/attendance-and-absence/?ref=theferret.scot)”, an official term defined as missing ten per cent or more of school sessions, up from 27 per cent in 2014/15\. In some councils it’s far higher. It’s over 40 per cent in a quarter of council areas, including those with the most deprivation such as Glasgow, Dundee and East Ayrshire. In North Ayrshire it reached 46 per cent last year. Tellingly, East Renfrewshire and Aberdeenshire, which are amongst the [most affluent areas](https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk-news/these-are-the-most-prosperous-council-areas-in-scotland-3234314?ref=theferret.scot), have the lowest absence rates. But it’s the proportion of pupils missing 50 per cent or more of their schooling (equivalent to 95 days or more over the school year) that researchers are more concerned about. More than [two per cent](https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-attendance-absence-and-exclusions-statistics-2024-25/?ref=theferret.scot) of pupils missed half or more days in the classroom across all Scottish schools in 2025\. That’s a total of more than 16,000 Scottish young people. In some local authorities including Dundee City and Dumfries and Galloway, the proportion of pupils missing half or more of their schooling is nearly four per cent. Across the county the number has been growing rapidly, with the number of pupils missing more than half of the school year now [almost double](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26270933.record-number-pupils-missing-half-school-year/?utm%5Fmedium=Social&utm%5Fsource=Facebook#Echobox=1783840971) the figure from five years ago. > For a long time, I was just sitting in my room, not doing much. Every day was kind of the same. Some experts warn that these figures underplay the scale of the problem. The Scottish Government does not routinely publish figures for the percentage of young people, like Bianca and Jack, who are entirely absent from the classroom over a prolonged period – there is no official record of how many young people might, like them, have dropped out of view and no national assessment of the impact it’s having. Academics believe it’s a situation we have to take more seriously, warning that chronic school absence is a precursor to extreme social withdrawal, and are highlighting the urgent need for action. Hamish McLeod, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Glasgow, has conducted research into an extreme form of withdrawal and isolation known by the Japanese term “hikikomori,” meaning ‘to pull back and seclude oneself’. It was once thought to be a specifically Japanese phenomenon, closely linked to the country’s economic recession in the 1990s which saw a steady supply of jobs-for-life replaced with insecure, part-time work which disproportionately affected young people and was accompanied by stigma and shame. But Hikikomori is now recognised by clinicians as a condition which exists all over the world, including in Scotland. McLeod said: “Hikikomori is a state of extreme social withdrawal where a person retreats to their bedroom for six months or more, has minimal social contact, may come out to do small errands and tasks but is socially isolated. For some people their only contact with the outside world is through the internet.” Much more needs to be done to support these young people, he argued, before the behaviour becomes entrenched and they become “invisible to normal society.” McLeod added: “Not responding to the needs of this extremely socially isolated group of young people will be hugely costly, financially and in terms of health outcomes.” [Toxic? How do we tackle the rise of misogyny fuelled by online hateOn the way to the activity wing of Polmont Young Offenders Institute – through locked doors and up and down stairs – there is a long corridor with full length windows on which single words are etched onto the glass. Hope, says one. Believe. Inspire. Today’s prison workshop on masculinity and![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-c495bd2f-0b7a-481a-8813-335f99ff6180.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/polmont-young-offendershand-jpg-28852ebc-6009-4c5a-99e9-4e7b13a39cf5.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/toxic-how-tackle-rise-misogyny-online-hate/) Families told The Ferret that support is “woefully inadequate” and complained they faced a postcode lottery when seeking help. One parent, whose son has been absent from school for more than a year, described the dread she feels every morning waiting for the text alert to arrive from school telling her that her son, who refuses to come out of his bedroom, is absent. She has repeatedly begged his school and their family doctor for help but so far, he has not received any. She said: “I’m going out of my mind. It’s soul destroying and incredibly stressful. Every day he doesn’t go in feels like another failure. We asked for an individual plan to get him back to school but were told the school couldn’t do this, they couldn’t make changes for one pupil. Where does that leave us? Are we meant to wave a magic wand? Nothing has been done to address the anxiety and bullying which caused him to stop going in the first place.” [Research shows](https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/every-day-counts%5F7c6f6c3e-en/full-report/consequences-of-school-attendance-problems%5Ffe79e142.html?ref=theferret.scot) that children who miss school often are less likely to do well academically and are more likely to experience poor physical and mental health, struggle financially in adulthood and be involved in crime (as either a victim or perpetrator). The reasons for chronic absence are[ complex and multi-layered](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740925005171?ref=theferret.scot) and can involve mental health challenges, poverty, unmet additional support needs, sensory difficulties, transport problems, bullying and trauma. Absence rates are disproportionately high among those with additional support needs (ASN), at [six percentage points](https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-attendance-absence-and-exclusions-statistics-2024-25/pages/attendance-and-absence/?ref=theferret.scot) higher than those with no ASN among secondary school pupils. The children and young people’s commissioner, Nicola Killean, said: “The Scottish Government must ensure that schools are provided with sufficient resources and that teachers and support staff are enabled to meet the diverse needs of all children.” This view was echoed by a spokesperson for the Educational Institute of Scotland, the country’s largest teaching trade union, who said: “Where previously schools could request support from attendance officers and from other agencies such as home link and outreach to help reengage a young person and their family, for many this is no longer possible. Those services have been cut back, leaving schools with fewer options to support a young person back into school.**”** [Children in care die at twice the rate of others. Why are so few of their deaths reviewed?A disproportionate number of children and young people growing up in care are dying prematurely, prompting calls for preventative action.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-ea31bd47-6551-4032-8712-aeb0a3c9ffd3.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1204091828--1--1-0e0dd1c1-0db8-4c22-b638-ba392cc87f51.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-children-care-die-prematurely/) Stubbornly high rates of chronic school absence come at a time when the issue of so-called NEETS (16 to 24-year-olds who are Not in Education, Employment or Training) is under greater scrutiny than ever. Their number has reached nearly one million in the UK and without action is projected[ to reach 1.25 million](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/young-people-and-work-interim-report/young-people-and-work-interim-report?ref=theferret.scot), or one in six young people, by 2031\. In May, a report conducted by the former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn noted that the UK has the second worst youth NEET rate in Europe, trailing only Romania. Families are calling on the Scottish Government to take action to ensure a consistent response and sufficient funding to enable schools and local authorities to provide adequate support for all pupils. But so far it is not forthcoming. The turning point for Bianca and Jack came when they were referred to Reach (Respond Engage Ask Connect Hope), a pioneering programme run in Glasgow by third sector organisation Quarriers, in partnership with Glasgow City Council to support those experiencing Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA). When the Reach service was launched in 2022, the team was deluged with referrals for young people who had been absent from school and isolated within the home for years, and who were in danger of slipping through the net. Specially trained link workers went out into the community, visiting young people in their homes to befriend and support them. After meeting his link worker regularly over a period of months, Jack began to open up. Together they devised a plan to address his additional support needs, allowing him to return to school to get the qualifications he needed. Two years on, he hopes to be taken on as an apprentice mechanic. “Meeting Elizabeth helped a lot,” he said. > Are we meant to wave a magic wand? Nothing has been done to address the anxiety and bullying which caused him to stop going in the first place. Bianca and her link worker Caroline met weekly. Over card games they struck up a rapport that allowed them to work on confidence building strategies and, when Bianca felt ready, they began venturing outside her home together. Gradually they began making plans to give Bianca the support and practical framework she needed to return to the classroom. This started with a reduced timetable, having a named staff member to turn to and a quiet safe space to retreat to if needed. Bianca has now completed more than a full year of school with near perfect attendance and achieved three A Grades in her Higher exams. So far, nearly 300 young people in Glasgow have accessed the Reach service, with around two-thirds able to leave home to reengage with the community and reporting improved well-being and emotional health. A further 100 young people are currently on the waiting list. But funding for the service – which costs £383,063 per year to run - is due to expire in October. Without it, claims the charity, dozens of young people and their families will have a lifeline taken away. Quarriers has been approached by several other local authorities interested in delivering similar programmes. But so far none has been able to secure funding. A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said the government invests £16m each year in counselling through schools along with a further £28m this year to support the ASN workforce. They added that while “absence from school is primarily a responsibility of parents and carers” the government is “determined to support parents and young people in their attendance.” Meanwhile Bianca hopes to start university in September. Without the support she received through Reach, she believes she would still be at home, afraid to go outside. “I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said. She is now able to leave home to meet friends and relatives without becoming anxious and feels more confident, resilient and positive about the future. As the availability of support for other young people hangs in the balance, Bianca is one of the lucky ones. ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Children in care die at twice the rate of others. Why are so few of their deaths reviewed? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-children-care-die-prematurely/ Last updated: 2026-07-16T05:00:13.000Z Children in Scotland’s care system are twice as likely to die as others, yet the majority of their deaths are still not being reviewed, The Ferret has found. Campaigners say these revelations, revealed in a freedom of information (FoI) request, mean vital lessons that could save lives are not being learned. The data also suggests almost two-thirds of the deaths of children in care over the last five years have not been reviewed. Scottish Government policy states that [the deaths of all under 18s](https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/National-Hub-Data-Report-March-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), as well as those of care leavers up to 26 should be investigated to help prevent future deaths. The “tragic” findings showed urgent action was needed and said the lack of transparency about the dates and outcomes of death reviews was “unacceptable” and flagged serious "accountability failures,” campaigners argued. One mother, whose son died in foster care and whose death by suicide was not subject to a review, said she was “trapped in her grief” by unanswered questions. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The Ferret obtained a number of FoI requests as a [report](https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-Data-release-v1.1-1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was released by the National Hub for reviewing and learning from the deaths of children and young people – a joint Health Improvement Scotland and Care Commission project. Several of the responses gave contradictory numbers on deaths, underlining concerns raised last month about [the lack of reliable data](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26212476.scots-care-system-lacks-evidence-premature-deaths/?ref=theferret.scot) on the deaths of young people in care raised by the [Promise Oversight Board](https://oversightboard.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), an organisation monitoring the implementation of Scotland’s 2020 care review. However, the most comprehensive figures suggest 105 children and young people have died in the last five years, an average of 21 each year. Other figures, provided by the Scottish Government, suggested 22 children in care – or who were under 26 and care leavers receiving after care services – died in 2025\. Using [figures](https://www.gov.scot/publications/child-death-review-report-scottish-government-child-death-review-working-group/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot) for the deaths of all children, The Ferret has calculated that this is twice the death rate of children who have not been in the care system. [Suicide and self harm causing deaths of young people in careAt least 16 children and young people have died of suicide or drug overdoses while in the care system since 2021, the youngest of whom took their own life at just 11 years old, The Ferret has found. Their deaths – which have prompted “outrage” – were among 38 of young people![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-c004ed8b-c23c-4eba-bd05-03c02823aadd.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1496541962-d41fbc8b-2863-4962-839b-9da5b6eea7c1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/suicide-self-harm-cause-death-young-people-care/) ### **Causes of premature deaths** Previously The Ferret has found [at least 16 children and young people](https://www.theferret.scot/suicide-self-harm-cause-death-young-people-care/) died of suicide or drug overdoses while in the care system between 2021 and 2024, the youngest of whom took their own life at just 11 years old. The most recent FoI requests, made by [Glasgow University](https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/glasgowsocialscienceshub/resources/all/headline%5F1178222%5Fen.html?ref=theferret.scot) as part of its annual monitoring of deaths in state care, did not give breakdowns of the cause of death. But details from the Care Commission of 37 deaths from 2021 to 2025 showed a quarter of the children who died were in foster care and were aged between six and 17\. Others who died were under a care supervision order – where the child is looked after at home but with social work involvement – in residential care or schools. Six children in the details provided were under five years old. Not all the deaths were preventable – and some were due to health conditions. Data showed at least three children in the last five years died in a hospital and two died in residential care homes where they were living due to health complications. [Alone, at risk and afraid: urgent action needed to stop care leavers becoming homelessYoung people leaving care are still being left homeless and at risk, in unsuitable hostels surrounded by drugs, or too afraid to sleep at night despite a Scottish Government “promise” to ensure they are given a safe and loving home for as long as needed, The Ferret has heard. The![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-9f71d1b5-01cc-48ff-a104-781dd056dc25.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-507633450-8d114b42-7d10-4621-a278-c0dabcd2b1fd.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/urgent-action-needed-stop-care-leavers-homeless/) ### **‘Unacceptable’ lack of learning from deaths** But despite the seemingly disproportionate number of preventable deaths, only 40 out of the 105 deaths were subject to a review process, according to an FoI from the national hub. It is not clear which deaths have been investigated. The [NHS Inform](https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/death-and-bereavement/practical-advice-after-a-death/reviewing-the-death-of-a-child-or-young-person/?ref=theferret.scot) website says death reviews are required “to learn about the circumstances surrounding their care and death” claiming it is “important to understand as much as possible about what happened”. “A review of a child’s care and the circumstances around their death helps families understand what happened,” it continues. “It also means services can learn any lessons that could prevent other children or young people dying from similar causes.” Last year we told [the story of Nina](https://www.theferret.scot/migrant-mother-cultural-bias-family-ripped-apart/), a migrant mother whose son had been removed from her care when he was two years old and had later, aged 15, taken his own life while in permanent foster care. His death has not been reviewed, leaving his birth mother “trapped” in her grief and unable to move on due to her unanswered questions about his death. “I can’t move on,” explains Nina. “I am like a zombie. I don’t have a life. I have so many questions about my son’s death. I need to find out what really happened and for there to be some accountability. It is not fair that this hasn’t happened.” [A teen took his own life in foster care. His migrant mother says cultural bias led to her family being ripped apartOn one side of Nina’s bright living room, life is flourishing. Plants line the large window, green and verdant, the tendrils of one tumbling vigorously down the side of a high shelf. But on the other side, where a small memorial has been set up, time has frozen. Cut![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-881a7be5-ad3a-4810-85b8-5f4223d0bb11.png)The FerretJuliana da Penha![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image0-1-jpeg-cf1f5477-5d95-46f8-83a0-661e0f608773.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/migrant-mother-cultural-bias-family-ripped-apart/) ### **Contradictory data** Glasgow university’s [Professor Sarah Armstrong](https://www.sccjr.ac.uk/person/dr-sarah-armstrong/?ref=theferret.scot), the lead author of the deaths in state care report, expressed concern that the three organisations sent FoIs by her team – Health Improvement Scotland, the Care Commission and the Scottish Government – provided different figures for deaths. She was critical too of a [national hub](https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/inspections-reviews-and-regulation/national-hub-for-reviewing-and-learning-from-the-deaths-of-children-and-young-people/?ref=theferret.scot), who in their most [recent report](https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/publications/national-hub-for-reviewing-and-learning-from-the-deaths-of-children-and-young-people-data-release-2026/?ref=theferret.scot), did not analyse details of deaths reported, as it claimed the numbers were too small to provide “robust” learning points. “How many more years are needed until there is a large enough number of deaths so that the data is robust enough to analyse?” Armstrong asked. ”How many more lives might have been saved in that time?” In February 2020 Scotland published [The Promise](https://thepromise.scot/resources/2020/the-promise.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) – a series of recommendations to review the care system for children and young people – which stated that all children should “grow up loved, safe, respected, and able to realise their full potential”. [A bill](https://www.gov.scot/news/bill-to-keep-the-promise-passed/?ref=theferret.scot) passed in March 2026 put many of the suggested reforms into law. David Anderson, chair of the [Promise Oversight Board](https://oversightboard.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), who also has past experience of the care system said: “It is completely unacceptable that, on an issue as serious as the deaths of care-experienced children and young people, Scotland cannot clearly show who has died, who was reviewed, what was learned and what changed. “Families should not need journalists, academics or an oversight board to piece this together from different places,” he added. “If the system cannot explain this clearly, it is not a technical problem. It is an accountability failure.” > “It is completely unacceptable that, on an issue as serious as the deaths of care-experienced children and young people, Scotland cannot clearly show who has died, who was reviewed, what was learned and what changed.” – David Anderson, chair of the Promise Oversight Board A spokesperson for Healthcare Improvement Scotland said: “The death of any child is extremely distressing for all of those involved and it is important that we learn as much as we can from these tragic events.They promised to “report on emerging themes over time, as we build richer data”. The spokesperson added: These reports aim to ensure the death of every child in Scotland is subject to a thorough review and keeps bereaved families and carers fully informed.” A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said all deaths “must be treated with compassion, dignity and respect” .“Where possible, it is important that valuable learning from these deaths is shared across relevant partners,” they added. Minister for The Promise Siobhian Brown claimed Scotland was making significant progress in making reforms to the care system, with an 18 per cent reduction in the number of children in care since 2020. “Every premature death of a care-experienced person is a tragedy,” she told The Ferret. “This year we introduced a law requiring ministers to report annually on the deaths of looked after children, to help us learn from each case and reduce the risk of premature death. “We continue to work with our partners to improve processes and clarify responsibilities in the event of the death of a looked after child or young person. All such cases should be reviewed by the local authority.” ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Thousands of patients’ data exposed in NHS Scotland data breaches URL: https://www.theferret.scot/nhs-scotland-data-breaches/ Last updated: 2026-07-12T05:30:58.000Z **Scotland’s NHS boards have recorded more than 5,000 data breaches over the last four years, The Ferret can reveal.** Incidents included staff sharing confidential patient information, a cancer patient's medical records being wrongly accessed, and private phone numbers exposed after a cyber attack. Freedom of information requests sent to Scotland’s 14 health boards also found that Police Scotland has been informed of data breaches six times, while at least 182 staff faced disciplinary sanctions. Politicians said our findings were “really concerning”. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – the organisation tasked with enforcing data protection laws – said patient data is “highly sensitive” and health boards are legally obliged to protect it, or face sanctions. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Health boards are expected to collect, store, use, share and dispose of personal information, or data about individuals, in line with [UK data protection laws](https://www.nhsgrampian.org/about-us/data-protection/?ref=theferret.scot). While most of the breaches were for relatively minor issues such as emails being sent to the wrong recipient, concerns have been raised over measures in place to protect sensitive pieces of personal information. The ICO – an independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest – has broad powers and can serve enforcement notices on data controllers and fine them heavily. Breaching the data protection rules can also, in certain circumstances, be a criminal offence. If an organisation decides against making a report, the ICO says they should keep a record of it and be able to explain why it was not reported. We asked health boards how many data breaches they have had since January 2023 and if any staff members were disciplined as a result or reported to Police Scotland. Most NHS boards provided information but some did not so the number of breaches are likely to be higher. ### **NHS Board responses** NHS Lanarkshire revealed there had been 1,138 breaches since January 2023\. Of these, 171 resulted in staff being disciplined but there have been no dismissals regarding breaches to data. In 2023 it emerged that NHS Lanarkshire staff shared [confidential patient](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-66364283?ref=theferret.scot) information in an unauthorised WhatsApp group. An ICO investigation found 26 employees shared the names, phone numbers, addresses and clinical information on over 500 occasions between April 2020 and April 2022\. The ICO concluded that NHS Lanarkshire lacked appropriate policies around the use of WhatsApp for patient information during the pandemic. The health board, which apologised to patients, received a formal reprimand and was told to improve its data protection practices. NHS Lothian logged 14 breaches since over the same period, dismissed six staff members and reported six to police. Last year a [woman was charged](https://news.stv.tv/east-central/woman-charged-after-around-100-patient-records-accessed-in-nhs-lothian-data-breach?ref=theferret.scot#Echobox=1761934035) after around 100 patients had their medical records accessed in a data breach at the health board. In 2023 [a Scots cancer](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-cancer-patient-hits-out-29230578?ref=theferret.scot) patient was told by NHS Lothian that his medical records had been accessed by staff in a data breach. The health board refused to say then if the staff member had been dismissed, but added that the breach would be fully investigated. The incident affected around 90 people, and followed a similar incident in February 2021, in which an internal audit found that an employee had accessed over 150 NHS colleagues' medical records. NHS Dumfries and Galloway was hit by a [cyber-attack](https://www.scotsman.com/health/scottish-health-board-hit-by-huge-cyber-attack-with-significant-quantity-of-data-at-risk-4556604?ref=theferret.scot) in 2024 which put a "significant quantity" of data at risk and the files accessed could include "patient-identifiable and staff-identifiable data". It disclosed 607 “data incidents” but said it would be too costly to review each individual case for data breaches. Two years ago NHS staff had their phone numbers exposed in a [cybersecurity](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly3g49pkz4o?ref=theferret.scot) incident involving a third-party supplier used by multiple health boards. NHS Grampian confirmed staff phone numbers had been obtained, whilst NHS Dumfries and Galloway issued an alert to staff. The ICO was notified and staff were told to remain alert for suspicious calls or texts. > Everyone who uses our NHS should be able to do so safely in the knowledge that their medical history and records are safe. NHS Grampian said an average of 417 reports were made each year about “personal data issues”. The majority of these were “low risk, are managed without harm to the data subject and do not meet the threshold for reporting to the ICO,” the board said. Sixty-eight incidents were reported to the ICO but the board could not provide further information because it is “not centrally recorded”. NHS Highland told The Ferret there were 10 personal data breaches. They were referred to the ICO but no further action was taken. Over an 18-month period this affected 272[ NHS Highland staff and patients](https://news.stv.tv/highlands-islands/hundreds-of-nhs-highland-staff-and-patients-impacted-by-data-breaches?ref=theferret.scot#Echobox=1759571171). The breaches included human error, technical failures, and a cyber-attack on the NHS Highland supplier. In 2021, human error resulted in 124 patients having their names and addresses included in Covid-19 vaccine letters sent to other patients. In 2022, Thurso resident Peter Todd lodged several complaints after he received records belonging to another patient. He was concerned that his own medical records had gone missing. NHS Ayrshire & Arran said there had been 164 data breaches. Earlier this year it reported [an incident](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25956338.patient-records-accessed-scottish-nhs-board-data-breach/?show-onboarding=yes&ref=theferret.scot) in which a member of staff at University Hospital Crosshouse in Kilmarnock inappropriately accessed electronic patient records. The health board notified the ICO and the Scottish Government and said the staff member no longer works for NHS Ayrshire and Arran. “The outcome of these investigations can range from early resolution through to dismissal,” the health board told The Ferret. “We have dismissed no staff relating to breaches. Police Scotland are only contacted where the breach is found to be of a level where this would be an appropriate course of action and this has only happened once.” NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde had 1,335 incidents but it could not say if any employees were disciplined because its “digital services team does not hold any information on the action taken against individual staff members”. NHS Forth Valley had 249 breaches and “\[fewer\] than five” people were disciplined. It would not give further details as it argued this could lead to people being identified. NHS Orkney recorded five, NHS Shetland had 183 incidents and four were reported to the ICO, although no staff members were disciplined or reported to the police. [NHS patient data breached at least 1,395 times in two yearsDozens of NHS staff have been disciplined after data laws to protect patient’s personal information were breached at least 1395 times over the last two years, we can reveal. Freedom of information requests sent to every NHS board in Scotland found there were at least 1,395 breaches recorded![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-afaeaa5a-857c-4eb4-b504-4916f6f38bdd.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/iStock-508288522.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nhs-patient-data-breached-1395-times-in-two-years/) NHS Western Isles had 107 data breaches but no-one was referred to police. It could not say if any staff were disciplined because the data is “not captured in the incident reporting system”. NHS Fife said it reported 40 data breaches to the ICO but could not give further details. NHS Tayside did not provide information. It said the scope of The Ferret’s request was “very broad and due to NHS Tayside being a very large organisation, a lot of the requested information is not centrally held or readily available”. NHS Borders had 525 breaches but claimed that providing further information would breach the Data Protection Act 2018. Five years ago The Ferret revealed there had been [1,395 data breaches](https://www.theferret.scot/nhs-patient-data-breached-1395-times-in-two-years/) in Scotland in just two years. Our requests for information on NHS data breaches were prompted by the case of a radiographer who accessed the personal records of more than 200 female patients before stalking them. Andrew Stewart worked at hospitals in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire where he dealt with hundreds of patients. He used his position to look up files of women he had treated and made a note of their contact details. The medic then pestered the women, some of whom were domestic abuse victims, with a string of messages on Facebook and WhatsApp in a bid to have relationships with them. One of his victims, [Vivien Hamilton](https://www.theferret.scot/stalked-victim-moved-radiographer-personal-records/), told The Ferret that this harassment forced her to move home. [Woman stalked by radiographer after NHS file accessed speaks outA woman stalked by a radiographer after he stole her NHS files has spoken for the first time about the impact of his actions on her life and how she moved home. Waiving her anonymity, Vivien Hamilton spoke to The Ferret because she wants to help other women who may![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-6281ee88-e831-489c-a029-0776e53ccc00.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/J29916.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/stalked-victim-moved-radiographer-personal-records/) ### **‘Really concerning’** An ICO spokesperson said: “Patient data is highly sensitive information that must be handled carefully and securely. When accessing healthcare services, people need to trust that their data is in safe hands. We expect all health boards to have robust technical controls, clear staff training, and strong cultures of accountability in place. Where organisations do not comply with the law, we will take action." Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, the Scottish Greens MSP, said: “This is really concerning and will have an impact on patient and staff confidence. Everyone who uses our NHS should be able to do so safely in the knowledge that their medical history and records are safe.” She added: “NHS data controllers need to look at the processes they are using and if they are as strong as they should be. Our health boards need to work with patient groups and others to ensure that they build a system that works for all patients and medical staff.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The privacy of patients and service staff is paramount and we expect all NHS boards and delivery partners to protect and respect individuals’ information and rights at all times.” “Recognising the ever-increasing cyber and information threats faced across health and care, we also work with boards to ensure they receive the support, guidance and assurance needed to respond effectively when a reportable incident occurs.” ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Anti-immigration activists from England due to travel to Glasgow for protest, claims "patriot" group URL: https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-immigration-protest-activists-travel-england/ Last updated: 2026-07-11T09:08:42.000Z **Anti-immigration activists from England are due to travel to Glasgow for a protest later this month, amid fears of more street violence this summer.** Unite the Clans Scotland (UTC), a group branded [far right](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25957027.groups-kept-apart-police-holyrood-far-right-rally/?ref=theferret.scot) by critics, is organising a “peaceful” anti-immigration protest in Glasgow on 25 July. ****Reporting you can check, not just share.** We publish rigorous, sourced journalism and we correct it when it’s wrong. If you value facts over noise, help keep this work independent. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Various “patriot” groups are due to attend the rally including Britain First, a racist and Islamophobic political party with a history of [invading mosques](https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/65088?ref=theferret.scot). According to UTC, activists from England will travel north for the Glasgow Green protest which is due to take place two days after the Commonwealth Games start. UTC – which rejects claims it is far right – posted on Facebook: “We at UTC, alongside groups from Perth, Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Falkirk, and many more across Scotland, as well as at least three groups from England, will be standing together at Glasgow Green on 25 July at 12 noon.” The Ferret requested the names of these groups but did not get a response. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/07/screen.png) Tensions are high in Glasgow following a series of protests over alleged sex crimes by migrants. Angry crowds gathered in Cranhill on Tuesday and dozens of residents gathered in Castlemilk on Wednesday evening. Last week, similar disorder took place in Royston, Glasgow, in response to an alleged sexual assault. Anti-racism groups have expressed concerns that “extremists from elsewhere could seek to inflame tensions”. They accused far right actors of using “horrific attacks on women to infiltrate local communities to build their far right street movement”. Police Scotland said misinformation was being spread online by bad actors, often from outside Glasgow. Five police officers were injured during the protests. Far right groups have previously been accused of exploiting people’s concerns over asylum seekers to promote white supremacy, racism and anti-Muslim views. One far right activist who travelled from England to Glasgow this week for a protest was arrested for an alleged hate crime after shouting “f\*\*nian c\*\*\*s”. In 2023, white supremacists from England travelled to Erskine for demos, as reported by [The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-recruit-erskine-locals-asylum-seekers/), including a man linked to a banned neo-Nazi terror group who was later jailed. [Far right group aimed to recruit Erskine locals over asylum seekersA far right group behind anti-asylum seekers protests in Erskine was trying to recruit “disgruntled locals” and is a “threat and risk” to public safety, according to a police intelligence report. A briefing by the National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC) marked “official sensitive” reveals protests held by Patriotic Alternative![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-c42f5061-1b3f-47bc-b113-4d6e0e7b9c0c.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/screenshot-2023-01-09-at-17-27-27-1200x750-1-1cb350d3-cb08-4580-a063-cf59a8c32cbe.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-recruit-erskine-locals-asylum-seekers/) There has already been violence in Glasgow this summer. Trouble erupted last month with masked activists dressed in black attacking [people of colour](https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/15520/Council-unites-to-condemn-racist-violence?ref=theferret.scot). At one point worshippers in Glasgow Central Mosque had to be locked inside for safety as marchers appeared to be heading there. Tensions heightened after videos emerged of protests in Glasgow and Edinburgh which commentators claimed were reminiscent of 1930s [fascism and the “blackshirts”](https://www.thenational.scot/news/26247725.fascist-style-protests-scottish-cities-reminiscent-hitler/?ref=theferret.scot). Supporters of the “silent protests” rejected those claims and pointed out the demos were peaceful. Scotland has so far avoided the [disorder](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/dec/29/they-thought-they-were-going-to-die-the-asylum-seekers-who-survived-rioters-trying-to-burn-down-their-accommodation?ref=theferret.scot) that England witnessed in 2024 when mobs rioted and set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers. But there is concern that far right agitators could exploit the situation. Omar Afzal, director of public affairs at the Scottish Association of Mosques, said: "The prospect of organised anti-immigration groups travelling from elsewhere in the UK to Scotland, at a time of heightened tensions, is of deep concern.” He added: “We have every confidence that Police Scotland will take the necessary steps to protect public safety and ensure that anyone intent on intimidation, violence or criminality is dealt with robustly. Scotland is stronger when we stand together against hatred in all its forms." > Scotland is stronger when we stand together against hatred in all its forms. — Omar Afzal, Scottish Association of Mosque The campaign group Stand Up To Racism said: "Unite The Clans have shown their true intentions time and time again unashamedly displaying their far right demonisation of refugees, asylum seekers and our other neighbours. We invite everyone to the counter protest called by Stand Up to Racism Glasgow and Women Against the Far Right Scotland to show that we oppose racism and fascism in Glasgow." Police Scotland said people have the right to express their views lawfully and to protest peacefully but that anyone seeking to “exploit events to break the law, promote racism or violence” will be dealt with “decisively and robustly”. The force said that while most protests are peaceful, there have been instances where people with criminal records attended with the aim of inciting disorder. “There has also been mistaken identity, including in Castlemilk, where the home of an innocent member of the public was targeted,” said Assistant chief constable Alan Waddell who urged people to “think carefully” about what they read online due to the amount of misinformation. "Recent protests in Glasgow have focused on registered sex offenders and people perceived to be sex offenders,” he continued. “Registered sex offenders are managed robustly and effectively. These arrangements provide a comprehensive response to a complex issue, using professional assessment and risk management.” He added: “‘Outing’ registered sex offenders on social media or physically confronting them significantly affects the ability of police and partners to manage risk effectively. It also undermines the measures already in place to protect the public. It also requires additional policing resources, reducing our ability to respond quickly and effectively to other calls for assistance from local communities.” [These women were abused by far right groups who claimed to want to protect them. But they fought backWomen have been leading the fight against the far right in Scotland but anti-racism activism has come at a high personal cost with at least 14 having been publicly abused and threatened. But they are resolute in the face of intimidation and say they will continue defending human rights.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-6a2147f4-889a-4e89-aa9e-b3b68ac44336.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Far-right-rally-Dundee---2026-2f664481-e16d-4b3f-93ae-9a42e93d0094.JPG)](https://www.theferret.scot/women-abused-far-right-scotland/) On Thursday, Glasgow City Council urged the public not to share [“false information”](https://news.stv.tv/west-central/council-slams-false-information-shared-online-over-asylum-accommodation-plans?ref=theferret.scot) after claims that a care home was being turned into asylum accommodation. A social media post claimed it was being refurbished “for asylum seekers and illegal immigrants” and encouraged residents to protest. The council had to confirm that the planning application is for additional bedrooms, an improved entrance lobby and extra car parking spaces with no change of use. Judith Sijstermans, a politics lecturer at Aberdeen University who researches the far right, said: “While groups like Unite the Clans show that there is a distinctly Scottish symbolic and organisational structure to the far-right in Scotland, it is important to remember that the Scottish far-right only operates semi-autonomously from the British and global far right. Because of the strong social media base of these groups, the Scottish far right is open to UK and global influences and often echoes the images and language of far-right groups that operate across the UK and the world. She added: “We have seen this in the past with viral moments in Scotland spurred on by figures like Tommy Robinson, but we have also seen that the movements are distinct — with the summer 2024 protests around the murders in Southport having limited effects in Scotland. The fluidity between these organisations leads to cross-pollination of individual members — with individuals involved in far-right groups in Scotland also travelling to protests in England — and as Unite the Clans is suggesting, some English far-right actors travelling to Scotland to take part in Scottish events.” ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Women of colour marginalised by "male dominated" election coverage URL: https://www.theferret.scot/women-colour-scottish-election-coverage/ Last updated: 2026-07-08T05:31:00.000Z **News coverage of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election was “heavily male dominated” with women of colour having a “very marginal presence”, according to a study by the University of Strathclyde.** In the lead up to the election, academics set out to investigate the representation of women of colour in Scottish news media for Pass the Mic, an organisation that aims to tackle the “under-representation and misrepresentation of women of colour” in Scotland’s public life and media. Researchers found that only 1.3 per cent of all people quoted in Scottish newspapers’ election coverage were women of colour – with just 32 cited in 1384 newspaper stories. Across the four weeks of election coverage monitored, only three opinion pieces were written by women of colour – two of these were by regular National columnist Assa Samaké-Roman, while the other was by Pass the Mic founder, Talat Yaqoob – also in The National. No papers other than The National carried commentary or opinion by women of colour and men made up 74.4 per cent of experts used by television and print. Men made up 53 per cent of all anchors, journalists and reporters involved in election stories. > It has become even more obvious that we are talked about, rather than talked to or give the mic to speak for ourselves. – Talat Yaqoob, Pass the Mic Talat Yaqoob, of Pass the Mic, said: “The political landscape over recent years has become even more hostile towards migrants, asylum seekers, and communities of colour. We have seen political attacks and scapegoating targeting our already marginalised communities. It has become even more obvious that we are talked about, rather than talked to or give the mic to speak for ourselves. And this has harrowing consequences for how politics works and how our communities are treated. She added: “With all of this in mind, there would be an assumption that perhaps, women of colour would be more visible, able to respond to the reality of this type of politicking, and pass the mic to talk about what our politics needs to be. Alas, no such thing has happened.” Strathclyde University’s Dr Melody House, who conducted the research with colleagues, said: “Given the current febrile nature of politics, it is incredibly disappointing to see that women in general, and women of colour more specifically, remain so marginal to Scottish election news. The work of Pass the Mic is depressingly vital in this context.” The university researchers examined election coverage across print and television in Scotland in the four weeks from 10 April to election day on 7 May. A total of 1505 stories were coded: 121 on television and 1384 from newspapers. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### The Guga Hunt: Why a centuries-old Hebridean tradition is facing renewed scrutiny URL: https://www.theferret.scot/guga-hunt-controversy/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T12:23:40.000Z **Each summer, men from the village of Ness on the Isle of Lewis embark on a journey unlike any other in Britain.** Their destination is Sula Sgeir, an isolated rocky outcrop in the North Atlantic, around 40 miles north of Lewis, where they harvest young northern gannets – known locally as *guga* – in a tradition that stretches back hundreds of years. The hunt usually takes place in late summer, when the young gannets are large enough to be harvested but have not yet fledged. The birds are brought back to Lewis, where they are shared among families and the local community. The meat is considered a delicacy by many islanders and the hunt is valued by supporters as much for its cultural importance as for the food it provides. For opponents, however, it is a [“blood sport”](https://petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE2202?ref=theferret.scot) and outdated practice that raises serious questions about animal welfare and wildlife conservation. They say gannet chicks are “snatched from their nests and [bludgeoned to death](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/08/call-phase-out-inhumane-guga-hunt-working-hebridean-islanders?ref=theferret.scot) for nothing more than a tradition.” The debate has intensified in 2026 following renewed calls from animal welfare organisations for the hunt to be phased out – with one critic even standing as a candidate in a Scottish consistency dressed as a [giant gannet](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/08/call-phase-out-inhumane-guga-hunt-working-hebridean-islanders?ref=theferret.scot) to draw attention to the issue. But why is the huntgarnering more coverage than usual this year? As part of its Denoiser series, The Ferret has been digging deeper into the guga hunt. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### **A tradition stretching back centuries** The guga hunt is one of Scotland's oldest surviving food-gathering traditions. Historical references date back at least to the sixteenth century. For generations, communities in the far north-west of Scotland relied on the sea for survival. Fishing, seabird hunting and the collection of eggs were once common across many coastal communities. As living standards changed and wildlife protection laws developed during the twentieth century, most of these practices disappeared. ### **Why is the hunt legal?** One of the most common questions asked is why the hunt remains lawful when gannets are protected wild birds. Under the [Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/69?ref=theferret.scot), most wild birds receive legal protection. However, the legislation allows licences to be issued for the traditional taking of guga from Sula Sgeir for human consumption, provided strict conditions are met. NatureScot, Scotland's nature agency, is responsible for deciding whether a licence should be granted each year. According to the agency, its annual decision is based on scientific evidence about the health of the gannet population rather than on whether the tradition itself is ethically acceptable. NatureScot says its role is to administer the law and to assess licence applications against conservation requirements and the available evidence. NatureScot's explanation of the licensing process is available [here](https://www.nature.scot/guga-hunt-statement?ref=theferret.scot). The licence specifies the maximum number of birds that may be taken and includes conditions intended to ensure that the birds are killed humanely. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/07/Sula_Sgeir_from_the_South_West_-_geograph.org.uk_-_91386.jpg) Sula Sgeir from the South West. Image: Peter Strugnell/geograph.org.uk ### **Why did the licence change?** For many years, the annual licence permitted up to 2,000 birds to be harvested but the hunters did not apply for a license between 2022-24 due to avian flu concerns, and NatureScot reviewed the available scientific evidence on the Sula Sgeir gannet population. As a precaution, it reduced the permitted harvest to a maximum of 500 birds while further monitoring was undertaken. NatureScot said the decision reflected uncertainty about the long-term effects of avian influenza and the need to ensure that any harvest remained sustainable. The reduced quota marked one of the most significant changes to the licensing regime in recent decades and helped bring renewed public attention to the hunt. NatureScot says that the hunt will remain sustainable but does not take into account future HPAIV outbreaks, offshore wind development, or climate change in its [modelling](https://www.nature.scot/doc/freedom-information-request-scientific-evidence-gannets-sula-sgeir?ref=theferret.scot). [The Scottish Government’s Seabird Action Plan](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-seabird-conservation-action-plan-2/pages/7/?ref=theferret.scot) lists these as among the main threats to seabirds in future. ### **How does the expedition work and why is it controversial?** The annual expedition is organised by the Men of Ness and hunt supporters emphasise that participation requires considerable skill, experience and respect for the environment. They [cull young gannets](https://www.countryside-alliance.org/features/the-guga-hunt-a-countryside-success-story?ref=theferret.scot) from cliffs using a pole and loop. The birds are taken from their nests and despatched with a sharp blow to the head. The hunters then pluck, draw, salt, and preserve them in brine on the spot. The hunters reject suggestions that the hunt is carried without regard for animal welfare, claiming that the birds are killed quickly and that the expedition adheres to the terms of NatureScot's licence. Nevertheless, the sight of young gannets being killed has become increasingly controversial, particularly as[ images and video](https://www.facebook.com/reel/1023533370108661) have spread more widely through television, online media and social platforms. Growing public concern about animal welfare, increased awareness of declining seabird populations and the rise of social media, have transformed what was once regarded as a local tradition into a national debate. For some people, the practice appears difficult to reconcile with modern attitudes towards wildlife. Others argue that judging a centuries-old island tradition through a contemporary urban lens overlooks its cultural and historical significance. ### **What do supporters say?** The Men of Ness argue that the hunt is an integral part of the identity of their community and one of the last surviving examples of traditional food gathering in Scotland. They reject suggestions that the birds suffer unnecessarily, claiming they are dispatched quickly in accordance with licence conditions. Many islanders also express concern that criticism of the hunt sometimes fails to recognise the importance of [p](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w42vn0jl3o?ref=theferret.scot)[reserving traditions](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w42vn0jl3o?ref=theferret.scot) in island communities that have already seen significant social and economic change. Torcuil Crichton, the Labour MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (formerly known as the Western Isles), said the guga harvest is an "essential part of the history, culture and identity of Ness". He added: "The human population of these islands have lived in harmony with the environment for centuries. We don’t need campaigners with a saviour-complex to tell us what is good for us." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/07/iStock-1024208800.jpg) Group of adult Northern Gannets and young birds on Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth near North Berwick. Image: TwistedClassics/iStock ### **What are opponents concerned about?** Opposition to the hunt comes from both animal welfare organisations and conservation groups. Animal welfare campaigners object to the deliberate killing of young wild birds, arguing that the practice is no longer necessary in a modern society where alternative food sources are readily available. Conservation organisations focus more heavily on the long-term health of seabird populations. The [Scottish Seabird Centre](https://www.seabird.org/conservation/scottish-guga-hunt?ref=theferret.scot) notes that northern gannets, like many seabirds, have faced significant challenges in recent years, including outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza and wider environmental pressures affecting marine ecosystems. Although Sula Sgeir currently remains an internationally important breeding colony, campaigners argue that precaution should guide future licensing decisions until population trends become clearer. Some campaigners have questioned whether there is sufficient independent monitoring of the hunt and whether the legal exemption created decades ago remains appropriate in light of changing attitudes towards wildlife. Campaign group Protect the Wild commissioned the Succession actor Brian Cox to narrate a [graphic animated film](https://www.instagram.com/reels/DWoqE4VDEMp/?ref=theferret.scot); Cox said the practice was “needless cruelty”. > [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWoqE4VDEMp/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) > > [A post shared by Protect the Wild (@protectthewild\_\_)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWoqE4VDEMp/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) ### **A debate within the campaign movement** One of the more striking developments in 2026 is that organisations seeking change are no longer speaking with one voice. Groups including OneKind and the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland have called for the hunt to be phased out through discussion with the Ness community rather than ended immediately. They argue that respectful engagement is more likely to achieve lasting change than confrontation. Other campaign groups favour a more direct approach, organising protests and public campaigns calling for an immediate end to the hunt. This [difference in strategy](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/08/call-phase-out-inhumane-guga-hunt-working-hebridean-islanders?ref=theferret.scot) has become part of the story itself. While campaigners broadly agree that the hunt should eventually end, they disagree over how best to achieve that goal and how to balance animal welfare concerns with respect for local culture and heritage. Robbie Marsland, director of League of Cruel Sports Scotland and Ireland, told The Ferret: “The biggest concern is the impossibility of standardised process in the conditions that the Men of Ness are in. If there were an abattoir where men ran around rough ground, in some of the world’s most awful weather, and went rushing up to birds, grabbing them by the neck, passing them to somebody else who hit them with a pole, who then passed them to somebody else who decapitated them – then that abattoir would be closed the next day. “The conditions on Sula Sgeir just do not allow for the conditions we would expect in the provision of killing animals for human consumption.” > “We recognise that the hunt has cultural significance for some members of the Ness community. However, our position is that cultural tradition should not override animal welfare concerns.” – Scottish SPCA The Scottish SPCA said: “If the hunt were no longer to take place, we would welcome discussions on how the considerable local knowledge and expertise of those involved could continue to contribute positively to the future management and conservation of Sula Sgeir.” “We recognise that the hunt has cultural significance for some members of the Ness community. However, our position is that cultural tradition should not override animal welfare concerns. Any future management of the island should seek to protect both individual animal welfare and the long-term health of this internationally important seabird site.” [Rachel Bigsby](https://www.facebook.com/reel/27316111428051855), award-winning wildlife photographer who first created the [Stop the Guga hunt](https://petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE2202?ref=theferret.scot) petition, said: “It always seemed obvious to me that any decision to end the Guga Hunt should also seek to provide the Men of Ness with an opportunity to continue celebrating and practising their culture in a meaningful way, but without lethal methods.” She added: “Personally, I've never been entirely convinced by suggestions that the hunters could simply be redirected into conservation work. While undoubtedly well-intentioned, I think that idea risks feeling somewhat patronising, particularly as the men themselves generally view the hunt as ethical, sustainable and morally justified.” Animal Law Foundation’s Edie Bowles argues that the controversy exposes broader weaknesses in Scotland’s animal welfare legislation. She told The Ferret: “Over the past two decades, the Animal Health and Welfare Act has improved the lives of many animals, but significant weaknesses are apparent.” “The publicity surrounding the hunt highlights some of the main issues with the Animal Health and Welfare Act, in particular the overly permissive interpretation of what constitutes ‘unnecessary suffering’ and the inconsistent application of animal welfare law.” ### **What happens next?** The future of the guga hunt remains uncertain. The annual expedition continues to depend on NatureScot issuing a licence and [permission has been sought](https://www.nature.scot/about-naturescot/board-directors-and-committees/our-board/board-meetings?ref=theferret.scot) for a hunt later this summer. NatureScot will issue its decision in due course. Meanwhile, more than [104,000 people](https://petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE2202?ref=theferret.scot) have signed a petition calling for the Scottish Government to prohibit the hunt. The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, the Scottish Government's advisor on animal welfare issues, said [in a letter](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-animal-welfare-commission-letter-to-cabinet-secretary-regarding-the-guga-hunt/?ref=theferret.scot) to Gillian Martin MSP, the cabinet secretary for climate action and rural affairs, on 3 July 20026, that it is "unaware of a humane way to dispatch guga that is feasible under the conditions that prevail on the island". The commission urged "consideration of the wider animal welfare implications of the disturbance for all the birds nesting in or near the vicinity of the hunt". Whatever the outcome of the current licensing process, the debate surrounding the guga hunt is unlikely to end soon. Instead, it has become part of a wider conversation about Scotland's relationship with its natural heritage, its cultural traditions and the changing values of the society that seeks to protect both. *This story was updated at 09.47 on 6 July 2026 to add a comment from the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission.* *This story was updated at 13.24 on 7 July 2026 to add a comment from Torcuil Crichton MP.* ### Councils were given millions to tackle the nature crisis. Some spent it on office costs URL: https://www.theferret.scot/environmental-funding-misspent-councils/ Last updated: 2026-07-05T05:30:41.000Z **Millions of pounds from a flagship Scottish Government environmental fund has been mispent by councils, The Ferret can reveal.** The Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) – part of a strategy to tackle Scotland’s “[nature emergency](https://www.gov.scot/news/tackling-the-nature-emergency/?ref=theferret.scot)” – was [established in 2021](https://www.gov.scot/news/funding-to-restore-nature-and-tackle-biodiversity-loss/?ref=theferret.scot) to “restore nature, safeguard wildlife and tackle the causes of biodiversity loss and climate change”. In its first four years the fund awarded £20m directly to Scotland’s local authorities. But we found that almost a fifth of that total was redirected to routine spending, including vehicle maintenance and office equipment. Because the fund is not ringfenced this spending was legal and did not break the terms of the NRF. But environmental charities described our findings as “deeply disappointing” and “frustrating”. They pointed out the Scottish Government has [claimed ](https://www.facebook.com/ScotGovNetZero/posts/scotland-has-lost-a-lot-of-its-wildlife-and-the-scottish-government-is-committed/1243948257710989/)the NRF is an important part of its response to the nature crisis, but has simultaneously cut [the budgets of most other environmental agencies](https://cieem.net/scotlands-budget-2026-27-reductions-to-capital-spending-of-bodies-with-responsibility-for-scotlands-natural-environment/?ref=theferret.scot). ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Already a member? Donate ](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) Individual councils gave a variety of reasons for reallocating their portions of the NRF to general spending, including not having enough time to pick relevant projects to support. Others acknowledged they had spent their allocation on unrelated work, but committed to internally making it up by drawing from their general capital budgets in future years. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said that even if mispending was technically legal, it could undermine Scottish Government claims about the scale of their environmental commitments— which were repeated in [social media advertisements](https://www.instagram.com/p/DUs88lXDNdI/?ref=theferret.scot) during the run up to this year’s election. > [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/DUs88lXDNdI/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) > > [A post shared by Net Zero Scotland (@scotgovnetzero)](https://www.instagram.com/p/DUs88lXDNdI/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) A Scottish Government spokesperson said it allows local authorities the “financial freedom to operate independently” and “manage their own budgets”, adding that its NRF allocations have “enhanced local authority engagement in nature restoration” and supported at least 575 projects. The Ferret’s investigation involved analysing councils’ accounts obtained using freedom of information law. We asked each local authority to list how it had spent its share of the NRF since it was established in 2021\. We excluded the most recent year, because of changes to how allocations were categorised and because some councils said they were still accounting for exact expenditures. Some councils spent more than their entire NRF on projects restoring nature, and could account for itemised spending on each. For example, Highland Council spent £1.26m on projects ranging from tree planting to river and pond restoration, and used the NRF to set up its own community grant program for nature recovery through which it allocated £200,000. Others slightly underspent their allocations. Edinburgh City Council spent £32,000 (4.6 per cent) short of its total allocation for the first four years of the fund but said it had delivered “significant nature and biodiversity projects” with the rest. Angus Council underspent by £62,000 (6.9 per cent), Scottish Borders £45,000 (7.4 per cent), Falkirk council £68,865 (9.7 per cent) and Stirling Council £68,256 (15 per cent). > “Restoring nature and tackling climate change are the defining challenges of our era.” — Dan Paris, Scottish Environment LINK Some claimed to have spent most or all of their allocation on nature but were unable to account for exactly how, neither in response to requests for information nor when approached for comment. They include West Dunbartonshire, East Dunbartonshire, Fife, and Argyll and Bute. Others misspent much larger portions of their total allocation. Glasgow City Council could not account for almost a quarter of its NRF budget and did not comment. East Renfrewshire Council put more than a third of its allocation into general spending, but committed to spending “all funds…in the coming years to maximise biodiversity outcomes”. North Ayrshire Council confirmed it has spent less than half of its £715,000 NRF share on relevant projects to date. “However, there is no mechanism for underspend to be returned and the final decisions on spending sit with the local authorities,” a spokesperson said, adding it had appointed a “biodiversity officer” to deliver future projects and “is committed to spending its full NRF allocation on nature restoration”. Despite featuring on Scottish [Government graphics promoting the NRF,](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2025/08/interim-evaluation-nature-restoration-fund/documents/annex-nrf-summary/annex-nrf-summary/govscot%3Adocument/annex-nrf-summary.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) Shetland Islands Council (SIC) did not identify or approve a single nature recovery project in the first four years of the fund, and spent its entire £256,000 allocation in that time on general expenses. ![A misty Highland forest landscape, with dense rows of conifer trees and lighter green woodland covering a hillside.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/07/pexels-simeon-mirkov-2815709-33867741.jpg) Highland Council was among those able to show NRF money going directly into nature restoration, spending £1.26m on projects including tree planting, river and pond restoration. Most councils who did not spend the money on nature restoration did not specify exactly what it went towards, other than general capital budgets. In response to a freedom of information appeal an SIC officer gave “vehicles, ICT, certain maintenance” as examples. The SIC did not respond to a request for comment, but did share an internal briefing document about the NRF circulated to councillors earlier this month, which explained that no projects were picked because of “project development timescales and staff capacity constraints”. The briefing said: “Unspent funds from prior years can also be made available” for nature projects but added “there is no requirement for the council to do so”. Dan Paris, director of policy and engagement at Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of 50 environmental charities, said the diverted funding was “deeply disappointing” and would hurt local communities most. “Restoring nature and tackling climate change are the defining challenges of our era, and the Nature Restoration Fund is the Scottish Government’s flagship policy to put money directly into tackling the nature crisis,” he said. “Councils should be required to ring-fence the money allocated to them for nature, and they should use it to protect and restore the environment for the benefit of everyone.” > “This isn’t just an environmental issue. Healthy natural systems are part of how the country builds and secures its resilience.” — Ruchir Shah, Scottish Wildlife Trust Ruchir Shah is director of external affairs for the Scottish Wildlife Trust. He said it was “deeply frustrating” to see councils’ NRF spending not reach nature restoration projects, but added that the responsibility was shared between local authorities and central government. “Leaving money unspent — or allowing it to be diverted away from its purpose — risks undermining progress at exactly the moment we need to accelerate it,” he told The Ferret. “It also raises questions about how government is presenting its investment in nature, and where responsibility sits when that funding is not translating into delivery on the ground.” “This isn’t just an environmental issue. Healthy natural systems are part of how the country builds and secures its resilience - they reduce flood risk, support people’s health, and ease pressure on public services.” In a 2025 “[interim evaluation](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2025/08/interim-evaluation-nature-restoration-fund/documents/interim-evaluation-nature-restoration-fund/interim-evaluation-nature-restoration-fund/govscot%3Adocument/interim-evaluation-nature-restoration-fund.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)” of the NRF, consultants SAC described the fund as “unprecedented”, “instrumental” and “successful”. It acknowledged, however, that “reporting was incomplete” for seven local authorities and excluded them from its conclusions. Those were Shetland, Argyll and Bute, North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Eilean Siar and Scottish Borders. Following that review the government shifted how the NRF was awarded to councils last year — allocating a fifth as a revenue (not capital) grant. East Renfrewshire told The Ferret that this was a “positive change”, and Shetland Islands Council said that this year it was able to support its first nature restoration projects since the NRF began. It has now spent £13,353 on appropriate projects (3.2 per cent of it's total five-year allocation). ![A coastal town and harbour in Shetland, with boats moored in calm water, red-roofed houses in the foreground, and green hills and islands in the distance.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/07/iStock-2222955088.jpg) Shetland Islands Council spent its full £256,000 allocation from the fund’s first four years on general expenses rather nature recovery projects. Image: Anastasia Koroleva/iStock While most councils who responded to The Ferret chose not to comment on how the fund was distributed, some asked for changes to make their allocations more predictable. Stirling asked for lump sum awards at the start of every financial year, not monthly allocations. East Ayrshire said advance warning of award amounts and multi-year allocation would be better suited to long-term environmental projects. David Phillips, the Institute for Fiscal Responsibility’s head of devolved and local government finance, said named but non-ringfenced grants like the NRF can be useful. When central government wants to achieve a specific outcome but is unsure how much it will cost, he added, they give local authorities freedom to “spend more or less” depending on their need. Phillips continued: “I’m not sure what mandate or outcomes the nature recovery fund comes with in Scotland. I think if there is a problem here, it’ll be if the government claims it has given councils X million for nature restoration, or it has “spent £X million on nature restoration” via the fund.” The government did just that in a [May 2025 press release](https://www.gov.scot/news/milestone-reached-65-million-invested-in-nature-projects/?ref=theferret.scot), touting the NRF’s total “invested in nature projects” as proof that “there can be no denying how serious we are about protecting and restoring our planet for future generations.” The same year all NRF funding was diverted to [resolve council pay disputes](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy7p2y1p1eo?ref=theferret.scot). Claims about the importance of the NRF come as other environmental funding in Scotland is increasingly squeezed. Three major environmental agencies lost nearly [£20m in this year’s budget](https://cieem.net/scotlands-budget-2026-27-reductions-to-capital-spending-of-bodies-with-responsibility-for-scotlands-natural-environment/?ref=theferret.scot) and late last year a £100m “nature investment partnership” [fell through](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/14/msps-not-told-about-collapse-of-funding-deal-for-scottish-nature-restoration?ref=theferret.scot). ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### This Trump donor has snapped up a slice of Scotland’s wind URL: https://www.theferret.scot/trump-donor-scotland-wind-farm/ Last updated: 2026-07-03T09:07:57.000Z **A Scottish wind farm has been bought by a company whose founder and major shareholder is a right-wing US media mogul who has donated to Donald Trump.** In March, an arm of Liberty Global [bought](https://www.libertyglobal.com/egg-power-chirmorie-wind-farm/?ref=theferret.scot) the 20-turbine Chirmorie project, which is currently being [built](https://www.libertyglobal.com/operations/growth/infrastructure/egg-power/chirmorie-wind-farm/construction-updates/?ref=theferret.scot) near the village of Barrhill in South Ayrshire and could power 78,000 homes. Liberty’s [founder](https://www.libertyglobal.com/john-c-malone-liberty-global/?ref=theferret.scot) is the billionaire John Malone, who remains a significant [shareholder](https://businessmodelcanvastemplate.com/blogs/owners/liberty-global-who-owns?srsltid=AfmBOop4a3w6GWqVVKiw5hNXns610zsifpeTt99PKFdi3dyq%5FoloYi-Z&ref=theferret.scot) and [gave](https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2017/04/19/john-malone-greg-maffeiliberty-media-among-big.html?%5F%5Fcf%5Fchl%5Ff%5Ftk=NYhWhPAGxyTf9OIfUtdWawZfVCRN9Kp7OvefIvK788M-1783006794-1.0.1.1-MCBCriG2qa%5Fiin1I3BuH%5FDkoDP8aJ4PkEu8R0L6xkVE&ref=theferret.scot) $250,000 to Trump’s inauguration for his first term in 2017\. He has also [financially supported](https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=John+Malone&order=desc&sort=D&ref=theferret.scot) other Republican politicians. Critics said there was a “bitter irony” in the deal which allowed a donor to Trump – who has [railed against](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15l3knp4xyo?ref=theferret.scot) wind turbines in Scotland – to “rake in profits” from Scottish renewables while local people “miss out”. As we have [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/is-this-former-viking-outpost-a-model-for-a-fairer-scotland/) throughout this year, some communities on the frontline of Scotland’s renewable energy boom feel they are being short changed by large, disruptive wind projects on their doorsteps while multinationals and [landowners](https://www.theferret.scot/landowners-making-millions-wind-farms-scotland/) cash in. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Just [one per cent](https://cles.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/UPDATED-FINAL-CLES-Scottish-onshore-wind-extraction-28.05.26.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of Scotland’s onshore wind capacity is currently owned by communities, while only a [fraction is owned](https://www.theferret.scot/local-wind-farms-owned-by-firms-based-abroad/) by local private firms. Community benefit payments – made to compensate locals for the impacts wind farms have on the areas that host them – are also considered "[woefully low](https://www.theferret.scot/communities-were-promised-a-share-of-scotlands-wind-boom-some-are-being-sold-short/)" by some campaigners. Malone [made his fortune](https://www.thegentlemansjournal.com/article/john-malone-everything-need-know-americas-single-largest-land-owner/?ref=theferret.scot) in cable television and is one of the [largest landowners](https://landreport.com/land-report-100/john-malone?ref=theferret.scot) in the US. Until 2025 he was an [influential board member](https://www.vox.com/2022/8/26/23322761/cnn-john-malone-david-zaslav-chris-licht-brian-stelter-fox-peter-kafka-column?ref=theferret.scot) at Warner Bros Discovery, the media conglomerate which owns news channel CNN, and remains the company's [chair emeritus](https://www.wbd.com/leadership/dr-john-c-malone?ref=theferret.scot). Malone has [claimed](https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/john-malone-cnn-embedded-liberal-bias-white-folks-biased-blacks-1236509110/?ref=theferret.scot) there is an “embedded” left-leaning “[anti-Trump](https://nypost.com/2025/09/02/media/wbd-chair-emeritus-john-malone-calls-cnn-left-leaning-anti-trump/?ref=theferret.scot)” bias at CNN and praised the approach of right-wing network Fox News. A [self-described](https://archive.ph/S4Pzu?ref=theferret.scot) “libertarian”, Malone has previously been on the board of the Cato Institute, a think tank [accused](https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/climate/climate-deniers/front-groups/cato-institute/?ref=theferret.scot) by Greenpeace of “disputing the science behind global warming and questioning the rationale for taking action”. While he donated to Trump in his first term, Malone later said he would vote for another New York billionaire at the 2020 election, Mike Bloomberg, because Trump had brought “[chaos](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/21/media-mogul-john-malone-says-trump-causes-chaos-likes-bloomberg.html?ref=theferret.scot)”. As well as Chirmorie, egg Power – the clean energy arm of Liberty Global – [owns](https://www.libertyglobal.com/egg-power-chirmorie-wind-farm/?ref=theferret.scot) three planned solar farms in England. Liberty Global also [owns](https://www.libertyglobal.com/operations/telecom/virgin-media-o2-in-the-uk/?ref=theferret.scot) a 50 per cent stake in the telecommunications company, Virgin Media O2. > “While distant private interests rake in the profits, people in Scotland are short changed.” – Liam Hainey, Our Power Liam Hainey, is a spokesperson for the [Our Power](https://www.ourpower.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) campaign which argues for more “community, municipal and public ownership” of Scotland’s renewables. “This is a prime example of a fundamental flaw in the energy system; while distant private interests rake in the profits, people in Scotland are short changed,” Hainey told The Ferret. He added: “There’s a bitter irony in the fact that a \[former\] ally of Trump, who has spent decades railing against renewables in Scotland and pedalling climate denialism, can snap up a wind farm to extract the profits for himself while communities here are denied that opportunity and continue to miss out. “It’s time for the Scottish Government to step in and ensure that more of the money made from our renewable energy boom delivers for communities across the country and not just distant shareholders.” The Scottish Greens MSP and energy spokesperson, Kristopher Leask, said the deal raises “important questions we need to ask about our economy". They included: "Who owns it? Who benefits from it? And where do profits end up?", Leask said. “Scotland cannot continue down the same path of unchecked foreign direct investment or multinational ownership of our economy and our assets, we must move towards a transparent system where local ownership and the needs of the local community are put first.” A Liberty Global spokesperson said: “John Malone is a shareholder, not the owner, of Liberty Global, a publicly-listed company traded on Nasdaq. He is also a long-standing conservationist who has supported numerous initiatives to preserve land and natural habitats in the United States for future generations. “After years of delays following the granting of planning permission in 2018, Liberty Global has broken the deadlock on the Chirmorie Wind Farm project, commencing construction within months of acquiring the development rights. “We will invest tens of millions of pounds in the project, working with local suppliers and construction companies to deliver long-term economic and environmental benefits. In addition, approximately £15 million will be contributed to a community fund over the lifetime of the wind farm.” *This story was updated at 09:15 on 3 July 2026 to add a comment from Liberty Global. It was updated again at 10:02 to reflect that John Malone is a significant rather than controlling shareholder in Liberty Global.* ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### A spaceport plans to dump tonnes of rocket junk into the sea north of Shetland, posing a risk to tourism and fishing URL: https://www.theferret.scot/spaceport-shetland-risk-tourism-fishing/ Last updated: 2026-06-28T05:30:34.000Z **Scotland’s first spaceport on Shetland plans to use the sea as a “dustbin” to dump tonnes of debris from rockets, The Ferret can reveal, prompting claims it could endanger tourism and fishing.** [SaxaVord Spaceport](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/saxavord/) on the island of Unst is applying for a licence to start dropping large, disused rocket components into the sea north of Shetland over the next 12 months. The application reveals that there is a “significant risk” that the debris could hit tourist and fishing boats, posing a threat to life. The Shetland tourism industry however, flatly rejects the spaceport’s plans, and warns that sea dumping could be “devastating” for some island businesses. A report by the Germany company [Rocket Factory Augsburg](https://www.rfa.space/?ref=theferret.scot), which is planning the first launch from SaxaVord later this year, makes clear that discarded rocket parts will not be recovered from the sea. They will be left to sink to the seabed where, it argues, they could become “artificial reefs” and benefit marine wildlife. The firm also claims there will be no “justified demand from the public” to remove them. But this has prompted “serious concerns” from the Shetland fishing industry, which says that dumped rocket sections could endanger crews and damage fishing gear. It is demanding that debris is recovered, and fishing boats are compensated for any problems. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Already a member? Donate ](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) Environmental campaigners, who are [about to publish](https://spacewatch.uk/waste-space-launch/?ref=theferret.scot) a detailed report on the environmental impact of the international space industry, say that branding dumped rockets as wildlife-friendly reefs is a bid to “gaslight” people. They condemn billionaire-owned space companies as “litter louts” and claim they do not want to clean up the mess they make. SaxaVord’s application for a sea dumping licence is currently being considered by the Scottish Government. [Correspondence](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28305051-sg-eir-response-on-saxavord/?ref=theferret.scot) released to The Ferret under freedom of information law discloses that the spaceport has been privately lobbying ministers, including the first minister, John Swinney, to speed up the application. The industry has also been pressing ministers to keep details of the application secret – and to make SaxaVord a [“freeport”](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/freeports?ref=theferret.scot) so it could benefit from tax breaks and less red tape. Neither SaxaVord nor Rocket Factory Augsburg have responded to repeated requests to comment. But their websites stress their commitments to protecting the environment and safeguarding “our precious planet”. [SaxaVord Spaceport](https://saxavord.com/?ref=theferret.scot) is being built on the Lamba Ness peninsula on Unst, the northernmost inhabited island in the Shetland archipelago. The company is [majority-owned](https://www.theferret.scot/who-runs-scotlands-space-industry/) by the Danish billionaire businessman, [Anders Holch Povlsen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders%5FHolch%5FPovlsen?ref=theferret.scot), who is Scotland’s biggest private landowner. [Who runs Scotland’s space industry?The latest frontier of Scotland’s industry may well be space, with significant investment being made in this emerging sector. As part of our Who Runs Scotland series, we’ve been looking at this burgeoning industry and some of the organisations and individuals involved. Space launch was long the preserve![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-b758d72f-9ebc-4f2c-8ac1-09bb524f8776.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1346401663-8df01c6b-0ec3-4caf-bb38-f6fce4cf71e0.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/who-runs-scotlands-space-industry/) According to a briefing for a visit to SaxaVord by Swinney, in February 2026, the spaceport was given £10m by the UK Government and £473,000 by the Scottish Government’s Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The company [made a loss](https://www.scottishfinancialnews.com/articles/shetland-spaceport-losses-rise-to-ps54m?ref=theferret.scot) of £5.4m in 2024. The first launch by Rocket Factory Augsburg has been repeatedly postponed following the [explosion of a test rocket](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy54wqzz0kvo?ref=theferret.scot) on its launch pad at SaxaVord in August 2024\. It is currently expected in the next few months. SaxaVord [applied to the Scottish Government](https://marine.gov.scot/?q=data/marine-licence-application-deposit-debris-space-launch-activities-north-atlantic-ocean-and&ref=theferret.scot) in March for a licence to dispose of debris from the launch in the sea between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027\. The [application](https://marine.gov.scot/sites/default/files/printed%5Fapp%5Fdoc%5Fredacted%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) says that the rocket’s nose cone and first stage will be jettisoned into a “designated hazard area” in the sea north of Shetland. The nose cone is eight metres long and weighs 250 kilograms, while the first stage rocket is 21 metres long and weighs 4.5 tonnes. According to [an email to the Scottish Government](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28305051-sg-eir-response-on-saxavord/?ref=theferret.scot), a second German company, [HyImpulse](https://hyimpulse.de/?ref=theferret.scot), is also planning to launch a rocket from SaxaVord in September 2026. A [“navigational risk assessment”](https://marine.gov.scot/sites/default/files/2026-02-20-saxa%5Fuk%5Fspaceport%5Fnavigational%5Frisk%5Fassessment%5F2025%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by expert consultants, [NLA International](https://nlai.blue/?ref=theferret.scot), for the licence application says that SaxaVord has been negotiating with a total of five companies to make nine launches in the next few years. Altogether, the rockets weigh over 550 tonnes, and sections of all of them are due to be dumped in the sea. > “I was horrified to see that there could be a risk to tourists.” — Amanda Hawick, Shetland Tourism Association The assessment, dated September 2025, concludes that the “highest risk” from the launches is undetected recreational and fishing boats being “struck by rocket debris”. This is “significant”, it says, and poses a “risk to life”. The risk is rated as “tolerable”, but only if six measures are taken by SaxaVord to alert mariners to the dangers up to three months in advance, and to intensively monitor shipping. The assessment highlights two other risks that are only “tolerable with modifications”. One is “a rocket fails or is terminated soon after launch and debris lands on a vessel at sea.” The other is from a rocket failing before it reaches orbit dumping debris that stays afloat and is hit by a boat. The [assessment](https://marine.gov.scot/sites/default/files/2026-02-20-saxa%5Fuk%5Fspaceport%5Fnavigational%5Frisk%5Fassessment%5F2025%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) says that the risk of rocket debris damaging fishing gear is “tolerable with additional controls”. Six other risks, including collisions with offshore oil or wind installations or damaging wildlife areas, are rated as “tolerable with monitoring”. SaxaVord plans a “launch exclusion zone” stretching more than 17 miles north of Unst in which shipping would be banned. According to the risk assessment, the area was used by 332 boats of all kinds in 2024. But the total area potentially impacted by initial launches is much bigger. It’s a huge cone covering over 400,000 square miles of the seas between Shetland, Greenland, Iceland, and Norway. > “Fishermen cannot be expected to work around hazards they are not allowed to see.” — Sheila Keith, Shetland Fishermen’s Association According to the assessment, over 3,000 cargo, fishing and other boats used the area in 2024\. The area is fished all the year round by hundreds of vessels, primarily for herring and mackerel, with Shetland having up to 300 commercial boats. Fishing peaks every August as Norwegian and Russian fleets follow shoals of herring and mackerel. This “may increase the risk to exceed beyond what is tolerable to undertake launch operations without appropriate control measures,” the assessment warns. The [SaxaVord assessment](https://marine.gov.scot/sites/default/files/2026-02-20-saxa%5Fuk%5Fspaceport%5Fnavigational%5Frisk%5Fassessment%5F2025%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) also highlights that future launches could impact a second large expanse of sea, further away on the other side of Greenland. This includes the Beaufort Sea and part of the Arctic Ocean off the north coasts of Canada and Alaska. Another report examining the [“best practicable environmental options”](https://marine.gov.scot/sites/default/files/bpeo%5Fv1.4-public%5Fredacted%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for the sea dumping licence application was prepared by Rocket Factory Augsburg in February 2026\. Recovery of the dumped nose cone and rocket is not planned because it is “an expensive and hazardous operation”, the report says. The rocket parts, which are mainly made out of steel, are designed to sink to the bottom of the sea. There they “may start an artificial reef and serve as a habitat for marine life,” the report claims. “It is therefore very unlikely that there will be a justified demand from the public to remove the debris once the environmental benefits of such artificial reefs have been communicated.” [Shetland spaceport under fire from local communityDisgruntled islanders have criticised Scotland’s first spaceport in the far north of Shetland for a “culture of secrecy and bad stewardship”, according to a new report. People from the island of Unst, where the SaxaVord Spaceport is being built, have expressed concerns about the company’s communications with the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-305d8c88-7af4-484a-9bd9-75082c84fbc1.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/54512922509_e41f2735cc_o-1-c024c534-fd5f-4a05-9c9a-b08ea124ab75.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/shetland-spaceport-under-fire-from-local-community/) The [Shetland Tourism Association](https://www.shetlandtourismassociation.org/?ref=theferret.scot) greeted the space companies’ dumping plans with an “absolute no”, demanding they be halted. “I was horrified to see that there could be a risk to tourists,” the association’s chair, [Amanda Hawick](https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-hawick-5471a939/?ref=theferret.scot), told The Ferret. “No-one should be at any risk at all. It’s absolutely shocking what they are planning.” The impact could be “devastating” for some tourist businesses, she warned. She accused SaxaVord of “trying to railroad this through” without proper consultations. The [Shetland Fishermen’s Association](https://www.shetlandfishermen.com/?ref=theferret.scot) expressed “serious concerns” about the proposal not to recover jettisoned rock components. “Debris must not be left on the seabed where it can damage gear or endanger crews, and any proposal to deposit rocket parts in productive fishing waters requires robust mitigation and compensation measures,” said the association’s executive officer, [Sheila Keith](https://www.tasteofshetland.com/news/sheila-keith?ref=theferret.scot). She complained about a “lack of detail” on the proposed exclusion zones. “Fishermen cannot be expected to work around hazards they are not allowed to see,” she argued. “They need full transparency about any activity that affects their safety or access to traditional grounds.” The campaign group, [SpaceWatch UK](https://spacewatch.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), pointed out that the public and marine industries were working hard to avoid dumping rubbish at sea. It accused the space industry of wanting a “get-out-of-jail-free card” to “ditch launch junk in the ocean”. "Launch companies then have the cheek to try to gaslight us by saying that dumping space junk in the sea forms artificial reefs which are good for the environment, even though there is absolutely no evidence to support this claim,” said the group’s Peter Burt. He is the author of a report entitled “Waste Of Space: The Environmental Cost of Human Activities in Space”, which is due to be launched at an [online meeting on 1 July](https://spacewatch.uk/waste-space-launch/?ref=theferret.scot). "The Scottish Government should not be acting as lackeys for super-rich litter-louts who think they use the ocean as a dustbin,” he told The Ferret. The [Marine Conservation Society](https://www.mcsuk.org/?ref=theferret.scot) warned the sea must not be used as a “dumping ground”, and dismissed suggested artificial reefs as unproven. “As proposed this is simply pollution,” said the society’s Calum Duncan. [Star wars: alarm at space agency’s 130 meetings with MoDSenior officials from the UK Space Agency held over 130 meetings with the Ministry of Defence in 2024, prompting renewed concerns about the “weaponisation” of space. The meetings discussed the spaceport being built at SaxaVord on Shetland, using nuclear reactors in space and collaboration with the US, NATO and arms![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-3efa65f4-30df-43f6-a21f-9bd123b9c703.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1203748084-d6f40799-a6b8-4243-be5d-a346194b5f82.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/space-agency-130-meetings-mod/) [Emails](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28305051-sg-eir-response-on-saxavord/?ref=theferret.scot) released to The Ferret under freedom of information law show that SaxaVord has repeatedly lobbied Scottish ministers on the licence application. In December 2025 two spaceport executives raised the issue when they met the then-business minister, Richard Lochhead, who as a result pressed government officials to explain the process. An email from one of Lochhead’s officials in January 2026 said that SaxaVord had been “at times quite vocal” on the licence application. It was highlighted in the official briefing for first minister Swinney, prior to his visit to SaxaVord to [sign the launch rocket](https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/news/it-was-utterly-overwhelming-swinney-backs-saxavord-spac-428324/?ref=theferret.scot) on 23 February, and was the subject of other emails in March and April. SaxaVord and Rocket Factory Augsburg have also been pressing the Scottish Government to keep sections of their sea dumping licence application secret. In its [application form](https://marine.gov.scot/sites/default/files/printed%5Fapp%5Fdoc%5Fredacted%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), SaxaVord asked ministers not to publish some of the documents because they contained “commercially sensitive information”. At an online meeting with government officials on 31 March, SaxaVord and Rocket Factory Augsburg pressed for the “impact containment contours” of launch hazard areas to be excluded from published information. Officials stressed that as much information as possible should be made available, and could not understand why the contours would be “commercially sensitive”. According to the [minutes of the meeting](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28305051-sg-eir-response-on-saxavord/?ref=theferret.scot), one of the space companies’ representatives, whose name has been redacted, said that “giving mariners too much information can be counterproductive as it could illustrate certain areas as being safer than others, and therefore acceptable to enter.” > “The sea must not be used as a dumping ground.” — Calum Duncan, Marine Conservation Society SaxaVord also urged Lochhead and Swinney to make the spaceport a [“freeport”](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/freeports?ref=theferret.scot) with tax breaks and less red tape. SaxaVord’s deputy chief executive, Deborah Strang, wrote to Swinney on 2 March 2026, arguing this would be a way to help provide “significant government support and funding”. The Scottish Government declined to comment on a live marine licensing application. “All relevant documentation has been submitted and consultation has taken place and a determination is ongoing,” said a spokesperson. “When deciding whether to grant a marine licence, Scottish ministers must consider the need to protect the environment and human health, and to avoid interfering with other legitimate uses of the sea. They take the management of risks from licensable activities very seriously.” SaxaVord and Rocket Factory Augsburg did not respond to requests to comment. SaxaVord’s [Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/saxavordspace/posts/pfbid0ifwviavaS7CRA22QcsQpa3Z1r54CMFM9NHJAeaUxpDAujEipNXvt3Edxbspa4qf9l) confirms that a marine licence application has been submitted, but warns that “as with any first-ever launch, there are uncertainties, and the schedule may evolve.” SaxaVord’s [website](https://saxavord.com/saxazero/?ref=theferret.scot) highlights its “founding commitment” to “minimise our environmental impact on earth and in space”. It adds: “We will work with launch operators to track returning components and record jettisoned material entering the marine environment.” Rocket Factory Augsburg’s [website](https://www.rfa.space/about/?ref=theferret.scot) says it is “committed to making a more sustainable world”. Its goal is to “democratise access to space” in order to better understand and protect “our precious planet”. ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Did Scottish ministers “rewrite history” over Israel meeting? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-ministers-israel-meeting/ Last updated: 2026-06-25T05:00:47.000Z **The Scottish Government has been accused of trying to “manipulate the record” of its meeting with an Israeli diplomat after documents released to The Ferret show it changed the official minutes of the talks after a public backlash.** Former cabinet minister Angus Robertson’s meeting with Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK in August 2024 prompted outrage, including from his [SNP colleagues](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyn63rq8n2o?ref=theferret.scot), because it came as Israel was facing international condemnation over its war on Gaza. First minister John Swinney [defended](https://x.com/JohnSwinney/status/1823705081679897012?ref=theferret.scot) the talks after controversy erupted. He claimed the Scottish Government had only agreed to the meeting to communicate its “clear and unwavering position” on a ceasefire. However, draft minutes released to us under freedom of information (FoI) law suggest Gaza and a ceasefire were not top of the agenda. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The original draft – circulated the day after the meeting took place – shows the first topic of discussion was antisemitism. [Protests](https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/may/31/scotland-israel-delayed-protester-hampden-park?ref=theferret.scot) at a football match between Scotland’s women’s team and Israel were among a range of issues mentioned before Gaza. But by the time minutes were finalised, after Robertson had [intervened](https://www.theferret.scot/angus-robertson-change-record-israel-meeting/) in the drafting process, the entire order of the discussion had changed, with Gaza and the Scottish Government’s position on a ceasefire at the top of the document. [Robertson sought changes to record of Israel meeting after media stormAngus Robertson had the minutes of his controversial meeting with an Israeli diplomat changed after a public backlash – because he feared his call for a Gaza ceasefire was “lost” in the original version. The external affairs secretary faced calls to resign last August after holding talks with Israel’s deputy![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-cbd1dac9-2b14-450f-a74c-24168a49a814.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1024px-the_new_york_times_climate_hub_-_closing_celebration_51673527645-1-530fd6bd-3519-4c03-a120-10d1e6772a98.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/angus-robertson-change-record-israel-meeting/) Meanwhile, a whole passage, in which Robertson reportedly discussed Scotland as a destination for Israeli businesses and highlighted Scotland’s growing film and screen sector, disappeared from the final draft. Opposition politicians and transparency experts claimed the changes show the Scottish Government tried to “rewrite history” to suit its narrative about the meeting. That raised wider questions about transparency and how official government records are handled when they are politically controversial, they claimed. The Scottish Government said minutes “go through a drafting process as standard to ensure the final version represents an accurate account”. A spokesperson added: “The Scottish Government’s consistent and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza was made clear during the meeting. There have been no further ministerial meetings with the government of Israel since.” Finalised minutes of ministerial meetings are [often](https://www.gov.scot/publications/?cat=filter&q=minutes&type=foi-eir-release&page=1&sort=date&ref=theferret.scot) released under FoI law. But it is rare for draft versions to become public so we usually only see what ministers and officials agree on. In this case, the draft documents only emerged after The Ferret made a successful [appeal](https://www.theferret.scot/the-scottish-government-wanted-to-keep-parts-of-its-israeli-meeting-secret-weve-forced-transparency/) to the Scottish Information Commissioner, David Hamilton, after an earlier FoI request showed Robertson had [asked](https://www.theferret.scot/angus-robertson-change-record-israel-meeting/) for the minutes to be changed. [The Scottish Government wanted to keep parts of its Israeli meeting secret. We’ve forced transparencyScotland’s information watchdog has ordered the release of hidden details of Angus Robertson’s meeting with an Israeli diplomat after a lengthy freedom of information battle.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-e5cb9562-bf4d-493c-a5aa-baeafc72d17b.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/596154e0-5a4c-11ef-a35a-ff8deca54a26.jpg-6c1e37fa-a425-4905-bdcc-240aab03049a.webp)](https://www.theferret.scot/the-scottish-government-wanted-to-keep-parts-of-its-israeli-meeting-secret-weve-forced-transparency/) Carole Ewart, director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland, said the drafts opened a “window on the art of minute taking to manage the news” and what the government ultimately releases to the public under FoI law. James Mitchell, a professor of public policy at the University of Edinburgh, claimed the meeting had either initially been “very poorly minuted” or “this was the minister seeking to make changes in response to public outcry”. Mitchell added: “I would be very surprised if officials erred to the extent suggested by the revisions. It really is essential that honest and accurate minutes are made in order to hold ministers and government accountable.” The meeting itself became a political flashpoint after the deputy ambassador, Daniela Grudsky, [posted](https://x.com/DanielaGrudsky/status/1823035827779506485?ref=theferret.scot) a photograph of herself and Robertson smiling together at St Andrew’s House. The post said they had discussed “unique commonalities” between Israel and Scotland as well as cooperation in the “fields of technology, culture and renewable energy”. That prompted anger – Robertson even faced calls to [step down](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,angus-robertson-faces-conference-backlash-over-israel-meeting?ref=theferret.scot) – with critics questioning why the Scottish Government was engaging with Israeli officials on these issues amid the war in Gaza. As we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/israeli-diplomat-offered-countrys-world-leading-technology-to-nhs-scotland-at-robertson-meeting/) earlier this month, the full minutes of the meeting – which were only released after a two-year FoI battle – show Robertson and Grudsky also discussed bringing Israeli technology to NHS Scotland and more Israeli tourists to the country. [Israeli diplomat offered country’s ‘world-leading technology’ to NHS Scotland at Robertson meetingThe revelations come as the Scottish Government finally publishes full details of its meeting with Daniela Grudsky, after an FoI battle by The Ferret.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-58d8b8ed-caab-4795-a3db-cb0b27258b9f.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/596154e0-5a4c-11ef-a35a-ff8deca54a26.jpg--1--f0977ef9-785c-4a2d-a078-f0fa457cea3d.webp)](https://www.theferret.scot/israeli-diplomat-offered-countrys-world-leading-technology-to-nhs-scotland-at-robertson-meeting/) Responding to growing pressure in a [statement](https://x.com/JohnSwinney/status/1823705081679897012?ref=theferret.scot) on 14 August, six days after the meeting, Swinney said ministers had agreed to the talks as an opportunity to call for a ceasefire “directly, and explicitly” to an Israeli government representative. But Robertson spent the same day fretting that his supposedly “explicit” call for a ceasefire had been “lost in the middle” of the draft minutes. His private secretary emailed the official responsible for recording the minutes, asking for changes so that his statements on Palestinian rights and a ceasefire came through “as clearly as he communicated them”. The official responded on 15 August saying they had “revisited” their notes and “amended” the minutes. Robertson signed off the final version on 6 September. The Scottish Greens’ co-leader Gillian Mackay said the changes looked “like the Scottish Government trying to rewrite history” and accused it of “dodging the key questions” around Israel. Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP, Willie Rennie, said: “Instead of the Scottish Government seeking to manipulate the record of this important and sensitive meeting, Angus Robertson should not have mishandled it in the first place. “He and the Scottish Government should have been up front about what happened at the meeting and apologised for their cack-handed approach,” Rennie claimed. Robertson later [apologised](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/19/snp-angus-robertson-minister-meeting-israeli-diplomat-john-swinney-pressure?ref=theferret.scot) that the meeting had not been solely focused on a ceasefire in Gaza and the Scottish Government [suspended](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ydg5lqgwxo?ref=theferret.scot) any further meetings with Israel. ### Before and after: how minutes of the meeting changed ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Over 30,000 Scots in mental health crisis turned to A&E last year. Two thirds were not admitted URL: https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-crisis-not-admitted-nhs/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T05:35:30.000Z **Two thirds of people attempting to access urgent mental health support are not admitted to hospital, and waiting times for support in half of Scottish health boards can be more than three years, an investigation by The Ferret has found. Campaigners claim lives are being lost as a result of the "broken" system.** The new figures backed testimony we have heard in recent months from seven families from across Scotland who said they were unable to get help for themselves or their loved ones, at either accident and emergency departments (A&E) or other out-of-hours NHS services, when dealing with life-threatening mental health symptoms. Some were on long waiting lists for psychological support. Four said their family members had since completed suicide, and claimed with the right support tragedy might have been prevented. One other remains in a crisis situation and has made several more attempts on their life. Scottish suicide rates have dropped by 11 per cent, according to the [most recent figures](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/probable-suicides-2024/?ref=theferret.scot), with 704 probable suicides recorded in 2024\. NHS boards said they were working hard to address the growing need for mental health services and recording some success. While some acknowledged some waiting times were “unacceptable”, they stressed not all patients who arrived at A&E needed a bed and were offered support in the community. But families said too many people were still being put at risk and left not knowing where to turn when they needed immediate help. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### **Stark figures on emergency care** The new 2025 figures – shared with The Ferret, and released under freedom of information (FoI) law – show 66 per cent of people seeking urgent [mental health](https://www.theferret.scot/campaigners-call-mental-health-deaths-investigated/) support from Scottish A&E are not admitted. In ten out of the 14 NHS boards, the majority of patients presenting to emergency departments in mental health crises were not offered either a mental health or general hospital bed. In [NHS Highland](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/nhs-highland/) only three per cent of people arriving at A&E seeking immediate mental health care were given a bed. The health board said it had reduced reliance on A&E through its [24/7 Mental Health Assessment Unit](https://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/your-services/all-services-a-z/mental-health/mental-health-adult/mental-health-assessment-unit/?ref=theferret.scot). In NHS Grampian the admission figure was 18 per cent. The health board said it had a protocol with the Scottish Ambulance Service and police which allowed them to take people in crisis to Cornhill mental health hospital for assessment. Exclusive [NHS 24](https://www.nhs24.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) figures detail the number of people who called requesting mental health support in 2025\. Almost half (46 per cent) of more than 149,000 calls made were discontinued. But of those answered, 45 per cent were advised on “self care” rather than referred for treatment. A further 25 per cent were given GP telephone advice. An ambulance was only called in five per cent of cases and less than one per cent of more than 80,000 calls were directed to A&E. The figures also charted long waiting lists for community mental health services, recording maximum waiting times of almost eight years in one case. Seven Scottish health boards logged maximum waiting times of more than three years. Earlier this month first, minister John Swinney [pledged](https://news.stv.tv/politics/swinney-pledges-to-expand-mental-health-support?ref=theferret.scot) to expand mental health support ahead of a visit to [the Nook](https://www.samh.org.uk/about-us/the-nook/nook-glasgow?ref=theferret.scot), a new [Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH)](https://www.samh.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) drop-in support service in Glasgow city centre available without a referral. But he did not say how much the government is willing to invest. The charity is fundraising to open another five drop-ins across the country by 2028\. The FoI requests were made by mental health campaigner [Karen McKeown](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17405464.calls-review-couple-sought-help-eight-times-north-lanarkshire-man-took-life/?ref=theferret.scot), who lost her partner, Luke Henderson, to suicide in late 2017\. In the month leading to Luke's death on 29 December, she made repeated attempts to get help but says the couple were repeatedly turned away and “bounced” between mental health and addiction services. Luke took his own life about four weeks after she started trying to get support. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/06/image1--2--2-1.jpeg) Karen McKeown with her partner Luke Henderson ### **Nowhere left to turn** Sitting in her small flat in Bellshill in Lanarkshire, where she moved with her two children after her partner’s death, she gave heartbreaking details of Luke’s increasing paranoid and delusional thoughts, which she believes tipped into full-blown psychosis after he stopped using cocaine. In that month of crisis she claimed she and Luke were refused help everywhere they turned. Addiction services that were meant to be “all-singing and all-dancing” closed on Christmas Eve for four days with no out-of-hours option and when they finally opened, Luke’s appointment did not go ahead because they believed he had been taking cannabis. He took his own life the following day. Toxicology did not find cannabis in his system. “We tried hospitals, community mental health and addiction services,” she says. “There were no other doors for us. Where were we meant to go? Where were we meant to turn? Now there’s no accountability.” A spokesperson for NHS Lanarkshire said it "extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of anyone affected by suicide". They added: "We recognise how distressing and complex these circumstances are, and we are committed to continually learning and improving our services.” McKeown, who is in contact with many other families whose experiences echo her own, said she started campaigning in Luke’s honour, to show problems were systemic and her case was indicative of a “broken” system. In 2021 she raised a [petition](https://petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE1871?ref=theferret.scot) calling for reform to mental health services, which was discussed by the petitions committee in 2025\. Neil Gray, then health secretary, [claimed](https://www.parliament.scot/get-involved/petitions/view-petitions/pe1871-full-review-of-mental-health-services?ref=theferret.scot) at the time that “a lot has changed” since Luke’s death. However McKeown said her FoIs, along with the experiences of families across Scotland, shot down his claim. “So much has been promised, policy and funding – but this \[batch of FoIs\] shows people are still not getting the help. It will continue to cost people their lives if something isn’t done.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/06/Karen-McKeown--1-.jpg) Karen McKeown has been campaigning for reform since 2017 ### **Fears of suicide risk** The Ferret spoke to Siobhan Williams whose father, Darrell Williams took his own life in August 2024\. He had gone to A&E at the Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban twice in the weeks leading up to his death, including on 26 July when he had taken a “severe” overdose but was not admitted despite his daughter’s concern for his safety. A spokesperson for Argyll and Bute health and social care partnership said it takes “all concerns regarding patient care and safety seriously”. In October, three months after Darrell's death, the [Health and Safety Executive](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8y7v13008o?ref=theferret.scot) ordered the hospital to take measures to reduce suicides. A similar notice was issued to [Wishaw University Hospital ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8y7v13008o?ref=theferret.scot)at the same time. Fiona Ford, from Lanarkshire, claimed that two weeks before her partner, Barry Keane, completed suicide he had gone to that hospital with a homeless charity worker in June 2025 “begging for help”. But when he refused to leave, she said, he was escorted out of the hospital by police. She claims they did not consider his situation serious because he was so well known to emergency services. Ford was one of many people who told us that A&E refused to help their loved ones when drug use was involved. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/06/image0--4-.jpeg) Barry Keane, who died in June 2025 Last December, Police Scotland claimed the force was under “unsustainable pressure” as a result of the pressure of dealing with mental health incidents, while campaigners point out the police should not be the service dealing with severely unwell people. Chris and Karen Llewellyn, from Falkirk, who experienced police involvement when their sons were in psychosis, called for a separate emergency department for mental health to be established across the country. In another case, a young woman with a complex mental health diagnosis, told The Ferret she was discharged after making a suicide attempt without follow-up. Though she still struggles with suicidal thoughts she said she now felt there was “no point” in going to A&E to get support for her mental health. ### **A Place Called Here** Natalie Dakhil’s father, Michael Byrne, tried to take his own life twice before he completed suicide on 5 February 2024 at just 62 years old. Three days before his death, he told his community psychiatric nurse that he intended to kill himself, specifying the method he planned to use, which is [widely considered](https://www.camh.ca/en/professionals/treating-conditions-and-disorders/suicide-risk/suicide---detecting-and-assessing-suicidality?ref=theferret.scot) to flag the highest level of risk. But, says Natalie, despite his prior serious attempts, he was judged to have "protective factors" including a loving family and only offered an appointment five days later. He took his own life two days before that. With her husband Anton, Natalie went on to found [A Place Called Here](https://aplacecalledhere.org/?ref=theferret.scot), a support group for survivors of suicide. “I find these figures deeply concerning, though unfortunately not unexpected,” she said. “These experiences are not isolated incidents but reflect a system under significant strain. For many families, including my own, these deaths feel preventable, and we must do more to ensure that people in crisis receive the care and support they need.” NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said its “condolences are with Ms Dakhil and her family” and declined to comment further due to “patient confidentiality”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/06/image0--2--1.jpeg) Natalie Dakhil and her father Michael Byrne ### **Calls for action** John Gibson, chief executive of [The Canmore Trust](https://thecanmoretrust.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), a charity he set up to raise awareness of suicide after his son Cameron took his own life at 24-years-old, claimed the mental health care system “at times, does not feel safe”. He was tired and frustrated when we spoke, having spent many hours trying to get help for a young woman who had made two attempts on her life but was being refused a bed. “This happens all too often,” he said. “The attitude we frequently meet is ‘we can’t admit you unless you’ve made an attempt on your life – saying you are suicidal is simply not enough.’ How can this be right with two people dying by suicide each day in Scotland? “We need radical reform and my heart breaks for the many amazing staff on the frontline of the NHS who are clearly struggling with increasing demand alongside lack of staff and resources.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/06/SAMH-PC-WHAT-IF-EP-1-John-Gibson-1862.jpg) John Gibson, founder of the Canmore Trust [Scottish Labour MSP Mark Griffin](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/mark-griffin?ref=theferret.scot) said Karen McKeown’s “heartbreaking” story “must be a call to action for the government”. “The appalling figures exposed by Karen’s research show that mental health support is falling short in communities right across Scotland,” he claimed. “We need to make sure GPs, NHS 24, A&E and hospitals are all equipped to help people who are struggling, and Scottish Labour has called for the establishment of a dedicated mental health emergency service. I will continue to press the government to act.” A spokesperson for NHS 24 said calls to its mental health hub were taken by “specially trained colleagues including psychological wellbeing practitioners and mental health nurses” able to offer a “comprehensive mental wellbeing assessment”. “Calls to the mental health hub can be long and complex and can result in several possible outcomes ranging from self-care advice, referral to the caller’s own GP, or referral into other appropriate services within the caller’s own local health board area”, they added. NHS health boards who responded to The Ferret said demand for mental health and addiction services had significantly increased and claimed they were taking action to strengthen access to mental health crisis support and tackle waiting lists. Minister for mental wellbeing, Maree Todd, said: “Every death by suicide is a tragedy with a far reaching impact on family, friends and the wider community, and my heartfelt sympathies go out to all those affected.” She claimed the government and COSLA’s suicide prevention action plan “sets out an ambitious programme of work over the next three years to prevent suicide” and has a £3m budget in 2026-27. “This includes intensifying efforts to reach people at higher risk of suicide, building prevention awareness in our services and our communities and expanding the provision of timely, compassionate and high-quality support to anyone with thoughts of suicide or affected by suicide in any way,” she added. ### [Read the responses of health boards in full](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28285582-health-board-responses/?ref=theferret.scot) ### Reform UK activist claimed to know that Northern Ireland migrants would be targeted URL: https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-northern-ireland-migrants-targeted/ Last updated: 2026-06-16T05:30:13.000Z **A senior activist with Reform UK claimed to have prior knowledge that migrants in Northern Ireland would be targeted by rioters who set fire to family homes last week.** Grant Calder, who campaigned for Thomas Kerr MSP during the Scottish Parliament election, claimed on Facebook on Tuesday that “there are going to be protests and there’s going to be trouble, including migrants getting put out of houses and hostels”. That evening, masked rioters set fire to migrant’s houses in Northern Ireland in what has been described as a “[race-based pogrom](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cr47x99k5n6t?ref=theferret.scot)”. Calder has been suspended by Reform UK following allegations by The National that he made [antisemitic comments](https://www.thenational.scot/news/26187263.reform-uk-respond-top-activists-jews-want-shatter-uk-claim/?ref=theferret.scot). ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The Ferret’s findings prompted concerns that he apparently had advance warning that innocent people would be targeted but did not alert Northern Ireland’s authorities. In response, Reform UK claimed that it has “repeatedly and unequivocally condemned violence, intimidation and criminal damage”. Calder declined to comment. The violence that erupted last week in both Northern Ireland and Scotland came after Stephen Ogilvie, a man living in Belfast but with links to Scotland, was brutally stabbed by a Sudanese refugee who has since been charged with attempted murder. Ogilvie is in hospital in Belfast. His family described his condition as “stable” and [expressed disgust](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/10/police-use-water-cannon-against-rioters-in-northern-ireland?ref=theferret.scot) at the violence perpetrated by far right actors. They said: “We want to make it absolutely clear that to do this in response is not supported by our family, and peaceful protest is only ever the way forward.” Calder, who has campaigned with senior Reform UK figures including Kerr and deputy UK leader Richard Tice, commented last Tuesday on the Facebook page of Scots Active – a group that conducts street patrols in Glasgow. Ahead of the violence, Scots Active wrote that the “Irish have every right to riot”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/06/691362075_26109265652086538_2083071886279568878_n-1.jpg) Grant Calder, on the left, beside Thomas Kerr, during the election campaign for the Scottish Parliament. In response to posts about the attack on Ogilvie and planned protests, Calder claimed to have contacts in Northern Ireland and said: “Listen up folks, we have boots on the ground in Belfast right now and I can tell you two things: People are really angry: there are going to be protests and there’s going to be trouble, including migrants getting put out of houses and hotels.” He added that protests in the province would be held in “New Lodge \[Catholic area of Belfast\] and the Shankill Road \[Protestant area\], where local prods \[Protestants\] are much more switched on to the dangers of immigration.” Migrant’s homes in Shankill Road were later attacked. On Tuesday night, Calder was pictured at the steps outside the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Buchanan Street, holding a “white lives matter” banner at a protest also attended by Patriotic Alternative, a group often described as neo-Nazi. He wrote on X: “For all attending keep it peaceful. Ignore any provocateurs. They serve our destruction. Do not be baited.” But violence erupted and Police Scotland said [five people](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5jme6ld54o?ref=theferret.scot) were injured by those associated with the protest, including two officers, after hundreds of people wearing masks marched through Glasgow city centre that evening. Three men have been arrested and charged following disorder and racist assaults. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/06/Reworked-screenshot.png) Assistant chief constable Alan Waddell said: "Officers responded to disorder and violence, including incidents in Glasgow where members of the public were attacked because of the colour of their skin. Officers were also attacked.” He condemned the offences and insisted there was “no place for racism and violence in Scotland”. Calder later said he had “zero regrets and [zero sympathy](https://archive.ph/gGpJq?ref=theferret.scot#selection-1587.3-1587.208)” for the victims of the riots, claiming he would neither condemn the violence or apologise. “ I stand fully by everyone who turned out and would do again,” he added. Patrick Harvie, a Scottish Greens Glasgow MSP, alleged that Reform and “their toxic policies have already contributed to unleashing a wave of hate, towards migrants and people of colour, simply for being migrants or their skin colour”. He added: “Their shameful and constant demonisation of New Scots and racialised communities has contributed to people being targeted, intimidated and abused while empowering the thugs who are doing it. Now it is being alleged that a close friend of Thomas Kerr knew this was going to happen all along. Mr Kerr and his party must be held accountable.” A spokesperson for campaign group Stand Up To Racism Scotland said: "This is nothing new for Reform UK and it shows why anti-racists are right to say no to the normalisation of its politics of division. Their dehumanising anti-refugee rhetoric encourages far right activists who want to exploit tragedies to bring the violent race riots in Belfast to Glasgow.” > “Their shameful and constant demonisation of New Scots and racialised communities has contributed to people being targeted, intimidated and abused while empowering the thugs who are doing it.” — Patrick Harvie, Scottish Greens Last week, the spokesperson added, Reform leader Nigel Farage called for “pure, cold rage” and Thomas Kerr called for people to “take to the streets” just hours before the “far right ran riot through the streets of Glasgow”. They continued: “The majority of us who reject this hatred must stand united against us." Calder said: “I have already provided a full response to the matters raised in my submission to Reform UK. I have no further comment at this moment.” A Reform UK Scotland spokesman claimed Stand Up To Racism’s accusations were “entirely false and deliberately inflammatory” and that it rejected “any suggestion of racism or any attempt to associate our calls for peaceful protest and public accountability with criminal disorder”. He added: “The violence and disorder witnessed in Glasgow were unacceptable and served nobody’s interests. It is entirely legitimate in a democratic society to raise concerns about immigration policy, border security, public safety and community cohesion. Attempting to silence those concerns by branding political opponents racist is both dishonest and deeply irresponsible. “Thomas Kerr MSP explicitly called for peaceful protest. Any suggestion that advocating lawful democratic expression is somehow responsible for criminal behaviour is absurd and an intentional distortion of the facts.” Kerr said: “I won't be silenced and neither will Reform - we are the voice of Scotland's forgotten working-class communities and speak f ****Help us keep digging.** If this investigation mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is Scotland's independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Hundreds of offshore landowners are illegally flouting Scotland's land control register URL: https://www.theferret.scot/offshore-landowners-scotland-land-control-register/ Last updated: 2026-06-14T05:30:55.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/06/image.png) **Russian oligarchs, billionaires, foreign governments, international royalty, and banking giants are among those behind nearly 1,000 offshore entities who are illegally flouting the land control registry, The Ferret can reveal.** We found that around two-thirds (956) of the 1,447 overseas firms which own Scottish land and should appear on the publicly-available [log](https://rci.ros.gov.uk/search-entry/search?ref=theferret.scot) are absent. Their assets, typically owned via tax and secrecy havens, include castles, sporting estates and prime city centre real estate worth tens of millions of pounds. Offending landowners have been linked to fraud and money laundering, while some firms who oversee landowning entities previously failed to prevent serious financial crime risks. The register was introduced by the Scottish Government in 2022 with the [stated intention](https://www.gov.scot/news/more-transparency-on-land-ownership/?ref=theferret.scot) of uncovering who controls swathes of the country’s land. But the widespread non-compliance we have uncovered means that who controls swathes of Scotland remains a mystery. Meanwhile, some who benefit from public subsidies for land management are avoiding scrutiny. [Revealed: Politicians, billionaires and offshore firms’ taxpayer forestry handoutsThe King, J.K. Rowling, billionaires and politicians are among those who have been given tens of millions of pounds of taxpayer forestry subsidies, The Ferret can reveal, prompting claims that wealthy landowners are prioritised over rural communities. Nearly 2,000 recipients, including estates, investment firms and timber giants, were![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-49195b8a-dee5-4bf4-ac1f-ebd38d574a8c.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/untitled-design-1-0e14f0c5-b30e-4dc5-b399-d44f806492a5.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/politicians-billionaires-offshore-forestry-handouts/) ****Reporting you can check, not just share.** We publish rigorous, sourced journalism and we correct it when it’s wrong. If you value facts over noise, help keep this work independent. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Land and anti-corruption campaigners claimed the register had “failed” and required an overhaul with proper checks and enforcement. The Liberal Democrats called for an “immediate and thorough investigation”, while the Greens said our findings show that parliament must ensure “legislation is properly enforced”. The controllers of 60 per cent (1,766) of the 2,959 offshore-owned properties we analysed were not disclosed on the Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land ([RCI](https://rci.ros.gov.uk/search-entry/search?ref=theferret.scot)). But The Ferret was able to identify hundreds of the beneficial owners behind them. As well as some of the world’s wealthiest people, they include real estate bosses, wealth managers and veteran lawyers who proclaim legal prudence. The 956 offshore companies should each risk up to a [£5,000 fine](https://www.gov.scot/policies/land-reform/register-of-controlling-interests/?ref=theferret.scot) for failing to register – as much as £4.8m in total – which a land expert derided as a “weak" deterrent. Regardless, no authority was tasked with monitoring the RCI after the rules came into force in 2024. ### **The RCI’s failed transparency aims** After regulations were passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament, the RCI was [launched](https://www.gov.scot/policies/land-reform/register-of-controlling-interests/?ref=theferret.scot) with the aim of boosting transparency about who makes decisions about the management or use of land. Then-land reform minister Màiri McAllan [said](https://www.gov.scot/news/more-transparency-on-land-ownership/?ref=theferret.scot) it would make Scotland “a frontrunner in Europe and deliver greater transparency than any other part of the UK”. She wanted to ensure that control of land could not be obscured, including “via overseas trusts or entities”. Registers of Scotland was tasked with establishing and maintaining – but not enforcing – the RCI, which said it would “deliver valuable insight to citizens and communities”. RCI rules state that ‘recorded persons’ – which explicitly [include](https://kb.ros.gov.uk/rci/categories-of-ownership-or-tenancy/about-overseas-entities-in-rci?ref=theferret.scot) overseas entities – must log details about themselves, their land, and their ‘associates’. Recorded persons are landowners or tenants on a longer 20-year lease, while associates control the land. We assessed non-compliance by checking whether the 1,447 entities listed on Registers of Scotland’s [latest report](https://www.ros.gov.uk/data-and-statistics/property-market-statistics/country-of-origin?ref=theferret.scot) into offshore property owners as of 31 December 2025, featured on the RCI on 20 March this year. Of the 956 companies that didn't, we identified hundreds who disclosed their beneficial owners in the UK [Register of Overseas Entities](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/register-of-overseas-entities?ref=theferret.scot) (ROE), which has considerably [stronger](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-overseas-entities-approach-to-enforcement/register-of-overseas-entities-approach-to-enforcement?ref=theferret.scot) monitoring, enforcement and penalties than the RCI. ### **Castles and estates** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/06/Aberuchill_Castle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1993693.jpg) Aberuchill Castle in Perthshire. [Photo](https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1993693?ref=theferret.scot) ****©** [****Dr Richard Murray**](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/21212?ref=theferret.scot "View profile") ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) Large estates are among unregistered properties, making it unclear who makes decisions about a range of issues including conservation, sporting activities, forestry, energy projects and public access. Parts, or all of Kinpurnie Castle in Angus, Calgary Castle in Mull, Farleyer Estate near Aberfeldy, Murdostoun Castle in North Lanarkshire, Auchinfroe House estate near Cardross and Edinburgh’s Dundas Estate are absent from the RCI. So are the Gualin, Struy, Pitlundie, Shurrery, Pitmain and Glenbanchor Highland estates. Land expert Andy Wightman [notified](https://andywightman.scot/2026/04/further-reporting-of-offences-to-police-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) Police Scotland of non-compliance by the owners of North Glenbuchat in Aberdeenshire, among others. The estate – [reportedly](https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen-aberdeenshire/6796921/glenbuchat-estate-expansion-plans/?ref=theferret.scot) owned by a wealthy aristocrat with strong ties to the Royal Family – has since [registered](https://rci.ros.gov.uk/search-entry/view-recorded-person/RP009787?ref=theferret.scot). Wightman [claimed](https://andywightman.scot/2026/06/no-police-or-copfs-action-over-transparency-offences/?ref=theferret.scot) officers referred two cases to the Crown Office, but it declined to take action. Police allegedly did not act on other breaches that he reported, although some were still outstanding, he added. The Ferret found that Aberuchill Castle, an unregistered Perthshire estate, is [owned](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE027702/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) by Liudmila Lisina via a British Virgin Islands firm. In 2022, it was [reportedly](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-60617911?ref=theferret.scot) held by her husband, Russian oligarch Vladimir Lisin. The billionaire is [sanctioned](https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/Q470975/?ref=theferret.scot#rel.sanctions) in Ukraine, Canada and Australia for allegedly providing steel to Kremlin weapons firms and bankrolling Vladimir Putin’s party. ### **Foreign governments and banks** Overseas governments and banking giants are behind some offending firms. They include the Crown Prince of Dubai – a member of the UAE’s ruling royal family and [owner](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE033048/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) of a firm behind Rynagoup Wood near Forres. The State of Qatar enjoys unrecorded salmon fishing rights in rivers at Cluny Estate near Kingussie via a [Jersey firm](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE019621/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot), while the governments of Singapore and Alberta, Canada are behind nearly £35m of unregistered Glasgow property via [Luxembourg](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE004830/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) and Jersey entities. When contacted by The Ferret, Singapore said responsibility lay with its [Jersey firm](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE033480/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot), which had now pursued registration. A [subsidiary](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE032355/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) of JPMorgan Chase, one the world’s largest banks, has a £28m unregistered city property portfolio, while a Jersey firm controlled by an HSBC [subsidiary](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE024501/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) failed to log property in Ayr, Elgin and Peterhead. HSBC declined to comment. Parts of Buchanan Castle Estate and Balmaha Bay, held by a Royal Bank Of Canada-[owned](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE031705/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) Jersey firm, are absent from the RCI, although properties it did log [name](https://rci.ros.gov.uk/search-entry/view-recorded-person/RP003902?ref=theferret.scot) the Duke of Montrose as a controller. ### **Lawyers and trustees** Many firms which failed to comply with Scottish land laws are controlled by legal professionals. The chair of Scottish law firm Turcan Connell, Alexander Garden, offers [governance advice](https://www.turcanconnell.com/alexander-garden?ref=theferret.scot) to clients including “landed estate owners”. But a Jersey firm he [administers](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE019757?ref=theferret.scot) failed to register parts of Dundas Estate. Turcan Connell declined to comment due to “client confidentiality”. The boss of Edinburgh’s QMile, Paul Curran, [owns](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE015872/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) a non-compliant Isle of Man company behind the city’s luxury Craighouse development, while Line Trust Corporation, which is [linked](https://www.gibraltarlaw.com/about-us/?ref=theferret.scot) to Gibraltar’s top law firm, administers [an entity](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE016426/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) with unrecorded Aberdeen land. [From Moscow to Paisley: How a blacklisted Russian oligarch secretly invested in Scottish car parksA Russian oligarch praised by Vladimir Putin has amassed a UK property portfolio under the veil of secretive offshore trusts, The Ferret can reveal. Anti-corruption campaigners say our investigation is a “shocking indictment” of the UK’s “dirty money” defences.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-41b3c81e-4f56-404e-b61d-9a2708ba8b16.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/The-Russian-oligarch-and-the-Paisley-car-park-5976ca9e-a5bc-4922-b437-0bed76369253.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/russian-oligarch-paisley/) Last year, The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/russian-oligarch-paisley/) that a British Virgin Islands firm was secretly owned by Nikolay Kosov, a KGB-linked Russian oligarch praised by Putin. It has still not logged its dozens of car parking spaces near Glasgow airport. Neither have offshore firms including care home giant HC-One, steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta, and US real estate boss, Keith Breslauer, whose [Luxembourg firm](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE002953/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) bought the Livingston Designer Outlet for £101m in 2017. Other sky-high value unregistered properties are Standard Life House in Edinburgh, acquired for £94m in 2015 by a Guernsey company [co-owned](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE009881/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) by an Indian billionaire, and a £68.5m chunk of Edinburgh’s luxury Quartermile development, owned by a firm controlled by German [investment managers](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE031178/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot). Representatives of the Quartermile firm vowed to register after being questioned by The Ferret. ### **Financial crime links** Some of those behind unregistered offshore firms have been mired in dirty money allegations or safeguarding failures. Bermuda’s Butterfield Bank [oversees](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE000046/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) a BVI firm which bought property in Port Glasgow, and the Sweet Chestnut pub in Dunfermline in 2021\. Months later, it [paid $5.6m](http://google.com/search?q=%245.6m+to+the+United+States+government+to+settle+a+tax+evasion+case.+butterfield&rlz=1C5CHFA%5FenGB887GB887&oq=%245.6m+to+the+United+States+government+to+settle+a+tax+evasion+case.+butterfield&gs%5Flcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDIzMDhqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ref=theferret.scot) to the US government to settle a tax evasion case. Michael Burke Jr, part of one of Ireland’s richest families, owns £25.5m of land in Edinburgh, and the former Gretna Golf Course in Dumfriesshire via Guernsey firms. He was [linked](https://www.ft.com/content/71693f9e-d0c6-400b-a0f2-49a73d6aa2cd?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=theferret.scot) to a £5bn crypto money laundering scam in 2024, but [denied](https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/irish-pharma-tycoons-son-linked-to-convicted-chinese-fraudster-in-huge-money-laundering-scam/a/129642573.html?ref=theferret.scot) any involvement. Burke could not be reached. Vistra Trust, a [trustee](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE022882/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) of a firm which owns East Calder property, was [fined](https://www.mas.gov.sg/news/media-releases/2022/mas-penalises-vistra-trust-for-failures-in-anti-money-laundering-controls?ref=theferret.scot) £640,000 in 2022 for breaching Singapore's anti-money laundering and terrorist financing rules, while Belasko, the [trustee](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE022264/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) of an entity with nine Highland properties, was [fined](https://www.offshorealert.com/belasko-jersey-ltd-19-2k-fine-jersey/?ref=theferret.scot) for flouting these safeguards in Jersey in 2024. In the same year, Guernsey’s financial regulator [fined](https://www.offshorealert.com/guernsey-regulator-penalizes-zedrus-trust-co-and-ex-officer-colin-gorman-regarding-client-owned-by-suspected-fraudster/?%5F%5Fcf%5Fchl%5Frt%5Ftk=4S5RkM.BSEHTdpcv9wC3f6KOqvaebeh.Ed4t8tLK1A0-1779727100-1.0.1.1-bexKzqY5yD0VxgfMNIULXmHRN6aneUIDfsQl.UCaDd&ref=theferret.scot) Zedra Trust Company and blacklisted a former officer for helping to hide the beneficial ownership of an entity by a businessman arrested for suspected fraud, bribery, and corruption. A branch of Zedra [administers](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE021733/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) a firm with unrecorded property in Paisley. Umena Management failed to register its Cairngorm land. In 2024, we [highlighted](https://www.theferret.scot/cairngorm-landowner-jeeves-800m-tax-haven-scam/) that Alexander Jeeves – the head of a group which ultimately owns [the trust](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE030852/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) behind Umena – was entangled in an alleged £800m money laundering and fraud scam. Jeeves said his clients had managed the US scheme, but he paid a settlement and the judgement was lifted. ### **Calls for ‘immediate and thorough investigation’** Land expert Wightman said The Ferret’s investigation shows that “the RCI has failed in a big way and at the heart of the problem is a failure to monitor compliance and prosecute those persons who have committed offences”. James Bolton-Jones, senior policy researcher at Spotlight on Corruption, agreed. “A failure to introduce a compliance monitoring mechanism completely undermines the credibility and effectiveness of the register,” he said. “The role of lawyers and wealth advisors – who we know can be both witting and unwitting enablers of money laundering – in flouting the rules is particularly troubling.” Dr Josh Doble of Community Land Scotland called for a comprehensive system to collect data on land ownership and use. “If we don’t know who ultimately owns land we cannot address corruption, poor land management or start to build the policies that will fully tackle the big challenges facing society,” he argued. Juliet Swann of Transparency International UK highlighted that the SNP’s 2026 [manifesto](https://www.snp.org/manifesto/?ref=theferret.scot) promised “robust anti-avoidance measures" to “make land ownership transparent”. She offered to help ministers develop an effective enforcement plan. Otherwise, “loopholes will continue to be exploited”, warned Swann. [Billionaire lairds and Tory donors broke rules around rural subsidiesBillionaire lairds, sporting estates and Conservative Party donors in receipt of millions of pounds of public grants are among the owners of businesses which broke the rules around rural subsidies, The Ferret can reveal. Scotland’s rural payments schemes are largely designed to help farmers and land managers make a![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-3eec8e7f-3d9c-4d0f-8423-4126e5be3391.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/18012117982_b919687164_o-scaled-0c63a3bc-c58d-474a-bd15-b3e103e6ec4e.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) Green MSP Ariane Burgess said a functioning RCI was necessary to reveal who benefits from public money for tree planting, peatland restoration and other support payments. But The Ferret’s findings “underlines how much work we still need to do to hold the vested interests accountable and to ensure that our legislation is properly enforced.” She added: “It shouldn’t be down to hardworking journalists to uncover information like this which should be widely available.” Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie added: “This requires an immediate and thorough investigation as there is little point in passing new laws if they are not enforced.” Registers of Scotland stressed that it has no role or powers relating to compliance or enforcement. The Scottish Government said: “Enforcement of the law is an independent matter for Police Scotland.” Police Scotland said it was working to “increase awareness and understanding of the legislation” while “any report received will be thoroughly investigated to establish if there has been any criminality.” Every beneficial owner named in this article was approached for comment. ****Help us keep digging.** If this investigation mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is Scotland's independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Israeli diplomat offered country's 'world-leading technology' to NHS Scotland at Robertson meeting URL: https://www.theferret.scot/israeli-diplomat-offered-countrys-world-leading-technology-to-nhs-scotland-at-robertson-meeting/ Last updated: 2026-06-13T06:11:32.000Z **The potential to bring “Israel’s world-leading technology” into NHS Scotland was discussed at Angus Robertson’s controversial meeting with an Israeli diplomat, documents released to The Ferret reveal.** The issue was raised during the meeting between Robertson, then the Scottish Government’s external affairs secretary, and Israeli deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky in August 2024. The details have emerged after a near two-year [freedom of information battle](https://www.theferret.scot/the-scottish-government-wanted-to-keep-parts-of-its-israeli-meeting-secret-weve-forced-transparency/) by The Ferret. Ministers had tried to keep sections of the official minutes of the meeting secret, including by arguing that publishing them would hurt UK relations with Israel. But at the end of April, the Scottish Information Commissioner ordered them to be released and they were published yesterday afternoon. **You can read the full finalised and draft minutes of the meeting** [**here**](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28241246-scottish-government-meeting-with-israeli-diplomat-full-draft-and-final-minutes/?ref=theferret.scot)**.** They show that Grudsky used the meeting to promote closer ties between Scotland and Israel in a range of areas. According to the official record, the Israeli embassy believed there was “potential for cooperation” between the two countries, “especially around climate change and renewable energy, bringing Israel’s world-leading technology to NHS Scotland, and promoting more tourism to Scotland from Israel”. The diplomat also said the embassy wanted to “lay the ground” for a another visit to Scotland by then Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, “likely in early 2025”. As we [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-crisis-meeting-israel-2/) last year, a planned visit by Hotovely in June 2024 had been cancelled because of security concerns. The minutes show Robertson responding that Scottish Government officials would “consider all these issues”. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Already a member? Donate ](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) He also said it was important to promote “the best possible relationships between the peoples of Scotland, Israel and Palestine”. According to the record, Robertson added that “cooperation between Scots and Israelis was vital” and that there was “great value in people-to-people ties” to increase understanding between the countries. The meeting became a political flashpoint after Grudsky [posted](https://x.com/DanielaGrudsky/status/1823035827779506485?ref=theferret.scot) a photograph of herself and Robertson smiling together at St Andrews House on social media. The post said they had discussed “unique commonalities” between Israel and Scotland and cooperation in “the fields of technology, culture and renewable energy”. It sparked criticism from politicians and campaigners because it came at a time when Israel was facing widespread international condemnation over its war in Gaza. International [NGOs](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/?ref=theferret.scot) and [academics](https://genocidescholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IAGS-Resolution-on-Gaza-FINAL.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) agree its extensive bombing campaign on the 25-mile-long strip constituted a genocide – a claim Israel refutes. It has been [estimated](https://www.prio.org/news/3691?ref=theferret.scot) that up to 75,000 people have been killed. Robertson later [apologised](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ydg5lqgwxo?ref=theferret.scot) that the discussion had not focused solely on a ceasefire in Gaza, while the Scottish Government ruled out further meetings with Israel until there was “[real progress](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ydg5lqgwxo?ref=theferret.scot)” towards peace. The minutes do show Robertson reiterating the Scottish Government’s position on Gaza. He said an immediate ceasefire was necessary to allow humanitarian aid into the city, expressed concern about civilian casualties, and noted growing opposition in Scotland to companies supplying the Israeli military. “There was strong concern in Scotland of the horrific impact of the full military might of an industrialised, developed nation being brought to bear in an urban space, which affected the Scottish public’s views,” Robertson is noted as saying. [Robertson sought changes to record of Israel meeting after media stormAngus Robertson had the minutes of his controversial meeting with an Israeli diplomat changed after a public backlash – because he feared his call for a Gaza ceasefire was “lost” in the original version. The external affairs secretary faced calls to resign last August after holding talks with Israel’s deputy![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-99b974e5-1985-4440-a3c1-dbb4f2fb7649.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1024px-the_new_york_times_climate_hub_-_closing_celebration_51673527645-1-c169b9ee-460d-428d-afb0-e9f709ad2181.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/angus-robertson-change-record-israel-meeting/) Two draft versions of the minutes of the meeting were also released to us as well as the finalised version. These reveal how the official record changed in the days after it took place and as public anger grew. An initial draft of the minute, circulated on 9 August, placed discussion of Gaza at the end of the note. As we previously [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/angus-robertson-change-record-israel-meeting/), five days later after backlash in the press, Robertson’s private secretary emailed officials saying the minister felt his comments on a ceasefire had become “lost in the middle” of the draft. The email asked officials to ensure those messages were “fully brought out in the readout rather than lost in the middle of wider points”. In the final version, discussion of Gaza and the Scottish Government’s position on the conflict was moved to the beginning of the minute. The release of the documents follows a [ruling](https://www.foi.scot/decision-0872026?ref=theferret.scot) by Scottish Information Commissioner, David Hamilton, who found ministers had wrongly withheld parts of the record. The Scottish Government had argued that releasing them to the public could damage relations between the UK and Israel and impact the effective conduct of public affairs. Hamilton rejected those arguments and concluded ministers had failed to demonstrate the level of harm required to justify withholding the information. He also said he did not regard the material as “particularly sensitive”. Robertson lost his Edinburgh Central seat at last month’s Holyrood election. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government’s consistent and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza was made clear during the meeting. There has been no further Ministerial engagement with the Government of Israel since. “The Scottish Government initially withheld some of the information requested in line with exemptions set out in legislation.” The Israeli embassy has been contacted for comment. ### The documents ### Children's commissioner calls for end to ‘dangerous’ homeless accommodation for children URL: https://www.theferret.scot/children-commissioner-homeless-accommodation/ Last updated: 2026-06-11T05:30:16.000Z **Scotland's commissioner for children and young people has called on the government to take urgent action to end the use of unsuitable temporary accommodation for children.** Following an investigation by The Ferret into the risks it poses for babies and toddlers, commissioner Nicola Killean said she was “seriously concerned” that children were still being placed in “dangerous environments". [We found](https://www.theferret.scot/homeless-accommodation-babies-risk/) over 2,000 children under two years old were placed in temporary accommodation in Scotland during 2024 and 2025, despite evidence this puts them at higher risk of health complications or even death. According to UK-wide research released earlier this year by the [National Child Mortality Database](https://www.ncmd.info/?ref=theferret.scot), 104 children have died in temporary accommodation since 2019, and 76 were under the age of one. Causes of death included sudden infant death syndrome, known as Sids. Though no Scottish figures were available, at least seven local authorities told The Ferret that they did not provide cots, and only one issued [safer sleeping advice](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/baby/baby-basics/newborn-and-baby-sleeping-advice-for-parents/safe-sleep-advice-for-babies/?ref=theferret.scot). In response, opposition politicians called for the issue to be urgently addressed by authorities to avoid tragedy. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) In November 2023 a report was published by the [Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland](https://www.cypcs.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) highlighting its concerns about a growing number of children being placed in unsuitable hotels, either by the Home Office if they were seeking asylum or because their families were homeless. The report – ‘[Sometimes I feel like I am in prison](https://www.cypcs.org.uk/wpcypcs/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Children-Young-Peoples-Commissioner-Scotland%5FHotel-Accommodation-Report%5FNovember-2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)’ – said newborn babies, children and pregnant mothers should not be placed in hotel style accommodation. Where unavoidable it must be used only as a last resort, for the shortest time possible and in line with international and domestic law, it added. Children’s commissioner Killean told The Ferret: “I am seriously concerned to see further evidence that children are still being placed in dangerous environments, which risks exacerbating trauma and can cause long-term harm to children’s health and development. “Councils must comply with their legal obligations and ensure that they undertake comprehensive risk assessments of accommodation, including a full children’s rights impact assessment,” she added. “The Scottish Government must take urgent action to fulfil its commitment to end the use of unsuitable temporary accommodation for children, clearly setting out its steps to delivering this alongside the necessary resources.” [Homeless accommodation could put babies at risk. Why aren’t Scottish councils doing more to reduce the dangers?Scottish babies and toddlers are being put at risk due to unsafe sleeping conditions and a lack of basic necessities in homeless accommodation, it is claimed.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-2157501c-cdbc-4291-b88a-783ea2f3df5d.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1835185733-a849096a-b991-484b-9de4-205f695914f2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/homeless-accommodation-babies-risk/) Opposition politicians backed Killean’s call. Scottish Labour housing spokesperson, Mark Griffin, said it was “appalling” that so many babies and toddlers were “stuck in temporary accommodation”. He claimed Scottish Labour would press the government to tackle the housing emergency and build new homes. “Reports of children being put in potentially unsafe situations are shameful and the SNP government must work with local authorities to make sure all temporary accommodation for families is fit for purpose,” he added. “The government must listen to the children’s commissioner and urgently set out how it will get families out of temporary accommodation and into a safe, secure home of their own.” > The last thing anyone wants is a tragedy on their hands as a result of a small child sleeping in unsuitable conditions. — Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrats Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, said: "Given the risks that inappropriate sleeping conditions can pose, I think this is something that the Home Office, local authorities and accommodation providers will need to urgently look at. "The last thing anyone wants is a tragedy on their hands as a result of a small child sleeping in unsuitable conditions." Scottish Greens MSP Iris Duane also claimed the figures should be taken seriously and said local councils and the Scottish Government must “work together to increase the social housing stock and end the cruelty of unsafe temporary accommodation that doesn’t meet families needs or put families in crisis at the heart of their decisions”. Scottish Government housing secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said local authorities had a legal responsibility to provide temporary accommodation “that is safe and meets household needs” and insisted “the safety and wellbeing of every child in temporary accommodation is paramount.” The Home Office was asked to comment. ****Keep this reporting independent.** No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### The ‘kayak vigilante’ accuses Norwegian salmon firm of trying to privatise Scotland’s public waters URL: https://www.theferret.scot/don-staniford-mowi-salmon-legal-action/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T05:00:17.000Z **An anti-fish farm activist dubbed the “kayak vigilante” has accused a Norwegian multinational of trying to “privatise public waters” at ​salmon farms in the Highlands and islands.** Don Staniford, who spotlights problems with Scotland’s farmed salmon industry, made the claim after receiving a new legal threat from Mowi, the world's largest producer of farmed Atlantic salmon. The firm has imposed a five metre exclusion zone around its salmon farms and warned Staniford of legal action if the ban is breached. Staniford has been opposing salmon farming for more than 20 years. A high-profile activist who covertly enters fish farms to film, he posts photos and videos of diseased and dying fish online. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Salmon companies have accused Staniford of [distorting the truth](https://www.theferret.scot/freedom-of-expression-group-legal-threats/), by allegedly editing together images in a way that makes the pens holding salmon look worse than they are. They argue that [Staniford’s incursions](https://www.theferret.scot/freedom-of-expression-group-legal-threats/) on to fish farms are unlawful, and that his conduct poses a risk to the safety and wellbeing of the company’s staff. Critics, however, have questioned the legality of Mowi’s exclusion zones because its fish farms are in public waters like lochs. Staniford claims the bans imposed are effectively [SLAPPs](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-crime-and-corporate-transparency-act-2023-factsheets/economic-crime-and-corporate-transparency-act-strategic-lawsuits-against-public-participation-slapps?ref=theferret.scot) to prevent him revealing what he regards as the truth about fish farming. SLAPPs – strategic lawsuits against public participation – are legal actions typically brought by corporations or individuals with the intention of harassing, intimidating and financially or psychologically exhausting opponents via improper use of the legal system. Mowi previously took [legal action](https://www.theferret.scot/freedom-of-expression-group-legal-threats/) against Staniford and he is permanently banned from boarding, entering, or occupying the pens, walkways, and structures of 46 Scottish sites. But an attempt then to impose a 15 metre exclusion area was dropped by Mowi in court. [Freedom of expression group condemns ‘years of legal threats’ against activist who spotlights environmental issuesA group campaigning for freedom of expression has condemned multinationals for “years of legal threats” against an activist who spotlights environmental and animal welfare issues caused by industrial salmon farming. Index On Censorship called for “public interest speech” to be protected after it emerged that a court had banned Don![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-a968d785-543e-46dc-96bf-6682b6e9d164.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1652925032-adb05b6c-e90a-4b3c-baa8-ddd486a29f60.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/freedom-of-expression-group-legal-threats/) The latest legal threat from Mowi’s lawyers follows claims by Staniford that the ban does not apply to all of its fish farms. He argues that eight of the firm’s sites were acquired after the company initially started its legal action in 2021. Mowi’s legal letter to Staniford says it is “reasonably apprehensive” that he could enter those sites, also claiming that his “actions and behaviour” would put the health and safety of Mowi’s staff at risk while potentially damaging the firm’s commercial interests. Staniford must agree in writing to Mowi’s demands by 5pm on 12 June 2026, the letter continues, otherwise legal action will be taken. Staniford told The Ferret: “Fencing off feedlots via a five metre exclusion zone flies in the face of Scots Law and the law of the sea.” He was backed by Dr Thomas Appleby, an associate professor specialising in property law at the University of the West of England, who said Scotland has “long had an enviable approach to rights to roam” and that it “needs to be careful not to become like Tasmania or Greece” where it is a criminal offence to approach fish farms. > "Fencing off disease-ridden feedlots via a five metre exclusion zone flies in the face of Scots Law and the law of the sea." — Don Staniford He claimed companies in these countries “claim wide exclusory powers at the expense of the public”, adding: “I can understand why fish farm companies may not want people climbing all over their structures, but it absolutely goes against the grain to restrict the public right to navigation.” Ewan Kennedy, a former solicitor who campaigns against industrial aquaculture on Scotland’s west coast, said: “There’s no law of trespass on the surface of the sea. You can go where you want unless there’s a law stopping you, such as around the nuclear base at Faslane. He added: “Mowi tried to impose a fifteen metre exclusion zone a couple of years ago, but that part of their case collapsed when the sheriff pointed out there was no legal basis for it. I don’t see how in legal terms five metres is any different.” Two other farmed salmon firms – [Scottish Sea Farms](https://www.theferret.scot/freedom-of-expression-group-legal-threats/) and Bakkafrost Scotland – have previously taken legal action against Staniford to keep him away from their farms. Mowi Scotland declined to comment. ****Keep this reporting independent.** No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Homeless accommodation could put babies at risk. Why aren’t Scottish councils doing more to reduce the dangers? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/homeless-accommodation-babies-risk/ Last updated: 2026-06-07T05:30:51.000Z **The health and wellbeing of hundreds of babies and toddlers is at risk in temporary accommodation, it is claimed, due to unsafe sleeping conditions, overcrowding and a lack of basic necessities, while mothers struggle with food poverty and mental stress.** Figures shared with The Ferret show that over two thousands babies and toddlers under two years old were placed in temporary accommodation in Scotland during 2024 and 2025, despite concerns this puts them at higher risk of health complications or even death. UK-wide research released earlier this year found 104 children have died in temporary accommodation since 2019, and 76 were under the age of one, according to the [National Child Mortality Database](https://www.ncmd.info/?ref=theferret.scot). The statistics, compiled by the [all-party parliamentary group for households in temporary accommodation](https://householdsintemporaryaccommodation.co.uk/reports/child-mortality-in-temporary-accommodation-report/?ref=theferret.scot), also found there were 64 stillbirths and 27 newborn deaths involving mothers living in temporary accommodation in the UK in 2024\. Cot death and sudden infant death syndrome (Sids) are the [most common](https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/04/how-homeless-children-die?ref=theferret.scot) causes of death among homeless children. Scottish figures are not available. But experts fear the housing crisis here is pushing families into conditions that endanger their lives. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Freedom of information requests reveal that at least seven local authorities do not provide cots for babies and toddlers as standard, including Aberdeen City, Inverclyde, South Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Renfrewshire, Shetland and Orkney councils. This has impacted at least 150 babies over a two year period. One expert claimed these councils were breaching legal duties. At least ten other local authorities said they would only provide cots or travel cots on request. Councils said they were committed to ensuring safe sleeping guidance was followed and they would work with families to meet their needs. But charities said families did not always know they could request cots. One asylum seeker support organisation shared evidence of mothers and babies in Home Office accommodation experiencing similar issues. They also raised concerns that some were housed in temperatures above those recommended for safe sleeping in bedrooms. [Mears](https://www.theferret.scot/housing-company-re-traumatising-asylum-seekers/), the company which provides accommodation for asylum seeking mothers and babies in Glasgow, told The Ferret it had not breached any rules. Only one local authority out of 32 said they provided safer sleeping advice to families in their accommodation. 31 said they did not. Most did not have a policy on the amount of space required to house a family with a baby or toddler. > "All babies should be provided with a safe place to sleep." — Professor Helen Ball, Durham University infancy and sleep centre [The NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/baby/baby-basics/newborn-and-baby-sleeping-advice-for-parents/safe-sleep-advice-for-babies/?ref=theferret.scot) advises that the safest place for a baby to sleep for the first six months is in a cot, lying on their back, in the same room as a parent or guardian. If parents are co-sleeping with their baby, it advises making sure the baby cannot fall out of bed, or become trapped between the mattress and wall. Parents should ensure other children are not in the bed at the same time. Research shows this reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Satwat Rehman, chief executive of [One Parent Families Scotland](https://opfs.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), said too many families were forced to raise babies and young children in temporary accommodation “that is overcrowded, unsuitable and, in some cases, unsafe”. “Through our services, we hear from single parents living in accommodation that lacks adequate space and safe sleeping arrangements for infants,” she said. “Many are expected to source essential equipment themselves, despite spending extended periods in temporary accommodation.” In Dundee the charity is supporting a parent in a one-bedroom flat so small there is no room for a cot, meaning the mother and her son are currently co-sleeping. The baby was born severely prematurely and has retinal damage in one eye, which increases the risk associated with co-sleeping, including of sudden infant death syndrome. In Edinburgh it previously supported families who were placed in hotels without cots, or which it said were not safe for young babies and children. They included a mother with four children, including an 18-month-old, who had to share two double beds for seven weeks. [‘Let us remember them’: Scots count shows almost two people a week die while homelessIn late January it started snowing again. Yellow weather warnings were issued across Scotland, ice formed on the pavements and gritters were out in force. Chilly streets were coated with a dusting of soft white, and outside Glasgow’s Winter Night Shelter those who would otherwise be homeless queued as![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-fcd2476b-e36b-4411-a9e4-9d2513f20fdb.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/iStock-487125349.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/two-people-per-week-die-homeless/) Though [previous research](https://www.ncmd.info/?ref=theferret.scot) has focussed on the risks associated with temporary homeless accommodation provided by housing authorities, charities said similar issues were present in hotels provided by the Home Office for asylum seeking families. [Amma Birth Companions](https://ammabirthcompanions.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which works with pregnant asylum seekers and new mothers, said some women faced delays on essential items such as cots, fridges to store breast milk and fresh food, and bottle sterilisers, which have not always arrived when they return from hospital. Due to a lack of space, workers said they had seen some cots pushed up against radiators, a safety risk for very young babies. They also evidenced concerns that temperatures in bedrooms were rising ten degrees above the recommended limit for safe sleeping, defined by the [Lullaby Trust](https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/baby-safety/safer-sleep-information/room-temperature/?ref=theferret.scot), even when using a fan. Some mothers went hungry because they missed set mealtimes due to their baby's feeding and napping schedule, the charity said, and others found it difficult to eat the food provided, which was “not culturally appropriate”. The food was not suitable for weaning babies either, they said, "Women recovering from birth and caring for newborns deserve conditions that support their health and wellbeing,” a spokesperson added. They called on all authorities responsible to “act urgently to address these failings”. > “We cannot continue to stand by and watch children die due to homelessness.” — Jessica Turtle, Museum of Homelessness Professor Helen Ball, director of [Durham University infancy and sleep centre](https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/durham-infancy-sleep-centre/?ref=theferret.scot), who has done research with Glasgow families, also found that homeless accommodation often lacked safe infant sleep space or safety measures like toddler gates and heater guards. “All babies should be provided with a safe place to sleep,” she said. “Local authorities who do not do so are failing in their duty of care towards the wellbeing of homeless infants in my opinion.” Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae, assistant director at [Shelter Scotland](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), agreed that temporary homeless accommodation could damage “safety, health and education”. “Children are suffering lasting consequences including disrupted sleep, respiratory conditions, anxiety, depression, and problems concentrating or engaging at school,” he said. Jessica Turtle, founder and director of the [Museum of Homelessness](https://museumofhomelessness.org/?ref=theferret.scot) in London, which coordinates the [Dying Homeless](https://museumofhomelessness.org/dhp?ref=theferret.scot) project, claimed provision of a cot should be mandatory but was only a first step. “It is wrong that we don't know enough about the cause of death to put in further measures to save lives,” she added. It is also deeply wrong that families are stuck in temporary accommodation that is dangerous.” She called on bolder government action to make more use of empty homes, adding: “We cannot continue to stand by and watch children die due to homelessness." [Scottish homeless deaths to be officially published from next monthScotland’s national records office is to publish official statistics on the number of people who have died while homeless for the first time next month. This February’s publication of statistics for both 2017 and 2018 comes after The Ferret – working in partnership with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-139269af-ae79-479e-9097-d9fb418b4951.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/iStock-1188451072-e1580142285978.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-homeless-deaths-statistics-published/) Housing secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville claimed the safety and wellbeing of children was the Scottish Government’s ”absolute priority”, adding that ministers will end the use of “unsafe and harmful temporary accommodation” for children. She said £120m had been given over two years to local authorities – which have a legal duty to provide homeless accommodation – to enable them to acquire additional properties, including larger homes more suitable for families. She also pointed to £4.9bn in funding to support the delivery of 36,000 affordable homes. A spokesperson for Mears said all its accommodation "meets Home Office contractual standards, which include requirements around provision for mothers and babies” . They said that accommodation was subject to inspections, and onsite welfare officers resolved any issues, while a family room with books and toys was provided at its initial accommodation, and food meets NHS approved standards. The Home Office was asked to comment. The Ferret contacted all councils named in this piece. [Read the council responses in full](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28200279-council-responses-in-full-2/?ref=theferret.scot). ****‘I have found peace in my home’** Two years ago Chimso, a young mother whose name we agreed to change due to her concerns about her immigration status, spent almost five months in a homeless hotel in Glasgow with her four-month old baby. Though she had a valid visa when she was illegally evicted from a private renting agreement, homeless and social services claimed this was conditional on her being able to pay her own way, and insisted she had no right to public funds (NRP), which means people are not allowed to access public services like housing. Eventually the council placed her in an infamous Glasgow homeless hotel on a temporary basis and, she says, threatened to deport her unless she could find other accommodation. The hotel room had two single beds and no cot when she arrived though she later managed to source one from a refugee charity. There were no cooking facilities and only breakfast was provided, which meant she struggled to eat properly as a breastfeeding mother. She was also subject to regular welfare checks - known by some homeless residents as death checks. “Someone would knock very loudly on your door twice a day and if you did not respond, they would come in to check on you, “ she explains. Often it would wake her baby and led to stress and fear, especially as authorities were still threatening to send her home. “I had panic attacks, anxiety, you name it,” she says. “We ended up getting sick and I got a letter from my GP to the housing services, raising the need for us to be offered more suitable accommodation,” she explains. It took five months until she was offered a top floor flat. Now she has been able to return to work part time and has some childcare in place. “My mental health is better and my son has space to play with his toys.” Being a working single mother without recourse to public funds is challenging, she admits. “But I have found peace in my home.” A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said: “All homeless households who are provided with temporary accommodation are provided with a cot, where required.” It claimed that where a household has no recourse to public funds Glasgow city health and social care partnership “routinely provide support and accommodation under section 22 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995”, and cots would also be provided in these circumstances. “Unfortunately we have not been provided with any information that would allow us to identify our role in this case or why the lady had to source a cot from a charity.” ### Read the full Scottish council responses below ### How an Iranian drone strike could impact thousands of Scottish pensions URL: https://www.theferret.scot/how-iranian-drone-strike-scottish-pensions/ Last updated: 2026-06-05T09:14:05.000Z **Council workers in Scotland have their pensions invested in a Middle Eastern oil terminal that was battered by Iranian drone strikes last month, an investigation has revealed.** The [Bureau of Investigative Journalism](https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/?ref=theferret.scot) (TBIJ) – which shared its findings with The Ferret – found council pension schemes in north east Scotland, the Borders, Shetland and Orkney have ploughed hundreds of millions of pounds into an investment vehicle that co-owns an oil facility in the United Arab Emirates. The oil terminal – [VTTI Fujairah](https://www.vtti.com/location/fujairah-united-arab-emirates-vtti/?ref=theferret.scot) – was [struck](https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/iranian-strikes-hit-vtti-oil-terminal-fujairah/?ref=theferret.scot) by drones on 4 May during Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure in the region. Three people were injured and a fire broke out, with [videos](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UqZ3kep-Oto?ref=theferret.scot) showing black smoke billowing into the sky. The wider oil infrastructure in the UAE port city of Fujairah has become [increasingly important](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/fujairah-oil-zone-hit-by-fire-after-drone-attack-uae-says-it-intercepted-iran-2026-05-04/?ref=theferret.scot) during the current US/Israeli war with Iran because it allows exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Fujairah has come under [multiple attacks](https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2801315-fujairah-crude-tanks-damaged-in-drone-strikes-sources?ref=theferret.scot) since the conflict began. Experts questioned whether pension savings were being put at risk through investments in “politically unstable regions”. One claimed pension funds should reconsider whether “financially risky” fossil fuel assets could still deliver long-term returns. However, the pension funds that responded to The Ferret said their exposure to the Fujairah oil terminal was very small relative to their overall portfolios and stressed that they always held a “diverse range of investments”. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The North East Scotland Pension Fund, which manages savings for council workers in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray, has the largest exposure. Its stake in the vehicle – the Global Infrastructure Fund (GIF), managed by Australian company IFM – was worth £342.5m at the end of March, it confirmed. Shetland Islands Pension Fund has added a further £98m to GIF since the start of this year, taking its total investment to £177m – almost 20 per cent of its total portfolio. The pension schemes covering Orkney and Scottish Borders councils have also invested tens of millions of pounds in the fund. GIF [owns](https://www.vtti.com/about-vtti/our-shareholders/?ref=theferret.scot) 45 per cent of VTTI, the energy company that in turn owns the oil storage and refinery [facility](https://www.google.com/search?q=vtti+fujairah&oq=vtti+&gs%5Flcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgAEEUYOxiABDIJCAAQRRg7GIAEMgYIARBFGDsyBggCEEUYOzIGCAMQRRg7MgYIBBBFGDwyBggFEEUYPDIGCAYQRRg8MgYIBxBFGDzSAQgxMDgwajBqNKgCALACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ref=theferret.scot) in Fujairah. These Scottish investments form part of a wider UK picture uncovered by TBIJ, with help from investigative outlet [Data Desk](https://datadesk.eco/?ref=theferret.scot) and the non-profit [Private Equity Stakeholder Project](https://pestakeholder.org/?ref=theferret.scot). Their investigation found that local government pension schemes across Britain have invested almost £3bn in infrastructure funds that own assets either under fire or under threat because of the war in the Middle East. [Revealed: Lothian Pension Fund’s hidden stake in firm piping Russian gasLothian Pension Fund has a hidden stake in a firm which runs coal power plants and controls part of a major pipeline transporting Russian gas to Europe. Nearly £17m was invested by Lothian Pension Fund (LPF) into another fund – managed by Australian financial giant Macquarie – which bought part of Czech![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-6a3b3eea-9153-45c3-a222-c06f8b32e4e1.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1188513647-87e69dad-7f0f-4fd0-b9df-fa4e2d6929ce.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/lothian-pension-funds-hidden-stake-russian-gas/) These infrastructure funds pool money from other investors such as pension schemes and use it to buy stakes in assets including oil terminals, pipelines, and ports, with the aim of generating long-term returns. It is not the first time a Scottish pension scheme has had hidden exposure to a war through its investment in one of these funds. In July 2023, The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/lothian-pension-funds-hidden-stake-russian-gas/) that the Lothian Pension Fund had £17m invested in another infrastructure fund that owned a major pipeline transporting Russian gas to Europe during the war in Ukraine. Guy Prince, head of energy supply research at the think tank [Carbon Tracker](https://carbontracker.org/?ref=theferret.scot), said the findings raised the question of “whether long term pension savings should depend on politically unstable regions and an uncertain future energy demand”. Prince added: “Fossil fuels are financially risky now and their resilience is hugely in question. Pension funds really have to consider whether these assets remain appropriate for long-term, stable returns.” He argued that major fossil fuel shocks from the Iran and Ukraine wars have “really strengthened concerns around global energy security”. “It has strengthened the case for renewables, or electrification and energy efficiency as more secure alternatives \[for investors\],” Prince claimed. > “Public money must be used for public good.” — Maggie Chapman MSP, Scottish Greens Maggie Chapman, the Scottish Greens MSP for north east Scotland, called for the pension funds to “ditch these damaging investments and focus on building a fairer, greener future”. “Public money must be used for public good,” Chapman said. “There are numerous opportunities to invest in our renewable energy sector, and it is crucial that governments and public bodies look to these spaces for investment.” Orkney Islands Council said that the pension fund’s “indirect” investment in VTTI equated to only around 0.17 per cent of its total holdings. “The pension fund has an approved investment strategy that ensures a diverse range of investments that provide growth, income and protection \[for savers\]”, a spokesperson noted. Shetland Islands Council said its pension portfolio is “under constant review”. “If we felt that certain types of investment represented an unacceptable financial risk we would consider a change but at this time this is not the case and we remain confident with IFM’s performance,” they added. North East Scotland Pension Fund declined to comment while the Scottish Borders Pension Fund has not responded to questions from The Ferret. IFM, which runs the GIF fund said: “Geopolitical risk reinforces the need for the diversification and long-term perspective IFM provides.” “Our exposure to investments in the Middle East represents less than one per cent of IFM’s main portfolio,” they added. Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Scots political activist who performed the Nazi salute will remain a member of Restore Britain URL: https://www.theferret.scot/james-munro-nazi-salute-member-restore-britain/ Last updated: 2026-06-02T07:18:33.000Z **A Scots political activist who shared white supremacist views and performed the Nazi salute has claimed he will remain a member of Restore Britain, despite internal party concerns over his past behaviour.** James Munro, from Tayside, is a former member of the Homeland Party and a defunct neo-Nazi group called [Scottish Nationalist Society](https://www.theferret.scot/former-member-scots-neo-nazi-group-homeland/) (SNS). Last week Munro was told his involvement with Restore Britain was "not good for the party's values and direction due to [past associations](https://x.com/JamesMu39334144/status/2059304166095278109?s=20&ref=theferret.scot) that are incompatible with our principles". ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) [According to Munro](https://x.com/JamesMu39334144/status/2059338783523291484?s=20&ref=theferret.scot), the email was sent by a "local organiser" and did not reflect the views of the party. He posted on X that he was “pleased to say that the email“ was not a party decision. “My local organiser made an understandable but hastily thought out decision. I will continue on as a member of Restore Britain, and as an activist. You can stop chimping." Restore Britain, whose activists held a meeting in Dundee recently, is a far right political party led by Rupert Lowe MP, a wealthy businessman who was with Reform UK until he was [expelled last year](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnv138z2gl9o?ref=theferret.scot). Restore Britain currently has the support of the billionaire Elon Musk who owns the social media platform X. The party has a candidate in the upcoming Makerfield by-election involving Andy Burnham. Munro was previously a member of the far right [Homeland Party](https://www.theferret.scot/former-member-scots-neo-nazi-group-homeland/) and in 2023 he spoke at a demonstration against asylum seekers in Erskine, Renfrewshire, as reported by The Ferret. [Former Scots neo-Nazi group member involved in HomelandA member of a now defunct group branded neo-Nazi has been active in a new far right political organisation called Homeland, The Ferret can reveal. Tayside-based James Munro of the Scottish Nationalist Society (SNS), attended Homeland’s summer camp in June this year. Munro and another former SNS member, Jordon![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/cafe-salute-1-bf65a155663a040fc9cb87c842669fd3b46ad6a2fcb115727a51c8b7b934eb99.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/former-member-scots-neo-nazi-group-homeland/) During his time with the Scottish Nationalist Society, Munro posted its propaganda on his Facebook page, as well as images of him attending the group’s demos, and posing with its flag. In one image, Munro is performing the Hitler salute outside a cafe, which, like SNS, incorporated the commonly used ancient celtic triskele symbol into its logo. He [reportedly](https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15853083/Restore-Britain-reinstates-sacked-member-Nazi-salute-backlash.html?ref=theferret.scot) defended the photo of him making the Nazi salute and said: 'This picture was from about ten years ago. It was a different time. There were no legitimate avenues for young men in nationalism, so back then you had to get dirty." Much of the group’s publicised activity was in the Tayside area. [Stand Up to Racism Tayside](https://www.theferret.scot/former-member-scots-neo-nazi-group-homeland/) claimed then that Dundee University’s school of business was[ targeted](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/education/higher-education/789396/fascist-group-condemned-after-targeting-dundee-university-students/?ref=theferret.scot) due to its high proportion of overseas students, after the group put up stickers advertising its website on lampposts outside the building. Stand Up To Racism Scotland said "this clearly shows that tensions are already on the rise between the members of Restore". The anti-racism group [Hope not hate](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2026/05/27/exposed-militant-neo-nazis-in-restore-britain-as-leading-party-figure-backs-fascist-activist/?%5F%5Fcf%5Fchl%5Ftk=zLf41eUwDGW8ZbJQYGl8.mNK9lAG.nmDm5MIXKbhIyo-1780055044-1.0.1.1-uQqvuBWHzEpSHf7h6OmmearA8NCnZqhrmNRKjSOLnk0&ref=theferret.scot) said that since launching in February, Restore Britain has “attracted the extreme right like moths to a flame”, claiming it has links to fascist and neo-Nazi groups like [Blood & Honour](https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-blood-and-honour/?ref=theferret.scot), the [British National Party](https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-british-national-party/?ref=theferret.scot), and the [National Fron](https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-national-front/?ref=theferret.scot)[t](https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-national-front/?ref=theferret.scot). Restore Britain has been asked to comment. ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Is this former Viking outpost a model for a fairer Scotland? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/is-this-former-viking-outpost-a-model-for-a-fairer-scotland/ Last updated: 2026-05-31T07:00:27.000Z **Spring has arrived on the Danish island of Bornholm, as the warm evening light begins to linger later into the day, stretching across the rocky coastline. Once, this tiny island of 40,000 inhabitants – about the same as the population of the Hebrides – was an independent kingdom.** Later it became an important stop-off and trading post for Vikings making their way between the Baltics and Western Europe. Colourful merchant residences and the chimneys of old herring smokehouses are lined up along the shore, a reminder of the island’s long standing dependence on the sea. In many ways this place couldn’t be more different from Scotland’s islands, with its famous bright seasons having earned Bornholm the name of ‘sunshine island’. But just like them, it is rich in one particular source of clean energy – the wind. And that is now attracting the interest of many well beyond its coastal boundaries. In Scotland a battle is raging over how citizens can reap the benefits of wind power to benefit their communities and energy bills alike. While there is a consensus that wind farms are an essential part of the energy transition required to tackle climate change, new projects by big corporations are often seen as unwelcome by local people, many of whom face fuel poverty and receive a fraction of the profits generated by turbines on their doorsteps. The Ferret has [covered](https://www.theferret.scot/communities-were-promised-a-share-of-scotlands-wind-boom-some-are-being-sold-short/) the battle between communities and developers many times [before](https://www.theferret.scot/local-wind-farms-owned-by-firms-based-abroad/), recently highlighting the millions made from wind farms by [wealthy landlords](https://www.theferret.scot/landowners-making-millions-wind-farms-scotland/). Denmark, by contrast, is decades ahead of Scotland and much of the rest of the world – [according to some experts](https://scottishleftreview.scot/a-new-generation-of-community-wind-wealth-2/?ref=theferret.scot) – when it comes to maximising what wind farms can bring to communities. And Bornholm has been at the very epicentre of the Scandinavian country’s push for a fairer energy system. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) This is an island with a long history of wind power. Post mills – probably the first kind of windmill in Europe – are believed to have existed here since the 1500s. Water mills have long utilised the streams cutting across the island - the Øle river helped grind ancient grains, including the emmer wheat, which still turns the island golden each summer. The earliest wind turbines arrived in Bornholm in the 1940s, when Denmark was faced with the reality of oil and coal scarcity during World War II. It was then that the [world’s first](https://www.guideservicedanmark.dk/history-time/windmill-and-wind-energy-en?ref=theferret.scot) offshore wind turbine was placed in the shallow waters off Nexø, the island's second largest town. In Bornholm’s south-east, where the pine forests and farmlands give way to sandy beaches, Helle Munk Ravnborg, an environmental planner and researcher on the island, tells us more about its energy past. “Many of the small wind turbines on Bornholm’s land started out as cooperatively owned during the nineties, when groups of neighbours came together and decided to put up a few turbines,” she explains. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/05/image-1.png) Helle Munk Ravnborg who is one of those behind the ambitious plans on Bornholm. **Image thanks to TV2 Bornholm* By Scottish standards, the 36 megawatts of wind capacity on Bornholm is relatively modest – the equivalent of a single small-to-medium sized wind farm. But unlike in Scotland, many of Bornholm’s turbines are owned directly by local people, farmers and businesses, meaning the economic benefits have stayed on the island rather than flowing to distant investors. Now, almost 80 years after the first offshore turbine was installed, the local community is proposing to build something new – a 100 megawatt offshore project just off the Bornholm coast, 100 percent owned by local residents, companies and organisations which could make the island self-sufficient in renewable energy. If it goes ahead, it could be one of the biggest windfarms entirely owned by a local community in the world. “As an island, we are very interested in producing our own energy and benefitting from this, both from an economic and environmental point of view,” explains Mads Meisner, who moved here with his wife Camilla and started farming sea buckthorn, the bright orange berries that grow wild across the island. “This could also become an important tourist attraction, which is also a great opportunity for our community.” There is a catch though. So far proposals have been refused. But this community, say Ravnborg and Meisner, is not giving up. --- According to the[ Climate Change Performance Index](https://ccpi.org/download/climate-change-performance-index-2026/?ref=theferret.scot) \- a tool used to measure countries’ climate efforts globally - Denmark is already second only to Sweden when it comes to renewable energy growth. What’s exceptional here is that much of this effort has been led by Danish communities themselves. Since the late 1970s locals have been investing in collectively owned wind farms thanks to policies that facilitated them taking part in these developments. Since 2008, for example, the country has required developers to offer 20 per cent ownership of new wind farms to locals and offered low cost loans to help communities take up the opportunity. This has meant that most projects developed since then have fostered partnerships with communities as co-owners. “The idea of centralisation didn’t take root in Denmark’s planning processes as much as it did in other places, such as Sweden,” explains Henner Busch, a professor at Lund University who has spent years researching community energy in many Nordic islands. “There are many more examples of local energy companies on a small scale still operating here.” In fact, by 2016, more than half of all wind turbines in Denmark were owned by citizens, and today the country alone hosts around 633 “energy communities” - citizen-led initiatives where local people, small businesses, and municipalities team up to produce, manage, share, and consume their own renewable energy. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/05/iStock-1312509036-1.jpg) Wind turbines dominate the horizon beyond the town of Ronne on Bornholm. **Image thanks to istock/CARTUUM* Residents in Denmark can also come together in wind turbine guilds (vindmøllelaug) or cooperatives – a model deeply rooted in Danish society since the 1980s, when communities started investing collectively in wind turbines. Though policy changes since 1999 have made this more challenging, this culture is part of Danish DNA. The most prominent example is [Middelgrunden](https://stateofgreen.com/en/solutions/middelgrunden-wind-turbine-co-operative-middelgrunden-vindmollelaug/?ref=theferret.scot), just off the coast of Copenhagen, where twenty wind turbines stand tall off the capital’s shore. When built in 2000, this was the largest offshore windfarm in the world, owned by a cooperative of residents in partnership with the City of Copenhagen utility company. To this day, 8,800 citizens are still reaping the benefits of the shares they own in this project. For over two decades, Morten Westergaard has worked as head of climate at his local municipality in Middelfart, in the heart of Denmark, before becoming the chair at the National Association of Energy Communities ([Energifællesskaber Danmark](https://www.energifaellesskaber.dk/?ref=theferret.scot)). “Working together in communities is pretty Danish in many ways,” he says – speaking from experience. Westergaard has witnessed the benefits of both renewables and community ownership first hand and has recently been appointed by the EU to help roll out the Danish model more widely across Europe. He says building more locally owned wind projects can play an important role in increasing energy security, which has been a key concern of governments across the EU since the start of the war in Ukraine. “Local production is also about not being dependent on big gas pipes from Russia or cables being cut over by trawlers,” he explains. “If we build a windfarm together, we know what electricity prices will be for the rest of the wind turbines’ lifespan.” In Scotland wind farm proposals often pit locals against giant corporations and there is a [growing backlash](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgz5g22r9po?ref=theferret.scot) against the renewables industry in some rural areas. In Denmark, Westergaard says, projects are often seen by locals as a symbol of their country’s environmental efforts and progressive thinking, as well as a tangible opportunity to enrich and care for their community. This is why Scottish campaigners are increasingly looking to Denmark for solutions. Last month a collection of environmental campaigners including Platform and Uplift launched the [Our Power](https://www.ourpower.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) campaign, which is calling for increased public and community ownership of energy, as well as better financial incentives from developers and more transparency about the profits they are making. Research commissioned by the campaign, and [published](https://cles.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Blown-away-following-the-money-in-Scotlands-onshore-wind-sector.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) last week by the [Centre for Local Economies](https://cles.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), insists wind power is fundamental to Scotland’s ambitions for a fair transition. But reform is needed, the report says, calling out the current “wealth extraction” from Scotland. [Wealthy landowners are making millions from Scottish wind farms. You’re subsidising themOur latest investigation has found the financial rewards of Scotland’s energy transition are being unevenly distributed. The money earned by landowners often dwarfs the payments that wind farm developers make to local communities.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretLouis Boyd-Madsen![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/2-280e6a8364aa2ea66e858bee888c39f9fe492e4d2984d9bc2b9542be58ce981b.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/landowners-making-millions-wind-farms-scotland/) Report authors found that 105 Scottish onshore wind farms made £2.83bn in post-tax profits in the last five years, but 90 per cent of this went to corporate shareholders including private equity firms and companies linked to tax havens. By contrast – according to [one study](https://www.aquatera.co.uk/news/community-owned-wind-farms-have-paid-their-communities-34-times-more-than-commercial-counterparts?ref=theferret.scot) – community ownership of wind farms results in benefits to locals that are 34 times higher than private or corporate ownership. “Across Scotland, communities have seen renewables infrastructure go up around them but they haven’t felt the benefits,” explains Liam Hainey, spokesperson for Our Power. “While renewables are generating billions of pounds in profits, vanishingly little is actually staying in Scotland; most of that money disappears into the pockets of big corporations and super-rich investors. “There are lots of examples of successful community owned energy projects in Scotland generating revenue which is invested right back into the area that hosts them. However, there could be many more projects across the country – we’re languishing so far behind our European neighbours in terms of community ownership. As it stands, the energy system doesn't deliver for most of us and failure to change it threatens to undermine the transition on a fundamental level.” The Scottish Government, he argues, should be providing more support and developing a proper roadmap towards expanding community and council ownership across the country but that’s not the limit of its power in this area, insisting ministers have “significant powers” to change things. But while there are lessons to learn from Denmark, in Scandinavia campaigners and experts claim that even here there is need for further reform. Morten Westergaard says corporations still ultimately dominate the Danish landscape. “In Denmark some developers are telling people they are shareholders, but they might go bankrupt or sell the whole project,” he says. In contrast, he says, full community ownership changes the power dynamic. “If you own the local production, you access this electricity in your house until the wind turbines stop working and if you move away, the next people will be able to access this.” This is why his association is dedicated to a more radical vision of community ownership, where communities are not only owners but directly access the energy they produce in their own homes. “This adds value to the whole community,” he explains. --- Back in Bornholm, Helle Munk Ravnborg, who is also a local councillor, says that like in Scotland there is a backlash to plans for more turbines imposed from on high, whether through corporate or government-led projects. So she decided to try something different. In 2019 she brought together a group of islanders with an ambitious idea of proposing a wind farm developed by locals, for locals. That idea soon morphed into a plan for the development of seven offshore wind turbines, known as [Bornholm Havvind](https://rgo.dk/en/green-current-to-the-entire-island-with-Bornholm%27s-sea-wind-2/?ref=theferret.scot). It would be the world’s largest offshore community-run wind farm, aiming to make the small island completely self-sufficient in 30 years’ time. ![The founding general meeting of Bornholm Havvind, held in November 2022](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/05/image.png) The founding general meeting of Bornholm Havvind, held in 2022\. **Image thanks to Signe Iversen* They connected with others looking to do similar, such as residents of Samsø, another small island just off the Jutland peninsula, which aimed at becoming Denmark’s first ‘renewable energy island’. Other experts started to step forward to support Bornholm’s ambition and in April 2022, they organised the first public meeting. Just over 100 people attended and the waters outside Nexø were chosen collectively as a suitable site. This process “gave legitimacy to the choice that we made,” Ravnborg adds. By buying a share at around DKK 4000 (equal to £460), locals, small businesses and council would hope to benefit from lower electricity costs by purchasing energy directly from the turbines or get a financial return once the turbines are built. The aim was to “take back a very important part of the economy,” she adds. But in October 2023, months after the first proposal for Bornholm Havvind was lodged, it was rejected by authorities. Locals have appealed the decision twice so far. The latest appeal is still being considered. They say they keep pushing because what it would offer is radically different from other projects that have taken place on Bornholm. The newest of these is Bornholm Energy Island ([Energiø Bornholm](https://ens.dk/energikilder/energioe-bornholm?ref=theferret.scot)), a project backed by the Danish government which is planning to build massive offshore windfarms to transmit power to the mainland and Germany, following an agreement signed between the countries to capitalise on the area’s rich resources. “This has been introduced to Bornholm in a piecemeal fashion, which has impeded insight into the full picture,” Ravnborg explains. In her view there is “very limited democratic control or transparency in these decisions”. Instead she says community led projects are created in a holistic way, offering islands the chance to become more resilient in the face of challenges – not only in Denmark, but also in Scotland and beyond. But as residents wait for a final verdict on their most recent appeal, there are mixed emotions, of hope but also frustration. Ravnborg sets out the problem she feels locals here have had to confront: “Our government is talking about the importance of local participation in the green transition and how we need all people on deck to make this happen,” she says. “And yet it is still rejecting a project like ours.” As she waits for news - trading “lots of words, lots of \[appeal\] papers back and forth” – she imagines residents here walking in the footsteps of Denmark’s pioneering energy innovators, strengthening her resolve. Many others across the world are watching this small island battle too. The next steps will dictate the future of community energy and raise the bar of what is possible. *Additional reporting by* [*Karin Goodwin*](https://www.theferret.scot/author/karin/)*.* ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Glasgow college spent £14k on Tartan Week – including a limousine trip – while staff at home were refused PPE URL: https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-city-college-spent-14k-on-tartan-week-including-a-limousine-trip-while-refusing-staff-at-home-ppe/ Last updated: 2026-05-28T09:40:02.000Z ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) **City of Glasgow College spent almost £14k on a trip to Tartan Week in New York despite insisting it could not pay for health and safety measures at one of its flagship campuses, according to union reps.** Expenses for the staff jaunt to the United States included a trip to the State University of New York (SUNY) in a limousine costing nearly £700 and almost £2,000 for a supper club event with the American Scottish Foundation. The college’s costs for [Tartan Week](https://nyctartanweek.org/?ref=theferret.scot) in New York – an annual event which celebrates links between Scotland and the US – were released under freedom of information legislation. They reveal the college – which receives tens of millions of pounds of public funding [each year](https://www.cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Annual%20Report%20and%20Accounts%202024-25.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=[57]) – spent £13,783 on the trip for three senior staff, including its principal and chief executive, [Paul Little](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/paul-little/). The breakdown included flights priced at over £1,250 per head and hotel accommodation at Manhattan's Hyatt Grand Central hotel, costing over £4,000\. While there, the college signed an agreement on international collaboration with SUNY Maritime College, which it hopes will support future exchanges and educational opportunities. City of Glasgow College said the travel costs represented "a very modest investment in support of that wider economic and educational return". > "With a backdrop of repeated redundancy processes in recent years, it’s downright galling for staff to see these kinds of costs being racked up on international travel." \[Ross Greer, Scottish Greens\] It also accused union officials of "deliberately conflating two entirely separate issues" insisting concerns raised over protective equipment had been "fully addressed" with required actions implemented. However the EIS union, which remains in dispute with the college over demands to issue personal protective equipment to lecturers in the welding department at the Riverside campus, said the costs suggested that the college “prioritised comfortable trips” over “reasonable health and safety protections”. Staff from the college’s welding and fabrication department went on strike earlier this year, claiming they were being forced to undertake hazardous activities, including being exposed to known carcinogens, without high quality safety equipment. City of Glasgow College insists it is fully compliant with health and safety rules. An [emergency motion](https://www.eis.org.uk/latest-news/cogcatstuc?ref=theferret.scot) on the issue was called at the STUC conference in April with union representatives claiming college management had adopted a “belligerent attitude” and was treating “valuable employees with apparent disdain”. [City of Glasgow College spent almost £1m on public relations while 100 staff faced redundancyCity of Glasgow College has spent almost £1m of public money on PR, marketing, public affairs and events in recent years despite 100 staff being threatened with redundancy due to budget cuts. In May, the college – the largest in Scotland – announced that a budget deficit meant it would be making![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-910852368-7b734db901f338d398420eebbc7e7581bbeb7096b1bf399e71e71db982200ade.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/city-of-glasgow-college-1m-pr-marketing-public-affairs-100-staff-threatened-redundancy-due-to-budget-cuts/) The co-leader of the Scottish Greens also called on the college’s board to review its expenses policy, claiming that if it failed to do so, the Scottish Government should step in via the Funding Council. The Scottish Funding Council is the quango responsible for funding Scotland's further and higher education institutions, including its 26 colleges and 19 universities. In March this year the issue of staff expenses was flagged by Audit Scotland. [Its report](https://audit.scot/uploads/2026-03/aar%5F2425%5Fglasgow%5Fcity%5Fcollege.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on the college’s accounts claims that due to a lack of consistent policies, "the college may not be consistently achieving best value in how staff expenses are managed". It recommended this was reviewed "to ensure all claims are reasonable, necessary, and aligned with the college’s financial priorities". The college said all spending was "subject to established governance, approval, procurement, and audit processes" and claimed it was continuing to "review and strengthen its governance arrangements in line with all relevant recommendations". ### Justifying expense Glasgow City Council officials have previously been subject to criticism for their attendance at Tartan Week. [In November](https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/25641193.glasgows-lord-provost-set-visit-new-york-next-year--/?ref=theferret.scot) the local authority approved the Lord Provost's own five-day trip, at a cost of £1,500 backed by the council’s [city administration committee](https://onlineservices.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/committee.asp?bodyid=1875&bodytitle=City+Administration+Committee&ref=theferret.scot), which provides financial oversight. However critics claimed the college's three-person trip cost – which cost nearly nearly ten times as much – was not subject to a similar approval process, nor publicly documented. A spokesman for the EIS teachers’ union said the principal and board of City of Glasgow College should have to justify the “significant spending” and evidence how costs were in line with “any broader benefit accrued to the organisation”. “On the face of it, the cost of sending the principal and two senior colleagues to New York of around £14,000, is more than it would cost to provide the personal protective equipment that lecturers need to protect their health and wellbeing,” they added. “That the college seemingly chooses to prioritise comfortable trips, accommodation and high-end food for senior staff over reasonable health and safety protections for lecturers and students is certainly a decision that should be subject to public scrutiny.” City of Glasgow College was previously [subject to criticism](https://www.theferret.scot/city-of-glasgow-college-1m-pr-marketing-public-affairs-100-staff-threatened-redundancy-due-to-budget-cuts/) in 2023 when it emerged it had spent almost £1m on PR, marketing and public affairs despite 100 staff being threatened with redundancy due to cuts. In its most recent accounts it highlighted [Audit Scotland research](https://audit.scot/publications/scotlands-colleges-2025?ref=theferret.scot) warning that many colleges are at risk of becoming unsustainable, with 92 per cent forecasting a deficit budget this year. To improve its financial position, the college said, it had "maintained its programme of cost-reducing and income-generating initiatives". [Who are Scotland’s richest people?The power and influence of the wealthiest in society has been one of the main themes of The Ferret’s Who Runs Scotland series. We’ve looked at how powerful people and actors have leveraged their influence to impact policy and government decision-making. But who are Scotland’s richest people,![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/untitled-1400-x-700-px-01a47f72cbf14d4b3da7791d369ff4de9d9b9df93d3ee7f6ff3c95c627629a53.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/who-are-scotlands-richest-people/) Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said he had worked with unions to raise concerns about the college’s travel and expenses policies for years, adding: “it just doesn’t feel like senior management are listening”. “With a backdrop of repeated redundancy processes in recent years, it’s downright galling for staff to see these kinds of costs being racked up on international travel,” he added. “There will be a particular sting here for the welding lecturers currently taking industrial action over the lack of personal safety equipment in their department. “Colleges are public bodies, funded by public money. They must be accountable. No-one is suggesting a ban on travel, but there needs to be a clear value-for-money test.” A spokesperson for City of Glasgow College said: "The visit to Tartan Week formed part of a wider strategic international engagement programme and was undertaken to strengthen relationships with key partners and stakeholders in areas including maritime, education, skills, and investment. "During this mission, we signed a new partnership with the State University of New York Maritime College \[which\] will support collaboration between the two institutions, including student and staff exchanges, and the sharing of best practice, reflecting the global demand for maritime skills." On the health and safety issue it confirmed the college is "continuing constructive discussions" with union reps "to resolve what we regard as unnecessary and unwarranted local industrial action." Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Scotland’s night patrol groups say they are protecting women and children. Critics claim they are ‘vigilantes’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-night-patrol-groups-protecting-women-children-vigilantes/ Last updated: 2026-05-24T05:00:31.000Z **It’s a dank evening in Peterhead and someone is walking the streets of the north east town filming people. The man, seemingly drunk, is live streaming himself on Facebook and announces he’s on night patrol to protect the community.** He makes lewd and homophobic remarks and says: “I’m looking for fucking paedo illegals \[sic\]", referring to asylum seekers. As the man continues his patrol he shouts abuse at police and apparently urinates in the street. At one point he films a young blonde woman dressed in black, walking alone. “She’s gorgeous,” he says, recording her from behind. He also makes sexualised jokes after conversing with young people in a car and says: “I’ll hae a wank to you”. In a separate video, a man patrolling with a group in Aberdeen cites a white supremacist slogan. Another clip shows a black man confronted by a ‘night patrol’ in Glasgow as he walks along the River Clyde. The clip, posted on X, prompted a series of racist comments including a suggestion that the “black c\*\*t” should have been stabbed and thrown in the river. For our latest investigation, The Ferret has delved into the world of street patrols, the latest phenomenon to emerge from Scotland’s raging culture war. We’ve found at least 14 groups across the country who have taken to the streets while promoting themselves as defenders of communities. Often posting videos on social media, they claim to be peaceful activists who simply want to protect women and children. But critics argue they are effectively vigilantes with political agendas who often target migrants, amid fears innocent people are being intimidated in public by groups allegedly fuelling far right narratives. Police Scotland told The Ferret that it does “not endorse, condone or encourage any group's activity”. [Self-styled nightwatchmen patrol a Scottish village. Their leader is a NaziJohn Carroll says his nighttime rounds are protecting the community. Critics say his “abhorrent” views on Hitler, the Holocaust and race are incompatible with his adopted role.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Screenshot-2026-02-12-at-11.55.05-9821494f264869189447150dc1125764bace77b5e8c72dd6c84b7f1ed4cc6eab.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/self-styled-nightwatchmen-patrol-a-scottish-village-their-leader-is-a-nazi/) The Ferret’s investigation follows our story in March revealing that a [self-described Nazi](https://www.theferret.scot/self-styled-nightwatchmen-patrol-a-scottish-village-their-leader-is-a-nazi/) who expressed racist, anti-Semitic and pro-Hitler views conducted late night “patrols” in Forth, South Lanarkshire. John Carroll claimed he is watching over the community and deterring crime. The Peterhead video was made earlier this month by a member of Unite the Clans Scotland, a group opposed to asylum seekers. “Unite the Clans is now doing street patrols in Peterhead,” the man said on camera, as he walked the town’s streets, and at one point he chanted: “From Land’s End to John O’Groats, stop the dinghies, stop the fuckin boats.” Following a raft of complaints about his behaviour, Unite the Clans said on Facebook: “We want to make it clear we do not condone this kind of behaviour from anyone! and he will no longer be part of our group or standing with us anymore! Absolutely disgusted.” Other groups patrolling the streets included Aberdeen Against Illegal Migration, which is closely linked with Unite the Clans. Its supporters include Josh Fernie of the Homeland Party, a white nationalist group that advocates the mass deportations of "illegal and unwelcome” migrants. We found there are seven groups and individuals active in Glasgow including P Maguire who posts videos on X. He is also part of a patrol called North2South. One clip he posted shows a black man filmed by the ‘patrol’ at the River Clyde, which prompted a series of racist comments. The group alleged the man had weapons and claimed he “pulled something from his trousers and was going to attack our team”. But the clip shows the man taking a mobile phone from his pocket. In March, Reform’s leader [Malcolm Offord revealed](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25915385.police-scotland-slaps-malcolm-offord-street-patrol-claim/?ref=theferret.scot) he had joined North2South on a Glasgow patrol and claimed it was acting “in cooperation” with Police Scotland. But the force rejected his claim and pointed out that a city centre dispersal zone has been in place since March, with dispersal powers used by officers 438 times. These powers allow police to direct groups of two or more people to leave the zone if their behaviour is impacting on the safety of others. Our research also discovered similar activist ‘patrol’ groups based in Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire, and Falkirk. Many of these groups post videos of patrols on Facebook or TikTok. In April, it was reported that two street patrol groups – [ScotsActive and Save Our Country Glasgow](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/16118140/scotsactive-save-out-country-glasgow-tiktok-ban/?ref=theferret.scot) – had their TikTok accounts banned after recruiting online. ScotsActive shared footage of members ‘exposing migrant hotels’ and recording through the windows of hotels they claim were used to house asylum seekers. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot--208--1-2.png) Josh Fernie, of the Homeland Party, on patrol in Aberdeen on 24 April 2026 with Unite the Clans and Aberdeen Against Illegal Migration. **England’s vigilantes** Vigilante groups in England have been heavily criticised. Last October in Bournemouth the Dorset Police and crime commissioner David Sidwick described them as a response to "a problem which [doesn't exist](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqlzq7wz127o?ref=theferret.scot)". He accused individuals of "throwing juicy bones to the mainstream media and certain social media individuals who only have one thing in mind, which is their own 'clicks' or their own popularity". He also pointed out that crime in Bournemouth had gone down by eight per cent, while personal anti-social behaviour was down by between two and 26 per cent. Violent crime had gone down by four per cent. Earlier this month, a former private schoolboy who was part of a wider group of anti-migrant vigilantes, [started a campaign](https://inews.co.uk/news/british-vigilantes-operation-overlord-stop-channel-migrant-boats-4387972?ref=theferret.scot) to buy a boat and intercept small boats arriving with migrants in the English Channel. Daniel Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo, has links to far right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – aka Tommy Robinson – and previously filmed himself on the French coast destroying small boats. Last year, Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, was criticised after calling for [vigilante groups](https://leftfootforward.org/2025/08/richard-tice-tries-to-whip-up-an-issue-by-calling-for-vigilante-groups-to-patrol-the-streets/?ref=theferret.scot) to patrol the streets. Such groups have also sprung up in Iceland, Netherlands, [Northern Ireland](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/30/europe-anti-migrant-vigilantes-spain-poland-netherlands-iceland-northern-ireland?ref=theferret.scot), Spain, Poland and Germany, amongst other countries. [These women were abused by far right groups who claimed to want to protect them. But they fought backWomen have been leading the fight against the far right in Scotland but anti-racism activism has come at a high personal cost with at least 14 having been publicly abused and threatened. But they are resolute in the face of intimidation and say they will continue defending human rights.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Far-right-rally-Dundee---2026-2570b508953e93c4af6da3e583b446881c835dd9435e879297cc531bfeb752f2.JPG)](https://www.theferret.scot/women-abused-far-right-scotland/) **Reaction** [Dr Judith Sijstermans](https://www.abdn.ac.uk/people/judith.sijstermans?ref=theferret.scot), a lecturer in politics at Aberdeen University who researches the far right, said these “vigilante activities” can be seen as “one of a wider series of actions used by far right activists” in Scotland. “Activities like these vigilante walks reinforce the division between those who belong in the ‘community’ and those (driven by racial profiling) viewed as transgressive ‘outsiders’.” She added: “Ideologically, vigilante walks reinforce claims around disorder and bolster demands for a more authoritarian state which are fundamental to the far right. Finally, when later broadcast on social media, these actions are part of a wider environment of disinformation and shocking click-bait which spread quickly online.” [Harvey Duke](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotelhttps-www-theferret-scot-far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotel-protests-amid-claims-they-are-stirring-up-racism-but-anti-racists-a/), one of the main organisers of anti-fascist protests in Dundee, said members of far right groups regularly like posts praising vigilantes, even when the activities are “clearly racist or abusive to women”. He added: “In Dundee, members of the now defunct Dundee Patriots threatened to run their own 'street patrols' a few months ago. Anti-racists and anti-fascists defeated that group through an intense campaign of counter protests whenever asylum seekers were threatened.” According to the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ justice spokesperson, Liam McArthur MSP, groups patrolling streets are “cosplaying as vigilantes” and he urged police to “monitor them closely so that it does not mutate into anything nastier." He added: “If they are committing crimes or harassing members of the public they will need to be swiftly dealt with by the police. There is no place for fear and intimidation on our streets and nor should these ‘patrols’ be allowed to launder far right sentiments in our communities.” Police Scotland told The Ferret it does not work with street patrols or their members, nor advise them in any way. "Keeping people in our local communities safe is our priority and officers will always respond appropriately to any crimes reported,” a police spokesperson said, adding that if anyone has concerns about crimes in their community they should speak to an officer or contact Police Scotland through 101, or 999 in an emergency. North2South denied it was a racist group, and claimed its patrols had played a part in stopping people from taking their own lives, and protecting young women. A spokesperson said: “We are well-established and organised with backing from a lot of high people and also the backing of our local communities.” The Homeland Party said the word vigilante is “prejudicial and inaccurate” and that people are “not taking the law into their own hands”. A spokesperson added: “They liaise with the police and act accordingly because local families feel ignored, not because they wish to create division. They have no powers, claim no powers, and seek no confrontation. Their purpose is simply to be a visible, lawful presence in the area, more akin to a neighbourhood watch than anything else.” Homeland's Josh Fernie said: “I have been out once, in response to a genuine report of girls being followed, harassed, and subjected to upskirt photography after attending an under-18s disco. Parents asked for people to be present so there would at least be eyes on the street and a deterrent to further incidents. He added: “That is not vigilantism. That is a community doing what it can when the authorities fail to provide reassurance. If politicians, police, and the media did their jobs properly by taking local concerns seriously and preventing sex crime on our streets, none of this would be necessary.” Unite the Clans said it was not a vigilante group, adding: “We have been peacefully protesting since August. We have built a following of 38,000 supporters and our work is well‑known across Scotland.” Save Our Country, Aberdeen Against Illegal Migration and Malcolm Offord have been approached for comment. ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### The police force protecting our nuclear sites keeps losing classified stuff URL: https://www.theferret.scot/the-police-force-protecting-our-nuclear-sites-keeps-losing-classified-stuff/ Last updated: 2026-05-20T05:00:27.000Z **The police force tasked with stopping terrorist attacks at UK nuclear sites dealt with dozens of internal security breaches last year – including a classified laptop going missing, contractors working without proper background checks, and armed officers losing ID cards.** Three breaches involved classified material being lost or stolen outside the Civil Nuclear Constabulary’s (CNC) premises – including two police warrant cards, used to identify officers, which were supposed to arrive via courier. A further nine cases involved the loss of identity passes, including those belonging to armed officers, and two contractors were found to be working without “appropriate” vetting. Other breaches included confidential material being left inside body armour sent for destruction, a staff member accessing information they were no longer authorised to see, and compromised personal data. There were 35 breaches in total, the [CNC reported](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688758a61e72aed40611af8b/20250718%5F-%5FCNC%5FARA%5F-%5FFINAL%5FREVISED.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#pagenumber=[48]). The CNC is the armed police force that protects civilian nuclear facilities across the UK, including Torness and Dounreay in Scotland. The force also escorts nuclear material when it is being transported and guards other “critical national infrastructure” such as gas terminals. Our findings come after we submitted a freedom of information request to the force. **You can read full details of the breaches** [**here**](https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/28133980-civil-nuclear-constabulary-security-breaches-2024-25/?embed=1&ref=theferret.scot). Opponents of nuclear energy said the UK “cannot afford to be sloppy when it comes to nuclear security” and claimed “very little appears to have been done” to tackle breaches in recent years. The CNC described the security incidents last year as “minor” and a spokesperson told The Ferret the force “takes action on all incidents and seeks to learn lessons” from them. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) We [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/security-breaches-uk-nuclear-police-eight-year-high/) on similar issues at the CNC back in 2023, after figures then showed breaches had reached an eight-year high of 37 in 2021-22. Incidents that year included the theft of a uniform, confidential documents, an officer’s diary and three classified devices. The number of breaches has hovered around this level since, peaking at 40 in 2022-23. Defence experts have previously [warned](https://www.rusi.org/publication/countering-threats-nuclear-power-plants?ref=theferret.scot) that in a worst case scenario a terrorist attack on a nuclear plant could cause “radioactive fallout” and “mass fatalities”. However, the industry has [downplayed](https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/safety-of-nuclear-power-reactors?ref=theferret.scot) the risk, arguing the evidence shows that nuclear reactors would be “more resistant to such attacks than virtually any other civil installations”. The UK’s terrorism threat level was upgraded to [severe](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-national-threat-level-raised-to-severe?ref=theferret.scot) at the end of April – following the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green in London – meaning authorities believe an attack somewhere on British soil is “highly likely”. The CNC describes counter-terrorism as a “[major part](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-nuclear-constabulary/about?ref=theferret.scot)” of its policing and says the “rapid development of artificial intelligence, the increasing use of drones and sophisticated cyber attacks present new challenges in defending nuclear material”. Critics of nuclear power claim it can never be completely secure or safe. The UK Green Party peer, Natalie Bennett, argued that nuclear was a “hazardous distraction from developing truly clean and safe renewable energy”. Bennett added: “We cannot afford to be sloppy when it comes to nuclear security. The billions being squandered on expensive new nuclear power stations \[such as Hinckley Point C and Sizewell C in England\] would be much better spent expanding the capacity for energy storage. “This would both lessen the chances of a breach of security at a UK nuclear site while helping strengthen the security of electricity supply.” [This pro-nuclear group claims to be ‘grassroots’. So why are its directors industry lobbyists?Britain Remade has appointed two directors from a lobbying firm which represents EDF, the owner of Scotland’s last nuclear power station.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-3c02087198cc59addb754d9c79a03ec53cc284455d84f897b832642524b40315.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1024px-Torness_Nuclear_Power_Station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_5949882-1-48a02b36af1b7df34b2e9cb39aea93828e7c3d3d5c937ed2958657bba3fe7b51.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/britain-remade-links-industry-lobbyists/) The general secretary of the UK Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Sophie Bolt, argued the government would be “better off pursuing an energy strategy that focuses on genuine renewables like wind, solar and tidal”. "It's very concerning to see that in the three years since an eight-year high in security breaches was revealed within Britain's Civil Nuclear Constabulary, very little appears to have been done to tackle the issue,” Bolt claimed. “Nuclear power is a costly, dirty and unsafe form of power generation that is tied to Britain's nuclear weapons programme.” [Advocates](https://world-nuclear.org/nuclear-essentials/how-can-nuclear-combat-climate-change?ref=theferret.scot) of nuclear energy say it is essential for the UK to reach climate targets because it does not produce carbon emissions and provides back up power generation when renewable generation is not possible – such as when the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow. A spokesperson for the CNC said it “treats any data breach or loss of information extremely seriously.” They continued: “As a national armed police force of nearly 2,000 officers and staff we operate across multiple locations from the north of Scotland to the south of England, we handle significant volumes of information in support of our operational duties. “We are proactive in encouraging reporting of all incidents, however minor. Where they do occur, they are recorded, investigated and managed under robust information security procedures, and reported to the Information Commissioner's Office where required. "We take action on all incidents and seek to learn lessons and strengthen processes and practice. This has included training interventions where patterns have been identified.” ### Thousands of Scots don’t have a home. Some new MSPs have more than one URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-msp-homes-properties/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T11:22:10.000Z ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) **Some of Scotland's new MSPs are landlords, own multiple homes, or benefit from lucrative holiday lets in areas among those worst hit by the housing crisis, The Ferret can reveal.** At least nine of the Scottish Parliament’s newly-elected members own more than one home, while six returning MSPs declared additional properties in the previous Holyrood session. Among those we identified are two politicians – from Reform and the SNP – typically charging more than £1,000 a week in the coming months for holiday lets in rural areas which have declared housing emergencies. Others include the SNP’s former Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, who is the registered landlord of an Aberdeen flat. Housing campaigners said politicians should not have more than one property during a housing emergency. They claimed that by being landlords, or operators of short-term lets, MSPs are profiting from the housing crisis and may not understand the struggles their constituents have in finding secure accommodation. [Claim Scottish Labour built six houses in government is FalseOnline claims questioned Scottish Labour’s house building in government between 1999 and 2007.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-174.png)The FerretAlastair Brian![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1311837607.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scottish-labour-built-six-houses-in-government-is-false/) A former MSP claimed landlord politicians “have a clear vested interest in the law governing residential tenancies”, while second property owners could be “denying others the opportunity of having a first home”. However some politicians contacted The Ferret to explain complex family situations, which they claimed were the reason for owning more than one property. The SNP said all its MSPs would log details on the register of interests, which has to be completed by 14 June. A housing emergency was declared when the Scottish Parliament [passed a motion](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/Session-6/session-6-local-government-housing-and-planning/business-items/housing-to-2040-and-housing-emergency/housing-emergency?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) in 2024, with 14 councils having done so independently. According to the most recent figures, there were [over 20,000](https://www.gov.scot/publications/homelessness-in-scotland-update-to-30-september-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) homeless applicants in Scotland between April and September 2025, nearly a tenth of whom had slept rough or spent the night before on the streets. More than 10,000 children were in temporary homeless accommodation in this period. They typically spent almost nine months in temporary homes, but in some local authorities this was longer. In Edinburgh, people spent an average of 17 months living in homeless accommodation. ### **MSPs’ city property investments** The capital is Scotland's most expensive place [to buy](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26024686.edinburgh-named-expensive-city-scotland-floor-space/?ref=theferret.scot) or rent property, with rental prices having [doubled](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c87r32311nlo?ref=theferret.scot) in the Lothians in the past 15 years. MSPs with multiple properties in Edinburgh – which [declared](https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/13844/edinburgh-declares-a-housing-emergency?ref=theferret.scot) a housing emergency in 2023 – include Labour's Irshad Ahmed, who was elected on the Edinburgh and Lothians East list. He owns three residential properties in the region and is the registered landlord of two of them – a Musselburgh flat, and an Edinburgh house. [Luxury hotels and dinner dates: Who is lobbying our politicians?High end dinners are a fraction of over 29,000 lobbying meetings in the last parliamentary term. But campaigners argue that because the lobbying spend is not declared, their significance is underplayed.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-176.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Untitled-design--2--2-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/luxury-hotels-and-dinner-dates-a-ferret-guide-to-lobbying-a-government-minister/) Julie MacDougall, a Reform UK Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP, is the registered landlord of an Edinburgh flat, which she owns in addition to her Kirkcaldy home. The SNP’s Alyn Smith, now MSP for Stirling, owns a house in the city and another in Edinburgh. When Smith was the MP for Stirling, he said in his [register of interests](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/240429/smith%5Falyn.htm?ref=theferret.scot) that the capital property was co-owned with and occupied by family members. Reform UK’s leader in Scotland, Malcolm Offord, made headlines after bragging about his six houses, six boats and five cars during a debate ahead of the election. Homes under his name in Scotland include flats in Edinburgh and Greenock, and a mansion on the banks of Loch Lomond – bought for £1.65m cash in 2024. The sale price of Offord’s Edinburgh flat is listed as “implementation of missives” – which is sometimes [used to conceal](https://andywightman.scot/2025/12/you-can-have-this-information-but-it-will-cost-you-630/?ref=theferret.scot) typically high-value property sales from the public land register. Offord also reportedly owns a London flat, which he [reportedly](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25949245.files-reveal-malcolm-offords-multi-million-pound-property-empire/?ref=theferret.scot) paid £2.15m for in 2017. [Lord Offord’s historical immigration claim is Mostly FalseReform UK’s Malcolm Offord claimed one million people came to the UK in the 20th century, and seven million people have come to the UK since 2000\. This is not accurate.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-177.png)The FerretAlastair Brian![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Official_portrait_of_Lord_Offord_of_Garvel_crop_2-_2025-1-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/lord-offords-historical-immigration-claim-is-mostly-false/) His Reform UK colleague, Edinburgh and Lothians East MSP Angela Ross, owns two neighbouring homes in Dunbar. Aberdeen also [declared](https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/Council-Services/housing/local-housing-strategy/information/housing-emergency-action-plan?ref=theferret.scot) a housing emergency in 2024, describing the situation as “grave”. Homeless applications in the city are still rising, according to the [latest figures](https://www.gov.scot/publications/homelessness-in-scotland-update-to-30-september-2025/documents/?ref=theferret.scot). Yet the SNP’s Stephen Flynn, the MSP for Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine MSP, owns a house and a flat in the city. While Flynn is the registered landlord of the flat, his Westminster [register of interests](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4735/registeredinterests?ref=theferret.scot) said he had made no rental income from the property. His Shetland colleague Hannah Mary Goodlad, also owns a flat in Aberdeen – the ownership of which was transferred to her in 2018 – in addition to her house in the isles. ### **Housing and rural depopulation** Many of Scotland's rural and island communities continue to experience [depopulation](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/island-depopulation/), with parts of the Isle of Lewis, Caithness and Sutherland, and Dumfries and Galloway seeing their population shrink by more than a tenth between 2011 to 2021, [according to](https://sruc.figshare.com/articles/report/Demographic%5Fchange%5Fand%5Fout-migration%5Fin%5Frural%5Fand%5Fisland%5FScotland/30617195?file=59553536&ref=theferret.scot) Scotland’s Rural College. Housing shortages have been [cited](https://www.theferret.scot/island-depopulation-has-orkney-bucked-the-trend/) as a major factor by experts and residents alike. The Scottish Parliament Information Centre [says](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2025/05/13/second-homes-in-scotland-facts-figures-and-policy-2/?ref=theferret.scot) rural areas tend to have much higher rates of second home ownership than the national average. While just one per cent of Scotland's houses are second homes, this number increases to six per cent in Argyll and Bute and the Western Isles. Some residents in these areas say they become [ghost towns](https://www.theferret.scot/island-depopulation-scotland-the-battle-on-bute/) for parts of the year due to the prevalence of holiday lets. [Island depopulation: The battle on ButeAs the ferry approaches Rothesay harbour, passengers are greeted by signs of Bute’s struggles – and successes. Lined up behind the town’s palm tree-filled Victorian promenade, once-grand derelict hotels and boarded up shops neighbour vibrant, independent businesses. Older islanders reminisce about Rothesay’s time as a bustling seaside resort![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-178.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/at_7027.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/island-depopulation-scotland-the-battle-on-bute/) Two of the newly elected MSPs own holiday rentals in areas particularly impacted by these issues. The Dumfries-based South of Scotland Reform MSP, Senga Beresford, owns a two-bed coastal cottage in nearby Carsethorn, which is being offered out to let for more than £1,000 a week in the summer. Dumfries and Galloway [declared](https://www.parliament.scot/~/media/committ/10811/SPICe-issues--Paper--5?ref=theferret.scot) a housing emergency in 2024 and promised [to consider](https://www.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-06/Housing-Emergency-Declaration-Action-Plan.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the need for short-term let control areas in the region as part of its action plan. Calum Kerr, the former Borders MP, was elected in Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale. In addition to a home in Peebles, the SNP politician owns a six-bed holiday let in Achiltibuie, Wester Ross, which is typically let out for around £1,200 a week. In October last year, Highland councillors [agreed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg4xyyq117o?ref=theferret.scot) that a short-term lets control zone should be considered to cover all or parts of Wester Ross, where more than a tenth of houses built in recent years are now short-term lets – more than double the Highland average. Highland Council [quadrupled](https://www.highland.gov.uk/council-tax/second-homes-long-term-empty-homes?ref=theferret.scot) council tax on second homes from 1 April this year. [Revealed: A quarter of Scots MPs own multiple homesMore than one in four Scottish MPs own second homes or rake in tens of thousands of pounds in rent as landlords, The Ferret has found. Westminster’s newly published register of interests shows that 15 of Scotland’s 56 MPs said they own additional properties in towns and cities![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-179.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/edinburgh_tenement_with_decorative_lintel_1880-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-a-quarter-of-scots-mps-own-multiple-homes/) Other new MSPs may also hold additional properties, but we were unable to confirm whether some were owned by politicians or their namesakes. MSPs may also own property via registered companies, or benefit from property portfolios owned under the name of a spouse or other family member. We presented our findings to every MSP named in this piece and offered the opportunity to comment both to them and their parties. An MSP must register an “interest” – including any property that they own or receive income from which is not their main residence – within 30 days of being sworn into the Scottish Parliament. The ceremony took place on Thursday 14 May. Parliament is then required to publish an update to the MSPs’ register of interests within 30 days of receiving the information. At least six returning MSPs own multiple homes, according to their registers of interests from the previous parliamentary term. They include former housing minister Paul McLennan, Labour’s Claire Baker and Tory Murdo Fraser – both landlords – and Tory Aberdeenshire estate owner, Alexander Burnett. McLennan said the property was bought for the sole purpose of letting to his in-laws, who pay the exact amount of his mortgage payments. ### **MSPs with multiple homes ‘part of the problem’** Land and housing campaigners argued that MSPs with multiple homes were contributing to Scotland’s housing crisis. Tenants’ rights group Living Rent said it was “disgusting that while so many of their constituents struggle to make ends meet or live in poor quality, unaffordable homes”, many MSPs are “making huge amounts of money” from property amidst a housing emergency. A spokesperson added: “No one who owns a second home or a holiday let can possibly understand the housing crisis, let alone have a plan to fix it. This next parliament needs to combat the housing crisis, not contribute to it." Dr Josh Doble, of Community Land Scotland, agreed that some MSPs appear to not grasp “the severity” of the housing issue and were “part of the problem”. Housing shortages are “driving depopulation” in some rural areas, particularly tourist hotspots, which were “particularly plagued by second home ownership”, while other areas “face severe housing shortages from short-term lets and monopoly land and property owners,” he claimed. > "No one who owns a second home or a holiday let can possibly understand the housing crisis, let alone have a plan to fix it. This next parliament needs to combat the housing crisis, not contribute to it." **Living Rent** “Young people are frequently unable to stay in areas where they have grown up, house prices are often completely divorced from the economic reality of the local area, and existing housing stock is woefully underutilised,” he said. Doble cited [compulsory sales orders](https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-reform-scotland-consultation-paper/pages/11/?ref=theferret.scot), which allow authorities to force long-term vacant or derelict land and property to be sold by public auction, and increasing the availability of land for community-led housing projects, as possible ways to tackle the crisis. While his group backs council tax hikes on second homes by local authorities, land campaigner and former MSP Andy Wightman believes the measure will be ineffective as multiple home owners will “in most cases be able to afford the extra local tax”. MSP landlords “have a clear vested interest in the law governing residential tenancies” while those with second homes are “denying others the opportunity of having a first home,” Wightman claimed. “For many years I have argued that second homes should be subject to planning permission as a change of use”, which would allow planning authorities to decide whether residential accommodation should be converted to holiday homes. “This is [already the case](https://alwenajonesbright.co.uk/blog/new-planning-rules-for-second-homes-in-wales?ref=theferret.scot) in Wales and should be adopted in Scotland,” Wightman added. An SNP spokesperson said its MSPs “will ensure all appropriate information is declared in their register of interests”. *We updated this article at 12:22 on 19 May to remove an incorrect claim that Reform UK MSP, Victor Currie, owned properties in Edinburgh.* Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Wealthy landowners are making millions from Scottish wind farms. You’re subsidising them URL: https://www.theferret.scot/landowners-making-millions-wind-farms-scotland/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T08:49:13.000Z **Wealthy landowners including a Swedish aristocrat, the family of a former prime minister and a Tory donor are earning millions in rent from wind farms which are subsidised by the public’s energy bills, The Ferret can reveal.** Our latest investigation found the financial rewards of Scotland’s energy transition are being unevenly distributed through land ownership – flowing to the descendants of Scotland’s landed gentry, investment firms, and multimillionaires. The money earned by landowners often dwarfs the payments that wind farm developers make to local communities. The Scottish Government recommends these ‘community benefit’ payments are made as part of being a “good neighbour” to areas that host turbines for decades, but communities receive a fraction of the income enjoyed by estate owners. In one extreme case a landowner received £11m in rental income from a wind project last year – 23 times more than was paid to the local community. ****Journalism that follows the money – and demands answers.** This story took time, digging, and persistence. The Ferret is reader-funded investigative journalism, so we can report in the public interest, not for clicks or advertisers. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Our analysis traced the estates hosting onshore wind projects backed by the UK Government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) subsidy scheme, which supports renewable electricity generation through levies on consumer energy bills. Experts said Scotland’s “hugely concentrated pattern of landownership” means there is a “real risk” that the wealth from the country’s renewable energy revolution will flow to a small number of private estates. The Scottish Greens claimed successive governments had failed to tackle the “chronically unequal distribution of this country’s land and wealth”. Former leader Patrick Harvie called for more “public or community ownership” of renewables, and the land that hosts them. Wind itself is an abundant energy source, but the infrastructure that converts it into electricity must be built on a finite stock of land, usually rented to developers by private landowners. Globally, [the UK is among the highest-ranked countries](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544217308095?ref=theferret.scot) for onshore wind power potential, with much of that advantage [clustered](https://globalwindatlas.info/en/?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland’s Highlands, islands, and coastal regions. At the same time, Scotland’s land ownership is among the most concentrated in Europe. According to a [2025 report](https://andywightman.scot/2026/02/who-owns-scotland-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) produced by the website Who Owns Scotland, just 408 landowners own half of the country’s privately held rural land. By contrast, [less than three per cent](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2025/11/community-ownership-in-scotland-2024/documents/community-ownership-in-scotland-2024---report/community-ownership-in-scotland-2024---report/govscot%3Adocument/Community%2BOwnership%2Bin%2BScotland%2B2024%2B-%2BReport.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of Scotland’s land is under community ownership, while [nine per cent is owned by the state](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/media/kvjnmlmr/fls-annualreport2022-23%5Fpm%5Fp8.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=FLS%20is%20responsible%20for%20managing%20Scotland's%20national,630%2C000%20hectares%2C%209%25%20of%20Scotland's%20land%20area.), via Forestry and Land Scotland, a public body. Most Scottish wind farms provide payments to locals, known as community benefits, to compensate for the disruption caused during construction and impacts on landscapes that soaring turbines have. These payments are voluntary, but considered best-practice by the Scottish Government. However, our analysis indicates these communities receive payments on a scale far smaller than those made to landowners. The Ferret combined data from the Low Carbon Contracts Company, the Who Owns Scotland land map, Global Energy Monitor, and the Companies House business registry, to calculate how much landowners were making in rent from wind farms backed by the CfD scheme. Some of those benefiting hold hereditary titles. The estate of Colin Campbell, 7th Earl Cawdor, hosts the Tom Nan Clach wind farm, near Inverness. Middle Muir wind farm, near Biggar, sits on land owned by Douglas and Angus Estate, associated with the Earls of Home – a title once held by prime minister Alec Douglas-Home and an aristocratic family with roots back to the 8th [century](https://www.dandaestates.co.uk/history/the-douglas-family.php?ref=theferret.scot). Douglas and Angus Estate received £904,000 in rental income from OnPathEnergy last year for hosting the 15 turbines that make up Middle Muir. By contrast, the local community received £255,000 in benefit payments. An estate spokesperson said these community payments supported local projects, including a new energy-efficient golf clubhouse, a 3.3km footpath, and a community art project at a school. Modern financial institutions and high-net-worth investors also appear in the data. Among them is asset manager [Gresham House](https://www.theferret.scot/land-reform-concerns-buyout-firm-linked-state-bank/). Specialising in managing forestry and energy investment funds, it recently became Scotland’s second largest private [landowner](https://andywightman.scot/2025/08/gresham-house-is-now-scotlands-2nd-largest-landowner/?ref=theferret.scot). [Land reform concerns over buyout of firm linked to state bankThe Scottish Government’s investment bank gave £50m to a forestry scheme that has now been bought out by a New York finance giant – sparking claims the bank is failing to support Scotland’s economy and obstructing land reform efforts. The Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) agreed a five-year, £50m![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1211534817-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/land-reform-concerns-buyout-firm-linked-state-bank/) Its land overlaps with two CfD-backed projects, Sneddon Law and Solwaybank, where rental payments are shared among landowners. At Solwaybank, between Lockerbie and Langholm, around 6.7 per cent of revenue is paid to landowners, while community benefit contributions make up a mere 0.58 per cent. Other landlords benefitting include Swedish aristocrat Baron Johan Koskull, and Anglo-Irish financier, Tory donor, and multimillionaire, Christopher Moran. Moran’s Glenfiddich estate, in Moray, hosts EDF’s Dorenell Windfarm. In London, he owns several properties, including the Chelsea Cloisters apartment block and Crosby Moran Hall. He has also [managed](https://goodlawproject.org/tory-property-director-hit-with-4-5m-tax-bill-over-his-own-property/?ref=theferret.scot) the Conservative party’s real-estate arm, C&UCO properties. Koskull is the owner of Enga Ltd, which hosts the Kype Muir wind farm in South Lanarkshire. He is the scion of the Swedish branch of a European dynasty and lives on a sprawling estate in southern Sweden. In 2024, Kype Muir paid out £1.79m to its three turbine hosts, with the majority of these turbines located on land linked to Koskull. > "If the community is going to have long-term stability and resiliency, they need to own the land.” — Josh Doble, Community Land Scotland A representative of Goldcrest Land and Forestry Group, which manages Kype Forest on behalf of Koskull, said the wind farm “sterilise\[d\] a large area of land, that was previously timber producing forestry”, adding that “\[this\] conversion should be taken into account in any calculations.” For Simon Cleary, energy transition director at economic consultancy Biggar Economics, the income landowners receive is money earned for controlling a scarce resource, rather than for providing any extra work or investment, or essentially “economic rent”. The land market for onshore wind is constrained by a number of factors: proximity to housing, access to the grid, and wind speeds, which vary significantly because of Scotland’s hilly topography,” he said, arguing that landowners can leverage this scarcity to push up the rents they receive from wind developers. Using economic data from several mid-to-large wind farm developers, [Cleary calculated](https://biggareconomics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/BiGGAR-Economics-Note-on-Case-for-Community-Benefit-April-2025.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the average distribution of revenue between operators, communities and landowners. He found that landowners often claim around eight per cent of revenues – equivalent to what developers take home in profits, combined with what they should be paying out in community benefits. That share can rise to as much as 15 per cent over a project’s 20 to 25-year lifespan. Unlike community benefits, these rental payments tend to be tied to overall revenue. If a wind farm has a more profitable year, so does the landowner. Cleary sees this as a “red flag” for economic rents. The mechanics of these agreements were made visible through a court dispute involving EDF’s Dorenell Windfarm subsidiary and Christopher Moran. Dorenell is one of the largest onshore windfarms in Scotland, with 59 turbines. Among Scottish onshore wind sites, it has been the greatest beneficiary of the CfD scheme. [The case notes show](https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/media/n0blycno/2025csoh62-glenfiddich-wind-limited-against-dorenell-windfarm-limited.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) Moran was promised a fixed baseline lease of £6m per year – a little over £100,000 per turbine. The actual rent paid is calculated as a percentage of various income streams, including CfD payments, electricity sales, and income received for turning off a windfarm when the grid is congested and can’t handle the electricity it generates. The total received annually by Moran grew from roughly £8.5m in 2023, to £11m in 2025\. The land rents paid to Moran represent 23 times the £464,625 paid to communities in 2025 – which is already below the level that the Scottish Government says projects should pay. Cleary argued that public land could be used to push back against rising rents. Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), which manages the national forest estate, currently hosts 27 operational wind farms – around 14 per cent of Scotland’s installed onshore wind capacity. By undercutting private landowners, FLS could force down land rents, Cleary claimed. However, FLS told The Ferret it is required to secure “best value for the taxpayer”, which in practice usually means charging market rates for leases. Further action would require a shift in policy at Holyrood, the public body said, adding: “All lease income generated by FLS from windfarms is reinvested into offsetting costs associated with the sustainable management of the national forest and land for climate, nature, people and the economy.” > "If a wind farm has a more profitable year, so does the landowner." — Simon Cleary, Biggar Economics Josh Doble, from Community Land Scotland, argued it is not enough to tinker with community benefits and the size of lease payments. The deeper issue, he claimed, lies in understanding who owns land and how that shapes power. “If the community is going to have long-term stability and resiliency, they need to own the land,” he said. “Renewable energy projects come and go. The ownership of the land is the finite asset. That’s why private landowners want to hold on to it so tightly and why communities need to get their hands on it.” Liam Hainey from the [Our Power campaign](https://www.ourpower.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which was recently set up to push for Scots to have a greater stake in the energy system, said: “The incoming Scottish Government has significant powers at its disposal to address this fundamental imbalance and it can start by giving more communities the chance to own energy projects.” Anna Gardiner, senior policy adviser for Scottish Land & Estates, which represents Scotland's landowners, argued that lease payments reflected the long-term impacts wind farms can have on rural land use, including restrictions on forestry and future development options. She said: “Any landowner, whether they are a crofter, a community group, a company, or an individual, would expect reasonable compensation to be paid if they enter into a long-term contract with an energy company.” Noting that developers’ returns are heavily shaped by government policy, particularly CfD strike prices, Gardiner added: “We all agree on the need for reduced carbon emissions and greater energy security in Scotland, and that there is more we can do to capture the value of our energy abundance. Rural businesses are at the heart of efforts to achieve this, and are providing significant benefits to local communities.” All individuals and estates named in this story have been contacted for comment. ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Claim SNP government only increased teacher numbers by 75 is Mostly True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-snp-government-only-increased-teacher-numbers-by-75-is-mostly-true/ Last updated: 2026-05-07T09:58:11.000Z **Education has been a central theme of this election, with opposition parties repeatedly attacking the SNP’s record in government and questioning whether the party has lived up to its promises to improve outcomes and standards in schools.** During a special debate on education on the [BBC’s Sunday Show](https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002w3bq/the-sunday-show-series-6-03052026?ref=theferret.scot), Conservative candidate and former MSP Meghan Gallacher listed a series of SNP pledges which she claimed they had failed to live up to. One was about the number of teachers across the country. > “They \[The SNP in government\] promised to recruit 3,500 teachers. They've recruited 75." – Meghan Gallacher MSP The Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Mostly True**. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) ### Evidence Gallacher’s claim refers to a pledge made by the SNP ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. [In its manifesto](https://helensburghsnp.scot/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SNP-MANIFESTO-2021.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), the party committed to “increasing teacher numbers and classroom assistants by a further 3,500 on top of the increase over the last parliament”. After the SNP won this election and formed the Scottish Government, its pledge was confirmed in the first [Programme For Government](https://www.gov.scot/publications/fairer-greener-scotland-programme-government-2021-22/pages/5/?ref=theferret.scot), which sets out government policies and priorities each year. It stated: “Over the course of the parliament, we will provide funding to support the recruitment of at least 3,500 teachers… over and above the 1,400 recruited during the pandemic”. This means the government pledged to recruit at least 3,500 between 2021 and when parliament ended in 2026 ahead of the current election. Statistics for teachers are [recorded annually](https://www.gov.scot/publications/pupil-and-teacher-characteristics-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) by the Scottish Government. The latest figures were released in March, and cover the period up to September 2025\. They showed 53,475 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in Scotland, including early learning and childcare teachers. [FTE](https://www.personio.com/hr-lexicon/full-time-equivalent/?ref=theferret.scot) adds up full-time, part-time and other types of employment to show you the amount of full-time positions covered. It gives a more accurate representation of ‘real time’ staffing levels than overall numbers. Meghan Gallacher’s claim was that just 75 teachers had been put in place since the SNP made its promise to increase numbers by 3,500\. In 2020, the number of FTE teachers was 53,400\. This means between 2020 and 2025 there was an increase of 75, which was [first highlighted in an article](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25683648.snp-failed-keep-teacher-numbers-promises/?ref=theferret.scot) in The Herald in December 2025\. This article was cited in evidence to the Ferret Fact Service by the Scottish Conservatives. [Claim Scottish GP numbers are at record levels is Half TrueFirst Minister John Swinney made the claim in an SNP election leaflet![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretAlastair Brian![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-178401848-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scottish-gp-numbers-are-at-record-levels-is-half-true/) The SNP’s pledge was to increase the number of teachers over and above the 1,400 pledged during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since 2021, when teacher increases were reflected in statistics, there has actually been a decrease in FTE numbers, from 54,285 to 53,475\. A [report from the Scottish Government in 2025](https://www.gov.scot/publications/teacher-workforce-planning-2024-exercise-statistical-modelling-paper/pages/6/?ref=theferret.scot) highlighted that some additional teachers were being trained but, since 2021, many were unable to find roles in schools. The report stated that “since 2019/20, we estimate that an excess of approximately 950 primary teachers have been trained”. But because there were not enough additional teaching posts, an estimated 939 surplus teachers were not working by 2022-2023. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** Meghan Gallacher’s claim is accurate when looking at the latest figures on teacher numbers over the last parliamentary period from 2021 to 2026\. Looking at the SNP-led Scottish Government’s pledge, there may in fact have been a decrease in working teacher numbers since additional teachers were added during the Covid-19 pandemic. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/05/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_MostlyTrue_RGB.png) ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Businessmen and wealthy donors are bankrolling Scottish politics. Who are they? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/meet-the-donors-funding-scottish-politics/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T05:00:43.000Z **You probably haven't heard of him, but one out of every five pounds banked by Scottish parties came from his fortune. Robin MacGeachy’s wealth was made in the obscure business of gas generators for science labs, and he’s used it to become the biggest money man ahead of this election.** MacGeachy is the largest of the many wealthy individuals who, alongside influential party insiders – including those with vested interest in key policy areas – are helping to bankroll the Holyrood campaign. The Ferret looked at thousands of the Electoral Commission’s donation records to find out who filled the war chests of our political parties since the last Holyrood vote. Our analysis of the latest available found thatScottish parties reported nearly £7.7m in reportable donations – which exceed £11,180 from a single source in a calendar year – between the last election and the end of 2025\. A tenth came from ‘dark money’ groups, which are not required to reveal the source of their funds. Meanwhile, UK parties logged £223m over the same period – some of which is sure to have been sent north of the border. Campaigners said our research shows that a small number of wealthy individuals are “buying influence and access to political parties”, which “squeezes out ordinary voters”. They urged the UK Government to put a cap on donations and ban contributions from “secretive individuals or companies”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) **Billionaires and (mostly) businessmen** The Ferret traced over a fifth (£1.6m) of donations to Robin MacGeachy. He’s the owner and founder Renfrewshire’s Peak Scientific, a manufacturer of gas generators for laboratories and, in 2023, was [given an OBE](https://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=61567&ref=theferret.scot) in the King’s birthday honours for services to manufacturing and philanthropy. Last year, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/secret-owners-loch-lomond-golf-club/) that he was a director and shareholder in the private Loch Lomond Golf Club, which is ultimately owned and operated by a firm incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and reportedly costs more than £100,000 to join. MacGeachy resigned months later, after more than six years in the role. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-05-at-18.13.56.png) Robin MacGeachy. Companies he owns or co-owns handed £910,000 to the Scottish Liberal Democrats and £700,000 to Scottish Labour. This represents nearly half of all of the Lib Dems’ donations, and nearly a quarter of Labour’s. The donations were made via MacGeachy’s non-trading company Treeman Rockafella, Peak Scientific, and its parent, Dusty TLP, which he co-owns with his wife. Their firms have made nearly £3m in donations since 2014\. They helped bankroll the Tories until 2021 – having donated more than £1m to the party – and gave £10,000 each to the pro-union Better Together and Scottish Business Supports the Union groups. In 2021, Robin MacGeachy [described](https://www.wusf.org/2021-05-05/brexit-and-independence-are-top-of-mind-for-scottish-voters?ref=theferret.scot) the prospect of Scottish independence as “really quite frightening” and said Peak Scientific would “certainly move our headquarters south” if Scotland left the union. MacGeachy did not respond to a request to comment, but a spokesperson previously told The Ferret that his firms “are not at liberty to disclose the reason for party donations”. Business interests provided more than half (£1.56m) of the known war chest of Labour and its sister Co-operative Party. This is six times more than the £243,635 that came from trade unions, despite many being formally affiliated to the party. The Easdale brothers, who are among Scotland’s richest men, gave £150,000 to Scottish Labour via one of their firms. The bus tycoons [said](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25773216.billionaire-brothers-easdales-hand-labour-six-figure-donation/?ref=theferret.scot) they want to help the party remove the SNP from power, believe Anas Sarwar has a better handle on business, and [reportedly](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25773216.billionaire-brothers-easdales-hand-labour-six-figure-donation/?ref=theferret.scot) promised to double the donation if the party leader was able to shape policies which they considered to meet Scotland's needs. In 2024, Sandy Easdale [criticised](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24576368.sandy-easdale-hits-labours-public-transport-plans/?ref=theferret.scot) Labour’s plans to let English local authorities take private bus firms into public ownership, comparing the move to the policies of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Almost a tenth of Labour's donations (£270,000) came from Paul McManus, drummer in Scots rock band Gun and a £100,000 [funder](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23791587.gun-drummer-paul-mcmanus-joins-fight-glasgow-lez/?ref=theferret.scot) of a legal fight against Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone. The Labour supporter also [vowed to fund](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgl59xj74rlo?ref=theferret.scot) a case against the Scottish Government, lodged by late SNP first minister, Alex Salmond. The party was handed £295,500 by entrepreneurs Puneet and Poonan Gupta, mostly via their Inverclyde PG Paper Company, which is [ultimately owned](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC256809/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) in the British Virgin Islands, a tax and secrecy haven. Their firm also gave [£40,000](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15698304.Sarwar%5F%5F%5F40%5F000%5Fleadership%5Fdonation%5Flinked%5Fto%5Ftax%5Fhaven/?ref=theferret.scot) to Sarwar’s first leadership bid in 2017. The Guptas previously [said](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15698304.sarwar-40-000-leadership-donation-linked-tax-haven/?ref=theferret.scot) they wanted to support Sarwar as the first ethnic minority leader in Scotland and that their company was “fully tax compliant”. No direct donations were recorded as being made to Reform UK in Scotland, but the central party received £22.2m since the last Holyrood election, and has overtaken the Tories as the most successful UK fundraiser. More than half (£12m) of its coffers were filled by Thailand-based businessman Christopher Harborne, a crypto investor and former Tory donor. Several of his businesses are [reportedly](https://news.sky.com/story/how-record-breaking-reform-uk-donor-christopher-harborne-made-his-millions-13479318?ref=theferret.scot) subsidiaries of an international jet fuel broker that works with oil companies, and which was [awarded](https://law.justia.com/cases/delaware/superior-court/2024/n24c-02-292.html?ref=theferret.scot) £29m worth of contracts by the US Department of Defense. Harborne also gave £5m to Nigel Farage before he became an MP. The Reform UK leader was [criticised](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5pr0gp3gro?ref=theferret.scot) for not declaring the money on his register of interests, but the party says there was no requirement to do so. Other major Reform donors include Nick Candy, a billionaire property developer who now serves as the party’s treasurer. The former Tory donor recently sold his London mansion for more than £275m – [reportedly](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/02/reform-donor-nick-candy-sells-chelsea-mansion-providence-house?ref=theferret.scot) believed to be the most expensive on record in London – [to](https://www.ft.com/content/9c065130-31e9-4129-bf6b-da08723ccdb2?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=theferret.scot) the co-founder of major Labour donor, Quadrature Capital, with another on the market worth £175m. Candy was present at a December meeting at US President Donald Trump’s Florida resort between Farage and Elon Musk, according to [reports](https://www.ft.com/content/8daf99ca-2e0c-4aae-b434-5c10cf89f1f3?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=theferret.scot). Fiona Cotrell, Reform’s third-largest donor, is [reportedly](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jun/10/fiona-cottrell-mother-of-nigel-farage-aide-reform-uk-donors?ref=theferret.scot) an aristocrat, a former girlfriend of King Charles in the 1970s, and the mother of the unpaid party aide and convicted fraudster, George Cottrell. [Revealed: Politicians, billionaires and offshore firms’ taxpayer forestry handoutsThe King, J.K. Rowling, billionaires and politicians are among those who have been given tens of millions of pounds of taxpayer forestry subsidies, The Ferret can reveal, prompting claims that wealthy landowners are prioritised over rural communities. Nearly 2,000 recipients, including estates, investment firms and timber giants, were![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/size/w1200/2025/10/untitled-design-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/politicians-billionaires-offshore-forestry-handouts/) The UK Tories banked £107m in the last five years. Frank Hester accounted for nearly a fifth of the party’s donations, handing over £20m either in his own name, or via his software firm The Phoenix Partnership. The businessman was [accused](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c900138vek4o?ref=theferret.scot) of making racist comments about Labour's Diane Abbott, in which he said the MP "should be shot”. Hester [apologised](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c900138vek4o?ref=theferret.scot) for the "rude" remarks but denied accusations of racism. Henry Keswick, a Dumfries and Galloway landowner, donated £18,000 to the Scottish Tories. His family firm, Jardine Matheson is [incorporated](https://www.jardines.com/en/investors?ref=theferret.scot) in the tax haven of Bermuda. The Keswicks previously [gave](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-tories-100k-billionaire-family-tax-haven/) £2m to the Tory party, an anti-EU group and the Better Together campaign. Last year, we [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/tory-firm-human-rights-allegations-in-indonesia/) that Jardine Matheson faced scrutiny from the UN over allegations of land grabbing and human rights abuses from one of its subsidiaries in Indonesia. It claimed the allegations were “unsubstantiated”. The Cayzer Trust Company, which is owned by a billionaire family linked to [an operation](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-trade-unionist-blacklisting-tory-donors/) that blacklisted trade unionists and others from employment, gave £13,500 to the Tories. **Party insiders** Individuals with powerful positions in political parties – and groups set up to influence their policies – are also prominent donors. The central accounting units of UK Labour and its sister Co-operative Party raised £81.5m since the last Holyrood poll. A tenth (£7.7m) came from Lord David Sainsbury, a Labour life peer and former chair of the supermarket chain. His daughter, Francesca Perrin, gave £2m. The late Lord John Sainsbury, a Tory life peer and brother of David, was behind a tenth (£10.2m) of the Tory party’s £107m in donations. The former president of Sainsbury’s supermarket died in 2022. Asset manager Martin Taylor, who gave UK Labour £2.8m, is the biggest donor to Labour Together, which helped Starmer get elected. David Sainsbury and Perrin are also major donors to the group. Democracy for Sale [revealed](https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-morgan-mcsweeneys-labour-together-investigators-journalists) that the think tank, which gave £106,250 to Scottish Labour and £1.6m to the UK party, paid a PR firm to investigate journalists reporting on undeclared funding used to power Starmer's leadership win. In 2024, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/labour-donors-hedge-fund-invests-private-healthcare/) that Taylor runs a hedge fund with shares in a private healthcare giant. A spokesman previously told us Taylor was “keen to pay higher taxes in order to help fund the NHS” and that his politics had no influence on his firm’s investment decisions. Other big Labour backers in the last five years include green energy firm Ecotricity (£5.3m) – whose founder, Dale Vince also funds the campaign group Just Stop Oil – and Quadrature Capital, a hedge fund, owned via the Cayman Islands (£4m). A climate charity set up by Quadrature Capital has [funded](https://www.britainremade.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) Britain Remade, a “grassroots” group campaigning to overturn Scotland’s ban on nuclear power. But The Ferret [found](https://www.theferret.scot/britain-remade-links-industry-lobbyists/) that two of its directors come from a PR firm which lobbies for the UK’s biggest nuclear company. The group said it was not funded by “corporate money” and operates independently. A tenth of the Scottish Tories’ donations (£90,000) came from its oil tycoon chairman, Alastair Locke, who was appointed by Russell Findlay after funding his successful leadership bid to the tune of £50,000\. Locke also gave nearly £543,000 to the UK Tories. In 2024, we revealed that Locke’s estate in Moray received £3m in public subsidies, but [breached](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) subsidy rules by overclaiming for and mismanaging land. [Billionaire lairds and Tory donors broke rules around rural subsidiesBillionaire lairds, sporting estates and Conservative Party donors in receipt of millions of pounds of public grants are among the owners of businesses which broke the rules around rural subsidies, The Ferret can reveal. Scotland’s rural payments schemes are largely designed to help farmers and land managers make a![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/size/w1200/2025/10/18012117982_b919687164_o-scaled.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) Locke led an oil firm which [admitted](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-conservatives-chair-russian-bribes/) benefitting from “corrupt payments” made to a Russian firm in 2007\. He claimed the payments were actually made to cancel a contract in Russia which an employee had entered into without the knowledge of his firm’s board. Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, handed £613,000 to his party via his firm Tisun Investments, which is [caught up](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8x7yj99jrwo?ref=theferret.scot) in a tax avoidance row. Tice also gave £553,000 to his party via Britain Means Business, a pressure group, previously called Leave Means Leave, which the Reform politician set up with a Tory donor in 2016 to push for a hard Brexit. Among the Lib Dem’s biggest donors were former MP Alan Reid, who contributed £75,000\. He was selected to contest the Argyll and Bute constituency, which he used to represent at Westminster, and is ranked second on the party’s regional list for the Highlands and Islands. Angus MacDonald, the party’s millionaire Highland MP donated £41,250, while former deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, gave £24,000. The ruling SNP was considerably less effective at fundraising compared to other major parties, clocking up £1.65m (22 per cent) amidst periods of leadership turmoil, a police probe, and a drop in polling numbers. More than half of the SNP’s donations were in the form of bequests from late supporters. The Scottish Greens received just £139,000 – a mere two per cent of the total reported by Scotland’s parties. Apart from £7,850 given to the party by its Highlands and Islands co-convenor, all recordable donations came from its MSPs’ own pockets, demonstrating a dearth of backing from larger donors. **‘Dark money’ donors** A tenth of donations (£782,000) came from unincorporated associations, which are often referred to as ‘dark money’ outfits because they do not need to disclose the source of their funds. The UK Government recently [warned](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-trust-in-our-democracy-our-strategy-for-modern-and-secure-elections/restoring-trust-in-our-democracy-our-strategy-for-modern-and-secure-elections?ref=theferret.scot) that the low reporting threshold for these groups could allow “foreign or otherwise illegitimate money” to enter our politics, but [a bill](https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4080?ref=theferret.scot) going through the House of Commons, if passed, will tighten the rules. The vast majority of unincorporated association donations in Scotland went to the Tories. Some 71 per cent of the party’s £904,000 in donations came from these groups, with £589,800 awarded by the Scottish Unionist Association Trust (SUAT) via the UK party. In 2018, The Ferret found many inconsistencies in SUAT’s financial reporting. This led to [a 14-month probe](https://www.theferret.scot/secretive-trust-scottish-tories-dark-money/) by the Electoral Commission, which found the trust had broken electoral laws, and [fined it](https://www.theferret.scot/suat-electoral-commission-decision/). Our investigation forced the trust to reveal its [assets](https://www.theferret.scot/tory-dark-money-trust-2-35m/) and members, which led a high profile trustee – and [Holyrood lobbyist](https://www.theferret.scot/lobbyist-outed-tory-dark-money-trustee/) – to [resign](https://www.theferret.scot/former-tory-mp-quits-dark-money-trust/). Its chairman was later [named](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17723831.scottish-tory-fundraising-chief-listed-hmrc-tax-cheat/?ref=theferret.scot) and shamed by HMRC in 2019 on its list of “tax cheats”, owing almost £200,000. SUAT previously [said](https://www.theferret.scot/suat-electoral-commission-decision/) its money came from investing the proceeds of “tombolas and raffles” over 50 years. Other unincorporated associations which backed the Tories with smaller amounts include the National Conservative Draws Society, which [runs](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/inside-elite-tory-fundraising-machine/?ref=theferret.scot) a private lottery for the party, the Carlton Club, which is an elite private London members organisation, and the [1900 Club](https://bylinetimes.com/2024/06/24/the-1900-club-and-the-conservative-party-an-inside-look-at-the-secretive-dining-club-that-does-more-than-dine/?ref=theferret.scot) and the [United and Cecil Club](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/dining-clubs-fund-mps-parties-no-scrutiny-3000429?ref=theferret.scot) – both secretive dining groups. Other small unincorporated association donations came from local parties, council groups and special interest organisations, such as Labour Friends of Scotland, which has a [stated aim](https://www.labourfriendsofscotland.org/aboutus?ref=theferret.scot) of giving supporters “the tools they need to engage confidently in Scottish politics”. **Wealthy individuals ‘buying influence’** Commenting on The Ferret’s study, Tom Brake, a former Lib Dem MP who now heads campaign group Unlock Democracy, said: “What this comprehensive research clearly demonstrates is that a small number of wealthy individuals are buying influence and access to political parties. “This is bad for democracy and squeezes out the voices of ordinary voters.” He urged the UK Government to use its [Representation of the People Bill](https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4080?ref=theferret.scot), which is currently going through parliament, to extend plans for a £100,000 cap on donations from overseas voters to all UK voters. Transparency International UK agreed that the bill presented the strongest current opportunity to tighten the rules. While the UK Government's plans to limit overseas donations “is a clear recognition of the influence big money has on our politics”, it “doesn't solve the connected problems of undue influence or declining public trust,” argued senior policy manager, Rose Zussman. The bill “is a critical opportunity for MPs to put country before party and set meaningful limits on political finance – wherever it comes from,” she added. Spotlight on Corruption wants the legislation to close “loopholes that allow dodgy donations” and give the Electoral Commission “robust powers to enforce new rules”. All the above donations referred to in this article were legal. “Whether it’s Holyrood or Westminster, nobody should be able to buy up a political party, and no party should be allowed to take money from secretive individuals or companies,” said Kamila Kingstone, who leads Spotlight’s defending democracy programme. “Ultimately, unless it introduces an upper limit on donations, and annual spending caps to prevent an electoral arms race, the public will continue to think that democracy is for sale to the highest bidder.” ### Luxury hotels and dinner dates: Who is lobbying our politicians? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/luxury-hotels-and-dinner-dates-a-ferret-guide-to-lobbying-a-government-minister/ Last updated: 2026-05-15T16:27:48.000Z **It was in the rarified environs of the Gleneagles Townhouse, a five-star luxury hotel and exclusive members club in Edinburgh’s New Town, that one of the most recent meetings logged on the Scottish lobbying register took place. The** [**lobbyist**](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/70259?ref=theferret.scot) **was Jennifer Craw, chief executive of Opportunity North East (ONE), the private sector led economic development vehicle founded by** [**Sir Ian Wood**](https://www.theferret.scot/lobbying-loophole-scottish-government/) **over a decade ago, with the aim of diversifying Aberdeen’s economy.** The oil and gas magnate is Scotland's third [richest person](https://www.theferret.scot/who-are-scotlands-richest-people/) and continues to donate Wood Foundation money to the organisation, though he resigned as a director in 2022\. Also at the Edinburgh dinner– selecting from a [menu](https://gleneagles.com/townhouse/eat-drink/?ref=theferret.scot) that includes lobster and crayfish scones, seared pigeon breast, Loch Melfort Trout and Tweed Valley Sirloin – were first minister John Swinney, his deputy chief of staff Emily Mackintosh and Màiri McAllan MSP, cabinet secretary for housing, who was once an SNP special advisor. Welcome to the world of corporate lobbying, where dozens of expensive dinners like this were held over the last parliamentary term, featuring companies from Shell to GlaxoSmithKline and Easyjet, aimed at influencing political policy over fancy food and drinks. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### **Who influences our politicians?** Right now, our politicians are looking to persuade voters to back them in the Scottish Parliamentary elections on 7 May. Meanwhile, in an exclusive analysis of Scotland’s lobbying register, The Ferret can reveal who is influencing our ministers and MSPs, and how political decisions could be impacted by powerful interests. Since 2018, all [regulated lobbying](https://www.parliament.scot/get-involved/lobbying/lobbying-register?ref=theferret.scot) – in-person or video call meetings with politicians that organisations and charities have instigated, rather than been invited to – must be logged. Using data from the last parliamentary terms we found organisations lobbying on behalf of the private sector – either companies or business associations representing them – make up over 40 per cent of the meetings logged on the register, with PR firms and specialist consultants’ meetings accounting for a further eight per cent. Those encounters often involve lobbying on behalf of private clients. “Generally, commercial lobbying is about a return on investment,” says Juliet Swann, from campaign group [Transparency International UK](https://www.transparency.org/en?ref=theferret.scot), pointing out that corporations would not continue to spend money if it didn’t work. And often, she says, the success of lobbying is about “the strength of relationships as much as the messaging itself.” Back at the Gleneagle’s Edinburgh outpost that evening, those dining needed no introductions. It was hosted on behalf of ONE by [True North Advisors](https://www.theferret.scot/influence-game-revolving-door-politics-media-and-pr/), the PR firm representing it. True North is run by former SNP staffers Geoff Aberdein and Fergus Mutch who both started their careers working for Alex Salmond and later served – a few years apart – as his chief of staff. While they were in politics Swinney was in post as finance secretary and then as deputy first minister. Emily Mackintosh, meanwhile, was an SNP communications officer working under Mutch when he was the party’s head of research and communications. The relationship between True North and its client is also longstanding. Aberdein first met Wood when he was [working as a waiter](https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/business/local/6747716/from-snp-spin-doctor-at-22-to-founding-top-aberdeen-communications-firm/?ref=theferret.scot) at an Aberdeenshire country club and later was a director of [ONE](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC520110?ref=theferret.scot) for several years, resigning in December 2020\. The organisation was one of True North’s first clients, having been set up in November of that same year. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/05/iStock-2212532765.jpg) A small number of lobbying meetings involve high end dinners. Image thanks to Istock/[Asercank](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/Asercank?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) This dinner could be seen as thank-you, after the Scottish Government agreed to match fund a donation of [£40m from the Wood Foundation](https://www.thewoodfoundation.org.uk/commitment-to-empowering-transformational-change/?ref=theferret.scot) in October 2025, with £20m of public money going to both ONE and the Energy Transition Zone (ETZ) limited. Both not-for-profits were set-up by Wood, who is still a director of ETZ. Lobbying notes reveal only that the meeting aimed to “reinforce the positive impact of ONE” and explain the importance of the money in its plans for “economic diversification...through innovation, entrepreneurship and investment”. This type of dinner, a spokesperson for True North told The Ferret, was “the exception rather than the rule” for its lobbying activity, making up just 10 per cent of its reported activity. And it was just one in a sea of 29,000 influencing meetings in total, recorded on Scotland’s [lobbying register](https://www.lobbying.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) in the last Scottish Parliamentary term. ### **Loopholes and unequal access** But for almost eight years, loopholes in the register – which have been flagged repeatedly by campaigners – have gone unaddressed. “The current lobbying register gives us a very partial view of how the influence game goes,” says Will Dinan, a senior lecturer at Stirling university, who specialises in political communications. “There’s no need to log a phone call, for example, or an email and lobbyists can also use the constituency exemption, which means if a lobbyist comes to a politician as part of constituency business it doesn’t need to be logged." That means follow-up after dinner is unrecorded if it's not face-to-face. Dinan adds: "We can be cynical and say this is just the way the world works, but how can we hold everyone properly to account if we don’t have all the information?” Our analysis also highlights the fact that not all access is equal. The lobbying entries logged as “conversations” with politicians – often held at conference stands, drop-in and parliamentary events – were dominated by charities. Over 1,500 of these instances were logged – almost three times as many as were recorded by private businesses. Juliet Swann concurs. “It is clear that some of the highest volume of lobbying, especially by NGOs, is in the form of stalls at party conferences, at Holyrood, or at other events,” she says. These, she notes, are often superficial engagements, “fragments of conversations”, often in passing. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/05/JZO7W-most-lobbied-msps-in-the-last-parliamentary-term-nbsp---2-.png) In contrast we found dozens of high-end, intimate dinners, hosted in the name of corporate interests, allowing chief executives of global companies uninterrupted access to politicians. Only a handful of charities lobbied politicians over dinner. Not analysed were the rounds of after dinnerspeeches by politicians at corporate events, which also feature on the register. “It's long been established that lobbying favours the better off,” says James Mitchell, professor of public policy at Edinburgh university. “Equality of access may exist in theory but in reality lobbying requires resources.” And this is where another important gap in the lobbying register is exposed. Financial spend is not declared. “If we were able to see how much was being spent both overall across lobbying activity and where the instance of lobbying required financial outlay, the quality of the engagement and the investment prepared to be made would be clearer,” Mitchell adds. While reporting on lobbying spend is not widespread, registers in both Germany and the US mandate it. ### **Lobbying on energy** Lots of corporate lobbying last year revolved around energy, despite it being a reserved issue. In total, over 2,500 lobbying meetings were logged by energy, renewables or oil and gas companies in the last parliamentary term. Many fossil fuel companies have called on politicians to support the removal of the energy profits levy, such as [Harbour Energy](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/67852?ref=theferret.scot) whose representatives met with the first minister in October 2025 and told him it was looking for “ongoing support from the SNP and Scottish Government in relation to the removal of the current energy profits levy”. The Scottish Government has indeed continued to [lobby the UK Government](https://www.gov.scot/publications/energy-profits-levy-letter-to-the-uk-government/?ref=theferret.scot) on its removal. Under Nicola Sturgeon, the government supported [the energy profit levy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-60320823?ref=theferret.scot) though it has been argued that the parameters have since changed. BP, which clocked up 132 lobbying meetings over the last Parliamentary term, has delivered [similar messaging](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/60318?ref=theferret.scot). Both organisations – along with Harbour Energy – have been clients of [True North](https://orcl.my.site.com/CLR%5FPublic%5FProfile?id=001Tu00000ASAJfIAP&ref=theferret.scot). The energy sector was also prolific in terms of high-end lobbying. Private dinners hosted by – or on behalf of – the energy sector, include one held by [Charlotte Street Partners](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/49216?ref=theferret.scot) – the PR firm founded by former SNP advisor and MSP, Andrew Wilson and communications expert Malcolm Robertson. Màiri McAllan MSP, then cabinet secretary for net zero and energy, was amongst guests at Glasgow’s Malmaison hotel. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/05/Bbm1i-top-private-sector-lobbyists-.png) In September 2023 True North [hosted a dinner](https://www.theferret.scot/oil-giants-lobby-humza-yousaf-at-private-dinner/) at the five-star Marcliffe Hotel and Spa in Aberdeen – a favourite spot of the late [Alex Salmond](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15095137.marcliffe-salmonds-hotel-good-times-bad/?ref=theferret.scot) – and invited first minister Humza Yousaf. Ian Wood was also in attendance, lobbying on behalf of the Energy Transition Zone (ETZ), as well as representatives from Shell and BP. At another [dinner in March 2025](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/60866?ref=theferret.scot), also at the Marcliffe but this time hosted by ETZ, deputy first minister Kate Forbes was lobbied by renewable energy companies including Norway-based wind developer, Fred Olsen Seawind. Last month the renewables company reached a deal to take over ownership of the Muir Mhor windfarm. Also at the high end hotel was renewables company Floatation Energy, whose parent company is Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power company. It had put in an application for wind farm consent the month before the dinner. The company attracted controversy in 2024 when it emerged it had donated £30,000 to SNP Westminster leader and Aberdeen [MP Stephen Flynn](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr3zezgle4o?ref=theferret.scot) – now standing as an MSP – before he lobbied ministers on the company’s behalf. He said the donation was properly declared. Floatation Energy also hosted its own dinner for ministers at Aberdeen’s Maryculter House, a historic heritage hotel which boasts exclusive private dining rooms. Until September 2025 the company's chief executive was [Lord Nicol Stephen](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4239/career?ref=theferret.scot), a former deputy first minister. Back in Glasgow, True North [hosted a dinner](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/63733?ref=theferret.scot) at high-end restaurant and city institution, the Ubiquitous Chip, during the Labour Party conference in February 2025\. Over food and drinks, MSP Sarah Boyack heard from energy companies including Shell, SEN Transmission and ETZ. They lobbied in favour of carbon capture and the “role of oil and gas to meet energy demand through the transition” to net zero. Boyack has been one of Scottish Labour’s strongest voices on the [environment](https://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/campaigners-urge-simple-but-sigificant-change-for-scottish-sea-lochs-5488876?ref=theferret.scot). A spokesperson for True North Advisors told The Ferret it was privileged to work with ONE and ETZ, “two fantastic not-for-profit organisations seeking to diversify the economy of the north east of Scotland – ensuring it is an attractive location for investment in renewable energy, food and drink, life sciences and digital technology”. “Between them, these organisations are driving entrepreneurial growth, bringing investment to the region, supporting new jobs and training opportunities,” they added, insisting all regulated lobbying activity is recorded and published in line with law. [Arden Strategies](https://www.theferret.scot/influence-game-revolving-door-politics-media-and-pr/), founded by former Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy, has also lobbied hard for renewable companies, with former [SNP MP Stewart McDonald](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4461/career?ref=theferret.scot) hosting nine lunch and other meetings with senior SNP and opposition politicians on behalf of Canadian Wind company Boralex, which moved into the UK in April 2025\. It did not respond to a request for comment. ### **Aviation, pharmaceutical and other industry lobbying** The aviation and defence sectors were also represented, with high value lobbying dinners held by defence firms Babcock International Group and Boeing, as well as Easyjet. Other dinners held over the last parliamentary term include those hosted by the pharmaceutical industry, with GlaxoSmithKlein holding two dinners at Edinburgh’s Wedgewood Restaurant, which has tasting menus for £85 per head before wine pairings – one for Labour and one for Tory MSPs. A similar dinner was held at Edinburgh’s Marriott Hotel with minister Richard Lochhead. Less than a year later [Scottish Enterprise announced a £35m fund](https://www.gov.scot/news/retaining-top-business-talent/?ref=theferret.scot) to help life sciences companies “scale up and stay in Scotland”. Overall the pharmaceutical industry lobbied 647 times over the parliamentary term according to The Ferret’s analysis. The financial industry, which lobbied politicians and special advisors a total of 756 times over the same period, also hosted a variety of dinners including at Edinburgh’s prestigious Prestonfield Hotel. Others were hosted by energy company Centrica, Glenmoragie, and the Fisherman’s Federation, while the Scottish Countryside Alliance held dinners about deer management, grouse licensing and hunting with dogs. A handful of dinners hosted by charities include one organised by a consultant for the Energy Saving Trust for Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie at the upmarket Buttery in Glasgow. ### **The influencing game** Organisations contacted by The Ferret stressed lobbying was simply a part of the democratic process and carried out in strict accordance with the regulations. The Scottish Government said calls for lobbying spend to be logged were for political parties to answer. An SNP spokesperson said: "The lobbying register is a matter for the Scottish Parliament, which has clear guidelines in place." But campaigners said corporate motivations should be more closely questioned. “Corporate lobbyists are motivated by increasing profits for their shareholders,” added Transparency International UK’s Juliet Swann. “I think a lot of the responsibility lies with decision makers to be more curious about the motivations of who they are listening to and seeking out alternative perspectives.” The lobbying register data over the last parliamentary term, while partial, highlighted interesting patterns around influencing work. We found individual companies, trade organisations and media stories appearing at similar times used similar messaging, with individual conversations then reinforced by roundtable discussions where several companies lobbied on the same point at once. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/05/XSRge-top-ten-lobbyists-in-the-last-parliamentary-term--1.png) For example when the hospitality industry lobbied the Scottish Government on the need for business rate reform at the [end of last year](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/67773?ref=theferret.scot), lobbying notes in the register from UKHospitality Scotland were echoed in [media coverage](https://www.ukhospitality.org.uk/scottish-hospitality-set-for-69m-business-rates-hit-without-action/?ref=theferret.scot) and by politicians raising the issue in [debates](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-25-03-2026?meeting=20157&iob=222396&ref=theferret.scot#222396). Swann added: “I think the influence landscape is about using multiple fronts of influence. Corporations are often lobbying as themselves, through commercial lobbyists, and via trade associations – add in press stories, think tank reports and academic papers repeating that narrative and you start to create a bubble that is hard for less well-resourced organisations to burst. “Other trends we see are the sponsoring of large parts of party conferences and hosting or sponsoring events. Sometimes these types of tactics go under-reported.” ### **Lobbying loopholes** Stirling university’s Will Dinan claims high-end dinners show the tip of the iceberg of contact. “I think it’s pretty obvious that there’s much that goes unseen,” he says. “Entertaining and hospitality is a proven way of building relationships. That’s the kind of setting where there can be follow-up through phone calls or emails and the detail of all of that, and what follow-up requests might be made, goes unrecorded in the current system.” Good governance matters, he says, because that way undue influence on decisions about issues – from the privatisation of our healthcare to supply chains in the burgeoning renewables sector – should be possible to challenge. Lobbying can have real world impacts, says Swann: “One could argue that progress is held back on issues of social importance like climate change, health inequalities and economic justice because vested interests hold the ear of decision makers, access to policy makers is restricted, power is held behind closed doors by small elite groups and scrutiny of decision making is challenging and under-resourced.” She says there are many politicians who stick to their policies and put the public first, and “that should be applauded”. But while she supports calls for transparency to be increased, especially in terms of value, she also queries whether that is enough on its own. The World Health Organisation’s guidelines on tobacco and lobbying – which mean it is tightly regulated – could be copied for other sectors, for example, added Swann. Some changes may be coming. In the last parliamentary session, [the standards, procedures and public appointments committee](https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefings/Report/2023/10/5/038eaf6b-c05d-4666-aeb0-269ffb6e0d2b?ref=theferret.scot) commissioned an evaluation of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016\. "The findings of the evaluation identified a number of changes that could be made to the existing act," a spokesperson for the Scottish Parliament told The Ferret. "The committee recommended that consideration of such changes should be an early priority for its successor in the next parliamentary session.” However, a requirement to disclose financial details would require legislation change. “And where are the champions of open government when it comes to that reform?” asks Dinan. “I think we can all see the democratic benefit. We shouldn’t wait for the next scandal before we take action.” ### [Read the details of the private dinners we featured](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28093096-lobbying-dinners-sheet1/?ref=theferret.scot) ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Claim Scottish GP numbers are at record levels is Half True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scottish-gp-numbers-are-at-record-levels-is-half-true/ Last updated: 2026-05-04T05:00:30.000Z **The performance of Scotland’s health system has been repeatedly referenced during the 2026 election campaign.** While opposition parties have criticised the NHS in recent weeks and months, the SNP has defended its record. In a campaign leaflet sent to households across the country, John Swinney claimed that GP numbers had reached record levels thanks to the SNP government. > "We have a record number of GPs” - John Swinney Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Half True**. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) ### **Evidence** GP numbers in Scotland are usually measured in two ways. There’s the total number, and the full time equivalent (FTE) number. This second gauge gives a more complete picture of staffing levels for GPs, because it accounts for the proportion who work part-time, due to parenting and other responsibilities. Attempts to increase GP levels through healthcare policies has been one of the defining aimsof the SNP’s time in government. In 2007, The SNP-led Scottish Government made a commitment to increase GP numbers in 2017, [pledging to add 800 over the next decade](https://www.gov.scot/news/800-more-gps-for-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot). At that point, there were about 4,385 GPs in Scotland. [Why can’t I get an appointment with my GP?The pressing need to address difficulties the Scottish public reports in getting an appointment with their GP was raised in last week’s budget. So will new funding and proposals for walk-in surgeries help? What are the underlying reasons for the issue?![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/waiting-image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/why-cant-i-get-an-appointment-with-my-gp/) According to the [latest provisional statistics](https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/data-and-reports/official-workforce-statistics/all-official-statistics-publications/03-march-2026-workforce/nhs-scotland-workforce-dashboards/nhs-scotland-workforce/?pageid=15687&ref=theferret.scot) from NHS’s General Practice (GP) workforce survey, there were 4,625 GPs on 30 September, 2025\. This is an increase from the previous year of 132\. It’s also the highest number by headcount since comparable records began. This figure does not include trainees. The [FTE statistics](https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/data-and-reports/official-workforce-statistics/all-official-statistics-publications/03-march-2026-workforce/nhs-scotland-workforce-dashboards/nhs-scotland-workforce/?pageid=15687&ref=theferret.scot) give a slightly different picture. The latest figures show 3,657.1 FTE GPs in Scotland. This is an increase of 131 compared to the previous year, but it's lower than previous years. In 2013, the FTE number of GPs was 3,675.1\. There were also more than 3,600 FTE GPs in 2015 and 2019\. GP numbers stayed fairly static between 2013 and 2024, when they began to slightly increase. FTE numbers decreased between 2013 and 2024\. While they have increased in recent years, they have yet to reach the level they reached 13 years ago. The size of the [patient list of each GP](https://scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-gp-list-sizes-and-demographics-app/?ref=theferret.scot) has also increased since 2015, when there were 1,562 listed patients per GP. In 2025, this was at 1655\. Since 2017, when the Scottish Government pledged to increase GP levels by [800 in ten years](https://www.gov.scot/news/800-more-gps-for-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot), there have been about 300 more added by headcount. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** The SNP’s claim there are a record number of GPs in Scotland depends on which measure is used. Looking at headcount, the actual number of GPs working is the highest total since comparable statistics began. But the full time equivalent number, which shows the amount of GP resource there is available to cover required shifts, reveals that the level of GPs is lower than it was in 2013\. ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Starmer plan to relax nuclear regulation opposed by Holyrood URL: https://www.theferret.scot/starmer-nuclear-regulation-holyrood/ Last updated: 2026-05-03T06:00:25.000Z **The prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s plans to reform the regulation of nuclear power and weapons to make new developments easier have provoked “serious concerns” within the Scottish Government, according to emails obtained by The Ferret.** The Scottish energy minister, Gillian Martin, wrote to the UK nuclear minister, Lord Vallance, in March, rejecting the suggestion that Scotland could “reap the benefits” of the reforms in helping to build new [nuclear reactors](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/nuclear-power/). She also expressed worries that proposals for a “lead regulator” system designed to simplify and speed up the handling of nuclear projects would threaten the independence of the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/). Campaigners warned that the “weakening” of nuclear safety regulation could lead to workers and the public being exposed to more radiation, which can cause cancer. They stressed that Scotland did not need nuclear power and its “toxic legacy”. The UK Government said that Starmer would “like to see benefits delivered across the UK”. But it promised to work with the Scottish Government “in good faith without presuming an outcome”. Nuclear power has become one of the most contentious issues in the run-up to the [Scottish Parliament elections](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/elections/election-2026?ref=theferret.scot) on 7 May. ****Reporting you can check, not just share.** We publish rigorous, sourced journalism and we correct it when it’s wrong. If you value facts over noise, help keep this work independent. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Scottish Labour has repeatedly attacked the Scottish National Party (SNP) for [“blocking”](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/12/04/ed-miliband-attacks-ignorant-snp-for-blocking-nuclear/?ref=theferret.scot) the building of new nuclear power stations, which it [argued](https://scottishlabour.org.uk/updates/news/nuclear-energy-will-give-scotland-stability-in-an-uncertain-world/?ref=theferret.scot) would bring jobs, investment and energy security. The SNP has [maintained](https://www.thenational.scot/news/26007456.anas-sarwars-nuclear-plot-hammer-scottish-bill-payers/?ref=theferret.scot) the move would drive up electricity prices, create long-lived radioactive waste and undermine renewables, which offer Scotland a better energy future. In February 2025, Starmer [announced](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-rips-up-rules-to-fire-up-nuclear-power?ref=theferret.scot) plans to “rip up rules to fire up nuclear power”, and set up a nuclear regulatory taskforce to “deliver new projects more quickly”. The Ferret [reported in May 2025](https://www.theferret.scot/starmer-nuclear-safety-watchdog/) that in doing so, he had ignored warnings from his nuclear safety watchdog that regulation was not to blame for delays. [Starmer’s claims about nuclear regulation ‘not true’In his bid to boost nuclear power, the prime minister Keir Starmer ignored warnings from his nuclear safety watchdog that it was inaccurate to blame regulation for delays, The Ferret can reveal. A document released under freedom of information law discloses that the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation told![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/size/w1200/2025/10/istock-136631421.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/starmer-nuclear-safety-watchdog/) The taskforce, headed by business expert [John Fingleton](https://fingleton.com/who-we-are/john-fingleton/?ref=theferret.scot), published its [final report](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-regulatory-taskforce/nuclear-regulatory-review-2025-summary?ref=theferret.scot) in November 2025\. It recommended a “radical reset” introducing a “lead regulator” followed by a new regulatory commission to reduce “risk aversion” and “accelerate delivery”. The report covered both nuclear power and nuclear weapons, and suggested that the civil safety watchdog, the [Office for Nuclear Regulation](https://www.onr.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), and the Ministry of Defence’s internal watchdog, the [Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator](https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/defence-nuclear-safety-regulator-dnsr?ref=theferret.scot), should be merged “to reduce duplication”. Starmer published [his full response](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-our-nuclear-nation-government-response-to-the-nuclear-regulatory-review-2025/building-our-nuclear-nation-government-response-to-the-nuclear-regulatory-review-2025-accessible-webpage?ref=theferret.scot) to the taskforce in March 2026, accepting all its recommendations. The aim, he said, was to “build a Britain that reclaims its place as a leading nuclear nation”. His response acknowledged that the taskforce had not made recommendations for the Scottish Government and other devolved administrations. But it promised to “work closely with them to ensure that they too can reap the benefits of these reforms”. The UK Government was “committed to nuclear across the UK”, the response said. It highlighted government involvement in plans for a new fleet of so-called [small modular reactors](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62614wejk5o?ref=theferret.scot) at Wylfa in Wales. These statements were highlighted by [Scottish minister Martin](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/cabinet-secretary-for-climate-action-and-energy/?ref=theferret.scot) in [an email](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28080423-emails-on-nuclear-regulation-released-by-the-scottish-government/?ref=theferret.scot) on 13 March 2026 to [UK minister Vallance](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/patrick-vallance?ref=theferret.scot), released in response to a freedom of information request from The Ferret. Martin expressed “concerns” that the UK Government was making commitments to take forward the taskforce’s recommendations in Scotland, despite having promised not to. The Scottish Government was yet to be convinced that there was “any merit” in adopting Westminster’s proposals, she said. > “We need to ensure we are reaching our full renewables potential rather than ploughing billions of pounds into a nuclear industry that will leave a long and toxic legacy for future generations." - Patrick Harvie, Scottish Greens Martin pointed out that Scottish ministers had “a longstanding position on new nuclear energy in Scotland and matters of environmental regulation remain devolved to Scottish ministers and the Scottish Parliament.” She also said that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) had been invited to a meeting in London on 26 March 2026 to discuss the UK Government’s plans for a “lead regulator” for nuclear projects. “We have serious concerns about a lead regulator model and the impact that would have on Sepa’s independence,” Martin warned. She sought clarification “on how the implementation of this will be done in a way which does not impact on areas of devolved competence.” Another [email](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28080423-emails-on-nuclear-regulation-released-by-the-scottish-government/?ref=theferret.scot) released to The Ferret is from an unnamed Scottish Government official to the [UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero](about:blank) on 12 March. It complained that Starmer’s response to the taskforce “impinges on devolved issues without the agreement of Scottish ministers” and was “problematic”. “Ministers will have to be robust on this with language and next steps,” the email said. Other files disclosed that Martin had an online meeting with Vallance to discuss the nuclear regulatory taskforce on 25 February. According to Martin’s pre-meeting briefing from officials, there were “significant issues” with what the taskforce recommendations would mean for Sepa. Another Scottish Government [email](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28080423-emails-on-nuclear-regulation-released-by-the-scottish-government/?ref=theferret.scot) to Westminster back in February 2025, when the nuclear regulatory taskforce was announced, said there had been “no engagement with, or agreement from, Scottish ministers”. It suggested that ministers “should not be part” of the taskforce’s work. > "The weakening of environmental protection is a slippery slope opening the way for increased radiation doses to members of the public and the workforce." - Pete Roche, Scottish Campaign to Resist the Atomic Menace Vallance responded to Martin’s email raising concerns on 18 March. Starmer would “like to see benefits delivered across the UK”, he said, but the “recommendations apply only to England”. The UK Government’s intention was to work with the Scottish Government to “discuss what reforms they may wish to echo or engage with”, he added. “We want to do so in good faith and without presuming an outcome.” Vallance pointed out that regulatory reform was not just about building new nuclear reactors, but also covered the dismantling of defunct reactors. Major nuclear decommissioning projects, expected to take decades, are under way at [Hunterston](https://nrsssg.com/site/hunterston-b-site/?ref=theferret.scot) in North Ayrshire and [Dounreay](https://www.onr.org.uk/our-work/what-we-regulate/sellafield-decommissioning-fuel-and-waste/sites/dounreay?ref=theferret.scot) in Caithness. “We do not consider that it implies an intention for the development of new nuclear power in Scotland,” he stated. Vallance also insisted that he “respected” Sepa’s independence. “None of the measures in the government’s response are intended to, or would, cut across Sepa’s statutory remit or independence of judgment,” he said. The plan for a “lead regulator” did not give legal powers to that regulator, he maintained. “It simply seeks to facilitate collective, consensus-based decisions.” The [Scottish Campaign to Resist the Atomic Menace](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/scram/?ref=theferret.scot) backed the Scottish Government’s concerns. The UK Government seemed to be following president Trump’s lead in [relaxing nuclear safety regulation](https://www.npr.org/2026/01/28/nx-s1-5677187/nuclear-safety-rules-rewritten-trump?ref=theferret.scot), warned the campaign’s spokesperson, Pete Roche. [This pro-nuclear group claims to be ‘grassroots’. So why are its directors industry lobbyists?Britain Remade has appointed two directors from a lobbying firm which represents EDF, the owner of Scotland’s last nuclear power station.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/1024px-Torness_Nuclear_Power_Station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_5949882-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/britain-remade-links-industry-lobbyists/) “The weakening of environmental protection is a slippery slope opening the way for increased radiation doses to members of the public and the workforce,” he said. “The UK Government and the taskforce claim, with no evidence, and no rigorous analysis, that delays and increased costs of building new reactors are due to failings with the planning and regulatory systems.” The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) argued that the question of nuclear power in Scotland was a decision for Scotland alone. “There can be no question of the UK undermining Sepa’s independence, and we share the concerns of Scottish ministers,” said the party’s net zero spokesperson and former minister, [Patrick Harvie](https://greens.scot/team/patrick-harvie-msp?ref=theferret.scot). “Despite the support it enjoys in Whitehall and huge amounts being spent on [lobbying](https://www.theferret.scot/britain-remade-links-industry-lobbyists/) by the industry, nuclear remains a costly, dangerous and unnecessary form of energy,” he argued. “We need to ensure we are reaching our full renewables potential rather than ploughing billions of pounds into a nuclear industry that will take years to go online and leave a long and toxic legacy for future generations." The [SNP](https://www.snp.org/?ref=theferret.scot) attacked Starmer for wanting to “impose unwanted nuclear developments” on Scotland. “We don’t want or need new nuclear power stations which are expensive, take years to build and undermine our renewables future,” said a party spokesperson. The [Scottish Environment Protection Agency](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment directly on the planned reforms of nuclear regulation. But it confirmed that it was “not asked for input” on the taskforce, and was engaging with others to understand how its recommendations “may affect regulation of nuclear facilities in Scotland”. The [Department for Energy Security and Net Zero](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-energy-security-and-net-zero?ref=theferret.scot) declined to add to what Vallance had said in his email to Martin in March. ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### The Scottish Government wanted to keep parts of its Israeli meeting secret. We’ve forced transparency URL: https://www.theferret.scot/the-scottish-government-wanted-to-keep-parts-of-its-israeli-meeting-secret-weve-forced-transparency/ Last updated: 2026-05-01T05:00:43.000Z **Secret details of Angus Robertson’s much-criticised meeting with an Israeli diplomat are to be released after a near two-year freedom of information battle by The Ferret.** Robertson, who was the Scottish Government’s external affairs secretary, met Israeli deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky in August 2024, sparking a [political backlash](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyn63rq8n2o?ref=theferret.scot) as Israel faced international condemnation for its war on Gaza. We [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-crisis-meeting-israel-2/) last year that Robertson controversially described Scotland as a “critical friend” of Israel at the meeting, after parts of the minutes were released following a freedom of information (FoI) request. But the Scottish Government hid sections of that document, arguing that making them public could damage UK relations with Israel and affect how the government operates. Now, after an appeal by The Ferret, the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC), David Hamilton, has ordered the hidden details to be made public after concluding they had been “wrongly withheld”. The Scottish Government has until 15 June to publish the information, but opposition politicians have called for it to be released to the public ahead of next week’s election. ****We were only able to persevere with this story because of the support of our paying members.** They help us get results, and so can you. [Help The Ferret do more for just £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The Ferret first requested the official record of the meeting in August 2024, shortly after it took place. But the Scottish Government [refused](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-angus-robertson-israel-meeting/) to release it – a decision we challenged with the information watchdog. After that appeal was [upheld](https://www.foi.scot/sites/default/files/2025-05/Decision116-2025.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by the SIC last year, a partial version was released. But sections – including on the situation in the Middle East, antisemitism, and the relationship between Scotland and Israel – remained redacted. Hamilton’s decision means these secret parts will now be made public. A first draft of the minutes – which was [revised](https://www.theferret.scot/angus-robertson-change-record-israel-meeting/) after a request by Robertson’s office – will also be published. Ministers had claimed releasing the material could “prejudice substantially relations between the UK (including Scotland) and the state of Israel” as well as the “effective conduct of public affairs”. They made a range of arguments to support that position in submissions to the commissioner, which are set out in Hamilton's decision. These included concerns about Israel’s possible reaction to the release of the material. The Scottish Government argued the country was “prone to take significant and serious diplomatic responses when provoked” and that its behaviour could be “highly unusual” and “unpredictable”. It sought the views of the Israeli government on the FoI request, and they objected to the release of the information. The Scottish Government also consulted the UK Foreign Office which said publishing the material against Israel’s wishes was “highly likely to see a negative response”. Disclosure could affect the “Jewish community” and the Scottish Government’s “relationship with the only Jewish state in the world”, it argued. Ministers also claimed that releasing the information would generate “widespread media attention” and lead “other foreign governments to consider the nature and substance of their contact with the Scottish Government”, if they believed discussions would not be confidential. But Hamilton concluded that the risk to relations with Israel and the conduct of public affairs did not meet the threshold required to withhold the information, and said he did not view the material as "particularly sensitive". The Scottish Government told us it had received the decision and will respond in due course. It has 42 days to appeal the SIC’s decision with the Court of Session, Scotland's supreme civil court, which sits in Edinburgh. ### **You can read the full decision by the Scottish Information Commissioner** [**here**](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28086147-scottish-information-commissioner-decision-israel-meeting/?ref=theferret.scot)**.** The meeting itself became a flashpoint after Grudsky [posted](https://x.com/DanielaGrudsky/status/1823035827779506485?ref=theferret.scot) a photograph of her and Robertson smiling together at St Andrews House on social media. The post said they had discussed “unique commonalities” between Israel and Scotland and cooperation in “the fields of technology, culture and renewable energy”. These issues are not mentioned in the partial minutes released so far. Robertson later [apologised](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/19/snp-angus-robertson-minister-meeting-israeli-diplomat-john-swinney-pressure?ref=theferret.scot) that the discussion had not solely focused on a ceasefire in Gaza. The backlash led ministers to rule out further meetings with Israel until there was “[real progress](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ydg5lqgwxo?ref=theferret.scot)” towards peace, and prompted calls for Robertson to [resign](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24555167.angus-robertson-responds-gaza-protesters-call-resignation/?ref=theferret.scot). However, [documents](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-crisis-meeting-israel-2/) released to The Ferret last year showed there was a wider effort across government in the months leading up to the meeting to engage with Israeli officials. The Scottish Government contacted the Israeli embassy in June 2024, the month after John Swinney became first minister, to arrange a meeting between Swinney and then Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely. Israeli officials also enquired about meeting deputy first minister Kate Forbes, but were told that Robertson, as external affairs secretary, was the “right interlocutor” for the talks. [When ‘critical friends’ fall out: how the Scottish Government sleepwalked into a crisis over Israel meetingOn a warm summer’s night last August, John Swinney took to the stage at the Edinburgh International Book Festival for a fireside chat with former Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford. Two of the most seasoned veterans of the devolution era, Swinney and Drakeford talked of the importance of “collaborative”![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/size/w1200/2025/10/46739843394_090c169266_k.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-crisis-meeting-israel-2/) The Scottish Greens’ spokesperson on external affairs, Patrick Harvie, said the “photo of Angus Robertson smiling alongside the deputy ambassador rightly shocked a lot of people, and we all deserve to know what they had said to one another”. “It is time for them \[the SNP\] to finally come clean and it is right for them to do so ahead of next week’s election,” Harvie continued. “Scotland should not be any kind of friend to Israel’s government, which has inflicted genocide against Palestinians.” Former Labour MSP, Mercedes Villalba, said it should not have “taken an appeal from The Ferret for these minutes to be released”. “It speaks volumes that when caught out, ministerial instinct was to cover tracks to protect cosy relations with a regime accused of genocide, rather than open up to public scrutiny,” she added. “The Scottish people oppose what Israel is doing, and have a right to know the full scale of our governments’ involvement now, not after the election.” Neil Cowan, Amnesty International’s programme director in Scotland, claimed Hamilton’s decision was “welcome and significant”. “Amnesty has repeatedly challenged the Scottish Government on a lack of transparency in its international work, but ministers have continued to fight the disclosure of this information, which belongs in the public domain,” Cowan said. The SNP was asked to comment but said this was a matter for the Scottish Government. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/Robertson-meeting-minuts-to-date-2.jpg) The minutes of Angus Robertson's meeting with Daniela Grudsky that have been released to date. Sections redacted under s.32(1)(a)(i) and s.30(c) are now expected to be published in full. ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Big tech should be held accountable in court for threats of violence against women, say campaigners URL: https://www.theferret.scot/violence-against-women-social-media-scotland/ Last updated: 2026-04-30T14:11:19.000Z **Social media companies should be held legally accountable for threats of violence made against women on their platforms, say Scottish campaigners.** Organisations supporting women have also called for “more effective” policing at anti-asylum protests in Scotland while claiming there is a “clear lack of understanding of just how much of a threat the far right” is to women's safety. They commented following a [Ferret investigation](https://www.theferret.scot/women-abused-far-right-scotland/) which revealed that women supporting refugees have been attacked, followed and threatened by men involved with anti-immigration groups who claim they want to protect women. At least 14 women have been abused including one anti-racist campaigner who was “threatened multiple times with multiple gang rapes, in multiple orifices”. Our investigation followed a Ferret story [last December](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotelhttps-www-theferret-scot-far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotel-protests-amid-claims-they-are-stirring-up-racism-but-anti-racists-a/) revealing that neo-Nazis and white supremacists were exploiting anti-asylum protests in Scotland, amid a rising tide of violence and far right activity. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Commenting on our findings, Talat Yaqoob, co-convenor of Women Against the Far-Right Scotland, accused social media companies of making money by “encouraging hate” and of failing to protect women despite people repeatedly reporting online threats. “The billionaire owners of these platforms need to be held to account and those who are threatening violence or harassing the women involved in our campaigning should be banned and dealt with properly by policing,” said Yaqoob. “We also need to take this more seriously across Scotland as a whole – this is not something on the fringes to dismiss, this a real threat causing division and harm across our communities.” Tara Lillis, chair of the STUC women’s committee, said trade unionists and [anti-racism activists](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-accused-racism-at-anti-migrant-protests/) have faced “significant personal impacts” for campaigning against “racists and fascists” both online and in person. She argued there is a need for both “individual and corporate responsibility” for the “sustained psychological abuse” of women online. “We must reform our corporate criminal liability laws, including corporate manslaughter regulations, to ensure those platforms who routinely turn a blind eye to the online abuse suffered by women are taken to task,” Lillis added. Rape Crisis Scotland echoed calls for better online protection for women and said many have joined protests because they feel that some politicians and groups are “exploiting fears” about violence against women and girls and “spreading lies about who is responsible for it to divide communities and further their own popularity”. [These women were abused by far right groups who claimed to want to protect them. But they fought backWomen have been leading the fight against the far right in Scotland but anti-racism activism has come at a high personal cost with at least 14 having been publicly abused and threatened. But they are resolute in the face of intimidation and say they will continue defending human rights.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Far-right-rally-Dundee---2026.JPG)](https://www.theferret.scot/women-abused-far-right-scotland/) A spokesperson for the charity told The Ferret: “The irony is not lost on us that these women \[who spoke to The Ferret\] have been threatened, harassed and harmed in the process of standing up for themselves and others.” They added: “We need more progress from justice agencies there, but we also need to think about social media platforms which continue to facilitate this type of abuse and engage algorithms which appear to actively encourage it.” According to Dr Judith Sijstermans, a lecturer in politics at the University of Aberdeen, Scots far right groups have adopted an ideological world view that includes a “traditional, binary understanding of gender” and they consider migrants as threatening to women, whom they portray as victims requiring protection. “Far right groups in Scotland portray themselves as 'patriots' and defenders of the 'homeland',” she added. “We regularly see AI-generated images that portray their members as warriors, almost exclusively male. Some groups have sought to turn this into action by trying to organise street patrols aimed at protecting women and girls.” Police Scotland said its role is to “ensure public safety while balancing the rights of protesters” who wish to peacefully demonstrate. Anyone involved in an offence may face arrest and potentially a jail sentence, a spokesperson said, adding that “even if you are not caught on the day, we have significant evidence-gathering resources at our disposal, and you will be identified.” Rachel Adamson, co-director of Zero Tolerance, urged the Scottish Government to invest in "evidence based prevention" of men's violence against women and girls, including community prevention programmes for men and boys. There should also be better relationship and sex education in all Scottish schools, the charity argued, adding that "promised" legislation on misogyny and human rights" should be progressed. Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) *This story was updated at 15.11 on 30 April 2026 to add a comment from Zero Tolerance.* ### These women were abused by far right groups who claimed to want to protect them. But they fought back URL: https://www.theferret.scot/women-abused-far-right-scotland/ Last updated: 2026-05-11T10:42:38.000Z “I think they liked goading us,” says Siobhan Tolland. “I think they enjoyed the process. And this is where the misogyny comes in. This was sport for them.” She is talking about anti-asylum protestors in Dundee as we sit on a bench outside the city’s McManus Gallery, near a statue of Robert Burns and a plaque commemorating Dundonians who died in the Spanish Civil War. The memorial lists their names and proclaims “No pasarán”, an anti-fascist slogan which means “they shall not pass”. Some 90 years on from the international fight against the fascist forces of General Franco, and with the far right in Scotland rising, Tolland believes we are now experiencing what she calls “misogynist-fascism”. The first anti-asylum demo in Dundee was in Stobsmuirpark, known locally as Swannie Ponds, in autumn 2025, heralding dozens more in coming months organised by a group called the Dundee Patriots. It was on 13 September, at that very first protest, when Tolland witnessed women being abused by men who claimed they wanted to protect women. These were men protesting against asylum seekers being housed in Dundee, but it was the female anti-racist campaigners who quickly became their targets, Tolland says. Throat slashing and shooting gestures were common at protests along with obscene language and threats of violence. Men would throw Nazi salutes and single out women in the crowd, taunting them and shouting through megaphones. ![Woman standing in front of a large historic building with stone steps and arches, looking to the side.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/20260408_153210.jpg) Human rights defender Siobhan Tolland outside the McManus Gallery in Dundee. Image: Billy Briggs. After the protests were over and the streets had cleared there was cyber bullying. Men trolled female activists online. Back in real life, women were followed. “The aggression and abuse became normalised,” Tolland says. “For quite a few weeks we had police escorts because of some incidents.” Tolland – a Dundee councillor and student support worker – is one of 14 women in Scotland who’ve spoken to The Ferret about the intimidation they’ve faced for supporting asylum seekers, and the effect on their lives. Our investigation follows a [Ferret story](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotelhttps-www-theferret-scot-far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotel-protests-amid-claims-they-are-stirring-up-racism-but-anti-racists-a/) last December revealing that neo-Nazis and white supremacists were exploiting anti-asylum protests in Scotland, amid a rising tide of violence and far right activity. After that story ran, several women contacted us and we’ve spent the last four months speaking with them, attending meetings and rallies, and examining evidence which supports their claims. Six women agreed to go on the record while the rest shared experiences but requested anonymity because they fear for their safety. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Tolland believes the intimidation in Dundee was misogynistic. Although she points out men were targeted too, some “very badly”, she stresses there was something “deeply gendered” about the abuse. It came, she says, from a “group of aggressive men following, taunting, threatening, trolling and cyber bullying – deliberately seeking us out, as women.” At least 20 people were tormented: two men and 18 women. Some had sickening AI generated videos made about them. Others were doxed, their personal details revealed in public leaving them fearful for the safety of both themselves and their families. There were false accusations online and harmful character assassinations. For weeks, Tolland witnessed what she describes as the “sustained and relentless” harassment of women. “It felt like they were trying to pick us off one by one,” Tolland says. As the weeks rolled into months she feared they would come for her. "So many of us were being targeted that I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t been. I knew it would happen; it was just when and what it would be.” When she was finally doxed, her work-place was exposed online which meant extra security measures had to be put in place because she works with vulnerable people. The doxing “almost came as a relief”, she says, “as weird as that seems”. But that feeling quickly turned to “horror”. It triggered past experiences. She was left feeling isolated. She became “hyper vigilant” and obsessive about locking doors and windows. She worried she’d be spotted in public and attacked. The stress was immense and around Tolland says she became “extremely ill” around Christmas and had to take three months off work. “I am not ashamed to reveal I cried a lot at that time,” she says. “Big heaving sobs! Not just for me, for my friends and colleagues who had all experienced targeting. And for my family who I worried might be at risk. I panicked over my son being exposed. But also, for those kids \[young asylum seekers in Dundee\] who had to endure that targeting daily.” ![Person wearing a cardboard sign reading “The end of fascism is nigh!” at a busy outdoor protest.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/Fascism-2026-Dundee.JPG) An anti-fascist activist at a rally in Dundee on 21 March 2026\. Image: Billy Briggs. Joy Melville was also taunted in Dundee. An anti-racist for 40 years, she was secretly filmed and photographed by men who shared videos and images online and asked for her to be identified. Once Melville was named, a campaign of abuse ensued. “These men systematically went through my social media profiles looking for information to then abuse me online,” she says. “I was called amongst other things a ‘tert’ \[tart\] and a ‘whore’ - generally all the abuse is misogynistic and of a sexual nature.” Melville says this caused her “anxiety” and she stayed away from protests for a while. On returning, she wore a wig and a facemask to conceal her identity. Her friend and fellow activist, Jayne Kelly, says she’s “never experienced anything like this” in many years of anti-racism campaigning. She now feels “vulnerable” and has upped security. She had a ring \[video\] doorbell installed and worries she’ll “bump into them” when out walking her dog. “It’s massively impacted my life as it has on other women, and we’ve all gone through a similar pattern of distress, upset and anger, “ says Kelly, adding her family has been affected too. “I saw one of them \[in public\] and panicked. I was absolutely scared and I don’t feel threatened easily. The long term impact is I’m always looking over my shoulder, and I’m rarely on social media now.” All 14 women we spoke with shared similar stories. One woman in Perth had a "With Sympathy" card sent to her office, containing a chilling message: “Your time will come”. Women from Aberdeen sent videos of men shouting Islamophobic, racist and misogynistic abuse at them in public. Those on the receiving end included Fiona Roberston, an equalities consultant and disability campaigner, who’s part of an antifascist collective. She’s been called a “fat fucking bitch” among other slurs and has “hours of footage” of men insulting her appearance. “They have followed me to my car, filmed it and put it online,” she explains. “We're having to get cameras for the home and car, and other security measures.” ![Two women standing outdoors in front of a large building, wearing T-shirts with political slogans.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/20260321_131255.jpg) Jayne Kelly and Joy Melville at an anti-racism rally in Dundee in March 2026\. Image: Billy Briggs. ### **Policing the protests** Our sources who requested anonymity raised concerns over policing. They say they support the police and realise officers have a difficult job to do at protests, acknowledging resources are stretched due to staffing issues. But they also had criticisms. Many feel policing could be tougher, given the scale of the intimidation and the negative impact on women's safety and well-being. One woman said: “When I complained I felt like I was fighting them as well. The attitude was ‘if you weren’t there you wouldn’t experience this’.” Others claimed lawbreaking often happens in front of police at demos, but nothing is done, and it was argued that the “need for the police to be seen to be impartial” appears, at times, to take precedence over upholding the law. There were also concerns that officers drafted in from other areas to police protests in Dundee were not fully briefed on the local context and may not have understood the [criminal background](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotelhttps-www-theferret-scot-far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotel-protests-amid-claims-they-are-stirring-up-racism-but-anti-racists-a/) of some men involved in anti-immigration protests. In response a spokesperson for Police Scotland said the force is a rights-based organisation whose role is to “ensure public safety while balancing the rights of protesters” who wish to peacefully demonstrate. They added that anyone participating in a protest is asked to do so lawfully, and those involved in an offence, may face arrest and potentially a jail sentence. “Even if you are not caught on the day, we have significant evidence-gathering resources at our disposal, and you will be identified,” the spokesperson warned. [Far-right agitators stand accused of stirring up trouble at asylum hotel protests. But anti-racists are standing firmFollowing a sharp rise in far right activity, we’ve spent the last three months attending protests, speaking to activists under threat, and tracking anti-asylum seeker demonstrations across Scotland.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/anti-migrant-protestj45496.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotelhttps-www-theferret-scot-far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotel-protests-amid-claims-they-are-stirring-up-racism-but-anti-racists-a/) ### **Anti-asylum arrests** Since last summer, when anti-asylum protests started to spread across Scotland, there have been a number of arrests and convictions. Last month [Gavin Turpie](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy36yxwpe5o?ref=theferret.scot) was fined for shouting a neo-Nazi slogan at a protest in Aberdeen, and a member of the Dundee Patriots was convicted in March for acting aggressively during at a demo in the city’s Reid Square. In court Robbie [Robertson](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8wv88pn44o?ref=theferret.scot) admitted shouting, swearing, and threatening violence. He was the camera man and social media manager for the Dundee Patriots, which organised protests. The outfit claimed to be a “group of Dundonians who share common concerns regarding the scale and management of illegal and undocumented migration into the country”, adding it did so “lawfully and peacefully” through organised protests. At time of writing the Dundee Patriots is no longer active. In January the group said it would not attend future protests “due to ongoing police harassment, mounting charges, and restrictive bail conditions placed on members of the group”, adding that the “the majority feel it is best to allow matters to settle before considering any future steps.” That move followed The [Ferret’s story](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotelhttps-www-theferret-scot-far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotel-protests-amid-claims-they-are-stirring-up-racism-but-anti-racists-a/) in December revealing that at least eight people involved with the protests in Dundee have criminal convictions. Another anti-asylum protest group, based in Falkirk, said in January it was disbanding too. The Facebook group "Save Our Future and Our Kids Futures" held protests for months in the town but announced it was permanently shutting down after admitting that neo-Nazi groups had infiltrated demonstrations. Save Our Futures’ leader, [Connor Graham](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8wj3gxpd7o?ref=theferret.scot), was fined in March for abusing a police officer outside the Cladhan Hotel, which houses asylum seekers. Sheriff William Gilchrist fined Graham £540, telling him: "It's you who seem to be a risk to the local community, rather than individuals residing in this hotel." ![Sarah McCabe pictured in Dundee in front of a ship called the RSS Discovery. She's a member of anti-racism group called Falkirk For All. Image by Billy Briggs](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/20260219_164001-1.jpg) Sarah McCabe in front of the RSS Discovery ship in Dundee. She's a member of anti-racism group called Falkirk For All. Image by Billy Briggs. ### **Fighting the far right** All the women we spoke to still campaign. Defiant in the face of intimidation, they are part of a growing network of grassroots groups in Scotland challenging bigotry and racism, which includes Women against the Far Right Scotland, a protest group founded in response to claims by far right actors that they aim to protect women.Last year the group signed an [open letter](https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/news/news/an-open-letter-women-against-the-far-right-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) saying: “We reject the far right’s racist lies about ‘protecting’ women and girls. They are not defenders of women – they exploit violence against women to fuel hate and division.” More than 200 organisations and individuals signed the letter including Rape Crisis Scotland, Scottish Women’s Aid, and the former first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. The campaign group Falkirk for All also signed. It supports asylum seekers housed in Falkirk where its activists have endured threats.They include Karen Paton who spoke at an anti-racism event in Dundee in February.The event was organised by Stand Up To Racism, and around 30 people listened intently as she outlined her situation. “I have been threatened with being beheaded. I have been threatened with getting black eyes and euthanised,” Paton said, explaining she had CCTV installed at home after men drove up and down the street where she lived, trying to intimidate her. That evening she apologised to the crowd about the language she had to use as she explained: “I have been threatened multiple times with multiple gang rapes, in multiple orifices. They stand there and they shout, ‘we’re protecting women and children’, and yet, they have abused us.” Paton was in Dundee that day with two other women from Falkirk for All. Ahead of the meeting, they told me about their experiences over coffee. They included Sarah McCabe, who’d contacted The Ferret about her experiences after our December story, initially on condition of anonymity. But she is no longer afraid to speak out. “I had them outside my house just after 1 o'clock in the morning,” she told me. “And then the next day my dog was poisoned. She must have eaten something that was chucked over the wall, and luckily we were in the house otherwise she would’ve been a goner.” McCabe shared videos and screenshots to reveal the abuse she’s been subjected to. One shows an anti-asylum activist shouting through a megaphone at her, telling her she doesn’t have to worry about being raped because no sexual predator would want her. Despite the abuse both McCabe and Paton believe they are winning the fight against the far right, citing the disbandment of the Falkirk protest group, Save Our Future and Our Kids Futures. They concede, though, that’s just one battle won in an on-going culture war with no end in sight. Likewise, Siobhan Tolland is uncowed. While she believes the “intense period” in Dundee is over she’s “under no illusion this is the end” for groups like the Dundee Patriots. “This feels like stage one only,” she says. “But here is the thing that the Dundee Patriots never got, and they never will. The women that were targeted fought back. The women’s determination to fight against that harassment was, for me, one of the most remarkable moments of political resistance I have ever seen.” The Spanish, she says, harking back to the plaque near where we are sitting, have a term that seems fitting here. “Macho fascismo – I think that sums it up.” She adds: “The Dundee Patriot’s need for creating crisis, intimidation, aggression and violence was extremely powerful. But you know what? It was not ever as powerful as us. Not ever. We stood our ground and we tried to protect those spaces with everything that we had. It exhausted me, made me ill.” But when local community workers told her how much the asylum seekers appreciated their actions it made her cry. “Because for me, it was the only thing that mattered,” she says. “And I would do it all over again if I had to.” ![Middle-aged woman with long grey hair standing outdoors in an urban square, with modern buildings blurred in the background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/20260219_163931.jpg) Anti-racism activist Karen Paton outside the V&A in Dundee. She's a member of the campaign group Falkirk For All. Image: Billy Briggs. ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Trident problems hidden in ‘more volatile world’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/trident-problems-hidden/ Last updated: 2026-04-23T05:30:44.000Z **Potential problems with the Trident nuclear submarine fleet based on the Clyde must be kept secret because of the “deterioration” of international security, according to the UK Information Commissioner.** [John Edwards](https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/who-we-are/management-board/john-edwards-biography/?ref=theferret.scot), who oversees freedom of information law across the UK, has backed the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in hiding details of serious radiation incidents at the [Faslane](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/faslane/) naval base near Helensburgh, the growing length of [Trident](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/trident/) submarine patrols and the number of submariners leaving the Royal Navy. He rejected three appeals from The Ferret, after receiving “confidential submissions” from the MoD. There were now “greater potential threats from adversaries”, he said, accepting the MoD’s argument that there was “a far greater requirement to withhold information” in a “more contested and volatile world”. Campaigners have criticised Edwards’s decisions, warning that secrecy “breeds fear and allows fake news to fester”. Truth should not be a “casualty of increased international tensions”, they said, arguing that disclosing information builds trust “at a time of uncertainty”. In 2025 the Scottish Information Commissioner, David Hamilton, [resisted](https://www.theferret.scot/navy-try-keep-nuclear-pollution-secret/) high-level pressure from the MoD to keep nuclear problems secret. He ordered the release of files to The Ferret [revealing](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-waste-pollution-nuclear-plant/) that Loch Long had been polluted by radioactive waste from the [Coulport](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coulport/) nuclear bomb store near Faslane in 2019. [Navy made legal threats to try and keep nuclear pollution secretEmails reveal that naval chiefs piled pressure on environment watchdog to hide details of radioactive contamination on the Clyde.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/ftcms_9033f717-6889-4807-aadf-a078d1c80531.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/navy-try-keep-nuclear-pollution-secret/) In April 2024 we filed the first of three freedom of information (FoI) requests to the MoD, asking for descriptions of six “nuclear site events” [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-lapses-clyde-alarm/) to have happened at Faslane in 2023 and early 2024\. According to the MoD’s definitions, the incidents all had “actual or potential for radioactive release to the environment”. But the MoD repeatedly refused to say what had actually happened in any of the incidents, arguing that to do so would endanger national security. We appealed to the UK information commissioner in October 2025. ****Journalism that follows the money – and demands answers.** This story took time, digging, and persistence. The Ferret is reader-funded investigative journalism, so we can report in the public interest, not for clicks or advertisers. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Edwards issued [his decision](https://ico.org.uk/media2/krgd34dn/ic-432575-d7f7.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in February 2026, backing the MoD. He accepted the MoD’s argument that releasing information about the incidents “could be used by potential aggressors to target, disrupt and degrade a crucial element of the armed forces capability which would adversely affect the UK’s national security.” It was important to recognise “the deterioration to the international security situation and the greater threat to the UK’s resilience from hostile actors,” he said. In 2018 the MoD did [provide outline accounts](https://www.theferret.scot/faslane-500-nuclear-safety-incidents/) of some of the more serious radiation incidents at Faslane. But in the last few years it has refused to give any details – though it has [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-incidents-radioactivity-faslane/) six further incidents in 2024 and early 2025. The Ferret also asked the MoD for the number of days Trident-armed [Vanguard submarines](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/equipment/submarine/vanguard-class?ref=theferret.scot) have been on patrol at sea in the past ten years. It has been [widely reported](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/trident-long-patrols/?ref=theferret.scot) that patrols are now lasting six months, compared to two or three months in the past. Longer patrols can cause submariners stress and [threaten safety](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-trident-patrols/). The lead submarine, [HMS Vanguard](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/organisation/units-and-squadrons/ballistic-submarines/hms-vanguard?ref=theferret.scot), returned to Faslane on 18 April, having been at sea for 205 days – more than six and a half months. This was [reported by Navy Lookout](https://www.navylookout.com/royal-navy-nuclear-submarine-completes-longest-patrol-on-record/?ref=theferret.scot) as the “longest unbroken patrol by a Royal Navy submarine”, and the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, paid [a surprise visit](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26033414.sir-keir-starmer-makes-unannounced-visit-faslane/?ref=theferret.scot) to welcome the crew home. ![Four people, including a uniformed naval officer, walking along the deck of a surfaced submarine in a Scottish loch, wearing life jackets with hills and water in the background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/Starmer-welcomes-Vanguard--photo-thanks-to-MoD-.jpg) The prime minister, Keir Starmer, and defence secretary, John Healey, welcome home a Trident submarine after six and a half months at sea. Image: Ministry of Defence The UK Government is committed to what it calls the [“continuous at sea deterrent”](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uks-nuclear-deterrent-casd?ref=theferret.scot), which means having at least one of the four Vanguard submarines on patrol under water every hour of every day. But as they age and require more on-shore maintenance, this is becoming increasingly difficult. Our request for figures on the average length of patrols over the years was rejected by the MoD on national security grounds. Again, Edwards [found in favour](https://ico.org.uk/media2/cbej4rwd/ic-401714-l8s8.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of the MoD in March 2026\. He accepted the MoD’s argument that the Royal Navy was operating “within a more contested and volatile world” and that there was “a far greater requirement to withhold information” that could be used by enemies to determine “vulnerabilities”. According to Edwards: “The MoD elaborated on this position in confidential submissions provided directly to the commissioner.” He concluded that “the risks of disclosure have to be seen in the context of the international security situation and the greater potential threats from adversaries to the UK’s defence infrastructure.” [Threat to nuclear safety from prolonged Trident patrolsNew evidence that Trident submarines have been at sea for a record-breaking five months in 2022 has prompted a former submarine commander to warn of risks to nuclear safety. Observations at the Faslane nuclear submarine base on the Clyde suggest that two submarines armed with Trident missiles each went out![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/45155638-e1693376866580-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-trident-patrols/) We filed a third FoI request for summary statistics on the number of Vanguard submariners who have left the Royal Navy for personal reasons over the last ten years. Again the MoD refused, and [were backed](https://ico.org.uk/media2/fvidrfsl/ic-404734-d5k4.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by Edwards. The MoD argued that the statistics could be analysed to give a “tactical advantage to hostile forces”. They could provide “an indication of operational vulnerabilities with the potential to disrupt operational capabilities” . After more “confidential submissions” from the MoD, Edwards agreed that statistics on submariners leaving the navy could be used to “infer intelligence” on Trident. There was “a real and significant risk” of prejudicing national security “given the international security situation”, he said. The [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) described the secrecy on Trident as “disappointing and concerning”. There had been a “clear trend” of increasing incidents at Faslane which could endanger the safety of surrounding communities, said the campaign’s Samuel Rafanell-Williams. “Transparency is essential for national security to ensure any mistakes or negligence causing incidents are urgently addressed and do not escalate to more serious problems,” he argued. “We should not accept truth being the first casualty of increased international tensions. This does not serve the Scottish or British public well.” > "Disclosing information to the public builds trust and credibility at a time of uncertainty." — Carole Ewart, Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland [Dave Cullen](https://basicint.org/our-staff/dave-cullen/?ref=theferret.scot), a UK nuclear weapons expert from the [BASIC nuclear think tank](https://basicint.org/?ref=theferret.scot) in London, accused the UK information commissioner of "failing to discharge their responsibilities to the public.” He said: “It is unsustainable in a democracy that the organisation that is charged with protecting our right to know what our government is doing continually defers to the MoD on cases such as these.” The [Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland](https://www.cfois.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) argued that the consequence of increasing threats should not be greater secrecy. “In fact quite the opposite is true because disclosing information to the public builds trust and credibility at a time of uncertainty,” said the campaign’s director, Carole Ewart. “That was a key learning point from the Covid pandemic too, as depriving people of information breeds fear and allows fake news to fester.” Ewart pointed out that freedom of information law in Scotland was “more robust” than in the UK. According to the [Scottish Information Commissioner](https://www.foi.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), David Hamilton, Scottish laws “require exemptions to the disclosure of information to demonstrate a higher level of harm than their UK equivalents”. The [UK Information Commissioner](https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/who-we-are/?ref=theferret.scot), John Edwards, and the [Ministry of Defence](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment. ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### $1bn and counting: blacklisted Israeli company raking it in from North Sea oil URL: https://www.theferret.scot/1bn-and-counting-blacklisted-israeli-company-raking-it-in-from-north-sea-oil/ Last updated: 2026-04-22T09:22:17.000Z ****Journalism that follows the money – and demands answers.** This story took time, digging, and persistence. The Ferret is independent, reader-funded investigative journalism, so we can report in the public interest, not for clicks or advertisers. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) **An Israeli firm blacklisted by the UN for its West Bank activities has raked in over $1bn from North Sea oil and gas in just six years – and could be set to earn even more if the Rosebank field is approved.** Analysis by The Ferret [shows](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10IlmzhwpvkIVBAFRyl%5FivHDRBum0LW7BpD7GQMXJAKk/edit?usp=sharing&ref=theferret.scot) Aberdeen oil company Ithaca Energy has paid over $1bn in dividends to its largest shareholder, Delek Group, since 2020. Delek, an Israeli energy conglomerate, has been named on a United Nations [database](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session60/advance-version/a-hrc-60-19-aev.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of firms whose activities in the occupied West Bank raise “particular human rights concerns”. Ithaca owns a [stake](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/assets/rosebank?ref=theferret.scot) in the Rosebank oil field off the coast of Shetland, which the UK energy minister Ed Miliband is under pressure to green light. It also now owns 100 per cent of the [Cambo](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/assets/cambo?ref=theferret.scot) field, which was at the centre of [controversy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-59512742?ref=theferret.scot) in 2021. Lawyers for the campaign group Uplift have [claimed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20gyevp1w3o?ref=theferret.scot) that Ithaca’s connection to Delek means approving Rosebank could risk the UK breaching the Geneva convention, and alleged that the Israeli company’s activities could be seen as “ancillary” to war crimes. Environmental campaigners told The Ferret that “not one penny of profit should flow from the North Sea towards Delek” and that choosing to approve Rosebank would be “morally reprehensible” because it could “bolster" its activities in the West Bank. Both Ithaca and Delek were approached for comment. Delek has been Ithaca’s largest shareholder since [2017](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/press-releases/recommended-takeover-by-delek?ref=theferret.scot), but its pay-outs from the firm have accelerated in recent years as Ithaca expanded its presence in UK fossil fuels. Ithaca [says](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/about-us?ref=theferret.scot) it now holds stakes in six of the UK’s ten largest oil and gas fields. Our analysis shows Ithaca paid $569m in dividends to Delek across 2024 and 2025, with a further $101m distributed on 16 April this year. That takes total payments since 2020 to more than $1bn. Delek has previously described Ithaca’s operations in the North Sea as part of the “[growth engine](https://ir.delek-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DELEK-GROUP-Q4-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=6)” for its wider business. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/mSk7B-ithaca-energy-payments-to-shareholders---1-.png) As The Ferret first [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/cambo-owner-blacklist-business-west-bank/) when Ithaca bought Cambo back in 2022, Delek was included in a 2020 [list](https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/A%5FHRC%5F43%5F71.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of companies whose activities in the occupied West Bank “raised particular human rights concerns” after a UN fact finding mission. It remained on updated versions of the list published in [2023](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session31/database-hrc3136/23-06-30-Update-israeli-settlement-opt-database-hrc3136.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and [2025](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session60/advance-version/a-hrc-60-19-aev.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). Delek was included because it was deemed to be providing services and utilities to support the maintenance of the settlements and was using natural resources in the West bank for “business purposes”. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are [widely regarded](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2019/01/chapter-3-israeli-settlements-and-international-law/?ref=theferret.scot) as illegal under international law. We also previously [found](https://www.theferret.scot/government-gave-oil-licences-to-idf-linked-firm/) that another firm in which Delek holds a significant stake – Delek Israel – has held contracts to provide refueling services to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Rosebank is at the centre of a political [row](https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/north-sea/593241/rosebank-decision-sparks-rising-political-divide/?ref=theferret.scot) over whether the UK should continue to expand oil and gas production in the North Sea. It is the UK’s largest [untapped](https://www.google.com/search?q=rosebank+uks+largest+untapped+field&oq=rosebank+uks+largest+untapped+field&gs%5Flcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQIRgKGKABMgkIAhAhGAoYoAEyCQgDECEYChigATIJCAQQIRgKGKABMgcIBRAhGI8C0gEINDE5MGowajmoAgawAgHxBbO9eXZ3CE89&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ref=theferret.scot) oil field and is [estimated](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/assets/rosebank?ref=theferret.scot) to contain 300 million barrels of oil. Backers of the project argue it could create thousands of jobs and support the country’s energy security in an increasingly unstable world. Opponents claim it is [incompatible](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3xzgdqw3ro?ref=theferret.scot) with the UK’s climate targets and would do little to lower bills because most of the oil extracted from it would be [exported](https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/updates/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-rosebank-oil-field?ref=theferret.scot). The field was initially [approved](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3xzgdqw3ro?ref=theferret.scot) by the Conservative government in 2023, but Scotland’s court of session later found that decision [unlawful](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3e1pw7npklo?ref=theferret.scot), deeming that its full environmental impact had not been considered. A revised application has since been [submitted](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3xzgdqw3ro?ref=theferret.scot) and the final decision will rest with Ed Miliband, who has faced [pressure](https://www.cityam.com/miliband-to-bow-to-pressure-on-north-sea-drilling/?ref=theferret.scot) from politicians and industry to approve the project. [This company owns some of Scotland’s biggest oil fields. It’s also accused of complicity in Israel’s warIthaca Energy is a growing force in UK energy with stakes in six of the UK’s 10 largest oil and gas fields. It’s also been linked to Israel’s war in Gaza.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/size/w1200/2025/10/copy-of-copy-of-dsc03291-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ithaca-energy-oil-scotland-israel/) [Analysis](https://archive.ph/AOY2F?ref=theferret.scot) by WWF Norway previously estimated a further $300m (£222m) could flow to Delek if Rosebank goes ahead. Ithaca is expected to make a [final decision](https://www.offshore-mag.com/field-development/news/55366846/ithaca-energy-ithaca-pursuing-fid-on-cambo-oil-and-gas-project-in-uks-shetland-region?ref=theferret.scot) on whether to try and develop the Cambo field either this year or in 2027. “If the UK Government chooses to green light Rosebank, it would be a morally reprehensible decision that turns a blind eye to the fact that the project could bolster Delek’s activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” Lauren MacDonald from the campaign group [Stop Rosebank](https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) told The Ferret. She continued: "There are many reasons why this toxic field should be stopped - but this is simply indefensible. “The UK Government is well aware of these risks, and has even been warned that it could breach its own obligations under international law if it allows the field to go ahead. "If the UK and Scottish governments are serious about creating a better world, they will pull the plug on Rosebank for good and ensure no further profits flow from our North Sea to Delek.” Ithaca has not publicly commented on Delek’s links to the West Bank but has pointed out that it is a London stock exchange listed company and claims to be “governed by the highest standards of corporate governance”. “Ithaca is one of the biggest investors in the North Sea and Scotland, is a responsible employer and is a major contributor to both the UK Treasury through tax payments and the UK’s energy security,” it told us in response to a [story](https://www.theferret.scot/ithaca-energy-oil-scotland-israel/) last August. The UK Government also failed to respond to a request for comment. It previously [said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20gyevp1w3o?ref=theferret.scot) in regard to Rosebank that it cannot comment on individual projects. Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Claim Scotland is ahead of UK in emissions reductions is True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scotland-is-ahead-of-uk-in-emissions-reductions-is-true/ Last updated: 2026-04-29T13:27:06.000Z ****Journalism that follows the money – and demands answers.** This story took time, digging, and persistence. The Ferret is reader-funded investigative journalism, so we can report in the public interest, not for clicks or advertisers. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) **The SNP launched its manifesto with a series of pledges, and a strong defence of the party’s record in government.** In a [section looking at the environment](https://issuu.com/hinksbrandwise/docs/snp%5Fmanifesto%5Fthe%5Fscottish%5Fparliament%5Felection%5F2?ref=theferret.scot) and climate change, the party argued it had outperformed the UK Government on emissions reductions and the path to achieving ‘net zero’. This was questioned [in the media](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0q998dzwz2o?ref=theferret.scot) and on social platforms. > “We \[the Scottish Government\] continue to be ahead of the UK as a whole in delivering long term emissions reductions - SNP 2026 manifesto The Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **True**. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) ### **Evidence** Net zero is achieved when the amount of greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere is equal to the number removed. This can be [achieved ](https://co2re.org/9-ways-to-remove-carbon-dioxide-from-the-air/?ref=theferret.scot)through various means including tree planting, restoration of peat bogs, technological solutions, and [reducing emissions](https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/climate-change-mitigation-reducing-emissions?ref=theferret.scot) from industry, transport and daily life. The Scottish Government set ambitious plans for achieving ‘net zero’ in Scotland in 2019, which were then [described as](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-climate-targets-toughest-world/) “the toughest emissions targets in the world”. Originally, the plan was to measure reductions in greenhouse gas emissions across different sectors every year, but these [annual targets were scrapped](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68847434?ref=theferret.scot) in 2024 with Scotland lagging behind. However, its [overall target has remained](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c056gv2q9q5o?ref=theferret.scot) in place, with the Scottish Government aiming to reach net zero by 2045\. Progress on emissions is measured as a percentage reduction from 1990. The SNP’s manifesto accurately stated that Scotland was more than half way to net zero emissions. According to the latest [comparable climate statistics](https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/progress-in-reducing-emissions-in-scotland-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) covering 2023, greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland were 51.3 per cent lower than 1990 levels. This has been primarily a result of changes in electricity supply. There has been a significant increase in the generation and use of wind and solar power, as well reductions in gas power and the phasing out of coal generation, notably from the closure of coal power stations like [Longannet](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/09/scotland-blows-up-longannet-chimney-marking-end-to-coal-power?ref=theferret.scot). Statistics released by the UK Government stated that the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 were [53 per cent](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67a30e4f7da1f1ac64e5feb1/2023-final-greenhouse-gas-emissions-statistical-release.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) down from 1990\. This is accurate, but the [figures are not directly comparable](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67a30e4f7da1f1ac64e5feb1/2023-final-greenhouse-gas-emissions-statistical-release.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) with those in Scotland because this headline figure doesn't include emissions from the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping. It is common for this not to be included in measurements of progress towards ‘net zero’ as it [can be difficult](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67a30e4f7da1f1ac64e5feb1/2023-final-greenhouse-gas-emissions-statistical-release.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to accurately allocate between different countries. However, the Scottish figures do include aviation and shipping emissions. According to [analysis from independent government advisor](https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/progress-in-reducing-emissions-2025-report-to-parliament?ref=theferret.scot) the Climate Change Committee (CCC), when shipping and aviation is included, overall UK emissions were only 49.1 per cent lower in 2023 than they were in 1990. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: True** The SNP’s manifesto is accurate to state that Scotland is ahead of the UK on long term emissions reductions. Headline figures suggested that the UK overall had reduced further than Scotland since the 1990 baseline, but when the emissions from international shipping and aviation are included, comparable figures for 2023 show Scotland has reduced 51.3 per cent compared to 49.1 per cent in the UK. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_True_RGB.png) ### Scottish Government ‘rolling out red carpet’ for UAE despite human rights record URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-uae-sudan-human-rights/ Last updated: 2026-04-19T15:23:10.000Z **Kate Forbes tried to attract UAE government investors to Scotland by offering them “rapid access” to policymakers and “bespoke” tours, despite allegations the Gulf state has armed a militia accused of genocide in Sudan.** Minutes released under freedom of information laws show Forbes and other Scottish officials made the offer during a visit to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in January this year for the second ‘[UAE Scotland week](https://www.gov.scot/news/scotland-strengthens-uae-trade-ties/?ref=theferret.scot)’ – a programme of events aimed at forging closer economic ties with the Emirates. The trip took place despite warnings from human rights groups that it was “[utterly immoral](https://www.theferret.scot/uae-arming-genocidal-militia-scottish-government-closer-ties/)” to be seeking closer ties with the UAE while it is accused of playing a role in Sudan’s civil war, which has [killed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjel2nn22z9o?ref=theferret.scot) more than 150,000 people and displaced around 12 million since it erupted [three years ago](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/15/uk-sudan-war-berlin-talks-aid-rsf-hunger-saudi-uae?ref=theferret.scot) this week. The UAE is [widely](https://caat.org.uk/news/genocide-in-sudan-the-role-of-the-uae-and-the-complicity-of-the-west/?ref=theferret.scot) [viewed](https://www.ft.com/content/e88e0973-3218-4ce6-a73e-20961c71c33b?syn-25a6b1a6=1&ref=theferret.scot) as the [main backer](https://news.sky.com/story/uae-is-main-backer-behind-rsf-militia-in-sudan-intelligence-officer-claims-in-secret-interview-13437966?ref=theferret.scot) of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force accused of war crimes including [mass killings](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c043753z7w3o?ref=theferret.scot) and the use of [sexual violence](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/sudan-rapid-support-forces-horrific-and-widespread-sexual-violence-leaves-lives/?ref=theferret.scot) as a weapon of war. The UAE strongly [denies](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/04/sudan-rsf-militia-uae-united-arab-emirates?ref=theferret.scot) backing the RSF. The country has also long faced [criticism](https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/united-arab-emirates?ref=theferret.scot#c41df6) for its treatment of migrant workers, women and LGBT people as well as for repression of government critics. Despite this, the documents show Forbes described the Emirates as a “vital supporter and partner of Scotland” at a [reception](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wester-ross-fisheries-ltd%5Fthis-week-laura-is-in-dubai-with-the-scottish-activity-7422233749918101504-D8-y?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAEZQ6MgBciaBc03a3YigbGNPGBujrVNHn6Q) for the two countries’ food industries – which was held at an upmarket Dubai cocktail bar and featured “[artisan](https://www.wrs.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)” Scottish salmon canapes. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The minutes suggest that the deputy first minister did not raise the UAE’s human rights record or role in the Sudan war at any point during the trip. Instead, the Emiratis quizzed Forbes on “future political stability” in Scotland if the country were to become independent. Critics including Amnesty International said it was “farcical” that the UAE was not challenged on its “notorious” record and questioned how the visit squared with the Scottish Government’s claim it would apply “[unapologetically](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2021/01/scottish-government-vision-trade/documents/scotlands-vision-trade/scotlands-vision-trade/govscot%3Adocument/scotlands-vision-trade.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)” high human rights standards when choosing trade partners. The former co-leader of the Scottish Greens, Patrick Harvie, questioned whether “ordinary communities, small businesses and trade unions are being given anything like the level of access and influence offered to wealthy investors from the UAE”. The Scottish Government told The Ferret it had supported humanitarian efforts in Sudan and neighbouring countries with [£1.25m](https://www.gov.scot/news/further-humanitarian-aid-for-sudan/?ref=theferret.scot) since 2023 and reiterated that the UAE was a “key trade and investment partner” for both Scotland and the UK. [The UAE is accused of arming a genocidal militia in Sudan. The Scottish Government wants closer tiesThe Scottish Government’s “courting” of the Gulf state comes as human rights groups raise allegations about its role in Sudan’s devastating war.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1744912942795.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/uae-arming-genocidal-militia-scottish-government-closer-ties/) ### **‘Scotland’s offer to investors’** Forbes’ visit to the oil-rich state between 27 and 30 January was her [second](https://www.scottishfinancialnews.com/articles/scotland-promotes-trade-and-investment-in-uae-visit?ref=theferret.scot) in just nine months, following a trip in April 2025 for the first ‘Scotland week’ events. She took part in 14 meetings during this year’s visit, travelling between Dubai and Abu Dhabi to meet ministers, investors and state-backed companies. The engagements focused on increasing links in areas such as clean energy, satellite technology, food and higher education. **You can read full minutes released to The Ferret** [**here**](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28048247-kate-forbes-meetings-in-the-uae-minutes/?ref=theferret.scot)**.** At a ‘capital investment dinner’ in Abu Dhabi on the second night of the trip, Forbes and other Scottish officials met major UAE investors including wealthy family offices, state-backed energy companies and sovereign wealth funds. At the dinner, the Scottish delegation set out its “offer to investors”, which included “rapid access to senior decisionmakers" and “more streamlined processes”, including the planning system, compared with the UK Government. Forbes committed to giving “bespoke 72-hour programmes for any investors visiting Scotland” and an action from the meeting was for the Scottish Government along with business agencies Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International to develop a “process” for these. At the same meeting prospective investors asked Forbes about “future political stability” in Scotland, including “currency scenarios in any future constitutional change”. Her reply to that question was not recorded. > This approach by the SNP risks creating a two-tier system where those with the deepest pockets are able to shape decisions behind closed doors, while everyone else is left on the outside. — Patrick Harvie, Scottish Greens During the final event of the trip, Forbes signed a memorandum of understanding with the UAE’s undersecretary for investment. A [press release](https://www.gov.scot/news/investment-cooperation-deal-agreed-with-uae/?ref=theferret.scot) said the deal would give Scottish businesses “direct access” to investment opportunities in the UAE. Patrick Harvie, who now serves as the Scottish Greens external affairs spokesperson, said the commitment to “quick and easy access” raised “serious concerns”. “The Scottish Government needs to ensure that any dealings with the UAE are not aiding, legitimising or endorsing its leadership while ignoring its \[human rights\] record,” Harvie argued. “This approach by the SNP risks creating a two-tier system where those with the deepest pockets are able to shape decisions behind closed doors, while everyone else is left on the outside.” James Mitchell, a professor of public policy at the University of Edinburgh, called for “greater clarity” on what was meant by “rapid access” to policymakers and “more streamlined processes” and whether this meant it was “giving preference” to Emirati investors. “There is a need to attract inward investment but this must be done properly,” Mitchell argued, to avoid a “race to the bottom”. He added: “It would be interesting to know how the deputy first minister responded to the point about Scotland’s future political stability. As the SNP has been reluctant to tell the Scottish public of plans in this respect it would be remiss, to put it very mildly, if SNP ministers were informing others.” [When ‘critical friends’ fall out: how the Scottish Government sleepwalked into a crisis over Israel meetingOn a warm summer’s night last August, John Swinney took to the stage at the Edinburgh International Book Festival for a fireside chat with former Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford. Two of the most seasoned veterans of the devolution era, Swinney and Drakeford talked of the importance of “collaborative”![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/size/w1200/2025/10/46739843394_090c169266_k.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-crisis-meeting-israel-2/) ### **‘Credible’ evidence** [Sudan’s civil war](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjel2nn22z9o?ref=theferret.scot) is being fought between the RSF and the military-led government. While both sides are accused of committing atrocities, the RSF is seen to have engaged in particularly [extreme brutality](https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/oct/30/they-killed-civilians-in-their-beds-chaos-and-brutality-reign-after-fall-of-el-fasher?ref=theferret.scot). This has often [targeted](https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/power-struggle-sudan?ref=theferret.scot) the country’s non-Arab communities. In particular, bloodshed after it captured the city of El-Fasher in the Darfur region drew [global attention](https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/10/1166224?ref=theferret.scot) with the UN [receiving accounts](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2025/10/sudan-el-fasher-atrocities-must-be-investigated-and-perpetrators-held?ref=theferret.scot) of “mass killings, rape, attacks against humanitarian workers and looting”. Streets turned red with blood could be [seen from space](https://files-profile.medicine.yale.edu/documents/001a93f9-1c99-4437-a023-bac1294d3d0e?ref=theferret.scot) after the city was overrun. At the end of last month Doctors Without Borders released a [report](https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/no-safe-place-women-and-girls-darfur?ref=theferret.scot) which said that sexual violence was being used as a “means of humiliation and terror” by the RSF and that the war was being fought on “the backs of women and girls”. In January 2025, just before it left office, the Biden administration in the US [concluded](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/07/us-determines-sudan-paramilitary-genocide?ref=theferret.scot) that the RSF had committed genocide. That same month, two Democratic members of Congress [said](https://sarajacobs.house.gov/news/press-releases/jacobs-van-hollen-confirm-uae-providing-weapons-to-rsf-in-sudan-in-contradiction-to-its-assurances-to-us?ref=theferret.scot) that the UAE was arming the RSF after receiving a briefing from the administration. The UN has also described the claim as “[credible](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4039195/files/S%5F2024%5F65-EN.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)”. Human Rights Watch has [said](https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/united-arab-emirates?ref=theferret.scot) countries doing trade deals with the UAE were prioritising financial interests over human rights and “contributing to ongoing abuses against migrant workers”, including “situations that may amount to forced labour”. Same-sex sexual activity is [illegal](https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/united-arab-emirates/?ref=theferret.scot) in the UAE, and, while some laws on domestic violence have been introduced, men are still able to “[discipline](https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/united-arab-emirates?ref=theferret.scot#d91ede)” wives and female relatives. Neil Cowan, Amnesty’s programme director in Scotland, said the approach from the Scottish Government to the UAE was a “far cry from the ‘unapologetically high standards’ it promised it would set when choosing trade and investment partners”. “The UAE’s rights record is notorious, yet the deputy first minister appears to have traveled there to unquestioningly roll out the red carpet to its investors,” Cowan claimed. “The Scottish Government wants to be seen as a principled global actor but the truth is too often it too often seems to balk at the task of speaking up for human rights.” > The Ferret’s revelations show no consideration by the Scottish Government of the UAE’s shameful role in Sudan. — Emma Cockburn, Campaign Against the Arms Trade Emma Cockburn, the Scotland coordinator at the Campaign Against the Arms Trade argued Scottish ministers should be treating the UAE as a “pariah”. Cockburn said: “The Ferret’s revelations show no consideration by the Scottish Government of the UAE’s shameful role in Sudan, and escalating repression at home. “Instead, and farcically, it was officials of that dictatorship questioning ‘political stability’ in Scotland. “This from a country that has [thrown](https://news.sky.com/story/as-many-as-70-brits-detained-in-uae-over-iran-war-images-under-draconian-laws-13525806?ref=theferret.scot) 70 Brits in jail in recent weeks, simply for taking and sharing photos and videos of damage caused by Iranian strikes.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “As previously stated \[when The Ferret first reported on the trip in January\], the deputy first minister’s trade and investment visit to the UAE was about supporting Scottish businesses to grow and trade internationally, while attracting investment to create jobs and prosperity at home. “The UAE is a key trade and investment partner for Scotland and the UK. “The Scottish Government has supported efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. This includes contributing £1.25m to communities in Sudan and neighbouring countries since 2023.” The UAE has been asked to comment. Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Sepa gave 400 Scottish lochs 'good' environmental status but only checked 54 of them URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scandal-sea-lochs-scotland/ Last updated: 2026-04-16T05:30:39.000Z **The monitoring of marine pollution by the Scottish Government’s green watchdog has been dubbed a “scandal” following the discovery that it rates 400 of Scotland’s coastal waters as being environmentally fine based on wildlife samples from just 54 of them.** The [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) samples insects, crabs and worms from single sea lochs to classify as many as 20-40 other lochs as having a “good” or “high” environmental status. They can be up to 58 miles apart. In one case, a loch known to be polluted by the [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) farming industry has been rated as good based on ten-year-old samples from another loch 12 miles away. Campaigners accuse Sepa of “flying blind”, and describe the monitoring regime as “not fit for purpose”. More resources need to be devoted to ensuring the health of Scotland’s seas and encouraging nature recovery, they say. [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) is planning to “comprehensively review” its monitoring of the marine environment, with the aim of implementing new arrangements in 2027\. It defended using samples from “representative” sea lochs to classify other lochs as “an established scientific approach”. In response to a freedom of information request, Sepa released [a large spreadsheet](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2026/04/F0200940%5Fmarine-ecology-sites-inc-groupings-1.xlsx) listing the coastal waters and firths which are “classified as part of a group”. It reveals that 87 per cent gain their good ratings from samples of wildlife taken from elsewhere. Samples from [Loch Ewe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch%5FEwe?ref=theferret.scot) by Poolewe in Wester Ross are used to classify 40 other sea lochs and straits as environmentally acceptable. These include Loch Broom, which is 12 miles east as the crow flies, Loch Alsh, which is 37 miles to the south, and the Kyle of Tongue which is 58 miles to the north. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Samples from [Loch Erisort](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch%5FErisort?ref=theferret.scot) on the Isle of Lewis are used to rate 35 other lochs on islands as far away as North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist. Samples from Olna Firth on the Shetland mainland help classify 33 other voes and firths, including Burra Firth over 31 miles to the north in Unst. According to Sepa, [Loch Sunart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch%5FSunart?ref=theferret.scot), south of the Ardnamurchan peninsula, was last tested for wildlife in 2016\. Those samples have helped classify 21 other sea lochs as environmentally fine. One of them is [Loch Creran](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farm-pollution-probe-loch-creran/), which is 12 miles to the south on the other side of Loch Linnhe. It is rated as “good” despite having a known pollution problem. The Ferret [reported in July 2025](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farm-ban-polluting-loch-creran/) that Sepa had banned a salmon farming company from dumping pesticides in Loch Creran following 273 environmental breaches over six months. According to the Scottish Government’s wildlife agency, [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), rare reefs in the loch were in an “unfavourable declining” condition. [Ban on salmon farm polluting loch after 273 breachesA ban on a Norwegian salmon farming company dumping toxic pesticides in a Highland loch following 273 environmental breaches over six months has been strongly defended by the Scottish Government’s green watchdog. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) insisted that it was “proportionate and reasonable” to suspend a licence![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/serpulid-reef-one-loch-creran-graham-saunders--c-naturescot.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farm-ban-polluting-loch-creran/) But Sepa argued that there was a “strong evidence base for a robust decision” on the loch’s classification as good. "There is no evidence that the water body’s status is likely to have changed since 2016,” it said. According to Sepa, the last time wildlife samples had been taken in Loch Creran itself was 2005\. The state of all Scotland’ waters are published on Sepa’s online [water classification hub](https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/WaterClassificationHub/?ref=theferret.scot). The vast majority of coastal waters and firths are rated as “good” or “high”, with only eight having a “moderate” or “poor” environmental status, including parts of the Clyde, Forth, Solway and Ythan estuaries. The [Coastal Communities Network](https://www.communitiesforseas.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which brings together 30 groups around Scotland concerned about the marine environment, described Sepa’s water classification system as a “scandal”. It obtained the spreadsheet on sampling locations from Sepa under freedom of information law. It was a “very odd and misleading” way of assessing how polluted the seas were, said the network’s John Aitchison. “Sepa's admission that it is going to review how it samples water bodies, starting next year, seems to show that it knows the system is not fit for purpose.” He added: “There seems to be far too little money put into monitoring the health of the sea, even though so many people’s jobs and communities depend on it. > There seems to be far too little money put into monitoring the health of the sea, even though so many people’s jobs and communities depend on it. — John Aitchison, Coastal Communities Network "Sepa gives the impression that it knows what is happening in the sea but in most places it is actually flying blind. Nature recovery is not going to happen unless we can trust regulators to properly check how it is doing at the moment, and to report on that clearly, especially when they do not know.” The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) urged Sepa to explain the rationale behind its sampling regime, and address concerns. “Many people would be surprised to know that such clear and far-reaching conclusions about the quality of our lochs and waters are being drawn from such limited samples that come from totally different sources,” said the party’s rural affairs spokesperson, [Ariane Burgess](https://greens.scot/team/ariane-burgess-msp?ref=theferret.scot). “This raises fundamental questions about the quality of the analysis that is underpinning these classifications and the conclusions that are being drawn from it.” In its freedom of information responses, Sepa said its monitoring was "prioritised based on risk” and that it intended “to comprehensively review our approach to evidence gathering for the marine environment by March 2027, and implement thereafter.” [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) told The Ferret that it drew on a wide range of evidence to inform its understanding of Scotland’s water environment, which was “kept under review”. This included monitoring polluters, computer models and environmental samples. “Using data from representative water bodies to inform the classification of similar waters is an established scientific approach. Water bodies are grouped based on shared characteristics, allowing monitoring to be targeted where it provides the most value while still supporting a robust national picture,” a spokesperson said. “This work is complemented by wider marine monitoring and evidence from partners including the Scottish Government’s [Marine Directorate](https://www.gov.scot/about/how-government-is-run/directorates/marine-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) and [NatureScot](https://www.gov.scot/about/how-government-is-run/directorates/marine-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot), ensuring a more complete understanding of Scotland’s coastal waters.” Sepa would be consulting on its planned review of water monitoring “later this year” with the aim of developing a plan to cover 2028 to 2034\. “Regular review of our monitoring priorities and programmes is essential to ensure our approach keeps pace with advances in science and technology and responds to emerging risks to the environment,” the spokesperson added. Sepa was working closely with NatureScot to [understand](https://www.nature.scot/doc/naturescot-research-report-1346-loch-creran-special-area-conservation-sac-review-activities-and?ref=theferret.scot) the condition of the rare reefs in Loch Creran. Where breaches of environmental regulations were identified, it promised to take “appropriate enforcement action”. Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Revealed: Deer management cost public purse at least £135m in a decade URL: https://www.theferret.scot/deer-management-cost-public-135m/ Last updated: 2026-09-28T16:11:45.000Z **Scotland’s publicly-funded forestry bodies have spent more than £134m controlling deer over the last decade, The Ferret can reveal.** The country’s’ deer population is estimated to have reached more than one[ million](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/what-we-do/about-us/corporate-information/deer-management?ref=theferret.scot), having doubled since the 1990s. In high concentrations, deer can cause numerous issues. They include the deaths or injuries of an estimated 700 people in vehicle collisions in the UK every year, the environmental harm caused by trampling and overgrazing, [poor animal welfare](https://www.forestry.gov.scot/managing-deer?ref=theferret.scot) due to insufficient food and shelter for deer in winter, and steep economic costs. Now, data we obtained via freedom of information details the deer management bills footed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and Scottish Forestry, which are ultimately funded by the taxpayer. It also specifies the huge stretches of deer fencing put up by FLS to contain the animals over seven years – equivalent to nearly triple the length of mainland Britain by road. A deer expert urged the Scottish Government to record the economics of deer management and make them public, as it was urged to do in 2020 by an independent working group that ministers appointed. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Forestry bodies said deer management was essential to helping new woodlands to survive, and meet environment targets. Conservationists acknowledged the “expensive operation”, but claimed the sums are small compared to “the cost of biodiversity loss and climate change impacts” caused by deer damage to woodland and peatland. ### **The issues of high deer density** FLS [estimates](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/what-we-do/about-us/corporate-information/deer-management?ref=theferret.scot) that 150 million young trees are at risk from deer, with tens of millions of mature trees vulnerable to bark-stripping from their antlers – a behaviour called fraying. This can cause trees to die, and negate their ability to offset carbon emissions and improve biodiversity. In large numbers, deer harm land by trampling over or eating too much vegetation, including on peatlands, which risks the release of vast amounts of climate-warming carbon these habitats have removed from the atmosphere. In November, The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/nearly-300-protected-areas-pressured-by-scotlands-rampant-deer-population/) that nearly 300 protected areas were being damaged or put under pressure by deer, including Ben Nevis, Glen Coe, both national parks, and the critically rare Caledonian forest. Deer are [involved](https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/2023-07/2019%20-%202021%20Deer%20Vehicle%20Collision%20report%20-%20two%20page%20colour%20supplement.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in an estimated 1,850 traffic collisions in Scotland, according to NatureScot and Transport Scotland. An estimated 700 people die or are injured each year in the UK due to colliding with the animals, and spend £17m on vehicle repairs. [Deer are damaging hundreds of protected areas across Scotland. Experts can’t agree how to stop themHundreds 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.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-172.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1470220463-scaled-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nearly-300-protected-areas-pressured-by-scotlands-rampant-deer-population/) In 2021, FLS [said](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/news-releases/deer-numbers-placing-unprecedented-pressure-on-environment?ref=theferret.scot) deer population levels can be as high as 64 deer per sq km in some areas. The John Muir Trust [says](https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/resources/943-deer-management-faq-july-2021?ref=theferret.scot) that five deer per sq km tends to prevent natural woodland regeneration, while exceeding eight per sq km risks damage to peatlands. The Scottish Government accepted the deer working group’s recommended limits of 10 red deer per sq km in large open areas in the Highlands, but added that appropriate densities can vary by location. To control the population and mitigate their impact, some 100,000 deer are recorded as being culled each year, but the true number could be as high as 200,000, according to NatureScot. But it [estimates](https://www.nature.scot/deer-cull-incentive-schemes-launch-help-tackle-nature-and-climate-crises?ref=theferret.scot) that 50,000 more must be killed annually to meet nature and biodiversity targets. Deer control is voluntary, rather than compulsory, but the wildlife agency has the power to cull deer on behalf of non-compliant landowners “when necessary to protect our natural heritage”. In January, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/this-highland-estate-took-1-5m-in-taxpayer-cash-but-let-deer-run-riot-across-protected-areas/#comments) that a Highland estate which Scotland’s wildlife agency says failed to stop rampant deer from harming protected areas received nearly £1.5m in public subsidies, including £139,000 for deer fencing. ![A small group of red deer hinds standing on a grassy hillside near a fence, looking toward the camera.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/iStock-178381855.jpg) A heard of female and juvenile male wild Red Deer on North Uist. Image: leolsd/iStock ### **The deer management bill: In numbers** Between April 2014 and April 2025, FLS, which manages around a third of the nation’s public forests, spent £77.6m on deer management. The costs included culling deer, protecting trees by putting up fencing, and funding vehicles, machinery, equipment and staff salaries to control the animals. Apart from a spending dip during the Covid-19 pandemic, the annual cost of its deer management efforts has increased, and nearly doubled from £5.3m in 2014/15 to £10.4m in 2024/25. The figures do not include the several millions of pounds in damage that [FLS claims](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/news-releases/deer-numbers-placing-unprecedented-pressure-on-environment?ref=theferret.scot) deer cause to trees annually. Between 2016 and 2025, Scottish Forestry, which is responsible for woodland policy, support and regulation, awarded at least £56.4m via its forestry grant scheme to companies, organisations and individuals to protect their woodlands from deer. The vast majority (£48.8m) went towards deer fencing, £6.6m funded tree shelters to protect saplings from the browsing animals, and a further £1m was spent on “reducing deer impact”. > Without any protections, new woodlands would find it hard to establish due to the damaging effects of deer browsing. — Scottish Forestry A separate freedom of information request shows that Scottish Forestry subsidised 2,284 miles of deer fencing between 2018/19 and 2024/25 – nearly triple the distance of John o' Groats to Lands End by car – costing about £8 per metre, on average. In 2020, the Scottish Government’s independent [deer working group](https://www.gov.scot/groups/deer-working-group/?ref=theferret.scot) [urged](https://www.gov.scot/publications/management-wild-deer-scotland/pages/25?ref=theferret.scot) ministers to record the cost of damage by deer to trees and agriculture, and make annual government spending on tackling the issue “clear and transparent”. The Ferret asked NatureScot what progress had been made in collating the data, but it said it was restricted in what information it could provide due to pre-election communications rules ahead of the Holyrood vote in May. High deer density also costs the private sector. A [2016 report](https://digital.nls.uk/pubs/e-monographs/2020/216547571.23.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from NatureScot put the annual cost of privately-funded deer management at £42.6m, but added that some costs were offset by sporting income at estates, jobs linked to sporting, and the sale of venison. Tens of thousands of landowners long benefitted from tax breaks, however. In 2018, Scottish Parliament [research](https://www.theferret.scot/9-of-10-shooting-properties-exempt-business-rates/) found that nine out of ten of Scotland’s shooting properties, including some owned by billionaires, were exempt from paying £10.5m in annual business rates. The Scottish Government's budget, passed in March this year, scrapped the exemption from 01 April, with some exceptions, including for crofts and those shooting solely for deer management. [This Highland estate took £1.5m in taxpayer cash but let deer run riot across protected areasScottish authorities had to intervene to keep deer numbers down at a Sutherland estate after the overpopulated animals damaged protected areas. Meanwhile, the landowner has received vast sums of public money.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-173.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1212433345.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/this-highland-estate-took-1-5m-in-taxpayer-cash-but-let-deer-run-riot-across-protected-areas/) ### **‘Focused and targeted resources’** Scottish Environment LINK is a coalition of over 50 green organisations. Duncan Orr-Ewing, convener of its [deer group](https://www.scotlink.org/our-work/our-land/deer/?ref=theferret.scot), said deer numbers had reached “the highest-known levels, preventing the delivery of key nature restoration programmes,” and called for more culling. He added: “A clear plan of action to reduce deer populations in key areas including the use of NatureScot’s recently enhanced intervention powers is urgent and essential.” [According to](https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work/scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) the Woodland Trust, 18 per cent of Scotland has tree cover, compared to a European average of 37 per cent. Just 4 per cent of Scotland is native woodland – more than half of which is in poor condition – and just 1 per cent of land has ancient woodland. NatureScot [says](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/carbon-management/restoring-scotlands-peatlands?ref=theferret.scot) that while peatlands hold most of Scotland’s stored carbon, an estimated 80 per cent are damaged. The John Muir Trust argued that deer management is “one of the major obstacles” to growing Scotland’s woodland, and protecting and regenerating peatlands. The practice is “a critical part” of conservation charity’s “responsibility to steward the land we manage to the highest environmental standards”, claimed chief executive David Balharry. In some areas, the animals “trample peatlands and destroy the surface vegetation leaving the soils exposed and vulnerable to further deterioration”, while large herds are “devouring burgeoning new habitats”. Deer management is “an expensive operation”, but the sums are “small compared to other land management practices, and the cost of biodiversity loss and climate change”, he added. > In many parts of Scotland deer are at low densities, or at least at densities where impacts are acceptable in the light of local land use objectives. — Rory Putman, Glasgow University The SNP’s Emma Harper agreed, claiming “the benefits it will bring in terms of regenerating woodland and peatland, in turn stimulating the wider natural environment, are much, much greater than the cost of that management”. “There’s also the economic potential of local venison harvesting and processing, keeping food as local as it gets, increasing spend in the local economy and supporting employment,” Harper added. [Rory Putman](https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/bohvm/staff/roryputman/?ref=theferret.scot), a visiting professor at Glasgow University, has published 12 books and over 100 technical articles on deer, including an assessment of the economic costs and benefits for NatureScot, published in 2012. He challenged public bodies to outline the costs and benefits of different strategies including culling, fencing, planting fewer tree species susceptible to deer and actively promoting stalking as a source of additional income. In some cases, it could be cheaper to leave vulnerable trees unprotected from deer, he suggested. Claims of overpopulation “oversimplifies the reality; that in many parts of Scotland deer are at low densities, or at least at densities where impacts are acceptable in the light of local land use objectives,” added Putman. A Scottish Forestry spokesperson said “effective deer management is an important aspect of woodland protection and it is now a prominent condition of the [UK Forestry Standard](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-forestry-standard?ref=theferret.scot)”, which is government-mandated. “Without any protections, new woodlands would find it hard to establish due to the damaging effects of deer browsing,” they stressed. A Forestry and Land Scotland spokesperson said: “High deer population levels have a negative impact on the environment, affecting a wide range of habitats”. Tackling the issue “is a fundamentally important element of our work that requires dedicated, focused and targeted resources,” they added. “This work not only contributes towards the Scottish Government’s climate change, biodiversity and environment targets but also helps to secure Scotland’s future timber reserve, protect habitats, and sustain jobs in deer management and in Scotland’s food and drink sector.” *We updated this article at 9:02 0n 12 April to specify that 700 people die or are injured each year in the UK due to deer collisions, according to NatureScot and Transport Scotland. We originally stated that deer were involved in 700 road deaths.* Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Dozens charged for supporting loyalist paramilitary groups banned under terror laws URL: https://www.theferret.scot/loyalist-paramilitary-groups-terror-laws/ Last updated: 2026-04-05T10:00:08.000Z There have been 66 alleged offences in Scotland regarding support for banned loyalist paramilitary groups like the Ulster Volunteer Force, Ulster Freedom Fighters, and Red Hand Commando since the Terrorism Act 2000 came into force. A freedom of information (FoI) response from the Crown Office also revealed there were 13 charges linked to the Irish Republican Army, five alleging support for the banned neo-Nazi group, National Action, two for the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), and one relating to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, aka Islamic State. Section 13 of the Terrorism Act makes it an offence to wear, carry or display an item in public in a way that arouses “reasonable suspicion” that a person is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation. Crimes included a man successfully prosecuted after being caught with an Ulster Volunteer Force flag (UVF) on an orange walk in Glasgow in 2023, while a Livingston woman was fined for hanging an Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) flag on her house while singing sectarian songs with lyrics in support of the outlawed terror group. The figures were obtained by the Northern Irish investigative website, The Detail, and shared with The Ferret. Experts said loyalist paramilitary groups are still active despite being banned under terror laws, with one claiming their support network in Scotland remains “essential” in terms of fundraising and a supportive subculture. The Crown Office said all reports of criminality are “carefully considered on their own unique facts and circumstances”. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The FoI response revealed that since the Terrorism Act came into force, there have been 193 charges relating to 157 people accused in 155 cases. Three of the more serious cases are ongoing while 30 people have been convicted at sheriff courts resulting in 18 fines, 10 admonishments, a community payback order and one person put on probation. Five charges related to National Action, a banned neo-Nazi group that plotted to kill Labour MP Rosie Cooper in an act of “white jihad”, and celebrated the murder of the MP Jo Cox. National Action was proscribed as a terror group in 2016 but emerged under the name Scottish Dawn in early 2017\. It was banned under terror laws in September that year after an undercover investigation by The Ferret revealed its links to National Action. Our story follows comments by former Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan who was reported to police after apparently backing the IRA, Hamas and Hezbollah at a rally in Northern Ireland. Sheridan reportedly defended his comments, saying: “There is zero criminality in the comments.” Dr Aaron Edwards, an academic at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst said banned loyalist groups are still in place with a paramilitary command structure, including in Belfast, Londonderry, and Portadown. “The size and shape depends on where you look and they tend to be involved in low level crime: extortion from businesses, the taxing of drug dealers, everyday illegality, threats and intimidation,” he added. “They are persistent – a perennial feature. They are influential in parts of society, low-income neighbourhoods, akin to organised crime gangs elsewhere. But they are more muscular because of the paramilitary structure.” In terms of Scotland, he said these groups have an “essential” support network in the form of flute bands, orange marches and a paramilitary subculture. “The connection is strong,” he added. Describing the figures for Scotland as “remarkable”, Edwards said they suggest that enforcement of a UK-wide law is “more robust” with crimes not tolerated, contrasting the situation in Northern Ireland where “flags with paramilitary slogans are everywhere which show support is tolerated”. Professor Dominic Bryan, a social anthropologist at Queen’s University Belfast, said that in some areas of Northern Ireland the organisations are “very involved in organised crime” including drugs, money lending and extortion. “There remain feuds within groups over control of areas – local big men – probably not unlike Glasgow. "They are all involved in levels of coercive control in Protestant working class areas and represent themselves through displays of flags, murals, memorials and in some flute bands and in the organisation of some 11th \[of July\] night bonfires.” Bonfires commemorate King William of Orange’s victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 because they were lit to guide him. He added: “There have always been links to Scotland and the most obvious is through flute bands that move between both jurisdictions in the summer months. Police Scotland and the Orange Order in Scotland are far stricter and stop displays of flags by bands. In Northern Ireland it is not uncommon for bands to march through town and city centres displaying paramilitary flags. Scotland has also been home for a few loyalists who have had to get out of Northern Ireland, such as Jonny 'Mad Dog' Adair.” The Detail revealed last month that there were eight times more prosecutions in Northern Ireland of republican paramilitary displays than loyalist ones over the past decade. Between 2015 and 2025, there were 94 prosecutions under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act. Of those, 83 were linked to republican groups and 11 to loyalist organisations. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has repeatedly come in for criticism over its approach to dealing with displays that glorify paramilitary groups. The PSNI told The Detail then it is “fully committed to ensuring the fair, effective and legitimate safeguarding of people and property while taking action against any offenders”. Daniel Holder, director of the Committee for the Administration of Justice, an independent human rights organisation in Northern Ireland, said: “We still have such armed groups operational in certain areas \[in Northern Ireland\]. This includes elements of loyalist paramilitaries in some areas being involved in racist intimidation – an issue called out by both the UN anti-racism committee and the Independent Reporting Commission.” ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Over 100 Scottish terrorism charges have been linked to Palestine Action. That's more in seven months than all other groups faced in 25 years URL: https://www.theferret.scot/more-palestine-action-supporters-charged-terrorism/ Last updated: 2026-04-05T08:14:47.000Z **Scottish prosecutors have received more than 100 reports of alleged terrorism related to Palestine Action in seven months, more than for any other proscribed group in the 26 years since the Terrorism Act was introduced, The Ferret can reveal.** Figures released under freedom of information legislation show 103 reports of terrorism charges associated with the banned direct action group had been received by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in Scotland by the end of February this year. In total 193 terrorism charges have been lodged in Scotland, with Palestine Action cases accounting for more than half. The other 93 include allegations linked to paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. [Palestine Action](https://www.theferret.scot/what-is-happening-with-palestine-action/) – which aims to disrupt UK support for Israel – was proscribed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in July last year, making support for the group punishable by 14 years imprisonment. [Section 13](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/803/pdfs/uksiem%5F20250803%5Fen%5F001.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of the Terrorism Act makes it an offence to wear, carry or display an item in public in a way that arouses “reasonable suspicion” that a person is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation. The Home Office told The Ferret that it believed Palestine Action was “not an ordinary protest or civil disobedience group” and said it would always take the “strongest possible action” to protect UK national security. However leading human rights organisations have raised serious concerns about Palestine Action’s proscription with [UN human rights chief Volker Türk](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/uk-palestine-action-ban-disturbing-misuse-uk-counter-terrorism-legislation?ref=theferret.scot) warning that the UK Government’s decision undermined “fundamental freedoms” to protest. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Those charged for their association with Palestine Action have included protestors targeting arms manufacturing factories like [Ebit Systems](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crk8xd4m6v0o?ref=theferret.scot) or [Leonardo](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-enterprise-human-rights-arms-companies/), which produce components for [Israeli F-35 fighter jets](https://www.theferret.scot/arms-firms-israel-grants-allegations-genocide-gaza/). But dozens of others in Scotland [have been arrested](https://www.theferret.scot/palestine-protests-activists-or-terrorists/) and charged with terrorism offences after attending protests wearing T-shirts or holding up signs in support of the banned group. The new Scottish figures, obtained by Northern Irish investigative unit [The Detail](https://www.thedetail.tv/?ref=theferret.scot) and shared with The Ferret, do not reveal how many of the charges led to convictions. However we understand some are still facing terrorism charges for showing support for Palestine Action. In February the High Court ruled that the decision to proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation was [unlawful](https://www.dpglaw.co.uk/news/high-court-rules-decision-to-proscribe-palestine-action-under-terrorism-legislation-unlawful/?ref=theferret.scot), however the [Home Office](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0e5zp8w7gzo?ref=theferret.scot) is appealing its decision. This week fresh concerns were raised by human rights groups after 21-year-old [Qesser Zubrah](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/31/uk-accused-intimidation-tactics-bailed-pro-palestine-activitsts?ref=theferret.scot), one of the “Filton 24” – accused of breaking into an Elbit Systems UK weapons factory in Filton, Bristol – was detained after sharing a social media post calling for “direct action”. Zubrah was previously released after 15 months without conviction in February during which she went on [hunger strike](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93n592320do?ref=theferret.scot) for 48 days. Neil Cowan, [Amnesty International UK](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)'s Scotland programme director said the "revelatory" figures underlined “just how far-reaching and damaging the proscription’s impact has been”. “People who are being criminalised for peacefully opposing the proscription of Palestine Action are being charged for something that should never have been a crime,” he argued. “They have found themselves branded terrorists as the result of the UK Government’s sweeping use of counter‑terrorism powers to silence critics or suppress dissent.” > People who are being criminalised for peacefully opposing the proscription of Palestine Action are being charged for something that should never have been a crime. — Neil Cowan, Amnesty International UK Maggie Chapman, North East MSP for the Scottish Greens, claimed the policy of proscription had been “utterly immoral and dangerous”. “It has had a terrible impact on people who have been criminalised for holding signs, while being a total waste of time and resources for the police,” she added. “The violence, destruction and genocide that Israel is inflicting is grotesque, and it is the duty of everyone who cares about human rights to oppose it in word and deed. Instead Labour has punished those taking a stand while [arming and supporting](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9964/?ref=theferret.scot) those responsible for some of the worst crimes of this century.” Yair Dvir, spokesperson of Israeli human rights group [B’Tselem](https://www.btselem.org/?ref=theferret.scot) said that with genocide continuing in Gaza and “[ethnic cleansin](https://www.theferret.scot/awdah-hathaleen-death-eviction/)g in the [West Bank](https://www.theferret.scot/its-christmas-in-bethlehem-but-children-in-the-west-bank-face-violence-and-fear/) expanding” it was critical that the international community took action. “Today in Israel, there is no existing mechanism that is capable of stopping the deterioration we are witnessing,” he added. “The government and other state apparatuses operate openly to commit crimes against humanity.” Last week the Israeli Knesset approved the [death penalty](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/02/israel-death-penalty-law-dehumanisation-palestinians?ref=theferret.scot) for those convicted of intentional killings classified as acts of terrorism under Israeli legislation. Human rights organisations have said they are “appalled” at the “discriminatory” legislation, claiming the wording of the bills means it would primarily, if not exclusively, be applied to Palestinians and would be the “default” sentence. In response to the figures a spokesperson for the Crown Office said all reports were “fully considered and assessed in accordance with the law, the available evidence, and the public interest”, adding: “Scotland's prosecutors act independently at all times.” A Home Office spokesperson said: “As the High Court acknowledged, Palestine Action has carried out acts of terrorism and is not an ordinary protest or civil disobedience group. The Court also found that its actions are not consistent with democratic values or the rule of law. “There are many lawful ways to support the Palestinian cause without being a member or supporter of this harmful organisation as the Court agreed.” The Israeli Embassy was approached for comment. ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Named: the salmon farms rapped over animal welfare URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farms-rapped-over-animal-welfare/ Last updated: 2026-04-02T05:30:13.000Z **A UK government watchdog has named two salmon farms in Scotland which have been reprimanded on animal welfare, following an appeal by The Ferret.** The [Animal and Plant Health Agency](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/animal-and-plant-health-agency/) disclosed it had sent warning letters to farms run by the Faroese firm, Bakkafrost, at Quarry Point on Loch Fyne, and West Strome on Loch Carron in 2025 and 2023. This is believed to be the first time that the agency has identified salmon farms against which it has taken enforcement action. It initially insisted on keeping the names of the farms secret, but reversed its decision after The Ferret asked for a review under [freedom of information](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/freedom-of-information/) law. Some campaigners welcomed the agency’s change of heart, but said it should not have needed “a freedom of information battle” for the farms to be named. Others lambasted the agency for still being secretive about its regulatory action. [Bakkafrost](https://www.bakkafrostscotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot) described the warning letters as “historical”, and stated that fish welfare had been managed “appropriately”. The company remained committed to transparency and “high standards of fish health and welfare”, it said. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The [Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency?ref=theferret.scot) is an executive body of the UK [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs?ref=theferret.scot) in London, and also works for the Scottish Government. It is responsible for fish welfare and enforcing animal welfare law. The Ferret [reported in February](https://www.theferret.scot/weak-salmon-farm-watchdog-100-investigations-and-just-two-warning-letters/) that APHA had investigated more than 100 complaints about animal welfare at salmon farms since 2020\. This resulted in the agency sending just two warning letters, but it refused to give further details on the grounds that this would [“prejudice the commercial interests”](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27345367-apha-foi-response-on-enforcement-actions/?ref=theferret.scot) of companies involved. We requested an internal review, arguing that transparency was the best way to ensure good regulation. We also suggested that our request should be handled under UK [environmental information regulations](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/eir-and-access-to-information/guide-to-the-environmental-information-regulations/what-are-the-eir/?ref=theferret.scot), a parallel and slightly tougher regime than the UK [freedom of information act](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/foi/what-is-the-foi-act-and-are-we-covered/?ref=theferret.scot). APHA [responded on 27 March](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27927786-apha-internal-review-response-on-two-warning-letters/?ref=theferret.scot), accepting our arguments. It revealed that one warning letter was sent to Bakkafrost on 4 November 2025 about its Quarry Point salmon farm on Loch Fyne in Argyll. APHA said that “no further action” was required, and did not give any details of the farm’s alleged animal welfare shortfalls. The campaign group, [Animal Equality](https://animalequality.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), had complained to APHA about Quarry Point in August 2025 with [drone footage](https://youtu.be/G%5FtN0mkwaPY?ref=theferret.scot) showing salmon being removed from a cage and seemingly suffocating to death. The Ferret [also reported](https://www.theferret.scot/aquaculture-stewardship-council-bakkafrost/) that the number of sea lice attached to salmon at the farm exceeded safety limits between April and June 2025. [APHA said](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27927786-apha-internal-review-response-on-two-warning-letters/?ref=theferret.scot) it sent another warning letter to Bakkafrost on 18 December 2023 about the West Strome salmon farm on Loch Carron in Wester Ross. Again, it provided no detail and added that “no further action” was taken. In March [we reported](https://www.theferret.scot/videos-damaged-salmon-bakkafrost/) on videos filmed at West Strome between July and December 2025 showing severely damaged salmon. Bakkafrost said it had conducted a “full review” with APHA, and the farm had been fallow in 2026. According to Animal Equality’s director, [Abigail Penny](https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-penny-476a5640/?ref=theferret.scot), groups and individuals had filed dozens of complaints about salmon farms in recent years. Salmon were allegedly “left blind and deformed, others beaten or suffocating to death”, she said. “What exactly moves APHA to act, and when, remains a complete mystery, since they are not remotely forthcoming about it,” she added. “And when the regulatory action turns out to be a mere warning letter – the most tepid form of reprimand imaginable – you have to wonder what it would actually take for APHA to treat this mass animal suffering as the emergency it is." Penny highlighted the [latest report](https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/rural-affairs-and-islands-committee/correspondence/2026/salmon-farming-to-cab-sec-25-march.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in March from the Scottish Parliament’s rural affairs committee, which was very critical of the Scottish Government’s failure to make progress on “future-proofing” the salmon farming industry. “It's time to put the brakes on this deadly form of factory farming,” she said. [‘Sickening’ videos of damaged salmon at highland farmCampaigners complained to a government animal welfare watchdog, with videos of badly injured salmon at a fish farm. This prompted a review, but should more have been done?![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-159.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1309102714.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/videos-damaged-salmon-bakkafrost/) The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) argued that it should not have needed a freedom of information battle to identify the two salmon farms that had been reprimanded. What had happened at West Strome was “particularly troubling”, said the party’s rural affairs spokesperson, [Ariane Burgess](https://greens.scot/team/ariane-burgess-msp?ref=theferret.scot). She questioned whether warning letters resulted in “meaningful change” and called for all enforcement actions to be published “proactively and promptly”. The public, and the animals involved, “deserve better than a system where accountability only emerges piece by piece”, she said. [Bakkafrost](https://www.bakkafrostscotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot) confirmed that Quarry Point and West Strome had both received “a historical warning letter from previous years”. Warning letters were one of several “routine” tools available to regulators, said the company’s director, [Anna Johansen](https://www.bakkafrost.com/en/about-us/key-executives?ref=theferret.scot). “They do not routinely imply non‑compliance. They usually indicate that an issue or complaint was under review, and in these two cases found animal welfare to have been managed appropriately at the time, and that the regulator considered the cases closed.” Johansen pointed out that salmon farming faced “unpredictable biological or environmental challenges”. When problems arose, “our teams respond quickly, working under veterinary oversight and in full engagement with regulators”, she said. “We remain committed to transparency, continuous improvement, and high standards of fish health and welfare. We will continue to work constructively with regulators.” > You have to wonder what it would actually take for APHA to treat this mass animal suffering as the emergency it is. — Abigail Penny, Animal Equality The [Animal and Plant Health Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment, suggesting that further inquiries should be made using freedom of information law. The Ferret has asked the agency to release copies of the written warnings sent to Quarry Point and West Strome. The agency has previously insisted it was unable to comment on individual cases. "We treat all reports of suspected cases of poor welfare at salmon farms seriously and all are assessed by our vets,” said a spokesperson [in February](https://www.theferret.scot/weak-salmon-farm-watchdog-100-investigations-and-just-two-warning-letters/). “We work closely with local authorities and the Scottish Government’s [Fish Health Inspectorate](https://www.gov.scot/policies/fish-health-inspectorate/?ref=theferret.scot) to manage each case through our standard process of triage and assessment.” The Ferret [reported in August 2025](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-waste-pollution-nuclear-plant/) that files released after a six-year freedom of information battle revealed that the UK nuclear bomb store at Coulport on the Clyde had leaked radioactive waste into Loch Long. Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### This 'natural' golf course could help shape the future of the sport URL: https://www.theferret.scot/natural-golf-course-could-help-shape-future-sport/ Last updated: 2026-04-01T18:40:46.000Z **On a gusty spring morning at Machrihanish Dunes, James Parker is talking about golf, nature, and this course’s resident sheep who are hidden somewhere amongst the rolling sand dunes.** We’re on the “world's most natural golf course” where sheep are welcome – both for their dung, which adds nutrients to the soil, and their grazing, which keeps the marram grass from smothering wildflowers. Sheep droppings mean that golfers must tread carefully, but the animals are an important part of this golf course's heritage. “Everything in nature works on a competitive edge,” says Parker, the club’s superintendent, who moved from near Newcastle to Campbeltown in 2022 to take up his role here after managing several other courses in the UK. “We kind of work on the assumption that this is a nature reserve that facilitates golf,” he adds. “It's not a golf course that facilitates nature." The Ferret is visiting the small course, on the Kintyre Peninsula, not primarily in search of sheep, but to better understand its famed green credentials as part of our latest series, [Green Drive: Golf and the environmental crisis](https://www.journalismfund.eu/green-drive?ref=theferret.scot). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/image.png) Golf can have an unsustainable [demand for land](https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20250214-from-scotland-to-california-the-rewilded-golf-courses-where-wildlife-thrives?ref=theferret.scot), a [thirst for water](https://www.bigga.org.uk/news-listing/don-t-sleepwalk-into-a-water-crisis.html?ref=theferret.scot), and a [reliance](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/06/pesticides-golf-courses-health-problems?ref=theferret.scot) on pesticides and fertilisers to maintain its green and manicured courses – posing potential risks to humans, wildlife and the environment. But at Machrihanish Dunes, fairways have been allowed to grow naturally since its inception in 2008, with no irrigation or chemicals. While the course uses mechanical technology to trim its rough areas, and has plans for a fleet of solar-powered robot mowers, the sheep have become so emblematic of the club that it “wouldn’t be without them”. Machrihanish Dunes is [reportedly](https://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/PgrID/573/PageID/578/artmid/574/articleid/10760?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) the first course to have been built on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – a location that Scotland’s wildlife agency [deems](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/national-designations/sites-special-scientific-interest-sssis?ref=theferret.scot) to be among “essential building blocks for nature conservation”. Flanked by the Atlantic, sand dunes, grasslands and rare wildflowers are among its iconic features. In the summer, the course is awash with pink pyramid orchids. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/MachrihanishJ46866.jpg) Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club's superintendant, James Parker, and his dog, Kalie. Image: Angela Catlin Pointing out towards the horizon, Parker claims that just three of the course's 81 hectares were disturbed during its construction – only the tees and greens were shaped beyond their natural form. Such careful planning and maintenance techniques helped Machrihanish Dunes become the UK’s [first-ever](https://golfbusinessnews.com/news/courses/geo-certifies-machrihanish-dunes/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) 18-hole course to be certified by the East Lothian-based [GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf](https://sustainable.golf/?ref=theferret.scot), in 2010, just two years after the club was founded by Australian, Brian Keaton. The club [lists](https://machrihanishdunes.com/awards/?ref=theferret.scot) dozens of awards after judges favoured not only its environmental performance, but the overall quality of its course. It beat a wealth of competition – both in Scotland, “the home of golf, with our more than [550](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2025/06-a/foi-202500457267/documents/foi-202500457267---information-released---annex-a/foi-202500457267---information-released---annex-a/govscot%3Adocument/FOI%2B202500457267%2B-%2BInformation%2Breleased%2B-%2BAnnex%2BA.pdf?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) courses – and internationally. The club says the course has been built, used and maintained without disturbing precious dunes and other rare wildlife. But how does it manage this? “It’s not easy”, says Parker. “Golf and nature work well together, but they don't work together exclusively. There’s always going to be a minor concession along the way for us. We concede to the SSSI more than we concede to golf.” But this approach, he believes, adds to the course’s charm. “This is golf in its most natural form, and this is how golf would have been played”. The clusters of marram grass contrast with many immaculate courses seen in televised events, and it's a challenging one to play. “Instead of going through dune systems, we play over them,” says Parker, who argues that adapting to the natural environment makes for a more unique course. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/MachrihanishJ46861.jpg) Marram grass has been allowed to take over a rubber path at Machrihanish Dunes golf club. Image: Angela Catlin. “We've got to get used to embracing imperfection, and we’re starting to see that more and more. What the sport needs is a professional tournament to be played on a golf course like this. It’s for somebody to start that process off to say ‘this is what golf will be in the future’”. His beliefs chime with industry recommendations from the University Centre Myerscroft in Lancashire. It cites “future trends of more ‘rugged and natural’ courses” and has [advised](https://assets.randa.org/c42c7bf4-dca7-00ea-4f2e-373223f80f76/27444a8d-e3e2-4bfc-8d5a-3055732d68d7/Course%20Condition%20Playability%20Summary.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) clubs “to manage players’ expectations of what courses will look like”. “This is an opportunity for golf to promote the unique character and differences between courses, where players can test themselves in its raw and natural environment,” it adds. Similarly, the St Andrews-based world golf body, the R&A, [said](https://www.randa.org/articles/the-golfer-s-role-in-sustainable-golf?ref=theferret.scot) “the demand for ultra-fast putting surfaces is just one example of where expectations clash with sustainability”, which can lead to rising maintenance costs, a need for more resources and, in turn, higher green fees. ### **Golf and the environment** Parker says his club aims to “allow natural processes to happen”, such as leaving dunes unobstructed so they can be continually shaped by the wind. But the club might manufacture more bare sand areas to attract wildlife, removing invasive species without the need for chemicals. “We get lizards basking in \[bare sand\], the birds will dust down, and the deer will hide in them,” he explains. “In the winter, the sheep will hide in them.” Removing invasive species like spear thistle and creeping thistle aids thriving populations of pyramid orchids and other native wildlife, says Parker. “It's because we've allowed the seeds, the space and the air to pop.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/MachrihanishJ46858.jpg) Machrihanish Dunes is awash with pink pyramid orchids in the summer. Image: Angela Catlin Fewer than 6,000 rounds are played at Machrihanish Dunes each year, meaning the course is under less pressure than many others are. Parker takes his role as a custodian of a SSSI seriously nonetheless. But he claims NatureScot did not frequently manage or monitor the protected site until plans for the golf course were lodged. Then, the site was “increasingly subject to scrutiny and regulation". In 2009, the wildlife agency [found](https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/site-special-scientific-interest/1120/site-management-statement.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the sand dunes to be in “unfavourable” condition, following damage from invasive species and rabbit grazing. Parker believes NatureScot lacks the resources to properly monitor Scotland’s numerous sensitive sites, and warns that, when neglected, they can degenerate. “Before you know it, in 10 years, you've got something that’s struggling to resemble a SSSI”. In spite of known negative environmental impacts associated with the sport, golf courses can play a role in conservation, according to a 2023 [study](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213078023000567?ref=theferret.scot). In 2024, Dr Mike Jefferies, an associate professor in geography and environmental sciences at Northumbria University, [wrote](https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/news-events/news/expert-comment-can-golf-courses-help-save-the-planet-ask-a-herd-of-wild-pigs/?ref=theferret.scot) that, if managed effectively, courses can support more biodiversity and wildlife compared to farmland or suburban developments. Another example of a nature-centric approach involves the Fife Golf Trust’s seven golf courses for nature project, which brings together courses in Cardenden, Cowdenbeath, Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes, Kinghorn, Lochore and Leven. It’s won awards for its [efforts](https://www.nature.scot/doc/nature-restoration-fund-nrf-our-projects-2023-2025?ref=theferret.scot) to boost biodiversity by creating, connecting, and boosting habitats across its courses, with an array of new woodlands – made up of 10,000 newly-planted trees – grasslands, wetlands and water bodies. It also [planted](https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/business/awards-ceremony-success-caps-fine-year-for-fife-golf-trust-5451954?ref=theferret.scot) new hedgerows and removed 2000m of redundant fencing to create wildlife corridors, and installed dozens of boxes to house owls and bats. Other efforts to improve the sport’s green credentials are underway too. As part of its Golf Course 2030 initiative, the R&A promotes a range of climate-focused [projects](https://www.randa.org/golf-course-2030-projects-climate?ref=theferret.scot), including [sustainable](https://www.randa.org/articles/the-r-a-sustainable-agronomy-service-named-official-agronomist-of-the-let?ref=theferret.scot) soil management and [water usage](https://www.randa.org/en/golf-course-2030-projects-resources?ref=theferret.scot), and a greenkeeper scholarship programme to help develop sustainability skills. It’s also commissioned [research](https://www.randa.org/golf-course-2030-projects-biodiversity?ref=theferret.scot) into biodiversity and carbon sequestration, [nature](https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/c42c7bf4-dca7-00ea-4f2e-373223f80f76/b4661358-09ed-4d64-bc54-0ebb1576684d/Golf%20and%20Nature%20-%20A%20Study%20of%20UK%20Golf%20Courses.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on golf courses, and waste and pollution. [Scotland’s disappearing golf coursesClimate change is causing rising sea levels and coastal erosion and 109 Scottish golf courses are at risk. We examined the issue as part of Green drive: Golf and the environmental crisis – a special Ferret series on golf and the environment.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-155.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/MontroseJ46682-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-disappearing-golf-courses/) Meanwhile, Scotland’s [Dynamic Coast](https://www.dynamiccoast.com/?ref=theferret.scot) project, which has found that coastal erosion poses a risk to links courses – an issue The Ferret recently [explored](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-disappearing-golf-courses/) – offers [advice](https://www.dynamiccoast.com/files/dc2/%5FDC2%5FWS5%5FReportCard%5FGolf.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to help courses to monitor, adapt and increase resilience against the environmental threat. Tiree is acting as a key [case study](https://www.dynamiccoast.com/files/CCA%5FCSY4%5FABC%5FTiree%5FCCAP%5FUpdate1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for the project, with [plans](https://www.dynamiccoast.com/files/CCA%5FCSY4%5FABC%5FTiree%5FCCAP%5FUpdate1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) over the next few years to reprofile beaches on the Inner Hebridean island “to buy time” at erosion hot spots, and develop a wider plan to adapt to and protect against coastal change. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/Sheep-2.jpg) Dutch Zwartbles Sheep roam the Machrihanish Dunes golf course. Image: James Parker As we reach the northern boundary of Machrihanish Dunes, Parker tells us about his plans for a second course, which has been given the greenlight. Planning rules have tightened since the original course was originally built, meaning the club has had to make more concessions for the second – while the plans have been slowed for two years. The current site consists of surplus agricultural land and a quarry, with many of the natural features diminished, Parker says. But he promises the club will regenerate this part of the SSSI and create a “network tapestry of different grasslands, with different textures that wildlife will utilise”. He claims there’s no good research as to whether golf courses hurt or hinder SSSIs, and wants the new site to be part of a case study. There are examples of clubs creating and conserving dune slacks, and removing invasive species, he says. “But what we've not seen is everybody tie that together in one package and do a full SSSI restoration, which will be extremely challenging to do.” [Trump golf resort the only one among Scotland’s top courses to breach environmental rulesWe asked about the environmental records of Scotland’s 25 best golf courses. The US president’s resort in the north east was the only one to breach its licence in recent years.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-157.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1280px-President_Donald_Trump-_on_Tuesday-_July_29-_2025-_in_Aberdeen-_Scotland-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/trump-golf-scotland-environmental-rules/) Parker is acutely aware of the sport’s environmental reputation. “I think ecologically, golf takes a bashing because people think it's an ultra-high consumer resource. But it's not. It couldn't be further from the truth.” Courses can be made using few resources, he argues, with many lacking the need for fertilisers due to their nutrient-rich soils, for example. But Parker does not give the sport a free pass either, or believe that all developments are a force for good. “I think golf courses should fit within certain habitats”, he clarifies. Ahead of our visit, Parker called for a balanced debate in which plans for new sports facilities are scrutinised, but with recognition of “the tremendous strides this industry is making and its contribution to protecting and bettering the natural world”. “Golf and the environment can work hand in hand and Machrihanish Dunes is a prime example of how a once neglected site is now being tended to and protected for the enjoyment of all,” he said. “It’s time our industry was recognised for what it is: professional and interested in both product quality and understanding how this works within the wider, more important context of the environment, which we’re all custodians of and seek to protect daily.” En route back to the clubhouse, Parker admits he’s become more interested in course management and soil science than the game itself, but it’s clear he loves the club. “It’s the only one I've managed that I’d actually be a member of, because it's just so incredible.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/MachrihanishJ46867.jpg) The shore at Machrihanish Dunes. Image: Angela Catlin. *This story is part of Green drive: Golf and the environmental crisis – a series on golf and the environment funded by Journalismfund Europe – an independent, non-profit organisation in Brussels that supports cross-border investigative journalism.* *Our investigations were carried out in partnership with the Spain-based journalist, Natalie Donback, and Italian journalists coordinated by the Fada Collective.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/image--2-.png) ### Trump golf resort the only one among Scotland’s top courses to breach environmental rules URL: https://www.theferret.scot/trump-golf-scotland-environmental-rules/ Last updated: 2026-04-01T14:20:58.000Z **Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire resort is the only one of Scotland’s top golf venues confirmed to have broken environmental rules in recent years, The Ferret has found.** Trump International on the Menie estate in the north east has touted its “[first class](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-41845278?ref=theferret.scot)” approach to the environment and [described](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr3jyynxx8o?ref=theferret.scot) a second 18-hole course built there last year as “one of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable” ever. But records obtained by The Ferret show that it is the only one of Scotland’s best courses which the green watchdog confirmed breached its environmental licence over the last three years. As part of our ‘[Green Drive](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/green-drive/)’ series, examining golf’s impact on the environment, we submitted freedom of information requests to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) seeking the environmental records of 25 of the country’s [top-rated courses](https://archive.ph/O9Ysw?ref=theferret.scot). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/green-drive-2.png) Sampling by Sepa at [Trump International](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/trump-international-golf-links-scotland/) – which is home to two courses as well as a luxury hotel and bars – found it was not compliant with its licence on four occasions in 2024 and twice in 2025. All six incidents relate to discharges of wastewater from a private sewage system connected to the clubhouse. There is no evidence that any of them caused environmental harm. Sepa [said](https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2025/09/17/trump-golf-course-scotland-sewage-limits/?ref=theferret.scot) last year that while it expected “better performance” it considered the actual environmental impact of the incidents to be “minimal”. None of the other courses examined – including iconic venues like St Andrews, Carnoustie, Muirfield and Gleneagles – were found by Sepa to have breached their own licences over the same period. Critics said the findings were “par for the course” for Trump and that a “billionaire-owned luxury resort for the affluent” should be taking “better care of its effluents”. ****Journalism that follows the money – and demands answers.** This story took time, digging, and persistence. The Ferret is reader-funded investigative journalism, so we can report in the public interest, not for clicks or advertisers. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) “Trump is a [notorious cheat](https://golf.com/lifestyle/celebrities/how-why-president-trump-cheats-golf-playing-tiger-woods/?srsltid=AfmBOoopQLYQZGvjRaFkSrn-syRZb4sBE3ySnbUyYU61pU0p0NlPLDyd&ref=theferret.scot) when playing golf, so Sepa must make sure his courses in Scotland are not allowed to cheat the rules when it comes to protecting the environment,” one added. Trump International said it would be “categorically wrong” to suggest that the wastewater system was causing environmental damage and accused Sepa of insisting on a “particularly intense level of monitoring” at the site. It pointed out that the licence for the sewage system had been repeatedly renewed by the regulator since 2013. Sepa [said](https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2025/09/17/trump-golf-course-scotland-sewage-limits/?ref=theferret.scot) last year that while it expected “better performance” it considered the actual environmental impact of the incidents to be “minimal”. The US president’s flagship Scottish golf development in Aberdeenshire has long been controversial, with its environmental impact facing significant scrutiny both before and after the first course opened in 2012. It was [built](https://www.theferret.scot/trump-lawyers-flood-of-complaints-to-stop-golf-course-losing-conservation-status/) on a four thousand-year-old sand dune system at Menie which had been a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and was considered of “exceptional importance” for a “wide variety of coastal landforms and processes”. The dunes were also home to rare plants and animals. > Trump is a notorious cheat when playing golf, so Sepa must make sure his courses in Scotland are not allowed to cheat the rules. — Rosie Hampton, Friends of the Earth Scotland The site [lost](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-55244660?ref=theferret.scot) its SSSI status in 2020 after wildlife agency NatureScot determined that the dunes had been altered to the extent that they no longer included “enough of the special natural features for which they were designated”. Last year, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/trump-course-caused-more-damage-to-dunes-last-year/) that the course had caused further damage to dunes after pumping water onto them during heavy rain. Trump visited Scotland last year to [open](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c5y0d0yz282t?ref=theferret.scot) a second course at the complex – the ‘MacLeod course’, which is named after his Scottish-born mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. Trump International [said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr3jyynxx8o?ref=theferret.scot) in 2024 that the new course would be “one of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable courses" ever built. That claim was dismissed as “[laughable](https://archive.ph/hQ0Zy?ref=theferret.scot)” by one expert given the “severe and irreparable” damage caused to the dunes during the building of the first course. Five of the breaches of the resort’s environmental licence since 2024 were [reported](https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2025/09/17/trump-golf-course-scotland-sewage-limits/?ref=theferret.scot) by investigative outlet Unearthed last year. The Ferret has uncovered a sixth breach in the second half of 2025. Sepa records show that most of the breaches involved samples of wastewater from the private wastewater system which showed levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) above permitted limits. BOD is an [indicator](https://www.usgs.gov/water-science-school/science/biochemical-oxygen-demand-bod-and-water?ref=theferret.scot) of how much organic material, [potentially including sewage](https://www.in-pipe.com/post/understanding-biochemical-oxygen-demand-bod-in-wastewater-treatment?ref=theferret.scot), is present in water. As organic material breaks down it [uses up](https://www.h2olabcheck.com/blog/view/biological-oxygen-demand-bod?ref=theferret.scot) oxygen, leaving less available for fish and other aquatic life. ![Aerial view of a coastal golf course with a clubhouse, car park and manicured greens set among sand dunes beside the sea.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/1280px-Trump_Intl_Link_-_Menie_Estate_Course_clubhouse.jpg) Trump International on the Menie estate. Image: Alanatabz/Cabro Aviation Five of the incidents in 2024 and 2025 were linked to high BOD levels. Four were classed as “lower tier” exceedances, while one – in August 2024 – was recorded as an “upper tier” breach, which could potentially pose a higher risk to the environment. Sampling that month also recorded an upper tier breach for [suspended solids](https://www.camlab.co.uk/blog/what-is-suspended-solids?ref=theferret.scot) in wastewater discharges – a measure of particles in the water. High levels of suspended solids [can](https://southernscientificireland.com/2023/08/14/suspended-solids/?ref=theferret.scot) cloud water, blocking light needed by plants for photosynthesis and potentially damaging the gills of fish. Sepa [said](https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2025/09/17/trump-golf-course-scotland-sewage-limits/?ref=theferret.scot) in response to Unearthed last year: “The treated effluent passes through a soakaway system after the sampling point, providing further natural filtration before entering the ground. The soakaway significantly reduces the risk of the effluent impacting the environment.” Trump International was also [found](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/?ref=theferret.scot) to be non-compliant nine times back in 2019, with the incidents also related to wastewater sampling. Assessments of the resort’s compliance with its licence are unavailable for 2020, 2021 and 2022 when a criminal cyber attack on Sepa limited the amount of sampling the regulator could carry out. In 2023, all samples taken at the course were compliant. The Scottish Greens MSP for the north east of Scotland, Maggie Chapman, claimed the breaches showed a “familiar pattern of disregard” for the environment and called for Sepa to ensure there are “real consequences for persistent non-compliance”. > Environmental licences exist for a reason – to protect local communities, wildlife and our waters. — Maggie Chapman MSP She added: “Environmental licences exist for a reason – to protect local communities, wildlife and our waters.” Rosie Hampton, campaigns manager at Friends of the Earth Scotland, accused Trump of repeatedly showing a “complete disregard for the communities who face the brunt of his actions”. “Trump is a notorious cheat when playing golf, so Sepa must ensure his courses in Scotland are not allowed to cheat the rules when it comes to protecting the environment,” Hampton said. A spokesperson for Greenpeace UK said it “might be time for the environmental watchdog \[Sepa\] to come out swinging”. They argued: “This is par for the course for Donald Trump. A billionaire-owned luxury resort for the affluent should afford to take better care of its effluents.” Sarah Malone, executive vice president at Trump International said: “It would be categorically wrong to suggest that our \[wastewater\] system was causing environmental damage and we would not hesitate to challenge such an assertion by any means necessary. “Sepa granted a licence for our clubhouse to operate a private wastewater management system in 2013\. That licence has been renewed repeatedly since then and has never been refused. “From the outset, Sepa has insisted on a particularly intense level of monitoring of wastewater management at the site. A vast number of samples have been analysed by both Sepa and specialist environmental engineers we commissioned. “The licence has not been breached 14 times \[since 2019\] – that is incorrect given that a certain number of exceedances are permitted when the frequency of monitoring is taken into account. Any exceedances have been very rare. “The specialist environmental engineers we commissioned to undertake a parallel monitoring exercise contested SEPA’s findings on the occasional minor infractions.” ![Golfers playing on a links course by the coast, with putting greens, golf bags and a buggy visible, and the sea in the background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/Golfers_at_Trump_Turnberry_-_geograph.org.uk_-_6162973.jpg) Golfers at Trump Turnberry. Image: Geograph Britain and Ireland Malone added that the course was “extremely proud” of its “environmental contribution”. “Extensive native grasses have been planted, many hectares of indigenous vegetation have been translocated, and new wetland and dune-slack habitats are flourishing,” she said. Sepa used to publish [assessments](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/compliance/map.aspx?ref=theferret.scot) for the more than 5,000 sites it regulates across the country – rating compliance with each site’s environmental licences – but these have not been available since 2019. Trump’s other Scottish golf course – at Turnberry in Ayrshire – was among those branded as “[poor](https://www.theferret.scot/trump-gordonstoun-gleneagles-poor/)” in 2018 because it repeatedly exceeded the amount of water it was allowed to take to irrigate the course. Turnberry was among the 25 top-rated courses that we asked about in our freedom of information requests and has had no recorded similar breaches in recent years. Information about one other course – Royal Dornoch – was withheld because of a live investigation. The course said this related to water abstraction limits and it was resolving the issue “amicably” with Sepa. A spokesperson for the regulator told The Ferret it regulates activities using a “risk-based approach” and that “monitoring requirements and regulatory activity will vary according to the activities undertaken at each site”. “Where issues are identified which require further action, we take proportionate action in line with our regulatory approach,” they said. ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) *This story is part of 'Green drive: Golf and the environmental crisis' – a series on golf and the environment funded by Journalismfund Europe – an independent, non-profit organisation in Brussels that supports cross-border investigative journalism.* *Our investigations were carried out in partnership with the Spain-based journalist, Natalie Donback, and Italian journalists coordinated by the Fada Collective.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/image--2--1.png) ### Claim 'abortion to birth' is now legal in the UK is Mostly False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-abortion-to-birth-is-now-legal-in-the-uk-is-mostly-false/ Last updated: 2026-03-26T08:49:21.000Z ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) **Changes to abortion law in the UK which were recently passed by the House of Lords have led to a significant amount of debate online.** A new piece of legislation, which would impact the prosecution of women who have late-term abortions, has been criticised by [numerous](https://x.com/doctor%5Frahmeh/status/2034425942798368823?ref=theferret.scot) [influencers](https://x.com/CatholicArena/status/2034423964601049425?ref=theferret.scot) and [campaigners](https://x.com/ArchRose90/status/2034558790335352872?ref=theferret.scot), who claimed the UK had “legalised abortion up to birth”. Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Mostly False**. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) ### **Evidence** There has been significant media [coverage](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp323zpxp11o?ref=theferret.scot) of changes to abortion law recently approved by the Lords. The [legislation in question](https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3938/publications?ref=theferret.scot) is actually an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi put forward the additional section of the legislation, which was passed by the [House of Commons in 2025](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2le12114j9o?ref=theferret.scot). If the bill gains final approval, it will mean women who have an abortion at any stage during their pregnancy will no [longer be prosecuted](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61563/documents/6712?ref=theferret.scot). The [notes](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61563/documents/6712?ref=theferret.scot) accompanying the bill state that it will mean “it is not a criminal offence for a woman to intentionally end the life of her child that is capable of being born alive”. Under the [existing law](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/53621/documents/4252?ref=theferret.scot) in England and Wales, a woman is allowed to end her pregnancy in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, and beyond that in certain circumstances, such as when her life is in danger. All abortions have to be approved by two doctors who assess whether certain criteria have been met. It is currently illegal for women to attempt to end their pregnancies outside of these conditions. There have been several recent examples of women being prosecuted for this offence. Mother-of-three Carla Foster [was jailed in 2023](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jul/18/carla-foster-woman-jailed-obtaining-tablets-pregnancy-freed-appeal?ref=theferret.scot) for more than two years for inducing an abortion after the legal limit. This led to significant media coverage and protests. She was later released from prison after her sentence was suspended. The new law would also [pardon women](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61563/documents/6712?ref=theferret.scot) who have been convicted for having an abortion outside the current rules. However, it [does not make abortion strictly legal](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61563/documents/6712?ref=theferret.scot), as many posts online have claimed. Under the legislation, it would still be a prosecutable offence for someone to perform an abortion on someone else. The [explanatory notes](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61563/documents/6712?ref=theferret.scot) to the bill state: “It remains an offence… \[for\] another person to administer drugs or use instruments to procure an abortion; procure drugs, poison, or instruments to cause an abortion; or to intentionally end the life of a child capable of being born alive”. The aim of the legislation is to stop women from being prosecuted for attempting to end their own pregnancies. Abortion providers will still be prosecuted if they operate outside the existing legal limits. Abortion law is devolved to Scotland, but it has [largely mirrored](https://www.gov.scot/publications/review-abortion-law-scotland-expert-group-report/pages/9/?ref=theferret.scot) the legislation in England and Wales. The Scottish Parliament has yet to legislate to decriminalise women seeking to end their own pregnancies after the 28-week limit. An expert [review group](https://www.gov.scot/publications/review-abortion-law-scotland-expert-group-report/pages/10/?ref=theferret.scot) set up by former first minister Humza Yousaf recommended decriminalisation in a report last year. It is [extremely rare](https://www.gov.scot/publications/review-abortion-law-scotland-expert-group-report/pages/9/?ref=theferret.scot) for women in Scotland to be prosecuted for offences relating to abortion, and the Ferret Fact Service could not identify any cases since devolution where a woman in Scotland was convicted for having an abortion outside of the legal limits. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly False** The new legislation does not legalise abortion “up to birth” as online claims say. It means that women who seek to end their own pregnancies outside of the period allowed under the existing law will no longer be prosecuted for it. Providing abortion services to someone else will still be illegal. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_MostlyFalse_RGB.png) ### Scotland's disappearing golf courses URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-disappearing-golf-courses/ Last updated: 2026-03-27T09:16:00.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/green-drive.png) Standing on the edge of Montrose Golf Course on a blustery day, David Wood warns that there’s a steep drop to the beach below, where sand swirls in the wind and white breakers crash onto the shore. “As kids, right up to the 70s, 80s, you could be on the beach here all day – and the dunes went right out there,” he says, pointing to the beach and a frothy North Sea. We’re on what feels like a small cliff edge as Wood, a member of Montrose Community Council, explains how the sea and wind are sculpting Scotland’s east coast as a result of climate change. He was born in this Angus town and cherishes this beach but the landscape he considers precious is changing fast. The dunes he played on as a boy are eroding rapidly and his home town is at risk of flooding. “There are three things about coastal erosion here,” he says. “There is the loss of vegetation, the height of the sea, and the loss of sand. With climate change we’re losing a lot of sand.” A keen golfer, the course Wood plays is being eaten away. We’re on the second hole with the retired oil worker. He points to a grass path from the tee that once led to the fairway but now disappears off the edge of the course to a sandy beach stretching northwards. From this angle, it’s a remarkable sight, a road to nowhere that offers a startling visualisation of the stark impact of climate change — a coastline carved away. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/MontroseJ46685-1.jpg) A grass path from the tee on the second hole at Montrose's 1562 golf course disappears due to coastal erosion. Image by Angela Catlin. Montrose is one of more than 100 Scottish golf courses [at risk](https://www.dynamiccoast.com/files/dc2/%5FDC2%5FWS5%5FReportCard%5FGolf.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from coastal erosion and The Ferret visited Angus as part of our Green Drive series that examines Scotland’s golf industry and its relationship to climate change and the environment. Our report follows warnings that [10,000](https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/52/environment-food-and-rural-affairs-committee/news/212719/the-human-cost-of-coastal-erosion-and-what-govt-should-do-next-efra-committee-reports/?ref=theferret.scot) coastal properties in the UK could be lost to coastal erosion in coming decades. [Two fifths](https://www.dynamiccoast.com/files/dc2/%5FDC2%5FWS5%5FReportCard%5FGolf.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Dynamic%20Coast%20has%20shown%20that,per%20year%2C%20plus%20%C2%A3130M%20indirectly.) of Scotland's golf courses are coastal and with climate change accelerating there are fears that some are in danger of eventually disappearing into the sea. Links courses on the east coast are particularly under threat. Tees, fairways, greens and surrounding rough areas have all been damaged by storms and rising sea levels. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) World famous courses like Carnoustie, Royal Troon, Royal Dornoch and North Berwick are facing problems, as is the ‘home of golf’ – St Andrews Old Course – where a disappearing coastline is a stark reality. Montrose, home to the fifth oldest golf course in the world, dates back to 1562, Wood says. He explains it has two courses – Broomfield Course and the 1562 championship course – and covers an area of 250 hectares. Its grasslands, gorse and heather provide not only challenging conditions for golfers but habitats for the likes of kestrels, skylarks and oystercatchers. The landscape is coloured in spring with maiden pink and bluebells. But the course is losing land. In 1994, its original sixth tee disappeared and in 2017 the third tee was moved away from the edge – but it’s now gone too. According to a project called [Dynamic Coast](https://www.dynamiccoast.com/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2021, Montrose will lose 120 metres of coastline over the next 40 years – roughly three metres every 12 months, if nothing is done. “The sea has advanced 70 metres in the past 30 years,” says Wood, as we walk up the second fairway, adding that wild weather has caused havoc including S[torm Babet](https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/weather/learn-about/uk-past-events/interesting/2023/2023%5F08%5Fstorm%5Fbabet.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), an intense cyclone that battered eastern Scotland in October 2023, bringing heavy rainfall. Montrose’s beach promenade suffered major damage during Storm Babet, he says. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” adds Wood. “We lost seven meters in two days.” Babet was followed by Storm Gerrit in December which brought gales of 86mph. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/MontroseJ46676.jpg) David Wood, of Montrose Community Council, at Montrose Golf Links where the coast has been eroded due to climate change. Image by Angela Catlin ### **Rising sea levels** According to the Met Office’s latest ‘[State of the UK Climate](https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/about/state-of-climate?ref=theferret.scot)’ report, UK sea levels have risen 19.5cm since 1901 – with 2022, 2023 and 2024 the three highest years on record for “annual mean sea level.” The last three years have been the UK's top five warmest recorded and in 2024 nine named storms hit Britain. The report also revealed that over the past 32 years – from 1993 to 2024 – the UK sea level has risen by 13.4 cm. The threat to Scottish golf was brought into sharp focus in 2021 when Dynamic Coast published research warning that at least 109 courses were at risk, or would be, if nothing is done by 2025\. Dynamic Coast is a project funded by the Scottish Government, the Centre of Expertise for Waters, NatureScot, and the St Andrews Links Trust. It’s managed by NatureScot’s Alister Rennie, who explains that tackling coastal erosion is a complex problem involving multiple parties and scenarios. “I support discussions at a national scale and we do science at a national scale”. If nothing is done, he says, “we’ve got £1.2bn worth of assets at risk by 2050. Responsibility for the country as a whole lies with the Scottish Government, he says, but local authorities have legal obligations under the[ Coastal Protection Act of 1949](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/74?ref=theferret.scot). Landowners also have responsibilities so it needs to be a “tiered approach”, Rennie adds. Dynamic Coast also works with bodies like St Andrews Links Trust which manages seven golf courses at the [‘home of golf’](https://golfbusinessnews.com/news/environment-and-sustainainability/st-andrews-has-a-woolly-solution-to-shifting-sands/?ref=theferret.scot) – including the Old Course. Golf has been at St Andrews for 600 years but coastal erosion poses a significant threat, endangering areas like West Sands beach, where the Oscar winning film Chariots of Fire was filmed, and the Jubilee Course's 8th hole. Solutions have included enlisting the help of a rare breed of Hebridean sheep “to support coastal biodiversity” while more than 28,500 tonnes of sand has been transported to rebuild lost dunes. Rennie stresses there are different challenges around Scotland and it’s about finding “bespoke solutions” for individual golf courses. After Dynamic Coast’s work in 2021 the Scottish Government funded a [coastal change adaptation fund](https://www.gov.scot/news/learning-to-adapt-to-coastal-change/?ref=theferret.scot) worth £12m to encourage local authorities to think creatively about challenges and how they're going to adapt. The golf industry has also been proactive. In 2020, a report was commissioned by the R&A, the world golf body, to investigate the effects of climate change and its '[Golf Course 2030'](https://www.randa.org/en/what-is-gc2030?ref=theferret.scot) project recommends golf courses produce a coastal management plan to mitigate coastal change. “There is no identical solution for each golf course and so it provides an overview of resources and practical guidance which can be applied by facilities related to their own situation,” a spokesperson for the R&A told The Ferret. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/MontroseJ46681.jpg) Specially engineered sandbags at Montrose beach as part of Angus Council's coastal defence project. Image by Angela Catlin. ### **Flooding, erosion and salt marshes** In Sutherland, the Royal Dornoch Golf Club has [won an award](https://royaldornoch.com/2024/02/02/royal-dornoch-project-is-a-winner/?ref=theferret.scot) tackling coastal erosion which has been threatening an area of its Struie Course. Golf has been played at Dornoch since at least 1616 when records show that Sir Robert Gordon of Sutherland, a privy councillor, claimed “[ten poundis](https://royaldornoch.com/history/?ref=theferret.scot)” in expenses for “golf clubs and golf balls” after tutoring a local earl. Today the course is world renowned. It attracts thousands of golfers each year and was ranked [number two](https://royaldornoch.com/2024/07/10/royal-dornoch-ranked-number-two-in-world-golf/?ref=theferret.scot) in world golf two years ago by Golf Digest, a trade publication in the USA. “Legendary architect Donald Ross, a greenkeeper and our first professional, regarded his hometown links as ‘the most beautifully situated in the world’,” Royal Dornoch general manager Neil Hampton told The Ferret when we visited the town. He explained that the Struie Course, a sister to Royal Dornoch’s championship course, has been at risk from flooding and coastal erosion for years, with the tenth fairway threatened. “We were actually losing bits of the coast,” says Hampton, recalling the situation when he started working here in 2010\. “We're driving along thinking ‘we've lost a wee bit there’. The conversation was about maybe moving the fairway and that's when we started looking into what we could do to save it. If nothing was done we could have lost the whole fairway,” he said. The problem at Dornoch is not huge sea wave breakers battering the coastline, he says, rather a “really quick flow of water” at times. The first idea was to try recycled Christmas trees which had proven successful for erosion at the Royal Troon course in Ayrshire. The trees are buried in sand dunes to act as natural barriers. They trap sand, stabilise existing dunes, and protect against storm surges and rising sea levels. That was ineffective though because the sand at Dornoch is too “hard packed and doesn’t blow around”, Hampton says. The next idea was to try chestnut fencing as barriers, wooden fences that trap wind-blown sand and protect vegetation. This was successful. But the team then discovered that salt marsh had disappeared at the edge of the course. Salt marshes protect land from coastal erosion and flooding and are one of the best habitats for carbon storage as a nature-based solution in a rapidly changing climate. Royal Dornoch started working on a project called Green Shores with Dr Clare Maynard, a scientist at St Andrews University, which involved planting hundreds of greenhouse-grown native salt marsh plants in an attempt to restore natural defences, a solution which has helped restore salt marsh on the Eden Estuary and Tay Firth. “We realised that the salt marsh on the beach was breaking up – leaving a gap, and that’s where the erosion was happening. We had to break up the power of the sea,” Hampton said. "We planted salt marsh plants and that broke the energy of the waves. We saved that fairway.’ ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/ROYAL-DORNOCHJ46757.jpg) Neil Hampton, general manager at Royal Dornoch Golf Club, explains how chestnut fencing and replacing salt marsh has prevented coastal erosion. Image by Angela Catlin. Back at Montrose, we walk down the second fairway with David Wood and onto the beach where massive sandbags have been placed strategically to prevent flooding from the North Sea. There is also a rock groyne on the beach, a barrier constructed with large rocks which catches sand as it naturally moves along the shoreline, helping to keep the beach in place and manage coastal erosion. It is part of Angus Council’s coastal defense project involving temporary flood defenses,” Wood says. The [latest assessment](https://www.dynamiccoast.com/files/Montrose%5FCoastalChangeAssessment%5F2025%5FFinal.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of Montrose Bay was published last year. It was commissioned by Angus Council and carried out by the University of Glasgow and Dynamic Coast. The report said erosion continues to affect many parts of the beach with “some of the fastest known rates of change on record” were measured during winter 2023/24 when up to 12 metres of dunes were lost over a few stormy days coinciding with spring tides. Angus Council says the rate of future erosion is now predicted to be higher than previously anticipated but there is evidence the rock groyne and “specially engineered sandbags” are having a beneficial effect. Wood says local people are trying to help. “It's not just about protecting the golf course, it's about protecting our land and our beach.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/MontroseJ46680.jpg) A rock groyne on Montrose beach, which is a barrier of large rocks which catches sand as it naturally moves along the shoreline, helping to keep the beach in place and manage coastal erosion. Image by Angela Catlin. *This story is part of Green drive: Golf and the environmental crisis – a series on golf and the environment funded by Journalismfund Europe – an independent, non-profit organisation in Brussels that supports cross-border investigative journalism.* *Our investigations were carried out in partnership with the Spain-based journalist, Natalie Donback, and Italian journalists coordinated by the Fada Collective.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/image--2-.png) ### Reform UK knew its candidates had supported far right influencers, spread Covid-19 conspiracies, and made ableist slurs. The party selected them again. URL: https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-knew-its-candidates-had-supported-far-right-influencers-spread-covid-19-conspiracies-and-made-ableist-slurs-the-party-selected-them-again/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T12:01:59.000Z **Reform UK Scotland’s prospective MSPs backed conspiracy theories, including the belief that Covid-19 was a “hoax”, made fun of an activist with aspergers, and supported a range of extreme far right figures.** Those returning as candidates for the upcoming Holyrood election include David Kirkwood and Kenneth Morton, who are standing in Dumfriesshire and Perthshire North respectively. In 2024, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/scots-reform-candidates-conspiracy-theorist-posts/) that both men ‘[liked](https://x.com/Kenneth%5F%5FMorton/likes?ref=theferret.scot)’ posts and shared images of their party’s policies with far right activist Peter Imanuelsen. Known as [Peter Sweden](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2017/08/01/far-right-vlogger-defend-europe-supporter-peter-swedens-real-identity-revealed/?ref=theferret.scot), he has previously denied [the Holocaust](http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/katie-hopkins-holocaust-denier%5Fuk%5F596e0e4ee4b010d77673cb92?ref=theferret.scot) and stated that [“Hitler had some good points”](https://twitter.com/CcwTom/status/887306421750165504?ref=theferret.scot). Morton also liked posts from conspiracy theorist David Icke, who [believes](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-36339298?ref=theferret.scot) the royal family are shape-shifting lizards. The specific posts he liked dismissed Covid-19 “a psychological hoax” treated with a “fake vaccine”, and denied man-made climate change. Other posts ‘liked’ by Morton included former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev – deputy chairman of Russia’s security council – and Alex Jones, who falsely claimed 22 million people had died from Covid-19 vaccines, and that the Sandy Hook US school shooting, in which 20 children were killed, was a hoax. Otto Inglis, who is standing for Reform UK, [reportedly](https://leftfootforward.org/2019/05/ukip-candidate-accused-of-calling-greta-thunberg-aspergers-girl/?ref=theferret.scot) called Greta Thunberg “aspergers girl”, as we [highlighted](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-candidate-greta-thunberg-aspergers-girl/) in 2024. At the time, the Scottish Liberal Democrats accused Reform of being “linked to intolerance, racism and bonkers conspiracy theorists”. Reform UK sacked two Scottish general election candidates after [a 2024 Ferret investigation](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-suspends-scots-candidates-remarks/) found they shared posts from prominent far right figures and made hateful comments on social media. These would-be politicians included a self-described “proud tax avoider” who said trans people’s “days are numbered”, and another who shared a post which said then-first minister Humza Yousaf should not be able to hold a rugby trophy because he is “more Pakistani than Scottish.” Nigel Farage has [branded](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25420236.nigel-farage-challenged-far-right-infiltration-reform-uk/?ref=theferret.scot) his party an “antidote to the far right” and promised to bolster his party’s candidate vetting. Last month a Reform UK councillor [claimed the party](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yve84y9xjo?ref=theferret.scot)’s candidate selection process was “brutal” and that it "turned down genuinely good people" because of social media posts they made in the past. In January, Farage [told](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yve84y9xjo?ref=theferret.scot) a press conference the party's vetting in the past had been "poor, but it won't be in future". He had previously blamed a vetting company his party had hired for failures to spot offensive content posted by prospective candidates. One of his fresh candidates is Senga Beresford, who is standing for election to the Scottish Parliament in Galloway and West Dumfries. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-18.15.10-1.png) Reform UK candidate Senga Beresford (right), with the party's deputy leader, Richard Tice. Via Beresford's X account. She has expressed admiration for far right activist Tommy Robinson, Enoch Powell, and Britain First, a white nationalist group that wants to deport Muslims from the UK. Beresford deleted posts she made on X prior to 2025 – but did not remove her replies to other users. In July 2024 she replied [“yes”](https://x.com/BeresfordSenga/status/1818587451465588753?ref=theferret.scot) to a post asking: “Do you agree with what Tommy Robinson says!” A month later she replied to a post by Robinson himself, who was organising a rally in London, and said “[Behind you all the way](https://x.com/BeresfordSenga/status/1817175423882498173?ref=theferret.scot)!". Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the hardline English Defence League, and has multiple criminal [convictions](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdr557ngn4ro?ref=theferret.scot), [including](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48942411?ref=theferret.scot) assault, fraud and involvement in a football brawl. Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage has previously branded Robinson [a “thug”](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/video/nigel-farage-calls-tommy-robinson-a-thug/a/115885321.html?ref=theferret.scot) who is [not welcome](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5FCPRuXbm7%5FM&ref=theferret.scot) in his party. On Facebook, Beresford follows a group of supporters of Katie Hopkins – a far right activist who [called](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-32391620?ref=theferret.scot) migrants crossing the Mediterranean “cockroaches”, and said gunships should be used to stop them. In July 2024 Beresford said she [agreed](https://x.com/BeresfordSenga/status/1814409625045008743?ref=theferret.scot) that the late Enoch Powell was right. The politician was known for his controversial 1968 [“rivers of blood](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/14/enoch-powell-rivers-blood-legacy-wolverhampton?ref=theferret.scot)” speech that called for the repatriation of immigrants and was blamed for inflaming racial tensions. Beresford also responded to posts by Britain First, a controversial far right organisation opposing Islam and multiculturalism. The group, which is active in Scotland, became notorious for so-called [“Christian patrols”](https://hopenothate.org.uk/britain-first-short-history/?ref=theferret.scot) and “mosque invasions” after its activists descended on areas with large Muslim populations and stormed into Islamic places of worship. Britain First has been accused of stirring racial hatred at anti-migrant protests in Scotland, as [reported by The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-accused-racism-at-anti-migrant-protests/). Its chair, Ashlea Simon, reportedly said in 2020 that “English people [can’t be black](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2023/03/28/who-is-britain-firsts-ashlea-simon/?ref=theferret.scot), English blood is white”. In August 2024, Beresford [backed](https://x.com/BeresfordSenga/status/1819818669901533523?ref=theferret.scot) Simon after she said: “In the UK Muslims are demanding that sharia law is implemented. I demand that we deport the lot of them. Who’s with me?” A month later Beresford posted [“yes](https://x.com/BeresfordSenga/status/1832989484415058225?ref=theferret.scot)” on X when Britain First asked “should the UK ban the burqa” – a garment worn by some Muslim women. Reform UK’s leader in Scotland, Malcolm Offord, has refused to sack Beresford, however. The businessman [reportedly](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/reform-uk-refuses-sack-candidate-36897388?ref=theferret.scot) said his candidate’s views were “fruity” but claimed her comments – from fewer than two years ago – were made in a “former life”. **Beresford comments branded ‘fascist’** Commenting on Beresford’s social media activity, Jack McConnel, Scottish Labour's candidate for Galloway and West Dumfries said: “History teaches us what happens when we call for people to be rounded up for exile because of their faith. “It has become politically incorrect to name that opinion for what it is: fascist. You don't need to be someone with a Christian faith like myself for that to put shivers down your spine. There is an ocean of difference between this and discussion about immigration." He added: “And this is just the first glimpse at his clutch of candidates. We still don't know what more lurks out there.” South of Scotland SNP MSP Emma Harper described Reform UK as “Reform 2025 Limited”, referencing the fact that the party is unusually set up as a limited company. She said Beresford’s comments were “shocking, but unfortunately not surprising”. “Time and time again we have seen those chosen by Reform 2025 Limited to lead their campaigns being uncovered as well-versed in using bigoted, prejudiced and racist language, while their Scottish ‘leader; and former merchant banker likes to pretend he supports our communities – the reality is he and his acolytes purposely seek to cause so much division." Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman said: “Nigel Farage has claimed that Reform’s vetting has improved but, unsurprisingly, time and again, we see candidates linked to toxic and extremist views. It raises serious questions about the kind of party Reform UK is, and the kind of politics it is willing to tolerate and encourage.” Reform UK did not respond to requests to comment. ### Scottish Labour donation linked to ‘astroturf’ nuclear campaign URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-labour-astroturf-nuclear/ Last updated: 2026-03-19T06:30:44.000Z **Scottish Labour accepted a donation from a lobbying firm linked to a controversial “grassroots” campaign pushing to overturn Scotland’s ban on nuclear power.** The £7,200 contribution came from Stonehaven, a London-based public relations (PR) company which counts the French state-owned energy giant EDF as a paying client. EDF owns Scotland’s last nuclear plant at Torness and could be one of the biggest beneficiaries if the ban on new nuclear plants is overturned. This week The Ferret revealed close ties between Stonehaven and Britain Remade, which claims it is a “grassroots”, “pro-growth” campaign group, and is [leading calls](https://www.britainremade.co.uk/new%5Fscottish%5Fnuclear%5Fpower?ref=theferret.scot) for the Scottish Government to reverse its opposition to nuclear energy. We [found](https://www.theferret.scot/britain-remade-links-industry-lobbyists/) that the private company behind Britain Remade had appointed senior Stonehaven staff as directors, as well as other overlaps between the firms. Britain Remade has denied that it has ever taken corporate money and insists its campaigning is not influenced by funders. [This pro-nuclear group claims to be ‘grassroots’. So why are its directors industry lobbyists?Britain Remade has appointed two directors from a lobbying firm which represents EDF, the owner of Scotland’s last nuclear power station.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-151.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1024px-Torness_Nuclear_Power_Station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_5949882-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/britain-remade-links-industry-lobbyists/) Scottish Labour said the donation, [made in May 2025](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=Stonehaven&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=RegisterName&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot), related to a commercial sponsorship. Stonehaven previously donated to the Conservative party while it was led by Boris Johnson. We reported on the donation in January, but it was wildlife campaigner Danica Priest who first [highlighted](https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/03/16/american-billionaires-behind-efforts-to-strip-nature-protections/?ref=theferret.scot) its potential significance in relation to Britain Remade and renewed pressure to overturn the nuclear ban. Several [figures](http://holyrood.com/news/view,michael-shanks-scotlands-energy-future-is-on-the-ballot-24175?ref=theferret.scot) in Scottish Labour have come out [strongly](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/labour-would-stage-nuclear-power-36850826?ref=theferret.scot) in [support](https://x.com/GordonMcKeeMP/status/2033849041352638969?ref=theferret.scot) of new nuclear power over the last few years, and the issue is set to be a [battleground](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3e0vdye900o?ref=theferret.scot) in May’s Holyrood election. The party’s leader north of the border, Anas Sarwar, has [described](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/new-nuclear-could-power-scotland-34643845?ref=theferret.scot) the SNP’s opposition to nuclear as “irrational” and accused first minister John Swinney of being “stuck in the politics of the 1970s”. ****Journalism that follows the money – and demands answers.** This story took time, digging, and persistence. The Ferret is reader-funded investigative journalism, so we can report in the public interest, not for clicks or advertisers. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Labour argues that investing in new nuclear energy could create and protect jobs and provide important back up to renewable energy generation. The Scottish Government [says](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgr82vqdvzo?ref=theferret.scot) it is too expensive and investment is “better placed” in renewable energy. Norman Hampshire – the Labour leader of East Lothian council where Torness is located – was among the speakers at a launch event for the ‘[Scotland for nuclear energy](https://www.newnuclearenergy.scot/?ref=theferret.scot)’ campaign which was organised by Britain Remade in Glasgow in February. Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney was also [in attendance](https://x.com/sjarichards?ref=theferret.scot). Former co-leader of the Scottish Greens, Patrick Harvie, claimed Britain Remade was a “collection of the usual corporate suspects pretending to be a grassroots campaign”. He branded the group “radioactive astroturf”. > When lobbyists and PR firms are funding political parties it is because they want to win support, favours and profits for their clients. — Patrick Harvie, Scottish Greens Astroturfing is a term used to describe a fake grassroots movement used to promote a political agenda. “When lobbyists and PR firms are funding political parties it is because they want to win support, favours and profits for their clients,” Harvie added. Lynn Jamieson, chair of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said Labour receiving money from Stonehaven “adds to the suspicion that heads have been turned by the deep pockets, relentless lobbying, and untruths” of the nuclear industry. A Scottish Labour spokesperson said the party was “working to deliver the most ambitious campaign in the history of devolution so we can end SNP chaos and deliver a better future for Scotland”. “All donations and sponsorships are declared in accordance with parliamentary and Electoral Commission rules,” they added. In response to our previous story, Britain Remade said it had “never taken a penny of corporate money” and campaigns on “what we think matters for the country”. “Any suggestion that funders get a veto on anything we write or campaign on is categorically untrue,” it added. Stonehaven has been asked to comment. Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### This pro-nuclear group claims to be 'grassroots'. So why are its directors industry lobbyists? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/britain-remade-links-industry-lobbyists/ Last updated: 2026-03-15T07:00:55.000Z **Britain Remade is the apparently “grassroots” group leading the push to overturn Scotland’s ban on nuclear power. But The Ferret has found that two of its directors come from a firm which lobbies for the UK’s biggest nuclear company — prompting claims “vested interests” are behind the campaign.** Britain Remade organised the recent launch of the ‘[Scotland for nuclear energy](https://www.newnuclearenergy.scot/?ref=theferret.scot)’ campaign and has repeatedly [called](https://www.britainremade.co.uk/new%5Fscottish%5Fnuclear%5Fpower?ref=theferret.scot) for the Scottish Government to reverse its long-standing opposition to new atomic energy. The “pro-growth” group [campaigns](https://www.britainremade.co.uk/about?ref=theferret.scot) to make it easier to build things in the UK – including housing, transport links and clean energy. It says it is “independent” and “grassroots”. But it has been [alleged](https://thedarkarts.substack.com/p/dark-arts-dispatch-new-lobbyist-in) that Britain Remade has close ties to the London-based public relations firm, Stonehaven. Stonehaven [represents](https://www.prca.global/professional-lobbying-register?display%5Fname=stonehaven&combine=&practitioners%5Femployed%5Fand%5Fsub%5Fc%5F273=&ref=theferret.scot) EDF – the French energy giant that owns Scotland’s last operational nuclear power station at Torness in East Lothian. EDF could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of any move to lift the ban on new nuclear plants. A Ferret investigation into the relationship between Stonehaven and Britain Remade has uncovered that [BRM Futures Ltd](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13934488?ref=theferret.scot) – the private company behind the campaign group – recently named two senior Stonehaven figures as directors. We also found other overlaps including that Britain Remade had been incorporated at an address that was previously the registered office of Stonehaven, by an individual whose name resembles that of Stonehaven’s finance director. ****Journalism that follows the money – and demands answers.** This story took time, digging, and persistence. The Ferret is reader-funded investigative journalism, so we can report in the public interest, not for clicks or advertisers. [Become a member (from £5/month) ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ****Journalism that follows the money – and demands answers.** This story took time, digging, and persistence. The Ferret is reader-funded investigative journalism, so we can report in the public interest, not for clicks or advertisers. [Already a member? Donate ](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) Critics argued the public has “a right to know who is behind any campaign” otherwise there was a risk of Scottish democracy being “undermined behind closed doors”. Britain Remade told The Ferret it had “never taken a penny of corporate money”, sets its own priorities, and campaigns “on what we think matters for the country”. It also said any claim that funders get a veto on anything it writes or campaigns on is “categorically untrue”. However, despite direct questions, it did not confirm the nature of its relationship with Stonehaven or whether it had been set up by anyone at the firm. Stonehaven did not respond to a request for comment. Companies House filings – updated on 3 February, just two days before the Glasgow launch of the new nuclear campaign – [show](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13934488/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) that BRM Futures Ltd appointed Pandora Lefroy and Rachel Wolf as directors in October 2024. Lefroy has [worked](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pandoralefroy/?ref=theferret.scot) at Stonehaven for over ten years and is now the firm’s [managing partner](https://www.stonehavenglobal.com/people?ref=theferret.scot). Wolf is the chief executive of Public First, another consultancy firm [bought](https://www.publicfirst.co.uk/public-first-joins-stonehaven-group-to-bolster-international-economics-and-policy-expansion.html?ref=theferret.scot) by Stonehaven last year, and now sits on the board of the wider Stonehaven Group Holdings Limited. Filings show that BRM Futures Ltd was incorporated in February 2022 on the first floor of an office building called Thavies Inn House, in the Holborn area of London. Until three months previously, that same address had been Stonehaven’s registered office. The sole founding director listed on the incorporation document was Henry Frank Lewis. He resigned in November 2022 when the campaign was [officially launched](https://x.com/BritainRemade/status/1599780091138961409?ref=theferret.scot) and current staff members Sam Richards, Sam Dumitriu and Jeremy Driver were appointed. > The public has a right to know who is behind any campaign pursuing a policy, including crucially who funds it. — Prof James Mitchell, University of Edinburgh Stonehaven’s finance director is [Harry Lewis](https://www.stonehavenglobal.com/people?ref=theferret.scot). Britain Remade did not respond to a question about whether he and Henry Frank Lewis were the same individual. Like EDF, Britain Remade is [named](https://www.prca.global/professional-lobbying-register?display%5Fname=Stonehaven&combine=&practitioners%5Femployed%5Fand%5Fsub%5Fc%5F273=&ref=theferret.scot) as a client of Stonehaven on the [professional lobbying register](https://www.prca.global/prca-professional-lobbying-register?ref=theferret.scot). It has also [reportedly](https://nationbuilder.com/stonehaven%5Fdrives%5Fuk%5Finfrastructure%5Fcampaigns?ref=theferret.scot) used technology provided through Stonehaven to launch a petition on onshore wind that secured over 11,000 signatures. James Mitchell, a professor of public policy at the University of Edinburgh, said the public should be “very wary” of any organisation which was unwilling to provide “such basic information”. “The public has a right to know who is behind any campaign pursuing a policy including crucially who funds the campaign and with what level of funding,” he said. Despite its ‘grassroots’ credentials, Britain Remade does not accept individual donations from the public – although it says this is a “long-term ambition”. Instead it is funded by “grants from a range of organisations”, although just two are named on its [website](https://www.britainremade.co.uk/can%5Fi%5Fcontribute%5Fto%5Fthe%5Fcampaign?ref=theferret.scot) – Coefficient Giving and the Quadrature Climate Foundation (QCF). Coefficient Giving’s contribution [appears](https://coefficientgiving.org/funds/abundance-and-growth/?search=britain&ref=theferret.scot#grants-abundance-and-growth) to have been limited to a £75,000 grant to look into reducing the costs of nuclear energy. High costs are one of the reasons the Scottish Government consistently says the country does not need new plants. [Political parties took thousands from lobbying groups in Scotland. Campaigners say they are buying access to powerPolitical parties have accepted thousands of pounds from lobbyists in recent years. Anti-corruption campaigners claimed donations buy lobby firms “privileged access” to politicians for their wealthy clients.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-148.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1515075582657-abb257d7a0ed)](https://www.theferret.scot/political-parties-lobbying-groups-scotland/) QCF’s funding has been more sustained and sizable. Charity Commission [filings](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search?p%5Fp%5Fid=uk%5Fgov%5Fccew%5Fonereg%5Fcharitydetails%5Fweb%5Fportlet%5FCharityDetailsPortlet&p%5Fp%5Flifecycle=2&p%5Fp%5Fstate=maximized&p%5Fp%5Fmode=view&p%5Fp%5Fresource%5Fid=%2Faccounts-resource&p%5Fp%5Fcacheability=cacheLevelPage&%5Fuk%5Fgov%5Fccew%5Fonereg%5Fcharitydetails%5Fweb%5Fportlet%5FCharityDetailsPortlet%5FobjectiveId=A17517204&%5Fuk%5Fgov%5Fccew%5Fonereg%5Fcharitydetails%5Fweb%5Fportlet%5FCharityDetailsPortlet%5Fpriv%5Fr%5Fp%5FmvcRenderCommandName=%2Faccounts-and-annual-returns&%5Fuk%5Fgov%5Fccew%5Fonereg%5Fcharitydetails%5Fweb%5Fportlet%5FCharityDetailsPortlet%5Fpriv%5Fr%5Fp%5ForganisationNumber=5148222&%5Fuk%5Fgov%5Fccew%5Fonereg%5Fcharitydetails%5Fweb%5Fportlet%5FCharityDetailsPortlet%5Fpriv%5Fr%5Fp%5ForganisationNumber=5148222&ref=theferret.scot) [show](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search?p%5Fp%5Fid=uk%5Fgov%5Fccew%5Fonereg%5Fcharitydetails%5Fweb%5Fportlet%5FCharityDetailsPortlet&p%5Fp%5Flifecycle=2&p%5Fp%5Fstate=maximized&p%5Fp%5Fmode=view&p%5Fp%5Fresource%5Fid=%2Faccounts-resource&p%5Fp%5Fcacheability=cacheLevelPage&%5Fuk%5Fgov%5Fccew%5Fonereg%5Fcharitydetails%5Fweb%5Fportlet%5FCharityDetailsPortlet%5FobjectiveId=A15980971&%5Fuk%5Fgov%5Fccew%5Fonereg%5Fcharitydetails%5Fweb%5Fportlet%5FCharityDetailsPortlet%5Fpriv%5Fr%5Fp%5FmvcRenderCommandName=%2Faccounts-and-annual-returns&%5Fuk%5Fgov%5Fccew%5Fonereg%5Fcharitydetails%5Fweb%5Fportlet%5FCharityDetailsPortlet%5Fpriv%5Fr%5Fp%5ForganisationNumber=5148222&%5Fuk%5Fgov%5Fccew%5Fonereg%5Fcharitydetails%5Fweb%5Fportlet%5FCharityDetailsPortlet%5Fpriv%5Fr%5Fp%5ForganisationNumber=5148222&ref=theferret.scot) it gave more than £8.5m to BRM Futures Ltd from the year it was incorporated in 2022 to 2024. QCF itself receives its [funding](https://www.qc.foundation/our-work/faqs/?ref=theferret.scot) from the investment firm Quadrature Capital. In 2024 Quadrature Capital made [headlines](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/keir-starmer-labour-party-quadrature-donation-arms-companies-israel-war-gaza/?ref=theferret.scot) after it gave a £4m donation to the Labour party ahead of that year’s general election. QCF has [backed](https://www.qc.foundation/our-grants/our-partner-database/?ref=theferret.scot) a number of mainstream climate groups – including some which have previously supported The Ferret’s environmental reporting – and there is a debate within the climate movement about the role that nuclear power could play in the future energy mix. But transparency campaigners said the scale of its backing for Britain Remade could have a significant impact on the debate around nuclear energy in Scotland. Juliet Swann of Transparency International UK said it was “of particular concern to see such large amounts of cash circulating”. > Being able to leverage wealth and privilege risks not just promoting private interests, but also damaging trust in our democratic systems. — Juliet Swann, Transparency International UK Swann said: “Think tanks can be extremely influential in policy making so knowing who funds them is a matter of public interest. “Being able to leverage wealth and privilege risks not just promoting private interests, but also damaging trust in our democratic systems.” Her view was echoed by the former head of media at the Scottish Greens, James Mackenzie, who works as a lobbyist for various environmental causes. He said campaigns that don’t disclose who they are working for risk “undermining Scottish democracy behind closed doors”. “There is no good reason for ministers to agree to meetings with any organisation which isn't fully transparent about where its money comes from,” Mackenzie added. His former boss, ex-Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie, claimed the campaign appeared to be driven by “right wing voices and vested interests”. A number of staff at Britain Remade have previously worked for Conservative politicians or causes. Its chief executive, Sam Richards, was previously an [adviser](https://www.britainremade.co.uk/sam%5Frichards?ref=theferret.scot) on energy and environment policy to Boris Johnson when he was in Downing Street. That has led the campaign to be [branded](https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2025/05/01/who-are-britain-remade/?ref=theferret.scot) a “Tory think tank and lobby group” although Britain Remade says it is non-partisan. [Starmer’s claims about nuclear regulation ‘not true’In his bid to boost nuclear power, the prime minister Keir Starmer ignored warnings from his nuclear safety watchdog that it was inaccurate to blame regulation for delays, The Ferret can reveal. A document released under freedom of information law discloses that the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation told![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-149.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-136631421.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/starmer-nuclear-safety-watchdog/) “There are a lot of companies who have made a lot of money out of nuclear energy and who would love to inflict costly white elephants like Sizewell C \[the planned new nuclear plant in England\] on Scotland,” Harvie argued. “Nuclear energy is dangerous, slow to build and extremely expensive, and it is unnecessary in Scotland where we have a vast renewables potential that we are yet to realise.” Britain Remade [argues](https://www.britainremade.co.uk/nuclear?ref=theferret.scot) that new nuclear plants could provide back up generation when renewable generation is not possible – such as when the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow. This makes it essential to meeting Scotland’s climate targets, it argues. The group says it began to campaign against Scotland’s ban on new nuclear after being part of a successful effort to overturn a [restriction](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/27/boris-johnsons-climate-adviser-backs-labours-energy-security-strategy?ref=theferret.scot) on onshore wind farms in England. “Britain Remade is a campaign group set up in 2022 focused on making it quicker, easier and cheaper to build the clean infrastructure Britain needs,” chief executive Sam Richards told The Ferret. “Funders support our mission because it’s pro-growth and pro-decarbonisation. “We have never taken a penny of corporate money. We set our own priorities and campaign on what we think matters for the country - from lifting the onshore wind ban in England to the ban on new nuclear energy in Scotland. “Any suggestion that funders get a veto on anything we write or campaign on is categorically untrue.” Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Claim Scottish Labour built six houses in government is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scottish-labour-built-six-houses-in-government-is-false/ Last updated: 2026-03-11T17:48:13.000Z ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) **Anas Sarwar has pledged to kickstart a “housebuilding revolution” as Scottish Labour gears up for the Scottish Parliament election in May.** But [his party’s record](https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/25880383.anas-sarwar-pledges-start-housebuilding-revolution-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) while in office between 1999 and 2007 has been criticised online, with claims that Labour failed to build affordable homes. One claim, [which](https://www.facebook.com/groups/Pensioners4Indy/posts/1879596449200836/) [has](https://x.com/GREIGEYESBIKER1/status/2025899777242652782?ref=theferret.scot) [been](https://x.com/WhiskyElf/status/2025886582381678609?ref=theferret.scot) [widely](https://x.com/mdf200/status/2026009221980971404?ref=theferret.scot) shared and repeated, stated that Scottish Labour built just six houses during its time in power. > “During Labour’s reign in Scotland 1999 to 2007 they built a total of 6 houses.” - Social media posts Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **False**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB.png) ### **Evidence** This claim and others similar have been floating around for some time online. In response to the Labour announcement, SNP minister [Mairi McAllan made a similar assertion](https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/25880383.anas-sarwar-pledges-start-housebuilding-revolution-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot), saying Scottish Labour had built “just six” council homes “in the four years up to 2007”. When people talk about a government building houses, they are [usually referring to](https://www.gov.scot/policies/more-homes/affordable-housing-supply/?ref=theferret.scot) social or council houses, which are impacted by government policy more than private developments. The Scottish Government has a [number of levers it can use](https://www.gov.scot/policies/more-homes/affordable-housing-supply/?ref=theferret.scot) to affect the number of social and affordable homes that are built, such as funding to support developers or the purchase of land, as well as subsidies for local councils to buy or build houses. Councils can build social homes where the rent is controlled, as can housing associations, which manage social homes in areas across the country. Different councils have different policies for their social housing. There have been a number of ways to measure social housing built since the Scottish Parliament was formed, and various strategies and methods for building the social housing supply have been employed by different governments in Scotland since 1999. The claim that Scottish Labour only built six homes appears to be based on a [statistic](https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-for-scotland-new-house-building/?ref=theferret.scot) for council house building in a single year. In 2005/6, six council houses were started under the then-Scottish Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition government at Holyrood. In the two previous years none were recorded in the data. WhenLabour and the Lib Dems were in government between 1999 and 2007, [340 council houses](https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-for-scotland-new-house-building/?ref=theferret.scot) were started. The reason we talk about houses being ‘started’, is because you can measure house building by starts or completions. ‘Completions’ tell you how many newly-built homes were made available for use during a time period, but ‘starts’ give a sense of how much building was actually initiated due to a government’s policy. Local authority or council houses are just one method of building social sector homes. During the Labour government, the majority of homes were built through housing associations. A more rounded picture comes from looking at statistics for the ‘social sector’, which includes council and housing association houses, as well those built via other government departments and initiatives which have changed as housing policy develops. During Labour’s time in government, [37,084 social sector houses](https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-for-scotland-new-house-building/?ref=theferret.scot) were started. The social sector statistics [don’t give a full picture](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/correspondence/2017/09/affordable-housing-supply-programme-process-procedures-2017/documents/guidance-procedures-mhdgn-2017-04-process-procedures-guidance-note-pdf/guidance-procedures-mhdgn-2017-04-process-procedures-guidance-note-pdf/govscot%3Adocument/Guidance%20and%20Procedures%20-%20MHDGN%202017%2004%20-%20Process%20and%20procedures%20guidance%20note.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=4) of all the homes that were made available either, as they don’t include so-called ‘off the shelf’ houses. This is when social housing providers buy property to then rent out for social homes, or when homes are renovated and brought into social use. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** It is not correct to say Scottish Labour built just six houses during its time in office between 1999 and 2007\. There were only six council houses started in 2006/7, but across Labour’s time in government they started 340 council houses and more than 37,000 social sector homes, as the vast majority were built by housing associations rather than directly by councils. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_False_RGB.png) ### Revealed: Shop where Glasgow fire started had not registered to sell vapes or paid business taxes URL: https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-company-behind-vape-shop-fire-had-not-paying-business-rates-or-registered-to-sell-vapes/ Last updated: 2026-03-17T14:58:17.000Z **The vape shop at the centre of the fire that engulfed historic buildings on Glasgow’s Union Street fire had not paid business rates, The Ferret has found, and does not appear to be registered to sell tobacco or vaping products.** The fire started in the pop-up style vape shop just after 4pm on Sunday, 8 March, with thick smoke billowing out onto the street. Several hours later, as the fire began to take hold, [Central Station was evacuated](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8l2wx0027o?ref=theferret.scot). It then ripped through [Forsyth House](https://www.heraldscotland.com/life%5Fstyle/25919114.historic-photos-glasgow-central-dome-years/?ref=theferret.scot), a B-listed building next door from 1851 known for its iconic dome on the corner of Union Street and Gordon Street. The Ferret can now name the tenant of the shop at 105 Union Street as Junaid Retail Limited. The company, which was trading in Glasgow as Scot’s World, was registered in Hamilton. However we were told that the Union Street business was sold two weeks ago to another owner under the same company name. According to Glasgow City Council it had occupied the premises from 1 August 2024 – but a business rates bill for 2025/26 was returned to the local authority with respondents claiming the owners had “gone away”. A council spokesperson told The Ferret that landlord, Afton Estates Limited, had confirmed Junaid Retail was still the occupier at that time. The council added it had no contact with the company and no rates payments had been made. The account is in the hands of its debt recovery partner, the spokesperson said. We also found there is no registration for the 105 Union Street address on the Scottish Government’s register for retailers selling tobacco and nicotine products, which includes vapes. Businesses must enrol on the official [Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers](https://tobacco.epass.service.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) list to comply with the law. We visited the business's registered address in Hamilton, and found a similar shop to the Glasgow one, selling vapes, rolling papers, as well as inflatable beach balls and DIY tools. From there we were put in touch with Ajaz Sarwar who claimed to be the owner of the Union Street vape shop until it was sold two weeks ago. There is no record of his involvement in Companies House filings. He claimed to have been told he would have one year of rates relief before having to pay but added that when this grace period was over he was "struggling badly" and the shop "was not making enough money" to afford the bill. Sarwar added he thought only the sale of tobacco had to be registered and did not think vapes were included in the regulations. "I cannot comment on what happened next, " he added. "That is for the new owner. But when I heard what had happened I had so much pain. Words cannot describe it." The Ferret has also contacted the current director, listed on Companies House, who has not yet responded to requests for comment. Trading standards can issue fixed penalty notices if a company is found not to be on the register while selling cigarettes or vapes. If someone is found to be in breach of legislation three times within a two-year-period they can face a 12-month ban. It is understood that partly due to [cuts to local authority trading standards](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25421121.scotlands-trading-standards-risk-staffing-cut-half/?ref=theferret.scot) officers – whose numbers have been halved in recent years – no action will be taken against businesses who have not registered to sell tobacco or vaping products unless a complaint is made. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### ‘Sickening’ videos of damaged salmon at highland farm URL: https://www.theferret.scot/videos-damaged-salmon-bakkafrost/ Last updated: 2026-03-10T06:30:20.000Z *Warning: this story contains images which some may find upsetting.* **Videos revealing salmon at a highland fish farm with severely damaged faces, heads and bodies prompted an investigation by the UK government's animal welfare watchdog, The Ferret can reveal.** Secret filming was conducted for the campaign group, [Animal Equality UK](https://animalequality.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which described the videos as “among the most distressing” it had seen. They were filmed at the West Strome [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) farm run by the Faroese firm, [Bakkafrost](https://www.bakkafrostscotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot), near Lochcarron in Wester Ross, between July and December 2025, it said. Animal Equality sent the videos, along with a formal complaint, to the government regulator, the [Animal and Plant Health Agency](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/animal-and-plant-health-agency/), which launched an investigation. Bakkafrost said that it had conducted a “full review” at the farm with the agency, which was “satisfied” with the action taken on “impacted” fish. The agency refused to comment on its investigation. ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The Scottish Greens said the videos were “sickening” and “shocking”. They accused the salmon farming industry of “poor” welfare standards and the animal agency’s enforcement as “nowhere near good enough”. The Scottish Parliament’s rural affairs committee is conducting [an inquiry into salmon farming](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-rural-affairs-and-islands-committee/business-items/salmon-farming-in-scotland?ref=theferret.scot) to assess whether enough progress has been made on animal welfare and other issues since its [report in 2018](https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/Committees/Report/REC/2018/11/27/Salmon-farming-in-Scotland?ref=theferret.scot). The rural affairs secretary, [Mairi Gougeon](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/cabinet-secretary-for-rural-affairs-land-reform-and-islands/?ref=theferret.scot) and senior Scottish Government officials are due to be [questioned on 11 March](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-rural-affairs-and-islands-committee/meetings/2026/rural-affairs-and-islands-committee-11-march-2026?ref=theferret.scot). According to Animal Equality, the [first video](https://vimeo.com/1133351776/954ec95954?ref=theferret.scot) included footage filmed on 14 July and 20 August 2025, underwater inside a salmon cage at West Strome. It showed fish with wounded and missing eyes, deformities, and severe lice infestations eating away skin to produce “death crowns” around their heads. The [second video](https://vimeo.com/1144643335/12c4806203?ref=theferret.scot) was said to have been filmed at the same farm between 30 November and 4 December 2025\. It showed salmon with badly damaged eyes, noses and heads, open wounds and lice infestations. The fish welfare expert, [Dr Mark Borthwick](https://www.oocdtp.ac.uk/people/mark-borthwick?ref=theferret.scot), commented that one salmon in the video had "the worst head damage I have seen” and appeared to be “swimming without a head”. He attributed the injuries to lice, diseases and fungal infections. In some cases there may have been “mishandling” of salmon while they were being moved, he claimed. Animal Equality submitted the videos in two formal complaints to the [Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency?ref=theferret.scot), which works for the Scottish and UK governments, in November and December 2025\. The campaign group argued that the footage showed “multiple breaches of welfare law” which should be investigated and enforced. Otherwise, it warned, “these breaches will be treated as common practice within the industry and lead to further suffering for farmed fish within Scotland.” [‘Weak’ salmon farm watchdog: 100 investigations and just two warning lettersInvestigations into allegations of poor fish welfare at salmon farms by the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency have risen by more than ten times in six years, while site inspections have decreased.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-146.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Damaged-salmon-in-Loch-Roag--2--thanks-to-Corin-Smith.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/weak-salmon-farm-watchdog-100-investigations-and-just-two-warning-letters/) Animal Equality’s director, [Abigail Penny](https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-penny-476a5640/?ref=theferret.scot), pointed out that no salmon farm had ever been prosecuted for poor fish welfare. "In all my years reviewing footage from inside fish farms, this ranks among the most distressing I have encountered,” she told The Ferret. “These fish are hauntingly lethargic - salmon with no faces and tissue-like skin, their bodies ravaged by lice as they drift aimlessly through the water. Yet APHA is as tight-lipped as ever. Not a word about what action, if any, will follow.” The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) commended Animal Equality for releasing the videos, describing the footage as “sickening” and “shocking”. Fish should not be subjected to such “awful conditions”, said the highland Green MSP, [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot). “But we also know that this is only a small fraction of the suffering that is taking place. The vast majority of it will never be caught on camera,” she added. “Welfare standards across the industry are far too poor, and the enforcement of regulations is nowhere near good enough.” ![Underwater image of a salmon with severe injuries to its head and face, exposing pink flesh, swimming in dark water.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-06-at-10.37.53.png) Image thanks to Animal Equality UK [Bakkafrost Scotland](https://www.bakkafrostscotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot) insisted that fish welfare was its highest priority, and pointed out that its farms were monitored every day by experts. "There was a full review with APHA and we engaged openly throughout,” said a company spokesperson. “After considering all the information available, the regulator was satisfied with the action taken on the select fish impacted. The West Strome site has been fallow since the end of last year." The [Animal and Plant Health Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment on the complaints about West Strome salmon farm, saying it was “unable to comment on individual cases”. Instead, it reiterated comments it made in response to an earlier [query by The Ferret in February](https://www.theferret.scot/weak-salmon-farm-watchdog-100-investigations-and-just-two-warning-letters/). "We treat all reports of suspected cases of poor welfare at salmon farms seriously and all are assessed by our vets,” said a spokesperson for the agency. “We work closely with local authorities and the Scottish Government’s [Fish Health Inspectorate](https://www.gov.scot/policies/fish-health-inspectorate/?ref=theferret.scot) to manage each case through our standard process of triage and assessment.” Keep this reporting independent. No billionaire backers. No corporate agenda. Just public-interest journalism funded by readers. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### More than half a million tonnes of sewage sludge spread on Scotland's fields URL: https://www.theferret.scot/tonnes-sewage-sludge-scotland-farmland/ Last updated: 2026-03-11T10:42:17.000Z **Some 643,000 tonnes of sewage sludge has been spread on Scotland’s fields amidst mounting evidence that it contains a cocktail of toxic chemicals, The Ferret can reveal.** Data we obtained from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) via freedom of information details the extent that the substance has been applied in rural areas across the country between 2020 and 2024. Sewage sludge is the byproduct of domestic and industrial sewage and wastewater, which is treated by Scottish Water and waste and water management firms, during which some contaminants are removed. The mud-like residue is then given or sold to farmers as a low cost, nutrient-rich fertiliser to spread on agricultural land to help the growth of grass, grains and crops for humans and animals. But recent studies, including [from](https://fidra.org.uk/download/james-hutton-institute-re-assessment-of-environmental-risks-from-sewage-sludge/?ref=theferret.scot) Scotland’s James Hutton Institute [and](https://www.scotlink.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/The-application-of-sewage-sludge-to-agricultural-land-in-Scotland.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) Scottish Environment LINK, have highlighted several pollutants even in supposedly refined sewage sludge, which were not removed by treatment. They include microplastics, forever chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Once spread, these contaminants enter soil and leach into water, potentially affecting wildlife, livestock, crops, and, in-turn, human health. Applying untreated sludge to Scottish was finally banned as part of new [legislation](https://beta.sepa.scot/regulation/authorisations-and-compliance/easr-authorisations/moving-to-the-new-regulations/?ref=theferret.scot) brought in last year. One MSP said the scale of sewage sludge spreading uncovered by The Ferret was “staggering” and implored the Scottish Government to review it “as a matter of urgency”. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Environmental charities urged ministers to introduce a temporary ban on treated sludge spreading until more information about the risks comes to light. Sepa said it works with others to monitor emerging contaminants and reduce any potential environmental impacts, adding that it inspects areas where sludge has been spread, and analyses soil samples. We found that between 2020 and 2024, nearly a fifth of all the sludge spread in Scotland – 111,789 tonnes – was in Perth and Kinross. It was followed by Aberdeenshire (97,950 tonnes), the Scottish Borders (87,000 tonnes), and East Lothian (68,500 tonnes). Large amounts were also spread in Midlothian, Highland, Fife, and Dumfries and Galloway. More than a third of all sewage sludge, which is rich in nitrogen, was spread in [areas at risk](https://www.gov.scot/policies/agriculture-and-the-environment/nvz/?ref=theferret.scot) from agricultural nitrate pollution. According to the Scottish Government, large quantities of nitrogen can [harm](https://www.gov.scot/policies/agriculture-and-the-environment/nvz/?ref=theferret.scot) the environment and humans by leaching into groundwater, and running off into waterways. Sepa’s data also shows that sewage sludge is authorised to be stored at 2,528 locations across Scotland, although the regulator said the number of active sites at any one time can be low. ### **Microplastics, forever chemicals and pharmaceuticals** Sewage sludge has been [found](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pfas-plan/pfas-plan-building-a-safer-future-together?ref=theferret.scot) to include man-made organic compounds such as PFAS “forever chemicals”, and PCBs, which could possibly [cause cancer](https://www.epa.gov/pcbs/learn-about-polychlorinated-biphenyls?ref=theferret.scot#a1) in humans. It can also contain pharmaceuticals and personal care products, which are disposed of down drains and toilets. The continued release of pharmaceuticals into the environment has been [linked](https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/15/6670?ref=theferret.scot) to certain bacteria and viruses becoming immune to medicine. Degraded soil can [release](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmenvfru/245/report.html?%5F%5Fcf%5Fchl%5Ff%5Ftk=9eAS.huxXwIa5tofq.g%5FPEFpz9iL4yLTw4eZqGkcmAM-1772203593-1.0.1.1-GcvkuBVt1E3sSdIwc9aD3jAgYcsSWTInNCGp01FPJcM&ref=theferret.scot) the vast amounts of carbon it stores into the atmosphere, create flood risks by leaching water, and lose fertility, thereby putting food production at risk. [Farming and forestry pollution sees hundreds of waterways downgradedEndangered species are being put at risk by pollution from farming and forestry industries, which has led to poorer quality in hundreds of Scottish waterways and dozens being rated ‘bad’ or ‘poor’. Fertilisers, pesticides, slurry and other substances can have “severe impacts on plants and animals in rivers”, reduce drinking![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-145.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/4464667181_982fa01743_o-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/farming-forestry-pollution-waterways-scotland/) According to [research](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230103-how-plastic-is-getting-into-our-food?ref=theferret.scot) from Cardiff university, UK land has among Europe’s highest concentrations of microplastics due to sewage sludge spreading. Scotland’s Hutton institute [said](https://fidra.org.uk/download/james-hutton-institute-re-assessment-of-environmental-risks-from-sewage-sludge/?ref=theferret.scot) “significant quantities” of microplastics were entering agricultural soils through repeated sewage sludge application, adding that many of the pollutants it detected can harm soil health. It called for better regulation and monitoring, stricter regulations to limit the pollution of wastewater, improved wastewater treatment to remove contaminants, and limits on sludge spreading until more research is done. [A recent study](https://www.rgu.ac.uk/news/news-2025/7961-new-study-finds-1-450-increase-in-microplastic-levels-within-soil-after-four-years-of-sewage-sludge-application?ref=theferret.scot) from the institute and Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University found that microplastic levels rose by 1,450 per cent after four years of sludge-spreading in North Lanarkshire, and remained elevated 22 years later. [A 2012 study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22150464/?ref=theferret.scot) from Aberdeen scientists into sheep grazed on sludge-treated pastures found that chemicals had impacted the health and fertility of the animals and their offspring. Dairy farmers using chemicals akin to those found in sewage sludge have [reported](https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/19282671.dairy-farm-disaster-linked-liquid-fertiliser/?ref=theferret.scot) similar issues in cattle including high abortion rates and decreasing milk yields. One farmer in the north of England reportedly lost an entire herd. The spreading of sewage sludge is banned outright in some countries including the [Netherlands](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/02/sewage-sludge-containing-human-waste-uk?ref=theferret.scot), [Switzerland](https://www.osti.gov/etdeweb/servlets/purl/20407955?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Agricultural%20use%20of%20stabilized%20sewage,the%20ashes%20disposed%20in%20landfills.), and the US states of [Maine](https://www.maine.gov/dep/spills/topics/pfas/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Maine%20legislature%20banned%20the,%2C%20effective%20August%208%2C%202022.) and [Connecticut](https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/2025/10/11/pfas/?ref=theferret.scot). Officials [reportedly](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/08/like-fly-tipping-ministers-ignoring-pleas-to-cut-sludge-fertiliser-use?ref=theferret.scot) discovered high levels of PFAS in water, crops, cattle, soil – and in farmers – from Maine farms where sludge had been spread. PFAS contamination on some of the state’s farms reportedly put farmers out [of business](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/22/i-dont-know-how-well-survive-the-farmers-facing-ruin-in-americas-forever-chemicals-crisis?ref=theferret.scot). In 2023, we [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-failing-to-tackle-sewage-sludge/) how environmental charities accused the Scottish Government of failing to act on the recommendations from a review it did in 2016\. Many of these were eventually adopted in new legislation passed last year, which [tightened](https://beta.sepa.scot/regulation/authorisations-and-compliance/easr-authorisations/moving-to-the-new-regulations/?ref=theferret.scot) the rules around spreading. But environmentalists warn that the new laws do nothing to regulate contaminants found in sewage sludge, including PFAS, pharmaceuticals or microplastics. [Scottish Government failing to tackle sewage sludge, says Environmental Rights CentreA green charity has accused ministers of failing to regulate the use of a potentially dangerous sewage fertiliser seven years after a Scottish Government report called for action. Sewage sludge – which has a vile odour – is a by-product of sewage and wastewater treatment often used as fertiliser on fields due![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-142.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/6305610332_ff7003e64e_k-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-failing-to-tackle-sewage-sludge/) ### **Review sludge spreading “as a matter of urgency”** Green charities Fidra and the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) have both called for a moratorium on sludge spreading while the risks and alternatives are investigated. “More must be done to protect human and environmental health from potential risks associated with the complex mixture of contaminants found in sewage sludge”, said a Fidra spokesperson. “Fidra asks that the regulation of sewage sludge contaminants in Scotland – currently only certain metals and pathogens – be strengthened to address microplastics, PFAS, pharmaceuticals/anti-microbial agents and other substances of concern”. ERCS claimed that communities had [expressed concerns](https://www.ercs.scot/news/sewage-sludge-spreading/?ref=theferret.scot) about the risks associated with sewage sludge spreading “for over two decades” and argued that new Scottish [regulations](https://beta.sepa.scot/regulation/authorisations-and-compliance/easr-authorisations/moving-to-the-new-regulations/?ref=theferret.scot) introduced last year “don't go far enough”, calling for a moratorium on agricultural use of sewage sludge. “We need to adopt the precautionary principle and reevaluate the risks of sewage sludge, including investigating the potential harm of unregulated known and emerging contaminants,” said Dr Shivali Fifield, chief officer of the legal centre. ​​Scottish Greens environment spokesperson, Mark Ruskell MSP, said the scale of spreading uncovered by The Ferret was “staggering” and “raises obvious questions about what we are allowing into our food system and environment, and the lack of regulations or scrutiny”. He added: “We urgently need tighter monitoring, full transparency about where sewage sludge is being spread, and updated regulations to remove ‘forever chemicals’ from products and supply chains. “The Scottish Government must review this practice as a matter of urgency and put public safety and environmental protection before convenience and profit.” [Revealed: the drugs that are poisoning Scotland’s waterMedicinal drugs have polluted Scotland’s waterways in breach of safety levels more than 2,300 times over seven years, according to data released by the Scottish Government’s environment watchdog. Ponds, streams, rivers and firths across the country have been contaminated with 26 drugs, including ibuprofen, oestrogen, antibiotics, painkillers,![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-143.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1362759151.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/drugs-poisoning-scotlands-water/) ### **Sludge contaminants under probe** Hutton institute scientist Professor Rupert Hough has done extensive research into sewage sludge. His most recent [work](https://fidra.org.uk/download/james-hutton-institute-re-assessment-of-environmental-risks-from-sewage-sludge/?ref=theferret.scot) analysed the top 5 per cent most contaminated sludge from samples taken in Scotland to better understand the worst-case scenario of spreading. When well-managed, the fertiliser "recycles nutrients, adds organic matter, improves soil structure, and can help build soil carbon," he said. "What has been missing is real innovation – to clean up wastewater more effectively, separate out contaminants, and recover the nutrients we need without loading soils with microplastics and persistent chemicals. "The science is telling us that this is an area wide open for better regulation, better technology, and better practice". The Scottish Government said the spreading of sewage sludge was “a long-established practice and an effective way of recovering value and avoiding waste”. “We currently have no plans to introduce a ban or moratorium on this practice,” a spokesperson clarified. “Scotland has very high standards of environmental quality and levels of Per-or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals, detected in the environment are generally very low. “However, this is an area where the Scottish Government is [working with](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pfas-plan?ref=theferret.scot) the other governments of the UK, as well as both Sepa and Scottish Water to understand the PFAS risk and that appropriate, recommended mitigations are in place.” Scottish Water, which processes sewage sludge, said it works with Sepa to “mitigate identified risks” in sewage sludge “wherever possible”. “The water industry is investigating contaminants in sludges and we are actively involved in this research and want to understand the quality of sludge that we produce and the impact that it could have on the environment,” said a spokesperson. “Additionally, as part of planning for the future, we are investigating a range of different treatment technologies to understand if they can eliminate or reduce contaminant levels in bioresources.” Sepa said it works with partners “to assess and strengthen the evidence base on emerging contaminants, as well as working to reduce any potential environmental impacts”. Amendments to environmental legislation, made last year, “strengthened soil protection values and monitoring requirements and prohibited the use of untreated sewage sludge on land for the first time,” a spokesperson added. “Sepa requires operators to hold the appropriate authorisation and meet legally binding conditions, including requirements for testing and record-keeping. Our role is to regulate and enforce this legislation.” Farming union NFU Scotland argued that sludge can provide a valuable source of recycled nutrients, “helping to support soil health and reduce reliance on manufactured fertilisers”. David Michie, senior policy manager for crops said he recognised concerns around emerging contaminants found in wastewater, which he stressed was a complex issue that extends beyond agriculture. Regulations on the use of sewage sludge must keep up with emerging evidence, he said. “As responsible stewards of the land, farmers take soil health and environmental protection extremely seriously and will continue to comply with all current regulations and guidance,” Michie added. *We updated this story at 10:41 on 11 March to include a quote from Professor Rupert Hough of the James Hutton Institute.* ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Has the Scottish Government changed its stance on oil and gas? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/has-the-scottish-government-changed-its-stance-on-oil-and-gas/ Last updated: 2026-03-11T17:48:40.000Z More than four years ago then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon called time on fossil fuels, claiming that it would be [“fundamentally wrong”](https://www.gov.scot/publications/first-ministers-speech-scotlands-priorities-cop26/?ref=theferret.scot) to keep extracting oil and gas for as long as possible. Later she claimed the [Cambo oil field](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-59312510?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Published,and%20continue%20for%2025%20years.) should not get the green light. But now [controversial](https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/updates/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-rosebank-oil-field?ref=theferret.scot) plans for another [new oil field](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/rosebank?ref=theferret.scot) 80 miles off Shetland threatens to expose a [growing split](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25897009.labour-mps-among-group-urging-rejection-rosebank/?ref=theferret.scot) in the Scottish Government and the SNP over whether a quick transition away from oil and gas is possible, or the right thing to do. The debate is increasingly fierce with MPs and MSPs picking sides outside the usual partisan lines. Proponents of the Rosebank oil field claim it will support the UK’s energy security, create jobs and reduce oil imports in an increasingly [unstable world](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/national/25897799.oil-prices-jump-markets-slide-strikes-across-middle-east/?ref=theferret.scot). But opponents are adamant that its development is incompatible with [Scotland’s much-trumpeted climate goals](https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/updates/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-rosebank-oil-field?ref=theferret.scot) and question how it can contribute to energy security, given much of the oil extracted is expected to be exported. Meanwhile the Scottish Government’s view is far from clear – the issue is reserved, it points out, and a matter for [Westminster](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/westminster/). But is this simply a factual statement, or part of a change in rhetoric on oil and gas which undermines Scotland’s climate commitments? The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### **Scotland's oil** For over 50 years Scotland’s [oil and gas](https://www.theferret.scot/after-oil-investigating-scotlands-just-transition/) industry, with rigs mostly clustered off the coast of Aberdeen and Shetland, has played a crucial role in the economy and energy provision. But it is widely acknowledged that the UK oil and gas fields are reaching the [end of their lifespans](https://www.upliftuk.org/post/the-north-sea-future-plan---a-blueprint-for-the-transition?ref=theferret.scot), and fossil fuel jobs in cities like Aberdeen and the surrounding area will decrease along with the black stuff. Energy is the responsibility of the [UK Government](https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/devolved-and-reserved-matters/?ref=theferret.scot), as is employment and elements of taxation. The [Scottish government](https://www.parliament.scot/about/how-parliament-works/devolved-and-reserved-powers?ref=theferret.scot), meanwhile, has devolved authority over economic enterprise, skills and training, as well as the environment. It also aims to oversee a [‘just transition’](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/just-transition/) which will mean jobs in oil are replaced by others in greener economies and that communities reliant on high carbon economies are not left behind. So while it has plenty of room to manoeuvre within its devolved powers, it has fewer direct power levers in terms of oil and gas. The rise of the SNP – which has been in power since 2007 – and the history of oil and gas are woven together, according to Ewan Gibbs, energy and industry historian at Glasgow University. [“It’s Scotland’s oil”](https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/research/research-projects/energyinhistory/exhibition/itsscotlandsoil/?ref=theferret.scot) was the party’s campaign slogan in the 1970s, as it argued that Scotland should reap the benefits of the oil wealth, newly discovered in the North Sea. The party initially “had a lot of suspicion towards the oil and gas industries,” says Gibbs, but this gradually changed under Alex Salmond’s leadership. He won the Aberdeenshire Banff and Buchan seat in 1987, having previously had an “oil adjacent role” at the Royal Bank of Scotland. “The SNP wanted to be seen as a pro-oil sector party,” Gibbs added. “But that becomes a very difficult circle to square when it comes to the need to transition.” [This company owns some of Scotland’s biggest oil fields. It’s also accused of complicity in Israel’s warIthaca Energy is a growing force in UK energy with stakes in six of the UK’s 10 largest oil and gas fields. It’s also been linked to Israel’s war in Gaza.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-135.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/copy-of-copy-of-dsc03291-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ithaca-energy-oil-scotland-israel/) ### **Towards climate action** In recent years that need for transition towards greener energy has been in sharp focus. In 2018 the world’s leading climate scientists warned that unless action was taken to keep [global warming to a maximum of 1.5C](https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/?ref=theferret.scot), there would be catastrophic consequences including drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for millions of people. In response to the lack of political action, young people held [school strikes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAmmUIEsN9A&ref=theferret.scot) and climate activists [Extinction Rebellion](https://extinctionrebellion.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), launched a campaign of civil disobedience. In April 2019 Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged that Scotland was in the grip of a global [climate emergency](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-48077802?ref=theferret.scot) and announced it would amend its climate legislation to set a legally binding target of reaching [net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045](https://www.gov.scot/policies/climate-change/?ref=theferret.scot). It has since dropped its [flagship target](https://www.theferret.scot/is-scotland-achieving-its-climate-targets/) of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030. The [Just Transition Commission](https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/UNFCC%20KCI%20-%20JTC%20submission.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) had been set-up in January 2019 and the following year the Scottish Government announced £62m to support companies to invest and diversify from oil and gas. By the time Glasgow hosted global climate conference [COP26](https://www.gov.scot/publications/first-ministers-speech-before-start-cop26-1/?ref=theferret.scot), the SNP had been returned into power on a manifesto that claimed government support for North Sea industry should be “conditional” on it “contributing to a sustainable, secure and inclusive energy transition”. Its position offered stark contrast to the UK’s Government, then led by Boris Johnson, who in 2021 signed a deal allowing the oil and gas sector to “contribute” to the government’s net zero target. While Sturgeon backed Labour calls for a windfall tax after record profits from companies like BP and Shell in the face of escalating energy bills, Johnson dismissed the proposed tax as ["totally ridiculous"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-pmqs-energy-prices-loan-b2011155.html?ref=theferret.scot). The Scottish Government’s [draft energy strategy](https://www.gov.scot/publications/draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan/?ref=theferret.scot), published in 2023, was seen as a signal of change. It claimed that “overall use of fossil fuels across heating and transport sectors must decline” making way for alternative technology, and moved to restrict new exploration and drilling. Crucially it opened a consultation on whether there should be a presumption against new exploration for oil and gas, which was “significant, however heartfelt it was,” says Gibbs. [Power struggle: The billionaire, the Chinese oil giant and Grangemouth’s forgotten workersGrangemouth should have been Scotland’s big opportunity to realise its ambition for a just transition – moving workers into cleaner, greener jobs. But embittered power struggles got in the way, The Ferret finds.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-136.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/chris-hamilton-rep-for-unite-the-unitej46572-1-5.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-forgotten-workers/) Announcing the strategy [Michael Matheson](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-energy-strategy-transition-plan-ministerial-statement/?ref=theferret.scot), then energy minister, told the Scottish Parliament that while oil and gas had been “part of our national identity for decades”, the previous policy of “maximum economic recovery” – in other words extracting as many economically viable barrels as possible from the North Sea – was “no longer appropriate.” The majority of the [132 responses](https://www.gov.scot/publications/analysis-consultation-responses-draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan/pages/5/?ref=theferret.scot) to the energy consultation supported a presumption against new exploration. The strategy, however, has remained at draft stage and three years on, seems no further forward. The Scottish Government told The Ferret that it was taking time to “analyse and reflect” and claimed the plan involved “ongoing developments in the UK Government’s energy policy and recent court decisions”. ### **The Rosebank question** In 2023, newly installed first minister Humza Yousaf said he opposed the new licences given in the North Sea despite the draft status of the energy strategy and said the UK Government was “wrong” to approve Rosebank. Less than two years later that position was backed by the Court of Session in Edinburgh, which found the UK decision had been unlawful, after a legal challenge by Uplift and Greenpeace UK. But now Norwegian state-owned energy company [Equinor](https://www.equinor.com/?ref=theferret.scot), and [Ithaca Energy](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/?ref=theferret.scot) – part owned by the UN blacklisted Israeli oil and gas company Delek Group – have revised and resubmitted the plan. More than 60 cross-party MPs and MSPs have signed a pledge to oppose the oil field and support a transition away from fossil fuels. Michael Matheson is among them. On the other side, those supporting the proposal include eight former Conservative and Labour energy ministers, as well as former SNP minister Fergus Ewing, who [quit the party](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx24k87p1pko?ref=theferret.scot) last year to sit as an independent MSP. They recently wrote to the UK Government urging it to approve Rosebank as well as proposals for the Jackdaw gas field off the Aberdeen coast. The Scottish Government will have no vote on the Rosebank proposal. It stressed that decisions on North Sea oil and gas licensing were reserved to the UK Government. But that neutral stance has been read by many as a change in tack. [‘Special access’: Oil giants lobby Yousaf at private dinnerOil giants lobbied first minister Humza Yousaf to publicly endorse the North Sea industry and criticised the Scottish Government’s “damaging” stance on the sector at a private dinner, we can reveal. Shell and BP representatives were among attendees at a lobbying dinner in Aberdeen on 7 September, held during![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-138.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/untitled-design-2023-10-27t145200-003-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/oil-giants-lobby-humza-yousaf-at-private-dinner/) Laurie MacFarlane of think-tank [Future Economy Scotland](https://www.futureeconomy.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) says ministers have been “noticeably dialling back criticism of projects such as Rosebank”, a shift, he argues, that is increasingly in contradiction with its commitment to net zero and just transition policies. This position is an attempt to “speak to two audiences at once”, he claims, preserving its green ambition “while offering reassurance to the fossil fuel industry and its workforce”. He and others point to the [intense lobbying](https://www.theferret.scot/lobbying-scotland-business-scottish-ministers/) by the fossil fuel industry, which comes both directly and indirectly and has targeted politicians in the North East. MacFarlane claims lobbying "has been effective in reshaping political conversation". SNP Westminster leader [Stephen Flynn](https://www.theferret.scot/snp-under-fire-for-exaggerated-oil-jobs-claim/) and the current energy minister [Gillian Martin](https://www.snp.org/your-team/gillian-martin/?ref=theferret.scot) both have constituencies in the region. Following the publication of the draft energy strategy, oil giants [lobbied Humza Yousaf](https://www.theferret.scot/oil-giants-lobby-humza-yousaf-at-private-dinner/) claiming his government’s oppositional stance was “damaging” at a private dinner hosted by PR firm True North. However Jake Molloy, a [Just Transition commissioner](https://www.justtransition.scot/person/jake-molloy/?ref=theferret.scot), former oil worker and RMT union organiser, points out that the reserved status of such decisions means previous opposition could be considered “political posturing”. He sees oil exploration as a global issue – much of the oil extracted off the Scottish coast is [exported](https://www.upliftuk.org/post/drilling-into-the-facts-on-north-sea-oil-and-gas?ref=theferret.scot). “Consider the oil extraction going on in Africa and Nigeria, in Guyana, Venezuela,” he says. “Shutting down Rosebank and Jackdaw is not going to save the world.” Instead, he claims, governments should be working together to force big companies to work under stringent environmental and health and safety codes. ### **A changing position on the windfall tax** One policy on which the Scottish Government’s opposition is now clear, however, is the [Energy Profit Levy (EPL)](https://www.gov.scot/publications/energy-profits-levy-letter-to-the-uk-government/?ref=theferret.scot), also known as the windfall tax. The levy was initially called for by the then-Labour opposition and backed by Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish Government. But it was first introduced by the UK Conservative government in [May 2022](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/may/26/sunak-u-turns-on-energy-profits-levy-in-15bn-cost-of-living-package?ref=theferret.scot), and both [the rate and the length of time it applies for](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/july-statement-2024-changes-to-the-energy-oil-and-gas-profits-levy/changes-to-the-energy-oil-and-gas-profits-levy?ref=theferret.scot) have been increased subsequently by both the Tories and Labour in Westminster. The Scottish Government says that while it supported the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) at its original rate and duration, it [opposes subsequent changes](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25885992.uk-government-urged-end-energy-profits-levy-jobs-line/?ref=theferret.scot) made by UK Governments, which it claims are “driving an accelerated decline in the North Sea and costing jobs”. It is calling for it to be [scrapped](https://www.gov.scot/publications/energy-profits-levy-letter-to-the-uk-government/?ref=theferret.scot). [UN climate czar Carney’s firm involved in North Sea oil field bidThe UN climate envoy, Mark Carney, is a senior leader at an investment firm which owns a key piece of infrastructure set to be used at a controversial new oil field in the North Sea. Carney — who was governor of the Bank of England between 2013 and 2020 — is the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-139.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/68889119-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/carneys-firm-involved-rosebank-oil-bid/) Jake Molloy claims the Scottish Government has been forced to change its position on the EPL due to the high profile industrial losses of [Grangemouth](https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-forgotten-workers/) and [Mossmorran](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg1jv77vy8o?ref=theferret.scot). “For anybody who has been involved in the oil and gas industry for any length of time the word tax inevitably means redundancy,” he claims. “The minute you start hammering the oil and gas industry – it's an industry we don't own, remember – the oil companies threaten to stop investment, activity dries up and thousands get paid off.” Campaigners point to the industry’s lobbying power and point out the position is at odds with net zero policies. “Calls to scrap the windfall tax are, at the very least, ill-timed,” Tessa Khan, executive director at [Uplift](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/uplift/), tells The Ferret. “Oil and gas firms, who have already made billions at our expense during the energy crisis, look set to make billions more as a result of high prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East.” To energy historian Ewan Gibbs, the Scottish Government campaign against the windfall tax is jarring because the public purse loses out. “To me, this seems like a complete reverse of the “it’s Scotland's oil” argument that was once made,” he says, noting that the current Scottish Government position on the windfall tax puts them in step with both Reform and the Conservatives. ### **Government in limbo** The combination of these positions, along with its commitment to climate action, one of five key priorities highlighted in the latest [Scottish programme for government](https://www.gov.scot/programme-for-government/?ref=theferret.scot), means the rhetoric is increasingly confused, according to Gibbs. Laurie MacFarlane believes the Scottish Government has moved from “evidence based opposition” towards “strategic ambiguity” under John Swinney, who became [first minister in May 2024](https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/snp-leadership-first-minister?ref=theferret.scot). “The party appears to have calculated that a less confrontational stance towards new oil and gas developments is necessary to retain support in these constituencies,” MacFarlane added. “At the same time, it is seeking to avoid alienating party members and voters elsewhere in Scotland, for whom a just transition to net zero remains a popular priority. “However, by attempting to balance climate commitments with fossil fuel interests, there is a growing risk that it satisfies neither and achieves little.” [Anger as public cash for ‘just’ transition flows to big business – The FerretGrassroots organisations say Scotland’s £500m ‘just transition’ fund has been “captured” by corporate interests – including oil billionaire Sir Ian Wood.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-140.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/aberdeendarker.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/anger-as-public-cash-for-just-transition-flows-to-big-business/) Jake Molloy also believes the lack of clarity on oil and gas is deliberate. “There's that fear that by coming out with a definitive position they could be attacked,” he says. “So they try some kind of circus act, with all the balls in the air at the same time, to meet every demand and every expectation.” The answer, he says, is to commit to using the devolved powers it has to push forward the “green revolution” in ways that not only create jobs but benefit communities, helping to create the future possibility for a transition that learns from the mistakes of [past industrial transition failures](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n16/ewan-gibbs/goodbye-to-grangemouth?ref=theferret.scot), such as was seen with coal in the 1980s. “You know, where we are just now is so frustrating,” he says.“Because the opportunities, the potential, is just huge.” ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### ‘Fighting age males’ and coded swastikas: How the far-right is using gaming to recruit the next generation of Nazis URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-using-gaming-to-recruit/ Last updated: 2026-03-01T06:30:26.000Z **Far-right groups are increasingly using coded language and imagery on gaming platforms to bypass content moderators and radicalise young people, experts have warned.** Extremists use gaming as an initial place of a bonding before directing young people to platforms like [Telegram and Discord](https://gnet-research.org/2025/07/02/playing-with-hate-how-far-right-extremists-use-minecraft-to-gamify-radicalisation/?ref=theferret.scot) where the content becomes more overtly ideological and racist. The phrase “fighting age males” and words like “invaders” are often used by far-right groups like Britain First and Patriotic Alternative to depict asylum seekers and refugees as security threats. Experts say both groups are active in online gaming and streaming. Academics spoke to The Ferret following revelations that Scotland's terrorism prevention programme witnessed a [record number](https://www.scotland.police.uk/what-s-happening/news/2025/november/highest-number-on-record-as-more-people-report-to-anti-extremism-prevent-programme/?ref=theferret.scot) of referrals last year – with the highest proportion made over far right concerns. There were 162 referrals in 2024/25, an increase of 42 per cent compared to the previous year – and 38 per cent related to extreme right wing concerns. There are also fears that more teenagers could be groomed online due to rising youth unemployment in the UK. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Far right groups recruit online and [British](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/31/far-right-extremists-games-platforms-radicalise-teenagers-report?ref=theferret.scot) and [US intelligence](https://www.dni.gov/files/NCTC/documents/jcat/firstresponderstoolbox/144s%5F-%5FFirst%5FResponders%5FToolbox%5F-%5FTerrorist%5FExploitation%5Fof%5FOnline%5FGaming%5FPlatforms.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) agencies have previously warned that extremists exploit the gaming environment to target young people. Call of Duty, a first-person military shooter game, has been used by far-right groups as a recruiting tool for teenage gamers, as has Minecraft, an “open world’ creative building game often played by younger children. Both games have millions of online players. Online gaming involves interactive gameplay with real-time conversations, often anonymously, creating relationships among users that might not exist in the real world and experts warn this environment provides opportunities for groups to target young people who may be susceptible to [extremist messaging](https://www.dni.gov/files/NCTC/documents/jcat/firstresponderstoolbox/144s%5F-%5FFirst%5FResponders%5FToolbox%5F-%5FTerrorist%5FExploitation%5Fof%5FOnline%5FGaming%5FPlatforms.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). Dr William Allchorn, a senior research fellow at Anglia Ruskin University’s international policing and public protection research institute, told The Ferret there’s been a “notable shift” recently toward less “overt branding” inside gaming by far right actors. He argued there is an urgent need for digital literacy for parents and police so they better understand how these platforms and subcultures operate. Gaming companies said they are fully committed to child online safety and that “violent extremist content” is prohibited. ### **Gaming and terrorism** Far right actors trying to recruit young people through gaming include the white-nationalist group Patriotic Alternative, which is currently active at anti-asylum protests in Scotland. During lockdown, Patriotic Alternative targeted youngsters and with [Call of Duty](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/14/how-far-right-uses-video-games-tech-lure-radicalise-teenage-recruits-white-supremacists?ref=theferret.scot) gaming tournaments and – according to researchers at Anglia Ruskin University – it live-streamed events on YouTube to children as [young as 12](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/far-right-uses-baking-contests-and-video-games-to-lure-recruits-fvnvbg09z?gaa%5Fat=eafs&gaa%5Fn=AWEtsqeZvaK6FyOffLEY7N3W70%5F5neRVUGfYQdIKvJ7PII0pJcjPwzAvYFARY%5FHJaSg%3D&gaa%5Fts=699f0c7e&gaa%5Fsig=5F8nE-GkXSp5UoRj8Q7jVwNqgJ95deuHS1Gz-c3t9kfcFlWWe5WlxtfzDx0ov50sQgOBVk4oIVUvVkmS8lzM4g%3D%3D&gearefresh=&ref=theferret.scot) years old. The white nationalist group remains “considerably active in gaming spaces”, according to Dr Allchorn, who [published research](https://www.aru.ac.uk/news/extremists-use-gaming-platforms-to-recruit---study?ref=theferret.scot) after interviewing platform moderators who said there was inconsistent enforcement due to the complexity of harmful content. Patriotic Alternative did not reply to a request for comment. Its leader Mark Collett has [reportedly said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8xykr5v95o?ref=theferret.scot) they are not extremist, do not promote violence and peacefully campaign for the rights of what he calls indigenous British people. The proscribed neo-Nazi terror group [Atomwaffen Division](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/white-supremacist-group-atomwaffen-division-banned-in-the-uk?ref=theferret.scot) is also believed to [target gamers](https://gnet-research.org/2025/07/02/playing-with-hate-how-far-right-extremists-use-minecraft-to-gamify-radicalisation/?ref=theferret.scot). In 2018, [the BBC revealed](https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/atomwaffen-division/?ref=theferret.scot) it had found several individuals in the UK corresponding with its members over Discord, an online gaming chat platform. They launched their own group known as Sonnenkrieg Division, which was later proscribed. It was linked to the now banned System Resistance Network, which was active in [Dundee](https://www.theferret.scot/system-resistance-network/), as reported by The Ferret. “They're looking out for individuals that might be expressing grievances, young people that might align with their ideology,” Allchorn said. “They're inhabiting spaces, usually with an anonymised profile, using language that they know won't trigger automated moderation.” Code words used include “great replacement” which alludes to a conspiracy theory and “14” or “14 words” which is numeric shorthand tied to a white supremacist slogan. Hidden symbols to circumvent banned words that would be picked up by automated moderation tools, Allchorn added, including symbols stitched together to represent a [swastika](https://gnet-research.org/2025/07/02/playing-with-hate-how-far-right-extremists-use-minecraft-to-gamify-radicalisation/?ref=theferret.scot). > They're looking out for individuals that might be expressing grievances, young people that might align with their ideology. They're inhabiting spaces, usually with an anonymised profile, using language that they know won't trigger automated moderation. — Dr William Allchorn, Anglia Ruskin University After initial contact in gaming spaces, conversations frequently move to encrypted apps, where explicit white supremacist propaganda appears. “The gaming space functions as the discovery layer,” Allchorn said, adding that the “ideological consolidation” occurs in private channels on platforms like Discord where conversations shift toward grievance narratives including migration, cultural replacement, masculinity, and anti-LGBT rhetoric. “In our study, we’ve seen cases where younger users were gradually invited into invite-only servers where more explicit white nationalist material was shared,” he added. On platforms such as [Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/?ref=theferret.scot) – an interactive livestreaming service for gaming – some streamers “cultivate apolitical gaming personas” but introduce political commentary incrementally, Allchorn said, adding that younger viewers who spend hours in livestream chats can “develop loyalty that makes ideological messaging feel personal rather than propagandistic”. Ben Rich, a senior lecturer at Curtin University, Australia, who researches extremism and disinformation, said extremists have been using digital platforms to spread their ideas for “quite some time”. He said they include more traditional spaces like Facebook and Twitter/X but also more “novel ones” like Discord, and video games - especially ones with “large audience bases” like Roblox, an online game platform and game creation system used by primary school aged children. “This can greatly empower the ability to isolate, groom and recruit without the same kind of constraints that would be more likely to be present in the real world,” he argued. According to The Global Network on Extremism and Technology, Minecraft, one of the world’s most popular online games, has been turned into a “tool for ideological grooming and radicalisation” by [far-right extremists](https://gnet-research.org/2025/07/02/playing-with-hate-how-far-right-extremists-use-minecraft-to-gamify-radicalisation/?ref=theferret.scot). Minecraft has 200 million players a month and it allows user-generated content “creating vulnerabilities” that extremists can exploit, the report said. It added that far-right groups have “learned to speak the cultural language” of gaming communities and the use of Minecraft is part of a larger trend which it calls the “gamification of hate”. > This can greatly empower the ability to isolate, groom and recruit without the same kind of constraints that would be more likely to be present in the real world. — Ben Rich, Curtin University, Australia Minecraft’s popularity with younger users make it an especially risky case, the report said, adding that by 2024, 43 per cent of Minecraft’s player base are aged 15 to 21\. “While most players use these features harmlessly, far-right actors have exploited this freedom to build propaganda-filled environments, memorialise violent events, and embed hate speech into virtual architecture,” the report continued. US intelligence agencies said users have replicated and role played prominent attacks in online games, including an [attack in 2019](https://www.dni.gov/files/NCTC/documents/jcat/firstresponderstoolbox/144s%5F-%5FFirst%5FResponders%5FToolbox%5F-%5FTerrorist%5FExploitation%5Fof%5FOnline%5FGaming%5FPlatforms.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) when a violent white supremacist targeted two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq, has used gaming in recruitment videos. The Counter Extremist project said last week that far-right groups are active on the gaming platform Roblox where they post white supremacist messages. In November, the UK's Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation issued a warning after [ITV News](https://www.itv.com/news/2025-11-14/mosque-attacks-and-far-right-skins-roblox-teens-exposed-to-extremist-content?ref=theferret.scot) found examples of extremist content available on Roblox. [Far-right agitators stand accused of stirring up trouble at asylum hotel protests. But anti-racists are standing firmFollowing a sharp rise in far right activity, we’ve spent the last three months attending protests, speaking to activists under threat, and tracking anti-asylum seeker demonstrations across Scotland.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-133.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/anti-migrant-protestj45496-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotelhttps-www-theferret-scot-far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotel-protests-amid-claims-they-are-stirring-up-racism-but-anti-racists-a/) ### **Young people radicalised online** A young Scot called Felix Winter was [jailed for six years](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyj2g5l1g2o?ref=theferret.scot) last year after threatening to carry out a mass shooting at his Edinburgh school. The court heard the 18-year-old had been “radicalised” online, spending more than 1,000 hours in contact with a pro-Nazi Discord group. Winter held racist and pro-Nazi views and "idolised" the killers behind the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in the US, the court heard. He had been referred to the UK-wide Prevent counter terrorism programme four times. Under the Prevent scheme schools and other public bodies are required to report people who show signs of being drawn into violent extremism. The [latest figures](https://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/how-we-do-it/prevent-referral-data/?ref=theferret.scot) on referrals to Prevent, the anti-terror scheme, show that children aged under 15 accounted for 37 per cent of referrals in Scotland. About 27 per cent came from the north of Scotland and the most common reason was Islamist extremism. ### **Youth unemployment** Experts also said the rising number of jobless youngsters in the UK was a cause for concern. Latest figures show unemployment for those aged between 16 and 24 has risen to 16.1 per cent, its highest in more than 10 years. Allchorn said that while there is not a “linear relationship” between unemployment and radicalisation, rising youth unemployment means more “discretionary time online”. “Gaming becomes a primary social arena,” he said. “For a small subset of already alienated young people, that combination — isolation, time, grievance, and exposure to recruiters embedded in gaming culture — can create a vulnerability window,” he said. “It’s important to stress that the overwhelming majority of young gamers are not at risk. The issue is not gaming per se, but the permeability of large, youth-dense digital spaces where moderation is inconsistent, lone use is pervasive and grievance narratives are actively seeded.” Joshua Thorburn, an academic at Monash University, Australia, researching misogyny, said it is difficult to determine the relationship between time spent online and radicalisation but he added that high youth unemployment is concerning. “Young people who find themselves in a precarious economic situation have valid grievances,” he said. “However, such grievances can be easily misdirected towards out-groups far-right extremists have long villainised. Most typically, immigrants and ethnic minorities. However, for many in far-right/manosphere spaces, the increased participation of women in the workforce is argued to have come at the expense of men.” [Toxic? How do we tackle the rise of misogyny fuelled by online hateOn the way to the activity wing of Polmont Young Offenders Institute – through locked doors and up and down stairs – there is a long corridor with full length windows on which single words are etched onto the glass. Hope, says one. Believe. Inspire. Today’s prison workshop on masculinity and![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-134.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/polmont-young-offendershand-jpg.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/toxic-how-tackle-rise-misogyny-online-hate/) ### **What the platforms say** A spokesperson for Microsoft, which owns Minecraft, said it has a “longstanding commitment” to child online safety and prohibits violent extremist content. “We leverage a variety of systems that empower players to enjoy a safe experience, including chat filtering, in-game reporting, parental controls, and more,” they added. “If content violates our community standards, we have dedicated teams for review and moderation, who also work in coordination with Microsoft’s extensive security and threat analysis teams. On private servers that are set up independently by users outside of Minecraft’s systems, we investigate reported violations and apply enforcement mechanisms as needed.” A Roblox spokesperson said it enforces a “strict policy” prohibiting content or behaviour that “incites, condones, supports, glorifies, or promotes any extremist organisation or individual”, adding that “swift action” is taken against content or accounts found to have broken its rules. They added: “We use advanced AI technology to review all images, text, and avatar items prior to publishing, in order to prevent known extremist iconography from being posted while our default chat filters are designed to block the sharing of personal information and stop attempts to direct younger users to other platforms where moderation standards may be less stringent.” Roblox works with law enforcement, civil society groups, and other organisations with specific subject matter expertise in countering those who would seek to promote violent extremism, the spokesperson continued. “While no system is perfect, our commitment to safety never ends. We continue to strengthen protections to help keep our users safe and encourage anyone who sees anything concerning on Roblox to report it to us.” [Telegram said](https://telegram.org/moderation?ref=theferret.scot) it “blocks tens of thousands of groups and channels daily and removes millions of pieces of content” that violate its terms of service, including incitement to violence, sharing child abuse materials, and trading illegal goods. Discord, Twitch, Call of Duty and Britain First were asked to comment. ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### ‘Weak’ salmon farm watchdog: 100 investigations and just two warning letters URL: https://www.theferret.scot/weak-salmon-farm-watchdog-100-investigations-and-just-two-warning-letters/ Last updated: 2026-02-25T14:41:16.000Z **The UK Government’s animal welfare watchdog has been accused of being “embarrassingly weak” after new figures revealed that it has investigated more than 100 complaints alleging poor fish welfare at salmon farms – but sent just two warning letters.** Official information released to The Ferret also show that [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) farm investigations by the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency have risen more than tenfold, from five to 57 in the last six years. But over the same period, the number of occasions on which investigators actually visited farms to check on fish welfare fell from five in 2020 and seven in 2021, to four in 2025. Tens of millions of farmed salmon have [died prematurely](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/feb/05/more-than-35m-unexpected-salmon-deaths-at-scottish-farms-sparks-outcry?ref=theferret.scot) from diseases, lice and other causes since 2020, as well as at least [seven million fish](https://www.theferret.scot/million-lice-eating-fish-died-at-salmon-farms/) used to eat the lice that can infest the salmon. Campaigners pointed out that the fish must have suffered before they died, and attacked the animal agency for putting “profits ahead of ethics”. It’s a “national scandal”, they said, that “tarnishes” Scotland’s reputation on animal welfare. According to the [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), the current system allowed regulators to take no action, even when millions of fish were “diseased and dying”. This would not happen in any other type of farming, they said. The [Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency?ref=theferret.scot) refused to say which salmon farms had received warning letters, or what they contained. It stressed that it treated all suspected cases of poor welfare “seriously” and worked closely with other public bodies on “triage and assessment”. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Fish welfare at salmon farms is due to be examined at a meeting of the [Scottish Parliament’s rural affairs committee](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-rural-affairs-and-islands-committee/meetings/2026/rural-affairs-and-islands-committee-25-february-2026?ref=theferret.scot) on 25 February, as part of a renewed investigation into the industry by MSPs. Amongst those facing questioning will be APHA’s leading vet in northern Scotland, [Amy Jennings](https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-jennings-341a2816/?ref=theferret.scot). APHA is an executive agency of the UK [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs?ref=theferret.scot) in London, and also works for the Scottish Government. It is responsible for fish welfare and enforcing animal welfare law. In response to a [freedom of information (FoI)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/freedom-of-information/) request by The Ferret, APHA released [figures](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27345368-apha-foi-response-on-investigations/?ref=theferret.scot) on its investigations into complaints about fish welfare at salmon farms. These showed that there had been a total of 104 investigations between 2020 and 2025. But APHA only took enforcement action for breaches of animal welfare rules twice, sending one warning later in 2023 and another in 2025\. In response to a second FoI request, the agency refused to give any further details as this would [“prejudice the commercial interests”](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27345367-apha-foi-response-on-enforcement-actions/?ref=theferret.scot) of the companies involved. “APHA can confirm that the nature of the enforcement action in both cases was a warning letter, and no subsequent action or outcome was necessary,” the agency said. | Year | Complaint investigations | In-person site visits | Warning letters | | ------ | ------------------------ | --------------------- | --------------- | | 2020 | 5 | 5 | 0 | | 2021 | 11 | 7 | 0 | | 2022 | 3 | 3 | 0 | | 2023 | 9 | 3 | 1 | | 2024 | 19 | 2 | 0 | | 2025 | 57 | 4 | 1 | | Totals | 104 | 24 | 2 | *Source: Animal and Plant Health Agency in* [*January*](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27345368-apha-foi-response-on-investigations/?ref=theferret.scot) *and* [*February*](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27345367-apha-foi-response-on-enforcement-actions/?ref=theferret.scot) *2026* The figures also revealed that the number of salmon farm investigations by APHA rocketed from five in 2020 to 57 in 2025\. But over the same period the number of in-person site visits fell from five to four. In 2025, APHA did conduct what it called “remote” inspections of nine other fish farms, but these did not include in-person visits. There was also one “remote” inspection in 2021. [Coastal Communities Network Scotland](https://www.communitiesforseas.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which brings together more than 30 groups concerned about the marine environment, pointed out that [Scottish Government figures](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-fish-farm-production-survey-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) showed that 21 million salmon put in sea cages in 2022 died before they were due to be killed and marketed. “APHA is failing to ensure that farmed fish live good lives, without suffering unnecessarily,” said the network’s fish farming spokesman, John Aitchison. “This is a national scandal, tarnishing Scotland’s reputation as a country that cares about animal welfare, and showing that we put profits ahead of ethics.” Another member of the network, Dennis Archer from [Friends of Loch Creran](https://www.facebook.com/LochCreran/about/), accused APHA of failing to properly look for poor fish welfare. “Public complaints are not thoroughly investigated,” he said. “The system protects fish farmers, not fish.” The campaign group, [Animal Equality UK](https://animalequality.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed the salmon farming industry was facing “scandal after scandal” because fish welfare regulation was so poor. “While complaints have soared, the regulator’s response has been embarrassingly weak,” said the group’s director, Abigail Penny. “By any objective measure, the current regulatory framework is failing and needs an urgent overhaul. Scotland must press pause and halt further expansion of the salmon farming industry.” According to the Highland Green MSP, [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot), the figures revealed by The Ferret raised "very serious concerns about the lack of enforcement”. [Seven million lice-eating fish have died at Scottish salmon farmsA campaigner has made the first estimate of the total number of cleaner fish that have died while grazing lice on farmed salmon. It’s condemned as a “colossal waste of life” that should cease.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-132.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1173111833-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/million-lice-eating-fish-died-at-salmon-farms/) "The current system allows regulators to stand back and take no action when millions of fish are diseased and dying,” said Burgess, a member of the [Scottish Parliament’s rural affairs committee](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-rural-affairs-and-islands-committee?ref=theferret.scot), which is re-examining salmon farming. “If this were happening in any other type of farming, there would be immediate scrutiny,” she added. “How can we expect people to have confidence in eating farmed salmon when the way it is produced is clearly not up to the high animal welfare standards they expect?” The [Animal and Plant Health Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency?ref=theferret.scot) insisted it was unable to comment on individual cases. "We treat all reports of suspected cases of poor welfare at salmon farms seriously and all are assessed by our vets,” said a spokesperson. “We work closely with local authorities and the Scottish Government’s [Fish Health Inspectorate](https://www.gov.scot/policies/fish-health-inspectorate/?ref=theferret.scot) to manage each case through our standard process of triage and assessment.” [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which represents salmon farming companies, said that the industry was subject to more than 1,600 audits and inspections every year, and operated under “strict welfare law”. "Scottish salmon is one of the most highly regulated food sectors in the world,” claimed a spokesperson. "No one cares more about these fish than the people who look after them, and survival rates, which are voluntarily published, remain high." ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) *Note: the wording of the number of salmon who died after being put in sea cages in 2022 was amended to make it more accurate at 10.25am on 25 February 2026.* ### No evidence of viral Richard Tice quote on Reform's plans for Scotland URL: https://www.theferret.scot/richard-tice-viral-quote-fact-check/ Last updated: 2026-02-23T07:12:29.000Z **Reform UK announced its top team this week, appointing former Tory ministers Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman to prominent roles, alongside longtime party activists Richard Tice and Zia Yusuf.** Tice, who was [leader of the party for three years](https://news.sky.com/story/who-is-in-nigel-farages-new-reform-top-team-13508478?ref=theferret.scot), until Nigel Farage took over, will be Reform’s business, trade and energy spokesman. He has been criticised for his positions on environmental issues. On [social media](https://x.com/liuzhou2014/status/2022639196054458762?s=20&ref=theferret.scot), people shared posts with a quote they claimed was from Tice. He allegedly said: “We will remove as many powers from Holyrood as soon as possible. We will remove environmental protections in favour of big business. We will bring back fracking in Scotland for British benefit and slash taxes for those setting up fracking operations”. Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Unsupported**. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/02/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) ### **Evidence** This alleged quote has appeared in several forms across [X](https://x.com/liuzhou2014/status/2022639196054458762?s=20&ref=theferret.scot), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/groups/StandUpForScotland/posts/1975106199710546/) and other social platforms, attributed to Richard Tice. It does not appear to be a quote he made in a speech or public appearance and we could not find any direct source for the comments. It is likely the quote began as a satirical attempt to sum up Tice and Reform UK’s policy positions. Tice is on record as being a supporter of fracking, a method of extracting natural gas and oil from deep beneath the ground, where it is trapped in rock formations. In August 2025, [he said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74172wlezwo?ref=theferret.scot): “We've got potentially hundreds of billions of energy treasure in the form of shale gas” "It's grossly financially negligent to a criminal degree to leave that value underground and not to extract it,” he continued. Party leader Nigel Farage has also [suggested](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/05/reform-pro-fracking-stance-could-divide-potential-voters-research?ref=theferret.scot) the party would end the fracking ban in England and Wales if elected. The party and Tice have also suggested they would look to scrap a series of environmental rules in order to protect jobs and business in the fossil fuel sector. Examples include the commitment to achieving ‘net zero’ emissions and “all these levies and green taxes”. The idea that Reform aims to remove powers from the Scottish Parliament may come from some of the statements made in the past by Reform UK leader Farage, and Tice's [2021 comments](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ5-Y8TvCX8&t=525s&ref=theferret.scot) about devolving power to Scottish councils. In 2011, when he was leading the UK Independence Party, he [launched its Scottish Parliament election](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-12964769?ref=theferret.scot) manifesto with a commitment to “replace MSPs with Scottish Westminster MPs". Richard Tice has not said he wanted to remove “as many powers from Holyrood as soon as possible”, and it is not Reform UK’s current policy. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Unsupported** There is no evidence this quote comes from Richard Tice himself. FFS could not find any examples of this exact quote in any speeches or public appearances by Tice himself. It appears to be a made up quote based on perceptions of his and Reform UK’s policy positions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/02/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_Unsuported_RGB.png) ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) *Main image: House of Commons/Flickr* ### 'Culture of fear': allegations of mismanagement keep coming at scandal hit heritage agency URL: https://www.theferret.scot/intimidation-and-discrimination-allegations-keep-coming-at-scandal-hit-heritage-agency/ Last updated: 2026-02-22T07:00:19.000Z The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Make a one-off donation ](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) ****Reporting you can check, not just share.** We publish rigorous, sourced journalism and we correct it when it’s wrong. If you value facts over noise, help keep this work independent. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Serious allegations of discrimination and a “toxic” culture of ‘fear and intimidation’ at Stirling Castle have emerged – including a claim one disabled visitor was left feeling suicidal. The claims are the latest in a slew of serious complaints about the castle’s custodian, Historic Environment Scotland, in recent months. The [troubled heritage body](https://www.theferret.scot/radical-road-closure-safety-experts/) is already being investigated for [corruption](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25583089.corruption-files-see-investigation-historic-environment-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot), amid revelations about [racism](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25778566.scottish-heritage-boss-to-get-racism-training-return-130k-job/?ref=theferret.scot) and “[unacceptable” governance](https://audit.scot/news/unacceptable-governance-at-historic-environment-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). The Ferret has learned that a collective grievance was raised by staff working as tour guides at the castle in 2018, which accused [the Scottish Government's heritage agency](https://www.historicenvironment.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) of “systematically undermining” its equality and diversity duties, and of “bullying” and being “openly aggressive” to staff. The grievance claims staff were told not to speak to a vulnerable disabled man due to fears about his inappropriate behaviour, with those who failed to comply claiming they were disciplined and marked down at their annual performance reviews. Managers involved claimed they were acting appropriately to protect staff. Only one part of the grievance, in relation to a failure to comply with disciplinary processes, was upheld. But the written decision acknowledged a "volatile and unpleasant situation”, low morale and the need for an improved working environment. It also suggested a “corporate wide review” of how to deal with vulnerable adults, noting: “we need to understand discrimination better”. Following an appeal of the grievance, an external report was commissioned from a consultant. This report found “strong corroborating evidence supporting many of the allegations made” while acknowledging not all could be evidenced. [CCA to be investigated over financial governance concernsThe Scottish charity regulator has announced it will investigate Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts, which folded last month, due to concerns raised about its “historic financial management”.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-129.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/2048px-CCA-Glasgow-2007-Nan-Hoover-Flora.jpeg)](https://www.theferret.scot/cca-to-be-investigated-over-financial-governance-concerns/) The independent report, published internally in January 2019 – and seen by The Ferret – highlighted “systemic issues” in the work culture in the castle’s guiding team, which were "fundamentally at odds with Historic Environment Scotland's expected standards of behaviour". Its findings alleged a culture of "fear and intimidation" where people were scared to speak out due to potential repercussions. Staff working there at the time said the “traumatic” experiences affected their wellbeing and called for action to be taken to stop others suffering. The Ferret has seen an email sent to the then chief executive of the organisation raising concerns in December 2018, which staff alleged was not adequately acted on. Opposition politicians accused culture cabinet secretary [Angus Robertson](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/angus-robertson/) of being “asleep at the wheel” and called for the latest revelations to spur urgent action. A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland insisted it took “concerns about staff wellbeing and organisational culture extremely seriously”. They said it had accepted the findings of the 2019 report and taken a range of measures to implement change. An external review of the [organisation’s culture](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25546833.historic-environment-scotland-chair-issues-statement-staff/?ref=theferret.scot) is in progress. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/02/iStock-1443102420.jpg) A report found there was a culture of fear amongst some tour guides at Stirling Castle. Image: iStock/[StephenBridger](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/StephenBridger?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) Caitlin Walker, who worked as a tour guide at Stirling Castle from April 2017 to December 2018, told The Ferret that while she initially enjoyed the job, she was deeply troubled by instructions given about how to interact with a vulnerable disabled visitor. He came to the castle daily after being involved in an arts project there. It was claimed he upset one tour guide team member by swearing and had asked others personal questions. Though Walker acknowledged his interactions with staff made some uncomfortable, she insisted the way issues were dealt with was discriminatory. Some managers, who later admitted they were not familiar with equality policies, told staff to limit interactions with the visitor to two minutes. Later, it is claimed, tour guides were reprimanded if they did not totally ignore him. Fears were raised that other guests and “security duties” were being overlooked because guides spent too long with the disabled visitor. Walker told The Ferret that she believed some people were “aggressive” in dealing with the disabled man, leaving him distressed and sometimes in tears. On one occasion it is alleged he told her and another staff member he “felt like killing myself”. “He was a vulnerable person and not to speak to him felt morally repugnant,” Walker said, who continued short interactions with him at work. She claims this led her to being disciplined, surveilled by managers, and “bullied” and humiliated with “performance issues” raised on her probationary review. Walker shared contemporaneous notes, backing her claims which an independent review later corroborated. However in interviews connected with the grievance, some of those cited rejected the allegations, claiming some people in the team were “making trouble’. After submitting the grievance, Walker said her treatment at work deteriorated further, with some excluding her or refusing to communicate. She saw an occupational therapist who documented her distress despite noting her previously easy going nature. In total she was signed off three times due to stress before leaving in December 2018\. > “Years later I realised the person being put at risk was me, not by this visitor but by my managers. Me and others were threatened and intimidated just for having a shred of decency and a vulnerable guest was treated appallingly.” - Caitlin Walker “I was not a rule breaker,” she said. “I take my responsibilities seriously and if I work for a company I want to be an ambassador for it. While it was happening they emotionally manipulated me by saying I was putting staff at risk by speaking to this disabled visitor. Walker remained in contact with the man after leaving the castle, helped him seek support and met his family. “Years later I realised the person being put at risk was me,” she added. “Me and others were threatened and intimidated just for having a shred of decency and a vulnerable guest was treated appallingly.” “It was one of the worst things I’ve had to go through but I don’t regret standing up for what I know was right and it made me stronger. This was not about one guest – it was about the whole workplace culture that was toxic and needs to change.” She claims many people in the organisation are scared to speak up for fear of losing their jobs, often because of their passion for the heritage sector. “No-one should feel silenced at work and this should not happen to anyone else again,” she said. Three friends and colleagues who worked with Walker at the time verified her accounts with one claiming she was initially “a live wire” but became withdrawn and anxious following attempts to “break her”. The staff members, who spoke anonymously, also struggled to cope with the “toxic environment” and intimidation and they alleged that getting “silent treatment” was the norm. The external investigation documented a "hierarchical, archaic and authoritarian” culture with staff allocated specific work areas and “shouted at” if they went elsewhere. Permission had to be sought to use the computer, which was in a locked room. The investigation documented frequent reports of “infighting and squabbling” and claims there was a “lad culture” with sexist and “mildly sectarian” jokes normalised and female staff on the team not being taken seriously. Women told investigators that they expected to do the “less serious” children’s tours while men did the adult ones. [Anger as the Radical Road looks set to stay closedA Scottish Government agency is still considering “permanent closure” of the Radical Road on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, according to a confidential report obtained by The Ferret. An option put by officials to the board of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) in November 2023 was “to permanently prohibit all access”![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-130.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/img_9115-jpeg.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/radical-road-stay-closed-anger/) It also highlighted previous work culture issues pre-dating Walker’s arrival. “Unless underlying causes are identified and addressed then staff satisfaction – long an issue at the castle – is likely to continue to be an issue, and it is likely that grievances will continue to be raised on an ongoing basis,” the report found. The Ferret has seen another grievance raised by another member of the same team, from a similar date. Some are sceptical that Historic Environment Scotland is adequately dealing with its issues. It is alleged that in June 2024 operations manager [Craig Mearns](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25778566.scottish-heritage-boss-to-get-racism-training-return-130k-job/?ref=theferret.scot) pointed to tourists at Edinburgh Castle and told another senior staff member to “look at those chocolates”. He apologised in an all staff briefing and will reportedly undergo anti-racism training now that he is returning to his post. According to [Historic Environment Scotland data](https://www.historicenvironment.scot/about-us/who-we-are/how-we-spend-our-money/transparency-data/senior-staff-salaries/?ref=theferret.scot) he is the highest paid senior manager earning £105-110k last year. Other signals of the troubled culture include revelations that a senior leader was being investigated for [sexual harassment](https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/historic-environment-scotland-manager-accused-of-twerking-at-martin-compston-faces-sex-harassment-allegation-5382241?ref=theferret.scot) after acting inappropriately at a corporate event at Edinburgh Castle in 2023\. They allegedly danced provocatively by "twerking" and making celebrity guests, including the actor Martin Compston, uncomfortable. In October 2025 the heritage body's chief executive, Katerina Brown, [was suspended](https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/heritage-charity-chief-suspended/management/article/1935913?ref=theferret.scot), having been signed off since May on health grounds, just nine months after taking up the post. She has since returned to work. A new board chair, [Sir Mark Jones](https://museumsandheritage.com/advisor/posts/sir-mark-jones-appointed-chair-of-historic-environment-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot), was also appointed. In December an Audit Scotland report deemed the body’s governance “unacceptable” highlighting “procurement issues, data breaches, unclear processes for complimentary tickets to events at its venues, and no formal register of interests for the executive leadership team”. > “It is unacceptable in any workplace for there to be a culture of fear and intimidation. It is crucial in any line of work that employees are able to speak out about their concerns without fear of reprisals.” - Neil Bibby MSP [Patrick Harvie MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/patrick-harvie?ref=theferret.scot) for the Scottish Greens, said the recent revelations had been “deeply disturbing” adding: “It’s horrible to read about the traumatic impact this has had on people working there, as well as on people visiting Scotland’s historic sites who have a right to be welcomed and treated with respect.” He said it was now important that the Holyrood committee considering the “organisational dysfunction” also consider the human impact. “The new chair \[of HES\], and the Scottish Government, must acknowledge the toxic culture within the organisation, which has included serious allegations of racism, as well as what is being reported today,” he added. “Those issues clearly go back much further than the recent leadership instability.” Scottish Labour culture spokesperson [Neil Bibby](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/neil-bibby?ref=theferret.scot) claimed The Ferret’s reporting further underlined “the importance of a full investigation into the culture and management at HES”. “It seems clear that there remains outstanding issues to be resolved, as former members of staff are still living with the consequences,” he added. He expressed sympathies with staff adding: “It is unacceptable in any workplace for there to be a culture of fear and intimidation. It is crucial in any line of work that employees are able to speak out about their concerns without fear of reprisals. “Angus Robertson has been asleep at the wheel on this issue, despite having been warned about the problems engulfing HES. It is now high time that he takes responsibility and ensures that no such incidents can ever occur again.” [Books are being challenged in Scottish schools. Librarians fear a ‘chilling effect’ on freedom of speechDozens of complaints about reading material in school libraries have been received, with campaigners warning that “book bans” could increase.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-131.png)The FerretAlastair Brian![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-2162169941-1-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/books-scottish-schools-librarians/) A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland said it was unable to comment on individual cases due to “legal and confidentiality reasons”. But they added: “We recognise how distressing difficult workplace experiences can be, and we take any concerns about staff wellbeing and organisational culture extremely seriously. “HES accepted the findings of the report carried out in 2019 and introduced a series of measures to address these. Since then, work has continued to improve leadership capability, strengthen grievance handling procedures, and enhance support for staff. We also acknowledge the wider concerns raised more recently about governance and culture.” An external, organisation-wide [review](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/historic-environment-scotland-staff-consider-36156580?ref=theferret.scot) is now underway. The spokesperson continued: “This review will ensure that any issues, past or present, are properly examined and that we continue to make improvements where needed. We remain committed to creating a workplace where colleagues feel safe to speak up, confident that concerns will be taken seriously, and supported through clear and fair processes.” ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Image thanks to iStock/Daneel85 ### Does Sharia law have an influence in Scotland? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/does-sharia-law-have-an-influence-in-scotland/ Last updated: 2026-02-19T06:00:01.000Z **Amidst the UK’s raging culture war and increasingly polarised debate about immigration, claims about “sharia law” are a permanent feature.** Last year Reform UK councillor Audrey Dempsey [caused controversy](https://news.stv.tv/west-central/reform-councillors-claim-sharia-law-being-brought-to-glasgow-ludicrous-says-swinney?ref=theferret.scot) after claiming sharia law was an attempt by migrants to threaten the British “way of life”. She is not alone. Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick called for an end to [sharia courts](https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-shadow-justice-secretary-slammed-demanding-end-sharia-courts-uk?ref=theferret.scot) while he was shadow justice secretary for the Conservative Party, and [tens of thousands](https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/160883?ref=theferret.scot) have signed petitions calling for sharia law to be banned in the UK. Polling in 2024 by the anti-racism charity Hope Not Hate [found 37 per cent of people](https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/136136/html/?ref=theferret.scot) believed that areas of Britain are under the control of sharia law. But what’s the reality of the situation? What exactly is sharia law and how does it operate in practice? In our latest De-noiser, The Ferret has taken a deep dive into the issue. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### **What is sharia law?** The word sharia – derived from the Quran, Islam's holy book – is an all-encompassing term which includes Islamic worship, religious observances such as fasting and prayer, and ritual practices such as halal slaughter. In Arabic, sharia literally means "the clear, well-trodden path to water" and it can inform every aspect of daily life for a Muslim. Sharia law is “written [jurisprudence and law](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a750e8040f0b6397f35d531/6.4152%5FHO%5FCPFG%5FReport%5Finto%5FSharia%5FLaw%5Fin%5Fthe%5FUK%5FWEB.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) developed on the basis of a diversity of opinions among jurists in the classical period of Islam”. Effectively Islamic law, its rulings are still observed by Muslims, mostly concerning marriage and divorce. There are five different schools of Islamic law including four Sunni schools: Hanbali, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanafi, and one Shia school, Jaafari. These five differ in how literally they interpret the texts from which sharia law is derived. ### **Are there dozens of UK “sharia courts” and is sharia law misused?** In 2016, following calls for “sharia courts” to be banned, Mona Siddique OBE, then a professor of Islamic and interreligious studies at Edinburgh university, was asked by the UK government to review sharia law, focusing on England and Wales. Siddique found there were between 30 and 85 sharia councils operating down south, describing them as a “voluntary local association of scholars who see themselves or are seen by their communities as authorised to offer advice to Muslims principally in the field of religious marriage and divorce”. There are common misconceptions around sharia councils, she concluded, particularly the use of “incorrect terms” by the media such as referring to them as “courts” rather than councils. It is this misrepresentation of sharia councils as courts, she argued, that “leads to public misconceptions over the primacy of sharia over domestic law and concerns of a parallel legal system”. She concluded that proposals for a ban on sharia councils would not end the “demand”, saying they were “fulfilling a need in some Muslim communities”. If sharia councils were banned and closed down, she feared they could go ‘underground’, making it “even harder to ensure good practice”. ### **How does sharia law work in Scotland?** Sharia law does not have legal jurisdiction in Scotland, and it is not part of the Scottish legal system. Scotland operates under a single legal system, and all residents are subject to Scots civil and criminal law. Sharia law’s focus is family law, mostly religious marriages and mediation when relationships break down, or divorce. Muslim couples getting married in Scotland can do so by the religious ceremony of “Nikah” under sharia law, but to ensure the marriage is legally recognised under Scots law, many carry out a religious ceremony and civil marriage at the same time. Khalda Wali, a female Muslim solicitor in Glasgow, said councils “play an important role for Scottish Muslims and complement the civil legal system”. They do not deal with child custody or contact disputes, nor financial or property matters. “Many mosques encourage couples to hold the religious ceremony and obtain the necessary documents from the civil registrar so that the marriage which takes place is recognised and registered,” said Wali. “Once the religious vows are taken, the couple then sign the civil marriage documents and have these registered. This gives proper and full legal effect of a civil marriage under Scots law as well as Islam.” ### **How many sharia councils are there in Scotland?** There is one council in Scotland – [Islamic Sharia Scotland Council](https://islamicshariascotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). The council's Mufti Zoheeb told The Ferret that its main aim is to assist women who are experiencing physical or mental abuse from their partners. He said: “Just as many Muslim couples have both a civil marriage and an Islamic marriage conducted in a mosque, the same distinction can apply when a civil divorce takes place. In some cases, men may continue to hold their former partners accountable on the basis of the Islamic marriage. “This is where we step in. We review the client’s documentation and circumstances, and where there has been a civil divorce, or where there is evidence of mental or physical abuse, we can proceed with an Islamic annulment. Our primary focus is therefore on matters of religious divorce, though we also play a limited role in mediation between couples where appropriate.” Zoheeb said that before making any decisions or offering advice, the council ensures that its processes and actions align with Scottish law. In 2025, the council completed a total of 67 divorce cases. ### **Do other religious courts operate in Scotland and what are their roles?** There are Jewish courts called [Beth Din](https://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/The-Beth-Din-Jewish-Law-in-the-UK-Amended.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) which can issue a Get – a document which grants a Jewish couple’s religious divorce, and there are [Catholic tribunals](https://www.scitribunal.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) which deal with marriage nullity. As with Islamic councils, Jewish Beth Din and Catholic tribunals are unofficial bodies with no legal standing. ### **Is there a need for reform in sharia councils?** Professor Siddique [recommended changes](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a822842ed915d74e34020a3/6.4152%5FHO%5FCPFG%5FReport%5Finto%5FSharia%5FLaw%5Fin%5Fthe%5FUK%5FPRINT.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to the law to ensure “that civil marriages are conducted before or at the same time as the Islamic marriage ceremony, bringing Islamic marriage in line with Christian and Jewish marriage in the eyes of the law. She called for “awareness campaigns” and the regulation of sharia councils. “The panel believes that some degree of regulation is required to achieve that response,” the review said. “This approach is essentially procedural rather than substantive. It is designed to preserve the right of women to seek a religious divorce without risking exposure to discriminatory practices. It is to be noted that in speaking with the sharia councils, none were opposed to some form of regulation and some positively welcomed it.” [Khalda Wali](https://www.lawscot.org.uk/members/journal/issues/vol-61-issue-03/divorce-in-scots-law-and-sharia-law/?ref=theferret.scot) said there are no female members of any sharia councils and this needs to change. “There are many female sharia scholars in Scotland. The involvement of female members would certainly bring a fresh outlook which would be welcome,” she added. “The difficulty also is the lack of uniformity or structure in the local mosques for giving clear guidance or advice. Each mosque has its own procedure and each imam gives his own advice. There is no register of imams and no regulation of them.” She also said that councils need to “recognise the changing environment in which they exist, and adapt to ensure they remain relevant to Scottish Muslims and their increasingly diverse ways”. ### **Muslim women and Islamic law** Last year, two academics at Glasgow University – Dr Rosemary Elliot and Dr Nughmana Mirza – conducted a [pilot project](https://www.lawscot.org.uk/members/journal-hub/articles/does-scots-law-help-or-hinder-divorce/?ref=theferret.scot) with eight Muslim women to understand the relationship between Scottish civil law and Islamic law in cases of divorce. In an article for the Law Society of Scotland’s Journal, they said the women faced problems, despite all having a marriage registered in law. Interviewees claimed the religious divorce was done with a “lack of consultation and support, within a context of community stigma towards being divorced”. The interviews were carried out prior to the creation of a sharia council in Scotland, the academics noted, and in some cases women seeking divorce from abusive husbands had to travel to England. “It remains to be seen how the advent of a sharia council in Scotland changes the experiences of religious divorce for Muslim women,” the academics wrote. Several common themes emerged which, they said, “spoke to some of the problems and inequalities that participants faced”, despite all having a marriage registered in law. They added: “We found that the women we interviewed had to engage in two divorce processes – religious and civil – where the withholding of divorce, financial exhaustion and the need to formally agree child arrangements exacerbated existing forms of coercive control.” ### **Do sharia law decisions have any legal standing?** Last September Sarah Pochin, a Reform MP in England who has called for the closure of “sharia courts”, asked Sarah Sackman MP, the secretary state for justice, if she recognised “sharia law and sharia courts in the United Kingdom”. Sackman replied: “Sharia law forms no part of the law of England and Wales, but where people choose to put themselves before those councils – in common with Christian, Jewish and other courts of faith – that is part of religious tolerance which is an important British value.” Professor Siddique, now at [King’s College, London](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/mona-siddiqui?ref=theferret.scot), said sharia councils have no legal status and no legal binding authority under civil law. “Whilst sharia is a source of guidance for many Muslims, sharia councils have no legal jurisdiction in England and Wales,” she wrote. “Thus if any decisions or recommendations are made by a sharia council that are inconsistent with domestic law (including equality policies such as the Equality Act 2010) domestic law will prevail. Sharia councils will be acting illegally should they seek to exclude domestic law.” Mufti Zoheeb, of the Islamic Sharia Council Scotland, told The Ferret: “Before making any decisions or offering advice, we ensure that our processes and actions align with Scottish law.” ****Independent journalism isn’t free, but it is essential.** We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won’t. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Edinburgh Uni staff are losing their jobs. Their boss has two URL: https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-job-loss-mathieson/ Last updated: 2026-03-17T15:58:30.000Z **The principal of the University of Edinburgh has confirmed he is working a paid second job while overseeing cuts that have seen hundreds of staff leave the institution.** The Ferret [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-uni-staff-rage-principals-second-job-cuts/) last year that Sir Peter Mathieson had taken on a role as a [non-executive director](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC512315/officers?ref=theferret.scot) at Roslin Cell Therapies (CT) – a private company that grew out of the university’s Roslin Institute, where Dolly the Sheep was cloned. Mathieson [took the position](https://www.roslinct.com/insights/sir-peter-mathieson-and-alexander-vos-new-non-executive-directors/?ref=theferret.scot) in mid-2024, months before [announcing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c204kn5n4z6o?ref=theferret.scot) the university was seeking £140m of savings which unions believe could put up to 1,800 jobs at risk. Mathieson and the university did not previously say whether the role was paid, despite questions from The Ferret. In September we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/mathieson-pressured-earnings-edinburgh-university/) that the seven board members at Roslin CT had shared over half a million pounds in pay-outs in 2024. At the time we reported that story, Mathieson’s register of interest form with the Scottish Funding Council – where he is also a [board member](https://www.sfc.ac.uk/about-us/sfc-board/?ref=theferret.scot) – [described](https://web.archive.org/web/20250917022309/https://www.sfc.ac.uk/about-us/sfc-board/peter-mathieson/) the role as a “non-financial interest”. But that document has since been [updated](https://www.sfc.ac.uk/about-us/sfc-board/peter-mathieson/?ref=theferret.scot) to note that it is a remunerated position. Earnings Mathieson makes from the role will supplement one of the biggest pay packets in Scottish higher education, [worth](https://uoe-finance.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2026-01/Annual%20Report%20and%20Accounts%20for%202024/25.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=70) more than £400,000 each year. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### ‘Backroom’ lobbying on Coul Links golf plan under fire URL: https://www.theferret.scot/backroom-lobbying-on-coul-links-golf-plan-under-fire/ Last updated: 2026-03-27T09:16:50.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/03/green-drive-1.png) **The Scottish Government has been secretly lobbied to give the go-ahead to one of Scotland’s most fiercely disputed planning applications, according to emails seen by The Ferret.** A file released under freedom of information law reveals that the deputy first minister, [Kate Forbes](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/deputy-first-minister/?ref=theferret.scot), and the public finance minister, [Ivan McKee](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/minister-for-public-finance/?ref=theferret.scot), were urged to approve plans for a new golf course on a nature conservation site famous for birds and butterflies at [Coul Links](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coul-links/) in Sutherland. An email was sent to the ministers from a Highland Council address in November 2025 saying that the golf course would help “drive substantial community wealth building”. Ministers are currently considering the development for a second time. The Scottish Greens described the email as "backroom lobbying that tries to bypass the rules”. It raised “serious questions about whether the process is being run fairly,” they said. Campaigners argued that all engagement on planning applications should be open and visible. They said they deplored any actions “which step outside the established legal procedures.” The Scottish Government insisted it would not be appropriate to comment on a live planning application. A decision would be announced “in due course”, it said. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/02/Coul-Links-four--photo-thanks-to-Andrew-Weston-NotCoul-.jpg) Coul Links (photo thanks to Andrew Weston/Not Coul) [Coul Links](https://www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-we-do/influence-government-and-business/casework/coul-links?ref=theferret.scot#why-is-it-worth-fighting-for) is a beautiful and internationally important site for wildlife near the village of Embo, north of the Dornoch Firth. Its unique sand dunes are a home to birds such as teal and wigeon, as well as plants, butterflies and other insects, and are protected by law. A proposal for turning the site into a 18-hole golf course was [first put forward](https://www.theferret.scot/golf-wildlife-coul-keiser-trump/) by two American businessmen, [Todd Warnock](https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-warnock-5731b9110/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Mike Keiser](https://coolidgefoundation.org/the-foundation-historic-site/foundation/michael-keiser/?ref=theferret.scot), in 2016\. It was opposed by environmental groups, went to a public inquiry and was [rejected](https://www.gov.scot/publications/planning-decision-na-hld-086/?ref=theferret.scot) by the Scottish Government in 2020 because of the damage it would do to “protected habitats and species”. But in 2023 a second planning application was made by a group called [Communities for Coul](https://www.communities4coul.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which was working with Warnock and Keiser. The Ferret reported that the group was attacked as an [“astroturfing front”](https://www.theferret.scot/golf-astroturfing-coul-links/), and that Keiser [had donated](https://www.theferret.scot/coul-links-developer-donated-climate-denial-group/) to a climate denial group in the US. [Group labelled ‘astroturfing front’ for US golf developersA community group bidding to create a bitterly disputed golf course has been attacked as an “astroturfing front” for sharing an address with the US developers tipped to build it – and because the group plans to disband if the bid is successful. Communities for Coul (C4C) is applying for planning![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-119.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/coullinks-three-photo-thanks-to-andrew-westonnot-coul.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/golf-astroturfing-coul-links/) In December 2023, Highland Council voted narrowly in favour of approving the development, against the advice of officials. The application was called in by the Scottish Government and went to a [second public inquiry](https://www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk/CaseDetails.aspx?ID=124499&ref=theferret.scot) in November 2024. The government’s planning reporters sent their confidential recommendations to ministers in August 2025\. Since then ministers have been considering what to do. Now a [file released under freedom of information law](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26808070-u443460-11-12-2025-13-52-41-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) discloses that someone with a Highland Council address emailed Forbes and McKee on 11 November 2025\. The name of the sender has been redacted, and is not known. The email argued that proposals for “significant housing for the village of Embo must be seen in the context of the existing planning consent for the neighbouring Coul Links eco-hotel and the long-anticipated $50 million (£36m) Coul links golf course which awaits ministerial approval.” The developments would together “drive substantial community wealth building” and promote “people, place, prosperity”, the email said. This was “an economic issue of national importance” which went “far beyond the remit of a constituency MSP”, it added. [The email](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26808070-u443460-11-12-2025-13-52-41-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) was shared between Scottish Government officials, whose names have also been redacted. One asked for advice on “the most appropriate way to take forward”. Another official said that the government’s response would be that it couldn’t comment on a live application. But the official then referred it to a colleague saying: “You have some involvement with this and wondered if you had any contribution?” [Coul Links developer donated to climate denial groupA billionaire bidding to build an “environmentally friendly” Highland golf course on protected sand dunes has been branded a “Trumpian climate denier” over donations to US groups and politicians who have challenged climate science. Mike Keiser, a US entrepreneur deemed one of golf’s most powerful people and a business![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-120.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/craig-allardyce-coul-links-aerial-credit-no-clouds.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/coul-links-developer-donated-climate-denial-group/) The Highland Green MSP, [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot), urged ministers to decide on Coul Links based on the evidence, and “not backroom lobbying that tries to bypass the rules”. Trying to “hoodwink” ministers with a housing proposal that had not yet been approved was “a blatant attempt to game the system”, she said. "These revelations are deeply troubling and raise serious questions about whether this process is being run fairly. If behind-the-scenes lobbying has caused a delay then it's a further kick in the teeth for local people who deserve a fair and open process.” The local campaign group, [Not Coul](https://notcoul.org/?ref=theferret.scot), argued that the inquiry process existed to ensure “openness, fairness and equal treatment for all participants”. Ministers were expected to consider the outcomes of public inquiries “independently and without behind-the-scenes influence”, said the group’s spokesperson, [Dr Tom Dargie](https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-dargie-34aa5518/?ref=theferret.scot). “Processes of this kind only work if all engagement is open, properly channelled and visible to everyone involved. Where those standards are not respected, the integrity of the process is put at risk, and the credibility of the eventual decision is inevitably called into question.” He added: “Not Coul deplores any actions by anyone with an interest which step outside the established legal procedures.” The Scottish public relations firm, [Morrison Media](https://www.morrison-media.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), gave a statement to The Ferret on behalf of [Communities for Coul](https://www.communities4coul.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). It had “no information” about the email, said a spokesperson. “But we wholeheartedly agree with everything written. It is heartening to see public officials standing up for the people of east Sutherland.” The [Scottish Government](https://www.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) said that the planning application had been called in because of its “potential impact on nationally and internationally important natural heritage assets, and the need for an appropriate understanding of the scale and degree of potential economic benefits arising from the proposal.” A spokesperson added: “As this is a live planning application, it would not be appropriate to comment, and the decision will be announced in due course.” [Highland Council](https://www.highland.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment. ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) This story is part of Green drive: Golf and the environmental crisis – a series on golf and the environment funded by [Journalismfund Europe](http://journalismfund.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) – an independent, non-profit organisation in Brussels that supports cross-border investigative journalism. Our investigations were carried out in partnership with the Spain-based journalist, [Natalie Donback](https://nataliedonback.com/?ref=theferret.scot), and Italian journalists coordinated by the [Fada Collective](https://www.fadacollective.com/?ref=theferret.scot). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/02/image.png) ### Communities were promised a share of Scotland’s wind boom. Some are being sold short URL: https://www.theferret.scot/communities-were-promised-a-share-of-scotlands-wind-boom-some-are-being-sold-short/ Last updated: 2026-02-15T06:00:20.000Z **Communities across Scotland are missing out on millions of pounds from wind farms because their owners are paying less than expected to locals, a Ferret investigation has found.** Since 2014, the Scottish Government has recommended onshore wind developers pay £5,000 to nearby communities each year for every megawatt they install. Although the payments are voluntary, virtually every wind farm makes some level of contribution and they are considered part of being a “[good neighbour](https://www.heraldscotland.com/business%5Fhq/business/24253266.good-neighbour-important-renewable-wind-farms/?ref=theferret.scot)” to impacted communities. But analysis of a publicly available [database](https://localenergy.scot/projects-overview/projects-index/?project%5Ftype=cb%5Foffered&ref=theferret.scot) shows more than 20 onshore projects built in the last decade – including some owned by European governments, Scottish energy giants and global financial firms – are paying less than the £5,000 figure. Together, these projects deliver £2m less every year to communities than if they met the benchmark. Over the [average](https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/future-onshore-wind-decommissioning-scotland?ref=theferret.scot) 25-year lifetime of a wind farm, that shortfall adds up to over £50m. Many of the projects paying beneath the threshold will still operate into the 2040s, meaning nearby communities will receive lower payments for decades. One community representative said they were facing “acute injustice” as a result. The industry told The Ferret that ‘community benefit’ payments now cost developers “twice as much” as they did in 2014, and said many projects are on the edge of financial viability due to rising costs. Despite that, trade body Scottish Renewables claimed there was still “exceptionally high compliance” with the Scottish Government guidance and noted that payments were delivered “on an unrivalled scale to any other sector”. However campaigners and politicians argued those near these wind farms were being given “meagre compensation” for living with the disruption and impact on landscapes that turbines cause. One said our findings showed the system was “not fit for purpose” and communities were missing out on funds due to the “whim of developers”. ****Help us keep digging.** If this investigation mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Onshore wind farms have expanded rapidly across rural Scotland this century. Community benefits are [meant](https://localenergy.scot/hub/community-benefits/?ref=theferret.scot) to ensure those living nearest turbines receive a fair share of the value created by the use of local land and resources. The wind industry says the funding has made a [real difference](https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/our-impact/community-benefit-funds?ref=theferret.scot). More than £200m has been [paid out](https://renews.biz/100134/scottish-renewables-issues-community-benefits-guidance/?ref=theferret.scot) since the 1990s, [supporting](https://localenergy.scot/casestudy/annandale-nithsdale-community-benefit-company/?ref=theferret.scot) projects that can be hard to fund in rural areas including transport schemes, sports clubs, food parcels, play parks, and services for people with disabilities. But our analysis shows not all projects built since 2015 are paying the expected amount, despite the 2014 Scottish Government guidance [noting](https://wisepower-project.eu/wp-content/uploads/Local-Energy-Good-Practice-Principles.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=5) that it applied to “all renewable energy developments in Scotland which are not yet operational”. Using official [figures](https://localenergy.scot/projects-overview/projects-index/?project%5Ftype=cb%5Foffered&ref=theferret.scot) compiled by Local Energy Scotland, The Ferret has identified 21 wind farms built between 2015 and 2025 which pay less than the £5,000 benchmark. Developers argue community benefit packages are usually agreed early in the planning process and are difficult to change once financing is secured – meaning they might have already been decided before 2014. However, the £5,000 figure was already considered the [industry standard](https://archive.ph/tRF0U?ref=theferret.scot) before that year. Eight of the projects paying below the figure were given planning permission in 2014 or later. Others were approved earlier but not built until years later, long after expectations around community benefit had changed. ### **State-owned** The largest project paying below the benchmark is the 177MW Dorenell wind farm in Moray, which is made up of 59 turbines, each 126 metres tall. Dorenell [pays](https://localenergy.scot/project/305/?ref=theferret.scot#community%5Fbenefits) £2525 per megawatt each year, just over half the benchmark. Over 25 years, that means communities around the site will receive almost £11m less. The wind farm is owned by EDF, the French state-owned energy company. The project was granted planning permission in 2012 but did not become operational until 2019. EDF claimed the Local Energy Scotland data used by The Ferret is “misleading” because it ignores a “range of other investment” provided through Dorenell. This includes an endowment for the local community, annual contributions to the local authority to improve paths, and a dedicated ranger service and visitor centre. But Patti Nelson, the chair of the [Cabrach Community Association](https://www.facebook.com/cabrachcommunityassociation/?locale=en%5FGB), which represents one of the communities that receives funding from Dorenell, said the low funding had caused locals “sustained consternation”. She added: “With a remaining lifespan of over 20 years, we’ll continue to strongly push EDF on the need to rebalance this acute injustice and purposeful underinvestment in this community.” Other projects paying below the threshold were developed by major players in the energy market, including state-backed companies and multinational investors. Among them is Andershaw in South Lanarkshire, which started operating in 2017\. It was then owned by Norway’s state-backed Statkraft and [produces](https://www.statkraft.co.uk/about-statkraft-uk/where-we-operate/Locations/andershaw-wind-farm/?ref=theferret.scot) enough energy to power over 25,000 homes. Andershaw was [sold](https://www.statkraft.com/newsroom/news-and-stories/2021/statkraft-sells-andershaw-wind-farm-and-retains-long-term-management-role/?ref=theferret.scot) to Irish firm Greencoat in 2021 but is still maintained and managed by Statkraft. The project [pays](https://localenergy.scot/project/432/?ref=theferret.scot#community%5Fbenefits) just over half of the recommended amount to locals, despite receiving planning consent in 2014. Greencoat also now owns the 23-turbine [Corriegarth](https://localenergy.scot/project/239/?ref=theferret.scot#overview]) project in the Highlands which it bought back in 2017\. It is paying just £2,000 per MW to locals each year, despite consent being granted the year after the guidance came in. Domestic energy giants ScottishPower and SSE have also built projects since 2015 that pay below the benchmark. SSE pointed out it has invested more than £85m in community funds in Scotland over the past two decades and was the first developer to introduce a £5,000-per-megawatt standard in 2012\. ScottishPower Renewables said it has provided more than £75.5m in community benefits across the UK since the 1990s and had adhered to the Scottish Government guidance since 2014\. Its Black Law extension project [pays](https://localenergy.scot/project/40504/?ref=theferret.scot#community%5Fbenefits) £2,222 per megawatt despite becoming operational in 2016 – although it received planning permission back in 2011. One project paying below the threshold is owned by a fund managed by [BlackRock](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/blackrock/), the world’s largest asset manager, while another is controlled by Nadara, a renewables company whose ultimate controlling party is based in the Cayman Islands, according to [corporate filings](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06572505/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot). Nadara, which owns the [A’Chruach](https://localenergy.scot/project/436/?ref=theferret.scot#community%5Fbenefits) wind farm in Argyll, argued planning permission for the project was granted in 2013, before the £5,000 benchmark was introduced. ### ‘**Meagre compensation’** The findings come amid a push to raise expectations around community benefit from future projects, particularly in areas hosting large numbers of turbines. Renewables companies argue many onshore wind projects operate on tight margins and that higher payments could stop developments going ahead – because developers could make better returns investing in other assets or projects elsewhere. In 2024, Highland Council proposed a ‘[social value charter](https://www.highland.gov.uk/socialvaluecharter?ref=theferret.scot)’ that would raise expected community benefit payments for new wind farms to £12,500 per megawatt. Under the proposal, £5,000 would still go to communities closest to wind farms, while £7,500 would be paid into a ‘strategic fund’ to support projects across the Highlands. Council leaders [said](https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/16125/social%5Fvalue%5Fcharter%5Fset%5Fto%5Funlock%5Frenewables%5Finvestment?ref=theferret.scot) the charter reflects the scale of renewable development in the region and aims to ensure Highlanders are seeing lasting benefits. The renewable energy industry has strongly opposed the proposal, warning it would make many projects unviable. A representative of EDF went further, telling officials the proposal would have “serious implications” for all inward investment into the Highlands not just renewables, a freedom of information response received by The Ferret shows. [Research](https://www.scottishrenewables.com/assets/000/004/152/BiGGAR%5FEconomics%5FDeveloping%5Fa%5Fnew%5Fmodel%5Fto%5Fmaximise%5Flocal%5Feconomic%5Fbenefits%5Ffrom%5Fdevelopment%5Fin%5FMoray%5Fand%5FHighland%5FReport%5FFinal%5Foriginal.pdf?1724330915&ref=theferret.scot) by consultancy Biggar Economics suggested the proposals could reduce both community benefit payments and jobs and investment linked to new wind developments, because 80 per cent of planned wind farms in the region might not go ahead. Some are comfortable with that possibility. They include the Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, Angus Macdonald, who told The Ferret he would support a “halt” to new renewables projects unless community benefit payments were increased. Macdonald argued payments should rise to at least £12,500 per megawatt or be linked directly to a five per cent share of a wind farm’s revenue. Without that uplift, he claimed, communities were being asked to host major infrastructure for “meagre compensation”. [‘Local’ wind farms owned by firms based abroadSome of Scotland’s biggest ‘local’ wind farms are owned as far afield as the Cayman Islands and Canada, The Ferret can reveal, prompting claims the Scottish Government is “misleading” the public over its community energy targets. The Scottish Government has a target to bring much more “community or locally![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-123.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1177119652-1-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/local-wind-farms-owned-by-firms-based-abroad/) Flick Monk of Platform London said the current system of community benefit payments was “not fit for purpose”. She claimed communities were missing out on vital funding “due to the whim of developers”. “It’s no wonder that communities are increasingly turning against renewable energy when developers treat them with such disdain,” Monk claimed. She also branded the existing £5,000 benchmark “woefully low” and said it had been eroded by inflation since 2014. Josh Doble, director of policy at Community Land Scotland, called for a “transparent and proportionate discussion” about how the benefits of onshore wind are shared. He said that while developers meeting the benchmark should be “congratulated” the sector needs to “ensure payments are made fit for 2026 and reflect the scale of development” happening across rural Scotland. Morag Watson, director of onshore wind at Scottish Renewables, said the sector was “proud of its positive record” on community benefit funding, which had been “transformational” in many communities. Changes to the UK subsidy system for renewables mean community benefit now costs developers twice as much as it did in 2014, according to Watson, “equivalent to 15–20 per cent of developer profits”. She claimed many onshore wind projects are now “on the very edge of financial viability” due to rising costs, leaving less money to “support communities”. *"*While community benefit funds do represent an important and visible contribution, we should not lose sight of the wider public good delivered by onshore wind projects,” she added. “That includes local supply chain and workforce growth, nature enhancement and the protection renewable energy provides consumers against the volatility of global price shocks.” All of the companies named in this piece were contacted for a response. The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Self-styled nightwatchmen patrol a Scottish village. Their leader is a Nazi URL: https://www.theferret.scot/self-styled-nightwatchmen-patrol-a-scottish-village-their-leader-is-a-nazi/ Last updated: 2026-03-17T15:47:06.000Z **A self-described Nazi who has expressed racist, anti-Semitic and pro-Hitler views conducts late night “patrols” in a Scottish village, The Ferret can reveal.** John Carroll walks the streets of Forth, South Lanarkshire, in the early hours, and claims his volunteer group is watching over the local community and deterring crime. But he has published a series of YouTube videos in recent months in which he describes his ideology as “national socialist” – or Nazi – and ends each one with a Sieg Heil salute. The man is one of two administrators of the Forth Sentinel Facebook group, founded in November last year, where he posts videos of his walkabouts. On his own Facebook page, Carroll has described Asian people as “racial aliens”, shared a quote attributed to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and an image which features a skull and crossbones symbol often [used by](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/04/signs-of-hate-parental-guide-to-far-right-codes-symbols-acronyms-uk?ref=theferret.scot) anti-Semites and neo-Nazis who celebrate the Holocaust. In a video published on YouTube in November, Carroll encouraged viewers to set up their own patrols “if you’re really concerned about immigration and crime, and the deterioration of your community”. [Former Scots neo-Nazi group member involved in HomelandA member of a now defunct group branded neo-Nazi has been active in a new far right political organisation called Homeland, The Ferret can reveal. Tayside-based James Munro of the Scottish Nationalist Society (SNS), attended Homeland’s summer camp in June this year. Munro and another former SNS member, Jordon![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-117.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/cafe-salute-1-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/former-member-scots-neo-nazi-group-homeland/) MSPs and anti-racism campaigners described Carroll’s views as “abhorrent”. They said Scots who died fighting the Nazis would “be ashamed to know this man was using their legacy for such hatred”. Carroll rejected claims of racism and anti-Semitism, and defended his Nazi ideology as a belief in “the preservation of a functional civilised society” for all. The martial arts enthusiast, who posted a picture of himself apparently receiving a black belt in Judo, has also made repeated references to the Führer – the German word for leader, which was adopted by Hitler – in comments he defended as satire. “When I'm the Führer, Fiona Hyslop the transport minister for Scotland today is getting 10 years in one of my work camps!”, he said in a rant about potholes last December. Criticising Britain's support for Ukraine after it was invaded by Russia, Carroll said in March that the UK was fighting “another Jew war”. He said “\[Volodymyr\] Zelensky is a Jew, boo hoo the Jews!!”, and added: “When I'm Führer it will be different”. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Claim John Swinney stayed at Peter Mandelson's residence is Mostly True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-john-swinney-stayed-at-peter-mandelsons-residence-is-mostly-true/ Last updated: 2026-04-29T13:27:15.000Z **The scandal involving Labour advisor and former UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson has sent shockwaves through British politics, as the extent of his close friendship with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was revealed.** After Mandelson resigned from the House of Lords, claims were made about associations that many current politicians had with him. In Scotland, this extended to first minister John Swinney. [Posts](https://x.com/JustAVoter100/status/2018802242908995804?ref=theferret.scot) on [social](https://x.com/No1Gillygolfer/status/2019195243724144664?ref=theferret.scot) [media](https://x.com/holyroodmandy/status/2019391021730476529?ref=theferret.scot) [claimed](https://x.com/Mike%5FBlackley/status/2019389830225097175?ref=theferret.scot) Swinney had stayed in Mandelson’s residence last year when on a trip to the US. > John Swinney stayed at Peter Mandelson's US residence.- Online posts Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Mostly True.** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/02/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB.png) ### **Evidence** The first minister [did stay with Peter Mandelson](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czjvd923lygo?ref=theferret.scot) during a visit to the US in late 2025\. He used the British ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C., which is inhabited by the current ambassador. This is [commonplace](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/14/our-place-in-washington-inside-story-british-embassy?ref=theferret.scot) for ministers and politicians during trips to the US. He did not stay in Mandelson’s private home. Pictures [show Mandelson and Swinney together](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/15329887/peter-mandelson-white-house-phone-epstein-scandal/?ref=theferret.scot) in Washington, D.C in September 2025, during a visit when the first minister reportedly pushed for a better deal on Scotch Whisky tariffs. He faced [criticism at the time](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czjvd923lygo?ref=theferret.scot) for staying with Mandelson, who was under pressure as reports emerged of his ongoing friendship with Epstein. It had [recently emerged](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy9dwe50leo?ref=theferret.scot) Mandelson signed a ‘birthday book’ for the disgraced financier and described him as “my best pal”. The Labour peer was sacked as ambassador soon after. John Swinney [defended his decision](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25829382.swinney-chose-mandelsons-mansion-washington-hotel/?ref=theferret.scot) to stay at the British ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C, during First Minister’s Questions at the Scottish Parliament last week. Asked by Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser if he regretted staying in Mandelson's residence “given everything that was known” about the peer’s friendship with Epstein, [Swinney told MSPs ](https://www.parliament.scot/api/sitecore/CustomMedia/OfficialReport?meetingId=20051&ref=theferret.scot)he had done so to save money. “The first people to complain if I had chosen to spend public money staying in a hotel rather than in the British Embassy would be the Conservative Party members in this parliament,” he said. “And just to give them all total, complete information, when I went to Lusaka in Zambia and when I went to Lilongwe in Malawi, I stayed in the British High Commissioner’s residence to make sure that I was being careful and prudent with the public purse, as the people understand me to do.” ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** Swinney did stay at the UK ambassadorial residence in Washington, D.C. during his visit to the US in September 2025 alongside Peter Mandelson, who was using the home in his role then as ambassador. Swinney did not stay with Mandelson in his private home, and told MSPs this was done to save money. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/02/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_MostlyTrue_RGB.png) ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### CCA to be investigated over financial governance concerns URL: https://www.theferret.scot/cca-to-be-investigated-over-financial-governance-concerns/ Last updated: 2026-02-10T22:56:44.000Z \_\_ **The Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow, which folded in January, is to be investigated by the Scottish charity regulator over its financial governance.** [The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)](https://www.oscr.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) confirmed its decision to launch an investigation into the CCA after concerns were raised about the way it was run and claims of potential financial mismanagement. The Ferret has spoken to several former CCA staff members in recent weeks. Concerns raised include questions about the use of restricted funds worth tens of thousands of pounds – ring fenced for specific project work – which staff fear were used to meet general running costs before closure. Emails seen by The Ferret – sent to all staff – reveal that one of the community projects managed by the CCA had used only £4,600 of a grant worth almost £20,000 when staff were told on 12 January that there was a freeze on spending. The funding stream was due to end in March 2026\. The funding largely came from a grant from the [UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund,](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus?ref=theferret.scot) which was worth almost £240,000 in total and was specifically for the CCA’s community programme. The email seen gives a full breakdown of the restricted funds. Other issues are understood to have been raised to OSCR about a proportion of that grant worth over £40,000\. Questions about this funding were raised by staff at an online meeting on 30 January, during which staff were told about the charity’s closure. It is claimed the instalment of this grant was received in December but was not spent on the project costs it was intended for. At the meeting the board denied any knowledge about the money. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Questions have also been raised with The Ferret about money raised by several fundraising events held by CCA projects last year, including one to support Palestinian farmers. Donations worth £800 were raised for the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature’s [Revive Gaza’s Farmland](https://www.apnature.org/en/programmes/revive-gazas-farmland-project?ref=theferret.scot) at one film screening. Another event was held for a Moroccan charity, [Dar Si Hmad](https://darsihmad.org/?ref=theferret.scot). However although staff have asked for confirmation that these charities have received the money none has been forthcoming. The Ferret has approached both organisations for comment. One former staff member said: “There are a lot of questions about this money that need to be answered. I’m really glad that this is something OSCR will now look into.” Some staff were first alerted to the CCA’s financial problems when the spending freeze was announced in an email shared across the organisation. The CCA closed less than three weeks later, claiming its only option was insolvency. The announcement came just a year after[ it secured three years of funding](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg45nl3w97go?ref=theferret.scot), worth £3.4m, from arts body [Creative Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/creative-scotland/). In the months prior to closure Glasgow City Council had also agreed a loan of £300,000 to the charity. But the money did not prevent it from going into administration. Staff were called to an online meeting on 30 January, which was chaired by Louise Norris – a solicitor who previously served on the board until last year. She was reappointed as a director just days before it announced it would cease trading and go into liquidation. They were told they were losing their jobs with immediate effect and would no longer be able to access either the building or their emails, leaving many without any access to their equipment and cut off from work contacts. Staff told The Ferret the announcement as “outrageously brutal” and were said to be in “shock” at the way it was being done. One staff member had to ask Louise Norris: “Who are you?” because her appointment was so recent. [Filmhouse workers demand redundancy payMore than 50 people who lost their jobs when two cinemas in Scotland were closed are taking legal action demanding thousands of pounds of redundancy money. They were made redundant on 6 October 2022 when the charity running Edinburgh Filmhouse, Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival,![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-112.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/ecada033-ac33-4793-9187-4f522ea83c6d_1_105_c-1-jpeg.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/filmhouse-workers-redundancy-pay/) Several concerns have been submitted to OSCR in recent weeks, including those about financial management, a spokesperson for the regulator confirmed. They added: “OSCR’s assessment has raised concerns about the overall financial governance of the charity during 2024 and 2025\. “Because of this we have decided to open an inquiry into the charity, so that we can establish the facts surrounding the historical financial governance of the CCA. We will consider what, if any, further action is appropriate during our inquiries.” However, the regulator will not investigate concerns raised that the closure may have been made prematurely. OSCR said it accepted that the charity had no choice but to close in the circumstances, adding “we do not currently intend to take any further action on this matter". “From our initial assessment work we understand that this charity was unable to pay its debts at the point when it ceased to trade,” a spokesperson added. “As company law would prevent the organisation from continuing to operate in these circumstances, the only option available to the trustees at this point was to begin insolvency proceedings.” The CCA’s financial difficulties had been longstanding, with Covid-19 restrictions and [fires at the nearby Glasgow School of Art](https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/glasgow-cca-on-knife-edge-15116402?ref=theferret.scot) closing the building for many months. It also closed on a [temporary basis](https://www.cca-glasgow.com/journal/partial-closure-december-2024-to-april-2025?ref=theferret.scot) from December 2024 to March 2025 in order to save money. One staff member said that the experience of working at the CCA since then had been like being in “a hostile environment”. Following calls for the charity to sign [The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)](https://www.bdsmovement.net/pacbi?ref=theferret.scot) in June, one former employee said: “The management and board seemed to think that staff were plotting against them. There was a real feeling of paranoia and of surveillance.” [Her husband was killed in West Bank settler violence. Now authorities are trying to bulldoze her family’s villageThe residents of Umm al-Khair in the West Bank were already reeling from the loss of community leader and English teacher Awdah Hathaleen. Now they are fighting a mass demolition order on their homes. Human rights organisations say it’s become a symbol of the struggles of life under occupation.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-113.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Main_Hanady-3.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/awdah-hathaleen-death-eviction/) One source told The Ferret that staff whose projects had already signed PACBI the previous year were threatened with disciplinary action if they did not remove public evidence of their support. The board did not vote to sign the boycott, prompting protests by campaigners including [Art Workers for Palestine](https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fartworkersforpalestinescotland%2F%3Fhl%3Den&is%5Ffrom%5Frle&ref=theferret.scot). According to the most [recent accounts](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC140944/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot), the CCA employed 39 staff members as well as a further 20 freelance staff. It was running at a loss and had less than £25,000 of unrestricted funds by the end of March 2024\. No redundancy plans were proposed ahead of the closure. Some former staff claimed that if the board had acted sooner the CCA could have been saved. One claimed: “The indications are that the CCA could have been saved if action had been taken. But there was absolutely no leadership, no attempt to reduce jobs or minimise expenses which should have been in place back in April 2025 when it was already apparent that there was a financial crisis.” [Paul Sweeney, Labour MSP for Glasgow](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/paul-sweeney/) said: "Questions have rightly been raised about how can such a well funded organisation can collapse. There have been serious concerns about financial management for a while now and a reckoning is needed. "However let's also be outcomes focussed. We need to restart operations and re-employ staff. The Scottish Government need to step in try to step in and bridge this gap." [Books are being challenged in Scottish schools. Librarians fear a ‘chilling effect’ on freedom of speechDozens of complaints about reading material in school libraries have been received, with campaigners warning that “book bans” could increase.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-114.png)The FerretAlastair Brian![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-2162169941-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/books-scottish-schools-librarians/) In a [Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture committee](https://www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/constitution-europe-external-affairs-and-culture-committee-february-5-2026?ref=theferret.scot) meeting on 5 February cabinet secretary Angus Robertson admitted the impact of the close was Scotland-wide. He said he was open all potential solutions but expected Creative Scotland to lead on next steps. Iain Munro, chief executive of Creative Scotland, told the same committee it had been supporting the CCA "to reform from within the organisation and enabled them to bring external expertise to progress that work". He added: "Unfortunately over the last year that hasn't proven to be successful. We do not run these organisations but we do have scrutiny through the funding relationship we have with them. It increasingly became apparent that the financial fragility, the governance fragilities and the leadership fragilities of the organisation have all coalesced." The Ferret has contacted Glasgow City Council for comment. *Image thanks to* [*Myriam Thyes*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Thyes?ref=theferret.scot) *under Creative Commons* ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Books are being challenged in Scottish schools. Librarians fear a 'chilling effect' on freedom of speech URL: https://www.theferret.scot/books-scottish-schools-librarians/ Last updated: 2026-02-09T11:23:32.000Z **Books are being removed or restricted in Scottish school libraries following complaints, creating a “chilling effect” that campaigners warn threatens both freedom of speech and inclusive education, an investigation by The Ferret has found.** Freedom of information requests to Scottish councils by The Ferret revealed dozens of complaints about "inappropriate" books, more than a third in connection with LBGTQ+ themes. There were also complaints about LGBTQ+ events such as drag queen story hour, which have drawn protests and abuse in Scotland. As a result, some librarians told The Ferret they are “thinking twice” about putting potentially controversial books on display, concerned that they could face organised online campaigns and doxxing. They said it was time for proper guidance to ensure that all children and young people had access to the widest possible range of appropriate reading material. The FoIs detailed a total of 29 official complaints about books in school libraries from September 2022 to September 2025\. At least six books were removed. However, experts believe that far more complaints were made through informal channels, and warned the issue would likely get more prevalent in years to come. Some raised concerns that the climate had echoes of the ‘moral panic’ before the introduction of [Section 28](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/9/section/28?ref=theferret.scot), a [controversial law](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/cacc0b40-c3a4-473b-86cc-11863c0b3f30?ref=theferret.scot) from 1988 that banned local authorities from "promoting homosexuality" in schools and through published materials, repealed in Scotland in 2000\. In recent years banning books in public and school libraries has become a significant issue in the US. Freedom of expression group [Pen America found](https://pen.org/report/cover-to-cover/?ref=theferret.scot) thousands of books were banned from public schools between 2023 and 2024\. But the issue has also reared its head in Scotland. Many of the [challenged books](https://pen.org/pride-month-a-banned-book-reading-list/?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland were banned in the US. They included the American picture book [Julian is a Mermaid](https://pen.org/banned-picture-book-list-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) by Jessica Love, which has been frequently challenged and [banned](https://pen.org/banned-picture-book-list-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) by school libraries in the US since publication in 2018 due to its trans themes. Others include Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard by Alex Bertie, a book about a trans teen which was banned in Wyoming, US, in 2021\. Several books by trans writer Juno Dawson also featured. Her most famous – [This Book is Gay](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/91885-this-book-is-gay-author-juno-dawson-takes-on-book-banning.html?ref=theferret.scot), a guide for LGBTQ+ young people – is one of the most commonly banned in the US. ****Reporting you can check, not just share.** We publish rigorous, sourced journalism and we correct it when it’s wrong. If you value facts over noise, help keep this work independent. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff and Kaylani Juanita, another book also banned in the US which features a transitioning young boy, was removed from a school library in Fife after complaints about the book’s concept. Some removals were unrelated to ideological issues. Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce was removed by Stirling council due to swearing and a book about WW2 history was also removed by Argyll and Bute because a parent alleged it was not age appropriate. Edinburgh City Council shared eight complaints about books, including several by Juno Dawson, that were upheld but didn't give details of what happened next. The local authority later said two books were removed in 2023\. In some cases access was restricted. Argyll and Bute received a complaint about All Kinds of Families by Sophy Henn, which one parent asked the school to withdraw from use as they felt “it was not representative of their view of what a family constituted”. It was retained but taken out of the “take home box”. Other books were only allowed to be taken out with parental permission. ### **Self-censorship** Dr David McMenemy, former librarian and academic at the University of Glasgow researching freedom of expression in libraries, says challenges to controversial topics are not new. But he added: “I think the volume of cultural war stories in the press has increased. “I think it would be wrong to not expect that to manifest itself in terms of libraries, school libraries and public libraries because they are one of the main areas where ideas are circulated within wider society.” For Dr McMenemy, a concern is that this will lead to “self-censorship”, with librarians potentially not including controversial books in their collections for fear of “push back”. He said “the worry of appearing in the press, or the worry of getting lots of complaints about a particular book, after an organised complaint” could lead librarians to be more risk-averse around books and events that might cause controversy. Sean McNamara, director of the professional body for librarians, [CILIP Scotland](https://www.cilips.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed unfounded complaints could have “concerning consequences” and said librarians feared the number of “book bans” could increase. “It is of course vital that books on school library shelves are age appropriate and therefore when a complaint is made, a skilled and trained school librarian should be empowered to make a decision on stock,” he added, warning that pressure should not come from elsewhere. “It is vital that this is countered with strong policy and greater funding and support for school librarians in Scotland, including legal protection for the profession, as there is currently none in place.” He said libraries were alert to controversies in the US, where books have been banned. About 80 per cent of the book bans took place in Florida and Iowa, where states enforced new laws targeting classroom learning materials about sexual content, sexual orientation, and gender. Pen America's [research](https://pen.org/report/cover-to-cover/?ref=theferret.scot) found 25 per cent of these banned titles included LGBTQ+ people or characters. High profile controversies over book censorship in UK libraries include a decision to withdraw gender critical book [The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp98reznmddo?ref=theferret.scot) from the National Library of Scotland’s centenary display due to concerns about its “discriminatory content”. The decision was later reversed after claims of censorship. ![A group of adults and children stand at a peaceful outdoor protest. A woman holds a cardboard sign while speaking to a child. Behind them, other protesters hold signs, including one that reads “Ban bigots not books.”](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/02/iStock-2111324914.jpg) Decisions to remove books from school libraries have attracted counter protests. Image Istock/ In Kent, a Reform council leader [claimed the authority had removed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6257p2vry3o?ref=theferret.scot) transgender-related books from the children's sections of its libraries. However, the council later confirmed it was relocated from a display at the entrance to a section unlikely to be visited by children. Organisations and experts told The Ferret that though the situation in Scottish schools was far less extreme, young people and their families were being impacted by confusion over what was deemed appropriate. They stressed that books could be a “safe place” to explore the worlds around them, and urged schools not to respond to pressure without due cause. [Index on Censorship](https://www.indexoncensorship.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which campaigns for freedom of expression, found more than half of 53 librarians it surveyed had experience of a book being challenged. Half of those on the receiving end of complaints had been asked to take the book off the shelves, many of which were LGBTQ+ titles. “Very often this is happening behind closed doors, sometimes on the request of just one parent,” said Index’s Katie Dancey-Downs. “Other times schools are acting preemptively because they fear something may cause offence.” Librarians told her about books being “hidden” in secret sections or shelves or not included in promotional displays. She said: “When these books are targeted we are actually targeting the identity, either of the young person or their families or friends, so the message that is fed back is that those identities should be hidden, rather than celebrated in an age appropriate context.” Erin Lux, policy coordinator at the [Equality Network](https://www.equality-network.org/?ref=theferret.scot) said this was a “growing trend” and stressed that “there is nothing age inappropriate about being LGBTQ+”. She added: "LGBTQ+ books being removed from libraries, moved to senior sections, or otherwise made more difficult to access is deeply concerning”. Some campaigners claimed the impact of the “chilling effect” meant that libraries and teachers were more reluctant to take risks. One librarian told The Ferret that while they had not been challenged or had to remove books they admitted they do at times “second guess myself as a librarian”. > There is nothing age inappropriate about being LGBTQ+. — Erin Lux, Equality Network Another said complaints could “potentially lead to self-censorship”. “School librarians feel both explicit and implicit pressure to avoid conflict, while trying to do their jobs,” they added. “While hopefully librarians will not remove books, they may feel pressure to remove some from open collections and limit access”. Several raised concerns that funding cuts that reduced librarians in councils like Glasgow and North Ayrshire mean that schools may be more likely to make conservative choices and remove a book if a complaint is made because of the lack of expertise on both books and policy. Some campaigners claimed in practice the “chill factor” could be similar to [Section 28](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/cacc0b40-c3a4-473b-86cc-11863c0b3f30?ref=theferret.scot), a policy brought in by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government in 1988 which aimed to “prohibit the promotion of homosexuality”. The law was introduced following outcry over an educational book called [Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/jan/31/booksforchildrenandteenagers.features11?ref=theferret.scot). Hels Bowie of LGBT Youth Scotland said some books were becoming part of the “[culture war](https://www.theferret.scot/mapped-the-connections-of-the-culture-war/)”. “What we hear is that the concerns raised about trans and non-binary young people today – and the regression in rhetoric and rights that they have – seems marked and familiar to those who remember Section 28," they added. "We hear fears raised by our partners about the potential for something similar to come about again”. They said that homophobia and [transphobia](https://www.theferret.scot/citizens-advice-trans-rights-bathroom-access/), experienced by many LGBTQ+ young people on top of struggles with mental health and anxiety, could leave them feeling isolated, and removing books where their identities were represented compounded problems. In response to The Ferret’s findings, the teachers’ union, [EIS](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/eis/), said that since 2021, all local authority run schools were expected to deliver LGBTQ+ inclusive education. A spokesperson for Argyll and Bute council said only one book had been removed from its libraries, and said it was committed to “inclusive, rights‑based education”. They added: “Access to a diverse range of books is an important part of children’s learning and development”, they said, and pointed to various initiatives supported by Argyll and Bute council including Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) and the LGBT Youth Charter. A spokesperson for Edinburgh City Council said two books had been removed in 2023, but that complaints being upheld “did not mean that the books were removed from stock”. “In most cases, books were either reshelved within the library to an age-appropriate section or information was added to the book cover to recommend an age range reflecting publisher guidance.” Fife Council’s head of education Shelagh McLean claimed schools work to make sure children and young people develop positive attitudes on inclusivity. "Reading and a love of books help underpin these values and all schools encourage access to a wide range of age appropriate reading material," she said. ****'Months and months' of abuse: The backlash to events in libraries** Events in libraries have become a major culture war flashpoint across the UK in recent years, with staff and performers receiving significant abuse online and facing protests outside local events. The Ferret’s research revealed local authorities have registered complaints about 15 events including drag queen story hours and other LGBTQ+ themed public events hosted or supported by schools or public libraries. The majority of these focused on a [single event in Moray](https://x.com/MorayCouncil/status/1665661825193525248?ref=theferret.scot), where a drag queen called Ms Lossie Mouth hosted a drag queen reading for children and parents in Elgin library. First started in the US, drag queen story hours, which usually consist of a drag performer reading children’s books to groups of parents and children, have been a target of organised campaigning from those who see it as inappropriate. As well as the event in Moray another in [Dundee](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/14402343/drag-queen-story-dundee-library-miss-peaches/?ref=theferret.scot) has faced backlash in recent years. There have also been protests and attempts to stop ‘gender critical’ events in libraries. In the Edinburgh suburb, Portobello, in 2023, there were [demonstrations](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/police-officers-protesters-edinburgh-police-scotland-lgbtq-b2300931.html?ref=theferret.scot) at a meeting over concerns about how gender identity was being taught in schools. One now-retired librarian, Cleo Jones, helped to organise an online drag queen story event in Edinburgh during the Covid-19 pandemic, but was not prepared for the backlash which lasted “literally months and months and months”. During the event, she claims she noticed people attempting to login into the online space who appeared to be based in the US, leading her to suspect that it had been shared with opposing groups across the world. Complaints and requests for information about that and similar events continued to impact the library staff way after the event. “It’s a tactic that \[these groups use\]”, Cleo said. “It's like it's filibustering, isn't it? It's like doing everything that you can and keeping hanging on by your nails”. While she was glad she had put on the event, she would warn librarians that putting on a controversial event would be “an awful lot of trouble” and hope they would be supported by senior staff in the background. “I think libraries need to be better at selling up what we actually do, and why we do it. It's a community space, a safe community space for everybody within that community. And we will celebrate all aspects, but that means some people are not going to be pleased some of the time.” ****Help us keep digging.** If this reporting mattered to you, you can help fund the next one. The Ferret is independent, member-owned investigative journalism, backed by readers who want accountability in Scotland. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Could AI misinformation sway the Scottish election? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/could-ai-misinformation-sway-the-scottish-election/ Last updated: 2026-02-06T08:42:38.000Z **As the Scottish Parliament poll on 7 May draws closer, election officials are preparing for an influx of machine-generated content designed to fool and influence voters, and experts are raising concerns about the impact of AI on democracy around the world.** In our latest De-noiser, The Ferret looked at the risks outlined by researchers, how authorities and regulators are attempting to tackle malicious content, and what voters should be aware of ahead of the next Holyrood vote, and beyond. The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### **Bot farms and astroturfing** Last month, a global consortium of experts [warned](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz1697?ref=theferret.scot) of the emerging threat of “swarms of collaborative, malicious AI agents”, which could be harnessed by political leaders or foreign adversaries to flood social media feeds and messaging channels. Authors, including the Nobel peace prize-winning free-speech activist Maria Ressa, and experts from Cambridge, Oxford, and top US universities said: “These systems are capable of coordinating autonomously, infiltrating communities and fabricating consensus efficiently. By adaptively mimicking human social dynamics, they threaten democracy.” Bot farmers create fake social media accounts that post content which aims to serve a particular agenda. They’re designed to act like real people, and, whilst once easy to spot as inauthentic, the capabilities of bots have accelerated. Platforms try to prevent the use of bots by requiring account holders to enter a one-time password, usually via SMS message. But bot farmers provide SMS verification services to bypass this hurdle and it is reportedly cheap to do so. Recent [analysis](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adw8154?ref=theferret.scot) by Cambridge university found that verifying fake accounts for use in the US and UK costs almost as little as in Russia, while Japan and Australia have high prices due to the cost of SIM cards and photo ID rules. Prices for fake accounts on messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp appear to spike in countries about to have national elections, it adds. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/02/iStock-1499492092.jpg) Experts warned of the emerging threat of “swarms of collaborative, malicious AI agents”, [Credit: wildpixel](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/wildpixel?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) In Scotland, bots have been exposed trying to influence political discourse online. One [study](https://cyabra.com/blog/the-bot-network-collapse-that-exposed-irans-influence-operation/?ref=theferret.scot) by disinformation firm Cyabra last year found that more than 1,300 accounts on Elon Musk’s X were Iranian-backed bots posting pro-independence, anti-Brexit and pro-Tehran messaging, using AI-generated images to create credible fake personas. The bots’ content, which used Scottish slang and expressions, was potentially viewed 224 million times, Cyabra said. These profiles routinely shared, liked and commented on one another’s content, which grew their reach, but fell silent during the Iranian uprising when the regime shut down the internet. Fake grassroots activity on social media is also known as astroturfing, and can also come in the form of adverts, pages, and groups. The Ferret has exposed human-made campaigns [opposing](https://www.theferret.scot/the-dark-money-behind-anti-snp-facebook-campaigns/) Scottish independence and the SNP, the [regulation](https://www.theferret.scot/london-pr-firm-behind-grassroots-pro-vape-campaign/) of the vaping industry in Scotland, and a ban on electric shock collars for dogs. Among those behind the campaigns were a pro-Brexit group, a London PR firm, a UK Government advisor, and a former Scottish Tory and Brexit Party politician. Dr Paul Reilly, senior lecturer in communications, media and democracy at the University of Glasgow told The Ferret that “there's a lot of evidence of efforts to subvert or manipulate public discourse”. This includes the apparent “orchestration of bots” on X designed to “sow confusion and discord”, undermine trust and push people towards a certain position. “I think there’s a bigger question about amplifying polarisation, and that is often what those behind these campaigns want to happen,” he added. ### **Deepfakes** AI deepfakes have progressed rapidly, as evidenced by the advancement of the [Will Smith Eating Spaghetti test](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will%5FSmith%5FEating%5FSpaghetti%5Ftest?ref=theferret.scot), where generative [clips](https://www.businessinsider.com/will-smith-spaghetti-test-ai-video-progress-2025-12?ref=theferret.scot) of the former Fresh Prince actor enjoying an Italian meal have evolved from surreal to convincing. But deepfake images, videos and audioclips could have [the capacity](https://www.science.org/content/article/how-spot-deepfake-and-prevent-it-causing-political-chaos?ref=theferret.scot) to fool viewers into believing a myth which may impact how they cast their vote. Such deepfakes might depict, for example, a politician saying or doing something they never said or did, and be widely shared quickly, meaning that voters might view a deepfake and believe it to be genuine, long before it has been removed or debunked. Reilly said that just 18 months ago, he would have considered the threat of AI-generated media on the democratic process to be an exaggeration. But the number of realistic deepfakes targeting political figures in recent months means it is now “a big concern”. He said that while there’s not yet evidence that deepfakes can alter voting behaviour on a large scale, “it's certainly a threat in elections coming”. Deepfakes of UK politicians have emerged in recent years, although most examples involve the use of manufactured audio. They [include](https://www.holyrood.com/inside-politics/view%2Ctruth-be-told-the-dangers-of-general-election-deepfakes?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) a viral clip of first minister John Swinney being made to say that after an election, the SNP would “do whatever we want”. A fake clip of Green MSP Maggie Chapman watermarked with the Scottish Parliament TV logo made the politician claim that she wanted to abolish Scotland’s roads. It was [reportedly](https://www.holyrood.com/inside-politics/view%2Ctruth-be-told-the-dangers-of-general-election-deepfakes?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) viewed tens of thousands of times. Ferret Fact Service has previously debunked fake audio [clips](https://www.theferret.scot/keir-starmer-leaked-audio-fake/) including one of prime minister Keir Starmer abusing staff. [FFS explains: Why is Keir Starmer audio ‘leak’ likely to be fake?The Labour Party conference took place in recent days with the party keen to promote its policies ahead of the next general election. Leader Keir Starmer spoke on Tuesday, but allegedly leaked audio of the Labour leader speaking was shared on social media platforms on Sunday. In the audio, which![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-108.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/keir_starmer_2020_labour_party_leadership_election_hustings_bristol_4-e1697038479728.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/keir-starmer-leaked-audio-fake/) Image and video deepfakes have included Nigel Farage [playing](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-nigel-farage-streaming-minecraft-is-false/) the video game Minecraft, and [visiting](https://fullfact.org/politics/nigel-farage-reform-ai-image-cancer-child-hospital-picture-faked/?ref=theferret.scot) a seven-year-old with terminal cancer in hospital to fulfil their “final wish” – a genuine image manipulated with AI to include the Reform UK leader. These examples demonstrate how technology could be used to improve the reputations of some leaders, while denigrating others. ### **AI chatbots** Evidence is emerging of people consulting AI chatbots – such as ChatGPT – for voting advice, and receiving persuasive arguments in return. But some virtual assistants have been found to have promoted mis and disinformation. Reilly referenced a large-scale [survey](https://www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/do-chatbots-inform-or-misinform-voters?ref=theferret.scot) by the AI Security Institute ahead of the last general election which found that 32 per cent of chatbot users – equivalent to 13 per cent of all eligible UK voters – reported using chatbots to inform their electoral choice. This is “a huge figure, given how AI is still relatively new”, Reilly said, adding that AI assistants are “shaping how elections are won and lost… which is quite alarming”. While the study found that people were using chatbots to better inform them about issues, the technology can also “be used to mislead”, with “fake, inaccurate, or apparently intentionally misleading statements”, he stressed. In a 2024 [study](https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.14380?ref=theferret.scot), AI assistants bested humans at persuading opponents in debates, [even when](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2424856-ai-chatbots-beat-humans-at-persuading-their-opponents-in-debates/?ref=theferret.scot) people were aware they were engaging with a machine. Last year, a major study [reportedly](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2507178-ai-can-influence-voters-minds-what-does-that-mean-for-democracy/?ref=theferret.scot) found chatbots to be more persuasive than traditional political campaign materials, and even experienced campaigners. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) survey of thousands of voters in US, Canadian and Polish national elections found that chatbots were effective at convincing people to vote for a particular candidate, or change their support for an issue. In a separate MIT study of nearly 77,000 people in the UK, chatbots were found to be most persuasive when they used factual claims. But chatbots have also been [found](https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/ai-chatbots-share-climate-conspiracies-denial-and-disinformation/?ref=theferret.scot) to spread climate conspiracy theories, climate denial and fake news. In 2024, NewsGuard [found](https://www.newsguardtech.com/special-reports/generative-ai-models-mimic-russian-disinformation-cite-fake-news/?ref=theferret.scot) that the top 10 leading AI assistants mimic Russian disinformation claims a third of the time, and referenced fake news. Last year, a major [study](https://www.dw.com/en/chatbot-ai-artificial-intelligence-chatgpt-google-gemini-news-misinformation-fact-check-copilot-v2/a-74392921?ref=theferret.scot) by 22 public service media organisations found that four of the most commonly used chatbots misrepresented news content nearly half the time. While AI assistants may refuse to help create misinformation, [tests](https://www.uts.edu.au/news/2025/09/how-we-tricked-ai-chatbots-into-creating-misinformation?ref=theferret.scot) by the University of Technology Sydney found that they can be manipulated into doing so. ### **AI among watchdog’s biggest worries** Ahead of the last general election, the International Bar Association [warned](https://www.ibanet.org/Technology-legal-gaps-expose-UK-election-to-disinformation-threat?ref=theferret.scot) that the UK’s “light-handed approach” to regulating AI left the electorate “vulnerable to disinformation and risks further undermining public trust in democracy”. [Research](https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcetas.turing.ac.uk%2Fpublications%2Fai-enabled-influence-operations-threat-analysis-2024-uk-and-european-elections&data=05%7C02%7Cfdennehy%40turing.ac.uk%7C2b62721ea91a4cc07ce508dcd6691ba6%7C4395f4a7e4554f958a9f1fbaef6384f9%7C0%7C0%7C638620994124557019%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=QtmvvV%2FuBwWpkxrZwFFaxvaeWJnu9QFoGsY7p%2Bhaw1c%3D&reserved=0&ref=theferret.scot) from The Alan Turing Institute found no evidence that AI enabled misinformation meaningfully impacted the last UK or European election results. But at a January press briefing in Edinburgh, the Electoral Commission told journalists that its biggest concerns ahead of the Holyrood election are the use of AI – particularly deepfakes – and candidate safety. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/02/iStock-96913463.jpg) The Scottish Parliament. Image credit: [godrick](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/godrick?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) As well as helping voters to spot mis and disinformation, it’s working with the Home Office on a pilot which will use software capable of detecting deepfakes. The commission says it will tackle fake media which targets candidates when it falls into its remit, or refer it to others like media regulator Ofcom, broadcasters and the police, as well as political parties. “We closely monitor how deepfakes are used in campaigning in the UK and overseas and are aware of the risks they pose to election security and voter confidence,” a spokesperson told The Ferret. The pilot “will develop our evidence base on the scale of threat deepfakes pose to the UK’s electoral system and inform our overall response to electoral misinformation from deepfakes in the future,” they added. The commission meets with major social media companies ahead of elections to discuss their processes around elections, particularly mis and disinformation. But it welcomed recommendations made by a Westminster [committee](https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8756/speakers-conference-on-the-security-of-candidates-mps-and-elections/?ref=theferret.scot) on election and candidate security, including compelling platforms to remove abusive content. ### **What the law says** The UK online safety act has a [foreign interference](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/assessing-the-risk-of-foreign-influence-in-uk-search-results?ref=theferret.scot) offence which could be used to tackle bot swarms, but only in some circumstances. It’s illegal to make a false statement about the personal character of a candidate in order to sway the result of the election. False statements not about a candidate’s personal character or conduct are not illegal, but could be considered to be defamatory. Candidates, parties and non-party campaigners must use '[imprints](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/political-registration-and-regulation/imprints?ref=theferret.scot)' on certain digital and printed campaign content, which state who is responsible for publication and who they’re promoting it for. But an individual is allowed to express their personal opinion in material published on their own behalf, and on a non-commercial basis. The commission lacks powers to regulate campaign material or what candidates say about each other, but flags issues to Police Scotland. The police may investigate allegations of false statements – a specific electoral offence – while defamation issues are a matter for civil courts. Police Scotland said it has “an extensive track record” of supporting elections. “A proportionate policing plan is in place to support the run up to the election and polling day,” a spokesperson told The Ferret. ### **Fertile ground** Reilly said there’s a lack of focus on AI compared to mis and disinformation, “but it's part of the same thing”. He argues that all institutions have responsibility to tackle misleading content, including media outlets who can fact check and debunk claims, and social media companies, which, he argues, “are still not taking their roles seriously enough”. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has [disbanded](https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-breaks-up-its-responsible-ai-team-information-2023-11-18/?ref=theferret.scot) its "responsible AI” team and[ ditched](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly74mpy8klo?ref=theferret.scot) independent fact checkers, for example. While there are efforts to use automated software to detect AI mis and disinformation, there isn’t evidence to prove its effectiveness, Reilly said. Because social platforms aren’t considered to be publishers, they're not subject to the same regulation as other media. “They frame themselves as platforms purposely to say they're neutral and benign,” he claimed. But over the last decade, platforms have hosted “AI slop, mis and disinformation, hate speech – things that have gone largely unchecked, despite politicians and lots of countries trying to put pressure on those platforms, threatening to take away their licenses… it hasn't worked. It seems like the wild west at times”. In the run up to the last Westminster election the Electoral Commission [asked](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/media-centre/new-advice-voters-disinformation-and-campaigners-using-generative-ai?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) voters to think critically about campaign material, and urged political parties and campaigners not to mislead voters, particularly when using generative AI. Reilly believes the public must have the awareness to try and identify AI-generated content, and the scepticism to question whether a post – or user – is genuine, particularly before sharing content and helping to legitimise it. “We're all guilty of this,” he stressed. In the current landscape, people are more prone to believe claims and trust sources they might have previously dismissed, said Reilly. “It's an information crisis and the lack of trust in institutions is something which has been brewing for well over a decade,” he added. Header image credit: [psdphotography](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/psdphotography?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) ### Salmon company lashes out at own industry over ‘honesty’ on lice URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-company-lashes-out-at-own-industry-over-honesty-on-lice/ Last updated: 2026-02-03T06:30:02.000Z One of Scotland’s high-profile salmon companies has accused other producers of failing to report lice infestations at fish farms “honestly”, according to emails obtained by The Ferret. Loch Duart Salmon, named as a seafood producer of the year [in 2025](https://lochduart.com/fish-and-seafood-product-of-the-year-award-for-loch-duart-smoked-salmon/?ref=theferret.scot), was defending itself against a legal crackdown by Scottish Government inspectors on excessive lice levels at three of its sites in Sutherland. In an email to the [Fish Health Inspectorate](https://www.gov.scot/policies/fish-health-inspectorate/?ref=theferret.scot) in December 2025, Loch Duart claimed that it was one of the smaller companies which reported lice infestations accurately, implying that larger firms did not. This was “frustrating” as public relations about lice problems was “very damaging”, said a company manager. Campaigners argued that [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) companies were “effectively left to self-report and mark their own homework”. Regulation of the industry was flawed and the lice problem “continues to spiral out of control”, they said. Loch Duart pointed out that it was the only Scottish salmon farm to have its fish health data independently audited. The salmon industry said information on lice was “reported transparently and overseen by regulators.” ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Plagues of sea lice have long been one of the most intractable issues facing Scotland’s salmon farming industry, which [was estimated in 2025](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/news/new-report-scottish-salmon-delivers-1-billion-boost-to-economy?ref=theferret.scot) to add £1bn to the Scottish economy. Lice eat, damage and kill caged fish, and can spread to wild salmon. Under pressure from MSPs, the Scottish Government has in recent years been ramping up attempts to monitor and control lice numbers. Its Fish Health Inspectorate has [statutory powers](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/factsheet/2019/11/marine-scotland-topic-sheets-aquaculture/documents/the-regulation-of-sea-lice-in-scotland-updated-june-2019/the-regulation-of-sea-lice-in-scotland-updated-june-2019/govscot:document/regulation-sea-lice.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) aimed at forcing companies to reduce lice levels. To date, though, there has been little known about what enforcement actions have actually been taken. Now, [files released under freedom of information law](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/223870-files-on-lice-enforcement-action-against-loch-duart-salmon/?ref=theferret.scot) have uncovered an unprecedented series of legal moves against Loch Duart. In November 2025 the inspectorate served three enforcement notices on the company saying that reported lice levels were at least three times higher than the limit of two female lice per fish. They covered farms at Badcall Bay, Calva Bay and Clashnessie Bay in Sutherland. The notices said that measures in place for controlling lice were “not currently deemed satisfactory”. They required Loch Duart to reduce lice numbers using pesticides, [lice-eating fish](https://www.theferret.scot/million-lice-eating-fish-died-at-salmon-farms/) or other treatments within four weeks. [Seven million lice-eating fish have died at Scottish salmon farmsA campaigner has made the first estimate of the total number of cleaner fish that have died while grazing lice on farmed salmon. It’s condemned as a “colossal waste of life” that should cease.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-101.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1173111833.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/million-lice-eating-fish-died-at-salmon-farms/) Before issuing the enforcement notices, the Fish Health Inspectorate also sent Loch Duart five warning letters in September and October 2025, two each for Badcall and Calva and one for Clashnessie. A sixth warning letter was sent to Loch Duart on 3 December 2025 about another salmon farm at Loch A Chairn Bhain in Sutherland. Two enforcement notices and a warning letter about lice had been previously served on the Clashnessie salmon farm in 2021. According to the inspectorate, “conditions of the enforcement notices issued have been met to a satisfactory standard.” The files released in response to The Ferret’s freedom of information request also included [emails between Loch Duart and the inspectorate in the last three months of 2025](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26513469-eir-202500498800-loch-duart-email-communications-for-release/?ref=theferret.scot). The company repeatedly outlined the measures it was taking to reduce lice numbers in response to the enforcement actions and warning letters. The company said it was facing “multiple challenges at multiple times”, and had to leave “rest time” between lice treatments to avoid “self-inflicted and undue mortality”. Staff were working long hours to combat the problem, it added. In [an email on 10 December 2025](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26513469-eir-202500498800-loch-duart-email-communications-for-release/?ref=theferret.scot), a company manager whose name has been redacted, complained that getting help from other companies was “very difficult” because “everyone else is seeing the same problems and challenges this year.” > The sea lice problem continues to spiral out of control. Yet the industry continues to downplay the problem without justification. – Nick Underdown, WildFish The email continued: “If you look at the main reporters in the top list [publicised online](https://aquaculture.scotland.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) it’s the smaller companies, who are reporting honestly, which is frustrating as the PR from this is very damaging for a smaller business.” In a reply later that same day, the Fish Health Inspectorate’s technical manager, whose name has also been redacted, said: “I am intrigued and a bit perturbed by your statement regarding the honesty of sea lice reporting.” “As a regulator of the industry it creates difficulties in investigating potential breaches of regulatory requirements when we are in receipt of such a statement, without being afforded the ability to investigate the insinuation,” the email continued. “Could you please provide further information to either explain or substantiate the comment, or an explanation as to why you have made this unsubstantiated comment and whether you would prefer to retract it.” On 26 January, the inspectorate told The Ferret that it had yet to receive a reply. The Herald [has reported](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25674419.seafood-award-farm-hit-mass-salmon-deaths-grim-october/?ref=theferret.scot) that Loch Duart was one of the salmon farming companies that suffered a high number of fish deaths in October 2025\. Its Badcall farm had a mortality rate of 13 per cent, while at Loch A Chairn Bhain more than 20 per cent of fish died – deaths that were partly blamed on lice infestations. > Sea lice levels reported at several times the limit pose serious risks not just to farmed fish, but to wild salmon and the wider marine environment. – Ariane Burgess MSP The campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), argued there was a “fundamental flaw” in the regulation of salmon farms. “Salmon farm businesses are effectively left to self-report and mark their own homework,” said Scotland director, Nick Underdown. “The Fish Health Inspectorate has limited practical powers for independent auditing. Until there are tighter regulations around the monitoring of sea lice, we do not have confidence in the industry data.” The enforcement notices on Loch Duart signalled that “the sea lice problem continues to spiral out of control” and was affecting the whole industry, Underdown added. “Yet the industry continues to downplay the problem without justification. And it is actively resisting stronger regulation, by [its mass appeal](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farms-210-appeals-lice-controls/) against the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s sea lice licensing conditions.” [Salmon farms file 210 appeals to ‘sabotage’ lice controlsSalmon farms across Scotland have lodged 210 appeals against controls on lice infestations imposed by the Scottish Government’s environment watchdog, prompting outrage from campaigners. The appeals are the latest and most dramatic move in the multinational salmon industry’s long-running campaign to block lice controls being introduced by the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-102.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1456193290.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farms-210-appeals-lice-controls/) The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) reiterated their call for a pause on the approval of new salmon farms. “These enforcement notices are deeply concerning,” said Green MSP [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot). “Sea lice levels reported at several times the limit pose serious risks not just to farmed fish, but to wild salmon and the wider marine environment. We can't continue to rely on enforcement action after standards have already been exceeded.” [Loch Duart](https://lochduart.com/?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment directly on its suggestion that other firms hadn’t reported lice levels honestly. “Loch Duart is in regular contact with regulatory bodies, including the Fish Health Inspectorate,” a spokesperson told The Ferret. “It is the only Scottish salmon farm to have its fish health data independently audited by a local fisheries trust.” The Scottish Government confirmed that enforcement action had been taken against Loch Duart. “The operator met the requirements of these enforcement notices and no further enforcement action was required,” said a spokesperson. The industry body, [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), includes Loch Duart along with major salmon farming multinationals such as [Mowi](https://mowi.com/uk/?ref=theferret.scot), [Bakkafrost](https://www.bakkafrost.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Scottish Sea Farms](https://scottishseafarms.com/?ref=theferret.scot), as [its members](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/members?ref=theferret.scot). It said that lice levels were on a “steady downward trend” and were the “lowest since records began”. A spokesperson added: “Scottish salmon farmers monitor their salmon every day and invest heavily in preventative measures to protect fish health, with lice data [reported transparently](https://aquaculture.scotland.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) and overseen by regulators.” The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Inside House 88: The former home of the SS officer who ran Auschwitz URL: https://www.theferret.scot/house-88-auschwitz-counter-extremism/ Last updated: 2026-02-01T12:23:24.000Z In the former home of the SS commandant who ran Auschwitz, Jacek Purski is talking about neo-Nazis and reclaiming a number that represents “Heil Hitler” and white supremacy. He’s referring to the number 88, which is a code in far right circles for "Heil Hitler" because H is the eighth letter of the alphabet. Now that number is part of the name of a unique research centre. “We are sending a clear signal worldwide, saying, ‘no, it's not your code anymore. We understand your codes, and we are here to combat it and fight it’,” says Purski, who sports a greying beard and round spectacles. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) A Polish Jew, he is an expert on far right extremism and The Ferret travelled to Poland to meet him to mark Holocaust Memorial Day which falls on 27 January each year to remember the tens of millions killed by the Nazis, including six million Jews. Last week in Scotland buildings lit up in purple in a collective moment of remembrance. We are in ‘House 88’ – the former home of Rudolf Höss, the SS officer who lived here with his wife and children while he ran the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp during World War II. Synonymous with genocide, this area is where an estimated 1.1 million people perished during the Holocaust. The Ferret has been charting the rise of the far right for a decade and we’re here to understand more about its roots amidst a [rise in anti-Semitism](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/antisemitic-anti-israeli-attacks-around-world-since-october-7-2023-2025-10-02/?ref=theferret.scot). In Britain last year, the Community Security Trust recorded [1,521 antisemitic incidents](https://cst.org.uk/news/blog/2025/08/06/antisemitic-incidents-report-january-june-2025?ref=theferret.scot) between January and June – the second-highest ever for the first half of a year – and towards the end of the 2025 there was an attack on a Manchester synagogue, which killed two British Jews, and the Bondi beach attack, in Australia, which killed 15 people. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/01/House-88J46796.jpg) Jacek Purski, of the Counter Extremism Project, at House 88\. Image by Angela Catlin Höss’ former home sits cheek by jowl with Auschwitz, literally just metres away. It has been bought by a US organisation called the Counter Extremism Project and transformed into the Auschwitz Research Centre on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization (ARCHER) at House 88\. A former symbol of hate is now a place where people can learn how to fight extremism and anti-Semitism. “We reclaimed this house after 80 years to do something positive,” says Purski, a political scientist and educator who researches extremist ideologies for the Counter Extremism Project. Drab and nondescript, House 88 resembles a bleak council house. The front door faces onto a busy road and cars whizz past, their wheels spraying brown slush onto snow piled at the roadside. The death camp is at its rear, shrouded today by a winter mist. Auschwitz-Birkenau is a vast site and at one point there were more than [40 camps](https://www.auschwitz.org/en/history/auschwitz-ii/?ref=theferret.scot) and sub-camps in the complex. Purski says that for three and half years Höss played a pivotal role in orchestrating genocide by overseeing the meticulously planned slaughter of millions of people. During his tenure, [four additional gas](https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/genocide/hoss%5Fcommandant%5Fauschwitz%5F01.shtml?ref=theferret.scot) chambers were built, making Auschwitz-Birkenau the deadliest of all the Nazi camps. [Höss](https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/genocide/hoss%5Fcommandant%5Fauschwitz%5F01.shtml?ref=theferret.scot) revealed he personally attended an early gassing experiment after being captured by the British after the war. “Protected by a gas mask, I watched the killing myself. In the crowded cells death came instantaneously the moment the Zyklon B was thrown in. A short, almost smothered cry and it was all over,” [he confessed.](https://archive.org/stream/CommandantOfAuschwitzTortureConfessions/35-coa%5Fdjvu.txt) All the while, he apparently lived an idyllic family life at House 88 with his wife, Hedwig, and five children. They had a manicured garden, a swimming pool, a greenhouse and a sauna. The children – Klaus, Heidetraud, Brigitte, Hans-Jürgen and Annegret – rode horses and swam in a nearby river while genocide took place next door. A concrete wall and trees obscured the camp and apparently the children did not hear prisoners' screams, SS guards shouting, gunshots and barking dogs, with Höss’s daughter Brigitte claiming in 2021 that she knew nothing of what happened next to her home. She [reportedly said](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/24/brigitte-hoss-auschwitz-zone-of-interest-rudolf-oscar-winning-thomas-harding?ref=theferret.scot): “Later, we found out what’s going on. I don’t really like to talk about it because I didn’t like this idea what they did. But I know it was not my dad’s fault.” Hedwig told her husband that the villa was like "[paradise](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/25/the-house-next-door-rudolf-hoss-villa-opens-to-honour-auschwitz-victims?ref=theferret.scot)". Their life was featured in the chilling Oscar winning film, The Zone of Interest, the euphemistic term used by the Nazis for the site. Purski says the film – some scenes were shot at House 88 – has been “unhelpful” because it was inaccurate in parts. “A tunnel under the house was a bunker rather than a quick route for Höss to get to his camp office,” he says, explaining that after Auschwitz was liberated in January 1945, House 88 became the home of a widowed Polish mother called Grazyna Jurczak, 62, who raised her two sons there. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/01/House-88J46803.jpg) The view of Auschwitz from the second floor of House 88\. Image by Angela Catlin The notion to buy the house in October 2024 came about when Purski and colleagues trained staff at the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum. “We were asked to find the perpetrator of a very serious hate crime inside the museum,” he says. “We found him and started regular training for the staff in how to recognise and counter radicalisation and extremism inside the museum.” At the time, Purski briefly stayed in Auschwitz, in accommodation once used by the SS, close to the gas chamber and crematorium one – and the gallows where Höss was hanged. This was when the concept for House 88 started to develop, he explains. The museum approved the idea and finance was provided by the Counter Extremism Project, a US organisation led by Mark Wallace, a former ambassador to the UN under President George W Bush. “Grazyna was living at the house on her own, after her kids had left. She was happy to sell it,” Purski says, adding that he “felt very stressed” the first time he entered the house at 88 Legionów Street in Oświęcim \[Polish for Auschwitz\]. “I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to explain what our aim is. I think that Grazyna understood that this was not a regular guy with a commercial offer, but something deeper.” The need to act was underlined by the risk that House 88 could become a place of pilgrimage for the far right, he says, given the global success of The Zone of Interest. So they aimed to transform it into something radically new – a global centre to fight extremism seemed fitting. “What is important for us about perpetrators is the path of radicalisation they went through to be able to commit mass murder,” Purski adds. “This process is important because this process repeats…so researching how people become extremists and terrorists is crucially important for us. Auschwitz is a museum to remember the victims. Our initiative is more focused on prevention to ensure this never happens again.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/01/House-88J46806.jpg) A pair of striped trousers worn by a prisoner at Auschwitz called Mordek Szyemanowicz. They were found plugging a hole in the roof of House 88\. Image by Angela Catlin After getting the keys to House 88, the Counter Extremism Project found various historical items including a Nazi newspaper dated December 1944, a stamp with Adolf Hitler's head on it, an empty German cigarette box and a mug branded with a Waffen SS seal. In the attic, they found a hole in the roof plugged with a pair of prisoner’s striped trousers. “This prisoner was called Mordek Szyemanowicz,” says Purski explaining they were able to identify him from a number on his trousers – 79523 – which was next to the Star of David. “He was from near Grodno, Belarus. He was killed here. He came with a brother. For 80 years these \[trousers\] were in the roof but now we think about Mordek as a team member.” Upstairs they found that gas chamber one at Auschwitz could be seen from one of the children’s bedroom windows. It is only about 100 metres away, as are the gallows where Höss was hanged. After the Nazi regime fell in 1945 he obtained false documents under the name Franz Lang, the identity of a young sailor who had died, and went into hiding in the village of Gottrupel, Germany, where he worked as a farm labourer. He was captured on 11 March 1946 by British intelligence agents who transported him to Nuremberg, Germany, where Nazi leaders faced trial. During his trial, Höss sought to portray himself as someone who was simply carrying out orders and downplayed his knowledge of the extermination process. It was decided he should be hanged beside a gas chamber, close to House 88. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/01/Rudolf_Hoess_with_executioners.jpg) Rudolf Höss, about to be hanged at Auschwitz on 16 April 1947 ### **Using AI to combat extremism** Höss' former home will now host researchers, policymakers, educators, and activists working on preventing extremism. “Our dream is that people come here after visiting Auschwitz to learn how to make their work more effective,” says Purski, who stresses that the world is changing and new strategies and approaches are needed. Technologies such as artificial intelligence are being embraced, and the Counter Extremism Project is developing an AI-powered database that tracks extremist propaganda networks. It aims to disrupt financial networks supporting extremism by investigating crimes and reporting to tax, treasury, and law enforcement bodies across the world. “There’s been a growing wave of anti-Semitism globally” which has become “more normalised”, says Purski. “This is very scary because I see tendencies that I never thought would happen again.” Russia is another major concern. Purski says it is interfering, manipulative and trying to polarise European societies. “They invest in everything that causes hate, chaos and polarisation, everything that ruins democracy,” he claims. “They use far right actors and far left actors.” He also rails against social media platforms for “lacking \[the\] courage” to take action against anti-Semites and other extremist content generally. “A lack of courage is for me a huge problem currently,” he explains.“ Courage is to fight for the truth. Courage is about not being manipulated. Social media platforms should be controlled and a lack of control has led us to an era of manipulation and disinformation. We have many Rudolf Höss’s now – but they are in front of a computer.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/01/House-88J46800.jpg) House 88, at Auschwitz. Image by Angela Catlin The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Poland's Jewish revival: In the shadow of Auschwitz URL: https://www.theferret.scot/polands-jewish-revival-in-the-shadow-of-auschwitz/ Last updated: 2026-01-29T11:51:27.000Z In the heart of Krakow's Jewish quarter, Zofia Radzikowska is talking about surviving the Holocaust and the last time she saw her father. That was in 1941, after a ghetto for Jews was established by the Nazis in Poland’s second city. Zofia’s father was called Yitzhak who, she says, had lived a good life with her mother until German forces targeted Jews after invading Poland. An early memory for Zofia is everything being taken from the family home including her bike – and then they had to leave. “My father went to the ghetto,” says Zofia. “But my mother decided that we should stay outside and live on Polish documents, while pretending to be Catholics. It was possible for us because we didn’t look very Jewish. My father was in another situation because it was very easy to prove that a man was a Jew.” The Ferret is in Poland ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day which falls on 27 January each year. Zofia – remarkably sharp at 90 years old – is one of the so-called “Hidden Children”, a term for those who survived the Holocaust by changing their identity. She only saw her father once after he moved to the ghetto, in a suburb of Krakow called Podgorze where between [15,000 to 20,000](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/krakow-cracow?ref=theferret.scot) Jews were kept in horrendous conditions, enclosed by walls and barbed-wire fences. Hundreds were shot there – including at least [300 children](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/krakow-cracow?ref=theferret.scot) – while thousands were put on trains to an extermination centre called Belzec, and Auschwitz-Birkenau, the infamous death camp that became synonymous with genocide. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/01/Auschwitz-.jpg) The Nazis' infamous "Arbeit macht frei" (work sets you free) motto above the main gate at Auschwitz I-Main Camp. It was made by prisoners who deliberately reversed the letter "B" as a camouflaged mark of disobedience. Image by Angela Catlin Zofia remembers her father talking to her mother, Sara. He was smiling. Zofia – six years old then – had no idea it would be the last time she would see him. “I just said ‘goodbye’ and we went away,” she explains. “After the war I waited and thought he would come back…but he didn’t.” It wasn’t until after World War II ended and Poland was liberated that she learned of her father’s fate – he perished in Auschwitz-Birkenau alongside an estimated 1.1 million other victims of the Nazis. This week, events will be held across the world to commemorate the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust by the Nazis, and millions of others killed including Slavs, Roma, disabled people, LGBTQ+ individuals, political opponents, Soviet prisoners of war, Jehovah's Witnesses, and people of colour. Holocaust Memorial Day is held on 27 January because it marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops in 1945, the largest of the Nazi death camps. Services will take place in Scotland and in Krakow, which is home to one of the fastest-growing Jewish communities in the world. While [antisemism is rising](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/antisemitic-anti-israeli-attacks-around-world-since-october-7-2023-2025-10-02/?ref=theferret.scot) in some parts of the world, there is a rebirth of Jewish life in this exquisite Polish city, and that’s largely thanks to people like Zofia who’ve been helping younger people connect with their Jewish heritage. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) She’s lived an extraordinary life. After her father went to the ghetto, Zofia and her mother, who changed her name to Józefa Litefka, moved to a village near Krakow. They had obtained false documents and lived as “Polish Christians” until a policeman learned they were Jewish and blackmailed them by threatening to inform the Gestapo. They paid him to stay silent but he returned to demand more money so they moved again to be safe, and after surviving the Holocaust they returned to Krakow and found somewhere to live – in a Poland freed from Nazism but now under communist rule. “We were liberated by the Red Army \[main military force of the Soviet Union\] and we were given new papers,” Zofia says, adding that she initially believed communist propaganda but later realised much of it was untrue. She started to oppose the regime and joined Solidarity, a Polish trade union which campaigned for political change and became editor of an underground anti-communist newspaper. “In the end we won \[referring to the end of communism\], and we established the Association of Children of the Holocaust. That was my first Jewish organisation.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/01/Zofia-Radzikowska-90J46843.jpg) Zofia Radzikowska, 90 years old. Polish Holocaust survivor and human rights campaigner who became a Professor of Law. Image by Angela Catlin Zofia also helped establish the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) Krakow, which is based here in the city’s historic Jewish quarter, known as Kazimierz. It is cheek by jowl with a synagogue, in a part of the city where Stephen Spielberg shot scenes for the Oscar winning film Schindler's List. It was opened in April 2008 by King Charles – who has been supportive of the organisation since the outset – and serves as a focal point for the resurgence of Jewish life in Kraków. “I met King Charles last year when it was the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz,” Zofia recalls. “He came here, he’s a fantastic guy. He’s very kind and easy to talk to”. The JCC Krakow is 45 miles from Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is secular and open to everyone including people who've recently discovered Jewish roots or previously distanced themselves from their Jewish heritage. Holocaust survivors such as Zofia support them by sharing their experiences of the war, living through communism, and Krakow’s Jewish revival. Weekly Shabbat dinners and events to mark Jewish holidays are held, as well as arts and cultural programmes, and social activities. There is a proud Jewish history in Krakow, which was one of the Jewish capitals of Europe before World War II, when most of its population perished in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. The city was 25 per cent Jewish before World War II, while one in ten people in Poland – around 3.5 million – were Jews. “The Jewish community has been here for more than 1,000 years,” says Sebastian Rudol, who’s worked at JCC for 15 years. “Jews were an incredibly important part of Poland which was one of the most welcoming places for Jews.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/01/Orthodox-JewsJ46855.jpg) Jewish men outside the Remuh Synagogue in Kraków's Jewish quarter. It was built in 1558\. Image by Angela Catlin. Only 300,000 Polish Jews survived the Holocaust. Rudol says “Jewish life limped on” after the war but under communism, antisemitism resurfaced in the 1950s and 1960s. Jews were being scapegoated for society’s problems once again, he adds, as they had been during the Holocaust and for centuries. “Jews were ‘evil capitalists’ and the ‘reason you can’t have bread on your plate’,” he says. In 1968, for example, many Jews left Poland for countries such as Israel, Canada, the US, Sweden, and Denmark due to anti-Israeli propaganda in Poland. But not all Jews left. Some didn’t have the money, even if they wanted to leave, and many hid their Jewish identity to make life easier. As happened during the Holocaust, people changed their names, which is why many have Polish names now, and they stopped going to synagogues and disconnected themselves from their Jewish identity. After communism ended, however, everything was questioned, Rudol says. In the 1990s many Poles started to realise they had been fed propaganda and false narratives for decades and they wanted to rediscover the parts of Polish history that had been eschewed by communism. Now, he says, there is a young generation of Poles wanting to reconnect with their Jewish identity and JCC’s focus is to “reach out to them” and be an entry point for Jewish culture. “People want to know why their family kept Jewishness a secret,” Rudol says. “How did they survive? There are a lot of heavy questions people need answered.“ According to the JCC Krakow, someone can claim Jewish identity if at least one of their grandparents was a Jew. The organisation has 1,200 members but anyone is welcome and it’s a place where Jews and non-Jews can meet, to promote understanding and combat antisemitism, albeit Rudol says the Jewish community feels relatively safe in Krakow. In his view, there are lower levels of antisemitism in Poland than in countries such as France and the UK. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/01/Sebastian-RudolJ46778.jpg) Sebastian Rudol, chief operating officer at the Jewish Community Centre of Kraków, Image by Angela Catlin. The Jewish community has also helped Ukrainian refugees since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, regardless of faith. In the first year of the war, it helped more than 450,000 refugees, and more than 98 per cent are not Jewish. It still helps hundreds of people a day through its food pantry, which also stocks clothing, toys, and medications. Refugees are given psychological support and help with housing, employment and legal issues and the organisation sends humanitarian aid to Ukraine. “Ukraine is only three hours away,” says Rudol. “We understand how it is to be persecuted – 80 years ago, that was our Holocaust survivors. We have a moral obligation to do something.” On Tuesday, JCC Krakow will observe Holocaust Memorial Day. There are over 50 Holocaust survivors in the Krakow area – including Zofia – but Rudol says it is “not the most important day in our calendar”. He adds: “We celebrate them for who they are now, not for what they experienced 80 years ago. We are always in the shadow of the Holocaust but careful that we are not defined by it.” The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) *Words by Billy Briggs, photography by Angela Catlin* ### Political parties took thousands from lobbying groups in Scotland. Campaigners say they are buying access to power URL: https://www.theferret.scot/political-parties-lobbying-groups-scotland/ Last updated: 2026-01-25T10:55:22.000Z **Scottish Labour accepted nearly £13,000 in event sponsorship from two lobbying firms, and a Scots lobbying boss handed £6,000 to a local Tory party, before hiring the local MP as an advisor just months later when she lost her seat, analysis from The Ferret has found.** The lobbying firms in question are partly staffed by former politicians and government insiders. Their clients have included investment managers, arms firms, energy companies, Airbnb, Heathrow Airport, TikTok, and a top outsourcing firm favoured by governments. Anti-corruption and political reform campaigners said lobbyists hiring former MPs could be seen as a “reward” for providing services, and called for a tightening of the rules around donations, transparency and political influence. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Lobbying is a normal and legal part of the political process, which allows different stakeholders to meet with lawmakers and attempt to influence the direction of policy. But one former MP-turned political reform campaigner warned that “donations buy better access, and therefore potentially more influence”. He called on parties to refuse donations from lobbyists in order to better protect the democratic process. Campaigners have long warned of a “revolving door” of political insiders becoming lobbyists in order to influence their former colleagues on behalf of paid clients. Labour stressed that the donations had been declared properly and were within the rules. ### **Donations** Our research found Scottish Labour accepted [two contributions](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=invicta&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=RegisterName&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot) totaling £5,400 from Invicta Public Affairs in 2024 and 2025, and [£7,200](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Donations/C0832904?ref=theferret.scot) from Stonehaven Global Holdings Limited last year. The party recorded two contributions as cash donations, but told The Ferret they were actually for event sponsorship. Both lobbying firms advocate on behalf of paid clients at Holyrood and Westminster, and include former insiders from Labour, other parties and government officials as staff. Invicta, which has offices in Glasgow and London, is owned and run by [Mark Cummings](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-cummings-a12b1538?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot). His firm’s clients have included housebuilders, a supermarket, an investment management firm, and energy companies. Invicta’s [team](https://www.invictapa.co.uk/our-people/?ref=theferret.scot) includes Selaine Saxby as an advisor. In June 2024, when Saxby was the North Devon MP, her local Tory party [accepted](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Donations/C0583586?ref=theferret.scot) a £6,000 cash donation from MFGC Holdings Ltd – Invicta’s parent company, and Cummings’ family investment firm. She lost her seat in the general election the following month, and, according to her [LinkedIn profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/selaine-saxby/?ref=theferret.scot), took up a role as Invicta’s advisor in September – just weeks later. > I know from personal experience as a MP for over 20 years, that donations buy better access, and therefore potentially more influence. — Tom Brake, a former Lib Dem MP and director of Unlock Democracy Last year, MFGC donated [£2,000](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/240804/murray%5Fsusan.htm?ref=theferret.scot) towards the candidacy of the Mid-Dunbartonshire Liberal Democrat MP, Susan Murray. She was [criticised](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-mp-blasted-accepting-cash-35354652?ref=theferret.scot) by Transparency International UK for accepting the cash. The Lib Dems said MFGC “belongs to a long term supporter of the party” and that the donation was properly declared. In 2024, MFGC [sponsored](https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/previous-register-of-interests-pdfs/register-of-interests-for-the-parliamentary-year-12-may-2024-to-13-may-2025.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie ­Baillie’s Christmas cards, worth £500, and a year earlier [took](https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/previous-register-of-interests-pdfs/register-of-interests-for-the-parliamentary-year-14-may-2022-to-12-may-2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) now-Tory leader Russell Findlay [and](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/murdo-fraser?ref=theferret.scot) MSP Murdo Fraser on a £780 hospitality trip to the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden. Stonehaven is owned and run by Peter Lyburn, a former Perth and Kinross [Tory candidate](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk%5Fpolitics/election%5F2010/scotland/8632051.stm?ref=theferret.scot) who previously [worked on](https://macemagazine.com/politicalconsultants/peter-lyburn/?ref=theferret.scot) campaign strategy with former Tory adviser Lynton Crosby. Lyburn’s lobbying firm gave [nearly £30,000](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=stonehaven&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=RegisterName&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot) in cash to the Tories between 2019 and 2021, before handing £7,200 to Scottish Labour last year, Stonehaven [has represented](https://orcl.my.site.com/CLR%5FPublic%5FProfile?id=0012400000GKtacAAD&ref=theferret.scot) energy clients including Scottish Power, SGN, EDF and Drax, defence industry clients including Raytheon, Melrose, and the trade association for “aerospace, defence, security and space”, ADS Group. Other past clients include Airbnb, TikTok, Makin Enterprises, whose ventures include a [private jet service](https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/chris-makin-launches-private-aviation-service-makin-air-for-wealthy-entrepreneurs-at-leeds-east-airport-1818627?ref=theferret.scot) for wealthy individuals, and the outsourcing firm used by successive governments, Capita. [Lobbying firm that gave £12k to the Conservatives run by former local party chairA Holyrood lobbying firm that gave £12,000 to the Conservatives for breakfast and dinner events is directed by a former local chair of the party, The Ferret can reveal. Electoral Commission records show that Glasgow-based Invicta Public Affairs gave the “sponsorship” donation to the Tories in 2018, which the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-99.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-105695431.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/lobby-firm-12k-tories-directed-local-party-chair/) ### **Revolving doors** In 2021, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/lobby-firm-12k-tories-directed-local-party-chair/) that Invicta boss Cummings was the former local chair of the East Dunbartonshire Tory party, and gave £12,000 to the Conservatives for event sponsorship. We found that he lobbied MSPs, including his former consultant, Tory MSP [Stephen Kerr](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/stephen-kerr?ref=theferret.scot), on behalf of clients in the same industries Kerr was paid to advise Invicta on. Responding to The Ferret’s 2021 investigation into Invicta, Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said the firm’s sponsorship of Tory events was used to “secure meetings” for its clients and had exposed weaknesses in the lobbying act. Then-SNP MP Alison Thewliss slammed “jobs for the boys” and said Kerr and Invicta’s relationship was “extremely concerning”. Invicta’s team currently includes advisor Brian Wilson, a former Scots Labour MP, and UK trade minister and energy minister. He has lobbied MSPs, including from Labour. Thewliss’s former colleague, Richard Thomson, who was the SNP’s business spokesperson at Westminster, joined Invicta as Scotland associate director months after losing his seat in 2024. In recent years, he has lobbied former party colleagues – and others – [such as](https://openaccess.transparency.org.uk/?meeting=19441243&ref=theferret.scot) the first minister, public finance minister Ivan McKee, and [Jack Middleton](https://openaccess.transparency.org.uk/?meeting=19376533&ref=theferret.scot), who is a special advisor to John Swinney and a Holyrood candidate. Ex-SNP MSP Richard Lyle was also an Invicta consultant. In 2024, he [was accused](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/former-msp-accused-of-misusing-holyrood-passes-to-lobby-ministers-qfhgw6nsl?gaa%5Fat=eafs&gaa%5Fn=AWEtsqd5y5%5FuBtJ0DkhhEklADBU96LKOsSTA44CLWRYApaYkscNKa-A-tf2Z%5Fan7wzE%3D&gaa%5Fts=69415b9c&gaa%5Fsig=6vP4y27jyhKQXiNe6sFCCgT0DFuhZEd8XP0%5Fc1jrPtAiMHwrNMjn-oVzromlEd5ZfWIxbP4DBRYPD3uQ3NgH-g%3D%3D&ref=theferret.scot) of breaking parliamentary rules by using a special pass to lobby for private companies. Lyle denied the claims, and said he stuck to the rules. > It shows how porous the boundaries are between money, access, and power in our democracy. That should be a wake-up call to strengthen our rules on political funding and influence. — Jennifer Nadel, Compassion in Politics Stonehaven employees include a government relations [consultant](https://www.linkedin.com/in/keircozens/?ref=theferret.scot) who was a Labour official, and a senior consultant who was a [campaign aide](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/boris-johnson-campaign-aide-malin-bogue-was-on-payroll-of-steel-tycoon-sanjeev-gupta-dl3cznj2x?gaa%5Fat=eafs&gaa%5Fn=AWEtsqdsmA%5Fd67dWmx-6Ju6VNnXnBK0KjI7nb0B3OZ3QX6qwvofmI7uocjWXTEHQB34%3D&gaa%5Fts=693b079a&gaa%5Fsig=GdI-LYSAyxqdqB0Y7QdFEIHFhoAyj7VuIbmT3FVJW1%5Fmnu-Qj9Y%5FOFnF2g-I09gr%5FUPMoub88OuUyDHLePIngQ%3D%3D&ref=theferret.scot) to Boris Johnson. The firm has also recruited staff from companies it has represented. In December 2019, it [hired a former](https://www.prweek.co.uk/article/1669339/stonehaven-hires-new-md-scottishpower-incumbent-prepares-depart?ref=theferret.scot) senior executive at Scottish Power’s Spanish owner, Iberdrola, as managing director. Scottish Power was a Stonehaven client as late as June 2019. Last year, openDemocracy [reported](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/labour-lobbyists-work-for-party-undeclared-election-campaign/?ref=theferret.scot) that five members of staff of Stonehaven worked for Labour during its general election campaign, including the campaign of health secretary Wes Streeting, who is seen as a frontrunner to be the next prime minister. Staffers included consultant Alex Savage, who, via LinkedIn, [recalled](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alex-savage-19630317%5Fback-to-the-day-job-today-after-an-amazing-activity-7216029690673643520-jOQZ/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAqKB-QBC5G89I2TT2LZO9DRvtyqInZ4ZRI) “campaigning in marginal seats from Scotland to London”, and [invited](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7244017376302706689/?originTrackingId=2tNI6x59kEpAFfJDGyNRSw%3D%3D&ref=theferret.scot) followers to take a “deep dive” into Stonehaven's report into Labour voters “and what they mean for your business”. [According to](https://thedarkarts.substack.com/p/dark-arts-dispatch-new-lobbyist-in) openDemocracy, campaign group Britain Remade, which [promotes](https://www.britainremade.co.uk/our%5Fcampaigns?ref=theferret.scot) causes including Scottish nuclear power, was set up by Stonehaven to advocate for its clients’ policies. The campaign group’s staff includes political insiders and its chief executive was Boris Johnson’s [special advisor](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-richards-80308b130/?ref=theferret.scot) on energy and the environment. Britain Remade has [been funded](https://www.britainremade.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) by Quadrature Climate Foundation, a climate charity set up by Quadrature Capital, and a former Stonehaven client. The hedge fund, owned via the Cayman Islands, a tax and secrecy haven, [donated £4m](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Donations/C0586805?ref=theferret.scot) to Labour in the run-up to the election. Quadrature declined to comment but has previously [said](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/labour-given-4m-from-tax-haven-based-hedge-fund-with-shares-in-oil-and-arms/?ref=theferret.scot) it has paid more than £2bn in UK taxes, and that all of its trading profits have been subject to UK corporation tax. Stonehaven has previously [lobbied](https://openaccess.transparency.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) Scottish ministers, and MSPs from Labour and other parties, on matters which have [included](https://www.theferret.scot/industry-nuclear-power-lobbying-msps/) nuclear energy. [Industry lobbies MSPs to back nuclear powerThe UK nuclear industry has stepped up its lobbying of MSPs in a bid to get the Scottish Parliament to reverse its opposition to the building of new nuclear power stations. An investigation by The Ferret has revealed that nuclear energy companies and their lobbyists have talked up the industry’![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-100.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/edf_34265803614-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/industry-nuclear-power-lobbying-msps/) ### **‘Privileged access’** Anti-corruption, transparency and political reform campaigners expressed concern about The Ferret’s findings. “It’s hard not to see these donations as the cost of doing business for lobbyists trying to secure privileged access to politicians and decision-makers for their clients,” said Tim Picton, senior advocacy advisor at Spotlight on Corruption. Public trust is “undermined by the cosy relationship that sees former MPs take up jobs at lobbying firms once they lose their seats, potentially giving the impression that the position is a reward for services rendered,” he added. Tom Brake, a former Lib Dem MP and director of Unlock Democracy, said: “I know from personal experience as a MP for over 20 years, that donations buy better access, and therefore potentially more influence. I'd recommend looking their gift horse in the mouth and politely declining its generosity." Jennifer Nadel, who co-founded the cross-party think-tank, Compassion in Politics, said: “When companies whose business model is influencing government are also bankrolling political parties, it should set alarm bells ringing. “It shows how porous the boundaries are between money, access, and power in our democracy, and at a moment when we can see how easily democratic norms unravel elsewhere, including in the US, that should be a wake-up call to strengthen our rules on political funding and influence.” Transparency International UK’s Juliet Swann called for a tightening of the rules around political influence. “Requiring Scotland's lobbying register to include the expense associated with lobbying activity would expose any links between access to decision makers and financial resource,” she said. An Invicta spokesperson said: "Invicta does not provide any donations to political parties. Rather as an advisory firm, we routinely enter into commercial sponsorship opportunities with all political parties in the UK to support business engagement events." The £3,000 given to Scottish Labour last year covered activities including an exhibition stand and sponsorship of a business reception open to all conference delegates, they added. A spokesperson for MFGC said the firm “makes a range of charitable donations each year, and on occasion does make donations to parliamentary candidates seeking election." A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “All donations are declared in accordance with Parliamentary and Electoral Commission rules.” The SNP, the Conservatives, Stonehaven, and Britain Remade did not respond to requests to comment. The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Why can’t I get an appointment with my GP? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/why-cant-i-get-an-appointment-with-my-gp/ Last updated: 2026-01-30T11:38:55.000Z The difficulty with getting a GP appointment – the 8am scramble to get through to the surgery, and the long waiting time on hold only to discover the appointments are fully booked – has become a universal conversation topic on par with bad weather. Sometimes it’s just downright frustrating but the consequences can be [profoundly serious](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/gran-dies-after-being-turned-36573915?ref=theferret.scot). The problems are not just anecdotal – Scotland-wide surveys have shown in recent years an increasing number of people find it hard to get hold of their doctor. The pressing need to address the problem was raised several times in [last week’s budge](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2026-2027-finance-secretarys-statement-13-january-2026-2/?ref=theferret.scot)t, with Shona Robison, Scottish cabinet secretary for finance, claiming that reducing waiting times was a key target of additional spending. She claimed a “bigger share of the health budget” was this year going to primary care, with extra millions put aside for investment in more GPs and better funding other costs. The Scottish Government said it was committed to “ending the 8am rush” and also put aside £36m to begin the rollout of new High Street “walk-in GP clinics”. But will these developments help? And why is it so difficult to get an appointment with a GP? ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### **Staffing** The most straight-foward answer lies in the data. The actual number of GPs – the so-called headcount number – was [4,582 as of last March 2025](https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/data-and-reports/official-workforce-statistics/all-official-statistics-publications/general-practice-workforce-survey-2025/general-practice-workforce-dashboards/general-practice-workforce-survey-2025-dashboard/?ref=theferret.scot), excluding trainees. But this is the equivalent of just [3,592 full-time positions](https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/data-and-reports/official-workforce-statistics/all-official-statistics-publications/general-practice-workforce-survey-2025/annual-report/?pageid=14580&ref=theferret.scot). That’s because of the proportion of GPs who work part-time, sometimes due to parenting and other caring responsibilities. That number is a slight increase on the previous year. But the [general trend](https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/general-practice-gp-workforce-and-practice-list-sizes/general-practice-gp-workforce-and-practice-list-sizes-2012-2022/?ref=theferret.scot) has seen GP full-time equivalent numbers decreasing. Ten years ago Scotland had slightly more GPs than now with 3,604 full time equivalents seeing patients. In the same time frame patient lists have been growing. Scotland’s population has increased as a [result of migration](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/scotlands-population-2024-the-registrar-generals-annual-review-of-demographic-trends/?ref=theferret.scot). Though life expectancy stalled during Covid, general trends show that people in Scotland are also [living longer](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg7vnz4dzv2o?ref=theferret.scot). In total the number of people registered with [GPs has increased eight per cent](https://publichealthscotland.scot/healthcare-system/primary-care/general-practice/general-practice-data/general-practice-list-size-and-demographics-information/?ref=theferret.scot) between 2015 and 2025\. The net result is there are fewer GPs in Scotland per person than there were five or ten years ago. While in 2015 there were 1,562 patients per GP on average, in 2025 there was just one GP for every 1,685 patients. Within these averages there are winners and losers. [Regional data](https://scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-gp-list-sizes-and-demographics-app/?ref=theferret.scot) shows that in NHS Lanarkshire practices there was an average of 2,381 patients for every whole time equivalent GP in 2024, making it statistically far more difficult to get an appointment there than national averages suggest. In some [Lanarkshire practices](https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/general-practice-list-sizes-and-demographics/general-practice-list-sizes-and-demographics-2-december-2025/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) those patient-per-GP numbers are even higher, sometimes significantly, though the use of locums – temporary GPs – and other healthcare staff makes it difficult to give accurate comparative numbers. At the other end of the scale – and the country – NHS Orkney was able to provide [a GP for every 662 patients](https://scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-gp-list-sizes-and-demographics-app/?ref=theferret.scot). Again, variation will be seen in individual practices on the islands. The British Medical Association (BMA) claims Scotland would see dramatic improvements in health and wellbeing if there was [one GP for every 1,000 patients](https://www.bma.org.uk/bma-media-centre/general-practice-must-be-saved-now-for-the-survival-of-the-nhs-doctors-warn?ref=theferret.scot). [Growing patient lists and unsafe working: patients and doctors speak out from the front lines of primary careAmid rising concerns over heavy patient lists and unsafe work conditions in primary care, patients and doctors share their experiences of a system under strain. Liz, who lives in the north west Highlands, knows she is lucky. When she found a lump in her breast last year, she called the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-98.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/gps-in-crisis-cover-pictures.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/growing-patient-lists-unsafe-work-doctors-speak-out/) ### **Increasing complexity** But it’s not just a numbers game. As Dr Iain Morrison, chair of BMA Scotland’s GP Committee, explains, Scotland’s population now also requires more complex care. “As people live longer they have more complex conditions,” he says, and many of them have more than one issue at the same time, known in medical terms as comorbidities. On top of that “there are more treatment options and the growth in the associated healthcare required is exponential”. In other words we now have fewer GPs – but more patients with more complicated healthcare needs and more treatments available. In total there are now 1,186,099 registered patients in Scotland who are over 65, [almost 20 percent of the total number](https://scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-gp-list-sizes-and-demographics-app/?ref=theferret.scot). That percentage has been rising steadily for more than a decade. In many practices, more than a third of patients are in this age bracket. [Deepening poverty](https://www.jrf.org.uk/poverty-in-scotland-2025?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland is another factor. A clear link has been established between shorter health lifespans – that’s the number of years you live without health problems – and living in poverty. > Patients then experience this as ‘I can’t get an appointment’, even though practices are working flat out. According to David Blane, from the [Deep End GPs network](https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/healthwellbeing/research/generalpractice/deepend/?ref=theferret.scot) – which is made up of 100 practices in the most deprived areas of Scotland – this means that in areas of high deprivation there are often more complex consultations which take in various physical and mental health conditions as well as trauma and social problems. A vicious cycle is created, with complicated problems requiring longer consultations, which leads to fewer appointments and results in more unmet need. “Patients then experience this as ‘I can’t get an appointment’, even though practices are working flat out,” he says. “So, pressure isn’t just about volume.” He claims it is also about "complexity, intensity, and moral strain", that's the psychological distress felt with your core beliefs don’t chime with your actions – in this case wanting to provide good care but not having time to. “GPs are constantly balancing high clinical risk with limited time, which is exhausting and contributes to burnout and workforce loss,” he adds. ### **Supporting other health conditions** According to the BMA’s Dr Morrison there’s also higher demand because of better understanding about a range of physical and mental health issues. “There are now new areas of medicine that drive further demand,” he says. “HRT consultations \[for women experiencing menopausal symptoms\] have exploded in the last five years, for example. That’s not to say the need wasn’t there before that but there is now a greater awareness. That has benefited women but those appointments are coming from the existing resource.” According to the most recent [Scottish Health Surve](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-health-survey-2024-volume-1-main-report/pages/3--perimenopause-and-menopause/?ref=theferret.scot)y, about six in ten of those who had experienced any menopause or perimenopause symptoms had sought help, most commonly from their GP. However 15 per cent of patients said they had not done so because “they did not want to burden the NHS,” suggesting an even greater need. Consultations about neurodiversity are another area of exponential growth, according to Dr Morrison. [Drugs](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/topic/drugs/?ref=theferret.scot) used to treat ADHD, such as Ritalin, were prescribed to 25,904 people in 2022/23 but that increased by about a third to 34,440 in 2024/25\. “Again, this has to be managed by GPs without additional funding,” he said. ### **How practices are run** The number of GP practices in Scotland has decreased by almost 9 per cent from 969 GP practices in April 2016 to 887 in April 2025, reflecting a trend towards fewer, larger practices overall. This means that you are more likely to be in a practice with several GPs, lowering your chance of getting the same one every time. The importance of consistency is highlighted in [patient satisfaction surveys](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2024/05/health-care-experience-survey-2023-24-national-results/documents/health-care-experience-survey-2023-24-national-results/health-care-experience-survey-2023-24-national-results/govscot%3Adocument/health-care-experience-survey-2023-24-national-results.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and [evidence](https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/analysis/end-of-year-reviews/2025-in-review-the-widely-misunderstoo?ref=theferret.scot) also shows that GP relationship continuity – seeing the same GP every time – improves access to appointments and helps address health inequalities. GPs practices, which operate as independent businesses contracted and funded by NHS health boards, are all managed differently with varying stipulations about how far ahead it is possible to book, or how urgent appointments are allocated. Some practices offer phone appointments as standard in the first instance, following up with in-person appointments as necessary and others allow patients to specify which they prefer. According to the most recently available statistics from 2023/24 only 62 per cent of appointments were face-to-face, with the level of phone appointments dramatically higher than pre-pandemic. [Some research](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2514664524004922?ref=theferret.scot) has suggested that while phone appointments can be convenient, they have poorer outcomes and create more admin work for GPs. Some GP practices have also made greater use of [multi-disciplinary teams](https://www.lanarkshiremedicalgroup.co.uk/about-us/meet-the-team/?ref=theferret.scot), sometimes using less qualified – and less expensive – healthcare professionals, like [physician associates](https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/medical-associate-professions/roles-medical-associate-professions/physician-associate?ref=theferret.scot), who are supervised by GPs, to meet growing demand. But while additional roles can add value, using these instead of hiring additional GPs is not recommended by the BMA. ### **What about the funding?** In December the BMA and the Scottish Government agreed [a package of funding](https://www.bma.org.uk/pay-and-contracts/contracts/gp-contract/gp-contract-scotland-202627-and-202829?ref=theferret.scot) between 2026 and 2029 that will give general practice an annual increase of £250m by 2028/29\. Dr Morrison says this will help to “stabilise the situation” and is a very welcome “first step”. However he insists it is nowhere near enough to bring about the reform needed. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Scotland chair Dr Chris Provan also welcomed the funding, but has [agreed](https://www.rcgp.org.uk/News/Scotland-government-vision-health-social-care?ref=theferret.scot) with his assessment. The funding deal will see the NHS budget allocated to GPs rise from approximately 6 to 7 per cent, but a decade ago that figure was [11 per cent](https://www.rcgp.org.uk/getmedia/b9a268e8-0182-4a59-9377-edbc96250a26/RCGP-Scottish-Manifesto.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). The BMA estimates that about £1bn would be required in order for Scotland to provide one GP per 1,000 patients. Both organisations are sceptical of Scottish Government plans for 15 walk-in GP clinics across Scotland, the first of which, it was announced last week, will be at the [Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgp3e6245qo?ref=theferret.scot). The scheme, and a £36m funding package to pay for it, was [announced in the Scottish budget](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2026-2027-finance-secretarys-statement-13-january-2026-2/?ref=theferret.scot) and will offer over a million GP and nurse appointments, about 0.3 percent of the Scottish total. Concerns have been raised that it will funnel money away from the core system. Dr Blane of the Deep End also claims the new funding package is “insufficient to address healthcare inequalities” and will not “fundamentally correct the current mismatch between need and resources”. He says funding should be better weighted in favour of practices with the biggest workloads. ### **Is there another way?** “We have to deliver a lot more care in the community,” according to Dr Morrison who believes that with the right kind of reforms in place, a far better system is possible. In the BMA’s vision, GPs, assisted by the access to knowledge that AI provides, could be more involved in outpatient care for the increasing number of people with more than one health complaint. “Instead of seeing a whole range of specialists who are not able to look at people’s conditions holistically, GPs could be managing their care and the logistics of that for them, making sure patients get the care they need,” he explains. “That will take substantial commitment to change and resources to match.” That would lead to better and more holistic care, cut down on waiting times and free up GPs who currently have to offer care while people wait. He admits it’s a culture shift. “At the moment practices are stuck with 10 minute appointments, squeezing home visits into lunch breaks,” he says. “Hospitals are at capacity and that is not going to change. We are still talking about A&E as the front door of the NHS but instead we need to start talking about health care starting at the patient’s own front door and work from there.” He points to examples in Nordic countries such as Sweden, which has put a firm focus on [primary health care](https://unric.org/en/connecting-care-exploring-swedens-innovative-phc-model/?ref=theferret.scot), supported through what would once have been known as cottage hospitals, allowing aging populations to access quality healthcare in their own communities. As for poorer communities Dr Blane claims that the need to frontload resources into deprived areas is paramount, with targeted recruitment in these most challenging practices along with mentoring and support to prevent burn-out. Critically, he claims we need to stop treating the problem of getting GP appointments as “a simple numbers and speed problem”. He adds: “Good access also depends on consultation quality – seeing a GP who knows you well improves your experience, your safety, your quality of care, your health outcomes.” GPs need to have time to deal with complex issues and to be able to offer “inclusive, flexible, person-centred” care. He insists: “Without addressing those, appointment shortages will persist, particularly in the communities that need care most.” The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Concern over bid to exempt organic food certification from public scrutiny URL: https://www.theferret.scot/organic-food-certification-scrutiny/ Last updated: 2026-01-20T06:30:01.000Z **The UK’s leading organic verification company is trying to dodge freedom of information law, in a case which could have important implications for transparency.** [Soil Association Certification](https://www.soilassociation.org/certification/who-we-are/?ref=theferret.scot) is appealing against a ruling from the [UK Information Commissioner](https://ico.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), arguing that its business should not be covered by environmental information regulations. The case was prompted by a campaign group asking to see inspection reports of organic salmon farms in Scotland. Following a hearing into the certification company’s appeal in November 2025, the [information rights tribunal](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/information-rights-appeal-against-the-commissioners-decision?ref=theferret.scot) is expected to issue a verdict in the next few weeks. Campaigners criticised the company’s bid to evade its information responsibilities, arguing that the public had a right to understand organic standards. They warned that its appeal could endanger scrutiny of other public services outsourced to the private sector. Soil Association Certification insisted that it fully supported transparency, and said it had never sought to keep information secret. But it argued that it should be exempt from environmental information regulations because it was up to the UK Government to decide what should, or should not, be made public. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) [Environmental information regulations](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/eir-and-access-to-information/guide-to-the-environmental-information-regulations/what-are-the-eir/?ref=theferret.scot) operate as part of freedom of information law across the UK. As well as covering public authorities, they are designed to include any other organisations that carry out [“functions of public administration”](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/eir-and-access-to-information/guide-to-the-environmental-information-regulations/what-are-the-eir/?ref=theferret.scot#3) for governments. The certification company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the organic charity, the [Soil Association](https://www.soilassociation.org/who-we-are/?ref=theferret.scot), and describes itself as a “not for profit company”. It is contracted by the UK [Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs?ref=theferret.scot) to check whether land farms and fish farms produce food that can be labelled as organic. The company also certifies whether forestry, fashion, textiles and beauty products are organic. By offering organic certification, the company aims to provide a guarantee that food and other products [are produced](https://www.soilassociation.org/our-standards/what-are-organic-standards/?ref=theferret.scot) with “the highest possible standards of animal welfare, environmental and wildlife protection”. Products with organic labels often sell at a higher price. There are currently 21 salmon farms and hatcheries in Scotland licensed as organic. The campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), is lobbying with other groups for them to lose the organic label, [alleging](https://wildfish.org/latest-news/environment-groups-call-out-soil-associations-organic-standard/?ref=theferret.scot) that they cause pollution and are bad for animal welfare. In May 2024 WildFish asked Soil Association Certification for copies of inspection reports of organic salmon farms from the previous three years, as well as details of any breaches of organic standards. The request was refused by the company, which argued it was not covered by the environmental information regulations. It passed the request on to Defra, which provided some summary statistical information. Dissatisfied, WildFish appealed to the UK Information Commissioner. In [a decision in February 2025](https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/decision-notices/2024/02/ic-324806-c7n7/?ref=theferret.scot), the commissioner ruled that Soil Association Certification was covered by the environmental regulations, and ordered it to consider WildFish’s request. > Access to nutritious food is a human right so the important information requested is a matter of public interest The company then appealed the commissioner’s decision to the UK information rights tribunal, insisting that it should not be covered by the environmental information rules. It argued that it was contractually obliged to provide information to Defra, which was covered by the rules. The commissioner disagreed, arguing the company’s appeal was “badly misconceived”. The company was “specifically entrusted” by Defra to certify products as organic and had “special powers” to do so, the commissioner’s lawyers said. But Soil Association Certification said that the commissioner had made an “error”. The company did not possess sufficient “special powers” to be covered by the environmental information regulations, it argued. The [Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland](https://www.cfois.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) backed the commissioner’s decision. It maintained that the company’s organic certification was a “public function” that would otherwise be undertaken by Defra. “This appeal raises the prospect that individual private companies may argue against their designation under environmental information regulations which will disrupt the scrutiny of key outsourced public services,” said the campaign’s director, [Carole Ewart](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/carole-ewart/). “As the state increasingly outsources public administrative services to private contractors, access to information rights and compliance with duties must apply equally to deliver transparency and accountability.” Ewart urged the UK and Scottish governments to make clear to private contractors that they have duties under environmental information regulations when they deliver public services. “Access to nutritious food is a human right so the important information requested is a matter of public interest,” she added. > We have never sought to withhold information. It is the right reporting channels for the information, not the reporting of the information itself, that is in question and that we seek to ensure is clearly set out. [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot) said there had been “a lack of transparency” because the salmon farm inspection reports it requested more than 18 months ago had not been released. “Transparency is a cornerstone of environmental governance, and WildFish – like many organisations working in the public interest – depends on access to such information in order to scrutinise environmental performance and hold corporate activity to account,” the group’s director in Scotland, Nick Underdown, told The Ferret. “As a matter of legal principle, we regard it as important that environmental information should be accessible from the body that is legally obliged to hold and disclose it in the first place.” [Soil Association Certification](https://www.soilassociation.org/certification/?ref=theferret.scot) stressed that trust was central to its purpose to safeguard nature, climate and health. "As an organisation we believe that transparency is at the heart of building trust with consumers and therefore fully support the sharing of information, in line with the regulations,” said chief executive, [Dominic Robinson](https://www.soilassociation.org/staff-bios/dominic-robinson/?ref=theferret.scot). “We have never sought to withhold information. It is the right reporting channels for the information, not the reporting of the information itself, that is in question and that we seek to ensure is clearly set out.” Robinson said his company engaged with Defra in 2025 on environmental information requests, including sharing inspection reports. “Our position remains that we are contracted to provide the information to Defra and they determine the appropriate release of information,” he added. “It is the role of Defra to make decisions on what is appropriate to release, and we are already obliged to provide them with whatever information is required to meet the requirements of the environmental information regulations. Consumers can trust that the [Soil Association organic symbol](https://www.soilassociation.org/certification/marketing-organic/using-the-organic-symbol/?ref=theferret.scot) represents salmon farmed at the highest standards.” The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### The UAE is accused of arming a genocidal militia in Sudan. The Scottish Government wants closer ties URL: https://www.theferret.scot/uae-arming-genocidal-militia-scottish-government-closer-ties/ Last updated: 2026-01-18T06:00:47.000Z **The Scottish Government is under fire for stepping up a charm offensive to the United Arab Emirates despite evidence it has armed a militia accused of genocide and widespread sexual violence in Sudan.** Deputy first minister Kate Forbes is due to [travel](https://www.gov.scot/news/promoting-business-globally/?ref=theferret.scot) to Dubai and Abu Dhabi later this month for meetings with the Emirati government and businesses. It will be her second visit to the UAE in nine months. The trip is part of an ongoing effort to strengthen economic ties with the oil-rich state and secure investment in Scottish companies and universities. Forbes has [said](https://www.moet.gov.ae/en/-/uae-and-scotland-explore-investment-opportunities-in-future-sectors-based-on-innovation-and-knowledge-economy?redirect=%2Fen%2Fweb%2Fguest%2Fmoe-initiatives&ref=theferret.scot) the countries share “common visions” and that recent meetings and visits reflect a “mutual interest in deepening the partnership”. But human rights groups have condemned the strategy. One told The Ferret it was “disgusting” and “utterly immoral” in light of the UAE’s alleged role in Sudan’s brutal civil war, while Amnesty argued ministers needed to speak up about human rights abuses even when it is “politically or economically inconvenient”. In response, the Scottish Government said it had provided over £1m to [support](https://www.gov.scot/news/further-humanitarian-aid-for-sudan/?ref=theferret.scot) humanitarian efforts in Sudan and described the UAE as a “key trade and investment partner” for both Scotland and the UK. The war in Sudan – fought between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – has [killed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjel2nn22z9o?ref=theferret.scot) more than 150,000 people and displaced around 12 million since it erupted in April 2023\. The UN has described it as the [world’s largest humanitarian crisis](https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/sudan-worlds-largest-humanitarian-crisis-and-children-are-paying-highest-price%C2%A0?ref=theferret.scot). The RSF has been accused of [mass killings](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75veyzz2g2o?ref=theferret.scot), [ethnic cleansing](https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/09/sudan-ethnic-cleansing-west-darfur?ref=theferret.scot) and [systematic sexual violence](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/12/rights-group-accuses-rsf-of-systematic-sexual-violence-in-sudans-civil-war?ref=theferret.scot) against civilians, including [children](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgpdxk853jo?ref=theferret.scot). In January 2025, the previous US administration [concluded](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/07/us-determines-sudan-paramilitary-genocide?ref=theferret.scot) that the paramilitary force and allied militias had committed genocide and [sanctioned](https://2021-2025.state.gov/genocide-determination-in-sudan-and-imposing-accountability-measures/?ref=theferret.scot) its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Reasons given included the “mass rape of civilians” by soldiers under his control. The UAE has [strenuously denied](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/9/uae-denies-supplying-sudan-paramilitaries-with-chinese-arms?ref=theferret.scot) providing weapons to the RSF and publicly called for a [ceasefire](https://archive.ph/3Q1QJ?ref=theferret.scot). However the country is [widely](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/12/uk-sanctions-four-rsf-commanders-heinous-violence-against-sudan-civilians?ref=theferret.scot) [viewed](https://www.ft.com/content/e88e0973-3218-4ce6-a73e-20961c71c33b?ref=theferret.scot) by analysts and experts as the militia’s [main backer](https://news.sky.com/story/uae-is-main-backer-behind-rsf-militia-in-sudan-intelligence-officer-claims-in-secret-interview-13437966?ref=theferret.scot) and UN experts have [said](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4039195/files/S%5F2024%5F65-EN.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) they consider claims that it has provided military support to the RSF to be “credible”. The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by members who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### **Closer ties** Forbes visit between 27 and 29 January for the second ‘UAE Scotland Week’ – an initiative developed jointly by the Scottish Government, business agency [Scottish Enterprise](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-enterprise/) and the UAE’s ministry of economy – will be the latest step in a Scottish Government drive to deepen ties with the Gulf state. The first ‘Scotland week’ [took place](https://www.gov.scot/news/increasing-investment-and-trade/?ref=theferret.scot) last April, with Forbes speaking at a reception hosted by the Abu Dhabi chamber of commerce. While in the Emirates last year, the deputy first minister also met the UAE’s ministers for investment and foreign trade, as well as senior representatives of Mubadala, one of the country’s sovereign wealth funds. Her trip was [credited](https://www.gov.scot/news/promoting-business-globally/?ref=theferret.scot) with bringing the UAE-led ‘Investopia Global’ investment [summit](https://investopia.ae/events/investopia-roundtable-edinburgh/?ref=theferret.scot) to Edinburgh in December 2025 – at which Forbes and Scottish Enterprise chief executive, Adrian Gillespie, were both speakers. Taxpayer funded Scottish Enterprise [announced](https://www.scottish-enterprise-mediacentre.com/news/new-scottish-energy-transition-hub-to-launch-in-uae-to-boost-export-sales?ref=theferret.scot) the opening of its own ‘hub’ in Abu Dhabi in April to help Scotland’s clean energy firms sell into the Emirati market. Just days before the Investopia event, the Scottish Government touted a “historic agreement” between the space industries in Scotland and the UAE which would “deepen co-operation” across areas including satellite manufacturing and research. A letter of intent [signed](https://www.gov.scot/news/strengthening-scotlands-international-space-presence/?ref=theferret.scot) between the industry body for the sector, Space Scotland, and the UAE government-owned Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre created “major new opportunities for collaboration”, business minister Richard Lochhead claimed. [Scottish Enterprise criticised over human rights checks on firms selling to Israel and Saudi ArabiaHundreds of human rights checks have been made on companies seeking grants from Scottish Enterprise since 2019, and no firm has failed, despite some having links to states accused of war crimes, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. A new human rights procedure was introduced by Scottish Enterprise (SE) in March![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-96.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-539657366.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-enterprise-criticised-human-rights-checks/) ### **RSF atrocities** Though both sides in Sudan’s civil war have been [accused](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/04/sudan-two-years-of-war-and-shameful-international-neglect/?ref=theferret.scot) of atrocities, the RSF is [seen](https://caat.org.uk/news/genocide-in-sudan-the-role-of-the-uae-and-the-complicity-of-the-west/?ref=theferret.scot) to have engaged in particularly extreme brutality, often [targeting](https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/power-struggle-sudan?ref=theferret.scot) non-Arab communities. Violence following its capture of El Fasher, the army’s last remaining stronghold in the western region of Darfur, drew [global attention](https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/10/1166224?ref=theferret.scot) late last year. After an 18-month siege, RSF fighters overran El Fasher at the end of October. The UN [said](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2025/10/sudan-el-fasher-atrocities-must-be-investigated-and-perpetrators-held?ref=theferret.scot) the RSF carried out “mass killings, rape, attacks against humanitarian workers and looting” after capturing the city. Satellite imagery showed streets turned red with blood and strewn with bodies. According to Yale University [analysis](https://files-profile.medicine.yale.edu/documents/001a93f9-1c99-4437-a023-bac1294d3d0e?ref=theferret.scot) of these images, the “widespread and systematic” mass killings targeted civilians trying to flee the city and were followed by a “multi-week campaign” to destroy evidence by burning, burying and removing bodies. The [UN](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/12/sudan-un-report-details-horrific-patterns-violations-committed-during-rsf?ref=theferret.scot) and [humanitarian organisations](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/sudan-rapid-support-forces-horrific-and-widespread-sexual-violence-leaves-lives?ref=theferret.scot) have [reported](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/12/rights-group-accuses-rsf-of-systematic-sexual-violence-in-sudans-civil-war?ref=theferret.scot) widespread rape and sexual abuse by RSF fighters during the war, including against [children and infants](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgpdxk853jo?ref=theferret.scot), and argued the group used sexual violence as a deliberate tactic to [terrorise civilians](https://adf-magazine.com/2024/11/rsf-accused-of-widespread-sexual-violence-in-sudan/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=By%20ADF%20November%2026%2C%202024,lawyer%20said%20in%20a%20statement.). ### **UAE backing** The UAE has [repeatedly](https://news.sky.com/story/uae-is-main-backer-behind-rsf-militia-in-sudan-intelligence-officer-claims-in-secret-interview-13437966?ref=theferret.scot) been [accused](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20251113-uae-exposed-as-key-backer-of-sudans-rsf-militia-amid-war-crimes-in-darfur/?ref=theferret.scot) of being the RSF’s chief [supporter](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/11/15/uae-sudan-rsf-support-backlash/?ref=theferret.scot) and some analysts [argue](https://caat.org.uk/news/genocide-in-sudan-the-role-of-the-uae-and-the-complicity-of-the-west/?ref=theferret.scot) it could not have fought on so long without Emirati backing, which it is believed to be providing partly due to [concerns](https://www.ft.com/content/e88e0973-3218-4ce6-a73e-20961c71c33b?ref=theferret.scot) about Islamist elements in the Sudanese army. The UN has [described](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4039195/files/S%5F2024%5F65-EN.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) accusations that the UAE has provided arms to the militia via neighbouring Chad as “credible”. A [leaked](https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/apr/14/leaked-un-experts-report-raises-fresh-concerns-over-uaes-role-in-sudan-war?ref=theferret.scot) report by a UN panel of experts detected multiple flights from the UAE in which transport planes apparently tried to avoid detection as they flew into areas of Chad where weapons have been smuggled across the border. In May last year, an Amnesty International [investigation](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/05/sudan-advanced-chinese-weaponry-provided-by-uae-identified-in-breach-of-arms-embargo-new-investigation/?ref=theferret.scot) concluded advanced Chinese weaponry used by the RSF had “almost certainly” been re-exported by the UAE in breach of an arms embargo. There have been [reports](https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/oct/28/uk-military-equipment-rapid-support-forces-rsf-militia-accused-genocide-found-sudan-united-nations?ref=theferret.scot) that UK-made military equipment has ended up in RSF hands – prompting [calls](https://caat.org.uk/news/stop-arming-the-uae-stop-the-sudanese-genocide/?ref=theferret.scot) for an end to arms sales to the Gulf state. The Emirates have also been accused by US intelligence services of [supplying](https://archive.ph/WMwWp?ref=theferret.scot) the RSF with sophisticated Chinese-made drones. The claim that the UAE has provided the RSF with advanced weaponry such as drones has sparked concern around Scotland’s new relationship with its space sector. [When ‘critical friends’ fall out: how the Scottish Government sleepwalked into a crisis over Israel meetingOn a warm summer’s night last August, John Swinney took to the stage at the Edinburgh International Book Festival for a fireside chat with former Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford. Two of the most seasoned veterans of the devolution era, Swinney and Drakeford talked of the importance of “collaborative”![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-97.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/46739843394_090c169266_k.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-crisis-meeting-israel-2/) ### **‘Utterly immoral’** Peter Burt of [Space Watch](https://spacewatch.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) – which campaigns against the militarisation of space – raised fears about the partnership and pointed out that the UAE’s space programme was “specifically linked to [military goals](https://uwsparc.space/uae-brief/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=An%20example%20of%20this%20is,navy%2C%20and%20missile%20defence%20technologies.)”. “Virtually all space technology is dual use, meaning that it can be used for harmful military purposes as well as beneficial civil purposes,” Burt continued. “The risks of harm are increased when space services are provided to nations which have a track record of supporting military aggression.” He added: “The Scottish Government would never enter into a space partnership with a nation like Russia because of its aggression towards Ukraine, so why is it looking to co-operate with the UAE, which is wreaking havoc across North Africa and the Middle East?” Emily Apple, media coordinator of the [Campaign Against the Arms Trade](https://caat.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), said it was “utterly immoral” and “disgusting” that the Scottish Government was “courting” the UAE. “There should be an immediate embargo on all arms exports to the UAE, not increased cooperation and investment, especially in areas such as space and satellite technology that has the potential for military exploitation," Apple told The Ferret. “States need to know there are consequences for their complicity in war crimes, and this has to be applied consistently, whether that’s Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the UAE arming the RSF or any other state that’s committing or enabling atrocities." Liz Thomson, [Amnesty’s](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) programme director in Scotland called on ministers to explain how doing business with the UAE “is consistent with the commitment to act as a good global citizen”. She said: “If the Scottish government isn't prepared to speak up about human rights abuses even when it’s economically or politically inconvenient to do so then it simply cannot claim to be a principled global actor.” The Scottish Government [pointed out](https://www.gov.scot/news/further-humanitarian-aid-for-sudan/?ref=theferret.scot) that it had provided £1.25m to communities in Sudan and neighbouring countries since the civil war broke out. This included £250,000 in September 2025 to help people affected by famine, displacement and gender-based violence. A spokesperson continued: “The UAE is a key trade and investment partner for Scotland and the UK, with growing bilateral engagement that has positioned Scotland across priority sectors.” A Scottish Enterprise spokeswoman said: "Our remit as the national economic development agency for Scotland includes identifying and developing opportunities for Scottish businesses overseas, particularly in those priority markets identified by the Scottish Government in the [Trading Nation](https://www.gov.scot/publications/trading-nation-updating-scotlands-country-sector-prioritisation/?ref=theferret.scot) strategy. “The UAE is one of these priority markets." A SpaceScotland spokesperson said its letter of intent with the UAE space agency was “non-binding” and explored “opportunities for member companies to work with multiple Gulf nations around environmental monitoring, educational outreach, using satellite data for agriculture and regional water challenges and space sustainability”. “Space Scotland is a non-profit company supporting commercial space organisations,” they noted. The UAE government and the RSF were asked to comment. [Donate to The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) ### Scotland’s prisoner transport provider is linked to Trump’s ICE migrant hunters URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-prisoner-transport-provider-is-linked-to-trumps-ice-migrant-hunters/ Last updated: 2026-01-16T13:49:08.000Z **A firm that runs Scotland’s prisoner transfer service is linked to a US multinational whose subsidiary provides the US government’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with investigators who hunt down immigrants.** GEOAmey – GEO Group’s UK joint venture – has a £240m contract to escort prisoners in Scotland until January 2027. GEO Group is based in the US and has [funded Donald Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/04/us/migrant-families-contractors-campaign-contributions.html?ref=theferret.scot). The company, one of the largest private prison companies in the US, is a decades-long partner of ICE and is supporting the current US government’s crackdown on immigration, with controversial methods. Another firm it [owns](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/923796/000119312525059375/d910128dars.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), BI Incorporated, has secured a contract to trace people for ICE, [as revealed](https://theintercept.com/2025/12/19/ice-bounty-hunters-location-surveillance-geo-group/?ref=theferret.scot) by US media site The Intercept. [Trump donor firm accused of ‘slave labour’ made £1m profitA private prison firm paying asylum seekers held at Dungavel detention centre £1 an hour prompting claims of “slavery” made nearly £1m in profit last year, The Ferret can reveal. The GEO Group UK Limited – a subsidiary of US-based GEO Group which gave $250,000 to Donald Trump’s election![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-93.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/TheFerret_Icon_RGB_Burgundy-2.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/trump-donor-firm-dungavel/) ICE raids have prompted widespread criticism in the US, over factors like its masked officers using tear gas during raids, and detaining US citizens. Its most recent major controversy saw agents fatally shoot Renee Good in her car in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Corporate investigators with BI will reportedly use surveillance to track immigrants to their homes and places of work so federal agents can make arrests. The private detention sector in the US has [boomed](https://abcnews.go.com/US/top-private-prison-companies-profits-amid-administrations-immigration/story?id=124591009&ref=theferret.scot) since President Trump came to power and GEO Group runs immigrant processing centres in the US. In Scotland, GEOAmey has been fined millions by the government over its performance after criminals arrived late into court more than 10,000 times in just 10 months. HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland said the human rights of inmates were also at risk of being violated due to "unacceptable" transport issues. [Vulnerable women at risk in Dungavel detention centre, says reportWomen are at risk of exploitation in Dungavel House immigration removal centre and more than 200 detainees were on watch for self harm in 2017, according to a new report. The Home Office has also been told that a secure unit at the detention centre was “wholly unsuitable” for people![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-94.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Dungavel2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/women-dungavel-detention-centre-report/) In January this year, a man convicted of raping a 15-year-old at knifepoint [escaped](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2jm788jpko?ref=theferret.scot) from GEOAmey’s custody at the High Court in Edinburgh, before being caught again the same day. GEO Group UK previously ran Dungavel detention centre in South Lanarkshire and, in 2018, [we revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/trump-donor-firm-dungavel/) that it paid asylum seekers held there just £1 an hour, prompting claims of “slavery”. We also reported that year that the UK Home Office was told that a secure unit at the detention centre was [“wholly unsuitable”](https://www.theferret.scot/women-dungavel-detention-centre-report/) for people with mental health conditions and that its health facilities were “not clean”. It [emerged last week](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-prisoners-delivered-late-court-36487440?ref=theferret.scot) that GEOAmey delivered inmates late to Scottish courts 10,474 times in just 10 months last year. Criminal hearings are delayed when people arrive late at court, while witnesses in trials are left to wait hours. GEOAmey [said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpe171j38o?ref=theferret.scot) staff shortages, and a Covid-related court backlog had affected its performance. The firm reported profits of around £7m in 2023 and 2024, and paid out £10m to shareholders over the same period, its [accounts](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07556404/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) show. It was handed £1.8m of taxpayers’ cash in 2024, with a £2.2m top-up due in 2025, according to [research](https://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/news/article/astonishment-as-fines-handed-straight-back-to-catastrophic-prison-transport-firm?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) by the Scottish Liberal Democrats. GEOAmey was reportedly the sole bidder for the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) transport contract when it came up for tender in 2018. Human rights charity Amnesty International UK’s acting Scotland programme director, Liz Thomson, said GEO group was “accumulating massive profits while helping to implement the Trump administration’s cruel and dangerous agenda”. In Scotland, “serious concerns have been raised that their subsidiary has violated the human rights of prisoners and people in asylum detention,” she added. "There’s no doubt the company shouldn’t be in receipt of further Scottish Government funding. "This is an important reminder of why human rights due diligence needs to be centred in decision making. The current Scottish Government guidance for public bodies risks future contracts being handed to companies supporting rights abuses and needs to be strengthened urgently.” Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman said: “No company should profit from human misery and death in the way GEO Group clearly does. It is absolutely sickening that the company contracted to transport prisoners in Scotland works so closely with Donald Trump’s ICE in the United States.” She continued: “ICE is known for using fear, force and violence against immigrants and people of colour. No company linked to that should be trusted with public services here in Scotland. This kind of behaviour and lack of ethical principles do not reflect the welcoming Scotland I and many others want to see.” GEOAmey “has failed Scotland badly, repeatedly delivering prisoners late to court thousands of times,” Chapman added. “It is yet another clear example of companies putting profit ahead of people.” A GEOAmey spokesperson said: "Whilst GEO is a major shareholder in GEOAmey, the business runs independently, with its own executive team in the UK with no operational link to GEO in the United States. "We are aware of the longstanding relationship in the US between GEO and the federal government through the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. This relationship has been in place for over 40 years, spanning seven different presidential administrations." ICE and GEO Group did not respond to requests to comment. The Scottish Government declined to comment. Amnesty International UK’s acting Scotland programme director, Liz Thomson, is on the board of The Ferret. ### Farmed salmon were treated with a lot more drugs than the industry said URL: https://www.theferret.scot/farmed-salmon-were-treated-with-a-lot-more-drugs-than-the-industry-said/ Last updated: 2026-01-15T11:05:53.000Z **The salmon farming industry has admitted mistakenly underestimating the amount of drugs used to treat sick fish by 66 per cent, following inquiries by The Ferret.** [Salmon Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon%20scotland/), which represents multinational fish farming companies, said it had made an “error” on figures reported to the UK Government and highlighted in a news release. It has promised to correct the public record “as a matter of urgency”. Last autumn the industry body reported that its total antibiotic use for 2024 had reached a “record low” of 940 kilograms. But when we questioned this in January 2026, it amended the figure to 1,564 kilograms, rebranding it as “the second lowest level on record”. Campaigners condemned the gaffe as a “hammer blow” to the industry’s credibility that would undermine public trust. Reporting “misleading” figures raised “serious questions about transparency and accountability”, they said. But [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) stressed it was working to reduce the use of antibiotics, which were used “responsibly” and only when needed to protect fish health and welfare. The industry was “committed to transparency”, it said. Salmon farmers, along with land-based farmers, have been trying to curb antibiotic use to reduce the risk of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites developing resistance, and becoming more difficult to combat. Known as [antimicrobial resistance](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance?ref=theferret.scot), this is regarded by health authorities as one of the biggest global threats to public health. On 4 September 2025, Salmon Scotland [published a news release](https://web.archive.org/web/20251008214137/https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/news/scottish-salmon-farmers-cut-antibiotic-use-to-record-low) headlined “Scottish salmon farmers cut antibiotic use to record low”. It claimed that farmers had “reduced their use of antibiotics to the lowest level on record, cutting use by nearly 80 per cent in a single year.” Usage fell from 24.8 to 5.1 milligrams per kilogram of salmon between 2023 and 2024, the release said. Salmon Scotland’s technical head, Dr Iain Berrill, was quoted saying that this was “a major milestone for Scottish salmon farmers”. In November 2025, Salmon Scotland [reported](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6936af4e92da4705a575d3f7/UK-VARSS%5F2024%5FReport.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) slightly different figures to the UK Government’s [Veterinary Medicines Directorate](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterinary-medicines-directorate?ref=theferret.scot). It said that 940 kilograms of antibiotics were used in 2024, representing 4.9 milligrams per kilogram of salmon – the “lowest” since detailed records were first published in 2017. But campaigners noticed that this figure was much lower that the 1,268 kilograms [recorded for 2024](https://aquaculture.scotland.gov.uk/xlsx/AntimicrobialsScotlandsAquaculture.xlsx?ref=theferret.scot) by the Scottish Government’s green watchdog, the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). When The Ferret asked Salmon Scotland about the discrepancy, it disclosed its mistake. The September 2025 news release [was corrected](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/news/scottish-salmon-farmers-cut-antibiotic-use-to-historic-lows?ref=theferret.scot) on 8 January 2026, with a new headline saying that antibiotic use had been cut to “historic lows”, rather than a “record low”. Instead of claiming an 80 per cent cut, it said there had been a reduction of “more than two thirds in a single year” to 1,564 kilograms, or 8.15 milligrams per kilogram in 2024\. Rather than saying it was the lowest on record, it said it was “the second lowest level on record”. Salmon Scotland explained that its corrected figure was higher than Sepa’s because it included antibiotics used in the early freshwater stages of salmon production. Sepa’s figure only covered those used in marine salmon cages in seawater. There were two antibiotics used in 2024, [oxytetracycline](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxytetracycline?ref=theferret.scot) and [florfenicol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florfenicol?ref=theferret.scot). They can treat a range of potentially lethal salmon infections, including gill disease, heart disease, ulcers and septicaemia. Since 2017 the total amount of antibiotics used at salmon farms has varied widely. The lowest was 1,011 kilograms in 2018 and the highest was 8,850 kilograms in 2021, as [previously reported](https://www.theferret.scot/antibiotics-salmon-farm-50-times/) by The Ferret. In 2022 it was 3,141 kilograms and in 2023, 3,743 kilograms. [Salmon farm antibiotics leap 50 timesThe use of drugs at salmon farms in Scotland has risen more than 50 times over the last six years, according to information released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa). The amount of antibiotics given to caged salmon to combat diseases at over 50 farms around Argyll, the highlands![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-91.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1297925353.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/antibiotics-salmon-farm-50-times/) The campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), argued that The Ferret’s revelations came as the salmon industry was under increasing pressure to improve its environmental performance. “This correction is another hammer blow to its credibility and undermines the trust these companies rely on to operate in Scotland,” said Scotland director, Nick Underdown. “The public is repeatedly told that salmon farming is the most tightly regulated industry in the world, yet this is not true as key reporting is voluntary and breaches rarely result in meaningful sanctions.” Underdown claimed that the 1,564 kilograms of antibiotics now known to have been used in 2024 were “the equivalent of around three supermarket trolleys of medicines entering Scotland’s sea lochs and coastal waters every single week.” The Green MSP, [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot), described Salmon Scotland’s admission as “really concerning”. She called for “stronger oversight” and a “pause” on new salmon farm licences. "This seriously undermines the credibility of Salmon Scotland and the claims they make about the impact of their industry,” she told The Ferret. “The public and regulators have to rely on accurate reporting from industries that impact our environment and food systems. Misleading figures undermine that trust and raise serious questions about transparency and accountability.” According to [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), fish health was overseen by qualified veterinarians, and antibiotics were used responsibly and only where necessary to protect fish welfare. “We have identified an error in the previously reported 2024 antibiotic use figure and have published a [correction on our website](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/news/scottish-salmon-farmers-cut-antibiotic-use-to-historic-lows?ref=theferret.scot)," said a spokesperson. “We are committed to transparency and have informed the [Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance](https://www.ruma.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) and the [Veterinary Medicines Directorate](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterinary-medicines-directorate?ref=theferret.scot), and have initiated the process to update the public report as a matter of urgency. “Antibiotic use in 2024 remains the second lowest level on record, and we continue to work to reduce use while protecting fish health.” The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### This Highland estate took £1.5m in taxpayer cash but let deer run riot across protected areas URL: https://www.theferret.scot/this-highland-estate-took-1-5m-in-taxpayer-cash-but-let-deer-run-riot-across-protected-areas/ Last updated: 2026-01-11T06:30:47.000Z **A Highland estate which Scotland’s wildlife agency says failed to stop rampant deer from harming protected areas has received nearly £1.5m in public subsidies… including £139,000 for deer fencing.** Loch Choire Estate in Sutherland allowed its deer population to reach such levels that in 2023, NatureScot [stepped in](https://www.nature.scot/naturescot-concludes-action-prevent-damage-deer?ref=theferret.scot) to cull dozens of the animals in order to prevent further impacts to rare peatlands, woodlands and other habitats, with taxpayers footing the bill. But the issue persisted and, in April this year, the Scottish Government [approved](https://www.nature.scot/further-action-prevent-deer-damage-approved?ref=theferret.scot) an unprecedented compulsory deer control scheme which legally requires the estate to thin its herd. In high numbers, deer damage sites by trampling over and eating too much vegetation. At Loch Choire, the animals threaten four protected sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs). In November, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/nearly-300-protected-areas-pressured-by-scotlands-rampant-deer-population/) that nearly 300 protected areas are being harmed or put under pressure by the overpopulation of deer. Now, we can disclose that the West Midlands firm which owns Loch Choire estate, [More Works Holdings](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06383029?ref=theferret.scot), controlled by Shropshire businessman Jonathan Greenall, has received vast sums of public money. An MSP said the subsidies were “unacceptable” in light of the dispute, and argued that state handouts must come with “clear conditions” to safeguard the natural environment. Data we obtained via freedom of information shows that More Works claimed £1,483,000 in rural subsidies administered by the Scottish Government between 2017 and 2025 – £467,000 of which was awarded after NatureScot warned the firm about the threat deer posed to the SSSIs. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The vast majority – nearly £1.3m – was part of funding set up to support the “development and viability” of its forests. A further £85,000 came from ‘basic payments’ which provide “a [safety net](https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/basic-payment-scheme/?ref=theferret.scot) for farmers and crofters”, and around £42,000 consisted of ‘greening’ payments, which aim to incentivise more environmentally friendly farming. Separate data, from Scottish Forestry, shows that £139,000 of the government subsidies awarded in 2021 was earmarked to put up fences designed to contain deer at Loch Choire. “Scottish Forestry has one approved contract concerning deer fencing with More Works Holdings for Loch Choire woodland creation,” said a spokesperson. “The fencing was needed to protect native woodland regeneration and planting. On the last inspection in 2023, the fencing infrastructure had all been carried out in accordance to the grant conditions.” NatureScot said it first warned More Works about the threats deer posed to protected areas in 2022. The following year, the Shropshire firm [benefitted](https://www.highland.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/30412/non%5Fdomestic%5Frates%5Frelief%5Fstatistics%5Fjune%5F2025.csv?ref=theferret.scot) from 100 per cent business rates relief on its deer forest from Highland Council in 2023, saving it £11,200\. In the same year, NatureScot spent £17,000 culling some of the estate’s deer herd in order to protect the SSSIs. [Deer are damaging hundreds of protected areas across Scotland. Experts can’t agree how to stop themHundreds 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.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-88.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1470220463-scaled.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nearly-300-protected-areas-pressured-by-scotlands-rampant-deer-population/) **Then importance of peatlands** Loch Choire estate is home to globally rare blanket bog peatlands. Some [13 per cent](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-proposals-to-ban-heather-burning-on-peatland-to-protect-air-water-and-wildlife?ref=theferret.scot) of the world's blanket bog is in the UK, and most of it can be found in Scotland. These wetland ecosystems [hold](https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2020/11/04/blanket-bogs-a-natural-asset/?ref=theferret.scot) vast amounts of carbon when healthy, and also form more peat, thereby adding to the carbon they store. In Scotland, peatlands hold most of our stored carbon – 1.6 billion tonnes, or an estimated equivalent of 140 years’ worth of the country’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions – [according to](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/carbon-management/restoring-scotlands-peatlands?ref=theferret.scot) NatureScot. But if harmed, peatlands can release their stored carbon, contributing to the climate crisis. NatureScot says an estimated 80 per cent of Scottish peatlands are damaged. Healthy peatlands also absorb pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen and heavy metal, and have many other environmental and ecological benefits. Much of Scotland’s drinking water filters through from peatland areas, which improve its quality. They also provide habitats for other wildlife, maintain steady water flows in salmon rivers and reduce flood risks downstream, NatureScot says. Given the importance of peatlands, overgrazing from livestock and deer, and practices that require the drainage of these habitats “must be avoided”, it warns. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/Peat_Bog_on_Summit_of_Hill_of_Snowy_Slack_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2296814.jpg) Peat bog on summit of Hill of Snowy Slack, Banff. ****©** [****Gilbert Scott**](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/7896?ref=theferret.scot "View profile") ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) The four Loch Choire SSSIs include [Ben Klibreck](https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/site-special-scientific-interest/184/site-management-statement.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), which has the special designation due to its peatland, geology, alpine heath, lochs and woodland. The [Mallart](https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/site-special-scientific-interest/1124/sssi-citation.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) SSSI is made up of blanket bog home to otters and birds including wood sandpiper, golden eagle, hen harrier, merlin and red-throated diver. [Truderscaig](https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/site-special-scientific-interest/1567/sssi-citation.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) is a key site for greenshank to breed, while the [Skinsdale Peatlands](https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/site-special-scientific-interest/1439/sssi-citation.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) also play host to breeding populations of the bird, as well as dunlin and golden plover. **Deer and Loch Choire** NatureScot last year [told](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2025/04/section-8-control-scheme-loch-choire-estate/documents/control-scheme-under-section-8-deer-scotland-act-1996/control-scheme-under-section-8-deer-scotland-act-1996/govscot%3Adocument/control-scheme-under-section-8-deer-scotland-act-1996.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) More Works that Ben Klibreck, Mallart and Truderscaig were “in unfavourable declining condition and exhibiting damage by deer”. In November, The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/nearly-300-protected-areas-pressured-by-scotlands-rampant-deer-population/) that nearly 300 protected areas were being damaged or put under pressure by Scotland’s rampant deer population, including Ben Nevis, Glen Coe, both national parks, and the [critically rare](https://www.nature.scot/rare-caledonian-pinewood-restored-alladale-wilderness-reserve?ref=theferret.scot) Caledonian forest. Deer control is voluntary, rather than compulsory, but NatureScot has the power to cull deer on behalf of non-compliant landowners “when necessary to protect our natural heritage”. It did so in 2023, killing 160 deer at Loch Choire. This cost taxpayer-funded NatureScot £25,000, minus £8,000 it recouped in venison sales. NatureScot’s intervention was backed both by deer management groups and environmentalists. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/Loch-Choire-private-road.jpg) A NatureScot employee approaching Loch Choire Estate. ©NatureScot A [census](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2025/04/section-8-control-scheme-loch-choire-estate/documents/control-scheme-under-section-8-deer-scotland-act-1996/control-scheme-under-section-8-deer-scotland-act-1996/govscot%3Adocument/control-scheme-under-section-8-deer-scotland-act-1996.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) at the estate carried out in the winter of 2022 found there to be 13.9 deer per square kilometre (sq km). The Scottish Government accepted a recommendation from the independent [Deer Working Group](https://www.gov.scot/groups/deer-working-group/?ref=theferret.scot) that there should be no more than 10 red deer per sq km in large open areas in the Highlands. But it added that appropriate densities can vary depending on the area. The John Muir Trust [says](https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/resources/943-deer-management-faq-july-2021?ref=theferret.scot) that, “broadly speaking”, more than five deer per sq km prevent natural woodland regeneration, while exceeding eight per sq km risks damage to peatlands. NatureScot wants the Loch Choire deer population to be thinned to 7.5 per sq km by 2028. In the shooting season that followed NatureScot’s intervention, the estate upped its culling activity. In [a letter](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2025/04/section-8-control-scheme-loch-choire-estate/documents/control-scheme-under-section-8-deer-scotland-act-1996/control-scheme-under-section-8-deer-scotland-act-1996/govscot%3Adocument/control-scheme-under-section-8-deer-scotland-act-1996.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) sent in March 2024 to the estate’s owner, NatureScot welcomed the killing of nearly 200 deer, but said the efforts would not be enough to curtail damage. The wildlife agency told More Works it had “sought an agreement to deliver sustainable culls”, but claimed the firm had “consistently not responded”. In April, agriculture minister Jim Fairlie MSP [approved](https://www.nature.scot/further-action-prevent-deer-damage-approved?ref=theferret.scot) a compulsory deer control scheme at the estate – the first time one has ever been used – in order to protect the SSSIs. NatureScot said it would use the powers as “a last resort”. **Subsidies 'unacceptable’** Scottish Environment LINK is a coalition of over 50 green groups. Its deer group backs new powers for NatureScot to intervene and reduce deer numbers, as set out in the natural environment bill passing through the Scottish Parliament. “At present NatureScot only has powers to prevent deer damage, and then has only used their compulsory powers to reduce deer numbers once – at Loch Choire – since they came into force in 1996,” claimed a spokesperson. This had been an “abject failure, and has cost the public large amounts of money,” they alleged. “NatureScot urgently needs new workable powers to reduce deer numbers to protect our best wildlife sites and must then use them where needed”. The Highlands and Islands Green MSP, Ariane Burgess, said: “It’s unacceptable that an estate receiving over £1m in public subsidies has failed to manage deer responsibly, causing serious damage to protected habitats. "Public money must come with clear conditions to safeguard Scotland’s peatlands, woodlands and biodiversity for future generations.” A NatureScot spokesperson said: “It is essential that appropriate deer management and control take place on Loch Choire Estate. We are aware that public money has been provided to support the landowners in their efforts to achieve environmental benefits on their land. “This public interest must be protected by managing the impacts of deer on protected areas and woodland.” More Works’ owner, Jonathan Greenall, did not respond to a request to comment. The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Claim that video shows bagpiper playing over call to prayer in Scotland is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/video-bagpiper-muslim-prayer-scotland-false/ Last updated: 2026-01-09T11:53:03.000Z **A video showing a man playing bagpipes during a Muslim call to prayer was widely shared on social media this week, after being boosted by accounts critical of Islam.** The short clip was posted on X numerous times, with [accounts](https://x.com/RealDonKeith/status/2008936207569613094?ref=theferret.scot) [stating](https://x.com/BGatesIsaPyscho/status/1999885888692662708?ref=theferret.scot) it showed a call to prayer in Scotland. > “The Scottish have started playing bagpipes during the Muslim Call To Prayer to combat the Islamization of their country.” Ferret Fact Service looked into this claim and found it **False**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/01/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-1.png) ### **Evidence** The video itself appears to be real, and was originally posted on TikTok by an [account called robinbagpipes](https://www.tiktok.com/@robinbagpipes?ref=theferret.scot). The account regularly posts content showing the creator playing the bagpipes in various locations around the world, and he describes himself as a ‘cultural enricher’ on his social channels. His [video playing the bagpipes](https://www.tiktok.com/@robinbagpipes/video/7583256572990606614?ref=theferret.scot) during the Muslim call to prayer, known as the Adhan, was originally posted on 13 December 2025\. [Multiple](https://x.com/BGatesIsaPyscho/status/1999885888692662708?ref=theferret.scot) [accounts](https://x.com/RealDonKeith/status/2008936207569613094?ref=theferret.scot) claimed the performance was an example of people playing bagpipes in Scotland to “combat the Islamization of their country”. However, it was not taken in Scotland. It appears to have been taken in Tel-Aviv, Israel. The original creator, robinbagpipes, did not claim the video was from Scotland. It was captioned: "Bagpipes duting muslim call to prayer". The [video shows](https://www.tiktok.com/@robinbagpipes/video/7583256572990606614?ref=theferret.scot) the bagpiper walking down stone steps in what looks like a grassy amphitheatre with stone seating. In the background is a notable white domed building, and the theatre overlooks a modern city and beach. This appears to be the [Tiroche amphitheater](https://flatplanet.app/en/place/tiroche-amphitheatre-1210?ref=theferret.scot), which is in the ancient Old Jaffa area of Tel-Aviv. Images on [Google Maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/X2mnSNXNxBb5yLoi9?ref=theferret.scot) and [stock images](https://www.alamy.com/amphitheater-in-jaffa-israel-image216743535.html?ref=theferret.scot) show the same background, with the distinctive stone seating and domed building. The call to prayer can be [heard in a YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtUT86vgDxA&ref=theferret.scot) taken from the same site in 2020. A post on an Instagram account also [appears to show](https://www.instagram.com/p/DRraqEJjYCs/?ref=theferret.scot) the bagpiper in Tel-Aviv at the end of November 2025, which would fit with the video posted in December. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** This video does not show a bagpiper in Scotland attempting to “combat the Islamization of their country”. In fact, the video is of a Scottish bagpiper and social media content creator playing the bagpipes in Tel-Aviv in Israel. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/01/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_False_RGB.png) ### Seven million lice-eating fish have died at Scottish salmon farms URL: https://www.theferret.scot/million-lice-eating-fish-died-at-salmon-farms/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T06:30:37.000Z **At least seven million fish which eat lice that infest caged salmon have died from disease, mistreatment or other causes since 2020, according to official data.** Detailed research by a campaigner has uncovered the first estimate of the total number of so-called cleaner fish lost in [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) farms around Scotland’s coast. The figure has been calculated from information released by the Scottish Government. The data was not examined by the government’s [Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC)](https://www.gov.scot/groups/scottish-animal-welfare-commission/?ref=theferret.scot) before it published its [report on cleaner fish](https://www.gov.scot/publications/welfare-cleaner-fish-used-scottish-salmon-industry-scottish-animal-welfare-commission/?ref=theferret.scot) in November 2025\. The report accepted that losses “may be very high”, but didn’t recommend any changes in current practice, saying that more research was needed. Campaigners said the death toll was “unacceptable”, “appalling” and “a colossal waste of life”, and described the use of cleaner fish as “desperately cruel” and “unethical”. They criticised the SAWC report as “deeply flawed”, and called on Scottish Ministers to require the routine publication of industry figures on cleaner fish deaths. The SAWC said that a total of seven million cleaner fish deaths was “within the same range” as estimates from different salmon farms. It stressed that this was one of its “biggest concerns” and was why the aim should be to phase out the use of cleaner fish. The salmon industry did not dispute the figure, but stressed that it had high welfare standards and acted “responsibly”. The Scottish Government said it was working to improve welfare standards for cleaner fish. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) [Sea lice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea%5Flouse?ref=theferret.scot) infestations have long been a major problem for salmon companies because they can weaken and kill farmed fish. [Pesticides](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/emamectin/) are used to kill them, and there are a variety of treatments aimed at detaching them from salmon. But because lice can become resistant to pesticides and salmon can be harmed by removal treatments, the use of cleaner fish to graze the lice has grown since 2008\. Two fish have mainly been used, [ballan wrasse](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballan%5Fwrasse?ref=theferret.scot) and [lumpfish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclopterus?ref=theferret.scot), which are either caught in the wild or bred in farms. The Scottish Government’s [Marine Directorate](https://www.gov.scot/about/how-government-is-run/directorates/marine-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Fish Health Inspectorate](https://www.gov.scot/policies/fish-health-inspectorate/?ref=theferret.scot) do not publish statistics on the number of cleaner fish used, or how many die. But they have released data under freedom of information law on transfers to and from salmon farms, as well as hundreds of inspection reports on individual farms. For the last three years Roddie Macpherson, a researcher and campaigner from the Black Isle, has been analysing the data and reading the reports. A 76-year-old retired planning consultant, his study of 139 salmon farms suggested they have used more than 22 million cleaner fish since 2020, including 16 million lumpfish and six million wrasse. [Estimated number of cleaner fish 2020-2024Spreadsheet by Roddie MacphersonEstimated number of cleaner fish 2020-2024.xlsx28 KBdownload-circle](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/12/Estimated-number-of-cleaner-fish-2020-2024-1.xlsx "Download") According to the [SAWC report](https://www.gov.scot/publications/welfare-cleaner-fish-used-scottish-salmon-industry-scottish-animal-welfare-commission/?ref=theferret.scot), most of the cleaner fish are killed by salmon farmers at the end of production cycles, which last one or two years, rather than being re-used. There are fears that they could transmit diseases or lice. Macpherson has now also analysed transfer data and inspectors’ reports to estimate the total number of cleaner fish that have been killed during salmon production. He has concluded that between 2020 and the end of 2024, at least seven million have died, including 5.8 million lumpfish and 1.2 million wrasse. [Estimated number of cleaner fish deaths 2020-24Spreadsheet by Roddie MacphersopnEstimated number of cleaner fish deaths 2020-24.xlsx24 KBdownload-circle](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/12/Estimated-number-of-cleaner-fish-deaths-2020-24-1.xlsx "Download") In many cases the cause of death is not given, with a few fish health inspectors describing them as “black losses”, a term [used in agriculture](https://www.fas.scot/downloads/maximise-lamb-survival-in-hill-lambing-research-focus-blackloss-in-extensive-hill-grazing/?ref=theferret.scot) to describe deaths from causes unknown. But some inspectors’ reports do identify a range of causes, including viruses, bacteria and “handling”. On several occasions they attributed mass cleaner fish deaths to freshwater or warm water treatments used by fish farms to remove lice from salmon. Staff at farms were reported as saying that they had difficulties separating cleaner fish from salmon before such treatments. Fish health inspectors referred a few incidents since 2020 to the UK [Animal and Plant Health Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency?ref=theferret.scot), but there is no record of any subsequent enforcement action. Macpherson stressed that seven million deaths was an underestimate because it excluded incidents in which fewer than 10,000 wrasse or 20,000 lumpfish died. It was also limited to just 69 of the bigger salmon farms, omitting 69 smaller farms. The Ferret [reported in August 2025](https://www.theferret.scot/mowi-stop-using-lumpfish-remove-sea-lice-salmon/) that Scotland’s biggest fish farming company, Norwegian-owned [Mowi](https://mowi.com/?ref=theferret.scot), was going to stop using lumpfish to clean lice from salmon. This followed [the loss](https://www.theferret.scot/135000-fish-die-at-torridon-salmon-farm/) of 135,000 lumpfish and wrasse from a salmon farm in Torridon. [More than 135,000 fish die at Torridon salmon farmMore than 135,000 fish have died at a salmon farm in the northwest Highlands run by a Norwegian company in the last two years, The Ferret can reveal. A total of 135,016 lumpfish and wrasse – aka ‘cleaner’ fish which are used to remove sea-lice from salmon – have died![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-87.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1176812165-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/135000-fish-die-at-torridon-salmon-farm/) Macpherson described the failure to publish cleaner fish statistics as a “huge hole”. Scottish Ministers should require “routine publication” of their deaths and known causes, he argued, “so that the public can judge whether using cleaner fish is an acceptable practice." He pointed out that the industry had told SAWC that it kept weekly records of cleaner fish deaths. The commission’s failure to follow this up had resulted in its recent report being “fatally flawed”, he told The Ferret. The [Coastal Communities Network Scotland](https://www.communitiesforseas.scot/about-the-network/?ref=theferret.scot), which brings together 30 groups concerned about the marine environment, pointed out using animals to remove parasites from livestock was unusual in farming. “No other farming system would be allowed to kill them all afterwards,” said the network’s fish farming spokesperson, John Aitchison. He added: “Scottish Ministers insist that the reporting of mortality of farmed fish is fit for purpose but the painstaking work needed to reveal these millions of hidden deaths for the first time shows that it is nothing of the sort. It is high time that the Scottish Government came clean about the scale of this issue.” Aitchison described the death toll as “appalling” and “unacceptable”, and argued that it was “unethical” to use cleaner fish. “The Scottish Government is deliberately looking the other way,” he said. “This has to stop.” [Fish farming company to stop using lumpfish to remove sea lice from salmonScotland’s biggest fish farming company is to stop using lumpfish to remove sea lice from salmon, after The Ferret revealed tens of thousands of the so-called cleaner fish had died at one of the firm’s Highland sites. Lumpfish are commonly used on fish farms to ‘clean’ farmed salmon![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-86.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1451535036-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/mowi-stop-using-lumpfish-remove-sea-lice-salmon/) The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) reiterated their call for a “pause” on new salmon farms. “This analysis is very concerning and raises big questions,” said Green MSP [Ariana Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot). “The reality is that too many companies have been raking in huge profits while failing to make the kind of improvements that are so badly needed in terms of animal welfare or our environment.” The campaign group [Animal Equality UK](https://animalequality.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) described the use of cleaner fish as “desperately cruel” and “a colossal waste of life”. It called on Scotland to “move away from cleaner fish use urgently”. > This level of mortality is one of the biggest concerns in the use of cleaner fish in the industry. The SAWC [report](https://www.gov.scot/publications/welfare-cleaner-fish-used-scottish-salmon-industry-scottish-animal-welfare-commission/?ref=theferret.scot) concluded that “further research” was needed to find out the causes of “unexplained losses” of cleaner fish. “The losses may be very high and the missing animals are likely to have died and likely experienced poor welfare before death due to disease or predation,” it said. The commission’s chair, professor [Cathy Dwyer](https://pure.sruc.ac.uk/en/persons/cathy-dwyer/?ref=theferret.scot), highlighted evidence of cleaner fish death rates of between 22 and 57 per cent at different salmon farms. “Mr McPherson’s figures suggest 32 per cent mortality, which is within the same range,” she told The Ferret. “We suggest that this level of mortality is one of the biggest concerns in the use of cleaner fish in the industry and also note that cleaner fish are typically culled at the end of deployment.” She added: “We did not recommend that, currently, the use of cleaner fish should be immediately halted, due to our concerns about other methods of sea louse treatment for salmon welfare. However, we do recommend that other methods should be sought and the use of cleaner fish phased out.” The UK Government’s [Animal and Plant Health Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency?ref=theferret.scot) (APHA) said it was unable to comment on individual cases. “APHA treats all reports of suspected cases of poor welfare at salmon farms seriously,” said a spokesperson. The Scottish Government promised to deliver better welfare for cleaner fish. “We are progressing work to improve welfare standards for farmed fish by bringing forward guidance under the [Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2006/11/contents?ref=theferret.scot), which will extend to cleaner fish,” a spokesperson said. A spokesperson for [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which represents salmon farming companies, said: "Scottish salmon farmers operate to some of the highest health, welfare, and environmental standards in the world, acting responsibly for all fish in their care, including cleaner fish." The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Here's what former Brexit party MEP David Coburn has said about Russia and Ukraine URL: https://www.theferret.scot/heres-what-former-brexit-party-mep-david-coburn-has-said-about-russia-and-ukraine/ Last updated: 2025-12-28T06:30:44.000Z **From** [**claiming**](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/1460243828074594307?ref=theferret.scot) **that Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine would be “quite a coup”, to** [**accusing**](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2014-11-26-INT-3-261-000%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot) **the European Union (EU) of warmongering with Russia, Coburn has a history of statements arguably aligned with Kremlin talking points.** The arch-Eurosceptic frequently used Russian conflicts as a means to slam the EU, including while serving as a member of European parliament (MEP). Controversial claims included [branding](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/413060410263089152?ref=theferret.scot) the Liberal Democrats as “[quislings](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quisling?ref=theferret.scot)” – enemy collaborators – after its European voting bloc advocated Ukraine’s EU membership. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Coburn expressed [admiration](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/348758348503601152?ref=theferret.scot) for Vladimir Putin. But he also [criticised](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2016-12-14-INT-3-031-0000%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot) the Russian president, alongside a relatively small number of negative comments about Moscow. In November, the leader of Reform UK Wales was [sentenced](https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/R-v-Nathan-Gill.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to more than a decade in prison after admitting receiving payments in return for making pro-Kremlin statements. Nathan Gill and Coburn went on a 2018 “fact-finding mission” to pro-Moscow TV channels in Ukraine, which the Kyiv government threatened with closure. The trip was [paid for](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/erpl-app-public/mep-documents/DAT/8/d37990de-9177-47fd-96aa-a1bda97f9ef6%5F1736773275162.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by a front [reportedly](https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/nov/01/reform-a-russian-spy-and-the-bribes-the-inside-story-of-nathan-gill?ref=theferret.scot) created by Russian intelligence agents. Weeks later, the MEPs made statements citing press freedom issues in Kyiv, with Coburn [questioning](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Wt236W3Rg&ref=theferret.scot) whether Ukraine should be allowed to join the EU. Sentencing Gill, the [judge said](https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/R-v-Nathan-Gill.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) he was paid for his [statement](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2018-12-11-INT-2-696-0000%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot), which was “meticulously scripted” by a former pro-Russian Ukrainian MP, Oleg Voloshyn. Other as-yet unnamed British former MEPs are [reportedly](https://observer.co.uk/news/politics/article/more-meps-investigated-in-russian-bribe-probe?ref=theferret.scot) facing investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s counter terrorism unit and, on 16 December, the Westminster government [announced](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/urgent-review-into-foreign-financial-interference-in-uk-politics?ref=theferret.scot) a review into foreign financial interference. There is no suggestion that Coburn is under probe or knew the alleged Russian source of the trip’s funding. But messages reportedly referred to in Gill’s prosecution brought Coburn a flurry of media attention. Gill was said to have discussed bribes with Voloshyn, and references were made to money which was to be distributed to an MEP called David. Following these revelations, The Ferret trawled through Coburn’s contributions to the European parliament, and hundreds of his posts about [Russia](https://x.com/search?q=russia%20%28from%3Acoburn4ukunion%29&src=typed%5Fquery&ref=theferret.scot), [Ukraine](https://x.com/search?q=ukraine%20%28from%3Acoburn4ukunion%29&src=typed%5Fquery&f=top&ref=theferret.scot), [Moscow](https://x.com/search?q=moscow%20%28from%3Acoburn4ukunion%29&src=typed%5Fquery&f=top&ref=theferret.scot) and [Putin](https://x.com/search?q=putin%20%28from%3Acoburn4ukunion%29&src=typed%5Fquery&f=top&ref=theferret.scot) on the X platform, which spanned between 2012 and 2023. These are some of his most notable statements. ### **‘When the tanks roll in’** Coburn was critical of the EU’s approach to Russia long before becoming an MEP. Writing on X in 2012, he [said](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/199432418430689281?ref=theferret.scot) ”EUcrats stick their noses into everything”, including “Russia's affairs”. He spoke favourably of the Russian president in 2013, [commenting](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/348758348503601152?ref=theferret.scot): “Putin's confidence and \[the\] way he lectures US admin\[istration\] on democracy has given back pride to Russia”. Coburn [called for](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/348760328701612032?ref=theferret.scot) a UK prime minister who would “stick up for its citizens the way Putin does”. In February 2014, Moscow [invaded](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9476/?ref=theferret.scot) Crimea and a war between Russian-backed separatists and Kyiv government forces in eastern Ukraine followed. In March, Coburn [wrote](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/439753910119825408?ref=theferret.scot) on X: “I like any country that defends its national sovereignty and \[is\] willing to defend itself if necessary”. [From Moscow to Paisley: How a blacklisted Russian oligarch secretly invested in Scottish car parksA Russian oligarch praised by Vladimir Putin has amassed a UK property portfolio under the veil of secretive offshore trusts, The Ferret can reveal. Anti-corruption campaigners say our investigation is a “shocking indictment” of the UK’s “dirty money” defences.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-84.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/The-Russian-oligarch-and-the-Paisley-car-park-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/russian-oligarch-paisley/) On 1 July 2014, Coburn was elected as a UKIP MEP for Scotland, and appointed as party leader north of the border. In September, he [claimed](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/506577616732962816?ref=theferret.scot) the EU did not understand Putin, but “will when the tanks roll in – just sayin #Ukraine”. In the following months, he [told MEPs](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2014-11-26-INT-3-261-000%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot) that EU “interference in Ukraine was close to causing war”, and [opposed](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2014-12-18-INT-4-261-000%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot) the EU’s “foolish” association agreements with Georgia [and](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2016-01-21-INT-4-265-0500%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot) Moldova, citing Moscow’s military capabilities. In 2015 [he said](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2015-07-08-INT-3-380-000%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot) the EU should “stop arguing” with Moscow over the annexation of Crimea and “be friendly” with Russia due to their “common enemy” in the rising Islamic State. ### **‘So-called Russian propaganda’** In 2016, the MEP, who made regular appearances on Kremlin-backed news outlet Russia Today (RT) – as did British politicians from across the political spectrum – came to its [defence](https://archive.news.stv.tv/politics/1370192-ukip-mep-backs-russia-today-after-its-bank-accounts-are-frozen.html?ref=theferret.scot). When RT’s UK bank account was frozen, Coburn pledged to "do everything" to support it. But later that year, Coburn, who is gay, [told MEPs](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2016-12-14-INT-3-031-0000%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot): “Mr Putin is no angel. He locks up homosexuals and does all sorts of appalling things.” Coburn had previously [stated](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/420261594304499712?ref=theferret.scot) on X, in 2014, that “no one in Russia has been arrested for being homosexual” and that he was [planning](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/420263575005831168?ref=theferret.scot) a trip to the country. In January 2018, Coburn [challenged](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2018-01-17-INT-3-258-0000%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot) parliamentary discussions around “so-called Russian propaganda in EU countries”, adding that he was “more concerned with EU propaganda than the clunky Russian version”. [Eurosceptic former MEPs benefit from luxury EU pensionsA German MEP has accused Eurosceptic former UK MEPs of hypocrisy for signing up to a taxpayer-funded, luxury top-up pension fund, which has an “almost criminal energy”. Daniel Freund, a Green MEP and member of the European Parliament’s budgetary control committee, said it was “incredible” that European Union taxpayers![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-85.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/nigel_farage_32766369000-jpeg.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/eurosceptic-former-meps-benefit-luxury-eu-pensions/) He made reference to RT, which was [accused](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-institute/research-analysis/weaponising-news?ref=theferret.scot) of pushing disinformation and later [fined for](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/jul/26/rt-fined-breaching-impartiality-rules-ofcom?ref=theferret.scot) breaching UK impartiality rules. The network gave UKIP “a voice” when the party was not covered by the BBC, and was “defending freedom”, which the EU aimed to “close down”, he said, adding: “So thank god for them.” During an October debate, Coburn said he was “as concerned as next man” about Russian activity in the UK, referencing the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in England, of which Moscow was accused. But he added: “If we don’t do business with Russia there will be enormous trouble. It’s better to do business with them than to fight them, would you not agree?” ### **‘Quite a coup’** From 30 October to 1 November 2018, Coburn, Gill and another MEP, Jonathan Arnott, [travelled](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/erpl-app-public/mep-documents/DAT/8/d37990de-9177-47fd-96aa-a1bda97f9ef6%5F1736773275162.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to Ukraine to meet representatives of pro-Russia TV networks. Later in November, Coburn claimed [on X](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/1062437658767622144?ref=theferret.scot) that in its opposition to nuclear weapons, the SNP “play into Putin’s hands”. Minutes later, he [posted](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/1062439916007768066?ref=theferret.scot): “EU has expansionist plans eastward and make no mistake Putin will be watching”. Coburn announced he was [quitting UKIP](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/1070983315556106240?ref=theferret.scot) on 6 December 2018, citing its shift to the far right. On 11 December, he [told parliament](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Wt236W3Rg&ref=theferret.scot) the Kyiv government was not upholding press freedom and accused it of plotting to close the TV channels he had visited. “Can this chamber truthfully say that the Ukraine which behaves this way is ready for EU entry?”, he asked. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/iStock-1177176016.jpg) Entrance of the Louise Weiss building, seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. [Credit:olrat](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/olrat?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) Coburn [officially](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/124967/DAVID%5FCOBURN/history/8?ref=theferret.scot) became an independent MEP on 9 January 2019 and joined Farage’s new Brexit Party on 12 February. Gill and Coburn went on to [join](https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/600141.html?ref=theferret.scot) the “international editorial board” of one of the TV stations and [hosted an event](https://epde.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Anton-Shekhovtsov-The-Rise-and-Fall-of-a-Polish-Agent-of-the-Kremlin-Influence.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for it at the European Parliament alongside Viktor Medvedchuk, a pro-Russia Ukrainian oligarch who [reportedly](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn09x11yr7ro?ref=theferret.scot) owned the channel and counts Putin as his daughter’s godfather. [Media reports](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn09x11yr7ro?ref=theferret.scot) citing prosecution documents state that on 3 April, Gill and Medvedchuk exchanged messages in which they discussed plans for money to be distributed between Gill and "the other MEP", called "David". Coburn’s term as an MEP ended on 1 July. The following year, he [wrote](https://x.com/coburn4ukunion/status/1460243828074594307?ref=theferret.scot) on X: “If Russia invaded Ukraine at \[the\] same time as China invaded Taiwan that would be quite a coup”. ### **‘Excuses for Putin’** Our research prompted several politicians to condemn Coburn’s statements. The SNP’s Colin Beattie, who chairs Holyrood cross-party group on Ukraine, said: “David Coburn’s alleged involvement with the scandal surrounding the Russian state bribing Nathan Gill is of no surprise when you investigate his past statements on Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. “His abhorrent comments merely parroted Kremlin propaganda such as accusing Ukraine and the EU of being the cause of the war among other ridiculous assertions which must be challenged for the lies they are.” Lib Dem MP Susan Murray said: “David Coburn was paid to represent Scotland but what he actually did was spend his time waltzing round Europe making excuses for Putin. It seems unlikely that David Coburn will be returning to the political frontline anytime soon but there is still an urgent need to Putin-proof our politics so that bad actors cannot exploit our political system to deliver Kremlin talking points.” > David Coburn was paid to represent Scotland but what he actually did was spend his time waltzing round Europe making excuses for Putin. Coburn’s former MEP colleague, Jonathan Arnott, told The Ferret about his “strange” trip to Ukraine with Coburn and Gill. “At the time, I believed the choreographed feel to be merely a result of TV channels fighting for their survival,” he said. “We met journalists who had been assaulted (widely [reported](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/tv-journalist-egged-abused-punched-13272418?ref=theferret.scot) in the UK at the time). We spoke to both sides, including Ukrainian authorities, which formed the rationale for my speech.” Arnott said he was not aware the trip’s funder was [reportedly](https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/nov/01/reform-a-russian-spy-and-the-bribes-the-inside-story-of-nathan-gill?ref=theferret.scot) a Russian spy front with the same name as a genuine organisation, but would have “considered it too fanciful to be a spy novel”. He added: “Looking back seven years later, and now knowing the nature of the funding, the biggest frustration is that I can no longer believe the evidence of my own eyes and ears. Maybe I'll never know what was true and what wasn't." He added: “My [speech](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-8-2018-12-11-INT-2-705-0000%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot) in the European Parliament criticised Russia up-front and is clearly written in my own style. I tried to change a European Parliament resolution to add more criticism of Russia, and shortly afterwards I criticised Russia for seven different things in a single speech." The Ferret attempted to contact David Coburn. The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### It’s Christmas in Bethlehem. But children in the West Bank face violence and fear URL: https://www.theferret.scot/its-christmas-in-bethlehem-but-children-in-the-west-bank-face-violence-and-fear/ Last updated: 2025-12-21T07:00:06.000Z **At the mosque, early morning prayers had only just begun in Bethlehem when Ali Azya heard the single shot.** That 10 November night in 2023, had been relatively quiet in his building. But across the West Bank, Israeli forces had continued [mass detentions](https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/139153?ref=theferret.scot) that followed the [7 October attacks](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyv7w3gdy2o?ref=theferret.scot) by Hamas, arresting 51 people in Palestinian authority controlled cities, towns and villages. They arrested 14 in Bethlehem province, as the army stormed the city, and refugee camps Dheisheh and Aida, where Ali lives. Despite the turmoil, he had risen as usual that Friday, washed and dressed and left for prayers. His wife, Ayat – up most of the night with their baby girl – had turned over to go back to sleep. His 17-year-old son Mohammed was already up, he remembers. “But he was going to join me later.” His eldest daughter, a medical student, was downstairs at her grandparents home. She was awake too, head in her books. And when she heard the shot ring out, it made her heart race. “She knew Mohammed would be on his way to the mosque and was immediately worried,” Ali says. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) She ran up to the family’s small flat but, finding it dark, continued to climb the stairs of the building to the roof, where her father had turned a small shed he used for storage into a place for his son, in his senior year, to study. “That’s where she found her brother lying on his side,” says Ali. “He was born on a Friday after morning prayers and that’s when they took him too. He was a gift.” Mohammed had been [shot by an Israeli sniper](https://www.dci-palestine.org/israeli%5Fforces%5Fkill%5Ffive%5Fpalestinian%5Fchildren%5Fin%5Fjenin%5Fbethlehem?ref=theferret.scot), according to documentation collected by human rights organisation Defense for Children Palestine. That weekend, he was just one of five children shot across the region within 24 hours, [according to the NGO](https://www.dci-palestine.org/israeli%5Fforces%5Fkill%5Ffive%5Fpalestinian%5Fchildren%5Fin%5Fjenin%5Fbethlehem?ref=theferret.scot). Israeli forces also killed 12-year-old Lutfi Turkman, 14-year-old Qais Dweikat, 17-year-old Ahmad Khalaf, and 13-year-old Mohammad Zayed, during a military raid of Jenin, in the north. The Israeli Government has said its raids aim to target those responsible for terrorism attacks on its citizens. The Ferret is here to tell Mohammed’s story because, according to human rights organisations like Save the Children, Israel is violating the [Convention on the Rights of the Child](https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child?ref=theferret.scot). The country denies this. But NGOs are calling for international action. \_\_ ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/058A5513-1.jpg) The view from an Aida Camp rooftop. Credit: Valerio Muscella Bethlehem is known for its rich cultural and religious history. It’s considered the birthplace of [Jesus](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1433/?ref=theferret.scot), celebrated by Christians who believe he was the son of God, and recognised by Muslims like the Azya family, who see him as an Islamic prophet. The Ferret is here as the historic city prepares to publicly mark [Christmas](https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/2025/12/17/the-take-bethlehem-celebrates-first-christmas-since-start-of-gaza-war?ref=theferret.scot) for the first time in two years – during the [bombardment of Gaza](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-217c6a28-4a90-4d47-a91c-13113a7dc7db?ref=theferret.scot), city-wide celebration was cancelled. But this December there are lights on the huge, traditional Christmas tree outside the [Church of the Nativity](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1433/?ref=theferret.scot). [Aida Refugee Camp](https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/west-bank/aida-camp?%5F%5Fcf%5Fchl%5Ftk=hANcYopVqT%5Fhr6du7r%5FtSTUhaSNg1LfcYWGRY18V5y0-1766072209-1.0.1.1-ZwDXKrXf82j5SYdT9zi5UKd%5FytLRgCKakOvelwkjMkY&ref=theferret.scot), which is less than three kilometres from the church, was founded in 1950 and is home to an estimated 5,000 people, who originally fled here from 28 villages, in what is now known as Israel. Its main entrance is marked by an archway, over which a huge sculpture of a key sits, a constant reminder of the [right of return](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-210170/?ref=theferret.scot) to their homelands, which Palestinians argue should be granted to them under [UN Resolution 194](https://www.unrwa.org/content/resolution-194?ref=theferret.scot). In reality, freedom of movement for most people here is heavily restricted. A 2017 [study by Berkeley Human Rights Centre](https://humanrights.berkeley.edu/projects/health-effects-of-tear-gas-exposure-among-palestinian-refugees/?ref=theferret.scot) found it, along with Dheisheh camp, was likely the most teargassed place in the world. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/058A0164.jpg) The sculpture of a key at the entrance to the camp evokes the Palestinian call for a right to return to their homelands. Credit: Valerio Muscella Standing on the roof of the [Lajee Centre](https://lajee.org/?ref=theferret.scot), a youth organisation near the camp’s entrance, the illegal [West Bank Barrier](https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2020/7/8/in-pictures-israels-illegal-separation-wall-still-divides?ref=theferret.scot) – or apartheid wall – looms into clear view along with the Israeli settlements of Homa and Gilo, also illegal under international law. In front is one of seven military towers, often manned by soldiers with rifles and placed at regular intervals, along with clusters of security cameras. Below us is Lajee’s football pitch – its team, [Lajee Celtic](https://www.lajeeceltic.com/?ref=theferret.scot) was founded with the help of money raised by Celtic FC ultras fan group, [the Green Brigade](https://green-brigade.com/?ref=theferret.scot). Beyond that, is the cemetery where Mohammed is now buried. On that fateful night, the Azyas explain as we sit in their small flat surrounded by pictures of their son, Mohammed’s sister ran for help. Her father, alerted by others as they emerged from prayers, ran to him as soon as he could. “He was still alive,” says Ali. They didn’t know that an ambulance, called by the neighbours, had arrived but had been stopped and blocked from entering the camp by the Israeli army. “He needed urgent medical attention,” says Ali. He picked up his son and ran for his car to drive him to hospital. But as the car rounded the corner by the Lajee Centre near the camp’s entrance, he says soldiers – the laser beams of their guns trained on their vehicle as they shouted – forced them to a stop. [Her husband was killed in West Bank settler violence. Now authorities are trying to bulldoze her family’s villageThe residents of Umm al-Khair in the West Bank were already reeling from the loss of community leader and English teacher Awdah Hathaleen. Now they are fighting a mass demolition order on their homes. Human rights organisations say it’s become a symbol of the struggles of life under occupation.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-90.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Main_Hanady-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/awdah-hathaleen-death-eviction/) “Mohammed was at the point of taking his last breaths,” says Ali. “But the soldiers told me: “Get him out of the car.” He claims his son was placed on a stretcher and carried to the military outpost where Ali was told he would be treated. Soldiers searched the car and then marched him back to his flat to look for weapons. “The soldiers kept shouting: “Where are the weapons?” But they found nothing,” says his mother. “We were in such shock we couldn’t speak. Eventually they saw that. One of them told me Mohammed had been taken to hospital. He said: ‘Look, I have kids too.’ And they left.” She shakes her head in disbelief. His family question whether Mohammed ever made it to hospital, a concern also recorded by [Defence for Children Palestine](https://www.dci-palestine.org/?ref=theferret.scot) field researchers. The next day the family received a call from officials and, accompanied by the army, went to a military point where they retrieved his body from the back of a pick-up truck – in a blue, plastic sack. The Ferret has seen video verifying this. “We miss Mohammed every day,” says Ali. His hand rests on the head of his two-year-old daughter. “There is a sadness inside that will never leave,” adds his mother. She takes comfort from visits of his classmates and neighbours who tell stories of his outgoing, spirited nature. “Then it feels like he is not forgotten,” she says. > No Israeli soldier or official was held accountable for his killing, as is the case with virtually every Palestinian child killed by Israeli forces. This family is not unique. Search through news reports over the last two years and there are dozens of images of smiling teens, shot by soldiers. Since October 2023 at least [224 children](https://www.dci-palestine.org/essential%5Fstatistics?ref=theferret.scot) have been killed in the West Bank. The most recent is 16-year-old [Ammar Yaser Sabbah](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-forces-kill-palestinian-teen-west-bank-health-ministry-says-2025-12-15/?ref=theferret.scot), shot in the nearby town of Tuqu on 14 Dec. Israeli forces said he was involved in a riot. The Palestinian Authority said soldiers had been firing indiscriminately. There are child victims of this conflict from Israel too. In [figures from the Israeli Government](https://www.gov.il/en/pages/swords-of-iron-civilian-casualties?ref=theferret.scot), 38 are listed amongst those killed during the [Hamas attack](https://www.factcheck.org/2023/11/dozens-of-children-died-in-hamas-oct-7-attack-on-israel-contrary-to-online-claim/?ref=theferret.scot) on Israel on October 7, 2023\. Meanwhile in Gaza the United Nations estimates the loss was the equivalent of [28 children every day ](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/5/a-graveyard-average-28-palestinian-children-being-killed-daily-in-gaza?ref=theferret.scot)of the bombardment, the size of an average primary school class, and more than 18,000 in total. [Dozens](https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/11/1166420?ref=theferret.scot) more children have been killed there since the ceasefire was brokered on 11 October. But human rights organisations are better able to investigate here in the West Bank than in Gaza. In its 2024 report, [Targeting Childhood](https://www.dci-palestine.org/targeting%5Fchildhood?ref=theferret.scot), Defence for Children Palestine found Israeli snipers “routinely shoot to kill Palestinian children as they are going about their daily life”. It claims Israeli forces “deliberately prevented an ambulance or paramedics from providing aid to a bleeding child” in 43 per cent of the 141 cases it looked at. “Mohammed's case, unfortunately, is par for the course,” adds Miranda Cleland, the charity’s advocacy officer. “No Israeli soldier or official was held accountable for his killing, as is the case with virtually every Palestinian child killed by Israeli forces.” She claims this is due to “a lack of political will”. “If Israel wanted, it could easily determine who fired the shot,” she says. “Palestinian communities are among the most surveilled in the world and there are cameras everywhere.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/058A5550.jpg) Childen in the streets of Aida Refugee Camp. Credit: Valerio Muscella For families, grieving the loss of their child combined with this lack of liability “equals a lack of closure,” according to Cleland. In many cases, she adds, the child’s body is confiscated, denying families the ability to bury or mourn. “Parents know that they cannot protect their children from Israeli forces and that lack of safety permeates every part of life for Palestinian children and families,” she adds. Ghadeer, a mother of three whose second name we are not using to protect her children and who lives just a few minutes from the Azyas, relates to this. Her husband is currently one of over [3,000 Palestinians](https://www.btselem.org/administrative%5Fdetention/statistics?ref=theferret.scot) in unlimited administrative detention, the practice of holding people who have not committed an offence, based on the claim that they pose “future security threats”. Its use has [escalated dramatically](https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240117-israel-administrative-detention-rates-soar-after-october-7?ref=theferret.scot) since 7 October. Of some [350 Palestinian minors](https://www.btselem.org/statistics/minors%5Fin%5Fcustody?ref=theferret.scot) currently imprisoned by Israel, [almost half](https://www.dci-palestine.org/nearly%5Fhalf%5Fof%5Fpalestinian%5Fchild%5Fdetainees%5Fhave%5Fno%5Fcharge?ref=theferret.scot) have not been charged. “Now it is my responsibility alone,” Ghadeer says of making sure her children stay safe. Her two oldest, 11-year-old Mostafa and 15-year-old sister Diala, point out the military tower right outside their living room window, which was set alight ten years ago in protest at conditions here. After Mohammed was killed, some set fire to it once again. On the balcony, Mostafa shows me his pet rabbit, Oreo, and points out the bullet holes in the wall from stray gun fire. “People like us go to sleep scared that something will happen during the night,” Mostafa explains. “Whenever I realise that the soldiers are in the camp my body starts shaking.” He shrugs. “The kids in Scotland would never understand what our feelings are and it’s so hard to explain to them.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/Mostafa.jpg) Mostafa and his rabbit Oreo. Credit Valerio Muscaella A year ago, he says, he woke up to soldiers breaking down the main door of his block of flats to arrest his father, and shouting in a stairwell. When one came into his room, pointing a gun, he immediately put his hands up, he says. After they arrested his dad he didn’t go to school for three days: “Because I couldn’t stop crying.” They used to play Playstation together. Now it lies untouched. The children show me a video taken that night of their dad, standing with his hands tied, blindfolded on their street. They kept him there, in sight of his family, for hours, they claim. The Lajee Centre is also frequently raided, says Diala. When the army stationed snipers on its rooftop last month it meant she took the long way around to school. Staff there confirm this. Alison Griffin, head of conflict at [Save the Children UK](https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), called for an end to occupation: "Palestinian children are being robbed of their right to a safe childhood, facing ongoing threats of military detention, home demolitions, and harassment and intimidation by Israeli forces or settlers,” she explains. "The international community has a legal and moral duty to uphold international law and address the root causes of repeated violence and a decades-long child rights crisis for children across the occupied Palestinian territories." \_\_ In July last year Diala’s 15-year-old friend, [Wajeeh Abu Aker](https://www.instagram.com/p/C86sbb0qI8L/?ref=theferret.scot), was picked up and taken to prison. When she walks down the street, where they used to play together from the age of eight, she thinks of him. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/058A1465.jpg) Lajee Celtic's senior team train in the shadow of the wall. Credit: Valerio Muscella A keen footballer, he was part of Lajee Celtic’s under-18 team. That evening, we watch the senior squad go through their drills on the small pitch in the shadow of the wall. Volunteer coordinator Samir al-Amir, who finished a 19 year prison sentence two and a half years ago, explains the impact he sees on teenagers. “Some guys here \[in the camp\] might get arrested,” he says. “Some might be killed. We have to tell them the truth. We explain to our children and support them. It's our struggle as Palestinians. We are under occupation." Lajee Celtic offers a place where young people can come together from right across Palestine – a chance often denied them – even tonight there are players from the camp, from Bethlehem city and beyond. It lets them explore what they want from life and strengthens their own sense of identity and resilience, he says. The Lajee Centre, he explains, is about “helping the children’s dreams become reality”. Mostafa, who is part of the centre’s “Rebel Circus” wants to be famous. Diala hopes to be a nurse or a midwife. But meanwhile she goes to school and tends the roof top garden at Lajee, watering green shoots and harvesting cucumbers, tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines. When she looks down from there she sees the pitch where Wajeeh played, and the cemetery where Mohammed was buried. She cannot see the prison where her father is, hundreds of miles away in Israel. But on the barrier wall she can pick out one word – hope, it says in letters large enough to read from afar. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/058A0946.jpg) Diala on the roof of the Lajee Centre. Credit: Valerio Muscella *The Israeli embassy did not respond to The Ferret’s request for comment.* ***Additional reporting thanks to Meras Al Azza*** ***Cover image by*** [***Valerio Muscella***](https://www.valeriomuscella.net/?ref=theferret.scot) The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Lord Offord's historical immigration claim is Mostly False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/lord-offords-historical-immigration-claim-is-mostly-false/ Last updated: 2025-12-19T07:53:59.000Z **The latest politician to defect to Reform UK appeared on the BBC’s Question Time just days after he joined the party.** Lord Malcolm Offord, a Scottish peer who previously held ministerial positions for the Conservatives, was on the panel as the [BBC debating show](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ncjx?ref=theferret.scot) was broadcast from Paisley. Much of the debate surrounded Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage, and his [comments on immigration and culture in Scotland](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1347893293122033), with Lord Offord defending Farage’s remarks and arguing that the UK’s current level of immigration was unsustainable. During [his appearance](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ncjx?ref=theferret.scot), he made a claim about immigration numbers over the course of the last century. > “If you think about the whole of the 20th century, one million people came to the UK. So far, in the first 25 years of this century, seven million people have come to the UK” - Lord Offord of Garvel Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Mostly False.** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-2.png) ### **Evidence** The second part of Offord’s claim is that seven million people have come to the UK between 2000 and 2025\. UK census data in [2021-22 showed there were 10.7 million](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=At%20the%20time%20of%20the,are%20available%20for%20later%20years.) people living in the UK who were foreign-born. A [more recent](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2024?ref=theferret.scot#estimates-of-the-non-uk-born-population), but less reliable, figure from the Office for National Statistics indicated the non-UK-born population in England and Wales was about 11.4m in June 2023, while the Scottish census of 2022 found 554,900 people living here were born outside of the UK. In 2001, the census revealed 4.9 million foreign-born people in the UK. That is an increase of 5.8 million in 20 years, and could be up to seven million difference using the less reliable, more recent figures. However, Offord also claimed that only one million people came to the UK in the 20th century. This is harder to back up with evidence. We have seen there were 4.9 million foreign-born people counted in [the 2001 census data](https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20140721132900/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme%5Fcompendia/fom2005/08%5FFOPM%5FForeignBorn.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). This means it is extremely likely that the vast majority of these people came to the UK during the 20th century. In [1901, the foreign-born population](https://www.migrationwatchuk.org/briefing-paper/48?ref=theferret.scot) of England and Wales was 475,000\. This suggests that likely at least four million people came to the UK from abroad during the 20th century. This does not mean that everyone who came stayed, and will include people who are no longer in the UK. This is also backed up by historical yearly immigration figures. [Data from the Office for National Statistics](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2024/relateddata?ref=theferret.scot) shows the annual inward migration to the UK. In 1970, there were 226,000 foreign migrants to the UK. A low of 153,000 was hit in 1981, but the number of immigrants never dipped below 150,000 per year between 1970 and 1999\. In 1999 alone 454,000 immigrants came to the UK. There have also been significant, well-documented inflows of migration to the UK throughout the 20th century. For example, [census data shows about 600,000](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/commentaries/commonwealth-citizens-arriving-before-1971/?ref=theferret.scot) people came to the UK between 1948 and 1973 from Commonwealth countries, many as part of the ‘[Windrush generation’](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w4q1ee1p4o?ref=theferret.scot) from the Caribbean encouraged to come to post-war Britain. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly False** The figures used by Lord Offord don’t appear to be backed up by the evidence. His claim that one million people came to the UK in the 20th century is not supported by the immigration statistics, or the estimates of the foreign born population of the UK at various points throughout the century. His claim that seven million people had come to the UK since 2000 is similar to estimates based on recent data, which is less reliable than census figures. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_MostlyFalse_RGB.png) The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Scotland's first minister backed Israeli sanctions, but met Airbnb while it promoted West Bank 'occupation tourism' URL: https://www.theferret.scot/first-minister-backed-israeli-sanctions-airbnb-west-bank-occupation-tourism/ Last updated: 2025-12-18T13:39:18.000Z **“Now is the moment to act,” Palestinian Ambassador Husam Zomlot urged the SNP faithful gathered in Aberdeen at the party’s conference back in October. He had been introduced by first minister John Swinney as a friend, as well as a guest speaker. To loud applause Zomlot demanded that Scotland “isolate the companies… that profit from occupation” and “the theft” of Palestinian land and resources.** The following day, the first minister did indeed act – but not in the way that Zomlot might have expected. Together with his deputy Kate Forbes, John Swinney [met](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/66722?ref=theferret.scot) with a representative of Airbnb, which as of February 2025, listed [hundreds](https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/feb/27/seized-settled-let-how-airbnb-and-bookingcom-help-israelis-make-money-from-stolen-palestinian-land?ref=theferret.scot) of properties in the occupied West Bank. Airbnb’s business practices in the Occupied Palestinian territories have long been in the spotlight. Back in 2016 Zomlot himself [accused the company of](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/12/airbnb-listings-illegal-settlements-israel-palestine-west-bank?ref=theferret.scot) “promoting stolen property and land” and now it is facing legal action for its business in Israel’s settlements. Airbnb says it complies with local laws and donates the profits made for “a very number of properties” in the West Bank. But in November 2018, following widespread [international condemnation](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2020/12/airbnb-listing-company-is-deeply-compromised-by-israeli-settlement-properties/?ref=theferret.scot), the company announced its intention to remove its listings for Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This decision [was reversed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-47881163?ref=theferret.scot) less than six months later to settle a class action lawsuit brought by Israeli lawyers on behalf of a number of settlers, claiming to be unfairly targeted by the US multinational. Since then, Airbnb has dramatically increased its activity in Palestine’s West Bank while collecting a [commission](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/a-hrc-59-23-from-economy-of-occupation-to-economy-of-genocide-report-special-rapporteur-francesca-albanese-palestine-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) of up to 23 per cent on lettings. The platform [listed](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/a-hrc-59-23-from-economy-of-occupation-to-economy-of-genocide-report-special-rapporteur-francesca-albanese-palestine-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) 139 settlement properties in 2016 with this number increasing to 350 in 2025\. United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has [accused](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/a-hrc-59-23-from-economy-of-occupation-to-economy-of-genocide-report-special-rapporteur-francesca-albanese-palestine-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) Airbnb of “occupation tourism”. Israeli settler violence has reached unprecedented levels. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by settlers or Israeli Security Forces in the West Bank [since](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/ohchr-press-release-17oct25/?ref=theferret.scot) October 2023. In October 2025, as the Knesset approved preliminary plans for Israel to formally annex 82 per cent of the OPt, the UN [recorded](https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-337-west-bank?ref=theferret.scot) at least 264 attacks against Palestinians, the largest monthly total since records began in 2006. Despite this, the lobbying register shows John Swinney and Kate Forbes had breakfast with Carl Thomson, a former Tory Councillor who now works as Airbnb UK’s public policy manager, the morning after Zomlot’s speech. Later in the day, Thomson [met](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/66723?ref=theferret.scot) Mairi McAllan MSP, cabinet secretary for housing, to outline “concerns” about plans for higher council tax premiums on short-term lets. [That afternoon](https://snp-resources.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/SNPConferenceHandbook2025.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the SNP Conference passed a [resolution](https://snp-resources.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/SNPConferenceHandbook2025.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) heralding “the Scottish Government’s commitment to upholding international humanitarian law.” In October 2024, a year into what is now described by [experts](https://genocidescholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IAGS-Resolution-on-Gaza-FINAL.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and [human rights organisations](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/amnesty-internationals-report-04dec24/?ref=theferret.scot) alike as a genocide in Gaza, Thomson lobbied Paul McLennan MSP at an SNP conference fringe [event](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/uk-short-term-accommodation-association%5Fresponsible-sustainable-tourism-activity-7228697989299474432-W3EE/?ref=theferret.scot) organised by the Short Term Accommodation Association (SSTA) – of which he is also a director. The lobbying register also reveals that on 17 October 2023, ten days after the Hamas attack on Israel, then first minister Humza Yousaf and his special advisor also met with Thomson. In total, The Ferret found that [Airbnb has lobbied the Scottish Government 52 times since April 2018](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/Search/SearchResult?id=a64f1236-a6c1-4051-b519-133d699841b9&Hash=miQVOx6RVfSHbpJnvrBSJPLFznx%2b00QyFZLV38IZZrE%3d&ref=theferret.scot). Between April 2018 and August 2019, the company was [meeting](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/property-home/article/airbnb-lobby-msps-every-month-bs8scg2r5?ref=theferret.scot) with Scottish Government ministers and MSPs at least once a month as it sought to resist short-term let regulation. Lobbying is a regular part of the democratic process for both companies and charities. [Her husband was killed in West Bank settler violence. Now authorities are trying to bulldoze her family’s villageThe residents of Umm al-Khair in the West Bank were already reeling from the loss of community leader and English teacher Awdah Hathaleen. Now they are fighting a mass demolition order on their homes. Human rights organisations say it’s become a symbol of the struggles of life under occupation.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-82.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Main_Hanady.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/awdah-hathaleen-death-eviction/) “Airbnb is profiting from Israel’s economy of genocide — and our politicians are lending them legitimacy,” said a spokesperson for the [Stop The War Coalition in Scotland](https://www.stopwar.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). “Scots will expect better of the SNP, which has talked the talk on the question of Palestinian liberation. They added: “The Ferret’s findings are further evidence that, much like John Swinney’s support for rearmament, the Scottish Government’s rhetoric does not match reality. If the first minister’s apparent support for BDS was genuine, he would challenge Airbnb’s complicity.” Launched in 2005 and inspired by the international campaign against South African apartheid, the BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions) Movement is a Palestinian-led initiative which [urges](https://bdsmovement.net/?ref=theferret.scot) “action to pressure Israel to comply with international law”. In September this year, the Scottish Parliament passed a Scottish Green Party [amendment](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S6M-18686?ref=theferret.scot) which commanded the Scottish Government “immediately impose a package of boycotts, divestment and sanctions targeted at the state of Israel and at companies complicit in its military operations and its occupation of Palestine.” Airbnb, which lists around 30,000 properties in Scotland, has been a permanent fixture on the UN’s [database](https://www.ohchr.org/en/business/bhr-database?ref=theferret.scot) of firms profiting from illegal Israeli settlements since its creation in 2016\. In total it [generated](https://www.ig.com/uk/news-and-trade-ideas/airbnb-posts-record-revenue-as-company-announces-expansion-plans-250214?ref=theferret.scot) more than £8bn in global revenue in the last year. In June 2025, the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) [lodged](https://glanlaw.org/cases/multi-jurisdiction-legal-actions-target-airbnb-listings-in-illegal-israeli-settlements/?ref=theferret.scot) a case against Airbnb’s subsidiaries in Ireland and the UK, as well as its San Francisco-based parent company, accusing them of complicity in violations of international and domestic law. Glasgow University rector Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah – a British-Palestinian war surgeon who practised in Gaza between October and December 2023 – said the most recent Airbnb meetings were an example of Scottish Government “lip service”. “Despite their rhetoric,” he added, “the Scottish Government is failing to implement real policies that put real pressure on Israel to end its genocide of the Palestinians.” Labour MP Brian Leishman, who recently visited the West Bank, said: “The politicians at the heart of both the UK and Scottish governments want the British people to be ignorant to the fact that our country encourages this colonisation of Palestine and its people by our continued economic and trading agreements with Netanyahu and his regime. He claimed that governments meeting “with multinational companies that fund the genocide in Gaza”, as well as “the persecution” of people in the West Bank showed “a degree of complicity in crimes against humanity”. Airbnb’s lobbying also extends south of the border. This year the company attended the annual conference of each major political party, including Labour and Reform as well as joining the SSTA conference in Blackpool in late October. Commenting on Swinney, Forbes and McAllan’s meetings with Airbnb, an SNP spokesperson said: “Ministers routinely engage with businesses from a broad range of sectors with interests in Scotland, and this engagement with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister took place at an SNP business event, which was open to many organisations. “The SNP and Scottish Government has been consistent in calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and for the full recognition of a Palestinian state.” A spokesperson for Airbnb told the Ferret that “Airbnb operates in compliance with applicable local laws. Since 2019, Airbnb’s policy has been to donate all profits generated from the very small number of bookings in the entire West Bank.” The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) *Featured photo credit: iStock and rglinsky* ### Her husband was killed in West Bank settler violence. Now authorities are trying to bulldoze her family’s village URL: https://www.theferret.scot/awdah-hathaleen-death-eviction/ Last updated: 2025-12-14T12:00:27.000Z **In the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, Hanady Hathaleen is sitting on the porch of her corrugated iron and plywood home in the bright winter sun, playing with her ten-month-old son.** Hanady, now 24, was born in this West Bank community in the [South Hebron hills](https://www.btselem.org/topic/south%5Fhebron%5Fhills?ref=theferret.scot) as was her husband and three children – the baby on her lap has two big brothers aged five and almost three years old. Taped to the wall is a smiling picture of her husband, 31-year-old English teacher Awdah Hathaleen, popular here with children and adults alike, a community activist and leader, and consultant on the [Oscar-winning](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/03/no-other-land-wins-best-documentary-feature-oscar?ref=theferret.scot) film [No Other Land](https://releasing.dogwoof.com/no-other-land?ref=theferret.scot). “He was my beloved, my soul mate,” Hanady says. ‘I never believed he would be gone.” ![A man wearing a black cap and dark T-shirt stands at a viewpoint overlooking a tree-lined road and city buildings under a clear blue sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/Awdah_main.jpg) Picture of Awdah thanks to the Hathaleen family On 28 July he was shot dead with a single bullet to the head, allegedly by Yinon Levi, while filming a confrontation on his phone between the Israeli settler – who has been [sanctioned by the EU due to previous violence](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/04/19/extremist-settlers-in-the-occupied-west-bank-and-east-jerusalem-council-sanctions-four-individuals-and-two-entities-over-serious-human-rights-abuses-against-palestinians/pdf/?ref=theferret.scot) – and members of the community who claim they were trying to protect their land, olive trees and fencing from a settler’s bulldozer. Video, shot by [Awdah](https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2025/aug/11/palestinian-activist-recorded-moment-he-was-killed-by-settler-in-the-west-bank-video?ref=theferret.scot), records the moment he is hit. When Halady – nearby and watching the dispute – heard the shot that killed her husband of six years, her eyes immediately searched out her children, knowing they would be frightened. When she turned to look back to the spot where her husband had been standing, he had crumpled to the ground. For a while, his blood stained the concrete flooring of the community space where he fell. Her middle son was with his father when he was shot. “He makes associations with colours,” says Hanady. Now, she says, the toddler equates red with his father’s blood. Her children’s pain on top of her own makes this harder to bear. “They didn’t just kill Awdah that day,” she says. “They killed all of us.”Hanady’s story is one of many The Ferret heard while reporting from Israel and the [West Bank](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/west-bank/) in late November, more of which will be published in the next week. Awdah’s killing [sparked protests in Tel Aviv](https://www.npr.org/2025/08/12/g-s1-81501/west-bank-hathaleen-israeli-settler-shooting?ref=theferret.scot) and [attracted](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/07/israel-opt-killing-of-prominent-palestinian-west-bank-activist-awda-al-hathaleen-demands-justice-and-accountability/?ref=theferret.scot) [international](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog%5Fentry/france-condemns-settler-terrorism-after-palestinian-activist-killed-in-west-bank/?ref=theferret.scot) [condemnation](https://x.com/RepRoKhanna/status/1950342009635688666?ref=theferret.scot). Now, following a [final mass demolition order](https://peacenow.org.il/en/the-civil-administration-issues-demolition-notices-in-umm-al-khair-the-civil-administration-on-tuesday-oct-28-2025-issued-demolition-notices-for-13-palestinian-structures-in-the-village-of-um?ref=theferret.scot) served by the Israel military on 11 homes in the village as well as the community centre, Hanady has been threatened with losing her home too. When we visited the clock was ticking, residents nervously anticipating the bulldozers. Yet as of this week, the community is still waiting for news. Buildings here have been demolished before, but not at this scale. “It’s hard to hold on to hope,” she told me. The Israeli authorities claim these buildings, which now sit in an area it has designated as a military firing zone, have been built without the correct permits. ![A woman wearing a niqab sits on a sofa in a sparsely furnished room, with light coming through a window to her left.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/0-058A6261-1.jpg) Hanady Hathaleen was born in Umm al-Khair but her home is threatened with demolition. Credit Valerio Muscella Human rights organisations argue such permits are rarely granted to Palestinians here. This village sits in what is known as [Area C](https://www.anera.org/what-are-area-a-area-b-and-area-c-in-the-west-bank/?ref=theferret.scot), making up about 60 per cent of the West Bank territory, which since 1967 has been under the control of the Israeli military. As part of a [peace process agreed in 1995](http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/28/newsid%5F4187000/4187582.stm?ref=theferret.scot), this land was to be transferred back to the ownership of the Palestinian authority. [The International court of Justice](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjerjzxlpvdo?ref=theferret.scot) has ruled that this continued occupation is illegal. But for settlers, these are the lands of [Judea and Samaria](https://afjs.org/judea-samaria-in-a-glimpse/?ref=theferret.scot), which they say have been promised to the Jewish people in scripture and belong to them by right. These terms are also used administratively by the Israeli government. Israel claims this area harbours “[terrorists](https://embassies.gov.il/multilateral-organizations-france/en/news/israels-objectives-and-current-operation?ref=theferret.scot)” who have been responsible for the deaths of its citizens and says some here have links with Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Its armed faction led the [7 October attacks](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-statement-on-7-october-attacks?ref=theferret.scot) on Israel during which almost 1,200 were killed and 250 taken hostage. The citizens of Umm al-Khair we speak to, who are farmers or artists as well as activists, say they believe in peace. The village is home to some 35 extended Bedouin families, traditionally nomadic herding people. They fled here from what is now southern Israel, during the mass forcible displacement of Palestinians starting in 1948, known as the Nakba, which means “catastrophe” In Arabic. [The UN human rights office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/ohchr-press-release-7nov25/?ref=theferret.scot), which has called on Israel to immediately halt the demolition orders, claims Israeli authorities have “subjected Umm al-Khair residents to persistent discriminatory land regulations” for years. In the hills of [Masafer Yatta](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-10-2025-001952%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot), other similar villages have faced the same treatment, it says, with some having been successfully cleared. And since October 2023, this has escalated, according to Palestinians here, who consider it collective punishment. The Israeli authorities reject these claims. For some, the village symbolises the issues facing the occupied West Bank. Rabbi Avi Dabush, director of Israeli organisation [Rabbis for Human Rights](https://www.rhr.org.il/en/?ref=theferret.scot), who has been visiting the area for years says: “What we see there is a violation of the most basic human rights – the right to housing, dignity, safety, and a future.” ![Some of the buildings in Umm Al-Khair were previously destroyed.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/7-058A6211.jpg) Some of the buildings in Umm Al-Khair were previously destroyed. Credit Valerio Muscella A survivor of the 7 October attacks, his family spent eight hours [hiding from Hamas militants](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/02/meet-the-israeli-rabbi-and-survivor-of-7-october-attack-now-in-australia-to-campaign-for-peace?ref=theferret.scot) in Kibbutz Nirim in southern Israel, so he understands the “deep wounds” suffered. Yet he feels it is crucial to stand up against the “injustice” of the demolition orders, which he considers “part of a wider pattern of systematic displacement”. “As Jewish people, we cannot accept this,” he says. “The suffering inflicted on Umm al-Khair, and the policy driving it, contradict our core values…Our faith requires us to stand against violence, dispossession, and the theft of land and dignity.” To its residents, the settler violence and the military demolition orders are two sides of the same coin. Both, says Eid Hathaleen – a cousin of Awdah who also lives in Umm al-Khair – have the same effect of driving people out. Three years ago, Eid’s 75-year-old father – prominent activist [Suleiman Hathaleen](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/1/23/suleiman-hathaleen?ref=theferret.scot) – was killed by an Israeli police tow truck. According to one [eye witness](https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-suleiman-hathalin-dies-run-over?ref=theferret.scot) “it suddenly veered off the road and drove straight into him”.Yet Awdah’s shooting still shocked Eid. In its aftermath, the army arrived. Soldiers initially put [Yivon Levi](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/31/israeli-police-release-settler-accused-of-killing-palestinian-activist?ref=theferret.scot), the settler, under house arrest for three days. But after he claimed he acted in self defence, and was under threat from villagers and activists, the army let him go. Israeli human rights organisation B’TSelem says 19 Palestinians, including Eid and other members of the Hathleen family, were detained and questioned. Eid claims he and others were “cuffed with chains from our hands to our legs and blindfolded” while in Ofer prison and appeared remotely in a military court, where they were told there was “no charge” and let go. A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy said a report was received “about terrorists throwing stones at Israeli civilians near the community of Carmel”. They added: “The IDF and police forces were dispatched to the location upon receiving the report.” Awdah’s body was finally released to his family ten days after his death. Women in the village, including his mother, had gone on hunger strike to demand his return. Strict conditions put on the [funeral](https://www.972mag.com/awdah-hathaleen-funeral-umm-al-khair/?ref=theferret.scot) meant it could not take place in the village. Yet before he could even be buried, work on a nearby outpost of the Israeli settlement, Carmel, had re-started. Today a cluster of caravan-like structures now perch on a rocky outcrop, separated by less than 100 metres – and a barbed wire fence – from the community centre where he was shot. Israeli flags fly overhead. Umm al-Khair villagers, working with human rights organisation, [Peace Now](https://peacenow.org.il/en?ref=theferret.scot), [have raised](https://peacenow.org.il/en?ref=theferret.scot) legal action against the settlement. ![An outpost has been built by settlers in recent month near the village of Umm al-Khair. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/Outpost_KG.jpg) An outpost has been built by settlers in recent month near the village of Umm al-Khair. On the morning we visit the atmosphere is tense. Eid has called the police yet again, claiming that settlers were staking yet more of the land, which residents say is theirs. “I was told the settlers can do what they like,” he shrugs, powerless. Yet he and other residents say they are determined not to be pushed out. A brightly coloured mural on the wall of the community centre reads in English and Arabic: “This is Palestinian land” and “We will not leave Umm al-Khair.” Violence by settlers has intensified across the West Bank since 7 October, including in areas controlled by the [Palestinian Authority](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/occupied-palestinian-territories/). The UN [documented](https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-337-west-bank?ref=theferret.scot) at least 264 attacks against Palestinians in October alone. In the [Jordan Valley](https://www.map.org.uk/news/archive/post/1755-athe-settlersa-goal-is-to-erase-our-presence-completelya-escalating-settler-violence-displaces-palestinian-community-in-the-jordan-valley?ref=theferret.scot) Bedouin villages have been attacked and burned to the ground. In November, a [mosque](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwykze63r2xo?ref=theferret.scot) near the town of Deir Istiy was reportedly set alight by settlers. According to an April [human rights report](https://peacenow.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The%5FBad%5FSamaritan%5FENG.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), settlers have taken control of 14 per cent of the West Bank, establishing over 100 outposts. Yair Dvir of [B’Tselem](https://www.btselem.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which had been working closely with Awdah, sees a clear connection between settler violence and “state violence”, which his organisation claims is being used to drive “large-scale ethnic cleansing in the West Bank”. “In these two years, with the help of settlers and the army, Israel has expelled 44 Palestinian communities, and dozens more - such as Umm al-Khair - are at immediate risk of expulsion,” he added. The Israeli Government categorically rejects these claims. It insists its continued approval of settlements is fundamental to the [security and growth](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-approves-nearly-800-housing-units-three-west-bank-settlements-2025-12-10/?ref=theferret.scot) of the State of Israel. But most international bodies, including the EU, acknowledge that Israeli settlements are [illegal under international law](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2019/01/chapter-3-israeli-settlements-and-international-law/?ref=theferret.scot) and in contravention of the Geneva Connection. “What we are experiencing here are war crimes,” claims Issam Aruri, general director of the Palestinian [Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC)](https://www.jlac.ps/en?ref=theferret.scot). “It’s time for sanctions to be imposed in reaction to breaches of international laws like this. “Recognising the state has no real meaning if there are no steps taken to safeguard communities.” ![The Israeli settlement of Carmel was established in the early 1980s. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/8-058A6222.jpg) The Israeli settlement of Carmel was established in the early 1980s. The UK Government announced recognition of the Palestinian state in September this year, a position which had been [called for](https://www.gov.scot/news/recognising-the-state-of-palestine/?ref=theferret.scot) by the Scottish Government. External affairs secretary Angus Robertson told The Ferret: “Scotland stands with the people of Palestine” and said it was taking “economic and humanitarian measures” within its devolved powers. It is calling on the UK Government, [which has also recognised the state of Palestine](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-formally-recognises-palestinian-state?ref=theferret.scot), to take practical measures against Israel. Last month 80 parliamentarians signed an open letter to foreign secretary Yvette Cooper raising “grave concerns” about escalating settler violence and the threat of demolitions in Umm al-Khair. The Foreign Office did not respond to our request for comment. A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy said: “The state of Israel takes legal and essential steps to act against illegal construction taking place in Judea and Samaria.” On this basis, they added the civil administration’s inspection unit “issued demolition orders against several illegal structures in the village of Umm al-Khair in the Judea area”. “The structures were built without construction permits and in violation of the laws applicable in the area. The residents are given the opportunity to present their claims, in accordance with the laws in force in the region.” Meanwhile Hanady Hathaleen lives with the daily knowledge that bulldozers may arrive any day to destroy her family home. “We get used to this,” she explains. “We are Palestinian. But we will fight for our rights.” To Hanady, this land is now mixed with Awdah’s blood. “He was killed because he was protecting the land – I never think of leaving.” The day before our visit she was told that the demolition bulldozer was at the gates of the settlement. “And all I was thinking was: “Oh my god, where will I build my tent?”” she says. “They can destroy our houses. But they cannot destroy our souls. We will rebuild, and we will stay. We will resist.” The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### A fish farm breached animal welfare rules. The regulator still took firms there on a PR tour URL: https://www.theferret.scot/aquaculture-stewardship-council-bakkafrost/ Last updated: 2025-12-14T14:17:58.000Z A body which sets environmental and welfare standards for fish farms took wholesale buyers to a Scottish salmon farm which broke its rules for 11 consecutive weeks, The Ferret can reveal. Average sea lice numbers at Bakkafrost's Quarry Point farm in Loch Fyne exceeded the Aquaculture Stewardship Council's (ASC) safe threshold by almost four times from April to June this year. Despite this, the farm kept its certificate – and ASC used it to host a "discovery tour" with buyers including Walmart in October – after owners emptied fish pens and restocked them with clean fish weeks beforehand. ASC accreditations appear on packaging around the world as a ‘green tick’, purportedly to help consumers choose “[environmentally and socially responsible](https://asc-aqua.org/producers/asc-standards/species-standards/salmon-cod/?ref=theferret.scot)” farmed seafood. Animal welfare campaigners said it was “farcical” that ASC chose Quarry Point for a tour and claimed that its issues were representative of the sector in Scotland, where [a quarter of all farms exceeded lice thresholds this year](https://animalequality.org.uk/news/2025/11/03/animal-equality-analysis-reveals-hundreds-of-lice-breaches-on-scottish-salmon-farms/?ref=theferret.scot). ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) Salmon Scotland, a trade body for the farmed fish industry, insisted that lice levels in the Scottish sector are among the lowest on record. “Extreme campaign groups dedicated to putting 11,000 Scots out of work are simply wrong and continue to present a misleading picture of how modern salmon farming operates,” a spokesperson for the organisation said. “Our farmers take animal health and welfare seriously and work under some of the toughest regulations anywhere in the world.” Bakkafrost did not respond to requests for comment. ASC said it was aware of Quarry Point’s lice counts, but that the farm retained its certification because of a veterinary “exemption” for high lice numbers put in place “in situations where treatment would compromise fish health and welfare”. Campaign group Free Salmon described the ASC’s exemption as “mad” and claimed that “vets seem to be able to excuse a lot of rulebreaking on salmon farms. It added: “Seems mad that ‘the sick are too sick to treat for lice’ means they get to keep their ASC certification.” ### **Green tick** ASC describes its fish farming certification as a rigorous test of seafood which is “farmed in a way that respects the environment, the rights of its employees, and of local communities”. Certification grants fish farmers a consumer-facing “green tick” in supermarket aisles and helps companies meet sustainability targets. It can also help to secure financing for projects described as environmentally friendly. In November, for example, Norwegian aquaculture giant Mowi secured the equivalent of £334m in sustainability bonds from Oslo’s credit markets, on condition the funds were spent on “[green projects](https://mowi.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Bond-Terms-NO0013699033.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)”. That includes “investments and expenditures” related to any ASC-certified farm, according to the company’s [financing framework](https://mowi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GSLF%5FFramework%5FMowi%5F2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). > What is the point of a certification system that looks the other way in the face of blatant breaches? Quarry Point was first certified in 2023 and it was audited before this summer’s lice outbreak in October 2024. In April this year, the average number of lice recorded on salmon at Quarry Point rose above one for every two fish. Both ASC and industry body Salmon Scotland set that as an acceptable threshold for the “sensitive period” during the spring. This is when high lice numbers pose a welfare issue for farmed fish and a heightened risk for wild salmon returning from the sea to freshwater spawning grounds. Studies have shown that salmon farms propagate lice at a faster rate between caged fish, and that the parasites can [“emanate” off aquaculture sites into the path of migrating wild fish](https://wildfish.org/latest-news/new-sea-lice-modelling-study-indicates-that-wild-salmon-from-scotlands-east-and-north-coast-rivers-could-be-impacted-by-salmon-farming/?ref=theferret.scot). Industry groups argue that the effect of salmon farms on wild lice counts has been exaggerated. ASC gives farmers three weeks to treat fish if they exceed the threshold. “If the reduction within this time window is not achieved, the product is not eligible to be sold as certified and the certificate shall be cancelled,” according to the ASC’s [standards](https://asc-aqua.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ASC-STD-010-ASC-Salmon-and-Cod-Standard-V1.5-Oct-2025-1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). At Quarry Point, lice counts stayed above 0.5 per fish for eleven consecutive weeks, eventually rising to 3.3 shortly before fish were harvested in mid June. It was one of three Scottish farms which passed the three week cut-off this year but remained certified, according to [figures from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency](https://aquaculture.scotland.gov.uk/Map/AquacultureMap?ref=theferret.scot) (Sepa) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/iStock-1440022475.jpg) A salmon fish farm in Loch Ainort on the Isle of Skye. Image: Wirestock/iStock ### **“Discovery tour”** Quarry Point was restocked in mid-September, weeks before ASC published a [press release ](https://asc-aqua.org/news/asc-discovery-tour-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot)about a tour to two “loch-based” ASC-certified salmon farms in Scotland, which it said were owned respectively by Bakkafrost and Mowi. Neither farm was named in the release, but The Ferret was able to identify Bakkafrost’s Quarry Point site by cross-referencing distinctive coastline features and a pontoon photographed on the tour with satellite images and maps of ASC certificates in Scotland. ASC confirmed Quarry point was visited as part of the tour and that it was aware of “exceedances which occurred during the sensitive period”. “A veterinarian may exempt fish from being treated” for lice, however, “for example in situations where treatment would compromise fish health and welfare,” said ASC’s Sophia Balod. “This exemption process was in place at Quarry Point and as such continued certification was justified,” she added. “Following a successful surveillance audit by an independent \[conformity assessment body\] in July 2025, Quarry Point retained its certification status and is therefore considered a suitable location to demonstrate the practical application of ASC standards and their role in driving innovation and trust. “The Discovery Tours offer participants an invaluable opportunity not only to meet producers, but also to gain a deeper understanding of the real challenges facing our industry today,” added Balod. “It’s a chance to see the full picture behind responsible production—celebrating what we do well while engaging openly with the issues we continue to navigate.” The Green Britain Foundation (GBF) said The Ferret’s investigation demonstrated how “factory farming of salmon is an irretrievably broken business model”. “It can only work if environmental and fish welfare regulations are routinely ignored," said GBF’s director, Dale Vince. “I wonder if the buyers on the tour were made aware of this. And if, in turn, they might make their customers aware that the fish on their plate came from a farm that breached parasite limits week in, week out.” > Our farmers take animal health and welfare seriously and work under some of the toughest regulations anywhere in the world. Animal welfare charity Animal Equality said our investigation revealed that “the bodies supposedly responsible for holding Scotland’s salmon farming industry to account … have no teeth”. “What is the point of a certification system that looks the other way in the face of blatant breaches? How can anyone have confidence in a framework that seems designed not to confront uncomfortable truths, but to bury them?” asked Animal Equality’s UK executive director, Abigail Penny. “When farms plagued by lice can still breeze through certification – and, farcically, be paraded on guided tours – it becomes painfully clear that this scheme is failing both animals and consumers.” The Ferret contacted all three wholesalers who attended the tour. Holland America, a cruise line, and Italmark, an Italian supermarket chain, did not respond. Walmart, which was represented on the tour by subsidiary members-only supermarket company Sam’s Club, declined to comment. In November, analysis of lice counts submitted to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) showed that a quarter of salmon farms in Scotland exceeded lice thresholds for the sensitive period, according to an [Animal Equality report](https://animalequality.org.uk/news/2025/11/03/animal-equality-analysis-reveals-hundreds-of-lice-breaches-on-scottish-salmon-farms/?ref=theferret.scot). Over 600 weekly counts exceeded the threshold this year. For almost 500 more, no count was carried out. Weeks after Animal Equality published its findings, Tesco cut ties with another Bakkafrost farm which breached lice thresholds then [allegedly misreported the site as empty](https://animalequality.org.uk/news/2025/11/14/legal-breach-on-scottish-salmon-farm-supplying-tescos-finest-range-prompts-the-supermarket-to-cut-ties-with-the-farm/?ref=theferret.scot). “Poor enforcement is endemic across this industry,” Abigail Penny added. “Both the Scottish government and accreditation bodies rely far too heavily on industry self-reporting, seemingly accepting assurances at face value instead of applying real scrutiny,” she said. “Time and again we uncover serious welfare abuses - chronic lice infestations, neglect, and even deliberate cruelty - yet the very schemes and authorities meant to prevent this appear more interested in protecting their own reputations.” The Scottish Government said “any suggestion that scrutiny is not being applied is simply wrong” and that salmon farming is a “robustly regulated sector”. A spokesperson added that enforcement notices were issued where necessary, and legislation was in place to make sea lice reporting mandatory. ****THE FERRET: 10 YEARS AND COUNTING** You've just read our reimagined Ferret. After a decade of investigations that sparked change across Scotland, we've refreshed our look and sharpened our focus. But our mission hasn't changed: fearless accountability journalism, powered entirely by readers like you. New look. Same digging. Support independent journalism. [Join 2,000+ members from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/signup) ### Why are Scottish wind farms paid billions to switch off? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/why-are-scottish-wind-farms-paid-billions-to-switch-off/ Last updated: 2025-12-10T06:00:01.000Z The Ferret is 10 and it’s celebrating the milestone with a refreshed look and renewed commitment to journalism that cuts through the static. In that spirit, we have launched ****De-noiser** – a new fortnightly series of deep-dive explainers on some of the most complex issues facing Scotland, the UK and beyond. Whether its culture-war flashpoints, political narratives that don’t quite add up, or long-running problems everyone talks about but no one really explains, ****De-noiser** will cut through the spin and make sense of what’s actually going on. Talking of spin, today we are looking at why the UK pays hundreds of millions of pounds a year to turn off wind farms — even as bills rise and climate targets loom. And we want to hear from our members. Got an issue that needs De-noising? [Get in touch](https://www.theferret.scot/contact/). **Scotland has more wind farms than ever before, and the number keeps growing. Yet at the same time turbine owners are paid eye-watering sums *not* to generate power.** Since the start of 2025, the UK is [estimated](https://wastedwind.energy/2025-12-09?ref=theferret.scot) to have spent over £1.3bn turning wind farms off – the [vast majority](https://www.ft.com/content/e7481629-4e6b-460c-830c-d97324115aca?ref=theferret.scot) of them north of the border. It's a counterintuitive arrangement which is increasingly [held up](https://x.com/ZiaYusufUK/status/1941593553110507668?ref=theferret.scot) by [politicians](https://x.com/ClaireCoutinho/status/1991544993195127050?ref=theferret.scot) and [commentators](https://x.com/JamesMelville/status/1983239974964113621?ref=theferret.scot) who are sceptical of green energy as [proof](https://x.com/aDissentient/status/1901647106135175267?ref=theferret.scot) that renewables are imposing unnecessary costs on the public. But why does the UK pay wind farms not to generate electricity? And what does it actually mean for bills? As part of its new De-noiser strand, The Ferret has been investigating. ### **A top-heavy system** Over the past decade the UK has [rapidly expanded](https://www.renewableuk.com/news-and-resources/press-releases/uk-wind-industry-celebrates-decade-of-growth-with-nearly-2-000-companies-now-in-the-sector-s-supply-chain/?ref=theferret.scot) its wind sector – but many of the new turbines have been built far from where most electricity is used. “A lot of the build-out of wind has ended up in Scotland, and in the north of Scotland in particular,” says [Callum Maciver](https://ukerc.ac.uk/about/people/callum-maciver/?ref=theferret.scot), a research fellow at the University of Strathclyde who has written about the issue for the [UK Energy Research Centre](https://ukerc.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). “You’ve got the best wind resources, the best access to land, and a supportive political environment from both the Scottish Government and local authorities.” England and Wales, by contrast, spent much of the past decade with a [de facto ban](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/08/labour-lifts-ban-onshore-windfarms-planning-policy?ref=theferret.scot) on new onshore wind. The result is that, on windy days, Scotland’s turbines often produce more electricity than the country needs. That surplus could be sent south to England where most people live and there is lots of demand. But here the UK runs into a problem. [Is there a link between migration and crime?Migration’s alleged link to increased crime has been back in the spotlight in recent years, so we looked at the evidence.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-80.png)The FerretAlastair Brian![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Stop_the_boats_protestor_in_Aberdeen-_28_September_2025.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/is-there-a-link-between-migration-and-crime/) ### **Bottlenecks** Britain’s transmission network – the high-voltage “[motorways](https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/energy-explained/electricity-transmission-vs-electricity-distribution?ref=theferret.scot)” of the grid – was [built](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdedjnw8e85o?ref=theferret.scot) for a [different era](https://www.nationalgrid.com/the-great-grid-upgrade/whats-happening?ref=theferret.scot) of electricity generation. For much of the 20th century, coal and gas power plants were built close to the cities and towns they supplied. The grid [grew](https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en/knowledge/publications/0bd0bdc5/the-grid-the-greatest-obstacle-to-a-future-of-renewable-power?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20existing%20grid%20technology%20was,grid%20technology%20in%20the%20UK.) around this model. It was not designed to move vast quantities of electricity hundreds of miles from wind farms in the Highlands to Yorkshire and the South East. As a result, there are now parts of the network where a lot of electricity must pass through a limited number of transmission lines. These become ‘[bottlenecks](https://montel.energy/resources/blog/how-does-grid-congestion-affect-energy-supply-in-europe?ref=theferret.scot)’ because there is a maximum amount of electricity they can carry. If [too much](https://www.renewableuk.com/news-and-resources/blog/an-overview-of-constraint-payments/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Any%20piece%20of%20grid%20equipment,the%20bottleneck%20has%20been%20cleared.) electricity is pushed through them, they can overheat or malfunction. This can cause instability and, in [some cases](https://www.ft.com/content/089487d5-dee0-4c38-b423-ce6802f1059d?ref=theferret.scot), even blackouts Two bottlenecks [matter most](https://ukerc.ac.uk/news/transmission-network-unavailability-the-quiet-driving-force-behind-rising-curtailment-costs-in-great-britain/?ref=theferret.scot) for Scottish wind. The first is called the B4 boundary which separates the two transmission regions within Scotland. Many of the UK’s newest and largest wind farms are located north of this point, and their electricity has to cross B4 before reaching the border. The second is the B6 boundary along the Scotland-England border – the main corridor for exporting Scottish electricity to the rest of the UK. When the wind is strong and output from wind farms is high, more electricity is generated north of these boundaries than the cables that cross them can physically carry. When these 'constraints' on the grid occur, the [National Energy System Operator](https://www.neso.energy/?ref=theferret.scot) (NESO) steps in to keep the system stable. NESO tells some wind farms north of the boundaries to turn off or reduce output – known as ‘curtailment’. This happens [more often](https://ukerc.ac.uk/news/transmission-network-unavailability-the-quiet-driving-force-behind-rising-curtailment-costs-in-great-britain/?ref=theferret.scot) when the grid is undergoing maintenance or upgrades. Sections of the transmission network must be taken out of service so engineers can work safely, reducing available capacity. Maciver notes that B4 “spent around seven months last year operating with roughly half its usual capacity”. B6 experienced [similar levels](https://ukerc.ac.uk/news/transmission-network-unavailability-the-quiet-driving-force-behind-rising-curtailment-costs-in-great-britain/?ref=theferret.scot) of outages. With even less room on the grid, more wind has to be turned off. [Fort William food bank faces down £24k bill from energy giantThe Lochaber food bank in Fort William claims energy multinational SSE tried to “rip them off”. After a year of fighting – and questions from The Ferret – it has received an apology. But it’s still being charged more than £10k.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-81.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1615897570286-da936a5dfb81.jpeg)](https://www.theferret.scot/fort-william-food-bank-faces-down-24k-bill-from-energy-giant/) ### **Why does this cost money?** Constraints create two costs. Wind farms that are told to turn down production lose the money they would have earned from selling that electricity, so NESO [compensates](https://www.neso.energy/energy-101/electricity-explained/how-do-we-balance-grid/what-are-constraints-payments?ref=theferret.scot) them. But the electricity they would have produced is still needed elsewhere. So NESO must also pay other generators – [usually](https://carbontracker.org/reports/gone-with-the-wind/?ref=theferret.scot) gas-fired power stations – to increase their output at the same time. This is done through the [Balancing Mechanism](https://www.neso.energy/what-we-do/systems-operations/what-balancing-mechanism?ref=theferret.scot), the market NESO uses to make rapid adjustments to supply and demand. Generators submit ‘bids’ to turn down and ‘offers’ to turn up, and NESO selects the lowest-cost combination. “The expensive side of it is turning gas up,” Maciver says. Gas power stations often receive a premium for ramping up at short notice, and the cost of constraint rose sharply when global gas prices spiked in 2021-22. Since then constraint costs have [continued to rise](https://ukerc.ac.uk/news/transmission-network-unavailability-the-quiet-driving-force-behind-rising-curtailment-costs-in-great-britain/?ref=theferret.scot) as more and more wind farms have come online without necessary upgrades to the grid. Constraint payments aren’t unique to wind – all types of power stations can be [asked to turn down](https://www.neso.energy/document/362561/download?ref=theferret.scot#[11]) – but wind now receives most of them simply because so much of it sits north of the grid bottlenecks. ### **Why is it the same wind farms switching off?** Some wind farms are curtailed [more](https://www.ft.com/content/e7481629-4e6b-460c-830c-d97324115aca?ref=theferret.scot) than others. These are often newer, larger projects which can bid lower prices to turn down. In the Balancing Mechanism, the lowest-priced bids are accepted first. “The cheapest things to turn down end up being the newest, shiniest plants that have just come online,” Maciver explains. The effect is that a handful of sites – including Scotland’s [biggest](https://www.sserenewables.com/offshore-wind/operational-wind-farms/seagreen/?ref=theferret.scot) offshore wind farm, [Seagreen](https://octopus.energy/press/as-wasted-wind-is-set-to-hit-650m-so-far-this-year-octopus-introduces-wasted-wind-ticker-on-homepage-to-highlight-colossal-costs-of-broken-energy-system/?ref=theferret.scot), which could power more than 1.6 million homes – are curtailed [over](https://windtable.co.uk/data?farm=Seagreen&ref=theferret.scot) 60 per cent of the time. Maciver says this “looks really bad” but says it is largely a “quirk of the system”. “Going from five per cent curtailment a few years ago to 10 per cent across the whole fleet with everyone sharing that burden would look less bad than a new wind farm coming online and being curtailed two thirds of the time,” he notes. ### **How can the problem be fixed?** The widely-touted [solution](https://www.neso.energy/document/362561/download?ref=theferret.scot) is to increase transmission capacity between Scotland and England. Two [subsea](https://www.easterngreenlink1.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) [links](https://www.easterngreenlink2.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) are in the pipeline and due to come online in 2029, with further projects [planned](https://www.edfenergy.com/media-centre/managing-constraints-clean-power-short-term-fixes-could-lower-bills?ref=theferret.scot) in the 2030s. These upgrades will not totally eliminate constraint payments, but they should help reduce them. “Since 2010 we’ve had a policy called ‘connect and manage’ which has been to encourage renewables on to the system,” Maciver says. Policymakers prioritised the rapid deployment of low-carbon electricity to tackle the UK’s contribution to climate change, rather than waiting years for the grid to catch up. “The problem is we got behind on the grid build,” Maciver argues, noting that it will be more expensive to build new transmission now than it would have been five years ago when interest rates were lower. In future, battery projects could also help store electricity produced when wind output is high, meaning it can be used at other times and less electricity is wasted. So could pumped hydro schemes – which use reservoirs to store and generate electricity. A growth in energy-hungry industries, such as data centres and green hydrogen production, could mean more power is consumed here in Scotland. But while new transmission is built, constraint costs are [expected to](https://www.neso.energy/document/362561/download?ref=theferret.scot) continue to [rise](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67494082?ref=theferret.scot) as new turbines come online. Some communities in areas hosting a lot of wind turbines are now calling for a more hard-line response. They want a [moratorium](http://scottishbeacon.com/news/local-democracy/open-letter-to-john-swinney-calls-for-immediate-moratorium-on-wind-farm-developments/?ref=theferret.scot) on new wind projects in Scotland, a demand [backed](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25390236.scottish-tories-back-calls-highlands-pylon-turbine-ban/?ref=theferret.scot) by Scottish Tory leader, Russell Findlay. ### **What does this mean for household bills?** Constraint payments attract big headlines, but what about their impact on bills? “It’s a difficult story \[for the renewables sector\]”, Maciver says, “but it’s not a huge impact.” [Balancing costs](https://www.neso.energy/industry-information/balancing-costs?ref=theferret.scot) – which include constraint payments – currently add [around](https://d2e1qxpsswcpgz.cloudfront.net/uploads/2025/11/Discussion-Paper-final.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) £50 to the typical annual electricity bill. "It's a cost," Maciver notes, but only a "few per cent" of overall bills. There will also be [costs](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/dec/04/fears-of-higher-energy-bills-as-28bn-grid-upgrade-gets-go-ahead?ref=theferret.scot) on the consumer involved with upgrading the grid, but Maciver says this should “trade off” with lower constraint payments. A recent [paper](https://d2e1qxpsswcpgz.cloudfront.net/uploads/2025/11/Discussion-Paper-final.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by his colleagues at the UK Energy Research Centre (ERC) found electricity bills had increased by around £150 in real terms since 2021\. Around £19 of this increase is a result of increased balancing costs partly as a result of higher constraint payments. UK ERC’s analysis found around £112 of that real term increase was caused by a growth in wholesale costs – [driven](https://ukerc.ac.uk/publications/the-price-of-power-wholesale-market-price-formation-policy-costs-and-domestic-electricity-bills-in-britain/?ref=theferret.scot) largely by gas. The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### SNP claims about Rachel Reeves ‘chaos budget’ are Mostly True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/snp-claims-reeves-budget-mostly-true/ Last updated: 2026-02-18T14:16:47.000Z Chancellor Rachel Reeves has rejected claims she misled the public about the nation's finances in the run-up to her Budget. The SNP reacted with dismay at Rachel Reeves’ budget announcement, claiming the chancellor’s plans would create “chaos”. In a [social media post widely-shared](https://x.com/tomfrench85/status/1993714673137422808?ref=theferret.scot) by party politicians and supporters, SNP communications director Tom French made a series of claims about the [budget](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/budget-2025?ref=theferret.scot) and Labour’s performance in government. > Rachel Reeves’ chaos budget: Energy bills £400 higher than promised from April. Taxes up £26billion. UK unemployment at a 4-year high. Economic growth slashed every year. Families worse off. The Ferret Fact Service took a look at some of the claims in the post. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/size/w1000/2025/11/Banner-1.png) ### **‘Energy bills £400 higher than promised from April’** The post claims that, from April, energy bills will be £400 higher than Labour had promised they would be. Decreasing energy bills formed a central part of Labour’s election campaign last year. Keir Starmer and his now-energy minister Ed Miliband [repeatedly pledged](https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-government-fails-to-confirm-300-energy-promise?ref=theferret.scot) to reduce energy bills by up to £300 during the campaign, and have [continued](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMgQGHgce70&ref=theferret.scot) to back [their pledge](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy7gj181k0o?ref=theferret.scot) in interviews since Labour came to power. In response to Ferret Fact Service about the widely-shared SNP post, the Scottish political party argued the claim was based on the difference in the energy price cap in July 2024, when Labour politicians made the claim, and the price now. French then added that figure to the £300 that Labour said would be saved under their government to reach £487. In July 2024, the [price cap](https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/energy-price-cap-explained?ref=theferret.scot) was set at £1,568\. It is currently £1,755\. This is an increase of £187 since Labour got into power. The [energy price cap](https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/energy-price-cap-explained?ref=theferret.scot) is the maximum amount energy suppliers can charge people for each unit of energy. It's based on average household use and isn’t the limit on how high your actual bill could be. Labour had promised to reduce bills by “up to” £300, without guaranteeing the maximum amout But in various social media messages, interviews and other public statements, leading party members including Starmer, Miliband and Rachel Reeves stated the party would bring down energy bills, without clearly stating a time frame. A timeline was not stated in this [tweet by Keir Starmer](https://x.com/Keir%5FStarmer/status/1803310972305629470?ref=theferret.scot), for example. Rachel Reeves [made a similar statement](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/reeves-to-reiterate-labour-pledge-to-cut-down-energy-bills-b2564931.html?ref=theferret.scot), but pledged to bring down energy bills by £300 by 2030, rather than by 2025\. The party’s promise was based on an [analysis](https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/cutting-the-bills-uk-clean-power/?ref=theferret.scot#executive-summary) of the party’s plans for increased renewable energy by think-tank Ember. It estimated the average household energy bill would be about £300 lower in 2030 than in 2023, if the UK Government met its renewable energy commitments. Labour has [backed away](https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-government-fails-to-confirm-300-energy-promise?ref=theferret.scot) from such a commitment since the election, but in the budget Reeves claimed £150 [would come off energy bills](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/26/budget-2025-key-points-rachel-reeves?ref=theferret.scot) next year as a result of scrapping a home insulation policy introduced by the Conservatives. **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** ![“The Ferret Fact Service rating scale from ‘True’ to ‘FFS!’, with the ferret icon positioned at ‘Half True’.”](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_HalfTrue_RGB.png) ### **‘Taxes up £26billion’** An increase in taxes in the budget was confirmed by the [Office for Budget Responsibility](https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-november-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) (OBR) in its analysis. The OBR is the public body that provides independent economic forecasts and analysis of public finances. The OBR’s report [states](https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-november-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) that “the budget also raises taxes by amounts rising to £26bn in 2029-30, through freezing personal tax thresholds and a host of smaller measures”. Rachel Reeves said she was "[asking ordinary people to pay a little bit more](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c246npmq1n4o?ref=theferret.scot)" as she unveiled the new measures, including scrapping the two-child benefit cap, a restriction on benefits that was mitigated in Scotland. **Ferret Fact Service verdict: True** ![“The Ferret Fact Service rating scale from ‘True’ to ‘FFS!’, with the ferret icon positioned at ‘True’.”](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_True_RGB.png) ### **‘UK unemployment at a 4-year high’.** The current [UK unemployment rate](https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/timeseries/mgsx/lms?ref=theferret.scot) is five per cent, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, which cover July to September 2025. Unemployment in the UK has not been higher since the [beginning of 2021](https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/timeseries/mgsx/lms?ref=theferret.scot), more than four years ago. The last time it was higher was Oct-Dec 2020, when it reached 5.3 per cent. In March-May 2022 it fell to an all time recent low of 3.7 per cent. **Ferret Fact Service verdict: True** ![“The Ferret Fact Service rating scale from ‘True’ to ‘FFS!’, with the ferret icon positioned at ‘True’.”](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_True_RGB.png) ### **Economic growth slashed every year.** The [OBR announced it was predicting](https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-november-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) that the UK’s economy would grow at a slower rate from next year, after Reeves’ budget. From 2026 to 2029, the body [predicts](https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-november-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) that growth will be lower than it had forecasted in March this year. This downgrading was blamed on ‘productivity performance’ that had been lower than expected. Productivity is a measure of the economic output per hour worked. However, in November the OBR also [predicted that GDP](https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-november-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) would grow in real terms by 1.5 per cent in 2025, which is an increase on its [March forecast](https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) of one per cent growth **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** ![“The Ferret Fact Service rating scale from ‘True’ to ‘FFS!’, with the ferret icon positioned at ‘Mostly True’.”](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_MostlyTrue_RGB.png) ### A multinational says a battery site in rural Kintyre will help tackle climate change. Locals claim it will spoil a "unique environment" URL: https://www.theferret.scot/battery-storge-kintyre-spoil-environment/ Last updated: 2025-12-07T08:34:23.000Z **A company owned by an Australian investment firm dubbed the "vampire kangaroo" has plans for a lithium battery facility in Kintyre, prompting fears the “unique environment” of Scotland's west coast risks “being industrialised by developers” and of fire risk at the site.** Island Green Power has plans for a battery energy storage scheme (BESS) on the edge of a hamlet called Whitehouse, north-west Kintyre, which would include 200 containers with lithium batteries. The company – which is wholly owned by Australian multinational, Macquarie Asset Management and registered in Bermuda – said its scheme would “play an important role in the UK’s journey to net zero” and that “safety is a primary consideration”. But locals claim there would be a risk of “fire, explosion and the release of toxic gases” at the site. There is also the “ethical dimension” of battery storage and its supply chain to consider, said experts, who pointed out that lithium extraction has damaged the environment in places like Argentina and Chile and impacted indigenous communities. ****This story exists thanks to you.** The Ferret doesn't answer to advertisers, owners, or paywalls. We answer to you, our readers and over 2,000 members who support journalism that holds power to account. Keep stories like this coming. [Support us – £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The Scottish Government, which will decide if the plan goes ahead following a public consultation, said any potential impact on local communities will be taken into account. Lithium is a soft, silvery-white metal that is an essential component of the batteries that power electric cars, laptops and solar energy storage. Battery storage schemes are part of the Scottish Government’s drive to meet net zero targets and transition minerals such as lithium are required for this move away from fossil fuels. Storage sites stockpile energy from renewable sources – which might otherwise be [wasted](https://www.drax.com/press%5Frelease/uk-urgently-needs-more-energy-storage-to-avoid-wasting-wind-power-report/?ref=theferret.scot) – and release it when needed. When it’s sunny and windy, turbines and solar panels can generate more energy than required on a particular day. Excess electricity is then stored as chemical energy, usually inside Lithium-ion batteries – and when weather conditions are calm or overcast it can be sent back to the power grid. Scotland generated a record amount of energy from renewables last year. A total of [38.4 terawatt hours](https://www.gov.scot/publications/energy-statistics-for-scotland-q4-2024/pages/renewable-electricity-generation/?ref=theferret.scot) (TWh) of electricity was produced in 2024 – an increase of 13.2 per cent on the previous year and 8.4 per cent higher than the previous peak of 35.5 TWh, which was recorded in 2022. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/WhitehouseBESSPanorama_Billy.jpg) The site for a proposed battery energy storage scheme on the edge of a village called Whitehouse, north-west Kintyre. Image by Jan Nimmo. There has been a steady rise in planning applications for battery storage sites across Scotland. The Scottish Government recently announced an [£800 million deal](https://www.insider.co.uk/news/swinney-budget-maximise-scotlands-potential-34438302?ref=theferret.scot) which will create the two largest battery storage sites in Europe, in South Lanarkshire. Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners will build two more storage sites in addition to one under construction in the village of Coalburn. But some residents oppose battery storage sites. Concerns raised by locals include fears of fires, the potential damage to wildlife habitats, noise pollution, and the transformation of rural land into industrial sites. [Four schemes](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c17x5z1dedqo?ref=theferret.scot) have been approved near Leitholm, in the Borders, since 2022\. Residents of the village - between Coldstream and Greenlaw - warned last year that the heart of their community was being "ripped out" by these sites. Scottish Borders Council opposed a fifth plan which triggered a public inquiry. Campaigners are now demanding a moratorium on new battery storage developments, after a [new report](https://aprs.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/APRS-battery-storage-report-summary.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) found projects already proposed could provide four times more electricity storage than required by the end of this decade. Action to Protect Rural Scotland said that planning permission had been granted for battery storage sites “metres from 5,000-year-old prehistoric sites, in woodlands, and on prime agricultural land”. The project analysed 421 Scottish battery storage applications. The highest density, the report said, is in Caithness, along the Moray coast, down the east coast, across the central belt, and in Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. Highland shows the highest number by local authority area followed by Aberdeenshire. There has been one recorded fire at a BESS in the UK, which took place in Liverpool in [September 2020.](https://www.merseyfire.gov.uk/media-centre/news-press/latest-news/battery-energy-storage-site-enhances-safety-in-response-to-recommendations-from-mfrs/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **The BESS supply chain and ethical concerns** Aside from safety fears over BESS, there are concerns over the extraction of lithium globally. High-grade deposits of lithium can currently be found in four countries around the world – Argentina, Australia, Chile and China. In Chile, the world's largest reserves of lithium lie beneath the salt flats of the Atacama Desert. Mining companies predominantly extract lithium by pumping brine from beneath Chile's salt flats to evaporation pools on the surface. The process extracts vast amounts of water in this already drought-prone region. A [report this year](https://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/lithium%5Fand%5Fhuman%5Frights%5Fin%5Fthe%5Fhigh%5Fandean%5Fsalt%5Fflats%5Fof%5Fargentina%5Fbolivia%5Fand%5Fchile.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on the impact of lithium mining found that methods used by companies in the rush to extract the mineral has led to an “irreversible” and “unrecoverable” loss of water. Damage to flora has been recorded and the reproduction of [flamingos has decreased ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c30741j351go?ref=theferret.scot)because lithium mining impacts microorganisms that birds feed on in these waters – so the whole food chain is affected. The Atacama desert is a salt flat in Chile’s Antofagasta region, located within the traditional territory of the Lickanantay (Atacameño) Indigenous peoples. ### **Kintyre** **opposition to BESS** The village of Whitehouse is just south of the Islay Ferry terminal at Kennacraig, on West Loch Tarbert. The area's ecology is already fragile with pockets of old plantation and ancient woodland, say locals opposed to the Whitehouse scheme. They include Jan Nimmo, who is a member of the Kintyre Against BESS Group. She told The Ferret that villagers were “blind-sided” by Island Green Power’s plans, which would also involve two substations and almost 2.5km of underground cabling. If it goes ahead, Nimmo claimed, the BESS scheme will “present a huge risk of fire, explosion and the release of toxic gases to the air and water table”. “We are concerned not only for the people of Whitehouse but also fear that the scheme would set a precedent along the length of Kintyre and beyond,” she said, arguing that BESS schemes are not the solution to climate change. “They are part of the problem along the whole length of the supply chain, from mineral extraction and processing to manufacturing, installation and eventual disposal". ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/JanNimmo_Gauldrons.jpeg) Jan Nimmo, a Whitehouse resident and member of the Kintyre Against BESS Group. Image courtesy of Jan Nimmo. Argyle and Bute councillor Anne Horn also voiced safety concerns over the site and said that while she is in favour of renewable energy, “the safety, security and wellbeing of our people must be the priority”. She claimed that any major emergency might require fire fighters with BESS expertise to travel from Glasgow to Whitehouse which would involve a two and a half hour journey. The effect on water source, homes, residents, and habitat could “well be compromised in such a situation”, Horn said, adding that the proposal “would not contribute to the economy of the people of Whitehouse and nearby communities”. In reply, Island Green Power said its proposal would “support the increased use of renewable power” and by storing excess electricity during low-demand periods and releasing it when demand is higher, the project would make a “meaningful contribution to energy security and grid stability”. A company spokesperson claimed its system will use “proven technology that is already operating safely” across the UK and internationally. “The site will include safety measures such as advanced monitoring, early fire detection and suppression systems, and will follow National Fire Chiefs Council guidance,” they said. “A comprehensive battery safety management plan will also be made publicly available as part of the planning application. We will continue to engage closely with the emergency services as the design progresses.” The firm – which held its first public consultation on 29 May and is reviewing feedback – said it is committed to involving local residents in “shaping the final project” ahead of submitting a planning application. “We are currently refining several key elements of the design, including updates made directly in response to community feedback,” the spokesperson continued. “Local residents can register at www.whitehousebess.co.uk to receive updates on the proposals and our next consultation event, which we will publicise in due course.” Commenting on the ethics of battery storage schemes , Dr Evelyn Uribe Navarrete, an academic at Glasgow University who researches lithium extraction in Chile, said Scotland needs to “examine the entire supply chain” behind lithium battery production. She added: “This is not merely an environmental issue; Turning the Atacama into a sacrifice zone creates ripple effects far beyond Chile, ultimately reaching rural communities in Scotland.” > There should be a serious plan for how much of these crucial transition minerals are needed, where they should be deployed and how they can be recycled at the end of their current use. Kim Pratt, Friends of the Earth Scotland’s spokesperson for the senior circular economy, claimed there is “significant evidence of social and environmental impacts, including human rights abuses” connected with lithium mining and production supplying the Scottish economy. She added: "The current global recycling rate for lithium is just one per cent meaning that Scotland cannot just assume there will be limitless growth in its use. There should be a serious plan for how much of these crucial transition minerals are needed, where they should be deployed and how they can be recycled at the end of their current use." A Scottish Government spokesperson said that a formal application has not yet been submitted for Island Green Power’s proposal. “Any potential impacts on communities, nature and cultural heritage, including the cumulative effects of developments, are important considerations in the decision-making process,” a spokesperson added. Macquarie Asset Management declined to comment. The firm, based in Sydney, has been dubbed the[ ‘Vampire Kangaroo’](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-infrastructure-linked-to-tax-havens/) for its tough pursuit of profit – a moniker it rejects. It has a swathe of UK assets and claims to have plowed more than £50bn into UK infrastructure projects in recent years. Its projects include the M6 toll road, Southern Water and National Grid’s transmission system. The Ferret is Scotland's member-owned investigative journalism outlet. For ten years, we've been digging deeper into the stories that matter, holding power to account without fear or favour. We don't have billionaire backers or corporate interests. We have you. ****Every investigation you read is funded by readers who believe Scotland deserves better journalism. Join them.** [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) ### Fort William food bank faces down £24k bill from energy giant URL: https://www.theferret.scot/fort-william-food-bank-faces-down-24k-bill-from-energy-giant/ Last updated: 2025-12-04T08:54:52.000Z **A multinational energy firm accused of "trying to rip off a food bank" in Fort William for £24,000 has finally apologised and promised to charge the charity the correct amount after almost a year. But volunteers say they are "appalled" that the bill is still set to cost £10,000.** The [Lochaber food bank](https://www.lochaberfoodbank.org/?ref=theferret.scot), in Fort William, which is run entirely by volunteers, spent 12 months fighting the “inflated” bill, presented to them in December 2024 and even involved the Ombudsman. Charges were later reduced to almost £17,000, but it was only when The Ferret made enquiries that SSE finally agreed to use the “actual meter readings” submitted by food bank volunteers and reduce the VAT from business to charity rates. However its latest bill for over £10,000 includes arrears charged at rates that the food bank says are double what was agreed as well as meter readings it disputes entirely. Since 2014 the food bank has opened six hours a week and runs on donations from the local community, using a local space for free. Trustees running the space assumed that energy bills were also covered. Last December it emerged that the property had been missed from SSE’s systems and bills started to arrive. Trustees of the food bank were told that under [Ofgem rules](https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/what-do-if-you-get-back-bill?ref=theferret.scot) it would not be charged more than a year in arrears because of its charity status. They contacted SSE explaining the food bank used minimal energy, including lighting, fridges and freezers. Its bill was worked out as an anticipated £1,700 per year and volunteers agreed to send monthly readings. But the following month a bill for £24,040 arrived and the trustees realised they were being charged at the 20 per cent business rate of VAT. SSE later agreed to reduce the bill to £16,778.91, an amount which the food bank claimed was still grossly inflated and unfair. Following our investigation, food bank trustees were told that the amount owed will be recalculated with re-issued invoices based on the correct rates and VAT issued by 4 December. Volunteer food bank trustee John Fotheringham said SSE had since sent the latest bill for £10,000 – an amount he still believes is far too high. [Donate to The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) Fotheringham claimed he was "flummoxed" by the ongoing dispute which had been a “stressful and painful experience which SSE could have avoided if they had adopted sympathetic and supportive customer service”. He added: “When we first contacted SSE we said we were happy to set-up a payment system. It was forecast that we would be paying £1,780 a year which still seemed fairly reasonable. So you can imagine the shock when we received a bill for £24,000\. “SSE took the attitude that was just what we owed – it didn’t matter that we were a food bank or that it had been their mistake that they hadn’t sent us any bills or that they had used inflated readings.” A spokesperson for the company told us it apologised for “the distress and inconvenience caused to Lochaber Foodbank” and claimed it had now taken “a comprehensive review of the account” and would adjust its billing accordingly. Fotheringham shared original meter readings with us and the seemingly inflated readings included on the final bill. These were also shared with the [Energy Ombudsman](https://www.energyombudsman.org/?ref=theferret.scot) though this, he says, did not lead to any resolution. He said he was "ashamed" to be a SSE shareholder and is concerned this this case is not unique. “There is no other way to put it," he added. "They were trying to rip a food bank off.” [Energy giants and short term lets lobbyists attended ‘shadowy’ Labour business eventEnergy giants, a lobbying group for the holiday lets sector, and a firm which uses AI to track migrants crossing the Channel were among private bodies at a “shadowy” event at Scottish Labour’s conference which journalists were banned from. Scottish Labour faced criticism over the transparency of its relationship![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-78.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/videoframe_1332346-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/energy-giants-lobbyists-labour-business-event/) His experience of bad practice by the energy company is not limited to this case. He is the treasurer at [Kilmonivaig Parish Church](https://www.kilmonivaig.org/?ref=theferret.scot), in Spean Bridge, which earlier this year faced a 51 per cent increase from £180 to £277 in their direct debit “for no apparent reason”. Since then this has been resolved with SSE with the monthly debit reduced to £183\. “It appears large utility companies can act with impunity without any fear of consequences,” he added. “SSE stresses its contribution to Scottish society yet we have had to seek media help to persuade them to treat us fairly. Those who don’t have the skills or confidence just get ignored.” SSE is also developing a pumped hydro storage project in the area, [Coire Glas](https://www.coireglas.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which it claims will be capable of generating enough renewable energy to power “three million homes in just under five minutes” when operational. The company has invested £100m in the hydro scheme. However Fotheringham claimed any future investment or policy support by UK or Scottish Governments should be conditional against fairer energy prices for the local community. Flick Monk, community and public energy campaigner at climate justice co-op, [Platform](https://platformlondon.org/?ref=theferret.scot), said: “SSE’s callous treatment of the Lochaber Food Bank shows exactly how corporate energy giants prioritise profit over people. Volunteers working to keep their neighbours fed shouldn’t be hit with five-figure bills for power they barely use. "If SSE can’t keep their word to a local charity, how could we ever trust them with a multi-billion pound energy project right on people’s doorsteps? Our energy system should be publicly owned and accountable to local people.” > SSE has made billions in profit and its chief executive earns [£1m a year](https://www.scotsman.com/business/energy-giant-sse-names-new-chief-executive-on-ps1-million-salary-plus-bonuses-5055762?ref=theferret.scot) while its customers have been driven into poverty by sky high bills. > > Stuart Bretherton, Fuel Poverty Action Stuart Bretherton, spokesperson for [Fuel Poverty Action](https://www.fuelpovertyaction.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), added: "Food and energy are two of our most basic needs, human rights that are essential for any sort of decent standard of living. "But SSE has made billions in profit and its chief executive earns [£1m a year](https://www.scotsman.com/business/energy-giant-sse-names-new-chief-executive-on-ps1-million-salary-plus-bonuses-5055762?ref=theferret.scot) while its customers have been driven into poverty by sky high bills. Now they're attacking vital public services that they've helped to make a necessity for communities here in Scotland and the wider UK, while being provided with subsidies that drain the public purse and drive our bills up even more." Last March an arm of the energy company apologised after around 17,000 [customers received incorrect bills](https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/all-about/your-money?ref=theferret.scot). Thousands of customers of SSE Airtricity were sent incorrect bills, with many overcharged. The Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, [Angus MacDonald](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5362/contact?ref=theferret.scot), said local people, businesses and charities across the Highlands were routinely paying grossly inflated and unfair prices for their energy. Last month he raised questions in the UK Parliament about the impact of fuel poverty on Highland communities. He added: “This ridiculous situation is not at all unusual in the Highlands. Many of my constituents can see wind turbines from their windows but their bills are higher than they would be if they lived in the city. Fuel bills in the Highlands are crippling and action must now be taken.” The Energy Ombudsman told The Ferret the case had been “fully investigated” and resolved, a claim initially disputed by food bank trustees. “We also required SSE to issue an apology, pay £125 as a goodwill gesture, and send a VAT declaration form to reflect its charitable status,” a spokesperson added. A spokesperson for SSE said it “sincerely apologises for the distress and inconvenience caused” to Lochaber Foodbank. “We have conducted a comprehensive review of the account and applied back-billing adjustments to correct the previous charges,” they added. “Alongside this, we are fully implementing the Energy Ombudsman’s actions to rebill at the correct VAT rate for charitable status and updating the account with verified meter readings. “We’re engaging directly with the customer to keep them informed and ensure a fair resolution." ****WE'RE 10 AND WE HAVE A NEW LOOK** Ten years of investigations that changed Scotland. One refresh to take us further. You're reading our reimagined Ferret: new look, sharpened focus, same mission. Like what you see? Support our independent journalism. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/signup) ### Far-right agitators stand accused of stirring up trouble at asylum hotel protests. But anti-racists are standing firm URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-agitators-are-attending-asylum-hotel/ Last updated: 2026-08-12T16:06:44.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_SubLogo_LongRead_CMYK.png) **When the “mob” appeared, some were waving union flags and saltires. There were dozens of protestors and their target was a group of anti-racists who’d gathered in a Dundee park in solidarity with asylum seekers.** Harvey Duke was an eye witness. “These people had been psyched up,” says Duke, a softly spoken man who’s in a Dundee pub telling his story. “They were absolutely enraged. They looked upon us as devils incarnate.” He leans forward, almost whispering. “I wanted to tell you this face to face. For my own mental health, I need to tell people this. It was the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen in my life – ever.” Duke, a writer, mental health worker and social justice campaigner, is on the streets of Dundee every week to support asylum seekers who are the focus of angry protests. He sips from a glass of coke, glances over his shoulder and continues his story, as a song by Van Morrison plays in the background. He’s talking about events on 13 September in Stobsmuir Park, known locally as Swannie Ponds, when two groups were in a tense stand-off which lasted more than two-and-a-half hours. Duke says “fascists” hurled abuse and there were chants of “paedos” and “send them home” by the anti-immigration crowd. After the anti-racist group left the park to walk towards flats housing asylum seekers, Duke says they ended up in the corner of a street, penned in by a baying crowd. The “far right” chucked vapes, stones and eggs, he adds, and although police were in attendance he claims they were unprepared for the fury unleashed against a group which included women, children, disabled people and elderly folk. Images of the 2024 riots in England flashed up in Duke’s mind. “I remember thinking, ‘if anyone’s going to break through police lines and set fires to flats or hotels, it’s the people who are standing a few yards away from us’.” Duke is one of many anti-racism activists The Ferret has spoken to recently as part of an on-going investigation into the demonstrations against asylum seekers spreading across Scotland. He was on official duty in Dundee the day the “fascists” came to town. As a member of Dundee Trades Union Council, he was a senior steward tasked with marshalling the anti-racist group and ensuring its safety, while liaising with police. There were an estimated 250 anti-racists – including union members, antifascists and locals – facing off against around 150 people opposed to asylum seekers. There had been previous Dundee demos but this was larger and more intimidating, Duke says. He recalls a lot of shouting and “realised quickly” that some in the crowd were not those he’d previously encountered at demos. Some, The Ferret has learned, had travelled to Dundee from Aberdeen and Perth, and Duke claims they would try to attack the anti-fascists when out of sight of the police, adding: “They were right in our faces.” One detail haunts Duke. He had to escort a family to safety and recalls a woman pushing a pram with tears streaming down her face. She was sobbing, he says, as a crowd shouted abuse just a few feet away, held back by police. “I had to keep saying to the woman, over and over, ‘it'll be okay, you'll be safe here, it'll be OK’,” says Duke, who says that some protestors were “genuinely terrified”. Some told him they couldn’t attend another protest. Others are not sleeping well. “We’re trying to get people to talk about it,” says Duke. “I know the value of talking about it all. I need to talk about it too. It’s been so stressful.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/20251111_135551.jpg) Harvey Duke. Image by Billy Briggs Protests against asylum seekers are nothing new in Britain. They’ve been on-going for years and have become an incendiary political issue. In 2023, [we revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-patriotic-alternative-prison-hate-crimes/) that neo-Nazis from England, some of whom were later jailed, travelled north to attend protests against asylum seekers in Erskine. Two years on and there are protests in Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Falkirk, and Perth. They’ve been attended by far right groups and people with genuine fears over asylum seekers, reflecting a controversial view they are more likely to commit crimes, and make areas less safe. Increasingly the same narratives and slogans are used at protests including “save our women” and “defend our children” – coupled with concerns that immigration has caused the housing crisis. Violence has erupted at times. In England last year, there was widespread street disorder when rioters attacked people of colour and tried to burn down hotels housing asylum seekers – their rage aimed at people who’d come to Britain seeking safety from violence. This summer protests erupted in England again after Hadush Kebatu, an asylum seeker in Epping, was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14 year-old. Scotland has escaped rioting, so far, but there are worrying signs the mood is darkening as the immigration debate becomes increasingly poisonous amidst a prolonged cost of living crisis that’s caused economic hardship. After an Afghan asylum seeker was jailed for raping a woman in Falkirk in June, hundreds of people protested outside a hotel where they are housed – and they’ve continued to demonstrate since. While some attending protests are local people with no specific political affiliation, far right groups have also been attending demonstrations. They include the Homeland Party — which says it rejects violence – and extremist factions such as Britain First and Patriotic Alternative, the latter which stands accused of being “neo-Nazi”. These groups have been accused of spreading misinformation and stirring up racial hatred but they claim to represent the views of people who are opposed to mass immigration. Homeland says it has “no connection to any disorder” and that local tensions exist because of the “consequences of mass immigration”. Patriotic Alternative says it is a “white advocacy group, and we support the indigenous people of these islands”. For peaceful campaigners like Duke, who has attended pro-immigration protests across Scotland for years, these feel like dark times. He says asylum seekers are being scapegoated for Britain’s economic problems and collectively punished for the crimes of a small number of criminal individuals. But his commitment to their cause comes at a cost. “I’ve never felt anything like that before,” Duke says. He certainly never expected to encounter this in Dundee, a city with a tradition of opposing racism. For him, threats are now a part of his life and he could be a target. He shares screenshots of a Facebook page after someone posted a photo of him, which prompted a series of comments. “You’ll need to crush him like the bug he is. He’s a peedo (sic) fuktard,” wrote one man. Another posted: “he’s got a puss (face) you’d gladly punch.” Duke says that he feels “strangely Ok” despite the risks, but that “he’s not unaffected” and often “very tired”. He also worries about the wellbeing of fellow anti-fascists though stresses their commitment to supporting asylum seekers is unwavering. “We can’t let fascists take over the streets,” Duke says. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Falkirk-for-AllJ46746.jpg) Flags on a Falkirk estate. Image by Angela Catlin **FALKIRK'S ASYLUM PROTESTS** Driving into Falkirk from the east, the politics are visible. As we pass a housing scheme known locally as ‘The Bog”, union flags and saltires on lampposts flutter in the wind, symbolism that smacks of loyalist estates in Northern Ireland. Our destination is the Cladhan Hotel, a dull grey and white block of a building, on two levels, close to the town centre with a line of swaying green trees at its back. It faces high rise flats where union flags stare back, and across from the hotel, where anti-migrant protestors gather, lies a sign that reads: “Call them what they are: Illegal economic migrants.” We’ve arranged to meet Cameron Manning, an anti-racism activist who lives in Falkirk. A well-built lad originally from Somerset, he volunteers with a group called Falkirk for All which has been opposing anti-immigration demos in the town. Falkirk, in some respects, has been the epicentre of protests against asylum seekers in Scotland this year and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage plans to visit the town this weekend. It was the rape of a teenage girl in 2023 that sparked outrage in August, and the demos have continued at least weekly for almost six months now. The rape was committed by Sadeq Nikzad, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who was jailed for nine years in June. Since then, there have been demands for the asylum seekers to be moved elsewhere amidst fears that women and children continue to be at risk. The Ferret arranged to meet Manning after Falkirk For All flagged a petition which called for an exclusion zone to be established around the hotel. It states that a “once tranquil neighbourhood has been transformed into an echo chamber of chaos, hindering daily life and diminishing mental well-being”, adding the protests have caused “unbearable noise levels” and disrupted life for residents. At time of writing 1090 people have signed the petition. Manning has been attending the Cladhan protests since the first one on 16 August and Falkirk for All was established in early September “I saw what the anti-hotel group was doing,” he explains. “I saw what they were doing online, the sort of rhetoric they were using, and the things they said about immigrants in general. And it was quite clear it was an extreme right wing group.” There’s a “visible sectarian” element to the protests, Manning says, with Rangers football club shirts and union flags de rigueur for some protestors. The flag of Northern Ireland has also been displayed and sectarian language has been used. Claiming that misinformation is rife, he recalls one incident after a Facebook group called Save Our Futures & Our Kids Futures posted a false accusation that an anti-racist campaigner was a paedophile, and around 15 people turned up at their home. “I think that's one of the most horrific things I've seen,” Manning says. “They took the post down with no public apology, just said they were reassessing the evidence and then deleted that post as well.” The Ferret asked Save Our Futures & Our Kids Futures to comment but heard nothing back. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Falkirk-for-AllJ46745.jpg) Cameron Manning, activist with Falkirk For All. Image by Angela Catlin. Before meeting Manning, I’d watched a[ video on X](https://x.com/SUTRScotland/status/1976223940172448138?ref=theferret.scot) of an evening protest at the Cladhan Hotel. As anti-racists were escorted away by police they were followed by a group of masked people. Manning was there. “We asked the police if they could give us some protection as we left the site, but were followed on the other side of the road, and they continuously shouted abuse. We were worried about getting to our cars as a lot of us had parked nearby. We don’t want people to identify our cars, given how they’re acting.” [Another video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=25h5rfXNjh4&ref=theferret.scot) shows a police cone being thrown at anti-racists and masked people shouting abuse and filming people as they get into their cars. Manning – who points out that claiming political asylum is not illegal – says he’s well known to the opposition but that it’s “pointless trying to hide”. He’s had threats and was warned that some people want to “batter him”, and there was information posted on Tik Tok about where he stays. It’s been “quite stressful” to be targeted, he says, but he’s determined to keep campaigning. He claims the tense situation has also impacted businesses in the town, with lower footfall generally on a Saturday which, Manning says, is because the protests take place close-by. “We \[Falkirk For All\] spoke to local businesses,” he says. “And, some that are owned by first, second or third generation immigrants are shutting on Saturdays, because they know that they are likely to be targets themselves, and have faced an increase of racism.” Another activist – who we’ll call Kali to protect her identity – claims she’s been threatened twice. On the first occasion she was targeted in a car park by a woman and man who, she says, know her from the protests. She says the man shouted: “You get in your car, you dirty wee skanky bastard,” and “What you rolling your eyes for,” before approaching her car, banging on its roof, and shouting: “You’re fucking dead”. The other threat came at night when a man wearing a union flag mask said to Kali, “the police can’t protect you forever, dear.” Her name has now been “passed around” the anti-migrant group. They know who she is. She says they stand with megaphones outside the hotel and shout her name. But Kali is defiant and says she stands up to abuse and will continue to do so – although there is one guy she’s concerned about – the man with the mask. She says: “I’m a wee bit edgy but I’m not scared.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/Falkirk-for-AllJ46742.jpg) Signage found across from the Cladhan Hotel, Falkirk. Image by Angela Catlin Kali later sends photos of two men outside the Cladhan wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the number “18” and claims they’re members of the neo-Nazi group, Combat 18\. The "18" in the name refers to the initials of Adolf Hitler, as A and H are the first and eighth letters of the alphabet. The Ferret has been unable to verify that claim, but we have identified people with links to far right groups. They include Mark Donald, who supports A Force for Good, which is led by an alleged Holocaust denier called Alistair McConnachie. In one video seen by The Ferret, Donald is outside the Cladhan with a megaphone, singing a football song with the words “fuck the pope”. Donald did not reply to our request for a comment. McConnachie said that while his group had not attended the demos “in any formal capacity” it was “sympathetic towards their aims of stopping mass immigration” and that “we have helped to publicise a select number”. He added: “We are not responsible for the words or actions of anyone acting in their personal capacity.” Banners at the protests included one that was [allegedly a nod](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/kill-em-all-banner-at-scotland-anti-immigration-protest-identical-to-one-pictured-in-adairs-maze-prison-cell/a1125628130.html?ref=theferret.scot) to the Ulster Defence Association, a banned Northern Ireland paramilitary group. It read “Kill 'Em All, Let God Sort 'Em Out", and was identical to one pictured with a loyalist figure called Jonny Adair when he was in prison. The flag of Israel has also been displayed and one video clip of a protest plays the Israeli national anthem. The Ferret has seen Tik Tok videos with loyalist symbols such as the red hand of Ulster. The Homeland Party, which advocates mass deportations of foreigners has attended the demos, as has Patriotic Alternative, whose members have included white supremacists jailed for racist crimes. An activist called Georgina Henderson says she attended the first protest after hearing about the rape but was so appalled by the behaviour of some of the crowd that she now campaigns with Falkirk For All. “I went along with my partner and daughter but was shocked by the levels of hostility and aggression,” she says. “It’s horrible to see this in our community. My partner gets ‘paedo’ shouted at him. ” In Septemer a brick was thrown through a window of the Cladhan Hotel. Falkirk For All claims there have been 13 arrests linked to the anti-asylum protestors and 37 alleged crimes. We asked Police Scotland to confirm the number of arrests but it told The Ferret to submit a freedom of information request. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/12/IMG-20251010-WA0005.jpg) A banner at an Aberdeen protest with the '14 words' white supremacist slogan: ‘We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children’. Image by The Ferret. **THREATS TO MUSLIMS** There have been serious problems elsewhere. In Aberdeen, we’ve been speaking to anti-fascist sources for months but on condition of anonymity as they fear reprisals. There’s been a litany of incidents in the city including attacks on muslims and asylum seekers. Someone online suggested burning down a mosque and in July a teenager who threw paint over a mosque and smashed a window while people were inside was sentenced to [six months in custody](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2e3e814g22o?ref=theferret.scot). Jayden Wallace admitted targeting Aberdeen Mosque and Islamic Centre in March. [Several mosques](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-rising-racist-violence/) have been attacked this year in Scotland, as previously reported by The Ferret. There are also claims of vigilantism. One woman, who we’ll call ‘Amy’ to protect her identity, says that men have been patrolling Aberdeen’s streets, taking photos, asking questions and challenging people of colour.[ It was reported](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25517018.students-left-shaken-loud-anti-migrant-march-aberdeen/?ref=theferret.scot) that students on a night out were left shaken by an anti-migrant march with protesters chanting “send them home” and “Christ is King”. Amy claims that at Farmer’s Hall student accommodation, where asylum seekers are housed, masked people turned up one evening and “brutally assaulted” an asylum seeker. “He managed to get away and spent two-and-a-half hours running around Aberdeen terrified, until it was safe to return,” she says. “He was covered in blood. He was shaking, grey and traumatised. But he didn’t want to report it to the police in case there were repercussions and he also thought it might affect his claim for asylum.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/IMG-20250907-WA0000--1-.jpg) Image by a Ferret source. She claims there was another incident when three men who’d been praying at a mosque were targeted on Constitution Street by masked youths on scooters who carried backpacks full of stones. The men ran back to the mosque and were unhurt, she says, but the attackers followed and the police were called. Other incidents include a Chinese family allegedly being spat at in hospital and an Iraqi businessman challenged by a teenager who said ‘did you come here by boat?’. “I mean what is going on?,” Amy says. “This is happening more often. We’ve had ‘white power’ shouted at demos and banners with the 14 words”. This refers to a white supremacist slogan 14 words long: ‘We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children’ – The Ferret has seen evidence of this at Aberdeen protests. There’s a lot of worry, Amy says, and she’s under stress. But her first concern is for those who could be targeted, claiming that any person of colour is at risk. There is a small core group of “far right” activists that she describes as “crazy”. Her claims are backed by another person who sends a video of someone being punched at a protest, a clip of masked men waiting outside accommodation for asylum seekers, and a photo of a flyer for an open day at a mosque that had been defaced with a swastika. Anti-Islam rhetoric and “crude racism” is now the norm at public gatherings of anti-immigration protestors, both women claim. The Ferret has previously highlighted [controversial speeches](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-accused-racism-at-anti-migrant-protests/) at migrant protests in the city. Meanwhile in Perth, a crack dealer was found guilty last week after a racist attack on an asylum seeker in the city centre. Darren McMillan, and another man who has since died, attacked their victim with knuckledusters. The victim, [25-year-old Kru Bantan](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/courts/5377733/racist-attack-asylum-seeker-perth/?ref=theferret.scot), was found soaked in blood. But it’s not just asylum seekers being targeted now. Council workers in Aberdeen have been [threatened ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62d9ex5zd1o?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Aberdeen%20City%20Council%20said%20workers,abuse%20would%20not%20be%20tolerated.)while removing flags from lampposts to put up Christmas lights. Saltires and union flags were put up across Scotland earlier this year after a social media campaign by a group behind an anti-asylum seeker protest. And schools are also facing protests. An Inverness primary school cancelled its Christmas show after receiving [“racist”](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/25/inverness-cauldeen-primary-school-cancels-christmas-play-abusive-messages?ref=theferret.scot) messages because it featured Syrian refugees, and Glasgow schools have been targeted because they offer adult English classes to foreigners. Amid rising concerns over racism, Scots politicians have spoken out and first minister John Swinney said last weekend that protests at hotels housing asylum seekers are[ racist](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25660511.john-swinney-brands-asylum-hotel-protests-racist/?ref=theferret.scot#Echobox=1764434194-1), while his predecessor [Humza Yousaf ](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/humza-yousaf-warns-scotland-losing-36327820?ref=theferret.scot)warned that Scotland risks losing a generation of young men to far-right extremists. His comments followed new UK Government figures showing that the number of Scots youngsters referred to the Prevent counter-terrorism programme has doubled. Around 90 per cent of referrals are male – with extreme right-wing views the most common reason for referral. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Cameron-BarracksJ46768.jpg) Cameron Barracks, Inverness. Image by Angela Catlin. **ANTI-IMMIGRATION PROTESTS SPREAD** The Ferret spent three months on our latest investigation, speaking to sources across Scotland, attending protests in Dundee, Falkirk, and Perth, and monitoring social media. We’ve found that the anti-immigration protestors are becoming much more organised. They’ve ramped up the protests and often live stream events, and there are various social media groups with thousands of followers. At demos, they film the opposition and post personal information about people online – one woman in Dundee moved home after being “doxxed” and others told us similar stories. In Falkirk, protests are often held twice a week now at the Cladhan and we’ve evidence that activists travel across Scotland to support each other. People from Aberdeen, Falkirk and Perth have been to Dundee, and The Ferret understands that anti-immigration activists will be bussed into Inverness from Glasgow, Aberdeen and Peterhead for a protest planned at Cameron Barracks on 6 December, where asylum seekers could be housed. The Inverness demo is due to take place on the same day Nigel Farage visits Falkirk, where his party Reform UK has been supportive of anti-immigration protests – as it has in Dundee where an anti-migrant group called the Dundee Patriots is highly active. It claims to be protecting women and children from asylum seekers while opposing the housing of “illegal immigrants”. Regular protestors include a man with criminal convictions called David Tarbett, David Fyfe, who has neo-Nazi facial tattoos, and Gavin Blues, who also has convictions. A supporter called David Soutar travels from Perth. He was [found guilty](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/courts/5135402/youtuber-filmed-abusing-asylum-seekers-perth-hotel/?ref=theferret.scot) of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner in 2024 after he uploaded a video of himself online shouting abuse at asylum seekers in a Perth hotel. At least eight people involved with the anti-asylum protests in Dundee have criminal convictions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Screenshot--92--1.png) A post on Facebook after a protest in Dundee. The Ferret has seen comments by anti-immgration protestors that are racist, anti-semitic, threatening and abusive towards women. One said: “the jews control the world…I wouldn’t be surprised tbh the jewish have brought a lot of trouble to us all” while another person wrote: “Only Scotland eh hey hey the lights are flashing we’re going a Paki bashing.” Another message said: “Sums these Antifa creatures up. Absolutely diabolical what these freaks get away with. She needs a good fucking slap. Slap some sense into her inbred little brain.” We asked the Dundee Patriots to comment and David Tarbett said: “I think you should crawl back down the rabbit hole you just came out of yi lefty.” Anti Fascist Action Dundee (AFAD) points out that the number of anti-immigration protestors in Dundee has “sharply decreased” since the first protest, and that Dundee Patriots relies on people coming from Falkirk and Perth to boost its numbers. There have been seven anti-migrant protestors arrested so far. AFAD claims that the Dundee Patriots have behaved in a “threatening and abusive manner” towards asylum seekers and counter-protesters. “They have shouted abusive remarks at Alloway residents \[asylum seekers\] passing by,” one member told us. “They have doxed counter-protesters, posting their identities and personal details on social media. They have followed and assaulted counter-protesters as they were making their way home.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/20251111_135645.jpg) Harvey Duke. Image by Billy Briggs. At time of writing, the Dundee Patriots are protesting almost every night, often arranging flash demos. But the anti-fascists can mobilise rapidly and usually turn out in greater numbers. These groups include the Fire Brigades Union, Unison, Stand Up to Racism, Unite, Dundee Pensioners Forum, Dundee TUC, Dundee for Palestine, Women Against the far Right Scotland, Anti Fascist Action Dundee, Young Socialists, the Communication Workers Union – and students from local universities and colleges. Harvey Duke is at most protests too, uncowed by events in September. “Anxiety, trauma, pride, all came about that day,” he tells me in one of our regular check-ins, recalling the day at Swannie Ponds. “And then the opposition announced they would hold weekly protests. And we didn’t know if these protests would be like what we’d just gone through. We had people thinking, ‘can we face this’, ‘can we put ourselves through this again – they have very mixed feelings’. But I thought, ‘nothing is going to prevent me from turning up. Nothing.” ### ‘Nousferatu’: the notorious consultancy advising Edinburgh uni amid 'huge' cuts URL: https://www.theferret.scot/consultancy-advising-edinburgh-huge-cuts/ Last updated: 2025-12-02T10:54:54.000Z **The University of Edinburgh has quietly paid more than £750,000 to a controversial consulting firm, fuelling suspicion it is helping bosses shape budget cuts that could see hundreds of jobs go.** The money was paid over a four year period to Nous Group, which [specialises](https://nousgroup.com/sectors/education?ref=theferret.scot) in advising universities but has developed an ominous reputation in the higher education sector. Academics have dubbed it “[Nousferatu](https://nationalpost.com/feature/how-to-fix-canadas-broke-universities-a-template?ref=theferret.scot)” – a nod to the silent movie vampire – because they [say](https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/education/2025/06/14/mind-boggling-stupidity-the-consultancy-that-captured-universities?ref=theferret.scot) its arrival often ushers in reductions in staff and courses. [Documents](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26310874-university-of-edinburgh-nous-consultant-spending/?ref=theferret.scot) obtained by The Ferret show Nous and ‘related entities’ have advised the university on everything from disability services to digital strategy. Edinburgh’s spending on the company has spiked in 2025, while at the same time it [announced](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c204kn5n4z6o?ref=theferret.scot) it was facing a “financial gap” and was seeking savings which the University and College Union (UCU) says could see 1,800 people [lose](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/rd72ktensa8garkwkwb3pw5frckf2n?ref=theferret.scot) their jobs. Almost £250,000 was paid out to Nous between January and 10 September this year – the date we submitted the freedom of information (FoI) request that uncovered the figures. Contracts agreed in 2025 include work to scope “academic efficiency opportunities” and deliver “strategic advice” to the university. Yet staff claim that despite “repeated” questions, university management has been “economical with the truth” about its relationship with the firm. They told The Ferret that the scale of Nous’ involvement left them wondering whether cuts were planned “all along”. One member of the Scottish Parliament’s education committee called on university leaders to “come clean” about what Nous has been doing. A spokesperson for the University of Edinburgh did not shed light on the specifics of Nous’ role, instead saying the firm provided “insight and benchmarking into sector norms around strategic and operational practices”. The university did not respond to a question about whether it had been up front with staff about the company. Nous said it did not comment on individual clients but its role was to offer “independent analysis and strategic advice to university leaders”. “Any operational decisions regarding staffing, course offerings or organisational structures are made solely by universities,” a spokesperson added. ****WE'RE 10 AND WE HAVE A NEW LOOK** Ten years of investigations that changed Scotland. One refresh to take us further. You're reading our reimagined Ferret: new look, sharpened focus, same mission. Like what you see? Support our independent journalism. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/signup) Nous’ macabre nickname [apparently](https://nationalpost.com/feature/how-to-fix-canadas-broke-universities-a-template?ref=theferret.scot) first popped up in Canada, where the firm is influential at a number of institutions and its name – which actually rhymes with ‘mouse’ – was often mispronounced as ‘noose’. Staff there [claim](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/noreen-kamal-5974287%5Fhiddencosts-keepdalstrong-activity-7369837186378264576-TGSx?ref=theferret.scot) its arrival has frequently [preceded](https://www.reddit.com/r/queensuniversity/comments/1ach2hd/meet%5Fthe%5Fnous%5Fgroup%5For%5Fnousferatu%5Fwhy%5Fthe%5Fchoice/?ref=theferret.scot) job losses and [restructuring](https://www.sudbury.com/local-news/we-have-no-hidden-agenda-consultant-says-in-response-to-accusations-from-laurentians-senate-5219571?ref=theferret.scot) which concentrates power in the hands of senior university management. One [paper](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376682705%5FNousferatu%5FAre%5Fcorporate%5Fconsultants%5Fextracting%5Fthe%5Flifeblood%5Ffrom%5Funiversities?ref=theferret.scot) by Canadian academics has even suggested that Nous and firms like it drain the “lifeblood” from universities. In Australia – where Nous originates – [critics](https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/education/2025/06/14/mind-boggling-stupidity-the-consultancy-that-captured-universities?ref=theferret.scot) say a similar pattern has unfolded, with the company often drafted in during financial pressures to review staffing and reshape courses. Nous told The Ferret it is “aware of a nickname that has been reported previously” which, it said, does not reflect the nature of its work or its commitment to “supporting institutions in a respectful and evidence-based way”. ### **Edinburgh and Nous** Although the university had remained tight-lipped about the firm, [rumours](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/tlwewp34ka24dp5j4xstxhflhpbx5l?ref=theferret.scot) about Nous’ involvement at Edinburgh have circulated for some time. But the FoI response shows the extent of its work for the first time. Edinburgh held 12 contracts and received 26 documents from Nous or related entities between January 2022 and September 2025. As early as February 2022, it had provided the university with a “draft vision” and a “strategy and roadmap” report. The contract to scope “academic efficiency opportunities” was signed in June this year, the same month staff [staged](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm266dn4qljo?ref=theferret.scot) the first of three strikes over the £140m of proposed cuts – which are equivalent to 10 per cent of Edinburgh’s annual revenue. In January, the month before those cuts were [announced](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c204kn5n4z6o?ref=theferret.scot), the university had agreed a contract for Nous to perform a “deep dive analysis” of its professional services – the administrative teams that support teaching and research. Meanwhile in June, a contract for the first part of a “strategic advice project” was agreed, with a report bearing the same title delivered in August. ### **Cuts at a wealthy uni** The university insists the financial pressure it faces is very real. Announcing it was seeking the savings in February, principal Sir Peter Mathieson [told](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13929/Edinburgh-university-principal-announces-university-planning-140million-of-cuts?ref=theferret.scot) staff that Edinburgh faced a “financial gap” caused by stagnant Scottish Government funding, rising national insurance contributions and, crucially, a fall in international student numbers. The high fees paid by non-EU international students [brought in](https://uoe-finance.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-01/ARA%2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=[71]) more than £360m in 2023-24\. For years, Mathieson said the university had been able to “grow itself out of financial challenge” by attracting more overseas students. [Edinburgh uni boss pressured over outside earnings as job losses mountThe boss of the University of Edinburgh is facing calls to “come clean” over earnings from a second job, amid staff strikes and mounting redundancies. Edinburgh principal Sir Peter Mathieson joined the board of Roslin Cell Therapies (Roslin CT) – a biotechnology company with historic ties to the university – in June![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-76.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1888309548-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/mathieson-pressured-earnings-edinburgh-university/) But a [shock](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1w0y93w8vyo?ref=theferret.scot) to international recruitment – caused [partly](https://www.theferret.scot/why-are-scottish-universities-worried-about-money/) by changes to UK visa regulations – meant this was no longer possible and management claims it needs to act now to put the university on a stable financial footing. Union officials [dispute](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/rd72ktensa8garkwkwb3pw5frckf2n?ref=theferret.scot) the scale of the crisis. They point out that Edinburgh has [assets](https://uoe-finance.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-01/ARA%2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=[42]) worth £3.1bn. Much of that is tied up in buildings and long-term investments, but the union says it nevertheless puts Edinburgh in a stronger position than institutions such as Dundee, which [required](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1mz5kj8z70o?ref=theferret.scot) a Scottish Government bailout earlier this year. It [claims](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/c48z2b86kjajaydwlztj2ffawcjzf6?ref=theferret.scot) any financial issues are the [result](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/tlwewp34ka24dp5j4xstxhflhpbx5l?ref=theferret.scot) of high capital spending on buildings and infrastructure projects – rather than staff. Both the UCU and the university [senate](https://registryservices.ed.ac.uk/academic-services/committees/senate?ref=theferret.scot) – which oversees academic affairs at Edinburgh – say management has not shared the financial forecasts cuts are based on. In May, the senate issued a [vote of no confidence](https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/education-children-and-young-people-committee/correspondence/2025/university-of-edinburgh-senate-to-convener-10-june-2025.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in management over the cuts, in part because it said key evidence showing the rationale for them had not been shared. ### ‘**Disingenuous’** Edinburgh is far from the first UK university to [call on](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540962.2024.2364284?ref=theferret.scot) consultants for advice at a time of [financial pressure](https://archive.ph/Zk9tM?ref=theferret.scot). But the UCU says the scale and apparent secrecy around the firm’s work have heightened scrutiny at the university. The president of the Edinburgh branch of the union, Sophia Woodman, said it had “repeatedly” asked about Nous’ work but that the response from management had been what she “charitably” called “disingenuous”. She said management told the union that Nous was only involved in providing a survey called ‘[UniForum](https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/staff/2017/uniforum-benchmark-exercise?ref=theferret.scot)’ in which staff rate the effectiveness of the university’s services. “The Ferret’s FoI shows their involvement is much more extensive and covers a lot of other areas,” Woodman said. “I think they \[university leaders\] have been economical with the truth,” she added, while claiming the findings “raise the question of whether staff cuts were planned all along”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/20250908_125315_resized.jpg) Staff at Edinburgh have been on strike on three separate occasions in 2025\. **Image: UCU Edinburgh* Two members of the university senate – who spoke to The Ferret anonymously – claimed the body had also not been informed about Nous’ role or been given access to its reports. “As far as we are aware, Nous has not been mentioned explicitly by the executive \[management\] in the senate, beyond the UniForum survey,” one senator said. “The lack of transparency is certainly in line with the rest of the executive’s communication around budget cuts,” they said. “There appears to be no effort to provide suitable levels of detail in order for the Senate to make informed decisions and execute its statutory duty.” One added: “It is eye-opening to browse through Nous Group blog posts and discover that the executive’s entire strategy to lead our institution seems to be simply repeating verbatim the opinion pieces of the consultants.” Our revelations also prompted criticism from politicians. Miles Briggs, a Scottish Conservative MSP and member of Holyrood’s education committee, said staff and students deserved clarity. They would have “serious questions about why the university has squandered so much paying consultants at this time,” Briggs said. “Management at the university must urgently come clean as to the reason behind this spending on external reviews, rather than keeping everyone in the dark,” he added. The Scottish Greens MSP for the Lothian region, Lorna Slater, called for university bosses to speak “openly and honestly” to staff and students and prioritise education rather than “lining the pockets of consultants”. A University of Edinburgh spokesperson said: “The University has engaged the Nous Group to provide insight and benchmarking into sector norms around strategic and operational practices. “This is to ensure that the University’s practices remain effective, sustainable and aligned with the University’s long-term vision and goals, and able to deliver continuous improvements and lasting benefits for its students, staff and wider community.” A spokesperson for Nous Group UK said: “We support universities globally on a broad range of complex issues, including on institutional strategy, student experience and wellbeing, digital strategy, Equality Diversity and Inclusion and on educational models that lead to improved outcomes for organisations, students and communities. “We understand that periods of change can be challenging. That’s why our work is focused on improving quality, sustainability and student experience to the unique context of each university.” *The Ferret is publishing the full FoI documents as part of its commitment to transparency and making its sources available where possible. You can read them* [*here*](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26310874-university-of-edinburgh-nous-consultant-spending/?ref=theferret.scot)*.* *This story was updated at 10:54 on 2 December 2025 to make clear in the second paragraph that the money was paid to Nous Group over a four year period.* Support The Ferret's investigations by making a one-off donation. [Donate ](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) ### Is there a link between migration and crime? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/is-there-a-link-between-migration-and-crime/ Last updated: 2025-12-16T16:07:38.000Z You might have noticed some changes around here recently. The Ferret is 10 and it’s celebrating the milestone with a refreshed look and renewed commitment to journalism that cuts through the spin. In that spirit, we are today launching ****De-noiser** – a new fortnightly series of deep-dive explainers on some of the most complex issues facing Scotland, the UK and beyond. Whether its culture-war flashpoints, political narratives that don’t quite add up, or long-running problems everyone talks about but no one really explains, ****De-noiser** will cut through the static and make sense of what’s actually going on. We’re starting with one of the most highly charged topics in our politics just now – the relationship (or lack of it) between migrants and crime. And we want to hear from our members. Got an issue that needs De-noising? [Get in touch](https://www.theferret.scot/contact/). **Noisy, angry protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers have become a familiar scene across the UK.** The same slogans appear from town-to-town – “protect our community”, “save our women”, “defend our children” – reflecting the same shared assumption. Migrants and asylum seekers are more likely to commit crimes, and make areas less safe. In the political debate, fears about crime have become one of the most powerful channels through which grievances about migration are expressed. Crimes committed by asylum seekers and migrants in recent years – in particular the high-profile sexual offences of individuals like [Hadush Kebatu](https://www.essex.police.uk/news/essex/news/news/2025/september/epping-man-jailed-over-sexual-assaults/?ref=theferret.scot) in Essex and [Sadeq Nikzad](https://www.scotland.police.uk/what-s-happening/news/2025/june/sadeq-nikzad-jailed-for-nine-years-for-rape-of-teenage-girl-in-falkirk/?ref=theferret.scot) in Falkirk – have formed an important part of the [messaging](https://britainislawless.com/?ref=theferret.scot) of Nigel Farage’s high-flying Reform UK. The narrative around migrants and crime is clear and [stoked](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ai-fake-misinformation-migrant-protests-racism-b2826546.html?ref=theferret.scot) by friendly algorithms and some of the world’s most [powerful people](https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/06/tech/elon-musk-civil-war-uk-riots?ref=theferret.scot). And it may partly explain a growing belief among Britons that immigration is out of hand. This year, [71 per cent](https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/do-brits-think-that-immigration-has-been-too-high-or-low-in-the-last-10-years?ref=theferret.scot) of those polled by YouGov said levels of immigration had been too high in the last ten years. In March 2022, just 44 per cent of people held this viewpoint. But there is far less clarity about the evidence underpinning the claim that more migration means more crime. The Ferret’s new De-noiser strand has been digging into the stats. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_SubLogo_De-noiser_RGB--1-.png) ### **Crime rates** Central to the arguments linking migration to crime is a perception that the UK is becoming less safe, and that rates of criminality are increasing. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK launched a ‘[Britain is lawless](https://britainislawless.com/?ref=theferret.scot)’ campaign earlier this year, suggesting crime was “out of control”. But how true is this? According to the [Crime Survey for England and Wales](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2025?ref=theferret.scot), produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), rates of crime have been falling in most categories over the last decade. There was a similar reduction in Scotland too, with the [equivalent data](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-crime-and-justice-survey-2023-24-main-findings/pages/overview-of-crime-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) showing a 37 per cent reduction in the number of property and violent crimes since 2008\. In Scotland, despite an overall downwards trend, there has been an [increase](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-crime-and-justice-survey-2023-24-main-findings/pages/overview-of-crime-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) since 2021\. Recorded crime [data](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2024-25/?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland shows overall crime per 10,000 people has gone down over the last 20 years, from 1,007 crimes in 2004-5 to 545 in 2024-25\. The most recent [figures](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2024-25/?ref=theferret.scot) show a small increase from a low of 529 in 2021-22. Within this data, we can see recent increases in certain types of crime. There has been an increase in sexual crimes in Scotland since 2015-16, as well shoplifting and small increases in weapons possession. In [England and Wales, homicides](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingjune2025?ref=theferret.scot#main-points) have reached its lowest level since current police recording practices began in 2003, while knife crime was reduced by five per cent between 2023-24 and 2024-25\. Thirty per cent of knife-related offences in England and Wales take place in the London area. ### **A problem of data** So what do we currently know about crime rates among migrants to the UK? “We've got the conviction data and data on the prison population,” says [Ben Brindle](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/about/people/ben-brindle/?ref=theferret.scot), a researcher from [Oxford University’s Migration Observatory](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). This can give a sense of the number of serious crimes committed by foreign nationals in the UK. According to the most [up-to-date figures](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/commentaries/migrant-convictions-and-prison-population/?ref=theferret.scot), foreign nationals received 13 per cent of convictions in England and Wales in 2024, and made up 12 per cent of the prison population in 2024\. That's similar to the latest statistics on the share of foreign nationals in England and Wales, which was about 12 per cent in 2024. In Scotland, the [proportion of prisoners](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-prison-population-statistics-2023-24/?ref=theferret.scot) who are not UK nationals was nine per cent in 2023-24\. According to the [2022 census](https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/2022-reports/scotland-s-census-2022-ethnic-group-national-identity-language-and-religion/?ref=theferret.scot#section4), 10.2 per cent of the population was born outside the UK. But beyond these headline statistics, there’s a lot that we don’t know. “We don't have good enough data to be able to have a more in-depth and nuanced view of the relationship between foreign nationals and crime,” Brindle explains. The difficulty for researchers and policymakers is that there are numerous factors which impact crime rates, and these have to be unpicked too within the data. “These breakdowns don't account for age, and age is really important here”, Brindle says. “Foreign nationals are more likely to be younger, and younger people are more likely to commit crimes.” So if non-citizens and citizens of the same age were equally likely to be incarcerated, there would likely be a higher share of non-citizens in prison overall. When the Migration Observatory factored this in, the data showed foreign nationals are underrepresented in the prison population. But despite researchers' requests, the UK Government has not released similar age breakdowns for convictions themselves. Another hurdle is the reliability of some of the existing data. It’s likely that there will be differences in the rates of criminal convictions and incarceration by nationality. But there are currently no dependable, up-to-date estimates of the number of people from each nationality living in the UK. Estimates from the[ 2024 Annual Population Survey](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/long-term-international-migration-flows-to-and-from-the-uk/?ref=theferret.scot) are the most recent available, but these figures may be an underestimate. This is due to response rates on surveys being lower among recent arrivals, and the ONS not interviewing people living in communal establishments, such as asylum hotels, student halls, and prisons, where a lot of new arrivals are currently placed. Why is this an issue? Brindle says: “It's quite likely that those population figures are going to undercount the population by nationality, which is then going to overstate that nationality's crime rate or conviction or incarceration rate”. ### **What does the academic evidence say?** Large-scale studies looking at crime rates across different countries have not found a firm connection between increased migration and higher rates of illegal activity. In 2022, a peer-reviewed [study looked at](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2094437?ref=theferret.scot) the offence rate for various types of crime in 30 countries, across 30 years. It found that “no statistical evidence exists to relate an increase in the number of immigrants to the rise of any kind of crime”. A widely-cited [research project published in 2013](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment%5Fdata/file/257233/lse-consulting.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) looked at crime patterns in England and Wales, and found a possible causal link between the share of asylum seekers in the local population and a rise in property crime. However, it also discovered that property crime reduced in areas where there were more migrants from eastern European EU countries. The study’s authors suggested this could be linked to the lack of access to work and benefits for asylum seekers, compared to the opportunities afforded to economic migrants from the EU, who were freely able to come to the UK before Brexit. In the academic analysis overall, Brindle says, researchers “tend to find that there's no relationship between the share of migrants in an area and violent crime rates”. There is evidence for migrants being overrepresented in crime data from some countries in Europe. A [Swedish study](https://portal.research.lu.se/en/publications/immigrant-background-and-rape-conviction-a-21-year-follow-up-stud/?ref=theferret.scot), for example, found those from an immigrant background were overrepresented in convictions for rape. ### **Beyond the headlines** For researchers into migration, what is often missing in reporting is the characteristics that might make someone more likely to commit crime, beyond any alleged link to their nationality. “We can see this data on nationality,” says Brindle. “But we don't have the data on the other characteristics that are going to influence criminal behavior. “What we'd want to do in a perfect world is be able to account for age, sex, and socio-economic status… to then be able to specifically pinpoint the role that nationality could be playing”. “Somebody's nationality is not the only factor that's going to affect the likelihood that they commit a crime. It's also going to depend on their age, their sex, their socio-economic status, and we haven't got a lot of these things in data to be able to actually work out what is driving criminal behavior”. Many asylum seekers, for example, [tend to be younger men](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-march-2025/how-many-people-claim-asylum-in-the-uk?ref=theferret.scot), which is a demographic that is more likely to commit crimes, so researchers can expect there might be more crimes among those seeking asylum than in wider society, because young men are overrepresented. ### **Perception vs reality** We lack data, and the majority of the evidence we do have doesn’t show a clear link between migration and crime. But the link between migration and crime in the eyes of many people is long-held and hard to shift. Professors Paolo Pinotti, from Bocconi University in Italy, and Olivier Marie, at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, [produced a recent long-term study](https://theconversation.com/does-immigration-really-drive-up-crime-not-according-to-the-evidence-242446?ref=theferret.scot) of the connection between immigration and crime. Their paper analysed 15 years of data on immigration inflows and crime rates across 216 regions in 23 European countries, and found “no significant link between immigration levels and crime rates”. Writing in The Conversation, the pair blamed [media and political rhetoric](https://theconversation.com/does-immigration-really-drive-up-crime-not-according-to-the-evidence-242446?ref=theferret.scot) for the enduring connection in the public consciousness. And this is not unique to the UK or even the US. They cited a study from Chile, where a boom in the foreign-born population in the early 2000s led to a spike in public concern around crime and safety. Researchers found that “intense media coverage played a significant role in shaping and amplifying public misperception”. In the UK, surveys have shown that people perceive the most negative impact of immigration is crime. A [National Centre for Social Research poll](https://natcen.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2024-03/Public%20attitudes%20towards%20immigration%20and%20minority%20ethnic%20groups%20%28002%29.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in 2024 found about a third of people think the UK’s crime problems are worsened by people coming to live here from other countries. For Brindle though, it comes back to the evidence gap. “I think \[better data\] is the main thing to inform that debate, because… this debate is going to carry on, it's just whether we do it with statistics to inform us or not.” ****THE FERRET: 10 YEARS AND COUNTING** You've just read our reimagined Ferret. After a decade of investigations that sparked change across Scotland, we've refreshed our look and sharpened our focus. But our mission hasn't changed: fearless accountability journalism, powered entirely by readers like you. New look. Same digging. Support independent journalism. [Join 2,000+ members from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/signup) ### Navy made legal threats to try and keep nuclear pollution secret URL: https://www.theferret.scot/navy-try-keep-nuclear-pollution-secret/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T09:01:59.000Z The Royal Navy threatened legal action as part of a fierce, high-level, behind-the-scenes battle to block publication of information about radioactive pollution at the Coulport nuclear bomb base on the Clyde. Files released to The Ferret reveal that over nine days in July and August the navy sent 130 emails, held five meetings and made numerous phone calls urging the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) to keep details of the pollution secret. Naval officials repeatedly warned of legal action, spoke of the need to “calm some nerves” and said they were “deeply uncomfortable” with information proposed for release. One was anxious to avoid “another crazy Friday”, while another complained of becoming a “zombie” after a long week. Top naval commanders also had an online meeting with the Scottish Information Commissioner, [David Hamilton](https://www.foi.scot/david-hamilton?ref=theferret.scot), late one evening to try and persuade him to reverse his decision to reject most of their pleas for secrecy. But all these eleventh-hour efforts failed. As [The Ferret reported on 9 August](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-waste-pollution-nuclear-plant/), Sepa released 33 files revealing that [Coulport](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coulport/) had polluted Loch Long on the Clyde with radioactive waste after old water pipes burst and caused a flood in 2019. Campaigners accused the navy of “harassing” Sepa, and praised Hamilton for refusing to be “intimidated”. Politicians demanded less secrecy from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The MoD said it had to “balance” the public’s right to know with releasing information which would compromise national security. Sepa insisted it was firmly committed to transparency. [Loch polluted by radioactive waste from nuclear bomb plantLoch Long on the Clyde has been contaminated by radioactive waste from the UK’s nuclear bomb store where old water pipes have repeatedly burst and caused floods, files released after a six-year secrecy battle reveal. Internal documents obtained by The Ferret from the Scottish Government’s environmental watchdog disclose![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-75.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-537704062-1-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-waste-pollution-nuclear-plant/) ### **Naval commanders ‘getting concerned’** The Ferret first made a freedom of information request for files on radioactive problems at Coulport and Faslane in 2019, and then again in 2023 and 2024\. But despite multiple reviews, most files were kept secret for national security reasons, after Sepa [consulted the MoD](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-pollution-clyde-nuclear-bases/). The secrecy was overturned, however, after we appealed to Hamilton. In June 2025 he [ordered Sepa](https://www.theferret.scot/faslane-radioactive-secrets-revealed/) to release most of the files by 28 July, saying they threatened “reputations” not national security. But the release was [delayed to 4 August](https://www.foi.scot/compliance-decisions-1472025-and-1482025-statement-commissioner?ref=theferret.scot) after the MoD pleaded for more time to assess “additional national security considerations”. Sepa eventually released the 33 files to The Ferret late on 5 August. Now emails released by Sepa and Hamilton in response to further freedom of information requests from The Ferret have disclosed what was happening behind the scenes. On working days between 24 July and 5 August the Royal Navy sent an average of more than 14 emails a day to Sepa, to try and limit the amount of information released. Naval officials also frequently phoned and met with Sepa. On 30 July the MoD proposed a series of redactions to the documents that were scheduled to be released. They “represent the minimal changes which are required in order to protect national security,” it argued. > The MoD tried to add to their shameful history of nuclear cover-ups by harassing officials with false claims of national security, hoping we’d never know radioactivity was negligently leaked from Coulport. Early on 31 July a naval official asked Sepa to forward the MoD’s proposed redactions to Hamilton, apologising for failing to make that clearer earlier. “It’s been a long week and I resemble a zombie!” the official wrote. Sepa assured the MoD it had included “all MoD redactions” in a submission to Hamilton. But then an email from a naval official later on 31 July said the “chain of command are getting concerned” about “timelines” if Hamilton rejected the redactions. The official warned of legal action, adding: “Grateful for your advice to calm some nerves.” The kind of legal action the navy was considering is unclear, as key text has been redacted. But the only way of challenging Hamilton’s decisions is by appealing to the [Court of Session](https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/courts-and-tribunals/the-supreme-courts/the-court-of-session/?ref=theferret.scot) in Edinburgh on a point of law. Another email on 1 August again warned Sepa that the MoD was “likely to challenge” the release of information that “adversely prejudiced” national security. It asked Sepa to "withhold release of the relevant documents while we follow due process”. On 4 August Hamilton rejected the majority of the MoD’s proposed redactions. The MoD again told Sepa that it was considering action “to prevent disclosure of the documents”, and asked Sepa not to release them “until this decision has been made”. But Sepa responded saying that it was planning to release the information as ordered by Hamilton. It was not “tenable” to further delay the release “from a reputational risk perspective”, Sepa said. ### **MoD meetings with Hamilton** The MoD also requested an “urgent” meeting with Hamilton and his staff on 25 July to consider MoD “concerns”. Another meeting was requested by the MoD on Thursday 31 July, with one official keen to “prevent another crazy Friday”. On 1 August the navy’s director of submarines, [Rear Admiral Andy Perks](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-p-26667047/?ref=theferret.scot), told Hamilton that he had spoken directly to Sepa’s chief executive, [Nicole Paterson](https://beta.sepa.scot/about-sepa/who-we-are/leadership-team/nicole-paterson/?ref=theferret.scot), to try and find “a pragmatic way forward”. He stressed the need to “maintain national security backstops throughout”. Perks praised Hamilton’s “continued support and pragmatism”, adding that it had been "greatly appreciated” by the First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins. On 4 August, after learning that Hamilton had rejected most of the MoD proposed redactions, Perks emailed again asking for another meeting that evening “to find a pragmatic way forward”. In reply Hamilton said he was legally not allowed to discuss the case with third parties. “Much of the information that the Royal Navy would like to withhold is already in the public domain,” he said. “As a courtesy I am happy to speak later tonight but with the understanding that I can't discuss the case in detail.” A meeting took place just after 8pm that evening, after Hamilton had returned from a karate class. After Sepa released files to The Ferret on 5 August, Hamilton pointed out that a few details had been wrongly redacted. Sepa then had to re-release the files with those redactions removed. When this was flagged to the MoD on 8 August, it said it was “deeply uncomfortable”. But it added: “We have objections but we won’t appeal further.” ### **Aggressive manoeuvres** The [Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland](https://www.cfois.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) was pleased that Hamilton “refused to be intimidated” by the MoD’s “aggressive manoeuvres”. The public interest had finally been served by disclosure, said campaign director, Carole Ewart. She thought the MoD might have “overlooked” the fact that Scotland’s environmental information law is tougher than that south of the border. Details [can only be kept secret in Scotland](https://x.com/DvdHmltn/status/1954219368176370089?ref=theferret.scot) if they “prejudice substantially” national security, but UK law says they can remain hidden if they just “adversely affect” national security. The [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) thanked Hamilton for acting “without fear or favour” in the public interest. “The MoD tried to add to their shameful history of nuclear cover-ups by harassing officials with false claims of national security, hoping we’d never know radioactivity was negligently leaked from Coulport,” said campaign chair, Lynn Jamieson. The SNP MSP and chair of the cross-party group on nuclear disarmament, [Bill Kidd](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/bill-kidd?ref=theferret.scot), said that the Scottish Parliament’s [net zero and energy committee](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-net-zero-energy-and-transport-committee?ref=theferret.scot) would be investigating transparency over pollution at Coulport and the neighbouring [Faslane nuclear submarine base](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot). There were “worrying undercurrents of MoD behaviour in relation to secrecy over radioactive pollution” that needed to be investigated, he added. The former Scottish Green leader, [Patrick Harvie MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/patrick-harvie?ref=theferret.scot), accused the MoD of making a “totally inappropriate intervention” in an attempt “to cover up and distract from what were very serious failures.” > We must balance the public’s right to know with releasing information which would compromise national security into the possession of our adversaries. The [MoD](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot) defended its intervention as “legitimate”, pointing out that it was “voluntarily” regulated by Sepa and welcomed the scrutiny. “We must balance the public’s right to know with releasing information which would compromise national security into the possession of our adversaries,” said an MoD spokesperson. “We explored in a professional way a range of options to ensure we struck the right balance while maintaining the security of the British people which is imperative. The redaction of certain information highlights the importance of consulting us to ensure the protection of national security-sensitive information.” [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) stressed that it was “firmly committed” to transparency. “Our approach is always that publication is the default and withholding information is the exception, only when it is necessary, proportionate and legally justified,” said the agency’s chief officer, Kirsty-Louise Campbell. “This includes careful consideration of national security and public safety - particularly for sites handling radioactive substances, whether military or civilian.” The [Scottish Information Commissioner](https://www.foi.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), David Hamilton, pointed out it was Sepa’s responsibility to make representations to him on The Ferret’s FoI appeal. “In the unusual circumstances of this case, however, and, as a responsible regulator, I also spoke with Royal Navy commanders to ensure I was fully aware of any relevant national security issues,” he said. “After these discussions, I advised Sepa that I was agreeable to a small number of minor redactions in the interests of national security. I should note that, throughout this process, I felt under no pressure to review my decision or make redactions – all of which were founded in Scotland’s environmental transparency laws.” *The 109 files released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency can be accessed on its* [*disclosure log*](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/?ref=theferret.scot) *by searching for F0199867\. The 13 files released by the Scottish Information Commissioner are available* [*here*](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/223398-files-released-by-scottish-information-commissioner-on-discussions-with-the-ministry-of-defence/?ref=theferret.scot)*.* ****THE FERRET: 10 YEARS AND COUNTING** You've just read our reimagined Ferret. After a decade of investigations that sparked change across Scotland, we've refreshed our look and sharpened our focus. But our mission hasn't changed: fearless accountability journalism, powered entirely by readers like you. New look. Same digging. Support independent journalism. [Join 2,000+ members from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/signup) ### MoD confirms potential Scottish bomb sites after Ferret revelations URL: https://www.theferret.scot/mod-potential-scottish-bomb-sites/ Last updated: 2025-11-20T14:00:21.000Z **The UK Government has publicly announced that sites in Scotland are being considered for new munitions factories, just a day after The Ferret revealed secret details of the plan.** The Ministry of Defence (MoD) [said](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/31/uk-plans-to-build-six-weapons-factories-to-bolster-military-readiness?ref=theferret.scot) in May it would build at least six new munitions factories across the UK but had not previously told the public where they might be located. But yesterday defence secretary John Healey [confirmed](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/defence-secretary-speech-on-threats-to-the-uk?ref=theferret.scot) at Westminster that potential sites in 13 areas around the UK had been identified, with “construction and diggers in the ground due to start next year”. They include locations in Grangemouth, Ayrshire and Dumfriesshire, the MoD has [said](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-building-the-factories-of-the-future-as-government-launches-next-phase-of-new-munitions-and-energetics-factories?ref=theferret.scot). The Ferret first [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/mod-details-of-secret-bomb-project/) sites under consideration earlier this week, after emails showing that Grangemouth and Ardeer in Ayrshire were being examined were released in error following a botched freedom of information response by the MoD. Blacked-out text that the ministry meant to hide could be uncovered simply by copying and pasting into a new document. However, the leaked material made no reference to a site in Dumfriesshire, so it is unclear which location there the MoD is referring to. ****WE'RE 10 AND WE HAVE A NEW LOOK** Ten years of investigations that changed Scotland. One refresh to take us further. You're reading our reimagined Ferret: new look, sharpened focus, same mission. Like what you see? Support our independent journalism. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/signup) The new factories would produce explosives and propellants used in weapons such as guns and artillery and are [viewed](https://archive.ph/AcE9W?ref=theferret.scot) by some as necessary to make the country less dependent on US firepower. Healey said the sites were needed to raise the “warfighting readiness” of the army, with the MoD adding in a press release that they would enable the UK’s “continued support to Ukraine”. Healey added that the government wanted to make defence the “engine for economic growth” and that the factories would help bring back jobs to industrial areas. The closure of the iconic refinery at Grangemouth in April was described as a “[hammer blow](https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-owners-set-for-6m-closure-windfall/)” to the community and although [alternative proposals](https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n16/ewan-gibbs/goodbye-to-grangemouth?ref=theferret.scot) for the site have been put forward, both the Scottish and UK governments have been [accused](https://www.holyrood.com/inside-politics/view,burned-grangemouth-workers-are-falling-through-the-gap-between-rhetoric-and-action?ref=theferret.scot) of abandoning workers in the town. Ardeer, meanwhile, was formerly [home](https://www.ardrossanherald.com/news/23993707.ardeer-take-look-inside-former-ici-explosive-factory/?ref=theferret.scot) to the ICI Nobel explosives factory, once the world’s largest, which was opened in 1871 by the inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel. It was deserted in the 1990s and parts of the site are now derelict. Arms companies have been [invited](https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/5fa133e1-15e8-4497-b32a-b763cc7a644a?origin=SearchResults&p=1&ref=theferret.scot) to put forward proposals to produce the munitions. [Oops: MoD blunder reveals secret details of bomb projectA botched freedom of information response has revealed sites in the frame for the UK’s expanding weapons programme.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-74.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/30657372802_601e601de3_c-1-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/mod-details-of-secret-bomb-project/) The government [committed](https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-11-19/debates/25111932000013/FactoriesOfTheFuture?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20new%20munitions%20and%20energetics,is%20an%20important%20step%20forward.) £1.5bn to explosives manufacturing in its strategic defence review in June. It included plans for the six new factories during this parliament and an “always on” munitions pipeline. In response to our story, critics questioned why the government can always find money for new weapons while “frontline services are under immense pressure”. They also queried the safety of siting explosives manufacturing at Grangemouth – next to petrochemical facilities. The Scottish Government told us it was “not aware” of the plans for Scottish sites and was “engaging urgently” with the MoD. *The Ferret has published details of the correspondence leaked to us by the MoD in line with our commitments to* [*transparency*](https://www.theferret.scot/transparency/) *and making our sources available where possible. However, we have redacted all personal information of officials accidentally named. You can find all of the documents* [*here*](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/223331-documents-about-plans-for-arms-factories-from-the-ministry-of-defence/?ref=theferret.scot)*.* [Donate to The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) ### Oops: MoD blunder reveals secret details of bomb project URL: https://www.theferret.scot/mod-details-of-secret-bomb-project/ Last updated: 2025-11-18T07:20:37.000Z **The Ministry of Defence has apologised after it accidentally leaked secret documents to The Ferret revealing it was considering Grangemouth and other sites across the UK for new arms factories.** Twelve potential locations for making explosives were mistakenly identified in [emails released](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/223331-documents-about-plans-for-arms-factories-from-the-ministry-of-defence/?ref=theferret.scot) to us under [freedom of information](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/foi/) (FoI) law. Blacked out text which was meant to remain hidden could be uncovered simply by copying and pasting it into another document. Sites under consideration include parts of the Grangemouth industrial complex, the Finnart oil terminal on Loch Long, and locations in Cumbria, Teesside, Northumberland, Southampton and Wales. The correspondence also outlined an internal plan to boost UK production of explosives used in guns and artillery through a programme confidentially codenamed ‘Project NOBEL’ – presumably a reference to dynamite inventor, [Alfred Nobel](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-Nobel?ref=theferret.scot). Emails show weapons companies from around the world took part in early-stage discussions about locating factories in the UK. Other firms may be looking to expand existing operations. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has come under fire for the "embarrassing" blunder. The Scottish Government said it was “not aware” of any plans for Grangemouth and was “engaging urgently” with the MoD to find out more. The ministry has apologised to the companies and individuals whose names were released. Following inquiries by The Ferret, it conducted an internal investigation and said it had put “new processes” in place to prevent similar failures in data-security. The MoD made the same [mistake](https://robedwards53.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/the-submarine-reactor-risks-they-didnt-want-you-to-know/?ref=theferret.scot) back in 2011, when it failed to properly redact a report about nuclear submarine safety. Other government departments have also [made similar errors](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8457506/Secrets-put-on-internet-in-Whitehall-blunders.html?ref=journalism.co.uk). The MoD stressed that no investment decisions have been made at any of the named sites. The government announced in June that it would spend £1.5bn to build “at least six new munitions and energetics factories” as part of its [strategic defence review](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-strategic-defence-review-2025-making-britain-safer-secure-at-home-strong-abroad/the-strategic-defence-review-2025-making-britain-safer-secure-at-home-strong-abroad?ref=theferret.scot). ****WE'RE 10 AND WE HAVE A NEW LOOK** Ten years of investigations that changed Scotland. One refresh to take us further. You're reading our reimagined Ferret: new look, sharpened focus, same mission. Like what you see? Support our independent journalism. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/signup) ### **Search for sites** In [an email on 23 April 2025](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26284236-annex-c-for-publication/?ref=theferret.scot), an MoD official stated the department was “embarking on a large-scale activity” to expand manufacturing of explosives in the UK, including materials such as [TNT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TNT?ref=theferret.scot), [RDX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RDX?ref=theferret.scot) and [nitrocellulose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrocellulose?ref=theferret.scot) – all key ingredients in modern weaponry. Feasibility studies were underway under the banner of ‘Project NOBEL’, involving a “range of companies”, an official wrote. Some of the companies involved in the studies already operate explosives sites in Britain “which could be expanded into nearby areas” while others were “new to operating in the UK”, the email adds. Two firms – Singapore’s [ST Engineering](https://www.stengg.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and Australia’s [NIOA](https://www.nioa.com.au/?ref=theferret.scot) – were noted to be “looking at old chemical factories which could be repurposed for explosives”. “NIOA are interested in nitrocellulose and ST Engineering are interested in TNT,” the same official said in an [earlier note on 16 April](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26284235-annex-a-for-publication/?ref=theferret.scot). ST Engineering has since told The Ferret it was not interested in “explosives manufacturing or TNT” and instead had been involved in a feasibility study on a “narrowly defined technical matter”. ### **‘Ready workforce’** The emails released to The Ferret suggest work to identify sites for the factories started in February 2025, months before the government announced plans to increase munitions production in June. Grangemouth [was mentioned](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26284234-annex-d-for-publication/?ref=theferret.scot) as a potential location when the UK [Department of Business and Trade](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-and-trade?ref=theferret.scot) shared a list of sites which might meet basic requirements for making explosives – including a required [safety zone](https://www.hse.gov.uk/explosives/licensing/separation/index.htm?ref=theferret.scot) around factories to protect nearby communities. It was [flagged again](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26284237-annex-b-for-publication/?ref=theferret.scot) in March among a list of brownfield chemical sites that could be suitable, compiled by the UK Government’s [Health and Safety Executive](https://www.hse.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (HSE) after a request by the MoD. HSE identified four parts of the Grangemouth complex as possible locations – including chemical plants where there is “a lot of empty space”. “As colleagues have identified parts of Grangemouth will still be operating as a petrochemical facility but it might lend itself to some of the other raw material manufacture necessary,” HSE wrote. The [Finnart oil terminal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnart%5FOil%5FTerminal?ref=theferret.scot) on Loch Long – itself linked to Grangemouth via pipelines – was also included as a “potential site”. Finnart is just a few miles from the MoD’s Glen Douglas arms store, [one of](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crg450yrg88o?ref=theferret.scot) the biggest weapons depots in western Europe. The [23 April email](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26284236-annex-c-for-publication/?ref=theferret.scot) – sent to development body [Scottish Enterprise](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-enterprise/) – shows the MoD examining Grangemouth more closely. Officials asked for a “virtual meeting about options within Grangemouth” and suggested a site visit could follow. One email noted the site was attractive because of its “ready workforce”. The iconic refinery in the town [closed](https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-forgotten-workers/) in April at the cost of 400 jobs. [Loch polluted by radioactive waste from nuclear bomb plantLoch Long on the Clyde has been contaminated by radioactive waste from the UK’s nuclear bomb store where old water pipes have repeatedly burst and caused floods, files released after a six-year secrecy battle reveal. Internal documents obtained by The Ferret from the Scottish Government’s environmental watchdog disclose![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-67.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-537704062-1-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-waste-pollution-nuclear-plant/) By June, however, Grangemouth was no longer being explored by one of the firms involved. The UK [Office for Investment](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-for-investment?ref=theferret.scot) told the MoD that NIOA “aren’t looking at any sites in Grangemouth as they were smaller”, noting instead that the company had visited Ardeer in Ayrshire on 19 June. But the MoD wanted to limit interest in Ardeer, citing “considerations” for a separate proposal by another weapons firm, [Chemring](https://www.chemring.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which required “additional land”. The documents do not spell out what Chemring is planning there. The company, which already [manufactures](https://www.theferret.scot/chemring-ayrshire-munitions-scottish-enterprise/) explosives and propellants at Ardeer in Stevenston, declined to comment. Another arms firm, [CzechoSlovak Group (CSG)](https://czechoslovakgroup.com/en?ref=theferret.scot), is mentioned in connection with a different location, Broughton Moor in Cumbria. Officials suggested the site “would be ideal for someone like CSG” if the company was prepared to divide operations across more than one location. CSG told The Ferret that it was “generally interested” in the UK market, but it declined to disclose its specific plans. The [released documents](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/223331-documents-about-plans-for-arms-factories-from-the-ministry-of-defence/?ref=theferret.scot) do not show any correspondence later than 20 June, as this was the date of our FoI request. The MoD did not respond until 7 November. ### **‘Embarrassing error’** The Ferret’s revelations surprised the Scottish Government. “We are not aware of these plans and Scottish Government officials are engaging urgently with the Ministry of Defence to understand further detail of what is being proposed,” said a spokesperson. They have also sparked criticism from opponents of the arms trade and politicians, who raised concerns about both transparency and safety. [Michael Matheson](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/michael-matheson?ref=theferret.scot), the former Scottish energy minister and MSP for Falkirk West – near Grangemouth – called for “full transparency” from the MoD about the potential for explosives manufacturing there. He argued the plans could “negatively impact” other [proposals](https://www.sdi.co.uk/media/vlubfykz/project-willow%5Fpid%5Fv214.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) set out for Grangemouth, such as the manufacture of sustainable aviation fuel, which could undermine “the delivery of a just transition for the area”. He said: “While it is important to secure investment in the Grangemouth area, I would be concerned about the potential siting of munitions manufacturing next to a petrochemical facility”. [Patrick Harvie](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/patrick-harvie?ref=theferret.scot), the Scottish Green MSP and former leader of the party, said the accidental disclosure was an "embarrassing error" by the MoD and questioned why there was always “money for new weapons, at the same time as frontline services are under immense pressure”. He alleged that workers at Grangemouth had been “failed by Labour” and “abandoned at a significant cost to the community”. “Few will think that the solution is to build an explosives factory on top of the site, particularly when parts of it are still being used as a petrochemicals site,” Harvie added. Lynn Jamieson, chair of the [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) (SCND), criticised the plans, particularly in light of the UK’s [support](https://www.humanity-inclusion.org.uk/en/uk-endorses-stop-bombing-civilians-international-agreement?ref=theferret.scot) for an international declaration aimed at reducing civilian harm from explosive weapons. “Now they want us to make money by manufacturing explosives for armed conflict,” she noted, [pointing out](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5wel11pgdo?ref=theferret.scot) that children make up “a significant proportion of civilian casualties”. Jamieson added: “Support for SCND suggests that many people in Scotland will say invest in welfare not warfare.” [Power struggle: The billionaire, the Chinese oil giant and Grangemouth’s forgotten workersGrangemouth should have been Scotland’s big opportunity to realise its ambition for a just transition – moving workers into cleaner, greener jobs. But embittered power struggles got in the way, The Ferret finds.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-68.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/chris-hamilton-rep-for-unite-the-unitej46572-1-4.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-forgotten-workers/) The MoD said it was investing £6bn in munitions during this parliament, including the six new factories which, it claimed, would generate more than 1,000 skilled jobs. The ministry confirmed that the emails revealed sites under consideration for new arms factories in the UK. But no investment decisions had been made, it said. It added: “The MoD apologises to the individuals and companies named in the documents, which were not intended to be publicly disclosed. We take data security extremely seriously and are committed to ensuring that any incidents are dealt with properly, and that we follow our legal duties.” “These were early-stage discussions, not final policy decisions,” an MoD spokesperson told The Ferret. “An internal investigation has been conducted, and new processes have been put in place to ensure it does not happen again.” The chief executive of NIOA Group, Robert Nioa, said: “NIOA UK intends to be a responsive and reliable partner to the MoD to support the critical defence and security objectives outlined in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review.” He added that the company had found the MoD to be a “professional organisation” which was “moving at speed” to protect UK security. The CSG group is involved in making shotgun cartridges in the UK. “We are generally interested in the UK market as well – both commercially and in terms of production – but we will not disclose our plans or comment on speculation,” said a spokesperson for the company. *The Ferret has published details of the correspondence in line with our commitments to* [*transparency*](https://www.theferret.scot/transparency/) *and making our sources available where possible. However, we have redacted all personal information of officials accidentally named. You can find all of the documents* [*here*](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/223331-documents-about-plans-for-arms-factories-from-the-ministry-of-defence/?ref=theferret.scot)*.* *This story was* [*co-published with The Guardian*](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/18/mod-identifies-possible-uk-sites-for-making-explosives-and-ammunition?ref=theferret.scot)*. Co-publication helps The Ferret bring in additional money to support our reporting and makes sure it reaches the widest possible audience.* [Donate to The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/tip-jar/) ### From Moscow to Paisley: How a blacklisted Russian oligarch secretly invested in Scottish car parks URL: https://www.theferret.scot/russian-oligarch-paisley/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:28:26.000Z **In an abandoned Paisley car park, weeds and saplings have forced their way through the weathered tarmac.** Yet in another nearby parking bay, barely a space is free. Vehicles are jammed together on the asphalt while planes roar overhead. Despite their different fates, both car parks include spaces leased by a prominent Russian banker blacklisted by the US, but highly esteemed by his country’s president Vladimir Putin, from whom he has won many awards. A decade ago, Nikolay Kosov saw an unlikely opportunity in Paisley’s car parks, snapping up spaces for lease at £20,000 each, as part of a scheme designed to profit from Glasgow airport customers. He did so via Kitty Invest Corporation, a firm incorporated in the secretive tax haven of the British Virgin Islands. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) Kosov has denied [allegations](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/world/europe/hungary-russian-bank-spy-orban-putin.html?ref=theferret.scot) that he worked for Russian intelligence. But he hails from a prominent KGB family – Kosov’s father was [reportedly](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/world/europe/hungary-russian-bank-spy-orban-putin.html?ref=theferret.scot) the top Soviet informer in Budapest, and a Russian news agency [celebrated](https://tass.com/opinions/763191?ref=theferret.scot) his mother as one of the 20th century’s “most extraordinary spies”. Until September 2022 Kosov chaired Moscow’s so-called “[spy bank](https://www.dw.com/en/is-hungary-becoming-russias-spy-hub-within-the-eu/a-64041861?ref=theferret.scot)”, which was based in Europe, but rejected by the continent after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. During his tenure at the bank, he bought up property south of the border typically in line with an oligarch’s tastes – an apartment building in London's affluent Pall Mall and a £7.6m luxury flat in Kensington. But in Scotland, the Russian oligarch invested in more unusual assets. Rather than a Highland estate or an Edinburgh townhouse, his firm took out long-term tenancies for 33 parking spaces across four Paisley car parks between 2014 and 2015. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Paisley-Car-parksJ46771-1.jpg) Image by Angela Catlin It cost him £520,000, plus a modest annual rental fee, as part of an investment scheme which promised high returns courtesy of travellers seeking a space nearby Glasgow airport, and other busy UK terminals. In publicly available documents – filed as a requirement of Kitty Invest’s UK property ownership – the oligarch’s name does not feature. But The Ferret has obtained files which prove that, through a clandestine trust, Kosov still controls Kitty Invest’s assets, while his wife benefits from them. On the [Scottish land register](https://www.ros.gov.uk/our-registers/register-of-persons-holding-a-controlled-interest-in-land-rci?ref=theferret.scot), the properties and their associates have not been registered at all, which prompted Scotland’s leading land expert to claim this absence is illegal. An MP and anti-corruption campaigners said The Ferret’s investigation was “a shocking indictment of the many gaps in our defences against dirty money”. They argued Scottish and UK governments must further boost transparency to stop “Putin’s cronies” from “stashing their cash in our country.” Last week, The Ferret visited the Paisley car parks and found their fortunes to be mixed – half were bustling, the others derelict. To what extent Kosov profited from Scottish motorists remains a mystery. In 2016, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) told car parking companies their scheme was “misleading” to investors and ultimately “[illegal](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/oct/20/fca-airport-parking-scam?ref=theferret.scot)”. The firms agreed to reform it and [allow](https://www.ftadviser.com/investments/2019/07/05/car-park-investment-companies-enter-administration/?ref=theferret.scot) investors to get their initial investment back. But by 2019, the firms had gone into administration. The FCA has since raised tens of millions of pounds for shortchanged investors, partly through the sale of some of the scheme’s assets. It is unknown whether Kosov’s firm has received – or is due – a payout. ![A man in a dark pinstripe suit sits at a conference table beside another attendee, with bottled water, microphones, and nameplates visible in front of them.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/shutterstock_128796880.jpg) Nikolay Kosov. Image credit: Igor Dolgov/Dreamstime ### **Panic in Budapest** To manage the companies behind his properties, Kosov enlisted the services of Jacqueline Ollerenshaw, a British accountant living in Jersey. Her role in Kosov’s affairs is made plain in leaked correspondence as part of the [Panama Papers](https://www.icij.org/investigations/panama-papers/?ref=theferret.scot), obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and made accessible to The Ferret. In 2014, Ollerenshaw assured lawyers that she had “known and worked with Mr Kosov professionally since 1995”. “I meet him regularly, mainly in London, and also meet his family when they are in the UK,” she wrote. The accountant had even visited Kosov in Russia, at his central Moscow flat. Ollerenshaw stated that the Kosovs were beneficiaries of Kitty Invest and other firms via family trusts, although contradicted herself in a 2016 email, in which she bluntly told lawyers there was “no ‘beneficial owner’ as far as the companies you work for are concerned”. While Kosov’s firms were investing in UK property, the oligarch was serving as chair of Russia’s Budapest-headquartered International Investment Bank (IIB). Dubbed Putin’s “[Trojan horse](https://www.ft.com/content/2d19f912-41a4-11e9-9bee-efab61506f44?ref=theferret.scot)” by a Hungarian MP, Kosov and the IIB maintained the institution was independent of the Kremlin. But its many critics thought otherwise. Meanwhile, between 2010 and 2016, Kosov was also a [director](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/IcADEzQVzSHC3zA5KDpFUTs8Qd4/appointments?ref=theferret.scot) of the London-based Russo-British Chamber of Commerce, which aims to facilitate and promote trade and investment between the two countries. In 2021, independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta [reported](https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2021/04/26/kto-prinimaet-na-grud?ref=theferret.scot) that Kosov held the “absolute record” for the number of awards from Putin, mostly for contributions to banking and the IIB. Awardees are reportedly exempt from property taxes and receive monthly state payments. The years ahead proved tricky for Kosov, however. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European countries began abandoning the IIB. According to leaked documents obtained by the Hungarian investigative outlet [Direkt36](https://www.direkt36.hu/en/kiszivargott-hogyan-mentette-offshore-milliardjait-a-szankciok-elott-a-budapesti-orosz-bank-vezere/?ref=theferret.scot), Kosov feared imminent sanctions. His family planned to move £14m of assets from UK offshore tax havens to the UAE, and Kosov’s wife sent a draft transfer contract to Ollerenshaw, who provided comments. His fears were vindicated in April 2023 when the US [sanctioned](https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1402?ref=theferret.scot) the IIB and its top officials – Kosov included. The IIB allowed Russia to boost its intelligence in Europe, and could act as “a mechanism for corruption and illicit finance, including sanctions violation,” argued the US Treasury. Meanwhile, Kosov’s son Pavel, who [met](https://web.archive.org/web/20240803164815/http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/68586) Putin in 2022, was [sanctioned](https://drs.nsdc.gov.ua/subjects?searchQuery=kosov&ref=theferret.scot) in Ukraine for [his senior role](https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/NK-kW8iv6Ymws8dCFfuFNaWvA/?ref=theferret.scot) in a large Russian state-owned firm. The Kosovs were not hit by UK sanctions, however. ![View through a wire fence showing an abandoned parking area with weeds growing through cracks and industrial buildings in the distance.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Paisley-Car-parksJ46773.jpg) Image by Angela Catlin ### **Trusts and transparency** Back in Britain, Westminster fast-tracked a new [Economic Crime Act](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-crime-and-corporate-transparency-bill-2022-factsheets/fact-sheet-economic-crime-and-corporate-transparency-bill-overarching?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20ECTE%20Act%3A,better%20support%20law%20enforcement%20investigations) in the aftermath of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine to “crack down on dirty Russian money in the UK”. A key tenet was a new publicly accessible [Register of Overseas Entities](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/register-of-overseas-entities?ref=theferret.scot) where foreign entities who own UK property must declare their beneficial owners. However, owners can stay hidden if their assets are registered in the name of a trust, or a company owned by a trust. In the latter scenario, the trust’s name does not need to be publicly disclosed. Kosov’s property ownership is a case in point. While two firms linked to him were added to the register – Coolbury Properties Limited in 2022 and Kitty Invest in 2023 – the oligarch’s name does not appear beside either. Instead, it is Ollerenshaw, Kosov’s accountant of years past, and other appointed representatives of the unnamed trusts behind these firms who are publicly listed. The Ferret confirmed the name of the entity behind Kitty Invest as the Kitty Trust and obtained further information from the UK Government. Kosov is listed as a settlor – someone able to put assets into the trust – while his wife, Natalya, is the listed beneficiary. The couple’s correspondence address is that of a luxury chalet in an Swiss alpine village famous for its ski resorts. The Ferret was only able to obtain this information by submitting a £55 application to the UK Government requesting details about a trust which owns UK property. The name of the trust must be stated in the application, even though there may be no public record of the trust’s existence – or any clues linking the trust and its property. The Ferret was able to track down information about the Kitty Trust because it was named in leaked Panama Papers documents. Transparency International UK said the Westminster government must urgently scrap the need for applicants to provide the name of a trust, or “continue to allow sanctioned individuals to hide behind these structures”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Paisley-Car-parksJ46776-2.jpg) Image by Angela Catlin ### **‘Shocking indictment’ of UK’s ‘dirty money’ defences** From Paisley to Pall Mall, the Kosovs still own other UK property. An opulent Kensington flat is held by the Nibiru Trust – another Kosov-linked entity overseen by Ollerenshaw – title deeds obtained by Transparency International UK show. An application submitted in August indicates the flat may be being sold or transferred to another party. While the Pall Mall apartments have been sold off, the Kosov-linked Coolbury Properties still owns the building. Joe Powell, the Kensington MP and former chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax, claimed that around four in ten properties in Kensington and Chelsea alone are owned via trusts. “So it’s no surprise to me, but nonetheless deeply concerning, that we have yet more trust-owned property allegedly controlled by someone with ties to Vladimir Putin,” he said. In Scotland, property owners and long-term tenants are [legally required](https://www.gov.scot/policies/land-reform/register-of-controlling-interests/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) to enter on the Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land (RCI), although a range of [exemptions](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/85/schedule/2/made?ref=theferret.scot) mean not everyone has to feature. Searching for Kitty Invest and its properties on the RCI draws no results. But land reform expert Andy Wightman said none of the exemptions apply to Kitty Invest, meaning those responsible for the offshore firm have committed an offence by failing to register. “These are remarkable revelations and underscore the need for far better transparency over the control of land,” he said. “The current RCI is not monitored for compliance and hence many people who should have registered have not done so. There have been no prosecutions for such failures.” Transparency International UK’s Juliet Swann argued that if Westminster does not take “prompt action” to improve transparency around trusts, “an opportunity exists for Scotland to carve its own path to trust transparency by re-imagining the RCI as an anti-corruption tool." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Paisley-Car-parksJ46774-2.jpg) Liberal Democrat MP Susan Murray called on the Scottish and UK governments to work together on boosting transparency. "The UK should be hitting Putin, and the oligarchs who do his bidding, where it hurts – in their wallets by ending the Russian free-for-all in our country,” she said. "There needs to be a complete register exposing foreign property owners to stop Putin’s cronies stashing their cash in our country.” Dr Helen Taylor, deputy director of Spotlight on Corruption, noted that Kosov’s firms are incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), a UK overseas territory of which the UK still retains ultimate responsibility. “The UK government urgently needs to end the BVI’s role as a backdoor for dirty money flows and tackle the professional enablers who exploit loopholes to shield suspicious wealth from public scrutiny,” she argued. “From Pall Mall to Paisley, it is far too easy for the true owners of property to hide behind secret trusts and offshore structures,” added Taylor. “The fact that a Kremlin-decorated oligarch stills holds significant property interests in the UK is a shocking indictment of the many gaps in our defences against dirty money”. Jacqueline Ollerenshaw did not respond to requests to comment. Nikolay Kosov could not be directly reached. ****THE FERRET: 10 YEARS AND COUNTING** You've just read our reimagined Ferret. After a decade of investigations that sparked change across Scotland, we've refreshed our look and sharpened our focus. But our mission hasn't changed: fearless accountability journalism, powered entirely by readers like you. New look. Same digging. Support independent journalism. [Join 2,000+ members from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/signup) ### Gaza protestors across Scotland are waiting to know if they'll be prosecuted as terrorists – a photo essay URL: https://www.theferret.scot/palestine-protests-activists-or-terrorists/ Last updated: 2025-12-04T08:57:12.000Z **It is more than two years since photographer Rayna Carruthers started documenting pro-Palestine protests in Glasgow and Edinburgh, staged in response to Israel’s blanket bombing of Gaza following the 7 October attacks by Hamas.** Carruther’s photographs for The Ferret, particularly in recent months, highlight a Scottish anti-war movement that's been heavily policed. Across the UK hundreds have been arrested under the Terrorism Act since the proscription of Palestine Action by the UK Government, the vast majority of whom were holding signs or placards deemed as supportive of Palestine Action. Inviting or expressing support for a proscribed organisation carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, and Carruthers’ photos show the human side of protesters in Scotland, some of whom have been charged with alleged terrorism offences. ****READER FUNDED. FIERCELY INDEPENDENT.** For two years, The Ferret has documented pro-Palestine protests across Scotland — and the human cost of a government crackdown on peaceful dissent. This investigation is possible because of readers like you. Join 2,000+ members supporting journalism that holds power to account. [Become a member - From £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/signup) The Ferret found that more than 20 people in Scotland are still waiting to hear if their terrorism charges will proceed. Many had never been arrested before and they participated in peaceful protests. Those charged include the Scottish screenwriter, Paul Laverty and Lizzie Eldridge, a writer and vice-president of Scottish Pen. Some of those arrested are mothers and pensioners, the oldest an 83-year-old man. Others have been charged with less serious offences not under the Terrorism Act. Eleven people facing terrorism charges allegedly attended a Defend our Juries protest in Edinburgh on 6 September 2025\. Nine of them were arrested at home in the days or weeks after the protest, one as recently as 29 October. An appeal against the proscription of Palestine Action – lodged by human rights charities Amnesty International and Liberty – is due to be heard later this month. The Ferret understands that charges in Scotland are on hold pending the outcome of that hearing. For those charged, the wait hangs heavy. According to the Network for police monitoring (Netpol), arrests under counter terrorism legislation have “wide-reaching effects on people's future employment, education and travel” and go far beyond the initial impact of an arrest and charge. But Kat Hobbs, a spokesperson for the campaign group insists while the threat of serious charges “is intended to scare people away from the streets”, the movement “shows no sign of letting up”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/1-1.jpg) In August, activists gathered on the steps of Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow, to protest in support of the people of Gaza. Attendees included Lizzie Eldridge who had been acquitted by a judge of charges levelled against her a few days earlier. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/3.jpg) “I was always politically conscious,” says Eldridge, the vice-president of Scottish Pen. “I was teaching English in Malta but came back to Scotland in 2019\. And then the genocide started happening in Palestine. I was thinking, ‘where are the demos?’ And that's how I got involved.” Eldrige’s first arrest was on 2 November 2024, after a protest in Glasgow targeted Barclays bank for its business links to Israel. A young Palestinian woman who’d spoken at the demo was arrested, and after Eldrige objected she was arrested too and charged with obstructing the police. “You're like, ‘oh my god, this is the first time in my life I've ever been arrested’,” she says. “They put us in a van and took us to Govan police station. I was told my bail conditions meant I could not go anywhere in the city centre.” Eldridge’s initial court date was 28 January 2025 when she was advised there was also a charge of breaching the peace. There were five court appearances in total and on 6 August 2025 a sheriff gave her an absolute discharge and said “you are obviously a person of good character”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/2-1.jpg) Eldrige holds a Palestinian flag at a Glasgow protest and shouts "refugees are welcome here”. Her second arrest was in Aberdeen, in April, after she demonstrated against an Israeli player’s participation in the World Bowls Indoor Championship. She was arrested again on 6 September 2025, this time at her home. It was a few days after a silent protest in Edinburgh when she wore a T-shirt which said: “Genocide in Palestine, time to take action”. She was charged under the Terrorism Act and could now face a prison sentence. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/8.jpg) Cat Train from East Renfrewshire, has always been socially active, her campaigning often focussing on food justice or climate action. But after Israel started bombing Gaza, supporting the Palestine cause felt deeply urgent. She was drawn towards parents from Mothers Against the Genocide Scotland, a grassroots group of parents involved in protesting with their children. They make socks and on each one the name of a child killed in Gaza is written. Train says she’s witnessed a heavy police presence at events. “I have seen policing that is mindful of the fact that this is a peaceful movement,” she acknowledges. “But the good instances are outweighed by the bad. I’ve seen police getting pushy and physical - it feels like they are trying to get a reaction. And I think arresting people wearing Palestine t-shirts and posters has backfired to be honest. People can see how ridiculous it is.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/10.jpg) In one incident, Train – pictured above with Mothers Against Genocide Scotland – witnessed someone being violently arrested in Glasgow and complained to police. “I was with my three children who are nine,eight and six and we were making origami doves and reading stories. It was very chilled and people were there to educate themselves. Suddenly we saw police vans screeching down the street as if there had been a full scale riot. My kids were terrified.” Train's daughter is so traumatised by what she witnessed, she is often scared to go to sleep at night. “This experience has completely changed how I think about policing,” Train says. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/5.jpg) The woman Train saw being arrested in Glasgow sustained a fractured knee bone and a severed leg tendon. She spoke to The Ferret about what happened but was unable to give an interview on the record as she faces a trial soon. There have been claims of police violence at protests. Last month, the Scottish Community and Activist Legal Project and Netpol launched a report – From Scotland to Gaza – alleging police repeatedly misused police powers, and were intimidatory and discriminatory while policing in the year leading up to October 2024. In response, Police Scotland says it is a "rights-based organisation" whose role is to ensure public safety while "balancing the rights of protesters" who wish to peacefully demonstrate. “We have a duty to ensure the safety of those protesting or counter-protesting alongside minimising any disruption to our communities," a police spokesperson told The Ferret. "Policing plans are put in place proportionately for protests and demonstrations and the dedication and professionalism of officers enable us to keep everyone safe." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/11.jpg) Legal observers from the Scottish Community and Activist Legal Project monitor police activity at a Stand Up To Racism protest in Glasgow. Members of the Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee (Glasgow) – which includes the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign – also demonstrated against a far-right rally that day. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/12.jpg) Police wearing orange caps film crowds at a Stand Up To Racism protest in Glasgow on 26 July 2025. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/14.jpg) Mick Napier, president and founding member of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, addresses a Gaza rally on Buchanan Steps, Glasgow. He recounts his recent arrest in Edinburgh and alleges police intimidation. Napier was later acquitted of two charges following a seven day trial in Glasgow. The 78 year old had been accused of using threatening and abusive behaviour, and of alleged antisemitism. But the sheriff cleared Napier of both charges. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/15.jpg) Mick Napier speaks to supporters outside Glasgow Sheriff Court. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/16.jpg) Marie, a pro-Palestine activist, leads chants during a protest inside Glasgow Central Station. She had previously received a police caution, which will remain on her record for two years, following another demonstration in Kelso. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/17.jpg) An activist called Dominic, of the Revolutionary Communist group and grassroots campaign Fight Racism, Fight Imperialism, poses for a portrait following a Gaza protest at Mandela Place, Glasgow. He was first detained and charged for resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer and breach of the peace, during a demonstration against Keir Starmer, but later acquitted of all charges. He alleges the arrest which saw police restrain him with both handcuffs and leg restraints was violent. He was arrested again in July for criminal damage and breach of the peace after applying hairspray to chalked protest slogans at a protest outside an army recruitment office in Glasgow. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/18.jpg) Sarah, arrested on 15 September 2025, gives a speech outside St Leonards Police station, Edinburgh. Protests can change things, say activists who spoke to The Ferret, and last month the Scottish Government announced it would recognise the Palestinian state and stop arms companies which supply Israel's military from getting grants and investment support. A few weeks later Ivan McKee, Scottish minister for public finance, stood in front of hundreds of protestors gathered at Buchanan Street Steps, Glasgow, and acknowledged the power of ordinary people. “Keep holding us to account,” he told the crowd. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/22-1.jpg) Sarah, in the centre wearing a brown hooded jacket, hugs a fellow activist in Edinburgh. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/19.jpg) Paul Laverty, a screenwriter and lawyer, was charged for "showing support for a proscribed organisation" at a pro-Palestine protest in Edinburgh. Laverty is a long-term collaborator and friend of Ken Loach, who wrote the films I, Daniel Blake, Sweet Sixteen and The Wind That Shakes the Barley. He was charged over a T-shirt he wore at a protest outside St Leonards Police Station, Edinburgh. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/23.jpg) It is just over one month since a tentative ceasefire was agreed in Gaza. The peace plan, which followed an intervention by US president Donald Trump, included a commitment by Hamas to return all hostages and for Israel to release about 100 Palestinian prisoners, stop the bombing and withdraw their troops. Israel started bombing Gaza after an attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023 killed 1,200 people. Hamas also took 251 hostages that day. All the living hostages have now been released by Hamas, but Israel is still waiting for the remains of six dead hostages. At time of writing, over 69,169 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks since October 2023, according to health officials in Gaza. The death toll includes an estimated 20,000 children and 170,694 people have been wounded. Israel has questioned those figures though claiming that because Hamas controls the government, officials cannot provide reliable information. What happens next hangs in the balance. For the people of Gaza, there is uncertainty that the ceasefire won’t hold – fears shared by pro Palestinian protesters in Scotland who face anxiety until courts decide their fate. ****SUPPORT INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM** Stories like this take time, resources, and courage. The Ferret is Scotland's only member-owned investigative outlet — no billionaire backers, no corporate interests. We report on power, policing, and protest because our readers fund us to do so. If this journalism matters to you, support it. [Become a member from £5/month ](https://www.theferret.scot/#/portal/signup) ### Deer are damaging hundreds of protected areas across Scotland. Experts can't agree how to stop them URL: https://www.theferret.scot/nearly-300-protected-areas-pressured-by-scotlands-rampant-deer-population/ Last updated: 2025-12-02T10:59:37.000Z **Nearly 300 protected areas are being damaged or put at risk by Scotland’s rampant deer population, including breeding grounds for capercaillie – a bird facing extinction, The Ferret can reveal.** The iconic but vastly overpopulated animals are harming famous locations, including Ben Nevis, Glen Coe, the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national parks, and the [critically rare](https://www.nature.scot/rare-caledonian-pinewood-restored-alladale-wilderness-reserve?ref=theferret.scot) Caledonian forest. Some breeding grounds for capercaillies, golden eagles, golden plovers, greenshanks and red-throated divers have been put under pressure by deer. In excessive numbers, deer [degrade land](https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/resources/943-deer-management-faq-july-2021?ref=theferret.scot) by trampling over and eating too much vegetation, and stripping bark with their antlers, which can kill trees. Rampant deer also harm the plants and animals that rely on these habitats, and allow plants they do not eat to dominate, according to the John Muir Trust. [Experts call for more controls to curb damage done by deerStrict new rules should be introduced to curb the damage done by deer to the natural environment, according to a major report submitted to the Scottish Government. The report by a team of experts, commissioned to look at deer management in Scotland, heavily criticises the government wildlife agency, Scottish Natural![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-45.png)The FerretRichard Baynes![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1072907236.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/deer-report-scottish-government-culling/) There are thought to be close to [a million](https://www.ruralpayments.org/news-events/managing-deer-numbers-for-nature-and-climate.html?ref=theferret.scot) deer in Scotland, with [at least 100,000](https://www.nature.scot/doc/deer-management-scotland-frequently-asked-questions-faqs?ref=theferret.scot) culled annually. Deer pressure on nationally and globally important protected areas is revealed in data we obtained via freedom of information from NatureScot, the Scottish Government’s wildlife agency. It considers some of the sites affected to be the best remaining representations of Scotland’s “natural heritage”. They include the Loch Lomond site used for breeding by capercaillie – a species on the verge of extinction in Scotland. Their breeding grounds were found to be in an “unfavourable” and “declining” condition by NatureScot. The wildlife agency said deer can damage the nests of ground nesting birds by walking over them, but stressed that deer were unlikely to have been solely responsible for a breeding site to be in poor condition. Five Caledonian forest sites were under pressure from deer, with all found to be in an "unfavourable" state. They include woodland at Ben Nevis, the Ardgour peninsula, Ballochbuie near Braemar, and Amat Wood – the [largest](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/sites/default/files/site-special-scientific-interest/54/sssi-citation.pdf) native pinewood in Sutherland. These five clusters are among the 84 remaining fragments of Caledonian pinewoods, which are at risk of vanishing altogether, [according to](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-64452194?ref=theferret.scot) the Trees for Life charity. #### **In numbers: the impact of deer** NatureScot’s data shows that deer were pressuring 230 of Scotland’s 1,422 [sites of special scientific interest](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/national-designations/sites-special-scientific-interest-sssis?ref=theferret.scot) (SSSIs), 52 of the 243 [special areas of conservation](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/international-designations/european-sites/special-areas-conservation-sacs?ref=theferret.scot), five of the 162 [special protection areas](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/international-designations/european-sites/special-protection-areas-spas?ref=theferret.scot), and two of the 51 “globally-important” [Ramsar wetland sites](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/international-designations/ramsar-sites?ref=theferret.scot). SSSIs best represent Scotland’s nature due to their diversity features like plants, animals and habitats, according to NatureScot. Deer had at least some "negative" effect on all but 11 parts of these 289 protected sites, harming 415 features including woodlands, forests, and grasslands. Some 309 of these aspects were in an “unfavourable” condition, while 132 were found to be “favourable”. Compared to previous assessments, 144 had deteriorated while the remainder had not changed or were recovering. NatureScot stressed that features can face other pressures beyond deer that contribute to their overall condition. #### **Scotland and deer numbers** Scotland’s deer herds have risen dramatically over the decades. Estimations [cited](https://www.gov.scot/publications/natural-environment-scotland-bill-deer-management-final-business-regulatory-impact-assessment/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot) by the Scottish Government found that red deer numbers had doubled from 155,000 to 300,000 between 1959 and 1990. Today, more than 833,000 – made up of 500,000 red, 300,000 roe, 25,000 sika and at least 8,000 fallow deer – have been recorded [according to NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/doc/deer-management-scotland-frequently-asked-questions-faqs?ref=theferret.scot). But the government [pointed](https://www.gov.scot/publications/natural-environment-scotland-bill-deer-management-final-business-regulatory-impact-assessment/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot) to 2021 research saying the figure was thought to be “well on its way” to a million. The John Muir Trust [says](https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/resources/943-deer-management-faq-july-2021?ref=theferret.scot) that, “broadly speaking”, more than five deer per sq km prevent natural woodland regeneration, while exceeding eight per sq km risks damage to peatlands, which store vast amounts of carbon – which causes global warming if released. The Scottish Government accepted a recommendation from the independent [Deer Working Group](https://www.gov.scot/groups/deer-working-group/?ref=theferret.scot) that there should be no more than 10 red deer per sq km in large open areas in the Highlands. But it added that appropriate densities can vary depending on the area. To control the overpopulated animals, which have no surviving natural predators, deer are culled by NatureScot and Forestry and Land Scotland on public land, and land managers and others on private estates. NatureScot says the annual recorded cull is over 100,000, but numbers could be as high as 200,000. However, it [estimates](https://www.nature.scot/deer-cull-incentive-schemes-launch-help-tackle-nature-and-climate-crises?ref=theferret.scot) that 50,000 more deer must be killed every year to meet nature and biodiversity targets. ![Deer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/istock-628133040.jpg) Red deer roam a Scottish hillside. [Credit: GeorgeAPhilip](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/GeorgeAPhilip?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) Deer control is voluntary, rather than compulsory, but NatureScot has the power to cull deer on behalf of non-compliant landowners “when necessary to protect our natural heritage”. It did so in 2023, killing 160 deer at Loch Choire estate in Sutherland. With 13 per sq km, the animals threatened four designated peatland SSSIs. This cost taxpayer-funded NatureScot £25,000, minus £8,000 it recouped in venison sales. In April, the government [approved](https://www.nature.scot/further-action-prevent-deer-damage-approved?ref=theferret.scot) a compulsory deer control scheme at the estate – the first time one has ever been used – in order to protect the SSSIs. Conservative MSP Edward Mountain said the decline of capercaillie at Loch Lomond “cannot be pinned on the door of deer”. “Ineffective predator control of foxes, pine martens and badgers will cause more damage than deer’s hooves and this is clearly evidenced at Abernethy which is run by RSPB and which has the fastest declining population of capercaillie in Scotland,” he said. RSPB, however, claimed the Abernethy capercaillie population was increasing, albeit “slowly in contrast to most other places in its remaining range”. “We’ve focussed on habitat improvements including reducing deer numbers, grazing with cattle, and vegetation cutting rather than predator control and this approach seems to be working for us,” said Duncan Orr-Ewing, RSPB’s head of species and land management. #### **The deer management debate** Politicians, academics and conservationists agree that Scotland’s deer herd must be managed, but there are splits on what the process should look like. The Scottish Wildlife Trust branded overgrazing by deer “a key blocker in efforts to tackle climate change and reversing nature loss by 2045 – commitments to which the Scottish Government itself [has pledged](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-2045/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot)”. Unless numbers are cut, “we risk our most special places for wildlife suffering further damage”, said Bruce Wilson, the charity’s head of policy. “Funded training and support must also be made available to rural communities”, he added. Green MSP Ariane Burgess said that if Scotland is “serious about reversing nature loss and tackling the climate emergency, we have to get deer densities down to levels that allow woodlands and peatlands to recover”. Some estates had allowed deer numbers to balloon “just to guarantee paying clients animals to shoot”, while stalkers who “understand the scale of the problem” are “constrained by the priorities of the landowners and land managers who call the shots,” she alleged. Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) claimed 80 per cent of deer management was voluntarily handled by private landowners “often at a net cost”. “Where deer are causing damage, NatureScot have powers to intervene... and SLE supports the principle of having a regulatory backstop”, said Ross Ewing, director of moorland and special projects. “However, an approach predicated on incentives is more likely to enable more effective deer management to take place.” [In photos: how we are changing Scotland’s landscape“My view of the Highlands has changed,” says Richard Cross, a photographer based in Scotland. “Where once I saw wilderness I now see a landscape scarred by human activity, vegetation depleted by grazing, moors drained to rear grouse and swathes of forestry plantations which support little biodiversity. “Wind turbines and![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-46.png)The FerretRichard Cross![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/20190131-DJI_0190.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/land-use-scotland-richard-cross-photography/) The Association of Deer Management Groups said that while it was working with NatureScot to count, manage and assess the impacts of deer, “the solution isn’t simple”. Its chair, Tom Turnbull, said herd numbers may be growing outwith the Highlands “where divergent land management objectives, more fragmented ownership and increased forestry and woodland cover means deer management presents even greater challenges.” Davy McCracken, head of SRUC’s hill and mountain research said the issue is not “as straightforward as simply reducing deer numbers” and “requires a coordinated approach to build local partnerships and base management decisions on solid ecological evidence”. Scottish environmental policy has been “encouraging a greater focus on sustainable deer management in recent years” and would be buoyed by legally binding biodiversity targets set out in the [Natural Environment Bill](https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/s6/natural-environment-scotland-bill?ref=theferret.scot) going through parliament, he added. NatureScot agreed the bill would “further modernise, clarify and streamline deer management legislation in Scotland, fulfilling many of the recommendations of the independent Deer Working Group”. “These changes will better support efforts to restore priority areas such as native woodlands and peatlands by reducing the impacts of deer grazing and trampling,” said a spokesperson. They emphasised that NatureScot puts a “strong focus” on reducing deer impacts in “priority areas”, including protected ones. The spokesperson added: ”Sustainable deer management is vital if we are to bring populations in balance with the rest of nature and effectively tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.” Header image credit: [David O'Brien](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/David%5FO'Brien?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) *We updated this article at 11:00 on 2/12/2025 to correct a line which claimed that NatureScot was aware of deer eating the nests of ground nesting birds. NatureScot confirmed that while it is aware of instances of sheep and cattle eating the nests of ground nesting birds, it was not aware of the same activity from deer.* ### Edinburgh University students 'interrogated' by police over Palestine posters URL: https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-university-students-interrogated-by-police-over-palestine-posters/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:56:49.000Z Students working in Edinburgh University were “interrogated” by police at their desks over posters featuring Palestinians killed by the Israeli military, prompting dozens to sign a letter of complaint. Police officers questioned students on campus last month after receiving an allegation that one poster featured a member of Hamas. The university had been informed about the visit but students had not, with some saying they felt “intimidated” after being “interrogated” by officers. Following the incident, 78 PhD students wrote a letter to the university expressing “shock” that officers were “allowed to wander freely through the building” and question “any student in sight” without warning. Students said the allegation that one poster featured a Hamas member is unsubstantiated and claimed that questioning by the police was an attempt to stop them expressing support for Palestinians. Police Scotland told The Ferret it had informed the university that officers would be visiting in advance, adding it had not received any complaints about the visit. Edinburgh University said it has a responsibility to assist with police investigations. > Authorising this police visit has completely eroded my trust in the university. Edinburgh University doesn’t care about us. > > **PhD student** PhD social sciences students were working in their offices at George Square on 22 October when two police community support officers appeared and questioned them at their desks. The officers asked students for their names and contact details, and details of any individuals they suspected may have put the posters up. While campus security allowed officers into the building, police questioned students unaccompanied. Police Scotland said a complaint they received about “the contents of a poster” displayed in the building’s windows prompted the visit. At the time, students had filled windows with posters of the faces of around 60 Palestinians killed by the Israeli military since 2023. The complaint alleged that one poster showed a Hamas operative but students said police pointed to a poster showing Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif. Al-Sharif was Al Jazeera’s Gaza correspondent. Evidence has been [provided by Israel](https://new.embassies.gov.il/multilateral-organizations-france/en/news/idf-eliminates-hamas-terrorist-masquerading-al-jazeera-journalist-gaza-city-august-10-2025?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20IDF%20conducted%20a%20precision,Israeli%20civilians%20and%20IDF%20forces.) of Al-Sharif’s links to Hamas, though the credibility of this has been [disputed](https://cpj.org/data/people/anas-al-sharif/?ref=theferret.scot) by leading international media and organisations such as the Committee for the Protection of Journalists. Al-Sharif claimed this was a smear campaign and a precursor to his assassination. He was killed by the Israeli military weeks later in a press tent. Rae Carlile was the first student the officers questioned. Carlile said: “It’s extremely intimidating to just be getting on with work, when suddenly the police appear and start questioning you. The university doesn’t seem to care about the impact this has had.” “If any department should understand the importance of memorialisation and solidarity, it’s the social sciences. But now we’re being intimidated by the police for doing that.” The Ferret spoke to one student who put the posters up. She used the pseudonym Fernanda, as she fears police or university reprisals. She claimed that many international students are afraid police interactions could create issues with their visas. Fernanda said: “By authorising this visit the university completely abdicated its duty of care to migrant students… I have no faith that the university will protect me if I’m in harm’s way”. #### '**No evidence**' **behind the complaint** Fernanda questioned why the university and Police Scotland authorised the questioning of students when there was no evidence of criminal activity. Displaying outward facing posters is against university policy, but does not break any laws, she argued. Fernanda added: “Police Scotland needs to answer to this. By this standard, tomorrow I could make a complaint about a poster with Keir Starmer’s face on it and say ‘hey that’s a known Hamas member’ and they would investigate it and start questioning everyone. It’s insane they didn’t check.” She continued: “It’s like due process is suspended because of the word Hamas.” Police Scotland said it established that the poster was not of a criminal nature and no further action will be taken. The posters have since been removed. #### **Edinburgh University under scrutiny** Following the police visit, 78 PhD students in the Social and Political Sciences department sent a formal letter of complaint to the head of school, John Devaney. The university responded to say it appreciated students may have been “taken aback”, but that it would always seek to assist the police. This letter is the latest in a series of complaints made against the university around Palestine. In December 2024 an open letter signed by 12 organisations including UCU Edinburgh, plus 363 staff and 126 PhD researchers, [accused Edinburgh University](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/34npjpr3ns7m75hdmc9mbtm4s8wpl3?ref=theferret.scot) of suppressing freedom of expression regarding Palestine. Edinburgh University said: “The university works to ensure that all members of its diverse community - including students, staff, partners and visitors - feel safe, supported and able to participate fully in campus life. “Our code of conduct is in place to maintain a respectful environment, and any concerns about safety and wellbeing are taken seriously. While we can't comment on individual cases, we have a responsibility to cooperate with the Police and assist in their investigations." Police Scotland Chief Inspector Brian Manchester said the university was aware officers would be coming to carry out enquiries. “Two community officers were escorted by campus security to the building,” he said. “They spoke to a number of students to explain why we were there and provide advice as part of enquiries. Our community officers are well known on the campus and visit regularly to carry out engagement opportunities with the students and as part of patrols." *Main image: iStock/Aniruddha Chatterjee* Correction: We amended this story at 16.40 on 7/11/25 to remove a paragraph which stated the Israeli military falsely accused al-Sharif of being a Hamas operative, according to the International Committee to Protect Journalists, and that no evidence had been found to support the claim he was linked to Hamas. We updated the article to state that evidence has been provided by Israel of Al-Sharif’s links to Hamas, though the credibility of this has been disputed by leading international media and organisations such as the Committee for the Protection of Journalists. ### These Scottish beaches were officially rated ‘excellent’. But they were polluted with human and animal waste URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-beaches-excellent-polluted-sewage/ Last updated: 2025-11-17T18:24:17.000Z **Dozens of wild swimming spots where water quality is classed as “good” or “excellent” were contaminated with human or animal faeces this summer, analysis by The Ferret has found.** Official [testing](https://bathingwaters.sepa.org.uk/locations-and-results/?ref=theferret.scot) shows 46 of the country’s 89 designated bathing waters – where hundreds of people swim daily – had at least one sample where E. coli or intestinal enterococci (IE) reached unsafe levels. These bacteria are [found](https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/bathing-water?ref=theferret.scot) in human and animal faeces and can cause stomach bugs, ear and eye infections, and other illnesses. The worst affected beach was Irvine in Ayrshire, which is rated “excellent” but recorded the highest E. coli reading in Scotland and exceeded safe levels on seven occasions. Nearly three quarters of the unsafe samples across the country came from beaches rated “good” or “excellent”, the data shows. Campaigners warned of a “Scottish sewage scandal” and said the findings suggest the public is “being put at risk” even at “supposedly excellent quality beaches”. Opposition politicians called for investment in Scotland’s “Victorian sewage system” and argued “industrial agriculture” was also worsening water pollution. The Scottish Government and Scottish Water both argued that water quality is at its “highest ever” level, while the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) reiterated its advice to water users not to swim up to three days after heavy rain. > Our waters are for all of us, and people should be able to swim, bathe and relax safely. > > Mark Ruskell MSP, Scottish Greens We analysed annual [data](https://bathingwaters.sepa.org.uk/locations-and-results/?ref=theferret.scot) published by Sepa, which monitors pollution of popular wild swimming spots over the summer. Water is [considered](https://bathingwaters.sepa.org.uk/locations-and-results/results/?location=233616&ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=laboratory%20No.%201327.-,Results%20explained,-The%20annual%20bathing) to be low quality and people are advised not to swim if concentrations of E. coli and IE are found to pass certain thresholds. There were 110 such samples in 2025, a slight uptick from 107 in 2024\. Faecal pollution can be linked to discharges from [sewer overflows](https://beta.sepa.scot/news/2025/scotland-s-bathing-water-season-opens-with-a-decade-of-progress-and-record-number-of-locations-rated-excellent/?ref=theferret.scot) – which are meant to discharge during heavy rain to stop sewage from flooding homes and businesses. But run-off from farms, as well as dog fouling and bird droppings, are also sources of contamination. Thirty of the unsafe samples around the country were taken at 15 beaches where water is rated “excellent”, while a further 51 were from “good” sites. At [Irvine](https://bathingwaters.sepa.org.uk/locations-and-results/results/?location=124688&ref=theferret.scot), E. coli levels were more than 15 times the safe limit on 7 July. Sepa’s [profile](https://bathingwaters.sepa.org.uk/profiles/profile?location=124688&ref=theferret.scot) for the beach warns that sewer overflows can have a “significant impact on the water quality”, although it says these “normally” occur only during rainfall. Scottish Water pointed out that there is also a major farming catchment close to Irvine, and [run off](https://www.farmingandwaterscotland.org/diffuse-pollution/?ref=theferret.scot) of slurry can also be a source of the bacteria after heavy rain. ![View from Irvine beach looking towards Arran. Sunshine with heavy showers moving in.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/istock-1332909398.jpg) Irvine beach in Ayrshire recorded the highest E. coli reading in Scotland. Image: jgshields/iStock Nearby [South Beach](https://bathingwaters.sepa.org.uk/locations-and-results/results/?location=124725&ref=theferret.scot) in Ayr was one of three round the country which had five unsafe samples, along with [Harbour Beach](https://bathingwaters.sepa.org.uk/locations-and-results/results/?location=4565&ref=theferret.scot) in Kinghorn in Fife, and [Lossiemouth](https://bathingwaters.sepa.org.uk/locations-and-results/results/?location=233603&ref=theferret.scot) in Moray. Other “excellent” beaches on the Ayrshire coast, including Troon, Prestwick and Saltcoats/Ardrossan also had multiple samples indicating low water quality. Sepa [categorises](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/assessment/bathing-water-microbiology?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Generally%2C%20a%20'large'%20number,waters%20from%202015%20to%202018.) bathing waters as “excellent”, “good”, “sufficient” or “poor” based on a four-year average of monitoring results. This means a site can still hold a high rating even if it records multiple unsafe samples in a single summer. A spokesperson for the regulator argued this approach “ensures results are robust and representative” and gives a clear “indication of overall water quality”. In total, [87 per cent](https://beta.sepa.scot/news/2024/record-number-of-excellent-bathing-waters-in-scotland-for-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) of Scotland’s bathing waters are officially rated “good” or “excellent”, compared with [85 per cent](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/92-of-english-bathing-waters-meet-water-quality-standards?ref=theferret.scot) in England and [94 per cent](https://www.gov.wales/another-year-high-quality-bathing-water-standards-wales-0?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=This%20means%20that%20for%20a,safer%20environment%20for%20future%20generations.) in Wales. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image-3.png) Scotland’s sewage network [includes](https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/water/improving-urban-waters/?ref=theferret.scot) more than 3,600 combined sewer overflows (CSOs). These are designed to discharge untreated sewage during heavy rain where there is a risk of homes and properties flooding. Scottish Water argues even when this does happen, nearly all of what is released is so-called ‘grey water’ from households – including showers, baths and appliances, not toilets. Sewage is further diluted by rainfall, the company said. But there are concerns that some overflow sites spill far more often than they should. A [review](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/storm-overflows-an-assessment-of-spills-their-impact-on-the-water-environment-and-the-effectiveness-of-legislation-and-policy-september-2024.pdf) by the watchdog that examines the Scottish Government’s performance on green issues, Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS), found nearly half of monitored overflows discharged more than 50 times in 2023. A small number were found to spill even during dry weather, which ESS said is “of greatest concern” because pollution is not diluted by rainfall. Scottish Water claimed any dry spilling CSOs are quickly identified and fixed. There are also [longstanding](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65637123?ref=theferret.scot) concerns about lower levels of monitoring of CSOs in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK, which means it is hard to know the extent of the sewage spilling problem. In 2024, campaign group Surfers Against Sewage [found](https://news.stv.tv/east-central/true-extent-of-scottish-waters-sewage-pollution-could-be-as-high-as-364629-sewage-discharges-in-2024?ref=theferret.scot) that only 6.7 per cent of Scottish CSOs were monitored. Scottish Water had [installed](https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/About-Us/News-and-Views/2024/12/101224-1000-New-Overflow-Monitors?ref=theferret.scot) an additional 1,000 electronic monitors at CSOs by the end of 2024, which it says brings coverage to 35 per cent of sites, and a further 700 are expected to be fitted by the end of this year. It has also launched an online [map](https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Your-Home/Your-Waste-Water/Overflows/Live-Overflow-Map?ref=theferret.scot) showing near real-time data for over 1000 overflow locations. > In the build up to the 2026 election we need to see all parties commit to full transparency about the scale of pollution in Scotland and set bold targets to end sewage pollution. > > Henry Swithinbank, Surfers Against Sewage Henry Swithinbank, a senior campaigner at Surfers Against Sewage, said Scottish Water and Sepa were only sharing a “tiny amount of data” with water users but that it is enough to show the “public are being put at risk” even in “the middle of summer” at excellent beaches. Sepa’s bathing water testing was “failing to give a true picture of what is happening to our most loved beaches”, Swinthinbank claimed, adding that limited information about discharges means “we have no idea about the true scale of the ‘Scottish sewage scandal’”. He added: “In the build up to the 2026 election we need to see all parties commit to full transparency about the scale of pollution in Scotland and set bold targets to end sewage pollution.” In September, the charity [added](https://www.sas.org.uk/updates/scotlands-first-sewage-alerts-live-on-app/?ref=theferret.scot) Scottish data to its Safer Seas and Rivers app for the first time, allowing swimmers to see live alerts about sewage overflows near bathing waters. Scottish Greens MSP, Mark Ruskell, said The Ferret’s findings underline the need for “continued” investment in what he called Scotland’s “Victorian sewage systems” to help Sepa and Scottish Water “clean up the pollution at source”. “But industrial agriculture is also playing a major role in worsening water pollution, there needs to be a concerted approach to clean up catchments with stricter rules to protect rivers and coasts,” Ruskell continued. “These figures aren’t good enough. Our waters are for all of us, and people should be able to swim, bathe and relax safely.” Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, was also “extremely concerned” about “shocking levels” of sewage dumping at bathing waters. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/istock-180379448.jpg) “Scotland’s water quality is at its highest ever level,” a spokesperson for Scottish Water claimed. Image: vetas/iStock “Our bathing waters are visited by thousands of Scots every year, from swimmers to pet owners. They ought to be able to enjoy our coastline without worrying about what is in the water,” he told The Ferret. A Sepa spokesperson pointed out that 2025 saw a record 50 of Scotland’s bathing waters classified as “excellent”, compared with 17 ten years ago, and noted that it made daily water quality [predictions](https://bathingwaters.sepa.org.uk/predictions/?ref=theferret.scot) online at the highest risk bathing waters during the summer. They added: “As there is a risk that water pollution may occur after heavy rainfall, bathing is not advised during, or one-to-three days after, heavy rainfall due to the potential health risk from water pollution.” Scottish Water said it was “monitoring more overflows than ever before, providing more information on overflows than ever before and investing more than ever before in our waste water network”. “Scotland’s water quality is at its highest ever level and we remain committed to targeting resources and investment to preserve and protect Scotland’s water environment,” a spokesperson claimed. A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “97 per cent of Scotland’s bathing waters currently achieve the bathing water quality standards with 87 per cent being rated ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. “We encourage everyone to make use of Sepa’s resources and information to help make an informed decision about where and when to bathe. We also encourage beach users to continue to take all waste and litter home, and dispose of dog waste responsibly.” *Main image: budgetstockphoto/iStock* ### Footage of trout being clubbed and slaughtered prompts complaint to regulator URL: https://www.theferret.scot/footage-trout-clubbed-slaughtered-complaint-regulator/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:12:25.000Z **Footage of farmed trout apparently suffocating, haemorrhaging, and being beaten with batons in a slaughterhouse has prompted an official complaint to a government regulator.** The video – seen by The Ferret – was obtained by Animal Equality UK and taken at an abattoir at Ardnish, Loch Ailort, in August. The site is operated by SeaQureFarming Group Ltd which [bought the trout farm](https://www.fishfarmingexpert.com/dawnfresh-farming-gael-force-group-mowi-scotland/gael-force-boss-buys-dawnfresh-assets-off-mowi-for-trout-farming-venture/1924327?ref=theferret.scot) in April this year. Abigail Penny, executive director of Animal Equality UK, said the footage – filmed over two days – shows fish exiting stunning machinery still conscious and “showing signs of pain” and trout being stunned and beaten, but not “adequately killed”. The charity instructed law firm Advocates for Animals to submit a formal complaint to the Animal and Plant Health Agency Scotland, which investigates allegations of animal welfare abuse. The letter alleges “serious welfare issues and potential breaches of law” which, Animal Equality claimed, have been “corroborated” by animal welfare experts. In response, SeaQureFarming told The Ferret that its staff are “fully trained” in fish welfare and operate in line with its own standards and the RSPCA Assured scheme, which sets standards to protect animals. > This process is guaranteed to produce suffering en masse. > > Dr Mark Borthwick The alleged problems filmed at Ardnish included “fish seemingly cut before being stunned and rendered fully insensible” and trout “exiting the machine unstunned, as shown through sustained and coordinated thrashing”. Animal Equality’s complaint said the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 should protect fish from “unnecessary suffering” but its footage reveals that trout were not being “spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering” during killing operations. "These fish were violently handled, bludgeoned, thrown onto ice, and left to suffocate with devastating injuries in their final moments of life,” claimed Abigail Penny, executive director of Animal Equality UK. Dr Mark Borthwick is an agriculture specialist focusing on salmon farming, who was formerly head of research at the Aquatic Life Institute. After seeing the footage, he claimed that “something is very seriously wrong with this process”. He told The Ferret: “The worker is seen clubbing most of the trout – the majority of which are fully conscious, moving around, gasping for air, and bleeding. This should be happening before the fish are exsanguinated \[drained of blood\]. This process is guaranteed to produce suffering en masse.” Borthwick – who has advised on fish welfare at Holyrood and Westminster – added: “This production line should be halted and the machines adjusted so the animals are being correctly and consistently stunned.” > We take fish welfare extremely seriously and will review the material in full to assess the context and take any necessary action. > > Stewart Graham, SeaQureFarming Stewart Graham, of SeaQureFarming, said: “We understand this footage has been heavily edited and covers several hours of harvest operations over a period of many days. “We take fish welfare extremely seriously and will review the material in full to assess the context and take any necessary action. We are always keen to make continual improvements to all our operations and support a beyond compliance approach.” Edie Bowles, a solicitor at Advocates for Animals, said that [recent Scottish Government guidance](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-guidance-welfare-time-killing-salmon-farming/?ref=theferret.scot) on the killing of farmed salmon welfare, which says effective stunning is required in order to comply with the law, would “apply equally to trout”. The Animal and Plant Health Agency Scotland has started an investigation but declined to comment. *Main image: Paul Colley/iStock* ### Ukrainian owner of Scots space rocket firm linked to online gambling in Russia and 'I am naughty' dating site URL: https://www.theferret.scot/max-polyakov-skyrora-linked-online-gambling-russia-dating-site/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:29:20.000Z **He is the Ukrainian owner of a space rocket company pivotal to Scotland's burgeoning space industry, who aims to use private enterprise to drive a technological revolution.** Max Polyakov owns Skyrora Limited, the first British rocket firm to receive a space launch licence, and he plans to fire satellites into space from the Shetland Isles in the very near future. Polyakov’s company has received [£2.5m](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/scottish-based-space-companies-secure-85-million-to-bring-pioneering-launch-technologies-to-market?ref=theferret.scot) of taxpayers' money from the UK Space Agency, and [£3.8m](https://skyrora.com/skyrora-boosted-by-european-space-agency-funding/?ref=theferret.scot) from the European Space Agency, and includes leading astronaut Tim Peake on its advisory board. But a Ferret investigation has found Skyrora is linked to online dating services – including one called I Am Naughty – run via an offshore tax and secrecy haven. We’ve also seen court documents citing Polyakov’s alleged links to unlawful online gambling operations in Ukraine and Russia. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) Our findings have prompted a call for firms in receipt of taxpayers’ money with offshore links to be more “transparent” about their funding and manufacturers of potentially high risk operations in space to be “held to the highest standards”. > We need absolute transparency, not labyrinthine offshore corporate structures. > > Phil Brickell MP, Labour Born in Ukraine, Polyavov is a tech entrepreneur, philanthropist and award-winning businessman who has lived in Edinburgh for more than a decade. In February, he was named as the ultimate owner of Skyrora, which has a rocket factory in Cumbernauld that opened in July 2022\. Polyakov’s stated aim, according to his LinkedIn page, is to “drive a real revolution in the private space industry” – and Scotland is set to play a leading role, if all goes to plan. The Ukrainian’s credentials are impressive. Polyakov has two degrees including a PhD in international economics, and the 48-year-old has founded a number of companies including internet gaming and marketing sites. Aside from owning Skyrora, he is managing partner at Noosphere Ventures, an international asset management firm in the US that invests in emerging space companies. He also provided help to the Ukrainian military by forming a coalition of commercial space firms in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of his homeland – to analyse satellite images and data, and provide “a flood of intelligence information”, his efforts receiving commendations from military officials. ### **Skyrora** In Scotland, Polyakov's focus is Skyrora Ltd, a subsidiary of [Skyrora](https://www.skyroraventures.com/?ref=theferret.scot) Ventures which was founded in [2017](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC569511/filing-history?page=2&ref=theferret.scot) by another Ukrainian businessman – Polyakov owns 90 per cent of the parent firm. Skyrora Limited is headquartered in Edinburgh and its Cumbernauld rocket factory makes a rocket called Skylark, and employs up to [100 workers](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr9r987nnvo?ref=theferret.scot). The firm’s advisory board includes the astronaut, [Tim Peake](https://skyrora.com/who-we-are/?ref=theferret.scot), and last month Skyrora became the first UK-based rocket firm to receive a space launch licence. The Civil Aviation Authority licence allows Skyrora to launch from the SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland, and it could become the first British company to manufacture and launch a rocket into space from the UK. Rockets have been sent to space from the UK before, but not to put satellites in orbit. [Last year](https://www.snopes.com/the-grift-empire-part-v-skyrora-ventures/?ref=theferret.scot) investigative US website Snopes reported that Skyrora was part-funded by dating websites and The Ferret’s analysis of the latest financial accounts of Skyrora Ventures, and its subsidiaries, provide insight into how they make money. The group reported around £30m of sales in the year to December 2023\. While Skyrora is associated with the space industry, it mostly earns money from the reselling of adverts, according to its accounts. The vast majority of Skyrora Ventures' revenues stem from one subsidiary called Saltire Connect Limited, that reported revenues of £25m in 2023\. Saltire paid over £11m of dividends to Skyrora between December 2022 and December 2023\. Its [website](https://saltireconnectltd.com/?ref=theferret.scot) states it is the owner of a marketing business in Ukraine called [Adromeda](https://adromeda.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which is focused on "streaming, astrology and insurance". Saltire is also linked to an online dating service called I Am Naughty. The brand is owned by [Bulova Invest Limited](https://branddb.wipo.int/en/similarname/brand/US502016087073934?ref=theferret.scot), a company registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), a tax haven where corporate owners are allowed to hide their identities. According to [US court filings](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/content/pkg/USCOURTS-utd-2%5F14-cv-00228/uscourts-utd-2%5F14-cv-00228-0.pdf), Bulova Invest is owned by Max Polyakov. ### **Online gambling** We also found that Polyakov had links to online gambling. A 2015[ court case](https://jusmundi.com/en/document/decision/en-maxym-valeriyovych-polyakov-and-maxym-volodymyrovych-krippa-v-rustam-yusufovich-gilfanov-and-sergey-aleksandrovych-tokarev-final-award-tuesday-8th-may-2018?ref=theferret.scot) in the Hague – the result of a business dispute – cites an online gambling franchise, operating from Ukraine but targeting Russia. Polyakov was listed as having a business interest in two related ventures called GMS and GGS, both of which were described as being involved with online gambling. According to the court case, Polyakov became commercially involved with GGS/GMS in or around 2011\. Although the companies were incorporated offshore, in Anguilla, the case indicates that they operated in Ukraine and offered online gambling to customers in Ukraine and Russia. The operation ran casino sites under the brand names of “Vulcan” and “Vulkan” which were leased from Ritzio Entertainment Group, a gambling conglomerate owned by a Russian oligarch. Online gambling was illegal in Ukraine at the time and remains prohibited in Russia. Polyakov was named as a claimant in the case but the court dismissed the claim against his former business partners. > All of Max Polyakov’s companies maintain compliance functions and comply with applicable laws in the jurisdictions in which they operate. > > Noospheres Ventures Our findings prompted concern from Labour MP Phil Brickell, a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax, at Westminster. He said that “given the vital importance of satellites to our daily lives, from weather forecasting to communication and navigation, private operators and manufacturers must be held to the highest standards of probity, particularly where they receive taxpayer cash”. In order for this to happen, “we need absolute transparency, not labyrinthine offshore corporate structures,” he argued. Skyrora did not respond to our requests for a comment. But Noospheres Ventures told The Ferret that “all of Max Polyakov’s companies maintain compliance functions and comply with applicable laws in the jurisdictions in which they operate”, adding that his “affiliated companies are not aware of a single regulatory action related to his companies' business practices.” The UK Space Agency said that Skyrora received €4.4m (around £3.8m) as part of UK investment into the European Space Agency’s Boost! programme, to support the development of Skylark and a launch vehicle that will carry small satellites into orbit. They added that the UK Space Agency and ESA carried out “extensive due diligence” on Skyrora’s application before funding was approved. The European Space Agency confirmed Skyrora Limited was awarded €4.4m to support the development of its launch service, a satellite service for launch vehicles, and for an in-flight test. “ESA payments to Skyrora are made upon achievement of technical milestones and deliverables agreed within this contract,” an agency spokesperson added. ### **US security concerns** Polyakov has also invested in the US space sector. In 2014 he founded [Noosphere Venture Partners](https://noosphereventures.com/?ref=theferret.scot), an international asset management firm focused on the development of space technology. Three years later, in 2017, Noosphere [rescued ](https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/rocket-maker-firefly-aerospace-looks-raise-up-300-mln-sources-2022-10-31/?ref=theferret.scot)a US space rocket building firm called Firefly from bankruptcy. But in December [2021](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-29/firefly-owner-max-polyakov-to-sell-stake-in-rocket-startup?ref=theferret.scot) the US Government asked Polyakov’s investment firm to sell his stake in [Firefly](https://fireflyspace.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which was [reportedly](https://www.seattletimes.com/business/u-s-seeks-to-oust-ukrainian-owner-of-texas-rocket-startup-firefly/?ref=theferret.scot) around 50 per cent. It [was reported then](https://www.seattletimes.com/business/u-s-seeks-to-oust-ukrainian-owner-of-texas-rocket-startup-firefly/?ref=theferret.scot) that Polyakov had received a letter from the US’s Committee on Foreign Investment that cited “national security worries”. At the time, Polyakov insisted his ownership of Firefly posed no national security threats, but agreed to their demand, and sold his stake in the firm in [February](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-24/firefly-aerospace-mogul-max-polyakov-sells-entire-stake?leadSource=uverify%20wall&ref=theferret.scot) 2022\. But last year [Noosphere announced](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/max-polyakov-and-noosphere-released-by-us-from-restrictions-imposed-before-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-302192342.html?tc=eml%5Fcleartime&ref=theferret.scot) that the US government had released Polyakov and his related companies from all conditions imposed upon them in the run-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The statement by Noosphere said: “At the time, the government decided Noosphere's ownership of Firefly constituted a potential national security threat. Polyakov strongly disputed that he or his companies posed any threat to US national security, but complied with the divestiture order to eliminate the government's concerns and preserve Firefly.” ### **Scotland’s space race** Polyakov is now a major player in the space race in Scotland – home to advanced satellite manufacturing capabilities, data analysis expertise and a satellite launch market. Vying to be a leading space nation, Scotland offers several benefits for launching satellites. Its northerly latitude allows satellites to cover a wide range of the Earth’s surface for observation and communication, and vast stretches of unpopulated land, particularly in the Highlands and Islands, provide ideal launch sites. A new spaceport called SaxaVord, on the island of Unst has been touted as the UK’s “Cape Canaveral”. The UK Space Agency says that 228 organisations in Scotland, employing more than 8,000 people, generated a combined income of £298m in 2021/22, almost double the amount for 2018/19\. Space Scotland – a not-for-profit company set up in 2021 to support the sector – estimates the workforce could increase fivefold by 2030. Those involved in the sector include Polyakov, and Scotland’s richest man Anders Povlsen, who is a major investor and main stakeholder of the SavaxVord Spaceport in Unst. A number of companies plan to use the site, the northernmost point in the UK, as a launch site for commercial rockets. Unst, which has about 650 inhabitants, was one of the first Viking outposts in the North Atlantic. Now, Skyrora has been granted lift-off and the CAA licence permits up to 16 launches per year, though rockets may not be launched until 2026. *Main image: Jim Hartson* ### Sheku Bayoh Inquiry may not recover from 'wrecking ball' of legal challenge, claims family lawyer URL: https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-inquiry-may-not-recover-from-wrecking-ball-of-legal-challenge-claims-family-lawyer/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:49:59.000Z The legal establishment has delivered “a wrecking ball” to the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry from which it may never recover, the family’s lawyer has claimed. [Solicitor Aamer Anwar](https://theferret.scot/tag/aamer-anwar/?ref=theferret.scot) was responding to news of a spate of resignations from the legal team leading the inquiry into [Sheku Bayoh](https://theferret.scot/tag/sheku-bayoh/?ref=theferret.scot)’s death in 2015\. He had been restrained by six police officers on a street in the Fife town of Kirkcaldy when he stopped breathing and later died. The Ferret has followed the inquiry in a series of nine award-nominated [podcast episodes](https://theferret.scot/audio-and-podcasts/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/?ref=theferret.scot) telling the story through the evidence heard over more than three years. The inquiry has so far cost £26.2m, with an additional £24.3m spent by Police Scotland, including £17.3m of legal costs. The resignations of the three senior counsel and three junior counsel members of the inquiry team follow that of the chair, Lord Bracadale on Tuesday. He had previously resisted calls to stand down, first made by the Scottish Police Federation in April. #### 'Implied bias' It had accused him of “implied bias” due to “secret” meetings he had with the Bayoh family and had planned to raise a judicial review of his decision to remain in post, which was due to be heard next month. Its position was backed in June by the [Solicitor General](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jun/12/scotland-solicitor-general-accuses-sheku-bayoh-inquiry-chair-of-apparent-bias?ref=theferret.scot), acting on behalf of the Crown. However Anwar insisted that he had done nothing unusual, claiming that the Scottish Covid Inquiry chair Lord Brailsford met with the families impacted and Lord Scott KC would meet with the family of [Emma Caldwell](https://www.gov.scot/news/emma-caldwell-public-inquiry-chair-announced/?ref=theferret.scot), in the inquiry into the police handling of her murder in 2005. Since the inquiry opened on 10 May 2022, members of the family – who said they felt [“totally betrayed”](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1m3njzdk9eo?ref=theferret.scot) by the criminal justice system – have sat through 122 days of often distressing evidence about the death of Mr Bayoh. Anwar said that the resignation of the legal team further underlined the impact of the Scottish Police Federation’s actions. “It’s a complete wrecking ball for this inquiry,” he told The Ferret. “I can’t see how another judge can come in at this stage and carry on. I have no idea what happens from here. “This inquiry was the first of its kind in Scotland, which was completely impartial and toed the line in terms of treating everyone fairly and doing its job. But the old boys club – and the establishment is an old boys club – couldn’t cope with everyone having an equal say. It wanted special treatment. Now I struggle to see how the inquiry can be resurrected.” Back in May 2022, the first day of [the inquiry](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) was given over to representations from the families of Sheku Bayoh in order to remind everyone involved of the person at the centre of the often dryly procedural events. The following day during submissions Police Scotland and lawyers representing officers and the Scottish Police Federation acknowledged that the families would rightly be “at the centre” of the inquiry. > These meetings were not hidden. News stories were written about them three years ago. I would stand outside the inquiry and talk about them publicly. So why was no objection raised then? > > Aamer Anwar But Anwar said: “The inquiry happened because of the family. Keeping the family onboard was critical for the chair. These meetings were not hidden. News stories were written about them three years ago. I would stand outside the inquiry and talk about them publicly. So why was no objection raised then? “This is not a criminal trial where it would of course not be appropriate for a judge to meet with a victim. This is an inquiry and different rules and procedures apply.” He claimed the resignations had “delivered a clear message of what happens if you step out of line,” claiming that Lord Bracadale had been given a “taste” of the discriminatory treatment faced by both the Bayoh family and himself as their lawyer for many years. But he also warned: “Whether the family walk away from the inquiry depends on whether the new chair is impartial and robust, acting without fear or favour. As for what next, the Solicitor General has the evidence, she should now truly do her public duty and put those police officers suspected of criminality on trial.” > I fully appreciate that a further delay in concluding the inquiry will be a source of disappointment and frustration to the family, > > Ruth Charteris KC [The Solicitor General for Scotland](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/solicitor-general/?ref=theferret.scot), Ruth Charteris KC, claimed that she had been “duty bound” to raise the issue of bias and “could not remain silent”. She added: “I fully appreciate that a further delay in concluding the inquiry will be a source of disappointment and frustration to the family, and I acknowledge that it will also incur further cost to the public purse." The Scottish Police Federation has been asked for comment. The Scottish Government will now be tasked with finding a new chair. A spokesperson said: “Ministers would like to thank Lord Bracadale and his team for their work on this important public inquiry. “The Scottish Government is committed to establishing the facts surrounding the circumstances leading to Mr Bayoh’s death. We are urgently considering the situation going forward.” Cover image thanks to Angela Catlin ***Listen to all nine episodes of Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry:*** [***https://theferret.scot/audio-and-podcasts/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/***](https://theferret.scot/audio-and-podcasts/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/?ref=theferret.scot) ***And look out for episode ten, landing soon.*** ### Company that sold Highland port for secret sum received £30m of taxpayers’ money URL: https://www.theferret.scot/global-energy-received-30m-of-taxpayers-money/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:50:26.000Z **A company that sold a major Highland port for an undisclosed sum to a Japanese firm received over £30m of taxpayers’ money – including £10m just a few months ahead of the sale.** Global Energy – a business led by Roy MacGregor, the chairman of Ross County football club – sold the Port of Nigg and its fabrication arm to Mitsui in July. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) said it gave Global £10m to support the development of the port in March, but didn’t know at the time if the firm had any plans to sell the port. The port, in Easter Ross on the Cromarty Firth, is important for the [Highland economy](https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/16757/highland%5Fcouncil%5Fhails%5Fthe%5Fimportance%5Fof%5Fnigg%5Fas%5Fport%5Fchanges%5Fhands?ref=theferret.scot) and green energy. Decisions about its future will now be made in Japan. The Ferret’s investigation prompted the grassroots campaign group [Scotland Not For Sale](https://www.facebook.com/groups/674163577814535/?ref=share&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=XSt6ieakSmif4YDa&share%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2Fg%2F1FWEQK4htJ%2F%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr#) to argue that if taxpayers’ money is invested in private companies, the public should have a right to information about the sale price and any profits involved. > We ask for more transparency in this situation and for all companies involved within our two freeports. > > Scotland Not For Sale Global Energy – which has just [revamped its branding](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2379j29gg3o?ref=theferret.scot) and changed its name to just Global – did not reply to our requests for a comment. The Ferret submitted freedom of information requests to Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highland Council, and Scottish Enterprise, requesting details of grants given to GEG Group, which operates as Global, and its subsidiaries since 2011. The responses revealed that Global, a Highland civil engineering firm based in Inverness, received over £30m of public money between 2011 and 2025. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing but sources raised questions over the sale of the port, given the considerable public funding the facility received and its status as a strategic national asset. ### **Port of Nigg** The port is being developed as a major hub for the offshore renewable energy sector - made up of zones where tax incentives and lower tariffs are available to companies. It is part of the new [Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgrjlz2xg2o?ref=theferret.scot) which could, it has been claimed, generate more than [11,000 jobs](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgrjlz2xg2o?ref=theferret.scot) over the next 25 years. Grants received by Global include £651,897 from Highland Council’s derelict land fund in 2012 to restore a 2.38 hectare site for development, and £17,600,726 in total from HIE over a 13 year period – which included the £10m grant this year. Scottish Enterprise gave Global £34,000. Scotland Not For Sale voiced concerns and said the sale to Mitsui “continues to raise alarms”. A spokesperson said: “We question the use of over £30m in public funds since 2012 – coinciding with Mitsui's initial 25.5 per cent stake acquisition – and the timing of a £10m Highlands and Islands Enterprise grant in March 2025 for quayside upgrades, just months before the sale.” They continued: “The sale price remains undisclosed. But with public money invested in companies, we feel the public have a right to know the final sale price and the profit GEG (Global) made. Will promises to position Nigg as a world class multi-energy facility be upheld? What return in this investment will the people of Scotland get back? Will Scotland benefit? We ask for more transparency in this situation and for all companies involved within our two freeports.” Highlands and Islands Enterprise told The Ferret it approved £10m for Global, as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to invest up to £500m over five years to develop ports and offshore wind supply chain. > We believe Mitsui are the correct custodian for a facility that provides so much employment and prosperity for the Highlands. A spokesperson for the public body said it will continue to “work closely” with Mitsui to “support maximum economic activity and employment” at the site for the benefit of the wider area. “We had no knowledge of GEG’s sale plans in March 2025\. As with all our investments, obligations under the legal agreement continue under the new owner,” they added. “Under Mitsui’s new ownership, we anticipate a long-term future for the Port of Nigg which is part of the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and indeed their investment in the area further strengthens the port's future as an industry hub.” Global, Mitsui and Port of Nigg did not respond to our requests for comments. However, [announcing the port’s sale](https://nigg.com/news/mitsui-acquires-the-port-of-nigg?ref=theferret.scot) in July, Global’s Roy MacGregor said: “Having worked closely with our trusted investor, Mitsui, since 2012, we believe the time is right to let them drive the next stage of development at Nigg - and we believe they are the correct custodian for a facility that provides so much employment and prosperity for the Highlands.” Makoto Takasugi, Mitsui’s chief operating officer of iron and steel products, said then that the Tokyo-based firm looked forward to “[servicing the huge demand](https://nigg.com/news/mitsui-acquires-the-port-of-nigg?ref=theferret.scot) for offshore wind power - as we grow our role in energy transformation across Scotland, the UK and Europe."Mitsui first invested in MacGregor’s GEG (Holding) Limited in 2012 - taking a[ 25.5 per cent stake](https://nigg.com/news/mitsui-acquires-the-port-of-nigg?ref=theferret.scot). GEG (Holding) Limited - operating as Global - will still operate at the Port of Nigg through its supply chain companies, Global Port Services, Global Crane Services, and Global Wind Projects - as well as supplying labour. Mitsui and the Port of Nigg did not reply to our requests for a comment. *This story was updated at 11.00 on 21/10/25 to state that Scottish Enterprise gave Global £34,000.* *Main image: Adam Fagen/Flickr* ### Scotland’s waste burners pump out record pollution URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-waste-burners-record-pollution/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:42:06.000Z **Climate pollution from the burning of rubbish in Scotland has almost doubled in five years, according to new data, with some incinerators releasing higher amounts of toxic chemicals than ever before in 2024.** The country’s biggest rubbish-burning sites produced more than one million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) last year – a record high – despite government promises to cut emissions and a ban on new [incinerators](https://theferret.scot/tag/incinerators/?ref=theferret.scot) three years ago. [Figures](https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/SPRI/?ref=theferret.scot) from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) also show rising emissions of chemicals which can pose health risks such as mercury, arsenic and chromium from some plants. Campaigners described the increase as “striking” and say incinerators are causing “preventable harm” to the climate and human health. One told The Ferret Scottish ministers had “lost control” of waste burning. The Scottish Government said all incineration sites are required to meet “strict environmental standards” and are subject to “rigorous monitoring”. Incineration is playing a growing [role](https://data.gov.scot/sepa/waste/household.html?ref=theferret.scot) in how Scotland deals with its rubbish. Around 1.6 million tonnes of waste were burned in 2023, more than [triple](https://data.gov.scot/sepa/waste/incinerated.html?ref=theferret.scot) the amount disposed of this way in 2011. Most incineration sites around the country are marketed as “[energy from waste](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/media/5a7c77ade5274a559005a113/pb14130-energy-waste-201402.pdf)” plants, because the rubbish they burn is used to produce heat and electricity for consumers. The industry argues this reduces overall carbon emissions because it turns waste that would otherwise decompose in landfill – where it creates [potent](https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/landfills-environmental-impact?ref=theferret.scot) greenhouse gas – into a resource that powers homes and businesses. But critics say that much of the waste burned at the sites could instead be recycled and that incineration is a [particularly dirty](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3wxgje5pwo?ref=theferret.scot) way to generate energy. The new figures show that emissions of CO2 – the main gas causing global warming – from major Scottish waste incinerators has nearly doubled since 2019, from 570,000 tonnes five years ago to 1,074,000 tonnes in 2024. The biggest polluter was the Dunbar Energy Recovery Facility in East Lothian, which is owned by Viridor – a subsidiary of the US private equity company, KKR. Dunbar emitted 392,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, a 43 per cent increase from 2019. It also recorded air pollution by arsenic and ammonia for the first time, as well as emissions of chromium. Exposure to all three of these pollutants poses health dangers, with both arsenic and chromium linked to increased risk of cancer. > It's striking that so many of Scotland’s worst polluters are incinerators. > > Shlomo Dowen, UK Without Incineration Network Viridor’s other Scottish incinerator – at Polmadie in Glasgow’s southside – has also seen climate pollution rise sharply and reported its highest-ever mercury output last year. A Viridor spokesperson said the company “operates in a highly-regulated sector” and takes its environmental responsibilities seriously. They said its facilities at Dunbar and Glasgow “provide a critical service” by “managing residual waste and diverting it from landfill, while supplying power to the grid”. Both plants have systems to recover recyclable material “where possible” before incineration, the company added. The next largest emitter was the Earls Gate Energy Centre in Grangemouth, run by Brockwell Energy. Despite only becoming [fully operational](https://www.brockwellenergy.com/news/earls-gate-energy-from-waste-facility-now-in-full-operation/?ref=theferret.scot) in March 2024 it still emitted 218,000 tonnes of CO2 during the year, along with 11 tonnes of chlorine, 3.6 kilograms of mercury and trace levels of highly toxic dioxins. Other large polluters include the Millerhill plant near Edinburgh and Dundee’s Baldovie incinerator – where emissions have increased by 80 per cent since 2019 after a second waste-burning facility was opened there in 2022. MVV Environment, which operates Baldovie, said the increase reflected the continued operation of the old incinerator alongside the new one. “By not closing down the original facility the amount of CO2 emitted will, inevitably, increase,” they said. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1.png) In total, Scotland’s five biggest incinerators produced more than one million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2024\. Their combined emissions were considerably higher than some of the country’s usual big polluters including fossil fuel sites like the now-closed Grangemouth refinery and Peterhead power station. Supporters of incineration argue that, despite these emissions, burning rubbish is better for the climate than sending it to landfill, where decomposing waste releases methane – a greenhouse gas far more potent at heating the atmosphere in the short term than CO2. Sepa pointed out that as incineration rates have increased, landfill and its associated emissions have fallen. “Today, Scotland landfills less than a third of the waste it did in 2005 when our records began,” a spokesperson for the agency told The Ferret. An independent expert [review](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/ts/stop-sort-burn-bury-independent-review-role-incineration-waste-hierarchy-scotland-report/stop-sort-burn-bury-independent-review-role-incineration-waste-hierarchy-scotland-report/govscot%3Adocument/stop-sort-burn-bury-independent-review-role-incineration-waste-hierarchy-scotland-report.pdf) into incineration in Scotland in 2022 found that energy from waste plants were “preferable” to landfill and exporting waste but that the priority should be reuse and recycling. However, it warned that Scotland should not “construct more capacity than it needs” otherwise it risked “lock-in”. In this scenario, future waste could be burned rather than recycled because councils need to fulfil contracts with the companies behind the incinerators. A 2023 study by Zero Waste Scotland [found](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/managed-downloads/mf-ejmegftx-1696500166d.pdf) that more than half of residual waste in the country could be recycled. Campaigners [point](https://ukwin.org.uk/pledge/scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) to Wales as an example of where restrictions to new incineration capacity have improved rates of recycling. After introducing a moratorium on rubbish burners in 2021, Wales achieved a [67 per cent](https://myrecyclingwales.org.uk/local-authorities?ref=theferret.scot) recycling rate the following year, compared with Scotland’s stagnant [43.5 per cent](https://data.gov.scot/sepa/waste/household.html?ref=theferret.scot). [Slater urged to block three new waste incineratorsGreen minister Lorna Slater has been urged to block the construction of three new waste incinerators, which campaigners claim could endanger climate targets and reduce recycling rates. The Scottish Government placed a moratorium on new incinerators in 2022, a move lauded by the Greens as a “victory” for the environment.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-44.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-623968884-3-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/slater-urged-to-block-three-new-waste-incinerators/) Scotland also introduced a [moratorium](https://www.gov.scot/news/putting-limits-on-incineration-capacity/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2022\. But that ban did not cover plants already granted planning permission or under construction. This “[loophole](https://theferret.scot/slater-urged-to-block-three-new-waste-incinerators/?ref=theferret.scot)” has allowed incineration capacity to keep growing, with a number of new sites coming online or in construction since the moratorium was introduced. One example is the new South Clyde Energy Centre in Glasgow, which is being built close to the city’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. The [plant](https://www.southclydeenergycentre.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) – which is being developed by a partnership involving Finland’s state energy company Fortum – will have the capacity to burn 350,000 tonnes of waste a year, comparable to sites like Dunbar. It is expected to be built and up and running by next year. Its owners – Fortum Glasgow – defended the environmental record of incineration. It argued that landfill also produced toxic pollution and pointed to figures which suggest “landfill is 100 times more damaging” to the climate than energy from waste plants. That claim is based on UK Government [data](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2025?ref=theferret.scot), which estimates the emissions produced per tonne of waste using different treatment methods. Environmental groups [say](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/files/ukwin-climate-reporting-briefing-august-2024.pdf) the government’s approach makes incineration appear cleaner than it is, because the figures factor in emissions “saved” by energy production. As Scotland’s power grid becomes increasingly renewable, they argue, those savings are [shrinking](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/foes-incin-review-response-1.pdf). South Clyde Energy Centre was approved back in 2019, and at the time there appeared to be little awareness from the local community – although Fortum Glasgow says engagement with the community is now a top priority. Records from [consultation](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/library/108-permitdecision-2019.pdf) about the incinerator show there were no public responses to the permit application. According to Friends of the Earth Scotland (FoES), very few people locally seem to be aware of the project – a situation which they say is concerning in the context of rising toxic emissions from existing sites. > We all must strive to reduce the waste we produce and recycle as much as possible. > > A spokesperson for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency Kim Pratt, a campaigner at FoES, said the data from last year shows that “as the chemicals in the products we buy increases, the toxic impact of burning rubbish also rises.” Pratt continued: “The doubling of the climate impact of waste incinerators is a preventable harm of which the Scottish Government has completely lost control. “With even more incinerators in the pipeline, the Scottish Government must start putting the health of people and nature before short-sighted industry plans before it is too late.” Shlomo Dowen, national coordinator of the UK Without Incineration Network, said it was “striking that so many of Scotland’s worst polluters are incinerators,” and that much of what is burned could be reused or recycled. He called for a “strengthening” of the Scottish Government’s moratorium to prevent “more unnecessary and wasteful incineration capacity”. Sepa said incineration remains a necessary part of waste management in the short-term while Scotland transitions to a circular economy. “The choice isn’t between recycling or energy recovery, but rather a firm focus on improving recycling with energy recovery from what’s left over,” said a spokesperson. “What is clear is that in order to reduce the need for EfW facilities, we all must strive to reduce the waste we produce and recycle as much as possible.” The Scottish Government’s climate secretary, Gillian Martin, said: “Energy from waste schemes are required to meet strict environmental standards and are subject to rigorous monitoring and enforcement activities.” She stressed the Scottish Government was introducing measures to help cut emissions from incinerators, including “ending the unnecessary burning of plastics”. Martin added that ministers are working to include incinerators in the UK’s emissions trading scheme and to develop a cap on incineration capacity to ensure Scotland’s waste plans align with its climate targets. All of the companies named in this piece were asked to comment. *Main image: geogif/iStock* ### Anger as public cash for ‘just’ transition flows to big business URL: https://www.theferret.scot/anger-as-public-cash-for-just-transition-flows-to-big-business/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:41:43.000Z **Community groups claim they have been “shut out” of the Scottish Government’s flagship just transition fund due to “corporate capture” which has seen the vast majority of money from the £500m pot going to the private sector.** Ministers launched the [Just Transition Fund](https://www.gov.scot/publications/just-transition-fund/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2022, claiming it would support workers and communities in the North East as the oil industry declines, and will hand out half a billion pounds over ten years. But community groups told The Ferret their applications were rejected in favour of industry organisations, a number of which are connected with the oil billionaire, Sir Ian Wood. A network supporting local groups said it had previously helped with seven community-focused bids, only one of which had been successful. The fund is [supposed](https://www.gov.scot/news/just-transition-fund-reopens-for-applications/?ref=theferret.scot) to support both business and community groups. We understand one community interest company, which asked not to be named, was told it was in the “successful bids” category before finding out it had not been given cash. Critics said the fund “hadn’t worked”, claiming the [transition](https://theferret.scot/after-oil-investigating-scotlands-just-transition/?ref=theferret.scot) required a new approach while others claimed “corporate capture” of the fund was apparent from its inception. However the Scottish Government said the concerns were unfounded and insisted the “competitive funding rounds” were assessed according to publicly available criteria. #### Anger over 'pet projects' Anger from communities and campaigners has been heightened by the perception that the fund has partly become a vehicle to support [Wood’s](https://theferret.scot/influence-game-revolving-door-politics-media-and-pr/?ref=theferret.scot) “pet projects”. [Analysis by The Ferret](https://theferret.scot/concerns-just-transition-fund/?ref=theferret.scot) found that, prior to the most recent round of funding being announced last month, 40 per cent of funds had gone to organisations linked to Wood – one of Scotland’s richest people and a major oil industry figure. In total, the three bodies linked to him – [Opportunity North East (ONE)](https://www.opportunitynortheast.com/?ref=theferret.scot), the [Energy Transition Zone (ETZ) Ltd](https://etzltd.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and the [Net Zero Technology Centre](https://www.netzerotc.com/?ref=theferret.scot) – have received £22m. This is almost half of the initial £50m directly distributed by the fund between 2022 and 2025\. The companies say they are supporting jobs and helping drive substantial investment in the region. Last week Wood donated a further £40m of funding to ETZ and ONE which the SNP has promised to match in [further funding](https://www.opportunitynortheast.com/news/2025/news-sir-ian-wood-secures-80-million-transformational-investment-for-north-east-economy?ref=theferret.scot) for the organisations if it wins next year’s Holyrood elections. Meanwhile, meeting minutes released under freedom of information law, reveal that Wood was present at meetings when his ventures pressed ministers for multi-year funding guarantees and called on the Scottish Government to start “backing winners” rather than spreading cash more widely. Lobbyists employed to make these points include the influential firm, [True North](https://theferret.scot/revealed-the-oil-industry-snp-lobbyists/?ref=theferret.scot), which is headed by formerly senior SNP figures. [Power struggle: The billionaire, the Chinese oil giant and Grangemouth’s forgotten workersGrangemouth should have been Scotland’s big opportunity to realise its ambition for a just transition – moving workers into cleaner, greener jobs. But embittered power struggles got in the way, The Ferret finds.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-43.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/chris-hamilton-rep-for-unite-the-unitej46572-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-forgotten-workers/) Wood made his fortune as the long-time head of Wood Group, which he turned into one of the world’s largest oil services firms. Though he stepped down more than a decade ago, he remains an influential figure in the North East. He enjoys significant [access](https://theferret.scot/lobbying-loophole-scottish-government/?ref=theferret.scot) to the highest levels of the Scottish Government and his organisations have been involved with the Just Transition Fund since its inception, with ONE having been among a number of the organisations [consulted](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2024/01-c/ian-wood-meetings-foi-release/documents/09-redacted/09-redacted/govscot%3Adocument/09-redacted.pdf) on the “design and application” of the fund. Last month, to mark Scotland’s climate week, first minister, John Swinney, was joined by Wood at the opening of the new [Energy Transition Skills Hub](https://etzltd.com/the-zone/invest-in/skills-campus?ref=theferret.scot) – developed by ETZ and backed with £4.5m from the Just Transition Fund. ETZ was created in 2021 to develop the ‘Energy Transition Zone’ next to Aberdeen’s new South Harbour – a complex of facilities aimed at turning the area into a hub for offshore wind, hydrogen and carbon capture. The project is hugely [controversial](https://saintfittickstorry.com/why-protect-the-park%3F?ref=theferret.scot) locally because it involves redeveloping green space at St Fittick’s Park in the Torry area, where residents have consistently fought the proposals in order to protect community green space, which includes a species diverse wetland. Campaign group [Friends of St Fittick’s Park](https://saintfittickstorry.com/?ref=theferret.scot), has been challenging the development for several years. The same day the Energy Transition Skills Hub was opened, on 29 September, Swinney announced four new awards from the Just Transition Fund worth a combined £8m, all of which went to projects involving companies in the energy sector. They included private companies like [ORE Catapult](https://ore.catapult.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). It worked in partnership with the ETZ on the [National Floating Wind Innovation Centre](https://ore.catapult.org.uk/products-services/floating-offshore-wind/flowic?ref=theferret.scot) in Aberdeen and Maritime Development Limited, which reported pretax profits of £8m last year. #### Community sector frustration Others were left frustrated and let down. Alison Stuart, chief executive of [Nescan Hub ](https://nescan.org/?ref=theferret.scot)– which was set-up by the Scottish Government to provide local support on climate action – said in her experience the Just Transition Fund was not available for third sector or smaller community-focussed groups. Only one of the seven applications from community groups which were supported by Nescan when the fund was first set-up were awarded grants, she confirmed. “I think it was clear that there was largely a case of corporate capture even from that first year,” she alleged. “There is a sense that the government has decided it can trust business but it is not prepared to offer backing for the third or community sector, even though it is demonstrably proven that they offer better value for money and can be more agile.” Erik Dalhuijsen, co-chair of [Aberdeen Climate Action](https://aberdeenclimateaction.org/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed: "This fund was never intended for communities. The government likes and believes in big business, largely because it has no idea how to resolve the real problems the nation faces and so assumes business does. “But business does not make money from resolving societal problems,” he argued. “It often makes more money by creating or at least prolonging them. A company which makes millions in profits is able to ‘invest’ in lobbying and glossy stuff, but by definition delivers less value for money as it must recover invested time and effort.” > Time and time again we have seen what happens when the private sector is allowed to determine the future of our energy industry – from Grangemouth to St Fittick’s Park, workers and communities are being run over roughshod on the whims of the wealthy. > > Catrina Randall, Friends of the Earth Scotland [Friends of the Earth Scotland](https://foe.scot/?ref=theferret.scot)’s Catrina Randall claimed the government was “handing over public money to a billionaire and asking him to shape the economic future of the North East through his opaque pet projects, with little or no public accountability”. “It's sickening to think that Ian Wood could have funded these schemes with a fraction of his fossil fuel wealth but instead he’d rather the public front up the money,” she said. “Time and time again we have seen what happens when the private sector is allowed to determine the future of our energy industry – from Grangemouth to St Fittick’s Park, workers and communities are being run over roughshod on the whims of the wealthy,” Randall added. Union voices also criticised the direction of the fund. Jake Molloy, formerly the RMT’s regional organiser in the north east and a member of the Scottish Government’s [Just Transition Commission](https://www.justtransition.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), said subsidies had been poured into private companies and even state-owned foreign energy firms for decades with little to show for it. “It hasn’t worked,” he claimed. “The transition requires a new approach, a new model. We should be taking equity stakes in our energy infrastructure which provides a return on our investment rather than giving money away and ‘hoping’ it will benefit the economy.” > Independent analysis shows that ONE has generated £135m in value for North East Scotland and added £190m in value to Scotland through direct investment in programmes for digital tech, life sciences, tourism and food, drink and agriculture. > > Spokesperson for ONE A spokesperson for ETZ Ltd said its Supply Challenge Fund has distributed £5m to over 40 energy companies across the North East, “unlocking an additional £12m in private investment”. ETZ also led the delivery of Scotland’s largest Energy Transition Skills Hub – which has already enrolled 69 students – and created a National Energy Skills Accelerator “which has supported 700 people with energy transition skills training”, they added. A spokesperson for ONE said: “Independent analysis shows that ONE has generated £135m (in) value for North East Scotland and (added) £190m (in) value to Scotland through direct investment in programmes for digital tech, life sciences, tourism and food, drink and agriculture.” True North Advisors said it was “privileged to work with both ONE and ETZ Ltd”. The activities they undertake would not have been possible without “the huge philanthropic generosity of Sir Ian Wood who has supported them personally with £104m through his family charity, The Wood Foundation”, a spokesperson claimed. A Scottish Government spokesperson said claims that the fund was biased against community groups in favour of big business were unfounded. “The Fund is awarded via open, competitive funding rounds with projects being scored according to set, publicly available, criteria,” they added. “Its achievements include the Energy Skills Transition Hub, where 1,000 people will be trained over the next five years, and it has provided £1m every year to projects which have been chosen by communities to support the projects that matter most to them,” they added. *Image thanks to iStock/LadyLensArt* **This story was updated on 21st of October to correct that one of the seven community applications supported by Nescan was successful.** ### Lochs polluted with high levels of ‘forever chemicals’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/orkney-highlands-hebrides-lochs-forever-chemicals/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T10:59:40.000Z **Lochs in Orkney, the Highlands and the Outer Hebrides are among waters containing high levels of toxic pollutants with health risks known as ‘forever chemicals’, The Ferret can reveal.** More than a quarter of surface waters tested in Scotland contain unsafe levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – chemicals used in industrial processes and consumer products from non-stick cookware and food packaging, to waterproof clothing. Some of these ‘forever chemicals’ have been linked to various diseases, including cancers. According to our analysis of samples taken by Scottish Water, the sites are above a threshold for environmental safety proposed by the EU. The worst site, a loch on the Isle of Lewis, tested ten times over the safe standard. Others – from Orkney to the rural Highlands – were as much as four times over. We can also reveal that the frequency of Scottish Water’s testing for the chemicals has dropped sharply in the past year – from more than 200 samples a month to roughly 30. One campaigner said the spread of industrial chemicals to some of Scotland’s most remote waters was “really heartbreaking”. Another living near the Lewis site said the results demonstrated the need for more testing, not less. “You can’t fight an enemy you don’t know,” said Janet Marshall, founder and chairwoman of environmental group Clean Coast Outer Hebrides. “You’ve got to establish the nature of the beast.” Scottish Water said that none of its drinking water samples contained unsafe levels of PFAS, and that environmental risk was the purview of Sepa. Sepa said that “any potential exceedances of an environmental standard in water bodies in Scotland are a concern” and that it plans to publish fresh PFAS data “by the end of the year”. [Forever chemicals found in 55 per cent of Scottish drinking waterPotentially toxic ‘forever chemicals’ – including some linked to cancer – were found in more than half of samples of Scottish drinking water taken in 2023, according to new data obtained by The Ferret. Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were identified in 349 of the 631 samples taken by Scottish Water at![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-47.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/pexels-miriam-alonso-7592334.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/forever-chemicals-found-in-scottish-drinking-water/) ### **Forever chemicals** [PFAS](https://www.theferret.scot/forever-chemicals-found-in-scottish-drinking-water/) are a family of chemicals designed to be particularly long-lasting. Used as lubricants in domestic and industrial products since the 1970s, [recent research](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12028640/?ref=theferret.scot) has linked the chemicals to reproductive and immune diseases as well as a number of cancers. In the past scientists have measured PFAS levels either by testing for a few of the most well-known individual chemicals, or adding up the results for a shortlist of common ones. Scientists now recognise that [some PFAS chemicals are more toxic than others](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32729940/?ref=theferret.scot). The EU’s parliament and council are currently considering a proposal to measure the environmental risk by giving 24 individual chemicals a weighted score. The Ferret applied that weighted test to Scottish Water data seen under freedom of information law. Out of nearly 275 surface waters sampled since the utility began testing for PFAS in 2023, 73 would be considered unsafe under the EU proposals – just more than a quarter. Loch Hatravat (or Atrabhat in Gaelic) on the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis scored more than 10 times over the safe limit. The Loch of Burness (on Westray in Orkney), Loch Lunndiadh (near Golspie) and one other site called “Allt Gharb” (which means “rough burn” in Gaelic and could refer to a number of places) were four times over the threshold. All but ten of the sites tested contain some level of at least one of the 24 toxic compounds. Scottish Water tests at its sources for drinking water, before and after treatment. Because the EU’s standard is only for surface waters, The Ferret excluded sampling at boreholes and other groundwater sources, and only ran the weighted test on raw samples taken before treatment. > We just need to turn off the tap of these chemicals. > > Megan Kirton, Fidra Scottish Water puts its samples through a test for drinking water which involves adding the levels for 20 listed compounds. Asked about the findings, the utility questioned our methodology. “It’s not possible to compare the two as the environmental directive covers 24 different PFAS and the drinking water directive covers 20 different PFAS,” a spokesperson claimed. In fact, Scottish Water’s full data includes results for 21 of the 24 chemicals listed in the EU’s test. Where the utility did not test for a chemical, we assumed it was not present. We also assumed any values under the threshold for detection were not present. The results are therefore likely to be an underestimate. We shared Scottish Water’s data with The Rivers Trust, who performed [similar analysis](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/11/toxic-pfas-above-proposed-safety-limits-in-almost-all-english-waters-tested?ref=theferret.scot) on results from surface waters in England earlier this year, and it agreed with the validity of our methodology. Asked why it had reduced the frequency of testing for PFAS, Scottish Water said it is “fully engaged with ongoing work to understand the presence of PFAS in drinking water” and that “none of our sampling results across Scotland have so far come close to the drinking water standard”. The company added: “Our continued monitoring, inspection and risk assessment processes are seeking to build understanding of the factors behind higher concentrations, while recognising that these remain low relative to the rigorous standard set by our regulator for the safety of drinking water.” In its [proposal](https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/pfas-pollution-in-european-waters?ref=theferret.scot) for the newer test, the EU’s commission describes the drinking water test used by Scottish Water as “less strict” and says the latter does not take into account the latest scientific advice from the European Food Safety Authority. Sepa declined to comment in detail on the findings, but said that any potentially unsafe levels of pollutants were “a concern”. “Scientific understanding of the sources, environmental concentrations, and risks of PFAS in the environment continues to develop nationally and globally,” a spokesperson said, adding that “initial findings” from a monitoring “pilot project” will be available by the end of the year after they have been “validated and verified” “Our new analytical methodology will allow us to increase the number of monitoring sites in our network, with the data helping to better characterise the distribution of PFAS in Scotland’s environment.” > For a long time, the natural world was regarded as so big that what we did didn’t matter – and now we’re at this terrible stage where we might have gone too far. > > Janet Marshall, Clean Coast Outer Hebrides Megan Kirton leads the anti-pollution charity Fidra’s forever chemicals campaign, and welcomed Sepa’s new results after “very slow progress”. She told The Ferret: “We just need to turn off the tap of these chemicals. Then there should be emphasis on monitoring to make sure that the levels of PFAS are decreasing in the environment.” Kirton said that the location of the sites failing the EU’s standard was as concerning as their levels and added: “That is really heartbreaking to hear. Beautiful, remote areas that are highly protected and nowhere near where these chemicals have been produced are still impacted. It’s really hard to escape them.” While the EU deliberates its new PFAS limit, it remains unclear how industrial chemicals have spread through rural Scotland. Todd Anderson is a professor of environmental chemistry and PFAS expert at Texas Tech University. Asked to review some of the highest-scoring samples, he said the mix of individual chemicals suggested possible pollution from fire fighting foam at small rural airports, or no single source at all. “The concentrations seem to be more consistent with atmospheric deposition rather than a single point source,” he added. Atmospheric deposition describes a process where the toxic chemicals become airborne at an industrial site and are then transported, sometimes great distances, in water vapour or sea foam. Last spring, a PFAS report from the Scottish government’s Centre of Expertise for Water concluded: “The role of sea spray aerosols \[sea foam\] in contamination especially of coastal catchments should be considered as a risk factor and its importance further investigated.” Marshall, founder of Clean Coast Outer Hebrides, lives on Lewis near Tolsta Head around the corner from the worst offending site. She said the scale of the pollution was “absolutely appalling” for such a secluded part of Scotland and that authorities like Sepa and Scottish Water should be more vigilant. “It’s not surprising, knowing how budgets have been cut, but we need so much more testing,” she said. “Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t hurting us.” “I’m looking up at the moorland \[towards the loch\] and it is very, very remote,” she said. “For stuff to have presumably blown there is appalling.” The extent of PFAS’ spread represents something concerning not just for individual sites, she said, but for our relationship with the environment at large. “We – the public, big businesses and governments – don’t twig the actual long term, difficult to fix problems before they’re critically hard and extremely expensive to deal with,” she said. “For a long time, the natural world was regarded as so big that what we did didn’t matter – and now we’re at this terrible stage where we might have gone too far.” *Main image: Andrew Tryon/geograph* ### The IDF used a Scottish museum’s 3D models in propaganda videos URL: https://www.theferret.scot/idf-scottish-museum-3d-models-propaganda/ Last updated: 2026-02-02T11:16:32.000Z **It’s a quaint museum in a coastal town whose aim is to educate Scotland about its rich maritime heritage. Housed within an A-listed Victorian building in Irvine, the Scottish Maritime Museum is a popular attraction hosting exhibitions, workshops and play sessions for children.** But we can reveal today that one of the most advanced military forces in the world used 3D scans of the museum’s boat building workshop in propaganda videos for its operations in Gaza, Iran and Syria. A months-long investigation by The Ferret and a group of international journalists found there have been 40 propaganda animations produced by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the past two years – including several using the Scottish Maritime Museum’s 3D scans. The IDF’s videos have been widely disseminated through its official channels and picked up by major media worldwide including the [BBC](https://archive.org/details/BBCNEWS%5F20250615%5F160000%5FBBC%5FNews/start/2160/end/2220), [Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-3047641/Video-IDF-claims-network-Hamas-tunnels-Gazas-Shifa-hospital.html?ref=theferret.scot), [Fox News](https://archive.org/details/FOXNEWSW%5F20231107%5F200000%5FThe%5FStory%5FWith%5FMartha%5FMacCallum/start/584/end/644?q=animation+IDF) and [CNN](https://archive.org/details/CNNW%5F20231121%5F000000%5FErin%5FBurnett%5FOutFront/start/871/end/931?q=animation+IDF), giving them significant reach. The IDF presents these videos as intelligence derived illustrations. One of the most well-known examples is the [Al Shifa Hospital](https://x.com/netanyahu/status/1717916845859078531?ref=theferret.scot) animation, released in 2023\. It claimed to reveal what lay beneath Gaza’s largest medical complex which the IDF later destroyed. The 3D scans used by the IDF were sourced from the video game industry and the Scottish Maritime Museum’s online [boat building workshop](https://www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org/3d-collections/?ref=theferret.scot) – but they appear uncredited in the propaganda videos. IDF video in 2025 claiming a Gaza high rise is a Hamas control centre. It used a 3D image of an electricity box produced by the Scottish Maritime Museum. In response to our findings, politicians and academics said it was “deeply disturbing” to learn the IDF used the museum’s online material to spread propaganda with “fabricated content” that aims to justify its military operations. The IDF said that claims regarding inaccuracies or the use of “exaggerated” elements do not reflect the reality and are “simply unfounded”. An Israeli professor said the propaganda videos are an attempt to “better communicate the complex reality of urban warfare”. The Scottish Maritime Museum confirmed some of its models are available online through Creative Commons licensing, but stressed it has no control over how the data is used. Following our request for a comment the museum’s 3D scans used by the IDF are no longer publicly available. ### **IDF propaganda** Israel’s military operations escalated after the terror attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, that led to an estimated 1,200 people being murdered and another 250 taken hostage. Since then Israel has bombed Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria – and the IDF’s spokesperson’s unit has released more than 40 animated illustrations to highlight and explain its operations. These videos often present fabricated “illustrations” of alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iranian sites and have become a recognisable visual feature of Israeli military communication. Often, real drone footage of airstrikes compliment the videos, as if the animations were delivered directly from a mission briefing room. The majority of these animations depict sites that cannot easily be seen or verified: underground bunkers, missile depots hidden in civilian buildings, labyrinths of tunnels. They also serve a strategic function, aligning with military aims around politically contentious sites. The IDF presents these videos as intelligence derived illustrations. In reality many of the environments they depict are, at least in part, borrowed from artists far removed from Israel’s wars. They include subscriber-only assets from the video game industry, and scans of the Scottish Maritime Museum boat building workshop. All have been dropped, without credit, into animations presented as “illustrations” of Hamas bunkers or Iranian weapons sites. Once repackaged by the IDF, an electricity box from a Scottish museum workshop became part of a secret Iranian bunker, and a street corner from suburban Washington was proof of a Hamas command centre. IDF video depicting a 'secret Iranian missile bunker' with imagery from the Scottish Maritime Museum. **The IDF and the Scottish Maritime Museum** The IDF used 3D scans from the Scottish Boatbuilding School at Irvine’s Maritime Museum, which was established in 2014 to provide education in both traditional and modern boat building. The museum uploaded a 3D model of its boat building workshop in 2019 including workbenches, cabinets, and a distinctive electricity box that appear in IDF animations of underground missile factories. The electricity box and workbench can be seen in this [propaganda video](https://x.com/IDF/status/1874849694012309593?ref=theferret.scot) which was produced to explain an undercover operation by the IDF to “dismantle an Iranian-funded underground precision missile production site” in Masyaf, Syria, on 8 September 2025. The electricity box was used again in an [IDF video](https://x.com/idfonline/status/1935976458117157092?ref=theferret.scot) which explains Israeli strikes near Tehran on 20 June 2025\. The IDF’s accompanying post on X said: “More than 50 fighter jets attacked selected targets of the nuclear weapons program and missile component manufacturing sites in Tehran”. [Another video](https://x.com/IDF/status/1963910424694280403?ref=theferret.scot), published across various IDF social media channels on 5 September 2025, repurposed the elements of the electricity box scan once more, this time depicting the interior of a high-rise building in Gaza City allegedly used by Hamas. ### **Who makes these models?** The models appear to be made in-house by a dedicated cell within the Spokesperson’s Unit’s Production and Media Branch. Former staff refer to this as the “After Effects cell”, named after the popular motion graphics software. It is a cluster of young motion designers, 3D modelers, and animators who work primarily with well-known software such as Adobe, but also use other tools like Blender, an open source programme used for 3D modeling. “Some of the models are made for the videos,” one former animator told us. “Others are taken from other places because they don’t have any intelligence significance. It serves the purpose.” Officially, every video is cleared by an intelligence officer. But sources claimed the distinction between illustration and evidence is not made clear and missing details are simply filled in with pre-fabricated assets and recycled interiors are assembled quickly into a coherent scene, and then sent to senior officers for approval. Sometimes the workflow begins long before the operation itself. In a Hebrew language TikTok posted by the IDF after their June 2025 strikes on Iran, soldiers from the unit describe being told almost a month in advance, and signing confidentiality agreements and working under what they called “prime-minister-level secrecy”. They recount being briefed by intelligence officers. “They simply told us that there might be an attack in Iran,” one animator explains, “and you are responsible for it. Make me such a message in the video.” ### **Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza City** The [Al Shifa hospital ](https://x.com/netanyahu/status/1717916845859078531?ref=theferret.scot)animation became one of the most well-known examples of Israel’s wartime communication strategy. On October 27, 2023 the IDF released a video claiming to reveal what lay beneath Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical complex. It included underground tunnels, bunkers, a Hamas command room – all shown in clean 3D graphics. “[That information is ironclad](https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/cg/date/2023-10-27/segment/01?ref=theferret.scot),” insisted Mark Regev, a former senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during an interview the same day on CNN. “It’s based on Israeli intelligence.” The IDF raid on the hospital itself would not come until mid-November and the clip was pushed simultaneously across the IDF’s Telegram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. On Neanyahu’s[ own X profile](https://x.com/netanyahu/status/1717916845859078531?ref=theferret.scot) it drew tens of millions of views. Over the next weeks, CNN, the BBC, and other media outlets used it. [BBC Verify](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlBtJhI1fIw&ref=theferret.scot) also investigated the IDF’s claims and cast doubt on them. Our investigation found the bunker in that video was not unique, and a command room featured had already appeared a year earlier beneath an earlier IDF animation of a tunnel beneath an UNRWA school. The hospital exterior was manufactured and the surrounding streets were populated with storefronts from a commercial 3D asset pack – complete with fictional shops like Fabio’s Pizzeria, Andre’s Bakery, and Revolution Bike Shop. ### **IDF is making “misleading propaganda”** Ruth Maguire, the SNP MSP for Cunninghame South, which includes Irvine, where the Scottish Maritime Museum is based, said it was “unsurprising that an army being deployed by their government in an illegal occupation and genocide of the Palestinian people is “using propaganda containing false and misleading claims”. She added: “What my constituents may be surprised and concerned by is that national broadcasters are picking it up and sharing it. I certainly don’t think anyone would imagine that our Maritime Museum assets were being used in this ongoing crime against humanity.” > It is a sign of how little regard they have for the truth when they are incorrectly taking images from museums, and it underlines that we cannot trust a word that they say. > > Patrick Harvie MSP, of the Scottish Greens. The Scottish Greens MSP Patrick Harvie accused the IDF of making and sharing “misleading” propaganda videos in order to “justify their onslaught” against the people of Gaza. He added: “It is a sign of how little regard they have for the truth when they are incorrectly taking images from museums, and it underlines that we cannot trust a word that they say. “When lies and misinformation are such a core part of an army’s strategy it makes it all the more important that our governments take a stand and act to stop the atrocities that they are inflicting.” Professor Eyad Elyan, a Palestinian from the West Bank now living in Aberdeen who specialises in AI and 3D modelling at Robert Gordon University, also said the findings were “deeply disturbing,” claiming “this aligns with Israel and the IDF’s long history of exploiting others’ resources and employing every means possible to promote baseless claims”. He added: “Much of this material consisted of outright falsehoods. These actions by the IDF persist because they believe they enjoy complete impunity.” The IDF said the use of visualization tools, including graphic models, is a common practice in explaining information to the public worldwide and “does not compromise the credibility or accuracy” of the messages conveyed. A spokesperson added that the videos released are intended to illustrate to the public the “methods of operation used by terrorist organisations and their cynical exploitation” of the civilian population and civilian infrastructure for combat purposes. All content is based on verified intelligence from a variety of sources, the spokesperson continued, adding: “When three-dimensional or animated visualizations are used, it is clearly indicated, and their purpose is to present complex information in a clear and accessible visual manner – not to produce an exact reconstruction of every physical detail in the area. Moreover, in many cases where possible, additional visuals from the ground have been presented, including hundreds of photos and videos demonstrating what is shown in the three-dimensional or animated illustrations.” “The claim that the IDF uses visual illustrations to portray all civilian infrastructure within different combat zones as military sites is inaccurate. The purpose of these illustrations is to demonstrate a reality that has been repeatedly proven on the ground – that terrorist organizations embed their assets within such infrastructure and operate under the cover of the civilian population.” [‘Indefensible’: firm linked to North Sea oil giant renews IDF contractAn Israeli company with close financial links to a Scottish oil firm has renewed a contract to provide fuel to the IDF since the start of the war in Gaza. Aberdeen-based Ithaca Energy was handed oil exploration licences by the last UK Government and has a stake in Rosebank, the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-48.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1466616436-1-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/firm-linked-north-sea-oil-giant-renews-idf-contract/) Professor Moran Yarchi, head of digital influence and perceptions specialisation, Reichman University, Israel, said the videos are a “point in the right direction” and an “attempt to better communicate the complex reality of urban warfare” in a populated place. She added: “I think that it’s actually part of the toolbox that every political actor has to use. Since we’re dealing with a complex reality in which conflicts are not being fought solely on the military battlefield, there are fights over perceptions, and the image war is a salient part of it – and we know that international image has a significant impact.” A BBC spokesperson said: “We use third party graphics with attribution. In this case we have been clear that the animations have been released by the IDF.” ### Scotland’s rising tide of racist violence: Threats, assaults, stabbings URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-rising-racist-violence/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T11:37:31.000Z At least 20 incidents linked to anti-migrant protests, racism and the far-right in the last two months have exposed rising political tensions across Scotland. They included attacks on mosques and asylum hotels, alleged assaults – and the jailing of a neo-Nazi for slashing a student in the face with a knife. The Ferret’s findings follow a terror attack in Manchester, when two men were killed at a synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. We documented the increased political violence in Scotland as the debate over immigration grows increasingly toxic and as the Israel-Gaza conflict continues. Security has been tightened at mosques in Scotland after a series of incidents and police said patrols were being carried out at synagogues following the Manchester attack. The Ferret found there were at least 17 arrests linked to anti-migrant protests and police are investigating a number of alleged hate crimes. Anti-racism campaigners said the rise of the far right and anti-migrant protests at hotels are “causing widespread fear and alarm” while “misinformation and toxic dialogue” are making people less safe. The Jewish Council of Scotland urged political and community leaders to “act urgently to stop fanning the flames of hatred” and “anti-Jewish sentiment” and to work together to support community cohesion. ![](http://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Racist-attacks.png) Snapshots from a video shared with The Ferret ### **Anti-migrant protests** Scotland witnessed a number of violent incidents last month. In Falkirk, [a brick was thrown](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/brick-hurled-through-falkirk-asylum-35881469?ref=theferret.scot) through a window of the Cladhan Hotel, the focus of heated demos for weeks after an asylum seeker housed there was jailed in June for raping a 15-year-old girl in 2023\. At least four people have been arrested in connection with the protests. In Aberdeen, at least seven people have been charged over [alleged hate crimes](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/aberdeen-three-five-b1245870.html?ref=theferret.scot) linked to protests over asylum seekers. Sources told The Ferret there has been an attempt by anti-migrant protestors to set up a “vigilante” force to patrol Aberdeen. Dundee also witnessed anti-asylum seeker protests and at least three people were arrested. During one demo [missiles](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/5331335/eggs-thrown-tense-dundee-anti-immigration-protest-counter-protest/?ref=theferret.scot) including stones and eggs were thrown while a crowd waving union flags and saltires claimed they wanted to protect “women and kids” from “illegal immigrants”. Stand Up To Racism Tayside and Dundee Trades Union Council organised counter-protests and said they had been subjected to frightening levels of intimidation. In one video shared with The Ferret, three men were filmed abusing women in a Dundee street after they handed out free soup and sandwiches at accommodation housing asylum seekers. The clip shows comments such as: “I’ll fucking assault you all…Go back to your own place you fucking cow” and “the police aren’t here to protect you now”. Another man can be heard to say: “Your dad’s a bomber, your dad’s a bomber, you’re a fucking maggot.” Perth also had protests and last week Police Scotland responded to claims that asylum seekers pose a threat to women’s safety by saying there was no data to suggest more crime as a result of them being housed in the city. Police added they are now looking more closely at offenders’ ethnicity and status than they had previously. Commenting on our findings, a spokesperson for the Scottish Refugee Council said people deserve to feel safe, no matter where they come from, adding: “We stand in solidarity with anyone affected by these appalling incidents. Harmful misconceptions and narratives are being repeated in headlines and by politicians and we all need to call-out misinformation and toxic dialogue when we see it.” > The protests and the mainstream narrative peddled by politicians demonising Muslims and refugees are emboldening every racist who wants to go beyond protesting and resort to violent attacks. > > Hector Sierra, Stand Up to Racism Scotland Hector Sierra, of Stand Up to Racism Scotland, said some men at “far-right protests” targeting refugees at hotels have “displayed aggressive behaviour” including “threats of sexual violence towards anti-racist women” – despite claims they were “peaceful’ events”. He added: “The protests and the mainstream narrative peddled by politicians demonising Muslims and refugees are emboldening every racist who wants to go beyond protesting and resort to violent attacks. Anti-racists and anti-fascists are right to oppose the far-right and stand in solidarity with refugees to break the momentum of those wanting to organise a bigger far-right presence in our communities.” Maggie Chapman MSP, of the Scottish Greens, claimed that protests outside hotels are “clearly designed to intimidate, and they are making people less safe”. She added: “Politicians and parts of the media have played a shameful role in normalising and legitimising this kind of hatred. Fanning the flames of racism and emboldening far right and fascist beliefs and behaviours has an intolerable human cost.” Ahlam Souidi, senior community worker at Freedom from Torture, said it was “deeply troubling” to see communities in Scotland targeted by far-right groups who are “stirring up fear and division against refugees” for political gain. She added: “We know that when Ukrainians arrived, communities across the UK opened their doors with compassion. That same humanity must extend to everyone, no matter where they come from.” The Ferret revealed last month that far right groups such as the [Homeland Party, Britain First and Patriotic Alternative](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-accused-racism-at-anti-migrant-protests/) had attended anti-asylum seeker protests. The Homeland Party said then it had no “connection to disorder” and that it is “normal for a ­political party such as ours to stand up for local people”. Patriotic Alternative Scotland said it would continue to partake in demonstrations as “we are a white advocacy group, and we support the indigenous people of these islands”. There is no evidence that any of these far right groups were responsible for the above incidents. [https://the-ferret.ghost.io/far-right-accused-racism-at-anti-migrant-protests/](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-accused-racism-at-anti-migrant-protests/) ### **Mosques attacked** In East Renfrewshire, Police Scotland said it was investigating vandalism at a mosque after a [pole was thrown](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgjxvqx4yqo?ref=theferret.scot) through a window while children were inside the building. The incident occurred at Clarkston Community Centre and follows attacks elsewhere. In March, the Aberdeen Mosque and Islamic Centre (AMIC) Spital Mosque was vandalised with paint and a rock was thrown through a window whilst worshippers were inside. A mosque in Elgin was targeted in April for the third time, with several windows damaged. In August, a teenager was sentenced to 10 years in custody after planning to carry out mass murder at a mosque in Greenock. The High Court in Glasgow heard the boy had been radicalised through social media from the age of 13\. A list of “inspirations” found in his phone included Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Norwegian neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Brevik. Police also investigated an [alleged hate crime](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25456809.police-investigate-hate-crime-muslim-schoolgirl-glasgow/?ref=theferret.scot) against a Muslim schoolgirl in a Glasgow suburb. The incident occurred around 4pm when she was walking home from Eastwood High School. The girl was allegedly assaulted by a man who made threatening comments against Muslims, and according to the Newton Mearns Islamic Centre, there was a previous incident on the same street which involved a 15-year-old girl. The Scottish Association of Mosques (SAM) said security was being tightened at places of worship and new measures include 24 hour patrols. SAM’s spokesman Omar Afzal​​ said the number of attacks targeting mosques, asylum accommodation, activists and vulnerable individuals, is “deeply concerning”. He added: “Hatred on that scale poses a serious threat to the safety and cohesion of our communities. “Whilst we are all still coming to terms with the terrible synagogue attack in Manchester, we must also remember that we came chillingly close to something very similar occurring at the Mosque in Greenock. “Islamophobia seems to be relegated to a public relations issue, not treated as the structural emergency it so clearly is.” **Anti-semitism** Following the terrorist attack in Manchester, Scotland’s political leaders came together and roundly condemned anti-Semitism, adding they were concerned for the Jewish community. First minister John Swinney said: “Antisemitism is an evil we must confront and stand resolutely against. There is absolutely no place for violence in our society, and there certainly is no place for violence in relation to the Jewish community.” The Jewish Council of Scotland said: “This awful attack is a tragic reminder of the manner in which hatred and intolerance towards Jewish people – whether put explicitly as such or directed (nominally) at ‘Zionists’ or other euphemisms – can translate into deadly acts of violence aimed at our community.” The Community Security Trust (CST), an organisation that provides advice on safety and security to the Jewish community, said there were 1,521 antisemitic incidents across the UK in the first half of 2025\. In Scotland, there were 36 incidents in that period, down from 41 between January and June 2024. > Fanning the flames of racism and emboldening far right and fascist beliefs and behaviours has an intolerable human cost. > > Maggie Chapman MSP, Scottish Greens Other incidents include those carried out against pro-Palestine campaigners. In Edinburgh, Thomas McKenzie was [jailed for 22 months](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/thug-who-slashed-students-face-35957964?ruid=63a01eeb-381a-4a6c-b2f0-ea5b94f25cfb&hx=8b8018d7c45d442f5cd5d839e722a42f33e5b5d432e8531ecd931819aece7962&ref=theferret.scot) after he admitted to slashing an Edinburgh University student in the face at a pro-Palestinian demo. The court heard that McKenzie shouted racial slurs and performed Sieg Heil salutes before attacking Ben Law – who was left with a six inch bloody gash running from his mouth to his ear. Law had been attending an anti-war rally in March this year at the capital’s George Square, organised by the Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society. The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign said its members had faced “physical aggression” and “time and again, the police have shown that they view those protesting genocide as potential criminals”. A spokesperson added: “While focusing on monitoring us, they ignore the very real threats – verbal and physical – coming from far-right individuals. The case of the Edinburgh University student is a stark example. Students repeatedly reported the attacker’s abusive behaviour – including Nazi salutes – to university security, yet no action was taken.” In Glasgow, a teenager who [stabbed a 13-year-old boy](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdery7yen0ko?ref=theferret.scot) in a racially aggravated attack was jailed in September for more than seven years. Junior Cameron, aged 18, shouted a racist remark at the boy during the attack in Glasgow’s Queen’s Park in March 2024\. The child was punched, kicked and stabbed during the incident and was left needing 12 stitches. Another racist incident involved a gang of [masked thugs](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-dads-horror-wife-racially-35963743?ref=theferret.scot) with bottles of Buckfast racially abusing an Indonesian family outside Queen Street Station in Glasgow on 12 September. British Transport Police confirmed it was probing the incident. In the Scottish Borders,[ three members of the same family](https://www.scotsman.com/news/hawick-scottish-borders-hate-crime-5334756?ref=theferret.scot) – the grandmother, mother and daughter – were reportedly targeted by a man shouting racial slurs on the High Street in Hawick. ### **Far right death threats** Meanwhile, morethan[ 150 people and organisations](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/22/more-than-150-lawyers-and-refugee-ngos-report-being-pressured-into-silence-by-far-right-protesters?ref=theferret.scot) signed a letter revealing that far right actors and anti-migrant protestors had issued rape and death threats to human rights defenders supporting migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. The signatories included Liberty, Greenpeace, Care4Calais, and Freedom from Torture, which has a centre in Glasgow that supports refugees and asylum seekers who were tortured in their home countries. A statement said: “We have seen increased media reporting and social media attacks targeting organisations supporting migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in our community. As leaders and organisations in the migration, human rights and legal sector, we are coming together to voice our deep concern about the rise of hostility towards our organisations and the people we work with. Journalists and media outlets have a duty to act responsibly and with integrity, especially when it comes to their reporting, headlines and social media output.” *Main image: jgshields/iStock* ### Top Scottish Tory accused of ‘cosying up’ to climate deniers URL: https://www.theferret.scot/top-scottish-tory-accused-of-cosying-up-to-climate-deniers/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T11:39:03.000Z **A senior Scottish Conservative controversially elevated to the House of Lords by Boris Johnson is under fire for agreeing to appear at an event organised by the UK’s “main climate denial group”.** Lord Malcolm Offord of Garvel – the Scottish Tory treasurer – will join a [panel](https://thinktent.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) hosted by the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) at the party’s annual conference in Manchester next week. Offord – a financier from Greenock – was made a Lord by Boris Johnson in 2021 and immediately [appointed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-58760783?ref=theferret.scot) as a junior minister in the Scotland Office. His ennobling attracted [criticism](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/30/tory-donor-made-life-peer-and-appointed-as-government-minister?ref=theferret.scot) after it emerged he had donated nearly £150,000 to the Conservatives, with the SNP describing the move as “rampant cronyism”. He now serves as the party’s shadow minister for energy security and net zero in the Lords. The GWPF, founded in 2009 by former Tory chancellor Nigel Lawson, has been [described](https://www.desmog.com/2024/12/16/tufton-street-climate-denial-group-global-warming-policy-foundation-loses-multiple-board-members/?ref=theferret.scot) as the UK’s “main climate denial group” and has cast doubt on established climate science. It has published papers [arguing](https://web.archive.org/web/20170303164914/https://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2015/01/Unintended-Consequences2.pdf) that carbon dioxide emissions are not pollution but a “benefit to the planet” and claimed climate scientists [exaggerate](https://web.archive.org/web/20220916120259/https://www.thegwpf.org/publications/rethinking-the-greenhouse-effect/) the human impact on global warming. Critics argued Offord’s planned appearance at the event showed climate denial “cranks” were being pulled into the mainstream of Conservative politics. One expert claimed it was evidence of how “unserious the party had become” on climate change. The Conservatives and GWPF have been approached for comment. The GWPF has faced [criticism](https://www.desmog.com/2024/01/24/global-warming-policy-foundation-gwpf-funding/?ref=theferret.scot) for refusing to disclose its donors and is part of the network of so-called ‘[dark money](https://goodlawproject.org/campaign/dark-money-in-politics/?ref=theferret.scot)’ right-wing [Tufton Street](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/revealed-how-uk-s-powerful-right-wing-think-tanks-and-conse/?ref=theferret.scot) think tanks in London. Its fringe event will be held in the “[Think Tent](https://thinktent.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)” at Tory conference organised by another Tufton Street outfit, the Taxpayers’ Alliance. Provocatively titled “Can Britain Survive Ed Miliband?”, the event will feature Offord alongside GWPF head of policy Harry Wilkinson, Tufton-based Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) chief operating officer, Andy Mayer, and energy consultant Kathryn Porter. The IEA has previously [received](https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2018/07/30/bp-funding-institute-of-economic-affairs-gambling/?ref=theferret.scot) funding from oil giant BP, while Porter has written for the GWPF and [argued](https://web.archive.org/web/20230619105104/http://watt-logic.com/2017/09/20/climate-models/) that “climate models overstate global warming”. Scientific evidence overwhelmingly [shows](https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/scientific-consensus/?ref=theferret.scot) that the earth’s climate is warming and that human activities – specifically the burning of fossil fuels – are the cause. In May this year, Porter authored a report criticising net zero which was [launched](https://www.desmog.com/2025/05/20/tory-shadow-minister-lord-offord-launches-oil-consultant-kathryn-porter-anti-net-zero-report/?ref=theferret.scot) in parliament by Offord. He has argued for greater use of domestic gas – [including](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-04-03/debates/7DF3EE7F-3B81-4C9E-AE67-509ABAA7EB11/Net-ZeroEmissionsTargetAffordability?ref=theferret.scot#contribution-83D6FAC5-D76B-4BBC-8759-B34B1AB12A98) fracked gas from onshore areas including central Scotland – and [channeled](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-05-06/debates/155D9DC3-B262-4FB9-B2D0-85050A028824/details?ref=theferret.scot) Donald Trump by calling on Labour energy secretary Miliband to “drill, Mili, drill”. Offord has [stressed](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-04-03/debates/7DF3EE7F-3B81-4C9E-AE67-509ABAA7EB11/Net-ZeroEmissionsTargetAffordability?ref=theferret.scot#contribution-83D6FAC5-D76B-4BBC-8759-B34B1AB12A98) that he is not a climate denier, telling a House of Lords debate earlier this year that he had visited the Arctic and “witnessed the polar ice cap melting”. But he says he is concerned about the cost of net zero for businesses and the public, particularly as a result of high energy costs. He [attributes](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-04-03/debates/7DF3EE7F-3B81-4C9E-AE67-509ABAA7EB11/Net-ZeroEmissionsTargetAffordability?ref=theferret.scot#contribution-83D6FAC5-D76B-4BBC-8759-B34B1AB12A98) these to “all the subsidies, levies, curtailment payments and grid upgrades required by renewables”. Most experts [say](https://www.ft.com/content/2f254529-e03e-46a2-a7ec-4a2e86c96cac?ref=theferret.scot) the main [driver](https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/british-energy-price-cap-rise-driven-by-natural-gas-market-not-end-coal-power-2024-10-23/?ref=theferret.scot) of [soaring](https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-why-expensive-gas-not-net-zero-is-keeping-uk-electricity-prices-so-high/?ref=theferret.scot) UK energy bills in recent years has been the country’s reliance on gas, with international gas prices [setting](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/sites/bartlett/files/the%5Frole%5Fof%5Fnatural%5Fgas%5Fin%5Felectricity%5Fprices%5Fin%5Feurope%5Fupdated%5Fmay%5F2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the cost of electricity. Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change at the London School of Economics, said the GWPF had a “long record of promoting misinformation about climate change” and is “not fit to be advising any political parties”. Offord’s appearance at the event was an “indication of how unserious the party has become about this issue”, Ward claimed. His view was echoed by Scottish Labour net zero spokesperson, Sarah Boyack, and the former leader of the Scottish Greens, Patrick Harvie. “The transition to net zero is a chance to create jobs and lower bills for good, but this increasingly irrelevant Tory party appears to be giving up on tackling climate change,” Boyack said. Harvie accused the Tories of pandering to Nigel Farage’s Reform party and their “wealthy climate-wrecking donors”. “It tells us everything we need to know about the Tories’ environmental credentials when they are joining climate change deniers and trying to present a politician as moderate as Ed Miliband as some kind of radical,” he added. Meanwhile, Rosie Hampton, a campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, argued politicians should not be giving “cranks” like the GWPF “any credence and should instead make it clear that they both understand and respect the evidence of the climate emergency”. Kathryn Porter and the IEA were also asked to comment. *Cover image of Malcolm Offord thanks to the House of Lords* ### Navy told to remove radioactive waste from nuclear bomb base URL: https://www.theferret.scot/navy-told-to-remove-radioactive-waste-from-nuclear-bomb-base/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T11:42:16.000Z **The Scottish Government’s green watchdog has been urging the Royal Navy to remove potentially radioactive waste from the UK nuclear bomb base on the Clyde to reduce the risk of leaks and pollution, according to official files released to The Ferret.** The Scottish Environment Protection Agency ([Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)) has told the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at [Coulport](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coulport/) on Loch Long twice in the last year to get rid of a backlog of “substantial quantities” of waste “as soon as possible”. The Ferret [reported in August](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-waste-pollution-nuclear-plant/) that Loch Long was polluted in 2019 after floodwater was contaminated by radioactive waste at the site. We can also now reveal there was an incident in 2017 at Coulport when a waste handling agreement was breached, causing the Royal Navy to conduct a major review of procedures. In May 2025 we [disclosed](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-incidents-radioactivity-faslane/) there had been 12 incidents that could have leaked radioactivity at the nearby Faslane nuclear submarine base on the Gareloch since 2023\. They included one event in the first four months of 2025 that was given the navy’s worst risk rating. Campaigners warned of a “culture of negligence” at “high risk” sites threatening public safety and the environment. They said the pollution dangers were “serious”, and demanded greater scrutiny of waste operations at Coulport. Sepa said it took the waste backlog at Coulport “seriously” and it continued to encourage the Royal Navy to remove it “as soon as practicable”. The navy stressed that the safe handling of radioactive materials was of the “utmost importance”, and claimed there had been “no unsafe releases” at any stage. Maintaining the nuclear warheads stored at Coulport produces large amounts of dried waste material, known as [desiccant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiccant?ref=theferret.scot), which can be contaminated with radioactive [tritium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium?ref=theferret.scot). Tritium is an essential component of nuclear weapons, used to make their explosions more powerful. [New files](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/222663-sepa-foi-responses-on-coulport-waste-handling/?ref=theferret.scot) released by Sepa under [freedom of information law](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/freedom-of-information/) disclose that it inspected waste handling at Coulport in November 2024 and in April 2025\. In November it found a backlog of 108 bags of desiccant, and in April there were still “substantial quantities” on the site. “Progress should be made as soon as possible to reduce this backlog,” Sepa [told](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26140952-sepa-visit-letter-january-2025-1-rr/?ref=theferret.scot) the Royal Navy in January 2025\. [According to Sepa](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26140954-sepa-visit-report-november-2024-rr/?ref=theferret.scot), the backlog was because of “issues” in getting samples analysed by the UK government’s nuclear weapons company, [AWE](https://www.awe.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), [as well as](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26140951-sepa-visit-report-april-2025-rr/?ref=theferret.scot) “a hold up in getting appropriate transport”. After its April inspection, Sepa [also reported](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26140951-sepa-visit-report-april-2025-rr/?ref=theferret.scot) that it found “radioactive and potentially radioactive wastes from past operations” in a building at Coulport that was “in poor condition”. The wastes included desiccant, old smear tests and a radioactive source. “Wastes remaining in the building should be characterised and disposed of as soon as reasonably practical,” Sepa said. Problems at another building were redacted for national security reasons, though samples were taken of “demolition rubble” to be analysed for radioactivity. “Buildings or laboratories which have previously been used for radioactive substances activities should be fully decommissioned in accordance with a waste management plan,” Sepa said. [Files released](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/222663-sepa-foi-responses-on-coulport-waste-handling/?ref=theferret.scot) earlier by Sepa disclose there was an incident in 2017 at Coulport when the handling of desiccant failed to comply with an environmental agreement between Sepa and the Royal Navy. Bags of desiccant were moved before they were tested for radioactivity. Sepa [said at the time](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26140958-sepa-letter-about-desiccant-handling-incident-25-oct-2017-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) the incident “does raise concerns”, and asked for a “full review” of procedures. “Sepa considers this type of incident as significant and would consider issuing a formal written warning to civilian operators,” it told the navy in October 2017. The navy responded in November 2017 [pointing out](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26140955-mod-letter-to-sepa-on-desiccant-handling-10-nov-17-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) that no radioactive waste had been incorrectly disposed of. But it accepted that “there were clear process failings and a lack of management supervision”. The navy promised a three-month “end-to-end review of desiccant handling”. This was [reported in 2018](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26140957-royal-naval-summary-of-desiccant-review-27-july-2018-190-rr/?ref=theferret.scot), listing ten procedural improvements that had been made, and another four that were in the process of being implemented. Because Coulport is a military base, it is exempt from pollution rules that govern civilian sites. Instead the navy has signed a [voluntary agreement](https://beta.sepa.scot/news/2025/sepa-response-to-scottish-campaign-for-nuclear-disarmament/?ref=theferret.scot) promising to act as if it was covered by the rules. ### ‘Scandal of poor maintenance’ at nuclear bases The [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) is planning to [meet with Sepa](https://beta.sepa.scot/news/2025/sepa-response-to-scottish-campaign-for-nuclear-disarmament/?ref=theferret.scot) to discuss its regulation of Coulport and Faslane. Incidents at the sites “suggest an ongoing culture of negligence at some of the most high-risk military facilities in the country” said the campaign’s Samuel Rafanell-Williams. “It is deeply concerning that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to ignore calls for closer scrutiny of these facilities. This ongoing scandal of poor maintenance at the Royal Navy’s nuclear bases is exposing the myth that nuclear weapons keep us safe.” He added: “The MoD should pursue a defence strategy that does not place the people of Scotland at ongoing risk from dilapidated nuclear facilities and out-of-date submarines.” [Dr Ian Fairlie](https://www.ianfairlie.org/?ref=theferret.scot), a vice president of the [Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://cnduk.org/?ref=theferret.scot) in England and a former UK government radiation advisor, warned that tritium was “a serious radioactive contaminant”. The Ferret’s latest disclosures showed that “worries remain about the Royal Navy’s radioactive waste processes which should be addressed as a matter of priority,” he said. Earlier this month the SNP MSP [Bill Kidd](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/bill-kidd?ref=theferret.scot), convenor of the [cross-party group on nuclear disarmament](https://www.parliament.scot/get-involved/cross-party-groups/current-cross-party-groups/2021/nuclear-disarmament?ref=theferret.scot), staged a [debate in the Scottish Parliament](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-17-09-2025?meeting=16579&iob=141512&ref=theferret.scot) on the nuclear incidents at Coulport and Faslane. He demanded “transparency, accountability and, above all, safety” and called for a UK Government inquiry. Kidd accused the Royal Navy of “an off-hand and careless attitude towards the health and safety of Scotland’s citizens”. Everyone should protest about “radioactive materials being callously discarded into our waters to the danger to the health of children, women and men”, he said. Scottish Labour’s former leader, [Richard Leonard MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/richard-leonard?ref=theferret.scot), said the revelations highlighted longstanding safety concerns about Coulport. “Serious questions are raised about the operational rules and waste management procedures on site and how they are enacted,” he told The Ferret. “This is the point in the nuclear arms chain where nuclear weapons are stored, maintained and fitted. This poses a threat to our environment, our safety, our democracy and our right to know.” ### ‘No unsafe releases’ of radioactive waste [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) emphasised that it was committed to ensuring that Coulport and Faslane, together known as [HMNB Clyde](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot), operated in accordance with “standards equivalent to those in environmental regulations” to protect the environment and the public. “We take the backlog of desiccant at HMNB Clyde seriously, as all potentially radioactive waste should be characterised and then disposed of via appropriate routes, as soon as practicable,” said Sepa’s chief officer, Kirsty-Louise Campbell. “We understand that the backlog is due in large part to delays in receiving results from a third party which carries out analysis of desiccant samples on behalf of HMNB Clyde. We have recently seen some progress on sampling and analysis, and we continue to encourage HMNB Clyde to progress removal of waste desiccant as soon as practicable.” The [Ministry of Defence](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot), speaking on behalf of the Royal Navy, insisted that it placed the “utmost importance on handling radioactive substances safely and securely”. A spokesperson said: “There have been no unsafe releases of radioactive material into the environment at any stage and we frequently work with regulators as well as monitoring radioactivity independently. “Transformation across HMNB Clyde, which includes the Royal Naval Armament Depot at Coulport, is benefiting from a multi-billion pound investment to futureproof it for years to come and ensure it is ready to accommodate the next-generation nuclear submarines, including the [Dreadnought class](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/equipment/submarine/dreadnought-class?ref=theferret.scot).” *The files released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and referred to in this story are all available on* [*DocumentCloud*](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/222663-sepa-foi-responses-on-coulport-waste-handling/?ref=theferret.scot)*.* [*Cover image*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RNAD%5FCoulport.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) *of the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport thanks to* [*Ofog direktaktion för fred*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RNAD%5FCoulport.jpg?ref=theferret.scot)*,* [*CC BY 2.0*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0?ref=theferret.scot)*, via Wikimedia Commons.* ### It takes a village: a new approach to living with flooding URL: https://www.theferret.scot/new-approaches-flood/ Last updated: 2025-12-10T11:19:44.000Z **Dr Fiona Work, a former nurse, remembers December 2012 vividly. “I had gone to my friends and had a call saying that my house had gone under,” she says. “I had lived there for 25 years and there had never been flooding like that. I was out of my house for 10 months.”** Work lives in Edzell, a village in the north east of Scotland, which has fewer than 1000 residents. In 2012 it was hit by a flood that changed the village forever, affecting 44 properties, including Fiona Work’s house, and causing over £1m of damage. The Ferret talked to Dr Work about the flood group as part of a six country European investigation into both flood preparedness and recovery. In the UK, our investigation looked at the effects of flooding in eastern Scotland, Norfolk and Greater Manchester, finding that many communities affected took a long time to recover and that it was not always clear who was responsible for flooding. In Edzell, despite the collective trauma, the villagers decided to form a flood group just a month later, partly galvanised by Angus Council suggesting that the impact on Edzell had been minimal. Work tells The Ferret: “They thought we had only suffered around £20,000 damage. We started to pull the figures apart and decided we wanted to work with the council.” Supported by the newly formed charitable organisation, the Scottish Flood Forum (SFF), the flood group started to work out what was needed so that Edzell would be far better prepared for flooding if it happened again. Work says: “I used learning about flooding as a catharsis, there were so few guidelines then about things like drying your house out at the right pace, reinstatement. The flood group offered emotional and physical support as well.” ![](http://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/481077951_1063373939165399_7071023529953999640_n2.jpg) Flooding in Edzell. Eleven years later, when Storm Babet devastated eastern Scotland and Angus in particular, in October 2023, the village was ready. The actions they took saved the village from flooding and the group has been featured by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) and the [SFF](https://scottishfloodforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Supporting-Community-Action-through-a-Local-Flood-Plan-min.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) as a model for community action. Work explains, “We follow the Sepa [flood alerts](https://beta.sepa.scot/flooding?ref=theferret.scot) and the core flood group makes decisions. When I knew it was going to hit, we made the call.” Within 20 minutes the flood barriers had gone up and the team was consulting its flood maps. Edzell was divided into two zones. On the moor above the town there was an area that pools water. Work recalls: “We bagged it with sandbags to make a bund \[a structure to contain liquids\] to pool the water there. That saved the village. We were moving sandbags in wheelbarrows. I knew the bund would breach but it gave us time. We didn’t want it coming at us, fast and furious.” The most challenging issue was that critical infrastructure failed. Edzell was completely cut off from outside assistance by road. Instead, Work and others checked on those who needed care, so nobody was left on their own. Their model is a combination of actions – from drainage to barriers, including successfully working with the land owners Dalhousie Estate, to increase existing bunding (a way of retaining water with walls) to store water on Edzell Muir during high water, she explains. There is also more work going on with the council and the estate to see if holding more water back on the Muir could slow down the passage of water through the village. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1278485775-1-1.jpg) In parts of the North East, flooding has continued to have a devastating impact. Image from iStock/Brian Smith Work emphasises that solutions are different for every place, because flooding can come from different issues, from drainage to rainfall. “We are still vulnerable if there is a flash flood,” she says “For instance, there aren’t any maps of the drainage here and the old roadmen who had that knowledge have died. But a lot that we have learned has come from older people in the village.” Fiona Work says it’s about not asking anyone to do too much. “We ask everyone to do just one thing. We’ve now got our resilience centre, we have heaters, a generator. The knitting group made blankets. We have got phone chargers, lights, cooking facilities. The men in sheds group have been great.” > “We need to measure and monitor the effectiveness of natural flood management interventions really well.” > > Larissa Naylor, professor of geomorphology and environmental geography at the University of Glasgow. There are many solutions being suggested at the moment by the Scottish [government](https://www.gov.scot/publications/flood-resilience-strategy-case-studies/pages/3/?ref=theferret.scot) and other[ institutions](https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/innovation-programme?ref=theferret.scot) further afield. Other funded projects include a school with a sustainable urban drainage system; other projects to slow down rivers in spate through rewinding and storage, to community volunteers monitoring coastal change. Staff members of the Scottish Flood Forum, some of whom have been affected by flooding themselves, are also key to communicating the different tools and solutions that can make a difference before, during and after a flood event. On a call with The Ferret, they talk through all the measures they suggest. SFF has flood officers that support places like Brechin after flooding, and their work can continue for years after an event. The charity, along with [Flood Re](https://www.floodre.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), a specialist initiative between government and insurers so that those flooded can obtain more affordable insurance after an event, also support [Flo, the flood bus](https://www.floodre.co.uk/flo/?ref=theferret.scot), which travels around Scotland, showing some of the advice and measures households can take to build flood resilience. Although experts explain that hard defences against flooding and coastal erosion still have a major place in protection, other measures are also seen as part of a suite of solutions, none enough of their own but all of which can help. They include what is called property flood resilience, where dwellings are designed or rebuilt to recover from flooding more quickly, with sockets higher up, different flooring and kitchen cupboard materials, to ensure that valuables are kept in grab bags as high up as possible. New build developments include sustainable drainage systems to store water, some with permeable road surfaces so it soaks through, rather than runs off. Natural flood management techniques are seen as key too although Larissa Naylor, professor of geomorphology and environmental geography at the University of Glasgow, warns that no one solution is a panacea. “We need to measure and monitor the effectiveness of natural flood management interventions really well. The scale at which we might need to do them..might not be politically or socially or economically viable…that doesn’t mean they don’t work, but it’s how many you will need.” It is, as she warns, key to fund measures properly. Carol Raeburn, from the Scottish Flood Forum, also urges that we end building on flood plains, allow more space for water, and give communities at risk of flooding lasting support. She says, “It has to be a suite of options.” There may be no one solution but none will work without community – and that is what Edzell village showed in 2023. *This project, After The Floods, is part of a six country European investigation, looking at how communities weather flooding – and how authorities are meeting the challenge of rising floodwaters and increasing coastal erosion. The production of this investigation was supported by a grant from the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) fund.* *Featured photo iStock/moonmeister* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-3-2.png) *Photos courtesy of Katharine Quarmby and Edzell Flood Group.* ### How communities are struggling to recover after flooding and coastal erosion URL: https://www.theferret.scot/communities-struggling-recover-flooding/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T18:19:58.000Z On a fine summer morning in the Brig, the popular Bridgend bar in Brechin, Scott and Amanda McNeill recall the events of October 2023, when the river South Esk rose over 20 feet during Storm Babet. The McNeills were trapped in their flat over the bar they have owned for 20 years with their adult children. Built in 1972, the pub had never previously been flooded. The river wall nearby breached and the pub quickly filled with dirty water, with the kitchen and bar area wrecked. Scott McNeill says: “We lost a big ice machine, barrels, our fridge freezer.” That was the situation on the Friday, when he phoned his insurance company to receive the welcome news that he was covered for flooding. The next day, he recalls: “We had fifty, sixty people here, the football team, and other community members. A local farmer took the debris away. It still brings a tear to my eye.” Almost two years later the McNeills now want to sell, but the value of the property has gone down. “I’m not interested in profit but we want shot of this now, it’s hard,” he says, with the fear of being flooded and having to start over being ever-present. Since then the McNeills have not been able to obtain flood insurance. Thirteen years on flooding is the UK’s most frequent natural disaster, impacting lives, businesses and infrastructure for years after it happens. Yet, as The Ferret has found, looking at the aftermath as part of a six country European journalism project, communities affected, as in Brechin, often feel inadequately supported. They direct blame at local politicians and councils even when they are not directly responsible, and find navigating a fragmented flood management system difficult and frustrating. > Flooding is Scotland’s biggest climate adaptation challenge. > > Màiri McAllan, cabinet secretary for net zero and energy Carol Raeburn, the director of the charitable organisation, the Scottish Flood Forum (SFF), tells The Ferret that whereas elsewhere in Scotland more affluent communities had a greater ability to recover, in Angus, it has not been so easy. “You are dealing with a real trauma, especially for those who have experienced flooding on more than one occasion.” The mental health effects of the aftermath of Covid, she adds, also had an effect. ![](http://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/F400C9F2-10B3-43E4-BCC2-5DB00E7DD0B7_1_105_c-1.jpeg) Scott McNeill, Brechin resident affected by flooding. Just down the road, on River Street, Scott Murray is at the Eastmill Caravan site where he is still clearing up the site and we walk round to the sound of hammering, the smell of fresh paint. “By 5pm the water was half way along River Street. Then I heard this noiseless rumble and the water started coming through and it didn’t stop.” He evacuated residents himself. The next morning he returned to devastation. Twelve caravans and three flats were underwater and his own house on the site was flooded. He has only three residents living there now. Recovery from flooding is an expensive busine“I had to strip the caravans back to bare bones,” he says. “We have mopped them to death with disinfectant, sprayed for mould. It will be another year before I am sorted.” He is not sure if his family business can survive another flood. Council community worker Jennifer Anderson was one of the first people on the scene to help with the clear-up. “I’ve never seen it as bad as that,” she explains from the Crickety, the community centre that ended up as the hub for the recovery from flooding. . “I think the fact it happened during the night meant that people didn’t evacuate.” Ian Stewart has walked up from River Street to discuss recent issues around building and insurance. Stewart grew up on the street and remembers playing in the floods. But, he says: “This was the worst ever”. He explains that he and his wife Jane had lost almost everything as the water poured in, including important paperwork. Residents like Ian have been inundated with automated reminders to pay bills for properties, even when they were not able to live there. Anderson adds: “It’s really stressful for them, to see final demands, or TV licensing…People had lost their glasses, medication, they didn’t have phone chargers so they couldn’t tell people they were safe.” In Brechin, once people had left the community campus centre at the high school, they were decanted, or moved, many to different towns and villages. But returning to the area of River Street hasn’t been easy either, because in places like Brechin, which flood again and again, uncertainty about the future haunts decision making. ![](http://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/59FD2420-E227-4F9A-82E6-F34677D03188_1_105_c-1.jpeg) Sandbags outside a home damaged by flooding in Brechin The council has [decided not to call](https://www.angus.gov.uk/news/brechin%5Frecovery%5Fand%5Fregeneration%5Freport%5F26%5Fjune%5F2025%5F0?ref=theferret.scot) for full managed retreat although ruined council housing will not be filled and the council is consulting on demolition of some dwellings, relocation and remodelling, and has decided to increase the height of the river wall. Yet all are well aware that with climate change, nobody can guarantee that Brechin will not be flooded again. Further afield, in the rest of Scotland, things are not easy either. In May 2024, then cabinet secretary for net zero and energy, Màiri McAllan, launched a [consultation](https://www.gov.scot/publications/flood-resilience-strategy-consultation/?ref=theferret.scot) on Scotland’s first flood resilience strategy, saying, “Flooding is Scotland’s biggest climate adaptation challenge.” The [strategy](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-national-adaptation-plan-2024-2029-2/%20-%20developing%20Scotland%E2%80%99s%20first%20Flood%20Resilience%20Strategy?ref=theferret.scot), published later that year, looks at how landscapes can adapt to increase ‘resilience’; support more flood actions like smaller flood protection schemes; involve more partners, including communities and improve data as well as signalling a move to ‘transition planning for our most exposed communities’. Scotland’s flood risk management policies have evolved, and the fact that Scottish Water is publicly owned and that there are few tiers of government, are advantages, says Sarah Hendy, professor of water policy at the University of Dundee. Hendy tells [The Ferret](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420924008586?via%3Dihub&ref=theferret.scot) that Scotland and England have always had separate laws and policies for water. “The population is less than a tenth of England and the spread is larger. That affects all sorts of things to do with water policy, resources and flood management. It also means England has a much more complex administrative structure than we do and that makes it much more layered.” She adds that public ownership of water and the fewer layers of local authority means “it makes it easier to have policy synergy and it takes the motive for shareholder interest out of the policy focus”. The 32 local authorities are responsible for surface water and gullies, and they work in partnership with Scottish Canals and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA). But despite the stripped down nature of accountability, some of those affected by flooding still feel that it is not always clear who is responsible. Further afield, across Europe, our team has found that social disadvantage is one of the key barriers to people recovering from flooding. And it’s going to get more challenging out there. In 2024 the European Environment Agency reported that weather extremes across Europe are worsening, with the continent being the fastest warming continent. Around[ two million people across central Europe](https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-change-and-high-exposure-increased-costs-and-disruption-to-lives-and-livelihoods-from-flooding-associated-with-exceptionally-heavy-rainfall-in-central-europe/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Almost%20two%20million%20people%20were%20directly%20affected%20by,Polish-Czech%20border%20region%20and%20Austria%20%28The%20Guardian%2C%202024%29.) were affected by serious flooding in September last year; in October over 200 people were [killed ](https://discomap.eea.europa.eu/ClimatePreparedness2025/?ref=theferret.scot)during flooding in Valencia, Spain, which also wrecked homes and businesses. ### Water everywhere, all at once Down the coast in the town of Montrose, Angus Council faces additional major issues with coastal erosion. The dunes that protect the town are a natural coastal flood barrier, but they are being eaten away by the power of the sea. Gaps in the dunes once opened up could become flood corridors into the town, especially around the low-lying areas near the world-famous golf course. Along the coastal path council workers highlight how they are both monitoring erosion and trying out different management strategies. But they are working against time, with a University of Glasgow study reporting in April 2025 that some of the fastest known rates of change on record were measured during the winter of 23/24. ![](http://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/8A9F08C0-7481-4287-900D-D20F79E4E8E0_1_105_c-1.jpeg) Flood defences at Montrose beach Vicky Whitecross has lived there all her life and has seen the landscape she grew up with change around her. “The dunes are what protect Montrose,” she says “Montrose is surrounded by water, the Montrose Basin, the two Esk rivers, some of the town is below sea level. The dunes are what keep Montrose out of the sea.” The strategy to protect Montrose from flooding includes dune restoration, beach nourishment and beach recharge. Rock armour is a short term strategy, but is also being used to reduce sand being lost on the beach. But residents like Whitecross feel that the sea is against them. “The waves are taking the sand and it’s not being replaced.” It is a stark picture for those who love the landscapes in which they have lived for their whole lives, or for generations before. Larissa Naylor, Professor of Geomorphology and Environmental Geography at the University of Glasgow, is part of the [Dynamic Coast](https://engage.angus.gov.uk/montrose-coastal-erosion?ref=theferret.scot) [project](https://www.dynamiccoast.com/about?ref=theferret.scot), funded by the Scottish government to look at coastal change. She says: “We need to prepare for the change that we know is coming,” explaining, “We may need to move people out of flood plains. And we are going to have to accept people coming from those places, who are internal climate migrants. We are not going to be able to control nature in the same way in the future.” It would be easy to despair about flooding – the long term effects, economic and health, the growing challenge of climate change, the lack of money to address an issue that will only grow in significance. But there are some exciting and innovative ways of addressing flood events. Raeburn points to “a suite of options” and praises the work of the flood group in the village of Edzell, near Brechin. It is possible to recover from a flood event with support, she says, and the power of community is at the heart of it. *This project, After The Floods, is part of a six country European investigation, looking at how communities weather flooding – and how authorities are meeting the challenge of rising floodwaters and increasing coastal erosion. The production of this investigation was supported by a grant from the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) fund.* *Photos courtesy of Katharine Quarmby and Vicky Whitecross.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-3-1-1.png) ### £3.7m and just 200 users: SNP-backed green jobs scheme off to slow start URL: https://www.theferret.scot/3-7m-and-just-200-users-snp-backed-green-jobs-scheme-off-to-slow-start/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:44:02.000Z **A website launched to help thousands of oil workers move into green jobs attracted just 200 users in Scotland in its first five months, despite millions of pounds of backing from the Scottish Government.** The ‘Energy Skills Passport’, launched in January, was billed by ministers as “[critical](https://www.gov.scot/publications/skills-passport-joint-letter-from-the-scottish-and-uk-government/?ref=theferret.scot)” to Scotland’s ‘[just transition](https://www.gov.scot/policies/climate-change/just-transition/?ref=theferret.scot)’ – the effort to shift away from fossil fuels in a way that protects jobs and communities. The [website](https://energyskillspassport.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) allows offshore oil workers to create profiles, log their qualifications and skills, and see jobs they could move to – as well as what extra training they might need. But figures in documents released to The Ferret under [freedom of information](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26099906-for-release-eir-202500476207-redacted-returns-2-1/?ref=theferret.scot) (FoI) law show that, by the end of June, only 390 people across the UK had created profiles. Just 219 of those were in Scotland and 112 in Aberdeen, the heart of the country’s oil industry. Around 26,000 people in the UK were [estimated](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CDP-2025-0083/CDP-2025-0083.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to work in the offshore oil and gas sector in 2023 and tens of thousands more in support roles onshore or jobs linked to the industry. Traffic to the site also dropped quickly after its initial launch. In its first full month, the website had 2,300 visits. By the summer, monthly visits had fallen below 900. The waning interest comes despite the scheme [receiving](https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/articles/pilot-to-support-oil-and-gas-workers-transition-to-renewables?ref=theferret.scot) £3.7m from the Scottish Government – and internal documents show further taxpayer support from the UK Government’s GB Energy initiative has been discussed. The organisations that designed the passport – trade bodies Offshore Energies UK and RenewableUK – told The Ferret that the total number of sign ups had increased to nearly 500 by the end of August. However it did not provide updated Scottish figures. They stressed that the tool remains a “work in progress” and new job roles would be introduced over the next year. The organisations added that promotion of the passport had been kept deliberately low in its early months to focus on getting feedback and improving the site. However, unions and opposition politicians say the project is moving too slowly to support workers at risk of losing their jobs. One union representative said the site was a good idea but currently making “no perceivable difference” despite the millions spent. Unite industrial officer John Boland warned that delays and the lack of engagement from some employers were undermining its potential. Without this support from employers the passport “will fail and let down the offshore workforce” who would have to look elsewhere for jobs “most likely abroad”, Boland claimed. > “Wealthy companies have taken the workforce for granted for decades, and instead of preparing to support them through the transition to industries like renewable energy, many companies have flat out denied the reality of the climate emergency and lobbied against responsible policyPatrick Harvie, Scottish Greens MSP. The documents released to us show unions raised similar concerns with OEUK and RenewableUK at a meeting in April. They warned that job cuts were already underway in both oil and gas and offshore wind industries and that delays to the passport were contributing to a “loss of confidence” among workers. They also urged the developers to expand the platform beyond its focus on offshore wind to other sectors such as construction and defence – where more jobs are available. Currently the website maps career paths in just eight roles. OEUK and Renewable UK say this limited offer was always the plan during the passport’s pilot phase. Phase two, which is now in progress, is expected to add roles from different parts of the energy sector and other industries, they claimed. A recent [report](https://www.rgu.ac.uk/news/news-2025/8232-uk-offshore-energy-industry-faces-grangemouth-scale-redundancies-every-fortnight-without-intervention-warns-new-rgu-report?ref=theferret.scot) by Robert Gordon University claimed that oil and gas jobs in the UK could fall by half by the early 2030s – the equivalent of losing 400 jobs every fortnight. Meanwhile, roles in offshore wind and other renewables are expected to grow. Research [suggests](https://www.rgueti.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/workforce-transferability-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) that up to 90 per cent of oil and gas workers have skills that transfer into green energy. But moving between sectors is not straightforward. Douglas Lumsden MSP, the Scottish Conservatives’ energy spokesperson, agreed that the skills passport could be “part of the solution” for workers worried about their futures. But he criticised both the Scottish and UK governments for “barely lifting a finger to promote” the scheme. “Thousands of skilled jobs have already gone and unless Keir Starmer and John Swinney change course, hundreds more will vanish every fortnight,” Lumsden added. > “The lessons we have learned from feedback so far from hundreds of workers and employers is determining the way in which the scheme is being rolled out at scale.”Scott Young, head of skills at RenewableUK. Scottish Greens MSP, Patrick Harvie, claimed oil and gas companies were responsible for failing to help workers through the transition to clean energy. “Wealthy companies have taken the workforce for granted for decades,” Harvie said “and instead of preparing to support them through the transition to industries like renewable energy, many companies have flat out denied the reality of the climate emergency and lobbied against responsible policy.” OEUK and RenewableUK reiterated that the skills passport was only in its “beta” testing phase and that its success should be judged over time. OEUK’s head of employment and skills, Irene Bruce, said: “Phase two is already under way, expanding oil, gas and wind roles, adding new sectors, and improving features like mapping qualifications across industries.” But she added that its rollout must be seen in the “context” of the”huge strain” on the UK’s energy sector due to a lack of investment in oil and gas and renewables. “The passport can help but only if matched by real momentum on energy investment and long-term policy,” Bruce said. RenewableUK head of skills, Scott Young, said the skills passport was a “valuable tool” but remained a “work in progress”. “The lessons we have learned from feedback so far from hundreds of workers and employers is determining the way in which the scheme is being rolled out at scale,” Young added. Gillian Martin MSP, the Scottish Government’s energy secretary, said it was “keen to see the passport develop further” from the initial version launched in January. “Success of this second phase will require the passport to be fully supported from a range of bodies, including the UK Government,” she added. #### Documents released under freedom of information law *Featured photo credit: iStock and EyeEm Mobile GmbH* ### Claim English drug deaths ‘written out of figures’ is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-english-drug-deaths-written-out-of-figures-is-false/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T11:17:37.000Z **The level of drug-related deaths in Scotland has been persistently high in recent years, with the Scottish Government facing criticism about its attempts to improve the situation.** When the annual statistics are released, unfavourable comparisons are inevitably made with the other nations of the UK, as well as countries across Europe. This week, new research brought into question some of the statistics used to measure England’s rate of drug deaths, and [SNP MP Pete Wishart posted on social media](https://x.com/petewishart/status/1967947090539024790?ref=theferret.scot), criticising the way the data was recorded. > “There has always been a suspicion that drug deaths in England have not been properly recorded but now we know for sure. In Scotland all are properly counted. > > Thousands of deaths in England simply written out of the figures.” > > Pete Wishart MP [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it **False**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Banner-1.png) #### **Evidence** Scottish drug death figures are reported annually by the National Records of Scotland. The [latest statistics cover 2024](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland-2024/?ref=theferret.scot), and showed 1,017 drug misuse deaths registered, a 13 per cent decrease on the previous year. This works out as 19.1 drug deaths per 100,000 people. Scotland’s rate is about two to three times higher than other UK countries, and 2.8 times higher than England. There are [slight differences](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/media/lfzm3pbu/drug-related-deaths-methodology-annex.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in the way that drug deaths are measured in the UK, so when comparisons are being made between Scotland and England, ‘drug poisoning’ deaths are measured – which is how drug deaths are measured in England – rather than ‘drug misuse’, which is the headline figure for Scotland. ‘Drug misuse’ deaths are fatalities linked to drugs which are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act. This includes recreational drugs like cocaine and heroin, as well as misuse of some prescribed drugs such as tramadol. ‘Drug poisoning deaths’ include deaths from drugs which are not illegal under the act. This is used in comparisons [with England](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoninginenglandandwales/previousReleases?ref=theferret.scot) because England [collects less information](https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2023/08/22/what-actually-counts-as-a-drug-death/?ref=theferret.scot) about the type of substances involved in drug deaths. However, they are still comparable, and [statisticians agree](https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2023/08/22/what-actually-counts-as-a-drug-death/?ref=theferret.scot) that Scotland has a much higher rate of drug-related deaths than anywhere else in the UK. Pete Wishart’s claim is based [on a BBC News article](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg7dzmyjrjzo?ref=theferret.scot) reporting [new research from Kings College London](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/opioid-related-deaths-in-past-decade-55-higher-than-recorded?ref=theferret.scot). It analysed data from coroners’ reports in England to reveal that certain forms of drug deaths have likely been undercounted. Wishart claimed that “thousands of deaths in England” were “simply written out of the figures”. This is misleading, because the total number of drug deaths in England is unaffected by this research. The [issue revealed](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/opioid-related-deaths-in-past-decade-55-higher-than-recorded?ref=theferret.scot) by the Kings College London research was a likely undercounting of opioid-related deaths. Opioids include substances like heroin and some morphine-based prescription painkillers. The [Office for National Statistics](https://www.ons.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)‘ (ONS) ability to measure deaths due to specific substances is limited by the fact the statistics body does not have access to post-mortem reports or toxicology results. This means it is reliant on information provided by the coroner on the death certificate. This is often missing information. The Kings College London study cites as an example “when an individual dies from using multiple drugs at the same time – known as polydrug use – and it is recorded with ambiguous terms such as ‘multidrug overdose’ the ONS cannot determine the individual substances involved.” Researchers say there is likely to be a similar undercounting of the proportion of deaths linked to other substances – such as cocaine. The [study’s authors say](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/opioid-related-deaths-in-past-decade-55-higher-than-recorded?ref=theferret.scot) this underestimate of certain substances involved in drug deaths in England could mean that “policies, treatment programs and educational campaigns will not have the desired impact”. However, thousands of deaths weren’t “written out of the figures”. They were counted but not identified as deaths caused by certain drugs. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** Pete Wishart is wrong to say that “thousands of deaths in England simply written out of the figures”. The statistics on the total number of drug-related deaths in England are not in question, but new research has found undercounting in the proportion of deaths that were related to opioid use. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/False-2.png) *Main image:* [*House of Commons*](https://www.flickr.com/photos/uk%5Fparliament/54599879989/in/album-72177720326957010?ref=theferret.scot)*,* [*CC BY-NC-ND 4.0*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) ### Shetland spaceport under fire from local community URL: https://www.theferret.scot/shetland-spaceport-under-fire-from-local-community/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T13:48:40.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/21-1-8.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) Disgruntled islanders have criticised Scotland’s first spaceport in the far north of Shetland for a “culture of secrecy and bad stewardship”, according to a new report. People from the island of Unst, where the [SaxaVord Spaceport](https://theferret.scot/tag/Saxavord/?ref=theferret.scot) is being built, have expressed concerns about the company’s communications with the local community. They said it has stopped attending meetings of the community council and does not respond to queries. They complained they had no direct communication from the SaxaVord management about the [suspension of work](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/work-shetland-space-port-grinds-31473181?ref=theferret.scot) at the construction site in 2023 and [an explosion](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy54wqzz0kvo?ref=theferret.scot) during a test of a rocket engine in August 2024. [The report](https://spacewatch.uk/uk-space-expansion-benefits-for-all/?ref=theferret.scot), from the campaign group, [Space Watch UK](https://spacewatch.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), urged SaxaVord to “improve its game”, and was supported by one community representative. The company refused to comment. SaxaVord [describes itself](https://saxavord.com/?ref=theferret.scot) as “the first fully licensed vertical launch spaceport in Europe”. It says it is “developing our infrastructure and critical services for orbital test flights” in Unst. SaxaVord [told MPs in February](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr531z0rjzmo?ref=theferret.scot) that it would be ready for its first launch in July. But in June the [Shetland News reported](https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2025/06/26/orbex-launch-unst-now-expected/?ref=theferret.scot) that one rocket company had delayed its planned launch from 2025 to 2026. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-09-19-155207-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/who-runs-scotlands-space-industry/) Space Watch UK visited Unst in May 2025, and interviewed 13 residents. They have not been named because of local “sensitivities”, but researchers said there was a “consistency of opinion” which suggested they were “likely to be broadly representative of the wider Unst community.” [The report](https://spacewatch.uk/uk-space-expansion-benefits-for-all/?ref=theferret.scot) concluded that most people in Unst were “guardedly in favour” of SaxaVord, hoping it would help the local economy. “However, this does not translate as unqualified support for everything the spaceport does,” it added. “There is disappointment and disgruntlement at the slow pace of construction work and the inconvenience that this has caused, poor communication from the spaceport and the lack of integration by spaceport personnel with the local community.” Some residents accused the spaceport of making commitments “which have as yet failed to materialise”. There were also “unanswered questions about the future impacts of the spaceport in Unst and its infrastructure”, the report said. According to one of the report’s authors, Peter Burt from Space Watch UK, people on Unst were “supportive” of SaxaVord. “But there is a deep undercurrent of concern that the spaceport is keeping its distance from the community and is reluctant to speak to local people,” he said. “This is concerning, given that spaceport managers have apparently been telling VIP visitors that the project has a good record of community relations.” On a visit in May, the Labour MP for Glasgow West and chair of the UK parliament’s Scottish Affairs Committee, [Patricia Ferguson MP](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5190/contact?ref=theferret.scot), described the company’s engagement with the community as [“very impressive”](https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2025/05/13/parliamentary-committee-confident-government-support/?ref=theferret.scot). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/54512924409_16f0bd9ace_o-1.jpg) SaxaVord sign (photo thanks to Space Watch UK) ### ‘Things need to change’ at spaceport Burt argued that “things need to change” if the spaceport was to launch several rockets a year, as planned. “SaxaVord Spaceport has received funding from public sources, and this brings with it obligations to the public,” he said. “Local people have a right to understand what is happening at a site which they are, in part, paying towards, and this includes receiving honest information about the schedule of launches, details of what those launches will be carrying, and any potential safety risks.” Burt called on SaxaVord to “improve their game” by taking a few simple steps. “The spaceport should attend meetings of the local community council on a regular basis, set up a local liaison group as a channel for dialogue with the public, and arrange a programme of community events to help inform local people,” he said. Space Watch UK campaigns against the militarisation of space, and The Ferret has [previously reported](https://www.theferret.scot/space-agency-130-meetings-mod/) concerns about the military use of SaxaVord. The new report, however, said that people on Unst found this “unthreatening” because they’d had positive associations with an [RAF base](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RRH%5FSaxa%5FVord?ref=theferret.scot) that previously used the SaxaVord site. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-09-19-155305-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/space-agency-130-meetings-mod/) Gordon Thomson, who chairs a local development company, [Unst Partnership Ltd](https://www.unstpartnership.com/?ref=theferret.scot), pointed out that the island’s population halved to 600 between 1995 and 2005 after the RAF and an oil company left. “As said in the report, most people are in favour of the spaceport going ahead and several local people are employed there,” he told The Ferret. But he added: “We do think Saxavord could be more open about how things are going.” He suggested regular reports be made to the community council, along with more frequent updates on social media. A spokesperson for [SaxaVord Spaceport](https://saxavord.com/?ref=theferret.scot) said: “We have no comment to make.” ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Cover image of SaxaVord thanks to Space Watch UK* ### Scots ‘umbrella’ firms duped NHS and council workers into tax avoidance schemes URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scots-umbrella-firms-nhs-tax-avoidance/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:29:32.000Z **Scottish companies are roping NHS and council workers into veiled tax avoidance schemes that could see them hit with big unexpected tax bills.** HMRC recently [named](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/named-tax-avoidance-schemes-promoters-enablers-and-suppliers/current-list-of-named-tax-avoidance-schemes-promoters-enablers-and-suppliers?ref=theferret.scot) tax avoidance schemes run by two Scotland-registered businessesused by recruitment agencies to pay temporary workers. These ‘umbrella firms’ can act as legitimate middlemen between freelancers and their often multiple employers. But more than 100 have promoted tax avoidance schemes to workers, [according to HMRC](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/named-tax-avoidance-schemes-promoters-enablers-and-suppliers/current-list-of-named-tax-avoidance-schemes-promoters-enablers-and-suppliers?ref=theferret.scot). They include Glasgow firms T.U Pay Limited – whose users HMRC has “reason to suspect” are working in local councils and the NHS – and Umbrella Contracts Limited. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) HMRC’s [analysis](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-tax-non-compliance-umbrella-company-market/tackling-non-compliance-in-the-umbrella-company-market--3?ref=theferret.scot) found that in recent years, umbrella firms promoting tax avoidance have been used by hundreds of thousands of workers across the UK and deprived the state of hundreds of thousands of pounds in tax revenue. Scotland’s biggest trade union, Unite, told The Ferret it hears from workers harmed by umbrella tax avoidance schemes “every single week”, in what it described as a “blatant attack on workers’ pay”. It wants the UK Government to ban umbrella firms outright. > The umbrella tax scam is a blatant attack on workers’ pay. > > Steven Dillon, Unite the Union Tax campaigners argue that HMRC’s current enforcement methods rarely result in a criminal prosecution, and fails to deter tax avoidance. HMRC must pursue “consistent and frequent enforcement against perpetrators”, they argue. HMRC said it warns workers about “the dangers of getting caught up in tax avoidance” and is cracking down on the umbrella companies promoting these schemes “with all the powers at our disposal”. Tax avoidance involves the use of legal loopholes to pay less tax, and is legal. Tax avoidance schemes from umbrella firms typically involve workers being paid part of their salaries under the guise of payments, such as non-repayable loans. Some workers – often those on minimum wage – were led to believe these payments were non-taxable, and would therefore lead to higher take home pay. But HMRC considers the payments to be taxable, and it can demand that workers pay the missing tax, for which they are personally liable. In March, Sky News [reported](https://news.sky.com/story/major-uk-recruiters-linked-to-tax-avoidance-schemes-after-workers-hit-with-crippling-hmrc-demands-13326107?ref=theferret.scot) that tax avoidance schemes from umbrella firms were linked to 10 workers who took their own lives after being hit by large and unexpected tax bills. ### **Scotland’s tax avoidance promoters** On 31 July, HMRC published the names of Umbrella Contracts Limited and T.U Pay Limited (TUPL), which it said had promoted tax avoidance schemes. T.U Pay Limited (TUPL) paid its workers in two parts, one of which did not deduct income tax and national insurance contributions (NICs). HMRC said it has “reason to suspect that TUPL users are working in local councils and the NHS”. Umbrella Contracts Limited (UCL), which was registered at addresses in Inverness, Dumfriesshire and Glasgow, is now in administration. It recruited workers and paid them minimum wage salaries with income tax and NICs deducted. But around the same time, another firm, Fairview Administration Services Ltd, made larger payments to workers – branded as “financier loans” – without deducting income tax and NICs. HMRC said Fairview claimed it was instructed to do so by a company incorporated in the Seychelles – a tax haven where corporate owners are allowed to hide their identities. In 2023, HMRC [outlined](https://www.accountancydaily.co/inverness-essex-link-umbrella-companies-flaunting-tax-rules?ref=theferret.scot) another UCL tax avoidance scheme where it had another firm pay part of workers’ salaries via a payment labelled as ‘commission’, which did not include income tax or NIC deductions. UCL was founded by British businessman David Corkill in 1996, according to his [LinkedIn profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidcorkill/?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot). Corkill [resigned](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC192044/officers?ref=theferret.scot) his UCL directorship in 2021. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/image-14.png) David Corkill (via Facebook) The businessman, who The Ferret understands has a home near Gretna, Dumfriesshire, has previously listed addresses in Fife, and the British tax haven of the Isle of Man. He is also a director of Carlisle firm, Jeceris Limited, which was [named](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/named-tax-avoidance-schemes-promoters-enablers-and-suppliers/current-list-of-named-tax-avoidance-schemes-promoters-enablers-and-suppliers?ref=theferret.scot) as a promoter of a tax avoidance scheme by HMRC in 2022. Another company, Charteris Management Ltd, of which Corkill resigned as a director in 2021, was listed as a promoter of the same scheme. Corkill was [a director](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/wwScqIWUGeXDO20HroJYbbEmp1M/appointments?ref=theferret.scot) of the[ Trade Association of British Umbrella Companies](https://www.linkedin.com/company/trade-association-of-british-umbrella-companies/about/?ref=theferret.scot) from 1996 until 2022, and currently directs ERA Services, which [claims](https://www.linkedin.com/company/era-services/about/?ref=theferret.scot) to “certify UK companies as recognised places of employment excellence”. ERA is “benchmarked by current employment law”, allowing employers, including umbrella firms, “to demonstrate with confidence their compliance with a certification that is scrutinised by a government-appointed third party”, its [website alleges](https://www.eraservices.org/?ref=theferret.scot). Another Glasgow umbrella firm, Paystone Services Limited – which is unrelated to Corkill – was named by HMRC last year. Paystone, which also used the name Artifact Services, paid health, tech and energy workers in two payments, one of which was labelled as ‘share payment’ or ‘option payment’ with no deductions made. ### **‘Blatant attack on workers’ pay’** HMRC [found](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-tax-non-compliance-umbrella-company-market/tackling-non-compliance-in-the-umbrella-company-market--3?ref=theferret.scot) that in 2022 and 2023 alone, some £200m in tax revenue [was lost](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps-tables?ref=theferret.scot) to disguised remuneration tax avoidance schemes, almost all of which was facilitated by umbrella companies. Over the same period, at least 275,000 workers used umbrella firms that failed to comply with their tax obligations. Steven Dillon, Unite the Union’s regional coordinating officer, said he receives reports from members who have been duped by tax avoidance schemes from umbrella firms on a weekly basis. Scotland’s construction sites are filled with contracted workers who should be legally considered employees, and be entitled to the same employment benefits as staff, he claimed. “The umbrella tax scam is a blatant attack on workers’ pay,” said Dillon. “Construction workers are being paid the national minimum wage, with the rest of their income disguised as dodgy expense claims, which we are told are often fraudulent. “Agencies and contractors are also shifting their own National Insurance liabilities onto the workers. These umbrella companies should be abolished. Workers should instead be paid either through standard PAYE systems or as genuinely self-employed.” HMRC last year [announced](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-tax-non-compliance-umbrella-company-market/tackling-non-compliance-in-the-umbrella-company-market--3?ref=theferret.scot) plans to move the responsibility to account for Pay As You Earn (PAYE) – through which most people pay income tax – from umbrella firms to recruitment agencies from April 2026\. Where there is no agency involved, the end client will be responsible for PAYE. A spokesperson for the investigative think tank, TaxWatch, said: “HMRC already has a range of powers to tackle tax avoidance schemes (such as umbrella schemes) and providers of these schemes. > It is essential that HMRC consistently cracks down on those rogue firms that make a fortune enabling aggressive tax avoidance. > > Lloyd Hatton MP, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax “Although fines are currently levied against some providers, these are too small to act as a deterrent and HMRC’s enforcement rarely results in a criminal prosecution, which means that many of the offences on the statute book lose their deterrent effect. “TaxWatch welcomes HMRC’s proposals to increase the fines that can be imposed, but the key to tackling these schemes is consistent and frequent enforcement against perpetrators so that the industry knows that these models will not be tolerated.” Backbench Labour MP Lloyd Hatton, a member of the [All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax](https://anticorruption-responsibletax.org/about?ref=theferret.scot), said: “British-based firms should not be profiteering from tax avoidance schemes; nor should they be making use of British tax havens to do so. It’s that simple.” He added: “So, it is essential that HMRC consistently cracks down on those rogue firms that make a fortune enabling aggressive tax avoidance.” In July, the UK Government published [draft legislation](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proposals-to-close-in-on-promoters-of-marketed-tax-avoidance?ref=theferret.scot) which would make failure to disclose tax avoidance schemes to HMRC a criminal offence. The laws would also give HMRC stronger powers to probe those behind promoter organisations, and new means to tackle legal professionals involved with promoting tax avoidance. An HMRC spokesperson said: “We are focussed on disrupting promoters of suspected tax avoidance and we are tackling non-compliant umbrella companies with all the powers at our disposal. “We warn people of the dangers of getting caught up in tax avoidance schemes and as part of that work have published details of more than 170 schemes and named more than 170 promoters on [GOV.UK](http://gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot).” David Corkill and ERA Services did not respond to requests to comment. T.U Pay, Fairview Administration Services, Jeceris, Charteris Management, the Trade Association of British Umbrella Companies and Paystone Services could not be reached *Main image: Deagreez/iStock* ### Nine out of ten short-term lets approved in Highland tourism hotspot despite housing crisis URL: https://www.theferret.scot/short-term-lets-approved-strathspey-highland/ Last updated: 2025-10-20T15:18:27.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/20-6.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **More than 90 per cent of applications to use residential properties as short-term lets in a Highland region in the midst of a housing crisis have been approved since last year, The Ferret can reveal.** Eighteen months after a short-term let control area was introduced in Badenoch and Strathspey – a tourism hotspot where pubs and restaurants are struggling to get staff due to a lack of affordable housing – just 29 applications to operate properties as short-term lets have been rejected, while 350 passed. Our research has prompted claims from tenants’ rights campaigners that the current scheme to deal with the area’s housing crisis is “not fit for purpose”. The figures from Highland Council starkly contrast with Edinburgh City Council – the only other part of Scotland with a control area, which is a policy designed to allow councils to limit the impact of holiday lets and Airbnbs. In the Scottish capital, 71 per cent of short-term let applications have been rejected since a control area was introduced in September 2022. Highlanders have warned of a “dire” situation in relation to affordable housing, in part driven by the proliferation of houses being used as short-term let accommodation. A[ recent survey](https://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/news/lack-of-affordable-housing-biggest-concern-in-the-cairngorms-379088/?ref=theferret.scot) of Cairngorms residents found housing was their biggest concern, with 60 per cent of people finding it hard to find an affordable place to live. ### **Short term let control areas** Legislation permitting local authorities to apply to Scottish ministers to establish control areas was passed by the Scottish Parliament in January 2022, as part of changes which also included the creation of a short-term let licence regime. In control areas, the use of a whole residential property for short-term lets, known as ‘secondary letting’, requires planning permission. Edinburgh was the first council in which the Scottish Government signed-off on a control area and it immediately faced a legal challenge from short-term let operators. The Court of Session [found in June 2023](https://judiciary.scot/home/sentences-judgments/judgments/2023/06/08/peter-ralph-averbuch-others-for-judicial-review-of-the-city-of-edinburgh-council-short-term-lets-licensing-policy?ref=theferret.scot) that certain aspects of the control area in Edinburgh were unlawful, including that it can be applied retroactively, leading the Scottish Government to issue new guidance. The[ new guidance](https://www.gov.scot/publications/short-term-lets-planning/?ref=theferret.scot) states that the control areas cannot apply retroactively. But if it is deemed that a dwelling needed planning permission before the control area was established due to ‘a material change of use’ in using a property for short-term letting, it will still need planning permission afterwards. Specific criteria for deciding on what constitutes a material change of use was left to local councils to determine. In December 2022, Scottish ministers approved a control area in the Badenoch and Strathspey ward of Highland Council, which includes popular tourist towns such as Aviemore and Grantown-on-Spey. However, the control area did not come into force until March 2024 as Highland Council waited for the outcome of the Court of Session ruling and new Scottish Government guidance before developing its own criteria for the control area. ![Image description: Winter reflections of the snow capped mountains of the Cairngorms in Scotland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-2190854153-1.jpg) Winter reflections of the snow capped mountains of the Cairngorms in Scotland. Image: Andrew Briggs/iStock ### **Contrasting criteria** Analysing planning documents from Highland Council and Edinburgh City Council, The Ferret found a clear distinction in the criteria for planning decisions on short-term lets between the two control areas. Edinburgh Council only issues a Certificate of Lawfulness (CoL), which clarifies that the property does not need to seek planning permission to continue operating as a short-term let, if the property can prove it has been in use continuously as a short-term let for over 10 years. In the Badenoch and Strathspey control area, a CoL is issued if the property has three or fewer bedrooms and operated as a short-term let prior to the control area being established. Highland Council will give planning permission to operate as short-term lets to properties with four or more bedrooms in the control area, regardless of whether they operated as short-term lets before the control area was introduced or not. No such allowance for larger properties exists in Edinburgh. In an[ online public consultation](https://youtu.be/7cINLeUF3z4?si=k5LY8ZIedwzLPdi0&ref=theferret.scot) prior to the introduction of the Badenoch and Strathspey control area, a Highland Council planning department official said: “I don’t think we would be quite as stringent as Edinburgh appears to be, where they are essentially refusing most applications.” Asked about why Highland Council had a more lenient approach to the control area than Edinburgh, a spokesperson said this was an unconfirmed “theory” and argued that differences in outcomes between the two control areas may be explained by their different characteristics as urban and rural areas, with Edinburgh having a high number of flats unlike Badenoch and Strathspey. > If 92 per cent of all applications are approved, there’s a complete lack of any meaningful control over the distribution of short term lets. > > Louis McIntosh, Living Rent It was also claimed by the spokesperson that the high number of CoLs issued in Badenoch and Strathspey for short-term lets was “based on the law, not planning judgement”. The number of new short-term let applications is “low,” they said, adding they believed the control area was having a “deterrent effect”. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It is for planning authorities to monitor and review the operation of their short term let control areas.” Ariane Burgess, Green MSP for the Highland and Islands, told The Ferret that she was “concerned that Highland Council’s approach (to the control area) may not be doing enough to protect communities.” Burgess, who is also party spokesperson for housing and rural affairs, added that the comparison with Edinburgh suggested that “the system isn’t being applied as strictly” in Badenoch and Strathspey. “That risks letting more homes slip out of residential use, which is the opposite of what the policy is meant to achieve,” she added. Louis McIntosh, Highlands organiser of Living Rent, the tenants union, claimed the findings proved that the Badenoch and Strathspey control area was “not fit for purpose”. “If 92 per cent of all applications are approved, there’s a complete lack of any meaningful control over the distribution of short term lets”, she said. ### **Aviemore planning “failures”** The Ferret’s findings come in the context of wider tensions in Badenoch and Strathspey over planning decisions, especially in Aviemore, a tourist hotspot. In August, Scottish Ministers[ overruled](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25364712.scottish-ministers-overrule-advice-approve-cairngorms-hotel-plans/?ref=theferret.scot) the advice of its own planning reporter, who recommended that planning permission for an extensive property development in Aviemore, including an 83-bedroom hotel and 22 short-term let apartments, be refused. The development had been widely opposed in the town, including by local activist and software developer John G. Burns. He said the fact that short-term let apartments do not fall under the remit of the control area – because they are new properties and not subject to requirements to include affordable housing – was “a loophole” that should be closed. Burns, an SNP branch organiser, claimed that Aviemore faced a “dire” situation when it came to affordable housing, which had a major knock-on effect on the local workforce. “You’ll regularly go onto the village Facebook page and someone will say ‘I’m doing an internship at the hospital or at the ambulance station, can you help me find somewhere to live?’,” said Burns. > Pubs and restaurants are disappearing here. For a place that lives from tourism, it’s really not good. > > John G. Burns, local activist and software developer His local pub, The Ski-ing Doo, which stopped serving food recently due to a lack of staff, announced on 2 September that[ it was closing down](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=859730563458444), in part due to rent hikes of 60 per cent in the last year. “Pubs and restaurants are disappearing here,” Burns added. “For a place that lives from tourism, it’s really not good.” Another complainant about the new Aviemore development is Gordon Bulloch, a member of [the Cairngorms Campaign](https://www.cairngormscampaign.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which opposes ‘unsustainable, damaging developments’. Bulloch told The Ferret that the 22 new short-term let apartments “made a mockery” of the control area and that developers had found a way “to dodge their commitments” when it comes to affordable housing. “It’s a failure of our planning system,” he argued. “The planners should stand-up to developers and say, ‘sorry no, this must be a mixed development, and a portion of these must be residences and they must be affordable.’” In June,[ it was reported](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j48z5e62zo?ref=theferret.scot) that some councillors are considering the idea of a short-term let control area for the whole of the Highlands. One of those is Labour councillor Michael Gregson, who told the Ferret that tighter controls over short-term lets in the Highlands are necessary. “Despite the relatively small proportion of short-term lets, there are serious and negative consequences where over-provision in specific areas has removed available longer-term rental housing stock, leading to higher rental prices,” Gregson said. ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: Gordon Bulloch* ### Revealed: how whisky firms fought off pollution controls URL: https://www.theferret.scot/whisky-industry-pollution-controls/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T13:56:30.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/19-5.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **Intense behind-the-scenes lobbying by the multinational whisky industry forced the Scottish Government’s green watchdog to back down on plans to toughen pollution controls, The Ferret can reveal.** Over 150 files released under [freedom of information](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/freedom-of-information/) law show that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency ([Sepa](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/)) shelved a scheme to improve the regulation of up to 20 whisky waste plants following 18 months of sustained pressure from big distillers. The files include a suggestion that Sepa had “felt the need to roll over” whenever it had been challenged by the industry. Negotiations about pollution controls had been helped by “a significant presence of ex-Sepa staff” working for whisky firms, one company manager said. Campaigners accused Sepa of “regulatory capture” by giving in to whisky industry complaints and criticised the “revolving doors” enabling the industry to employ ex-Sepa experts. One previous Sepa chief executive warned that “the journey of being leant on risks ending in simple corruption”. Sepa defended its role regulating the environment and said it protected communities “based on science, evidence and law”. The whisky industry claimed its dialogue with Sepa ensured that policy changes were “environmentally and commercially sound”. The First Minister, John Swinney, flew to Washington DC on 8 September with a delegation from the [Scottish whisky industry](https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/newsroom/first-minister-joins-swa-in-washington-dc-to-press-for-zero-tariff-trade/?ref=theferret.scot) to try and persuade the Trump administration to cut tariffs on spirits. ![whisky](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-139082642-1.jpg) Photo of whisky distillery thanks to iStock/[Octana](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/Octana?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) ### Whisky waste plants ‘can cause pollution’ According to the files [released by Sepa](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/?ref=theferret.scot), from early 2024 it had a clear intention to remove an exemption it gave to distillery waste plants in 2013\. This enabled the industry’s growing number of[ ](https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/waste/composting/?ref=theferret.scot)waste treatment plants to avoid pollution rules. The plants use a technology known as [anaerobic digestion](https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/waste/composting/?ref=theferret.scot), which has [expanded greatly](https://anaerobic-digestion.com/anaerobic-digestion-plants-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland since 2000\. Similar to composting, but without using oxygen, waste materials rot to produce biogas for energy and fertilisers for farming. Sepa pointed out that the plants can result in “significant pollution” killing river and sea life. It had seen “several serious environmental events” which “have caused significant impacts to watercourses, mostly due to poor design, construction and management.” Sepa’s aim was to ensure a “level playing field”, and bring the rules applying to whisky waste plants in line with those which apply to the brewing and dairy industries. It insisted that residues from distilleries were waste, not “by-products” as the industry claimed. But in a series of private emails, briefings and meetings in 2024 and 2025, the industry strenuously objected. It complained about the costs of meeting tougher pollution controls, particularly for plants which discharge waste to sea via long pipes, and argued that anaerobic digestion helped cut climate pollution. In August 2024 an unnamed employee from the whisky giant, [Diageo](https://www.diageo.com/en?ref=theferret.scot), [emailed Sepa](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26086811-diageo-email-210824/?ref=theferret.scot), questioning the move and referring to policy “from my time at Sepa”. The London-based company owns [32 distilleries](https://www.theferret.scot/whisky-salmon-oil-who-runs-scotlands-exports/) in Scotland and markets Johnnie Walker, Bells and Talisker whiskies. In November 2024 an unnamed manager from the French drinks firm, [Pernod Ricard](https://www.pernod-ricard.com/en?ref=theferret.scot), which owns [Chivas Brothers](https://www.chivasbrothers.com/?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland, [emailed Sepa](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26086810-pernod-ricard-email-181124/?ref=theferret.scot). She or he were concerned that Sepa’s proposals were “driven by an individual perspective, ideology or an agenda to increase regulated site numbers” – but hoped this was a “miscommunication”. ### Sepa ‘felt the need to roll over’ The email referred to a previous discussion about what a “new relationship” with Sepa might look like. “I would be seriously concerned if there was a genuine view within Sepa that it has previously felt the need to roll over whenever the industry has raised a regulatory issue,” the Pernod Ricard manager [said](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26086810-pernod-ricard-email-181124/?ref=theferret.scot). The manager had been on the industry’s environment working group for 12 years. She or he said this had been “an entirely constructive forum for open discussion by both sides in order to test new Sepa proposals”, helped by “the sector’s high level of collaboration between companies and a significant presence of ex-Sepa staff within the team.” The [Scotch Whisky Association (SWA)](https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which represents the big distillers, [warned](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26086814-scotch-whisky-association-briefing-05022025/?ref=theferret.scot) in February 2025 that Sepa’s pollution controls would “threaten the closure” of up to 20 anaerobic digestion plants serving most of the industry. This could have “a domino effect of ceasing distillery production for over 60 single malt scotch whisky sites”, it said. In an [internal email](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26086809-scottish-environment-protection-agency-email-03042025/?ref=theferret.scot) in April 2025, Sepa admitted it had been under pressure not to end the whisky industry’s 2013 waste exemption, known as a regulatory position statement (RPS). “This has caused some considerable concern from the industry and from the SWA,” wrote a Sepa official. “Following an official representation from the SWA on behalf of its members, several high-level meetings with Sepa have taken place on this matter. I would confirm that as a result of this the organisation has taken the decision not to review the current RPS and it will remain in force while discussions continue on this and a range of linked issues.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-09-10-095101-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-waste-pollution-nuclear-plant/) In May 2025 all Sepa’s senior management team and its board visited and toured the distillery run by [William Grant and Sons](https://www.williamgrant.com/?ref=theferret.scot) at Girvan on the South Ayrshire coast, where there are anaerobic digestion facilities. Transport to the event from Sepa offices or central Glasgow was provided by the SWA, which also attended. The Scottish Government [requested](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26086807-scottish-government-and-scottish-environment-protection-agency-emails-may-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) an “urgent readout” of the visit from Sepa in advance of a scheduled meeting with the SWA. In reply, Sepa said that the industry had thanked two senior Sepa officials for “stepping in” on the anaerobic digestion issue. “We were both committed to a good collaborative relationship focusing on our shared objectives,” Sepa said. There would be “engagement to ensure that we are having the right conversations,” it added. “We also had a great tour!” The Scottish Government then [reported back](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26086807-scottish-government-and-scottish-environment-protection-agency-emails-may-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) from its meeting that the SWA “had seen a real improvement in the working relationship with Sepa at the senior level”. But SWA still had an issue with Sepa’s “scope creep” on regulating anaerobic digestion. ### ‘Blatant attempt to pressure regulators’ Professor [Andrew Watterson](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew-Watterson?ref=theferret.scot), an expert on environmental regulation from the University of Stirling, said the files released by Sepa showed a “blatant attempt to pressure regulators to back off enforcement on significant pollution problems”. He told The Ferret: “It’s very difficult not to draw the conclusion from evidence available that some companies in the whisky industry are engaged in regulatory capture to soften pollution controls. “This looks to be compounded by more revolving doors involving regulatory staff moving into posts in industry which, although perfectly legal, is a bad look and must damage public confidence in the regulatory process.” Professor [Campbell Gemmell](https://www.linkedin.com/in/campbell-gemmell-64370451/details/experience/?ref=theferret.scot), who was Sepa’s chief executive between 2003 and 2012, said the long delay in introducing pollution controls for whisky waste plants was “deeply concerning”. He warned that the risks of regulatory capture were real. “If pressure is being applied to go soft on an operator, however important they may be, the risk to good regulation, to the environment and to basic ethical standards may take time to crystallise but is real and serious,” said Gemmell. “The journey – of being leant on – risks ending in simple corruption.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-09-10-095144-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/whisky-salmon-oil-who-runs-scotlands-exports/) The food campaign group, [Nourish Scotland](https://www.nourishscotland.org/?ref=theferret.scot), called for Sepa’s regulation of whisky waste plants to be investigated by the Scottish Government’s enforcement body, [Environmental Standards Scotland](https://environmentalstandards.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). “Even the appearance of regulators rolling over in the face of industry pressure undermines public confidence,” said director Pete Ritchie. “Sending whisky co-products to anaerobic digestion is a waste of the high quality nutrients which should instead be re-processed for animal feed, fish feed and other products as part of the circular economy.” Former minister and Scottish Greens co-leader, [Patrick Harvie MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/patrick-harvie?ref=theferret.scot), said: “This raises a lot of serious questions about the undue influence of big business and lobbying, and the profound and damaging impact it can have on policy. “The accusations that Sepa has rolled over are particularly concerning and need answers. When industry is calling for delays to regulations it is rarely done to serve our environment.” [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) defended its regulation of the whisky industry. “Sepa’s role is to regulate Scotland’s environment and protect communities, based on science, evidence and law,” said the agency’s chief officer, Kirsty-Louise Campbell. ### Dialogue ‘both necessary and valuable’ “At the current time Sepa’s 2013 regulatory position remains in place, however an evidence-led review is underway.” The [SWA](https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) stressed it was committed to long-term sustainability over the whole whisky production process. “Our decarbonisation efforts must be worked through in collaboration with regulatory bodies and the Scottish Government if they are to achieve our shared ambitious goals,” said the association’s sustainability director, Ruth Piggin. “It is appropriate that on behalf of the sector, the SWA will continue to work with regulators such as Sepa, with whom an ongoing dialogue is both necessary and valuable to ensure that policy amends to production processes are environmentally and commercially sound.” [Diageo](https://www.diageo.com/en?ref=theferret.scot) and [Pernod Ricard](https://www.pernod-ricard.com/en?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment, deferring to SWA’s statement. [William Grant and Sons](https://www.williamgrant.com/?ref=theferret.scot) did not respond to requests to comment. *Five files released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) quoted in this article are available on [DocumentCloud](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/222550-files-released-by-scottish-environment-protection-agency-about-whisky-industry-lobbying/?ref=theferret.scot). There are also links to them in the text above. All 158 files released by Sepa are available on its [disclosure log](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/?ref=theferret.scot) by searching for F0199165.* ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Cover image of whisky distillery thanks to iStock/[MartinM303](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/MartinM303?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)* ### Edinburgh uni boss pressured over outside earnings as job losses mount URL: https://www.theferret.scot/mathieson-pressured-earnings-edinburgh-university/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T14:47:59.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/20-7.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **The boss of the University of Edinburgh is facing calls to “come clean” over earnings from a second job, amid staff strikes and mounting redundancies.** Edinburgh principal Sir Peter Mathieson joined the board of Roslin Cell Therapies (Roslin CT) – a biotechnology company with historic ties to the university – in June 2024. Staff [described](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-uni-staff-rage-principals-second-job-cuts/) the move as a “slap in the face” when it was revealed by The Ferret in March, saying it was wrong for the principal to take on a second role while jobs are at risk. Edinburgh has [announced](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13929/Edinburgh-university-principal-announces-university-planning-140million-of-cuts?ref=theferret.scot) plans to slash £140m from its budget – which unions say could [cost](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/14162/Five-day-strike-at-Edinburgh-University-at-start-of-new-term-over-cuts-and-job-losses?ref=theferret.scot) up to 1,800 jobs. New [accounts](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC512315/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) published by Roslin CT this week show that its seven directors were paid a combined £566,000 last year, over £200,000 more than in 2023. They do not confirm how much Mathieson received, but any earnings through the role would be on top of one of the biggest salaries in Scottish higher education, worth [more than](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/fatcat-uni-boss-who-told-35354390?ref=theferret.scot) £400,000. Despite a direct question from The Ferret, the university refused to say if or how much he was paid to be on the Roslin CT board, calling it a “matter for the company”. It added the role is carried out in Mathieson’s “personal time” and supports “life-saving” work by the company. But staff – who are on the final day of a five-day [strike](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c784923y6vpo?ref=theferret.scot) – have called for transparency over what his outside earnings. [‘A slap in the face’: Edinburgh uni staff rage at principal’s second job amid layoffsThe head of Edinburgh university has been accused of ‘greed’ for taking a second job just months before he announced staff cuts. University of Edinburgh principal and vice-chancellor Sir Peter Mathieson joined the board of Roslin Cell Therapies (CT) in June last year. The role at the biotech firm could![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-18.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1887406643-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-uni-staff-rage-principals-second-job-cuts/) Meanwhile the Scottish Conservative MSP, Miles Briggs said Mathieson “topping up his income behind closed doors” would send the “worst possible message to staff and students fighting to protect jobs and standards”. Briggs – a [member](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/miles-briggs?ref=theferret.scot) of the Scottish Parliament’s education committee – accused Mathieson of “detached, arrogant leadership” and said he “must come clean” about any money earned from the role. In February, Mathieson announced that the university was seeking £140m of cuts to its budget because it was facing future deficits and must reduce spending, particularly on staff. But he faced anger when it was [revealed](https://thestudentnews.co.uk/2025/03/19/principal-mathieson-took-second-job-on-top-of-salary-increase/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=In%20January%202025%2C%20Mathieson%20accepted,of%20what%20he%20previously%20earned.) he had accepted a 2.5 per cent pay rise the previous month. When grilled on the size of his salary by MSPs at Holyrood in June, Mathieson [admitted](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/ECYP-04-06-2025?meeting=16488&iob=140823&ref=theferret.scot) he did “not know the exact figure”. About 350 staff at Edinburgh have already [accepted](https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/scottish-government-edinburgh-university-scottish-government-holyrood-b2738799.html?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) voluntary redundancy – and another voluntary scheme was announced [last month](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,edinburgh-university-to-make-further-redundancies?ref=theferret.scot) – but compulsory job cuts have not been ruled out. The University and College Union (UCU) has criticised the scale of the proposed cuts, calling them “[unprecedented](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/14162/Five-day-strike-at-Edinburgh-University-at-start-of-new-term-over-cuts-and-job-losses?ref=theferret.scot)“. It has [pointed out](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/8gaanhyrcynlmw58ljckbykcxs9bzd?ref=theferret.scot) that, unlike other Scottish universities which have faced [cash problems](https://www.ft.com/content/b095805d-a069-432e-bf31-e4513fb2d2f2?ref=theferret.scot), Edinburgh is basing cuts on projected future shortfalls, not current losses. The UCU claims the university’s significant financial reserves could be used to ward off redundancies. Roslin CT is a commercial spin-off of the university’s Roslin Institute, famed for the cloning of Dolly the Sheep. It was established in 2006 to [apply](https://www.roslinct.com/cell-therapy-cdmo-solutions/?ref=theferret.scot) this research to the development of human medicines. The University of Edinburgh was a major shareholder in Roslin CT until December 2021 when it [sold](https://edwebcontent.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/202207%5Fuoe%5Fannual%5Faccounts%5F2022%5F20.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=62) its stake to a private equity firm for £38m. > This lack of transparency is systemic and really needs to be addressed. > > Sophia Woodman, UCU Edinburgh Sophia Woodman, the president of the UCU branch at the University of Edinburgh, called for Mathieson to be “transparent” about what he’s paid for the outside role. At a time when our staff are suffering from job cuts and more underway I think it’s outrageous that we don’t have clarity on this kind of thing and that such a person receiving such high pay should not disclose what they are earning at a university spin off,” Woodman told The Ferret. In his [register of interests](https://www.sfc.ac.uk/about-us/sfc-board/peter-mathieson/?ref=theferret.scot) with the Scottish Funding Council – where he also sits on the board – Mathieson declared the Roslin CT role as a “non-financial interest”, suggesting it might not be paid. But Woodman says this adds to confusion around the position – particularly as Mathieson has not denied receiving payment. “This lack of transparency is systemic and really needs to be addressed,” Woodman claimed. She says the university has also not been forthcoming with financial information which would help the union scrutinise the planned cuts. Lorna Slater, the Scottish Greens MSP for the Lothian region, argued that “running a university in crisis needs a full focus”. With “so much uncertainty”, staff and students deserve “full transparency” from senior management, she added. The University of Edinburgh told The Ferret any payments made by Roslin CT are “a matter for the company.” It added that Mathieson – who has a [background](https://www.roslinct.com/team/sir-peter-mathieson/?ref=theferret.scot) in medicine – “supports Roslin CT’s significant endeavour to bring life-saving therapies to patients worldwide, and any work undertaken as part of this is carried out in his personal time”. The university [argues](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c784923y6vpo?ref=theferret.scot) the whole UK higher education sector is facing “serious and urgent challenges” and claims it has always been up front with staff about the financial situation. *Main image: Aniruddha Chatterjee/iStock* ### Claim about the costs of asylum support, benefit fraud and tax avoidance is Mostly False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-costs-asylum-benefit-fraud-tax-mostly-false/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:17:06.000Z **The cost of asylum support in the UK has become a febrile issue against a backdrop of a rising number of protests outside hotels, where people seeking asylum are being accommodated by the Home Office.** In response, a meme has been widely circulating on social media, which suggests benefits for asylum seekers cost much less than either benefit fraud/error and tax avoidance. It questions why these issues are not more high profile amongst “the right wing”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/claim_asylum_jpeg-1.jpg) CLAIM: *Asylum seeker benefits cost £60m/year, equivalent to £2/year per taxpayer* *Benefits fraud/error cost £3BILLION/year, £100/year per taxpayer* *Tax avoidance costs £90BILLION/year, £3000/year per taxpayer* *Why are the Right-Wing only screaming about the first one?* Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it Mostly False. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Banner-Logo-3.png) ### ‘**Asylum seeker benefits cost £60m/year, equivalent to £2/year per taxpayer’.** This image came from a post on Twitter (now X) which was posted in August 2020, and has [circulated](https://x.com/psud12/status/1963295616412381367?ref=theferret.scot) for [several years](https://www.facebook.com/AllUnderOneBanner/posts/pfbid02UAyiJRNP5rmRBMM8yPSWJW1oE7Ynkc1bFNnTn5FFeY8xR6Ghv4UBSipjX6rUXb1Wl), so many of the figures used are out of date. But according to the most recent [National Audit Office report](https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/home-office-overview-2023-24.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), in 2023-24, the Home Office spent £4.7bn on asylum support, of which £3bn was spent on housing people seeking asylum in hotels. This is compared to a total of £3.6bn spent on asylum support in 2022-23, a rise which was due to an increased use of hotels. Under the [immigration and asylum act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/33/contents?ref=theferret.scot), accommodation is available to those who are claiming asylum and can prove they would otherwise be destitute. Since 2019 the Home Office has subcontracted three private companies – Clearsprings Ready Homes (Clearsprings), Mears Group (Mears) and Serco – who have block booked hotels and provided meals. Use of hotels, which first started in Scotland during the pandemic, has been escalating nationwide in recent years. As of December 2024, approximately [110,000 people](https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/home-office-overview-2023-24.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) seeking asylum were being accommodated across the UK, with about a third of them in hotels. People in catered accommodation while seeking asylum get benefits worth [£9.95 per week](https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get?ref=theferret.scot). Asylum seekers accommodated in flats receive [£49.18 per week](https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get?ref=theferret.scot), just over half of the £92.34 per week in [Universal Credit](https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/what-youll-get?ref=theferret.scot) available under the mainstream UK benefit system. There were an estimated [37.4m tax payers](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-tax-liabilities-statistics-tax-year-2021-to-2022-to-tax-year-2024-to-2025/summary-statistics?ref=theferret.scot) in the UK in the tax year 2024-25.. The [Home Office does generate income ](https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Immigration-Skilled-Worker-visas.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)through visa and passport fees. Last year this totalled £5.8bn, though this has associated costs. It also relies on a treasury grant, which is funded by tax payers. But based on simple division, asylum support would cost £125.67 per year per tax payer if housing costs are included**.** ### **‘Benefits fraud/error cost £3BILLION/year, £100/year per taxpayer**‘ According to the latest figures from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), the total spend on overpaid benefits, either due to fraud or error, was [£9.5bn in 2024-2025](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-2024-to-2025-estimates/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-ending-fye-2025?ref=theferret.scot). That’s 3.3 per cent of the total amount paid out in benefits. It is a slight reduction on the previous year, when the total was £9.7bn. Benefit fraud can involve making a claim for benefits you are not entitled to, claiming for more than you are entitled to or failing to tell authorities about a change in circumstances that mean you are no longer entitled to benefits. This can be carried out by both individuals and [organised fraud gangs](https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/members-britains-biggest-benefit-fraud-gang-jailed-combined-total-more-25-years?ref=theferret.scot). However the DWP figures reveal that benefits were also underpaid in about 0.4 per cent of cases, making a total of £1.2bn in 2025 with a slightly lower total of £1.1bn in 2024. Think tank [Policy in Practice](https://policyinpractice.co.uk/publication/missing-out-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) estimates that the total amount of benefits that is unclaimed – because people do not apply – is now £22.7bh a year. Based on simple division, the cost of benefit fraud and overpayment alone, without factoring in underpaid or unclaimed benefits, is £254 per year for each taxpayer. According to HM [Revenue and Customs](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps/1-tax-gaps-summary?ref=theferret.scot) the UK tax gap in 2023-2024 is estimated to be 5.3 percent of total theoretical tax liabilities across the country. This equates to a total figure of £46.8bn. The biggest component of that gap by tax type is corporation tax, with an estimated 15.8 per cent not paid in 2023-2024\. Corporation tax is paid to the government by UK companies and foreign companies with UK offices. Tax evasion, which involves criminal means, is calculated separately. Though it is estimated at £5.5bn, this figure is likely to be a vast underestimate according to a [Public Accounts Committee report](https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/127/public-accounts-committee/news/205235/55billion-lost-to-tax-evasion-could-be-significant-underestimate-pac-report-warns/?ref=theferret.scot) from February, which claims loopholes in the current system make it “all too easy” for fraudulent behaviour to go undetected. ### **‘Tax avoidance costs £90BILLION/year, £3000/year per taxpayer**‘ The report condemned the “lack of curiosity shown by HMRC to investigate the issue”. HMRC criminal investigations have reduced from 749 in 2018-19 to 344 in 2023-24. Based on simple division, the tax gap – underpaid tax revenue not including evasion – costs £1,251.34 each year per tax payer. If evasion was to be included the total figure would be likely to be much higher. ### **Comparing the figures** The cost of [asylum support](https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/trackers/the-most-important-issues-facing-the-country?ref=theferret.scot) is by far the [most high profile](https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2025/how-media-politicians-and-civil-society-shapes-public-conversation-on-irregular-migration?ref=theferret.scot) of the three issues in the current debate with Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage suggesting the rising costs are connected to the UK’s “[economic decline](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8jm7g30909o?ref=theferret.scot)”. But both the [Conservative Party](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10246/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Reform UK](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/09/06/lee-anderson-to-lead-reforms-benefit-crackdown/?ref=theferret.scot) have also claimed they would “crack-down” on benefit fraud. Ahead of last year’s election [the Conservatives](https://www.eversheds-sutherland.com/en/united-kingdom/insights/tax-policies-of-the-uk-conservative-party?ref=theferret.scot) said they would aim to raise £6m by tackling tax avoidance and evasion. In June Nigel Farage suggested Reform will bring in a policy to allow “non doms” – people who live in that country but are not legally [domiciled](https://www.google.com/search?sca%5Fesv=fe6362944b97d7fe&rlz=1C5CHFA%5FenGB1021GB1023&q=domiciled&si=AMgyJEu0vuRfTngwPFrZh1qV1iGHbjrZgOJCL5MjhsyeU3v36vfJs8IiMhVVN5tUTxiiwmWVoUpe%5Fl0SbFPMQ5xwBn-rscVTJDapAnVDuVUsgfbaulAWXJs%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjn-sDA1cyPAxWMaEEAHbDkElEQyecJegQILxAQ&ref=theferret.scot) here – could pay a fee of £250,000 in order to exempt them from some UK taxes. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly False** The claim contains a kernel of truth, because the cost to the UK taxpayer from tax avoidance is about ten times that from asylum benefits, while benefit fraud costs twice as much. However, all of the figures are out of date and incorrect, most noticeably the cost of asylum benefits which have escalated rapidly due to the rising cost of hotels. Costs associated with asylum support do feature most prominently in public debate, despite the fact that they have the lowest burden on the tax payer. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Mostly-False.png) Cover image thanks to iStock/[HenrikNorway](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/HenrikNorway?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) | | | | ### FFS explains: why Grangemouth shut – and what happens next URL: https://www.theferret.scot/why-grangemouth-shut-and-what-happens-next/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:05:39.000Z **The closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery in April has cast a long shadow over Scotland’s plans for a fair transition away from fossil fuels.** As The Ferret reported this weekend, many of the 400 workers who lost their job at the site feel [abandoned](https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-forgotten-workers/). And with energy set to be a major issue in the run-up to next year’s Holyrood election, the Grangemouth closure is already shaping political arguments over how the Scottish Government is managing the transition. But why did the refinery close? Did efforts to reduce global warming play a role? Is the UK prioritising refining in other countries over Scotland? And what happens next? As part of our new series [After Oil](https://www.theferret.scot/after-oil-investigating-scotlands-just-transition/) – which is investigating Scotland’s move to clean energy – Ferret Fact Service looks at four of the key questions around Grangemouth’s closure. ### **What do we know about why Grangemouth closed?** Refining of crude oil [began](https://www.ineos.com/sites/grangemouth/about/history/?ref=theferret.scot) at Grangemouth in 1924, and the site [produced](https://www.petroineos.com/refining/grangemouth/?ref=theferret.scot) fuels like petrol, diesel and jet fuel. It was the only refinery in Scotland. The refinery was owned by Petroineos, a joint venture between Jim Ratcliffe’s petrochemical company, Ineos, and the Chinese state-owned oil company, PetroChina. Petroineos announced in 2023 it was converting the site into a terminal for the import of finished fuels from abroad, and refining operations [stopped](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm24jlm08y9o?ref=theferret.scot) on 29 April 2025. The company blamed multiple factors for the decision but particularly what it said were significant [financial losses](https://archive.ph/4PN9V?ref=theferret.scot) since [20](https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/grangemouth-refining-to-stop-next-year-with-400-jobs-lost/?ref=theferret.scot)[1](https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/grangemouth-refining-to-stop-next-year-with-400-jobs-lost/?ref=theferret.scot)[1](https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/grangemouth-refining-to-stop-next-year-with-400-jobs-lost/?ref=theferret.scot). In the refinery business’s most recent [accounts](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC010612/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) for 2023, which were not published until July 2025, the company claims it made an operating loss of £224m that year. According to Petroineos, a key cause of this was the outage of a piece of equipment called the [hydrocracker](https://inspectioneering.com/tag/hydrocracker?ref=theferret.scot). It helped break down heavier oil to produce some of the most profitable products made at the refinery, such as [diesel](https://archive.ph/MLB71?ref=theferret.scot). It was taken offline for planned maintenance in April 2023, but the company says attempts to restart it failed, and it was never fully operational again in the two years leading up to the refinery closure. [Power struggle: The billionaire, the Chinese oil giant and Grangemouth’s forgotten workersGrangemouth should have been Scotland’s big opportunity to realise its ambition for a just transition – moving workers into cleaner, greener jobs. But embittered power struggles got in the way, The Ferret finds.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-49.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/chris-hamilton-rep-for-unite-the-unitej46572-1-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-forgotten-workers/) The outage had a “material adverse effect” on the performance of the business, Petroineos [said](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC010612/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot), adding that the move to a fuel import terminal was a response to “ongoing asset reliability challenges” at the site. Unite, which represents many of the workers at the refinery, has [rejected](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/cj-20-11-2024?meeting=16112&iob=137634&ref=theferret.scot) the claim that the site consistently made heavy losses. It has argued that losses over the last decade were exaggerated by one-off accounting decisions, such as a decision to mark down the value of the refinery’s assets by £344m in 2020 which “distorts the overall picture”. The union argued that when the hydrocracker was working, the refinery could be profitable. Unite suggested that management at the site chose not take steps required to restart the equipment, including additional investment, because moving to a fuel import model was cheaper and more lucrative for Petroineos. The refinery’s closure does not mean the whole Grangemouth complex is shutting down. Other Ineos [facilities](https://www.ineos.com/sites/grangemouth/?ref=theferret.scot), including petrochemical and plastics plants, are still operating. There are [fears](https://archive.ph/o1KcP?ref=theferret.scot) these could also be at risk in future ### **Did net zero lead to its closure?** Petroineos has [said](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/EFW-13-12-2023?meeting=15609&iob=133189&ref=theferret.scot) the closure reflected both short-term technical failures and long-term market changes – including falling demand for polluting fuels like petrol and diesel amid climate policies and as electric vehicles take off. The refinery was also one of Scotland’s most climate polluting sites – producing 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 in an [average year](https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/SPRI/?ref=theferret.scot), over three per cent of Scotland’s total emissions. This means it was always likely it would have to either close or transition to greener production methods for Scotland to meet its target of being net zero by 2045. Petroineos described the move to fuel imports as a necessary step “as the energy transition gathers pace”, citing the UK’s upcoming ban on new petrol and diesel cars. Some politicians have claimed this showed net zero directly caused the closure. Nigel Farage [said](https://x.com/Nigel%5FFarage/status/1834539167935529226?ref=theferret.scot) climate policy was “destroying vital national assets” like Grangemouth, while his deputy Richard Tice [suggested](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/29/grangemouth-refinery-closure-jobs-politics-reform-uk?ref=theferret.scot) scrapping net zero would allow the refinery to reopen. [Tice boasted about savings from solar panels – despite branding renewables a ‘rip off’Reform UK’s Richard Tice boasted putting solar panels on his company’s properties could help tenants with their bills – despite publicly claiming people are being “ripped off” by the renewables industry. In a speech last week, Tice, Reform’s deputy leader, pledged that if it wins the next election![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-50.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/54268089593_f142d84416_k.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-deputy-accused-of-hypocrisy-over-renewables/) But an expert energy consultancy has [said](https://archive.ph/4PN9V?ref=theferret.scot) the hydrocracker failure was a turning point at the site which hurt its future viability. An analysis by Wood Mackenzie of the risk of closure of the Grangemouth site at the start of 2023, before the hydrocracker issue, did not foresee “a high risk of closure in the short term”. The equipment failure, allied to declining profit margins in refining, may have put Petroineos off further investment to the site to keep it open, a Wood Mackenzie analyst [argued](https://archive.ph/4PN9V?ref=theferret.scot) in 2023. Other [analysts](https://www.spglobal.com/commodity-insights/en/news-research/latest-news/refined-products/032525-survival-of-the-fittest-european-refiners-jostle-to-outlast-closures?ref=theferret.scot) have pointed out that UK and European refineries have been closing for years due to tough market conditions, partly caused by pressure from climate policies but also [under investment](https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2525010-european-refineries-suffer-from-under-investment?utm%5F&ref=theferret.scot) and [competition](https://www.ft.com/content/bba7e5f6-124f-4f50-b9b9-853f679b1868?utm&ref=theferret.scot) from larger facilities in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Some refineries on the continent, however, have been [repurposed](https://www.shell.com/news-and-insights/newsroom/news-and-media-releases/2024/shell-invests-to-repurpose-german-energy-and-chemicals-park-rheinland.html?ref=theferret.scot) rather than shut – suggesting that [alternatives](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/more-european-oil-refineries-close-convert-next-10-years-panel-says-2025-03-24/?ref=theferret.scot) to closure do exist. It is [seen](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/29/grangemouth-refinery-closure-jobs-politics-reform-uk?ref=theferret.scot) as unlikely that Grangemouth will reopen if Reform wins power and scraps net zero policies. The next UK election is not scheduled to be until 2029, and Ineos has already announced it is [decommissioning](https://www.ineos.com/sites/grangemouth/news/grangemouths-combined-heat--power-plant-to-be-decommissioned/?ref=theferret.scot) key pieces of refinery infrastructure. Some online [discussion](https://x.com/AgentP22/status/1918202823126524119?ref=theferret.scot) has also linked the closure of Grangemouth to falling North Sea oil production or government restrictions on offshore drilling. However, by the time it closed, Grangemouth was [importing](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/EFW-13-12-2023?meeting=15609&iob=133189&ref=theferret.scot) most of the oil it [refined](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-10-28/11499/?ref=theferret.scot) and was not reliant on UK or Scottish oil. ### **Did the UK government give money to an Ineos project in Belgium?** As well as the debate over climate policy, the refinery closure has also featured in discussions over Scotland’s constitutional future. In particular some [supporters](https://x.com/GMacdonaldSNP/status/1917816938861924542?ref=theferret.scot) of Scottish [independence](https://x.com/Davo%5FMack/status/1911878739320852716?ref=theferret.scot) and [politicians](https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/1888533951439945802?ref=theferret.scot) have questioned why the UK Government backed an Ineos project in Belgium while not offering direct investment at Grangemouth. In 2023, the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF), [agreed](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/category-a-project-supported-ineos-project-one-belgium/category-a-project-supported-ineos-project-one-belgium?ref=theferret.scot) to provide a loan guarantee of around £600m for a new Ineos chemicals plant – “Project ONE” – in Antwerp. A loan guarantee means the government promises to repay a bank loan if the company cannot. This effectively acts as a form of insurance and allows companies to access bigger loans at lower cost. No money has actually been paid to Ineos – it would only be paid if the company defaults on its borrowing in future. UKEF’s role is to support British-based exporters, and its aim in this case was to help UK companies win contracts to supply equipment and services for the Belgian plant. One of those [suppliers](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/category-a-project-supported-ineos-project-one-belgium/category-a-project-supported-ineos-project-one-belgium?ref=theferret.scot) could be Wood Group, an engineering firm based in Aberdeen – suggesting that the project may still offer some economic benefit to Scotland, even though it is based overseas. Unlike Grangemouth, [Project ONE](https://project-one.ineos.com/en/about-project-one/?ref=theferret.scot) is not a refinery, but a chemical facility – designed to produce ethylene, a key ingredient in plastics. There is no evidence that the building of Project ONE influenced the decision to close Grangemouth. ### **What support has been offered at Grangemouth?** Both the Scottish and UK Governments have been [accused](https://www.stuc.org.uk/news/news/comment-on-the-grangemouth-just-transition-fund/?ref=theferret.scot) of doing too little to support workers at Grangemouth. While each has pledged funding for a long-term transition at the site, unions and local politicians have expressed anger that this money has not helped workers. As The Ferret [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-forgotten-workers/) this weekend, many former refinery workers are still out of work months after the closure, and some have been forced to take lower-paid roles or relocate to the Middle East. Labour has faced particular criticism because Scottish leader Anas Sarwar promised in the lead up to the 2024 general election that the party [would](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,brian-leishman-anas-sarwar-has-been-very-quiet-on-saving-grangemouth-jobs?ref=theferret.scot) “step in to save the jobs at the refinery”. In February 2025, the prime minister [announced](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plans-for-future-of-grangemouth?ref=theferret.scot) that Grangemouth would benefit from £200m of funding from the UK Government’s new National Wealth Fund. Unite has expressed [frustration](https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2025/august/grangemouth-workers-launch-open-letter-over-starmer-broken-promises?ref=theferret.scot) that none of this investment has yet been delivered. This money was never intended to be direct investment to keep the refinery site open. Instead it is on the table to attract private sector investment to develop new industrial activity that could replace the refinery. Petroineos, with funding from the Scottish and UK Governments, commissioned a study called [Project Willow](https://www.sdi.co.uk/media/vlubfykz/project-willow%5Fpid%5Fv214.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to look at the future options for Grangemouth. Led by consultancy firm EY, Project Willow outlined a range of possible industries that could replace oil refining at the site including plastics recycling and the production of sustainable aviation fuels. The Scottish Government has also [pledged](https://www.gov.scot/news/securing-a-future-for-grangemouth/?ref=theferret.scot) £25m to proposals that came from Project Willow. However, these options would likely not [materialise](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8d42p972d7o?ref=theferret.scot) for a [number of years](https://archive.ph/MLB71?ref=theferret.scot) and could require potentially billions of pounds in private sector investment. In the meantime there are [concerns](https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2025/march/project-willow-governments-must-act-to-save-jobs-and-skills-unite?ref=theferret.scot) that skilled workers could either drop out of the work force or move abroad, meaning the skills are not there to deliver the new proposals if they eventually come online. *Main image: Angela Catlin* ### Power struggle: The billionaire, the Chinese oil giant and Grangemouth’s forgotten workers URL: https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-forgotten-workers/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T18:40:29.000Z **Just five minutes after Martin Hunter found out the Grangemouth oil refinery where he had worked for almost 20 years was closing, it was being reported on** [**BBC news**](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg3gwkkk4mo?ref=theferret.scot)**.** The announcement on 12 September 2024 confirmed the site’s imminent closure which ultimately happened in April this year with the loss of hundreds of jobs. Hunter remembers those who weren’t working, but had seen headlines, calling up to ask: “Is this right? Are we losing our jobs?” In the face of global forces, they felt powerless. These workers had been promised a job for life. But the pressures of the market and the world-wide need for less polluting, greener energy meant it was inevitable that these oil-reliant jobs would have to change. Grangemouth’s closure had been seen as “a litmus test” of the country’s high profile plan for a “[just transition](https://www.gov.scot/policies/climate-change/just-transition/?ref=theferret.scot)” – a government pledge to move away from fossil fuels without leaving workers and communities behind. But the consensus is that this test has been completely failed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/martin-hunterj46577-1.jpg) Martin Hunter had worked for the oil refinery for almost 20 years. Images by Angela Catlin Hunter grew up in the town of Grangemouth in the shadow of the refinery, expecting that when he left high school he’d join his dad and get a good job at “the BP”, as it’s still locally known even though it was [bought](https://www.ineos.com/news/ineos-group/ineos-to-buy-bps-innovene-business-for-9bn/?ref=theferret.scot) by Jim Ratcliffe’s then-relatively scrappy petrochemical company, Ineos, way back in 2005. Twenty years on, Ratcliffe, who lives between Monaco and Hampshire – as well as owning property in Switzerland and France, and just under 30 per cent of Manchester United – is worth £17bn, making him the [seventh richest person](https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/sir-jim-ratcliffe-net-worth-f8qt9sdgj?ref=theferret.scot) in the UK. In sharp contrast when The Ferret visited Grangemouth, almost six months after it stopped processing crude oil, we found skilled former refinery staff struggling to find new employment, working in less well paid roles, or moving to jobs other refineries abroad. To 17-year-old Hunter the refinery was “a jumble of pipes, pumps, noise, heat and steam”. By the time he walked out of the door at the end of May aged 36, its landscape of cooling towers, hydrogen columns, hydrocrackers and flares, and the plant’s background mechanical thrum, were to him “a living breathing thing”, and the men and women he worked with on intense 12-hour-shifts were family. “The refinery was more than just a job,” he says. “It was a journey full of some amazing characters, stories and plot twists.” But now it was ending. The writing had been on the wall for a long time. Petroineos, as it had been known since Chinese state oil company PetroChina bought a 50 per cent stake in 2011, first publicly announced future plans to close the refinery and turn it into a terminal for the import of finished fuels in [November 2023](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/22/grangemouth-oil-refinery-to-shut-down-raising-concern-for-500-jobs?ref=theferret.scot), claiming it was no longer profitable. The UK and Scottish governments had already been warned there were problems at the plant and workers, witnessing the decline, had feared its closure was coming. Standing on the hill above the town to get a better view, a faint chemical tang in the air, Grangemouth plant worker and Unite representative Chris Hamilton points out the scale of the changes to the sprawling industry heartland below us. ![Unite union representative Chris Hamilton standing in a grassy field with Grangemouth refinery’s cooling towers and chimneys in the background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/chris-hamilton-rep-for-unite-the-unitej46573-1.jpg) Chris Hamilton, a Unite representative, says many skilled refinery workers have been forced to leave Scotland or accept lower-paid jobs after the closure. Image by Angela Catlin Some 434 jobs have already gone from the oil refinery so far, and with hundreds more hanging in the balance the final totals are likely to be much higher. In 2023 a PwC report commissioned by the Scottish government’s business agency, Scottish Enterprise, claimed it supported approximately [2,800 jobs](https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/media/g4lmvrn2/scottish-government-pwc-economic-contribution-of-the-grangemouth-refinery.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) across Scotland. “Yet when we put a survey out about a month ago 55 per cent had not got work yet,” Hamilton says. He lists workers who’ve had to leave Grangemouth for jobs offshore, down south, or Saudi Arabia. Others have compromised by taking pay cuts. Most workers got 18-months of redundancy pay, he acknowledges. But the risk for Scotland, he points out, is that these workers will be long gone by the time any new jobs in green industries materialise, taking their skills and training with them. There is bitterness too about the failure of successive governments to protect refinery staff. Tory ministers rejected the idea of funding an extended licence to keep the site afloat so workers felt buoyed when as the 2024 election approached, Labour politicians took an interest. In a TV debate Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar claimed Labour would [save the jobs](https://www.facebook.com/theSNP/videos/anas-sarwar-promised-in-the-2024-election-that-labour-would-save-the-jobs-at-gra/1292310258488639/). The [electoral result in the local constituency ](https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/politics/general-election/brian-leishman-wins-alloa-grangemouth-for-labour-4691772?ref=theferret.scot)was a huge swing from SNP to Labour. “They (Labour) thought they could score cheap political points,” Hamilton grimaces. The union intends to “hold their feet to the fire” and recently released an open letter highlighting that six months after the Labour government announced [£200m from its wealth fund](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-announcement-on-grangemouth?ref=theferret.scot) to attract new business to Grangemouth, no investors had been secured. A UK government spokesperson acknowledged the “incredibly difficult time for workers and their families” and claimed that “within weeks” of it coming to power it had “delivered an unprecedented support package”. The union, meanwhile, says it will support ex-workers for as long as it takes. Ex-refinery operator Martin Hunter, is one of those Hamilton has been supporting. The day before we met in late August he had accepted a job after a three-month search and countless applications. His salary was to drop by about a third, and as the sole earner with four children, that would have had a substantial impact. Two weeks later another job offer had come through. “It’s still less than what I was making but it’s near home,” he says. It also ends the uncertainty that has taken a toll on his mental health, both in the run-up to redundancy and during the long months of fruitless job hunting. At times, he admits, things were so tough he had suicidal thoughts. It was partly the support of the people he worked with who got him through. ![Two refinery contractors in red overalls order food at a black van with “Rumbling Tum” written above the serving hatch.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/fast-food-van-1.jpg) Contractors at Grangemouth’s industrial estate queue at a food van. The refinery supported thousands of direct and indirect jobs across Scotland. Image by Angela Catlin. Hunter agrees with Hamilton that politicians have failed the workers. But he feels let down by his employers too. He thinks it’s unjust that the impact on people like him and his colleagues, or on proud communities like Grangemouth with its well maintained parks and [annual gala day](https://dwadpro.co.uk/2025/06/23/%F0%9F%8E%89-grangemouth-childrens-gala-day-2025-a-celebration-of-colour-community-crowning-moments-%F0%9F%91%91/?ref=theferret.scot), didn’t feature in those decisions. “A lot of people came into this place because of these industries,” he says. “But now it’s their home. They deserve to stay here.” Ineos didn’t respond to The Ferret’s request for comment but they have previously claimed that as “responsible owners” they “continuously engaged with government to ensure the safe operation of the site, and to deliver a smooth transition”. They pointed to investment in new infrastructure and redundancy packages worth over £30m. Brian Crawford, now 60 and Grangemouth born and bred, worked at the refinery for 24 years and has taken early retirement due to health problems, so he’s staying put in the town. But he worries about the younger workers. “I don’t believe the management gave it a chance,” he says. “I can see jobs are coming in renewables and the like, but when? They should have been in place before Grangemouth closed down so workers could have transferred over.” For him the rot goes all the way back to the Ineos takeover. “After the [strikes](https://www.ineos.com/inch-magazine/articles/issue-5/the-grangemouth-dispute/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2013 they more or less took all our benefits off us,” he claims. “The pension, all the free meals, the overtime rate and shift allowance got cut. “It’s like everything Jim Ratcliffe buys he does the same with, cuts costs wherever he can.” ![Brian Crawford, a retired refinery worker from Grangemouth, standing outside his home beside his black Honda motorcycle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/brian-retired-workerj46584-1.jpg) Brian Crawford, a retired refinery worker, believes younger colleagues have been let down, with renewable jobs failing to materialise before the closure. Image by Angela Catlin Some told The Ferret that Jim Ratcliffe had become a hate figure in the refinery. Pictures of him were left for management to see, they claimed, defaced with devil horns or male appendages. “There was a lot of cheering when his football team lost,” said one, who didn’t want to be named, referencing Manchester United, which Ratcliffe bought a stake in in February 2024 and now runs. Similar [cuts](https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2025/05/27/fresh-redundancies-underway-manchester-united-cut-costs/?ref=theferret.scot) have been made at the iconic football club – staff perks like travel and lunches were revoked, legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson was asked to step down as ambassador, redundancies saw a quarter of staff lose their jobs while ticket prices were hiked – and came as no surprise to Grangemouth workers. Multiple sources told The Ferret that relations between Ineos and its partner PetroChina were also under strain. “It was apparent that it was dysfunctional,” said one source close to the Scottish government at the time Petroineos started to signal it was considering closure. “They wouldn’t even sit in the same room as each other.” Problems, we were told, stemmed from the original 2011 deal which meant PetroChina was meant to stump up most of the investment in the refinery, although both companies shared profits. Minutes released under freedom of information legislation show that as far back as April 2022 Scottish ministers had been warned by Petro China of problems and were working to persuade them to continue to support the refinery as part of their plans. Yet as late as June 2023 they were being assured that [Petro China](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2024/05/foi-202300386266/documents/eir-202300386266---information-released---annex-a/eir-202300386266---information-released---annex-a/govscot%3Adocument/EIR%2B202300386266%2B-%2BInformation%2BReleased%2B-%2BAnnex%2BA.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was “keen to engage with SG as it considers new greener projects at the site including the potential bio refinery and green hydrogen opportunities”. Other documents reveal difficult relations between UK and Scottish Governments, the latter frustrated by the former’s [lack of engagement](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2023/12-e/uk-government-energy-strategy-correspondence-eir-release/documents/letter-from-michael-matheson-to-kwasi-kwarteng---energy-asks---18-march-2022-revised/letter-from-michael-matheson-to-kwasi-kwarteng---energy-asks---18-march-2022-revised/govscot%3Adocument/Letter%2Bfrom%2BMichael%2BMatheson%2Bto%2BKwasi%2BKwarteng%2B-%2BEnergy%2BAsks%2B-%2B18%2BMarch%2B2022%2B%2528Revised%2529.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) over energy strategies that were fundamental to Scotland’s economic outlook. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/inactive-refinery-1.jpg) Grangemouth now inactive refinery seen from residential streets. Image by Angela Catlin. To workers, the fact that the decision to close would likely have been made in boardrooms in China and London – where Ineos is headquartered – made it all the harder to swallow. “It felt to a lot of guys like: How can China shut down a refinery in Scotland?”, says James Differ, who worked in the control room. He didn’t see the point in getting angry though and dealt with the stress by keeping his head down and picking up the overtime shifts that came rolling in because so many workers started calling in sick towards the end. In recent weeks he has signed a 12-month contract with a refinery in Saudi Arabia accepting a deal to relocate his whole family – wife, two kids and Tempy the dog. Earnings are tax-free and the package includes free places at the Gulf nation’s British school for his children. His first day is due to be exactly one year on from the closure announcement. “I can only see benefits,” he says. The obvious ones are financial ones but the conditions will also be better. “I was backfilling shifts all the time,” he recalls. The UK feels like it’s going downhill so badly – police, NHS. That was the biggest thing for me.” ![Former refinery control room operator James Differ sitting on stairs at home with his dog beside him.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/james-differj46581-1.jpg) Former control room operator James Differ has signed a contract to relocate his family to Saudi Arabia for refinery work,. Image by Angela Catlin [Ewan Gibbs](https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/ewangibbs/?ref=theferret.scot), a historian of energy and labour at Glasgow University and the author of a research paper on Grangemouth from the workers’ perspective, commissioned by the Scottish Government’s advisers on the [Just Transition Commission](https://www.justtransition.scot/publication/the-grangemouth-refinery-closure-workers-perspectives/?ref=theferret.scot), is not surprised that Scottish energy workers are once again being forced to relocate– just as they did during the deindustrialisation of the 1980s. [The Proclaimers](https://the.proclaimers.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) – evoking their 1987 hit Letter from America about economic decline and emigration, with the refrain “Grangemouth no more” – were among those who backed The Alba Party’s [campaign](https://www.albaparty.org/grangemouth%5Foil%5Frefinery?ref=theferret.scot) to save the refinery from closure. “People were told this transition would be about a fairer, more prosperous economy as well as a greener one,” says Gibbs. “But that certainly hasn’t been the case here.” Ineos’ Grangemouth complex has long been Scotland’s [biggest polluter](https://climatecamp.scot/ineos-scotlands-worst-polluter?ref=theferret.scot). Grangemouth’s failure to manage a just transition sends a message to oil and gas workers across Scotland, Gibbs claims. “It should have been relatively easy to organise a just transition here when compared with the North Sea – it’s much less complex.” Scotland doesn’t just need to plan better for the future, says Gibbs. It also needs to think about the benefits of a just transition for society and how to make the case for those, addressing fuel poverty and the overseas ownership of key assets. [Satwat Rehman](https://www.justtransition.scot/person/satwat-rehman/?ref=theferret.scot), co-chair of the Just Transition Commission, is sure no-one can disagree with the view this transition has been anything but just. But she also thinks there are clear lessons that can be learned. ![Article headline: Power struggle: The billionaire, the Chinese oil giant and Grangemouth's forgotten workers Image description: Cooling towers and chimneys of the Grangemouth oil refinery rising above the town, with wind turbines visible in the background.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/grangemouth-refineryj46571-3.jpg) Industrial structures at Grangemouth, where the closure of the refinery marked the end of a major chapter in Scotland’s energy history. Image by Angela Catlin. Last year The Ferret reported that [Scottish Enterprise](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-enterprise/) paid Ineos a £500,000 to assess whether the other petrochemical facilities it owns at the wider Grangemouth complex could be fueled by hydrogen in the future. “We have been waiting for the market to fix things,” Rehman says. “And we’ve just expected good behaviour from private companies. But there needs to be just transition-related conditionality on any money going to private companies going forward.” But Gillian Martin, Scottish cabinet secretary for energy, told The Ferret that ministers had always been clear. “The closure of the Grangemouth Refinery by Petroineos was premature and is detrimental to Scotland’s transition to net zero,” she said in a statement. “We have continued to press the UK Government to leave no stone unturned in securing the site’s future as interventions of this magnitude would require action from the UK Government.” Scottish Enterprise, she insisted, was “doing targeted work in attracting new businesses” to the area and “advancing” projects highlighted by [Project Willow](https://www.gov.scot/news/plan-for-future-of-grangemouth/?ref=theferret.scot), an EY report commissioned by Petroineos and funded by the UK and Scottish Governments to look at green solutions. Back in Grangemouth though, Chris Hamilton also wants transparency. Workers, he says, understand the need for change. “Nobody wants the world to burn, or wildfires, or other climate catastrophes. But the way we’ve gone about this, making these people redundant – it’s not bringing these communities and workers on board with that messaging.” He doesn’t mention Reform UK, but with its politicians using climate scepticism as a wedge issue to push for continued oil and gas exploration and the scrapping of net zero targets, the stakes here are high. The irony, Hamilton argues, is Scotland hasn’t stopped using oil to keep its cars on the roads or to fly off on summer holidays. “Grangemouth could have been part of an opportunity to change that,” he says. ”But so far, it’s not getting its chance.” ***All images by Angela Catlin*** ### After Oil: Investigating Scotland’s ‘Just Transition’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/after-oil-investigating-scotlands-just-transition/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:44:47.000Z Scotland is facing a once-in-a-generation shift. For more than half a century, oil – the country’s ‘black gold’ – provided jobs and prosperity, sustaining tens of thousands of workers and shaping whole communities. Now North Sea production is in [decline](https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/fall-uk-north-sea-oil-rise-offshore-wind-2025-01-03/?ref=theferret.scot) as reserves become harder and more expensive to reach. At the same time, the UK has [restricted](https://fullfact.org/government-tracker/new-oil-gas-field-licences/?ref=theferret.scot) new exploration to help phase out fossil fuels and meet [climate goals](https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/progress-in-reducing-emissions-2025-report-to-parliament/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20UK%20has%20an%20ambitious,of%20the%20second%2Dhand%20market.). This double pressure – the geological reality of dwindling reserves and the political commitment to tackle climate change – means a profound transformation is underway. Yet oil and gas still supply [most](https://scotland.shinyapps.io/Energy/?Section=WholeSystem&Chart=RenEnTgt&ref=theferret.scot) of Scotland’s energy, and [around](https://www.theferret.scot/snp-under-fire-for-exaggerated-oil-jobs-claim/) four per cent of Scottish jobs are in some way tied to the industry. Moving away from fossil fuels will change not only how we power our homes and travel, but also how thousands of families make their living. Politicians insist this can be a “[just transition](https://www.gov.scot/policies/climate-change/just-transition/?ref=theferret.scot)” – that workers and communities will not be abandoned, and that secure, green jobs will replace those lost. The devastation inflicted by deindustrialisation in the 1980s can be avoided, they claim. But is their rhetoric being matched by reality? This weekend The Ferret is launching a new six-month long investigation, *After Oil,* which will examine the truth behind the “just transition” to clean energy in the run-up to next year’s Holyrood election. ![Graphic banner with the words “After oil – Can Scotland’s energy have a cleaner and fairer future?” over an orange-to-purple gradient. An oil rig is shown on the left and two wind turbines on the right.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/after-oil-banner-9.png) With energy set to be a key pillar of the campaign, our reporting will look beyond the slogans to ask who is winning, who is losing, and how fair the transition really is. Already there are warning signs. Unions [point](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/08/will-north-sea-oil-and-gas-industry-be-labour-next-u-turn?ref=theferret.scot) to industrial closures and the loss of thousands of North Sea jobs as evidence that employment is disappearing faster than it can be replaced. These setbacks have created space for opportunistic politics. Populist figures have [blamed](https://x.com/Nigel%5FFarage/status/1834539167935529226?ref=theferret.scot) climate policy for job losses and argued the remedy is scrapping net zero. While they oversimplify a complex picture, their messages are [gaining](https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/6837558/graham-simpson-reform-aberdeen/?ref=theferret.scot) [traction](https://www.survation.com/reform-uk-records-highest-support-ever-in-a-scottish-poll/?ref=theferret.scot) and show those who believe in the transition can afford few further missteps. Instead of looking for easy answers, *After Oil* will follow the money behind the transition, interrogate official plans, and ask tough questions of those with power. [‘Can’t get a meeting in the diary’: Swinney made to wait for crunch meeting with Grangemouth billionaireIt took John Swinney two and a half months to secure a key meeting with Sir Jim Ratcliffe on the future for workers at Grangemouth – and the billionaire only spared half an hour of his time on a video call. The first minister wrote to the Ineos chair and chief![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-52.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/untitled-1200-x-900px-1200-x-800px.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/swinney-wait-grangemouth-meeting-jim-ratcliffe/) As well as looking at the way old industries are being wound down, we’ll also examine how the roll-out of renewables is creating tensions. Scotland’s impressive deployment of wind power has largely been powered by international supply chains, with few parts built [here](https://www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/43-why-don-t-more-scots-work-in-wind-power?ref=theferret.scot), and locals seeing a “measly” financial return. Rural communities are asked to accept [vast](https://www.scottishbeacon.com/news/community-empowerment/the-power-shift-voices-from-rural-scotland-on-the-renewable-energy-rush/?ref=theferret.scot) new energy infrastructure on their doorstep without feeling they have a genuine say in where it goes or who profits. But we want to tell positive stories about the transition too. We’ll report on projects that are making a difference here in Scotland and in other parts of the world, and examine how we can learn lessons from history. We’re launching *After Oil* this Sunday with an in-depth look at the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery – a ‘litmus test’ of the just transition which locals say has been catastrophically failed. In coming months we’ll move our attention to Aberdeen and the North Sea, holding our first ‘[Open Newsroom](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/after-oil-the-ferret-open-newsroom-tickets-1650816569799?aff=oddtdtcreator&ref=theferret.scot)’ event outside Glasgow and inviting those with something to say to feed into our editorial plans. We’re going to visit the Highlands and Islands too with more events to be announced soon. ![Event poster with the title “Open Newsroom” and details of The Ferret’s Aberdeen event on 17 September 2025 at The Worm, Aberdeen. Text explains the event will focus on the shift from oil and gas to clean energy and what it means for workers and communities. An oil rig and wind turbines are shown in silhouette at the bottom.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/socials-open-newsroom-after-oil-1.jpg) [Get your tickets here](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/after-oil-the-ferret-open-newsroom-tickets-1650816569799?aff=oddtdtcreator&ref=theferret.scot) In this series we want to hear from you as we raise questions about who really controls the transition and whether the benefits of new energy will really be felt here in Scotland. [Let us know](https://www.theferret.scot/contact/) what you think of our first piece this Sunday – published in partnership with the Sunday National – and sign-up to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) to make sure you don’t miss our coverage. ### Claim NHS waits of over two years are 800 times more common in Scotland than England is Mostly True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-nhs-waits800-times-more-scotland-mostly-true/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T11:47:58.000Z **Scotland’s politicians have returned to parliament after the summer recess, and Scottish Labour has continued its criticism of the SNP’s handling of the NHS.** In a post that was shared [across social media](https://x.com/ScottishLabour/status/1962090375809482869?ref=theferret.scot) channels, and [mentioned](https://x.com/jackiebmsp/status/1962884126660350113?ref=theferret.scot) in the Scottish Parliament by Jackie Baillie MSP, the party claimed that Scots were facing significantly more long waiting times for NHS treatment than people in England. > NHS waits of over two years are 800 times more common in Scotland than England. Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Mostly True**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Banner-2.png) ### **Evidence** Scottish Labour’s claim is based on analysis of waiting times data in Scotland and England, combined with population estimates. The party [combined inpatient, day case and outpatient treatment data](https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-quarter-ending-30-june-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) for June 2025, which adds up to 14,963 cases where a person had to wait two years or more for a particular treatment. Labour then compared this with the population of Scotland, which [according to the latest 2023 population estimates](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2023?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20UK%20population%20at%20mid,or%20Northern%20Ireland%20%280.5%25%29) from the Office for National Statistics is 5,490,100. By dividing the number of cases by the estimated population of Scotland, they found that there was one wait of two years or more for every 367 people in the country. The same calculation was made for England. According to [statistics from NHS England](https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/?ref=theferret.scot#Jun25), there were 182 cases where a person waited two years or more for treatment. England — with an [estimated population](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2023?ref=theferret.scot) of 57,690,300 — has one wait of two or more years for every 317,000 people. This would mean a two year wait is 864 times more likely in Scotland than in England. It is this calculation that has given Scottish Labour the basis for its claim that “waits of over two years are 800 times more common in Scotland than England”. While [comparisons between waiting times across the UK](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/nhsplannedcarewaitingtimesacrosstheuk/2024-06-18?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=in%20England%2C%2092%25%20of%20patients,an%20inpatient%20or%20day%20case) should be made with caution, it’s clear that there are significantly more long wait times in Scotland than in England at present. Scottish Labour’s claim combined the data for different kinds of waiting lists. Broadly speaking, what’s known as the [referral to treatment](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/nhsplannedcarewaitingtimesacrosstheuk/2024-06-18?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=in%20England%2C%2092%25%20of%20patients,an%20inpatient%20or%20day%20case), or RTT, patient experience is similar across the UK. In most cases it starts with a GP, consultant or specialist nurse referring someone for new or further healthcare treatment. This may include further appointments or tests to determine the best course of action. [Inpatient and day case](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/nhsplannedcarewaitingtimesacrosstheuk/2024-06-18?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=in%20England%2C%2092%25%20of%20patients,an%20inpatient%20or%20day%20case) waits measure how long someone waits to be admitted for hospital treatment after it’s been agreed they need it. [Outpatient](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/nhsplannedcarewaitingtimesacrosstheuk/2024-06-18?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=in%20England%2C%2092%25%20of%20patients,an%20inpatient%20or%20day%20case) waits measure the time a person waits for their first consultant-led appointment following a referral. It should be noted that individual patients are [likely counted more than once](https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-quarter-ending-30-june-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) in these statistics if they are waiting to attend more than one scheduled appointment, so the data doesn’t show how many individuals are waiting for appointments, instead the number of waits. The data clearly shows waits of two years or more are much more widespread in Scotland than in England. Scottish Labour has compared the figures with population size to support its claim that waits are “800 times more common” in Scotland. However, because some people may be on more than one list, it does not mean that someone in Scotland is 800 times more likely to be on a waiting list. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** Scottish Labour’s claim that long wait times are 800 times more common in Scotland than England is based on accurate statistics. Comparisons between Scotland and England combining wait times with population data should be treated with caution, as the statistics do not show the number of individuals waiting, but the number of waits overall. It is possible for someone to be on more than one waiting list at the same time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Mostly-True-1.png) *Main image: Nickbeer/iStock* ### The Ferret helps young people to tackle disinformation in new training project URL: https://www.theferret.scot/the-ferret-helps-young-people-tackle-disinformation/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T14:08:52.000Z **Young people in Scotland will be empowered to identify and challenge disinformation online thanks to a brand new project from The Ferret, backed by the National Lottery Fund.** Working in partnership with the professional body for librarians and information professionals in Scotland, [CILIPS](https://www.cilips.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), and Scotland’s youth information organisation [Young Scot](https://young.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), we will provide youth-designed training for librarians and young people across the country, enabling them to better engage with those at significant risk from disinformation online. We know that young people are bombarded with false information from an early age online, particularly through social media. This can have [negative consequences](https://www.internetmatters.org/issues/fake-news-and-misinformation-advice-hub/learn-about-fake-news-to-support-children/?ref=theferret.scot) on trust, self esteem, mental and physical health, and can fuel radicalization. Recent statistics from [Ipsos UK](https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/half-16-34-year-olds-trust-news-online-influencers-even-concerns-about-widespread-fake-news?ref=theferret.scot) found 77 per cent of 16 to 34-year-olds find that fake news is prevalent in online news from influencers, while a [US survey](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/16/teens-online-conspiracies-study?ref=theferret.scot) revealed that teens were more likely to believe online conspiracies compared with adults. Our 12-month collaboration aims to tackle this through a series of sessions and online tools created alongside young people. Roundtable events will allow us to collaborate with those affected by mis- and disinformation online. Experts from The Ferret’s fact-checking arm, [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/), will then develop training informed by the experiences of these groups. This will then be rolled out in a series of collaborative workshops with librarians in different settings across the country, empowering them to deliver training sessions to young people themselves. The training will be focused on spotting mis- and disinformation, navigating online spaces responsibly in an age of fake news and AI, and will encourage young people to become digital champions of accurate information in their own communities. This project is possible thanks to a generous grant from the [National Lottery Community Fund](https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-10.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/cilips_cmyk-1.jpg)](https://www.cilips.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/young_scot_logo_rgb-1-1-1.jpg)](https://young.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/community_fund-svg_-1.png)](https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) ### Claim Glasgow hosts 50 per cent more ‘illegal’ migrants than anywhere else in the UK is Mostly False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-illegal-migrants-anywhere-else-uk/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T17:07:00.000Z **Reform UK leader Nigel Farage hosted a press conference in Scotland this week after MSP Graham Simpson defected to his party from the Scottish Conservatives.** During the [press conference](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD-UK3W0WCE&ref=theferret.scot), the Clacton MP predicted that migration would be a significant factor in the next Scottish Parliament election, and said Glasgow was the “asylum capital of the UK” while making a claim about the number of migrants in the city. His comments were [widely publicised](https://news.stv.tv/politics/nigel-farage-reveals-first-reform-msp-and-scottish-election-plans?ref=theferret.scot) across the Scottish media. > “Nearly 4000 people who came to Britain illegally are housed in Glasgow, that’s 50 per cent more than the next highest place in the United Kingdom.” Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Mostly False**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-8.png) #### **Evidence** The figures behind this claim come from the [Home Office](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office?ref=theferret.scot), which releases regular statistics on the number of migrants to the UK and those claiming asylum. Farage’s claim is based on statistics on the number of people being accommodated while they wait for decisions on their claim for refugee status. Glasgow is the local authority area in the UK with the most asylum seekers [being housed](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2025/how-many-cases-are-in-the-uk-asylum-system?ref=theferret.scot#how-many-asylum-seekers-are-receiving-housing-and-financial-support) – 3,844 – which Farage has rounded up to 4,000\. Due to large [Home Office backlogs](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/the-uks-asylum-backlog/?ref=theferret.scot), some may have arrived many years previously. Glasgow is followed by Birmingham, which has [2,755](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2025/how-many-cases-are-in-the-uk-asylum-system?ref=theferret.scot#how-many-asylum-seekers-are-receiving-housing-and-financial-support) people in asylum accommodation. This means Scotland hosts 39.5 per cent more than the next highest area, not 50 per cent, as Farage claimed. London, not Glasgow, has the [largest number of any UK city](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2025/how-many-cases-are-in-the-uk-asylum-system?ref=theferret.scot#how-many-asylum-seekers-are-receiving-housing-and-financial-support), with 17,161\. However it is split into 32 council areas, so does not count as part of the above statistics. The region accommodating the most people seeking asylum is north west England, which includes Manchester and Liverpool, an area hosting 21,196 people. Scotland overall has 6,107 people in asylum accommodation. This is about six per cent of the UK total. The Reform UK leader stated that the “4,000” people in Glasgow “came to Britain illegally”. There are various regular and irregular methods of entering the UK, after which someone can claim asylum. Experts and the government tend to use the terms irregular and regular instead of ‘legal’ and ‘illegal’ for migration to the UK. Irregular routes include small boat crossings, or arriving undetected at a port. However, it is currently [not possible for someone to apply](https://www.gov.uk/claim-asylum?ref=theferret.scot) for asylum from outside the UK. They must apply once they are within the country. [Under the UN Refugee Convention](https://www.unhcr.org/uk/about-unhcr/overview/1951-refugee-convention?ref=theferret.scot) everyone has the right to claim asylum. According to the [legislation](https://www.unhcr.org/uk/about-unhcr/overview/1951-refugee-convention?ref=theferret.scot), people seeking asylum cannot be penalised for using irregular routes to enter the country. They are therefore not considered illegal migrants. The Home Office then decides whether they have “a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion”. Those seeking asylum are not able to work or earn money legally in the UK, so rely on assistance from the government, usually in the form of accommodation or subsistence payments, which are [about £50](https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get?ref=theferret.scot) per person. There are a few specific [resettlement schemes](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2025/how-many-people-come-to-the-uk-via-safe-and-legal-humanitarian-routes?ref=theferret.scot) for some people from Ukraine, Afghans impacted by the UK Government data breach, and Hong Kong nationals. #### **How do people seeking asylum get to the UK?** New statistics from the UK Government show the different routes [people seeking asylum](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables?ref=theferret.scot#asylum) use to enter the UK. According to the latest figures for the second quarter of 2025, about 57 per cent of those claiming asylum came through so-called irregular routes – mostly on small boats crossing the channel. This is the “illegal” entry that Farage is referring to, although if they claim asylum they have the right under international law to stay while their claim is assessed. The percentage of asylum claims from people who came to the UK via irregular means reached a high of 80 per cent in the third quarter of 2021, but has hovered between 40 and 60 per cent over the last two years. The rest of those who seek asylum travel to the UK legally with a visa and then make their claim on arrival. The figures are UK-wide and are not available for each region housing asylum seekers but it is likely that some of the 3,844 people who are in Glasgow came to the UK through regular means, and then claimed asylum. #### **Verdict: Mostly False** Nigel Farage gets the number of people seeking asylum hosted in Glasgow close to correct, and it is accurate to say it is the local authority accommodating the highest number of claimants. His claim that it is 50 per cent higher than the next highest area is not accurate: Glasgow has 39 per cent more than Birmingham. He also states these people came to the UK “illegally”, which would not line up with latest statistics, which show between 40 and 60 per cent of asylum claimants enter the UK via regular routes, so could not be said to have arrived “illegally”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_MostlyFalse_RGB-1.png) ### Far right accused of racism, threats and attacks at anti-migrant protests URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-accused-racism-at-anti-migrant-protests/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:41:18.000Z **Standing in front of a shop selling Polish produce in Aberdeen, John Carr held a microphone on a hot August day and addressed those gathered at the refugee protest.** “Hundreds of thousands of white girls have been raped by Pakistani rape gangs” he said in a speech littered with [claims](https://x.com/%5FJohn%5FCarr/status/1956824918517014677?ref=theferret.scot) associated with far right conspiracy theories. He claimed that “old women live in fear surrounded in occupied neighbourhoods, filled with vengeful, violent foreign ‘third-worlders’”. “British children are left to fend for themselves in schools overrun with brutal and hateful third-worlders (sic)”, he continued, while the public faced “pointless” covid-19 lockdowns when politicians, according to him, merely “bent the knee to black conquest”. Police Scotland were just as bad, he said: “You may arrest all of us, you may charge all of us,” he railed. But in a matter of months’ time, the tide will change, and it will be you who are answering the questions”. His scripted speech lasted just over 12 minutes and when he finished the crowd applauded and started to chant: “Send them home! Send them home! Send them home!” Carr is a former Royal Marine commando and cagefighter who guarded nuclear weapons at Faslane naval base until he [lost his job](https://www.givesendgo.com/cancelledcommando?ref=theferret.scot) amid allegations he is a right wing extremist – [claims he denies](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/30/royal-marine-diversity-row-insists-not-neonazi/?ref=theferret.scot). He is also a member of the Homeland Party, a far right political organisation whose activists have attended anti-migrant protests across the UK this summer. Homeland’s presence has prompted claims that far right actors are exploiting locals’ genuine concerns over hotels housing asylum seekers for their own political agendas, while allegedly fuelling racial tensions. ![A man in a checked shirt and khaki shorts sits on driftwood at a beach, speaking directly to camera. Wind turbines are visible on the horizon behind him, under a grey sky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-08-29-152434-e1756478373719-1.jpg) John Carr in a video shared by Homeland. Image: Homeland/Meta Last year Scotland escaped the riots that England witnessed when mobs attacked people and tried to burn down a hotel housing asylum seekers, but in recent months there have been regular protests against migrants in our towns and cities. An investigation by The Ferret found that aside from Homeland, extremist groups such as Britain First and Patriotic Alternative (PA), have attended these demos. Homeland members have attended protests in Aberdeen, Falkirk and Perth, with prominent party figures giving speeches. The party advocates mass deportations and promotes a nationalism based on the “law of blood” but outwardly rejects violence. It was founded by a Scot called Kenny Smith, from the isle of Lewis, who was once a candidate for the far right British National Party, which had a [whites-only](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/mar/12/bnp-racist-membership-rules-outlawed?ref=theferret.scot) membership policy. Smith is Homeland’s chair. He started the organisation in 2023 after leaving Patriotic Alternative, whose supporters included [neo-Nazis and white supremacists](https://www.theferret.scot/exposed-inside-far-right-patriotic-alternative/). Homeland was allowed to officially register as a political party last year despite objections lodged with the Electoral Commission, as [reported by](https://www.theferret.scot/homeland-registers-political-party-electoral-commission/) The Ferret. [Exposed: Inside far right group Patriotic AlternativeSupporters of a far right group recruiting in Scotland include neo-Nazis and former members of the British National Party and Scottish Defence League, we can reveal. An undercover investigation has also found that supporters of Patriotic Alternative posted racist and anti-Semitic comments and disturbing images in a private group on![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-50.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Patriotic-Alternative-man-with-sword.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/exposed-inside-far-right-patriotic-alternative/) Aside from John Carr, Homeland members who have given speeches at protests include a senior figure called Simon Crane, who is a former member of Patriotic Alternative. In 2022, The Ferret revealed that a podcast hosted by Crane featured convicted criminals and extremists, prompting condemnation at the time by anti-racism campaigners and politicians. Crane said then that PA “unequivocally condemns violence and terrorism”. He travelled to Aberdeen last weekend to [speak at a protest](https://x.com/Homeland%5FParty/status/1959338809952555273?ref=theferret.scot) against the use of a hotel to house asylum seekers, and in a short speech he urged the crowd to get involved with politics. “I’ve come a long long way to be here today, all the way from West Lothian, to give you my encouragement and advice,” Crane said. Britain First, which announced in January it had appointed a new regional organiser for Scotland, has [protested against migrants](https://x.com/BFirstParty/status/1903540262422372800?ref=theferret.scot) in Falkirk, as has Patriotic Alternative. At a recent protest in Falkirk one attendee appeared to give a fascist salute and a banner was unfurled which read “Kill ’em all, let God sort ’em out”. PA, deemed [a neo-Nazi](https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-patriotic-alternative/?ref=theferret.scot) group, has previously been accused of exploiting anti-asylum seeker protests in Scotland. In 2023, [The Ferret revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-far-right-review-ferrets-reporting-2023/) that white supremacists with PA travelled from England to Erskine to attend demos, with two men later jailed for racist offences. We also revealed that – [according to a police intelligence report](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-recruit-erskine-locals-asylum-seekers/) – PA was under surveillance at the time when it was trying to recruit “disgruntled locals”. Trade unionists have [allegedly been targeted](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/scots-trade-unionists-branded-terrorists-35585944?ref=theferret.scot) by PA. Tam Morrison, of Clydebank TUC, told The Ferret that Patriotic Alternative had attempted to steal the trade union’s weekly pitch outside Clydebank shopping centre and accused them of “spouting race hatred”. “They have been back filming our stall, shouting we are ‘anti-white’ and use their seemingly favourite term of abuse, that we are all ‘pedoes’,” he added. “They also threatened to get ‘the young team to sort us out’”. In Aberdeen, far right activists have targeted pro-Palestinian campaigners, it has been claimed. Human rights campaigners said they have been harassed for more than a year. One video shared with The Ferret shows a man punching a pro-Palestinian activist at a protest. In a separate incident this month, a Stand Up To Racism meeting at Quaker House, Aberdeen, was targeted when cars outside were egged and “fascists” tried to get into the premises. The incident was reported to police. > Fascists are attempting to stir up hatred and division in our communities, by blaming the most vulnerable people in society for poor social conditions. > > A spokesperson for Stand Up to Racism Scotland A source in Aberdeen, who requested anonymity due to fears of retribution, claimed that since pro-Palestinian “anti-genocide protests” started in the city in October 2023, there has been a “surge of incidents including unsolicited racist slurs and physical attacks on crowds and individuals” taking part at events. They added: “A formal complaint to Police Scotland regarding some of these initial incidents submitted in June 2024 remains uninvestigated. The impunity enjoyed by far-right individuals has clearly emboldened them.” There is no evidence that any of the above named people or groups were involved in these specific incidents. Two men were [charged this month](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8jde62697o?ref=theferret.scot) under the Hate Crime Act following a protest held outside accommodation used for asylum seekers in Aberdeen. Meanwhile, a Facebook page supporting anti-migrant protests has urged football supporters of Aberdeen and Falkirk, who play each other on Sunday in Aberdeen, to protest together outside a hotel housing asylum seekers. “We hit a hotel with 100’s of us together,” the post says. Anti-racism campaigners voiced concern about The Ferret’s findings. A spokesperson for Stand Up to Racism Scotland said that “fascists are attempting to stir up hatred and division in our communities, by blaming the most vulnerable people in society for poor social conditions”. A spokesperson added: “It’s concerning too that mainstream politicians have been rubbing shoulders with such people at events organised by the far right. For instance, Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick was [recently photographed](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/aug/18/labour-robert-jenrick-visit-rally-far-right-activist-bell-hotel-epping?ref=theferret.scot) in Epping beside Eddy Butler, a former British National Party strategist and veteran far-right activist. “At a time when Reform UK is calling for mass deportations and the Labour government is proposing to fast track asylum cases, weakening asylum seekers’ legal rights, it is important that everyone comes together to defend refugees and migrants, and to ensure that we stop the growing far right threat.” Maggie Chapman MSP, of the Scottish Greens, called on the Scottish Government to make a statement on “the rise in these fascist protests” as soon as Holyrood returns after the summer break, adding that “we cannot normalise them or let extremist groups threaten people’s safety”. She said the protests have a “deeply unpleasant character” due to the presence of far right actors and that “everyone – asylum seekers included – deserve to feel safe and free from racism and hate where they live”. > We have no connection to any disorder or the other accusations. > > Kenny Smith, Homeland Georgie Laming, director of campaigns at HOPE not hate, said some people are “exploiting local tensions to whip up hatred” and “multiple protesters connected to far right groups” have been identified at UK protests. She added: “For example in Epping earlier this month protests included current or former members of Homeland, Patriotic Alternative, For Britain, Blood and Honour, and Combat 18\. Homeland is especially trying to insert themselves into the discourse, but they are not a real driving force. They are seeing the protests as an opportunity to exploit.” In response to anti-asylum seeker protests in Perth last week, local councillors issued a statement criticising the use of [“misinformation”](https://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/24774/Councillors-issue-joint-statement-criticising-the-undermining-of-community-safety?ref=theferret.scot) which has created “heightened tensions and concerns”. Scotland’s first minister John Swinney said he was [proud of the city](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/first-minister-hails-people-perth-35799268?ref=theferret.scot) for showing solidarity with refugees, while Labour MP Joani Reid accused far right activists of whipping up “[hatred and division](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/labour-mp-blasts-coked-up-35790137?ref=theferret.scot)” and “coked up yobbery”. However Kenny Smith, chair of Homeland, defended protestors. He said: “John (Carr) is a fantastic young man, a true patriot, who has been targeted not for doing anything wrong but for ‘thought-crime’ and for standing up for the integrity of the marines.” Carr, he claimed, was not available for comment and Smith insisted that Simon Crane was there as “regional organiser” in order “to support activists and the local community”. He added: “We have no connection to any disorder or the other accusations. We would not trust the word of Stand Up to Racism or far-left trade union activists, who are often aggressive themselves. It is gross to describe large numbers of locals standing up for themselves as ‘fascist protests’, no matter who speaks.” Local tensions exist because of the “consequences of mass immigration”, Smith continued, adding that “when people are pushed and abused by these groups and by their own government, a reaction is inevitable”. He said it is “normal for a political party such as ours to stand up for local people”. A spokesperson for Patriotic Alternative Scotland said: “Scotland is not a migrant camp, and the existence of the Scottish people is non-negotiable. Patriotic Alternative Scotland will continue to partake in demonstrations as we are a white advocacy group, and we support the indigenous people of these islands.” Police Scotland, Robert Jenrick, Homeland, and Britain First have been asked to comment. *Main image: gavmac/iStock* ### Robertson sought changes to record of Israel meeting after media storm URL: https://www.theferret.scot/angus-robertson-change-record-israel-meeting/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T14:09:02.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/19-6.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **Angus Robertson had the minutes of his controversial meeting with an Israeli diplomat changed after a public backlash – because he feared his call for a Gaza ceasefire was “lost” in the original version.** The external affairs secretary faced [calls](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24555167.angus-robertson-responds-gaza-protesters-call-resignation/?ref=theferret.scot) to [resign](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24525486.angus-robertson-liability-warns-snp-msp/?ref=theferret.scot) last August after holding talks with Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky, amid accusations that the country is committing genocide in Gaza. Both Robertson and first minister John Swinney [later](https://www.gov.scot/news/meeting-with-israeli-diplomat/?ref=theferret.scot) [claimed](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,john-swinney-minister-met-israeli-diplomat-to-call-for-ceasefire?ref=theferret.scot) they agreed to the meeting to “directly” and “explicitly” express the Scottish Government’s support for an immediate ceasefire. But correspondence released to The Ferret under freedom of information law reveals that, amid a [media](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyn63rq8n2o?ref=theferret.scot) [storm](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24518160.jon-swinney-breaks-silence-secret-meeting-israeli-diplomat/?ref=theferret.scot), Robertson’s team were concerned that the minutes of the meeting didn’t put across his ceasefire call strongly enough. Opposition politicians said the finding casts “further doubt” on the nature of Robertson’s conversation with the Israeli official and have called for full transparency from the Scottish Government. An internal email sent on 14 August – six days after the meeting and as criticism [mounted](https://greens.scot/news/snp-hold-shameless-secret-meeting-with-israeli-ambassador?ref=theferret.scot) – shows Robertson’s office asked for a draft of the official minutes of the meeting to be revised. The minister feared his comments on a ceasefire and upholding Palestinian rights “rather gets lost in the middle” of the original minutes which were circulated the day after the talks, according to the email from his private secretary. “Please could we ensure that the messages he communicated are fully brought out in the readout rather than lost in the middle of wider points?,” it continues. “He feels it is important that his statements on this \[a ceasefire\] come through as clearly as he communicated them”. > The Scottish Government must come clean. > > Mercedes Villalba MSP, Scottish Labour The civil servant who took the minutes replied the following day to say they had “revisited” their notes and amended the minutes. A finalised version – which has been partially released to the public — mentions the ceasefire prominently. Scottish Labour MSP, Mercedes Villalba, said the revelation cast “further doubt as to the nature of Robertson’s conversation” with Grudsky. “How ‘clearly and explicitly’ can the Cabinet Secretary have expressed the need for a ceasefire if the official record had to be retrofitted to reflect it?”, Villalba asked. “The Scottish Government must come clean.” The furore over the meeting was [sparked](https://x.com/DanielaGrudsky/status/1823035827779506485?lang=en-GB&ref=theferret.scot) by a tweet from Daniela Grudsky on 12 August, which included a photo of her and Robertson smiling together at Bute House. ![A tweet by Daniela Grudsky shows her standing next to Angus Robertson in front of a wood-panelled wall. Grudsky is wearing a patterned black-and-white top, while Robertson is in a dark suit and tie. The tweet thanks Robertson for welcoming her to Scotland, mentions discussing commonalities between Israel and Scotland, calls for the return of 115 hostages, and expresses interest in cooperation on technology, culture, and renewable energy.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-07-18-113807-1.jpg) She said the talks had focused on the “unique commonalities” between Israel and Scotland and the pair discussed future cooperation on “technology, culture and renewable energy”. This caused [fears](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,exclusive-angus-robertson-faces-snp-fury-over-israel-meeting-in-leaked-letter?ref=theferret.scot) from some within the SNP that the meeting represented a normalising of relations with Israel and would “lend legitimacy” to Benjamin Netanyahu, a claim the Scottish Government [denied](https://www.gov.scot/news/meeting-with-israeli-diplomat/?ref=theferret.scot). After a nine month freedom of information (FOI) battle by The Ferret, including appeals to the Scottish Information Commissioner, the Scottish Government released a partial version of the meeting minutes – but only the version amended following Robertson’s request. Revised minutes released primarily cover discussion on Israel and Palestine, and show Robertson controversially referred to Scotland and Israel as “[critical friends](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-crisis-meeting-israel/)”. But details of their discussions on other issues – including renewables, culture and technology – remained redacted. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-08-27-141203-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-crisis-meeting-israel/) The Scottish Government said it was keeping the information secret because of concerns about the UK’s national security and fears providing the information could prevent the free exchange of views between officials. It has also refused to release any draft minutes of the meeting. The email exchange showing Robertson’s request to revise the record was disclosed only after we requested an internal review of the way the FoI request had been handled. Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie argued Robertson should never have met with Grudsky in the first place. “Ministers should not be meeting with a state carrying out genocide, let alone welcoming them as any kind of friends,” Harvie told The Ferret. He said that if ministers want to end “speculation” around what was discussed at the meeting, “then it’s time for them to publish the minutes in full, including the draft”. “There’s already been too much game playing and too many PR considerations,” Harvie added. A Scottish Government spokesperson said its “consistent and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza was made clear during the meeting”. They added: “There has been no further ministerial engagement with the Government of Israel since. Ministers have complied fully with the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) on this matter.” The Scottish Government added that it is routine for draft minutes of ministerial meetings to be shared with ministers’ private offices to ensure they accurately reflect what was discussed. ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: Scottish Government* ### This company owns some of Scotland’s biggest oil fields. It’s also accused of complicity in Israel’s war URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ithaca-energy-oil-scotland-israel/ Last updated: 2025-12-11T17:25:18.000Z **On a rain-dampened Saturday in central London last month, a sea of Palestinian flags flowed towards Downing Street.** Thousands [marched](https://x.com/revoltinghippie/status/1946629387975094621?ref=theferret.scot) bearing placards and chanting familiar demands: an end to the bombing and blockade of Gaza, and what they see as the UK Government’s role in enabling the war. But further up the road, a smaller knot of protesters planted themselves outside a different government building on Whitehall, home to the department for energy. They [unfurled](https://x.com/fossilfreeLDN/status/1946605997646106826?ref=theferret.scot) a large black banner that read “Defund genocide. Stop Rosebank”. The link between the horrors in the Middle East and an oilfield 80 miles off Shetland’s coast might not have been obvious to passers-by. For these activists though — along with a growing list of politicians, environmental groups and pro-Palestine campaigners — it’s a connection that adds an urgent reason to oppose UK oil production: not just because of its climate costs, but because of who stands to profit. Few outside the UK energy industry have heard of Ithaca Energy. But within the sector, the Aberdeen-based firm is a heavyweight. It [holds](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/about-us?ref=theferret.scot) stakes in six of the UK’s 10 largest oil and gas fields and [aims](https://investors.ithacaenergy.com/sites/ithaca-ir/files/2025-04/46944%20Ithaca%20AR2024%20WEB%20v2.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to become the country’s top producer of fossil fuels by the early 2030s. This week it released results for the first half of 2025 showing pre-tax profits had more than [doubled](https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/energy/article/ithaca-energy-raises-production-forecasts-for-second-time-in-year-qjvh6mlfv?ref=theferret.scot) compared with last year. To climate campaigners, Ithaca is already [controversial](https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) due to its stake in Rosebank, one of the North Sea’s last major untapped oil fields. Rosebank was approved by the previous UK government in 2023, but a judicial review later challenged the decision. In January, Scotland’s Court of Session ruled the approval [unlawful](https://www.upliftuk.org/post/rosebank-oil-field-ruled-unlawful-by-scottish-courts?ref=theferret.scot), finding that the climate impact of burning the oil had not been considered. The energy department will play an important role deciding the field’s future, and the companies behind it say they plan to submit a revised [application](https://investors.ithacaenergy.com/sites/ithaca-ir/files/2025-08/h1-2025-trading-update.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) later this year. Supporters argue Rosebank could bolster the UK’s energy security, create thousands of jobs and will produce less pollution than oil imported from abroad. Critics say the costs – both environmental and moral – outweigh any benefits. That’s partly because money from the project could go to Ithaca’s controversial majority owner, Delek Group, one of Israel’s largest companies whose interests in the country span [agriculture](https://www.timesofisrael.com/tshuvas-delek-to-buy-controlling-stake-in-mehadrin-for-nis-249-million/?ref=theferret.scot), [real estate](https://ir.delek-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DELEK-GROUP-Q4-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and [finance](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-competition-authority-approves-delek-takeover-of-isracard-1001504784?ref=theferret.scot). Through another arm, NewMed Energy, Delek owns the largest stake in Leviathan, another vast and lucrative gas field in the warmer waters off the Israeli coast. Since gas first started flowing from Leviathan in 2019, the Israeli government has [reportedly](https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-israels-largest-gas-deal-leviathan-partners-ink-35-billion-export-deal-with-egypt/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Since%20natural%20gas%20began%20being,billion%20from%20royalties%20and%20taxes.) collected nearly £1bn in royalties and taxes from the field. Those revenues are set to continue for decades, after the partners in Leviathan signed a £26bn [deal](https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/08/19/israel-set-to-approve-largest-gas-supply-deal-in-its-history-to-egypt?ref=theferret.scot) to supply gas to Egypt earlier this month. Campaigners [argue](https://afsc.org/chevron-fuels-israeli-apartheid-and-war-crimes?ref=theferret.scot) [revenues](https://mondoweiss.net/2025/07/how-israels-energy-diplomacy-is-fueling-the-gaza-genocide/?ref=theferret.scot) from Leviathan help bankroll the same government bombing Gaza. > As a Jewish Israeli, I would urge everyone to do whatever they can to sever their financial ties with Israeli apartheid and occupation. > > Noam Perry, American Friends Service Committee The UN has made a similar argument. Just weeks before the London march, on 30 June, its special rapporteur Francesca Albanese released a [report](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/a-hrc-59-23-from-economy-of-occupation-to-economy-of-genocide-report-special-rapporteur-francesca-albanese-palestine-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) titled ‘From economy of occupation to economy of genocide’, examining how companies are involved in what she called Israel’s “settler-colonial project of displacement and replacement of the Palestinians”. Israel [strongly denies](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/12/israel-rejects-accusations-of-genocide-in-gaza-war-at-icj-hearing?ref=theferret.scot) committing genocide in Gaza, where more than 60,000 people have been [killed](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-many-palestinians-has-israels-gaza-offensive-killed-2025-03-24/?ref=theferret.scot) by the bombardment that began after Hamas killed 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, and took 251 hostages on 7 October 2023. Albanese’s report, which mentioned Delek and Leviathan, accused firms that provide energy to Israel of supplying infrastructure “used to entrench the permanent annexation and the destruction of Palestinian life” and which “services the Israeli military while it obliterates Gaza”. “The ostensibly civilian nature of such infrastructure does not exonerate a company of responsibility,” she added. Delek also has more direct ties to Israel’s military. As The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/government-gave-oil-licences-to-idf-linked-firm/) last year, it owns a stake in a petrol station chain with a contract to supply fuel to IDF vehicles – a deal which was [renewed](https://www.theferret.scot/firm-linked-north-sea-oil-giant-renews-idf-contract/) after the bombardment of Gaza began. [‘Indefensible’: firm linked to North Sea oil giant renews IDF contractAn Israeli company with close financial links to a Scottish oil firm has renewed a contract to provide fuel to the IDF since the start of the war in Gaza. Aberdeen-based Ithaca Energy was handed oil exploration licences by the last UK Government and has a stake in Rosebank, the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-40.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1466616436-1-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/firm-linked-north-sea-oil-giant-renews-idf-contract/) The company is no stranger to international scrutiny. As we [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/cambo-owner-blacklist-business-west-bank/) back in 2022, it has been [repeatedly](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session31/database-hrc3136/23-06-30-Update-israeli-settlement-opt-database-hrc3136.pdf?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fmedium=email) named by the UN among companies whose business in the occupied West Bank raise “particular human rights concerns”. It was included on the UN list for allegedly providing “services and utilities” which support the settlements – [considered](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/un-exposes-companies-involved-israeli-settlements-and-why-it-matters?ref=theferret.scot) illegal under international law – and also using natural resources there for “business purposes”. Noam Perry, a researcher at the American Friends Service Committee – a human rights organisation awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947 for humanitarian work, including helping Jewish refugees [escape](https://exhibitions.ushmm.org/americans-and-the-holocaust/personal-story/american-friends-service-committee?ref=theferret.scot) Nazi Germany – claimed this was evidence Delek is involved in “multiple aspects” of the occupation. “Speaking in my own capacity as a Jewish Israeli, I would urge everyone to do whatever they can to sever their financial ties with Israeli apartheid and occupation,” Perry added when asked whether Scots should be concerned about Ithaca’s presence in North Sea oil. Delek’s activities in the disputed Moroccan occupied territory of Western Sahara – off the coast of which it has explored for oil and gas – have sparked a similar outcry. The Sahrawi Observatory, which monitors Morocco’s occupation, [described](https://spsrasd.info/en/2025/07/05/10642.html?ref=theferret.scot) Delek’s involvement there as evidence of a “dangerous entanglement between the systems of occupation” in Palestine and Western Sahara. The Delek empire’s multinational reach is closely tied to its largest shareholder: Yitzhak Tshuva. A Libyan immigrant to Israel, [Tshuva](https://www.forbes.com/profile/yitzhak-tshuva/?ref=theferret.scot) did compulsory service in the IDF and worked for the country’s Ministry of Defense before building a [fortune](https://images.forbes.com/lists/2006/10/3J3M.html?ref=theferret.scot) in real estate. By the 2000s, he was a billionaire, the owner of New York’s famed Plaza Hotel, and, [according to the FT](https://www.ft.com/content/fa370ac2-5eb2-11df-af86-00144feab49a?ref=theferret.scot), a member of Israel’s business oligarchy. When vast gas reserves including Leviathan were located off Israel’s coast at the end of that decade, Tshuva – branded the country’s “[gas king](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-04-22/isaac-tshuva-israels-gas-king?ref=theferret.scot)” – moved to capitalise. He [leveraged](https://shirhever.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Bulletin-27-28-Natural-Gas-Discovery.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) political connections in an attempt to [protect](https://www.haaretz.com/2010-10-05/ty-article/tshuva-going-to-knesset-over-gas-find-royalties/0000017f-e328-d75c-a7ff-ffad31260000?ref=theferret.scot) the profits of energy producers and was quick to assert that the fields lay exclusively under [Israeli control](https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3914759,00.html?ref=theferret.scot). According to the UN’s [trade agency](https://unctad.org/news/unrealized-potential-palestinian-oil-and-gas-reserves?ref=theferret.scot), fields in the resource rich Levant Basin such as Leviathan are in an area that Palestinians may have a historic claim to. If they were allowed to share in their development, billions in potential revenues could flow to support the Palestinian economy. While it is Delek’s fields in the Middle East that have drawn international attention, in recent years its North Sea assets have become one of its most reliable income streams. In Delek’s own corporate filings, the company calls its UK operations, through Ithaca, part of the “[growth engine](https://ir.delek-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DELEK-GROUP-Q4-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=6)” for the rest of its businesses and Tshuva keeps a close eye on them, sitting on Ithaca’s [board](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/about-us/leadership?ref=theferret.scot) of directors. In some years, the North Sea has been Delek’s largest single source of [income](https://ir.delek-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DELEK-GROUP-Q4-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=315). In 2024, Delek was [in line](https://investors.ithacaenergy.com/sites/ithaca-ir/files/2025-04/46944%20Ithaca%20AR2024%20WEB%20v2.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for around £200m in dividends payments from Ithaca – and [more will follow](https://www.upliftuk.org/post/rosebank-private-profit-public-risk?ref=theferret.scot) if Rosebank is approved. ![Protesters outside the UK Department for Energy hold a large black banner reading “DEFUND GENOCIDE: STOP ROSEBANK OIL FIELD.” Others hold smaller yellow “Wanted Ithaca Energy” signs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/copy-of-pxl_20250809_141637450-1.jpg) Protesters outside the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero hold a banner reading “Defund Genocide: Stop Rosebank Oil Field” during a demonstration linking opposition to new oil developments with solidarity for Palestine. Concerns over who profits from North Sea oil are not new. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK arm of state-owned energy giant Gazprom continued producing in British waters, [generating](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67720198?ref=theferret.scot) £39m in profit in 2023. That sparked fears that UK oil was “bolstering the coffers of Putin’s illegal war”. The UK government of the time pledged to “ratchet up” economic pressure on Russian companies in light of the revelation. The situation with Ithaca and Delek is different: Delek is a private Israeli firm, not a state entity. But campaigners like those on Whitehall [believe](https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/updates/rosebanks-profits-could-flow-to-a-company-that-operates-in-occupied-palestinian-territory?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=A%20report%20found%20that%20Delek,this%20activity%20in%20Western%20Sahara.) it deserves similar scrutiny. The Labour government has been coy the few times it has been asked about the issue. In a June [exchange](https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-06-10/debates/C3348F22-6CEF-45E3-A68B-D9EB01487517/RosebankOilfield?ref=theferret.scot) on Rosebank at Westminster, former shadow chancellor John McDonnell questioned energy minister Michael Shanks on whether the government would “want to be associated” with a company like Ithaca. Shanks said he had to be “careful” about what he said. Protests and pressure are not just coming from London’s streets or inside Westminster. In Norway, whose publicly owned energy company Equinor holds the majority stake in Rosebank, campaigners have [turned their sights](https://www.greenpeace.org/norway/vaer-med/sign-tell-equinor-to-end-the-partnership-with-ithaca-energy/?gp%5Fanonymous%5Fid=fd8b4aeb-c7a0-4dcb-b059-339ae994d9ea&ref=theferret.scot) on its partnership with Ithaca. Equinor was [sued](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/dec/11/norway-oil-firm-sued-alleged-links-israeli-firm-operating-in-settlements?ref=theferret.scot) by Greenpeace for allegedly failing to conduct proper due diligence on Ithaca and Delek before joining forces on the field. Ironically, the country’s massive oil fund – controlled by the government and funded through revenues from Equinor – [sold](https://www.upstreamonline.com/politics/norway-wealth-fund-to-sell-stake-in-israeli-player-after-violations-of-ethical-norms-in-contested-territory/2-1-1573658?ref=theferret.scot) its shares in Delek in December 2023 due to human rights concerns. > It is unconscionable that any of \[Delek’s\] subsidiaries, including Ithaca Energy, can profit from Scotland’s natural resources. > > Humza Yousaf, former first minister Equinor told The Ferret it had “no influence” on Ithaca’s ownership structure and became a partner on Rosebank with it after Ithaca’s purchase of another firm in 2022\. It added that the Rosebank project is “progressing according to plan”. Perhaps the most vocal mainstream opposition has come from former first minister, Humza Yousaf, who has [argued](https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/why-scotland-must-stop-north-sea-oil-fields-like-rosebank-from-being-used-to-exploit-gaza-citizens-5154730?ref=theferret.scot) the field should be blocked both for environmental reasons and because of who stands to profit. “There is little doubt that they \[Delek\] are an integral part of Israel’s architecture of occupation,” Yousaf told The Ferret. “It is unconscionable that any of their subsidiaries, including Ithaca Energy, can profit from Scotland’s natural resources.” In response to these claims, Ithaca was keen to stress the importance of its business to the UK. “Ithaca Energy is a London Stock Exchange listed company which is a member of the FTSE 250, and which is governed by the highest standards of corporate governance”, a spokesperson said. “Ithaca is one of the biggest investors in the North Sea and Scotland, is a responsible employer and is a major contributor to both the UK Treasury through tax payments and the UK’s energy security.” Delek Group did not respond to a request for comment. ![Protesters stand in front of glass offices holding a yellow banner that says “ITHACA KILLS.” Some wear Palestinian flags or carry props, with one person holding a large red paper flower.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/copy-of-dsc_8172-1.jpg) Fossil Free London demonstrate outside Equinor’s HQ in 2023 to highlight its partnership with Ithaca Energy. Image: Andrea Domeniconi/Fossil Free London Back in London, the protesters outside the energy department eventually packed up and joined the wider march towards Downing Street – after handing out more than 1,000 leaflets. According to Robin Wells, director of Fossil Free London which organised the action, it was not long before many climate activists were protesting again – this time at Parliament Square on 9 August where over 500 people were [arrested](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/10/police-arrest-hundreds-london-protest-over-palestine-action-ban?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Metropolitan%20police%20arrested%20532%20people%20during%20Saturday's%20demonstration%20in%20Parliament%20Square&text=Of%20the%20532%20arrests%2C%20six,Palestine%20Solidarity%20Campaign%20and%20others.) for showing support for the proscribed group, Palestine Action. There’s a growing unity between the climate and Palestinian causes which are increasingly “almost one and the same”, Wells told The Ferret. The atrocities in Gaza have “captured the hearts of those who campaign on climate because we love people”, Wells continued, adding: “What’s happening there is the horror of our time – and it’s astonishing that the profits from the great injustice of new UK oil and gas could go to a company linked to Israel’s military”. The North Sea’s reserves have raised questions about ownership for over 50 years – from arguments over privatisation and squandered economic opportunities, to the independence movement’s rallying cry of ‘Scotland’s oil’. Whether Rosebank goes ahead or not, as those reserves begin to [run dry](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2023/01/draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan/documents/draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan/draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan/govscot%3Adocument/draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=82), protests against Ithaca show the debate has returned once again to who profits, and at what cost. ### Consultancy firm’s review of fast-track salmon farm pilot branded “sham” URL: https://www.theferret.scot/aquatera-firm-review-salmon-farm-pilot-sham/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T14:10:45.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/19-8.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **A consultancy firm which took part in a government pilot for fast-tracking salmon farm applications did an “independent” evaluation of that same pilot — prompting critics to call it a “sham” and claim a conflict of interest could threaten the marine environment.** Orkney-based [Aquatera](https://www.aquatera.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) concluded that the pilot — which involved four salmon farm applications across Shetland and Highland council areas — was ultimately not quick enough. Yet one of these applications – for Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms, which will be the UK’s largest salmon farm if approved – was lodged with the help of Aquatera. The government will now consider whether to roll the fast-track application scheme out across the rest of Scotland’s coastal areas. Environmental campaigners – who raised alarms when the pilot began – said it threatens to “sideline environmental oversight”, and that Aquatera stands to gain business with developers from the success of the pilot. Aquatera said it is “confident there is no conflict of interest”. The Scottish Government said Aquatera’s contract was subject to “strict” consideration of any conflicts of interest and that it had no concerns about the impartiality of the report. > It’s done by the same people who put in the application. Clearly this process is a sham. > > Andrew Graham-Stewart, Wildfish. The pilot was designed after a 2022 review said the current application process for fish farms is “ineffective” and demonstrates “no real coordinated approach” between councils and the national bodies which consider applications. At present, fish farm developers must file as many as a dozen forms with five different local and national regulators for a single application. The pilot saw companies file one application to a council, with the local authority charged with consulting other regulators on the applicant’s behalf. The pilot began early last year. Plans were submitted at Loch Snizort off the Isle of Skye, Hyskier in the Inner Hebrides, Strome Mor in Wester Ross and Fish Holm in Shetland. Fish Holm, if approved, would rear 6,000 tonnes of fish a year, making it the UK’s largest fish farm to date. Wildfish objected to Fish Holm this spring, on the grounds that lice from the farm would endanger Shetland’s wild trout. Its interim Scotland director, Andrew Graham-Stewart, said that the campaign group should have asked for Wildfish’s views as part of Aquatera’s survey, but was not approached. “The respondents were clearly cherry picked, presumably to confirm the narrative of the consultants,” added Graham-Stewart. “It’s really got no credibility; it’s done by the same people who put in the application. Clearly this process is a sham.” For its review, Aquatera approached both participating councils, community councils, four developers, government regulators, Salmon Scotland and the British Trout Association, which both represent the fish farming industry. Of those, most said the pilot did not speed up the consenting process enough. > With such financial entanglements and a clear conflict of interest, how can Aquatera’s evaluation be seen as credible? > > Abigail Penny, Animal Equality Animal Equality also objected to Fish Holm, and said Aquatera’s review represented the fish farming industry marking its own homework. “When the aim of the pilot is to essentially fast-track fish farm development by sidelining environmental oversight, then tasking a consultancy with direct industry ties to lead that review is deeply problematic,” said Abigail Penny, Animal Equality’s executive director. She added: “It’s hard to argue full independence when the company evaluating policy changes stands to gain future business from those very changes. With such financial entanglements and a clear conflict of interest, how can Aquatera’s evaluation be seen as credible?” Aquatera chief executive Gareth Davies said the firm has 25 years’ experience “providing impartial, evidence-based advice to government, industry, and communities”. He added: “This evaluation set out to capture and present a balanced record of experiences from those directly involved in the consenting pilots, including developers, regulators, local authorities, and statutory consultees and non-statutory consultees. “Our role was not to advocate for any party, but to document findings and identify areas for improvement, reflected in a series of recommendations to support the continued development of the pre-application process. “Our work for aquaculture companies is entirely separate, and as with all of Aquatera’s work, our approach was guided by independence, transparency, and professional integrity.” A spokesperson for the Scottish government said Aquatera’s contract “was subject to strict public procurement processes, including consideration of any conflicts of interest”. “We do not have any concerns with the impartiality of the report and its conclusions,” they added. “The evaluation involved gathering quantitative and qualitative information from developers, regulators and statutory consultees involved in the first fish farm consenting pilots and their perceptions of effectiveness and areas for improvement.” At the time of the 2022 review, Wildfish said the pilot risked prioritising the agenda of individual councils over concerns from the government’s environmental watchdogs. One of Aquatera’s recommendations was to consolidate applications further through an individual “process champion” for each submission. In its report the consultancy acknowledged: “as with all self-reported data, there is the possibility of response bias”, a statistics term used to describe dishonest or false responses to a survey. “However, the study design encouraged open, anonymous input, and the findings are strengthened by the consistency of themes emerging across multiple sources and stakeholder groups”. ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: starpik/iStock* *This article was updated at 08.34 on 22 August 2025 to correct the spelling of Andrew Graham-Stewart.* ### Explained: Scotland’s GERS controversy URL: https://www.theferret.scot/explained-scotlands-gers-controversy/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T11:49:23.000Z **The annual Scottish Government report on its revenue and spending, known as GERS, has been a lightning rod for controversy since it became part of the debate around Scotland’s independence referendum in 2014.** GERS, which stands for ‘government expenditure and revenue Scotland’, is usually [published](https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-2024-25/?ref=theferret.scot) in August every year, and has played a [big part](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-what-is-gers-and-what-can-it-tell-you/) in the economic arguments for and against Scottish independence, with campaigners on both sides making claims relating to the report. This [year was no different](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c754qyzqpz2o?ref=theferret.scot), with disagreements online about what the report actually showed dominating online discussion. [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) explains. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Banner-3.png) #### **What is in GERS?** The [GERS report](https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-2024-25/?ref=theferret.scot) shows how much revenue was raised for Scotland’s public sector. This mostly comes from devolved and reserved taxes such as income tax, stamp duty and national insurance, as well as the geographical share of money raised through levies on the north sea energy industry. It also estimates the amount of money spent on things like public services, social security, defence and servicing government debt, as well as capital spending on construction of roads, hospitals, and schools, for example. The report is [produced](https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-2024-25/pages/3/?ref=theferret.scot) by Scottish Government statisticians, and is independent of ministers. When Scotland’s spending outstrips revenues brought in, the difference between these two figures is the public sector deficit. In [2024-25](https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-2024-25/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot), this was £26.2bn, up from £21.4bn the previous year. #### **What was the disagreement?** [Newspapers](https://www.thenational.scot/news/25385931.gers-figures-show-revenue-growing-faster-spending/?ref=theferret.scot) and online commentators in favour of independence stated that the report showed that Scottish Government revenue was growing faster than expenditure, which would indicate that the country’s finances were heading in the right direction. But this was [questioned](https://x.com/staylorish/status/1955579343587123496?ref=theferret.scot) by many online, who said this was a misleading reading of the report’s contents. The claim that Scottish Government revenue was growing faster than expenditure was first made in a [press release](https://www.gov.scot/news/devolved-revenue-grows-faster-than-expenditure?ref=theferret.scot) on the government’s website on 13 August, published alongside the GERS release. It stated that “devolved revenue grows faster than expenditure”, and that Scotland’s revenue was enough to cover “all day-to-day devolved spending and all reserved social security, including the state pension”. The [figures behind the claim](https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-2024-25/pages/8/?ref=theferret.scot) that Scottish Government revenue is growing faster than spending come from looking at devolved expenditure, which is [estimated](https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-2024-25/pages/8/?ref=theferret.scot) in the report. This is all of the costs associated with services and day-to-day expenses that are under the control of the Scottish Government, like the NHS, or policing, for example. Between 2023-24 and 2024-25 this increased from £67.5bn to £72.1bn, a 6.8 per cent increase. This is then compared to the difference in the amount raised from devolved taxes over the same period. This increased by 9.7 per cent (from £23.9bn to £26.2bn). #### **What was the overall picture?** Despite this increase in revenues, the [report shows](https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-2024-25/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot) that Scotland’s overall revenue was not enough to cover its expenditure. Looking at the devolved revenue and expenditure subset of Scotland’s economy also does not reflect the overall picture of public sector finances. The GERS report shows that public finances in Scotland are going in the opposite direction, with spending [growing faster than revenue](https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-2024-25/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot). This was mainly due to revenue from North Sea oil and gas falling, as well as additional spending on social security. This is because GERS [looks at all spending and revenue](https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-2024-25/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland’s public sector, rather than specifically what is reserved to the Scottish Government. The report states: “GERS is not a measure of the Scottish Government’s fiscal position, rather it is a measure of Scotland’s overall fiscal position”. This means the statistics include costs and revenues that impact Scotland’s public finances without being under the full control of the Scottish Government. Income tax is [partially devolved](https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/devolved-aspects-of-income-tax/?ref=theferret.scot#scottishincometax) to Scotland, and is included in GERS as a devolved tax, but taxes such as VAT and National Insurance, for example, are reserved to the UK Government. Similarly, an [important part of the North Sea’s tax revenue](https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-2024-25/pages/5/?ref=theferret.scot) for Scotland comes from the reserved corporation tax. These are not included as devolved revenues. GERS also looks at public spending on Scotland that is not controlled by the Scottish Government. The largest category of expenditure is on social protection, which accounts for things like pensions, reserved benefits like universal credit, as well as Scottish-specific benefits like the Scottish child payment. Health spending is the second biggest, while spending on defence, policing and education also make up a large proportion of day-to-day expenditure. *Correction, 21 August 2025: A previous version of this article wrongly stated that most of Scotland’s tax revenue came from income tax, and that it was not part of devolved revenue in GERS. This has now been corrected.* ### Families left paying thousands in nursery fees due council ‘breaches’ childcare policy URL: https://www.theferret.scot/families-paying-thousands-nursery-fees-edinburgh/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T14:10:57.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/19-9.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **Families have been left paying thousands of pounds a year for childcare because Edinburgh City Council has reneged on a flagship Scottish Government policy that promises all children more than 1,000 hours of free care at a nursery of their choice, it has been claimed.** Under the policy children aged three to five years old are entitled either to 30 free hours per week during term time or 22.8 hours per week for 50 weeks per year, a total of 1,140 hours a year. These state funded hours can be either a council-run nursery or a council approved private one or with a registered childminder, according to the government’s [Funding follows the child](https://www.gov.scot/publications/funding-follows-child-national-standard-early-learning-childcare-providers-operating-guidance-2/?ref=theferret.scot) approach. Many working families say they choose privately-run nurseries because they typically have longer opening hours and operate during school holidays while some council nurseries are only open during school hours or term time, which don’t fit with most work schedules. However, in 2024 problems arose for families who were using private nurseries in Edinburgh but living in a bordering local authority area, when City of Edinburgh Council decided it would no longer fund free childcare in these circumstances. These cross-border families, who use Edinburgh nurseries either because they work in the city or because it is closest to their home, were told they could either find a new nursery in their own local authority or a council-run one in the city. But a group of impacted parents, many of whom were unable to find anything that met their childcare needs and working hours, are now claiming the move breaches both governmental policy and child rights, while discriminating against working parents. City of Edinburgh Council insists it is meeting statutory guidelines and claims its cross-border policy will lead to savings of £1m. But the parents’ group disputes this claim. It has shared [freedom of information](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mISN7OUZ3VVBGGcO62F6IUfIyOHb%5FRuXwIczS78mcwc/edit?tab=t.0&ref=theferret.scot) requests with The Ferret which, the parents claim, show savings are as little as £36,650 because almost as many children living in Edinburgh claim free places from nurseries in other local authorities. Several parents also shared emails from other councils willing to reimburse Edinburgh if cross-border private nursery places there could be granted. > The council took this decision \[about cross-boundary funding\] without assessing the impact on children and it’s been left to parents to sort it out. > > Kirstin, one of the affected parents The Ferret spoke to families impacted – some living just metres outside the City of Edinburgh Council border – who were facing annual fees of over £7,000 if they did not remove their child from their private nursery. But some say they have been unable to find a nursery outside of Edinburgh that is open before they have to leave for work, or closes before they can return for pick-up. Others have been offered insufficient hours at council nurseries in Edinburgh given work commitments, or have only been offered available hours at nurseries further away that would add hours on to already long commutes. Some had to cut working hours or ship in grandparents from other parts of the country. In one case, a mother was forced to give up her lunch break so she could pick her three-year-old up from a council nursery, where he had a free place for five mornings, and take him to a private nursery for the afternoon, as it was the only way she could find additional hours. Some parents have considered legal action and, backed by a leading children’s rights lawyer, they are calling for the Scottish Government to intervene. Private and third sector nurseries – such as those run by charities and community groups – said they were also impacted. [Claylands Nursery](https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/my-edinburgh-nursery-no-future-28699961?ref=theferret.scot), in the western outskirts of Edinburgh, closed last July, after Edinburgh council decided that children attending from West Lothian, just a few miles away, would not receive funded places. It had asked the council for an exemption from the ruling, claiming the number of cross-border families that would be forced to leave would make their business unsustainable. Kirstin, a mother who has asked us not to use her surname, said her child was attending Claylands three days a week when she received an email giving five days notice of its closure. She lives “minutes” from the City of Edinburgh Council boundary. “It was a really stressful time as more than 50 people were looking for last minute places all at once,” she said. “We looked at one nursery in West Lothian but because of our working patterns it would have added about an hour to our commute, and we would have to pay for a second car to make pick-ups and drop-offs possible due to our hours, so we went with an Edinburgh nursery which was much closer.” ![Young child sitting on a colourful play mat, playing with a wooden educational toy featuring numbers, pegs, and brightly coloured rings. The child is wearing a dark blue sweater with star patterns.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1360983085-1.jpg) “We should be making it easier – not harder – for children to get high-quality early learning and childcare,” Bruce Adamson, a professor in child law at the University of Glasgow, told The Ferret. Image: Daria Nipot/iStock Though Kirstin felt “lucky” to find a nursery she is happy with, the sudden move had a big impact on her then almost two-year-old who went from being content at drop-offs to “screaming and crying and clinging to us”. “It was horrible,” she said. “It had a real impact on his confidence.” The family got through a difficult transition with the help of additional leave from work. Now almost three, her son has settled and “loves the nursery and the staff” but his place will not be funded by Edinburgh council. Kirstin has decided not to move him again this year. Instead the family will make “sacrifices” to afford £10,000 worth of fees over the next two years, though they will reassess in her son’s preschool year. “It’s hugely frustrating,” she added. “The council took this decision \[about cross-boundary funding\] without assessing the impact on children and it’s been left to parents to sort it out. I feel it should be up to the council and the Scottish Government should recognise that its policy is not being upheld.” Father Sam Illingworth lives in West Lothian, just metres from the City of Edinburgh Council boundary. His youngest daughter was settled in a private nursery just over the Edinburgh boundary. But since she has turned three, they have been unable to secure funding for her place there. They found a council nursery nearby, but as it doesn’t have enough hours available, they had to “top-up” their hours by continuing to use the private one. He has gathered testimonies from other parents whose work patterns rule out available council nurseries and others unable to find funded places that work with their commute. Earlier this month he set up a [petition](https://www.change.org/p/reverse-edinburgh-council-s-ban-on-funded-nursery-places-for-cross-boundary-families?ref=theferret.scot) calling on Edinburgh City Council to reserve its decision on funding. “The frustration is that West Lothian was willing to reimburse Edinburgh in terms of the funding,” he said. “We understand that council budgets are stretched – of course we do – but we dispute that they can make the savings they claim. It feels like this decision is ideological.” Sharon Fairley, chief executive of the [Scottish Private Nurseries Association](https://scottishearlyyearsassociation.org/?ref=theferret.scot) and owner of the Little Flyers chain, claimed the problems stemmed from the decision to move away from the centralisation of [funding](https://www.gov.scot/policies/early-education-and-care/early-learning-and-childcare/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2020\. “It means that councils are nursery providers but are also making decisions on who gets funding,” she said. “This is a conflict of interests. This can be solved by moving back to a centralised payment system.” She claimed there had also been widespread issues in other council areas, with “unfair” payment funding distribution. In recent years hundreds of third sector and private nurseries have closed, with many blaming problems on a lack of [“fair funding”](https://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/news/article/scottish-government-report-reveals-hundreds-of-nurseries-have-closed?ref=theferret.scot). > It’s clear the childcare system isn’t working for women and their families, especially those on low incomes. > > Anna Ritchie Allan, Close the Gap [Bruce Adamson](https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2023/october/headline%5F1008785%5Fen.html?ref=theferret.scot), a children’s rights lawyer, said the issue was about “children’s rights and fairness”. “The [high cost of living](https://www.gov.scot/publications/understanding-cost-living-crisis-scotland/pages/6/?ref=theferret.scot) in Edinburgh means that many parents and carers who work in Edinburgh live in neighbouring local authorities, but need childcare close to their work,” he added. “The City of Edinburgh Council’s decision to block funded nursery places for children living outside the city risks breaching children’s rights. “We should be making it easier – not harder – for children to get high-quality early learning and childcare. The Scottish Government needs to step in to protect families and uphold children’s rights.” Women, he claimed, were more likely to “bear the brunt of childcare gaps”. A study by the [Fawcett Society](https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) from November 2023 found that almost a quarter of a million women had left their jobs due to the difficulty of [balancing work and childcare](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/nov/05/motherhood-penalty-has-driven-quarter-of-a-million-women-out-of-jobs-says-report?ref=theferret.scot). Anna Ritchie Allan, executive director of charity [Close the Gap](https://www.closethegap.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which campaigns on [gender-based inequality in work](https://www.equallysafeatwork.scot/inequality-gender/?ref=theferret.scot), said: “It’s clear the childcare system isn’t working for women and their families, especially those on low incomes. Local variation in how funded hours are delivered further penalises many women.” However [councillor James Dalgleish](https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2662&ref=theferret.scot), the education, children and families convener at Edinburgh City Council, insisted it “follows national guidance in offering funded early learning and childcare (ELC) for children in Edinburgh and work in partnership with a range of providers to ensure that all parents and carers in Edinburgh are able to access quality funded early learning and childcare”. City of Edinburgh Council does offer its own local authority nursery provision to families living in neighbouring local authorities, he added, though it is currently not accepting new private or third sector providers as partner nurseries. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Local Authorities have a statutory duty to make available funded early learning and childcare to the children residing within their own area and are also responsible for meeting the statutory guidance requirements in relation to cross-boundary placements. “We encourage local authorities to work with neighbouring areas to ensure publicly funded services meet the needs of families and prioritise children’s wellbeing, including those who need cross-boundary placements. ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: oleghz/iStock* ### Arms lobby group urged UK and Scottish Governments to crack down on Palestine Action URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ads-group-urged-government-palestine-action/ Last updated: 2025-12-09T16:48:36.000Z **An arms lobby group urged the UK and Scottish Governments to crack down on Palestine Action more than a month before the group was proscribed, documents released to The Ferret reveal.** ADS Group, which describes itself as a “trade association advancing leadership in aerospace, defence, security and space”, said UK ministers should “consider proscription or prosecution for Terrorism Act offences” in a letter to Scottish Justice Secretary Angela Constance, dated May 2025. The letter, obtained by The Ferret under freedom of information legislation, stated that the lobbying outfit had also “written to the UK policing minister, Dame Diana Johnson, regarding the need for a structured nationwide response” to Palestine Action and was “due to meet with her shortly to discuss this further”. The following month, Johnson’s boss at the Home Office, Yvette Cooper, announced that Palestine Action would be banned as a terrorist organisation. The Home Office said that ADS had “nothing whatsoever to do with the decision” to proscribe Palestine Action on 1 July. “The suggestion that the decision was influenced by any private company is categorically false,” a spokesperson said. However, the revelation of ADS Group’s lobbying comes after it emerged that former defence staff chief [Lord Dannatt](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/05/lord-dannatt-urged-ministers-to-crack-down-on-palestine-action-at-request-of-us-firm?ref=theferret.scot) asked Home Office ministers to address the “threat” posed by Palestine Action on behalf of US arms multinational Teledyne, for which he works as a consultant. Sam Perlo-Freedman, of the [Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT)](https://caat.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), accused the UK Government of “dancing to the arms industry’s tune” and said arms industry groups had direct access to the prime minister. Palestine Action has [singled out](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c39zm0zmkv0o?ref=theferret.scot) the Israeli military technology firm Elbit Systems in its direct action protests – targeting the company’s UK factories as well as its contractors and associates. > This industry, whose products cause death and misery around the world, enjoys uniquely privileged access to the highest levels of government. > > Sam Perlo-Freedman, Campaign Against the Arms Trade ADS’s London headquarters has been [repeatedly targeted](https://freedomnews.org.uk/tag/ads-group/?ref=theferret.scot) by the group. In Scotland, protestors [entered Thales UK’s site in Govan in 2022](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9wj144zd7po?ref=theferret.scot), setting off pyrotechnics, and [caused damage](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr52q7l6drdo?ref=theferret.scot) at Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire this March. In the letter to Constance, ADS Group chief executive Kevin Craven stated that while counter-terrorism powers “have not been devolved”, the firm was “keen to receive reassurances that Police Scotland and their English and Welsh colleagues are working together to deal with a UK-wide challenge”. He called for both the UK and Scottish Governments to “carefully monitor the activities of direct action groups including Palestine Action and stand ready to commit greater resource to investigate and disrupt their activities”. He also suggested the creation of a “dedicated national policing intelligence cell” to “share intel on direct action protest groups”, as well as “the creation of a national covert and proactive policing capability, which historically has been delivered via Special Branch”. Craven complained that arms companies targeted by Palestine Action “have indicated there is a low and inconsistent level of awareness” among Police Scotland officers about powers given to them in the 2023 National Security Act. The law gives special protection to defence-related sites of the kind targeted by Palestine Action. Perlo-Freedman of CAAT told The Ferret: “This industry, whose products cause death and misery around the world, enjoys uniquely privileged access to the highest levels of government. “While top generals like Richard Dannatt take full advantage of the revolving door, top arms companies and ADS as the industry group have the PM on speed dial. This has always been deeply unhealthy for democracy, and has now led to the most serious attack on freedom of expression in decades.” SNP MPs [abstained](https://votes.parliament.uk/votes/commons/division/2078?ref=theferret.scot#notrecorded) on the proscription of Palestine Action when it was [voted on at Westminster](https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-06-23/debates/25062337000014/PalestineActionProscription?ref=theferret.scot). Stating that the move was “profoundly undemocratic”, the party’s MP Brendan O’Hara said he and his colleagues had sat it out because the UK Government had bundled far-right groups Murder Maniac Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement into the same proscription motion in a “disgraceful, cynical, manipulation” of Parliament. But when proscription was announced, officials advised John Swinney that if questioned, he should say it was a “reserved matter” for Westminster. According to a briefing seen by The Ferret, Swinney was advised he should speak out in support of free expression but add it must “be done in a democratic and respectful fashion”. Some have criticised the decision to proscribe with Amnesty International claiming it represented “unprecedented legal overreach”. However last week [The Telegraph](https://archive.ph/JyPq6?ref=theferret.scot) quoted “insiders and experts” claiming the government is “likely to have an extensive dossier of troubling evidence” in relation to its decision. On 30 July Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori was [granted permission](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqlerg1n67no?ref=theferret.scot) to challenge the ban. Last weekend more than [500 people](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqjyyzlwk2go?ref=theferret.scot) were arrested at a demonstration in London for showing support for the group – believed to be the largest number of arrests under terrorism powers in British history. ADS Group has been prolific in its lobbying of Scottish politicians. The [lobbying register](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/Search/Search?ref=theferret.scot) records 52 meetings and interactions with MSPs since the Israeli bombardment of Gaza began in October 2023\. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes held two meetings with ADS Group representatives in October and December last year. Asked whether the issue of Palestine Action had been raised in any of these meetings, an ADS spokesperson said: “The significant impact of criminal damage against businesses in our sectors has been raised with politicians and authorities on behalf of our membership base.” They claimed the letter to the Scottish justice minister sought to raise “pertinent issues” adding: “It is pivotal to our country’s security that peaceful protests are allowed, and even encouraged, but criminal damage, vandalism and danger to the life of workers is not something that we can support or sustain. “Amongst wider societal protests, our sectors have continued to be targeted at a higher than average rate, with escalating levels of violence and criminal activity. Our asks of government in this area are the same across the breadth of the UK, and centre around the protection of freedoms while maintaining the safety of our employees.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It is important that we live in a society where people have the right to protest, campaign and express their views in a democratic, respectful and lawful manner. “The decision to proscribe an organisation is reserved to the UK Government. The operational policing of any proscription is a matter for Police Scotland.” *Main image: Abdul-Aziz Munj/Unsplash* ### Scottish Government gave £77m to secretive tax haven firms URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-77m-secretive-tax-haven-firms/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:31:15.000Z **A company controlled by billionaire media baron Rupert Murdoch, a US military aircraft producer, and a Clyde port owner with an alleged history of tax avoidance are among the tax haven firms given £77m by the Scottish Government.** Other offshore-owned firms in receipt of public subsidies ditched pledges to create hundreds of jobs, or laid off hundreds of workers just a few years after accepting millions of pounds of taxpayer handouts. This investigation is part of The Ferret’s ongoing [Money Trail](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) series, in which we are exploring how international wealth flows through Scotland, and how it shapes our politics, public finances, and land and property ownership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) Our findings prompted calls from an MSP to give the Scottish Government the means to “clawback” public funds when firms fail to deliver on promises of jobs and investment. But Scottish Enterprise (SE), the government’s business agency, said grant contracts contain a provision which requires repayment of funding if terms and conditions are not met, including job creation promises. Campaigners and the Scottish Greens want the public funding of tax havens to be banned altogether. Incorporating a firm offshore does not equate to wrongdoing. But the anonymity afforded to corporate owners in jurisdictions like the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, or the US state of [Delaware](https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691180007/whats-the-matter-with-delaware?ref=theferret.scot) creates risks of “corruption and tax abuse”, campaigners warned. Transparency International UK argued that companies must be required to reveal their true owners before they are given public money. > The public has a right to know who ultimately benefits from their money. > > Juliet Swann, Transparency International UK SE awards grants and other payments to firms active in Scotland or seeking to set up a base here, incentivising them to invest and create local jobs. The agency’s financial support led to over 9,000 Scottish jobs being generated by global companies last year alone, it said. But some subsidised firms collectively promised to create more than 1,000 jobs which either failed to materialise, or were cut just years later, while 1,150 more are at risk. The Ferret analysed a list of grants, investments and other payments over £25,000 that SE made to nearly 2,600 companies between January 2020 and December 2024. We identified 18 that were ultimately owned in tax or secrecy havens, and had been given £1m or more in grants by Scottish Enterprise over the investment agency’s lifetime. ### **Mangata Networks** In 2022, the [Delaware-incorporated](https://opencorporates.com/companies/us%5Faz/23435370?ref=theferret.scot) satellite maker, Mangata Networks, announced a hub in Prestwick which it claimed would create 575 new jobs. A total of [£84m](https://www.scottish-enterprise-mediacentre.com/news/mangata-networks-announces-new-space-engineering-manufacturing-and-operations-hub-in-prestwick?ref=theferret.scot) in taxpayer funding was pledged – £54.5m from SE and £29m from the Scottish, UK, and Ayrshire local governments – that was expected to be repaid over 15 years. [Files](https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202400409517/?ref=theferret.scot) released by the Scottish Government, via a separate FOI request, claim Mangata’s boss “clearly stated” he would only choose Scotland if given “an incentive package” that exceeded an offer from a rival country. However, Mangata last year scrapped plans to create the jobs, [reportedly](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24254483.satellite-makers-abandon-plan-600-jobs-prestwick/?ref=theferret.scot) blaming challenging economic conditions, increased material costs and supply chain issues. Mangata said at the time it would continue its Scottish research and development operations, which were subsidised by a separate [SE grant](https://www.scottish-enterprise-mediacentre.com/news/mangata-networks-announces-new-space-engineering-manufacturing-and-operations-hub-in-prestwick?ref=theferret.scot). Mangata has received £4.3m from SE to date. SE stressed that subsidised firms are typically paid in tranches at pre-agreed milestones, and are required to evidence project expenditure before they can claim grant payments. As such Mangata will not receive the full £54.5m originally pledged. ### **LumiraDx** In 2021, SE agreed to provisionally award [£15m](https://www.scottish-enterprise-mediacentre.com/news/more-than-500-new-jobs-announced?ref=theferret.scot) to LumiraDx – a Cayman Islands-owned health diagnostics firm – to help create 500-750 new jobs as part of plans to establish hubs across Scotland. But two years later, the firm had announced [510 redundancies](https://www.alloaadvertiser.com/news/23459800.lumiradx-job-cuts-loom-wee-county-stirling-workers/?ref=theferret.scot) in Clackmannanshire and Stirlingshire. LumiraDx reportedly said it grew its operation to make Covid-19 test kits, and was shrinking back to pre-pandemic levels. LumiraDx, which received £3.6m from SE, is in the process of being liquidated, [according to](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04623673?ref=theferret.scot) the UK business registry. ### **Spirit AeroSystems** Spirit AeroSystems, whose parent company is also incorporated in the tax and secrecy haven of Delaware, makes planes and US military aircraft. It [opened](https://www.scottish-enterprise-mediacentre.com/news/aerospace-innovation-centre-opens-in-prestwick?ref=theferret.scot) a hub in Prestwick in 2021, and took nearly £7.9m in SE grants. First minister Nicola Sturgeon said at the time that the facility could create more quality manufacturing jobs. But Airbus is [taking over](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3wxy58vgnpo?ref=theferret.scot) most Prestwick operations from the loss-making Spirit, and promised only to retain the 1,150 workers based there in the short-term. ### **Clydeport** The west coast ports, run by Peel Ports and ultimately owned in the Cayman Islands, received £1.1m from SE via their subsidiary companies. A member of Westminster’s public accounts committee [claimed](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/peel-power-real-northern-powerhouse/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2013 that Peel did “not pay their fair share of corporation tax” – a claim rejected by the company. Its [billionaire](https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/feature/article/richest-people-uk-2025-revealed-vnkmnlxgz?ref=theferret.scot) chairman, John Whittaker, who is [domiciled in the](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/fY6rAmbjLJFJIZGKDkaGISHDUqc/appointments?ref=theferret.scot) tax haven of the Isle of Man, was last year[ accused](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/ports-billionaire-accused-leaving-scots-32736860?ref=theferret.scot) of leaving Ardrossan port to ruin, while he and other shareholders received nearly £300m in dividends. Port director Jim McSporran told The Ferret his firm invested £68m in Scotland in the last three years, which would “transform the economic prosperity of the west coast” and create “thousands of jobs”. ### **SolvedBy.AI** The tech firm was given £1.1m by SE. It was part of Work Tech Group – which is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) – until it demerged from the group in January. The BVI is a renowned tax and secrecy haven and Work Tech’s [latest UK accounts](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/FC036927/officers?ref=theferret.scot) state that the controlling party of the company is “not known”. Earlier in July, the BVI and several other UK offshore territories [failed to meet](https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025-07-01/bvi-and-other-overseas-territories-miss-final-deadline-for-anti-corruption-measure?ref=theferret.scot) the final deadline to introduce publicly accessible beneficial ownership registers designed to deter financial corruption. A SolvedBy.AI spokesperson said Work Tech Group was also registered in the UK, requiring it to disclose the same information as UK companies, and pay corporation tax. Both Work Tech and [SolvedBy.AI](http://solvedby.ai/?ref=theferret.scot) “met their tax and reporting obligations”, they added. ### **HarperCollins** The publishing firm – founded in Glasgow but owned by [News Corporation](https://newscorp.com/news-corp-leadership/?ref=theferret.scot) for decades – received nearly £2m from SE to design and install a robotic management system at its Robroyston warehouse. News Corp, owned by the family of billionaire media baron Rupert Murdoch, is incorporated in Delaware. [A third of Scotland’s newspapers owned in US tax havenNearly a third of Scotland’s most-read national newspapers are owned in a US tax haven – and that proportion may soon rise to half, The Ferret can reveal. As part of our Who Runs Scotland series, The Ferret analysed the ownership of the 21 national newspapers that adults in Scotland![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-37.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-2189204158.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/third-of-scotland-newspapers-owned-in-us-tax-haven/) ### **Calls for tighter rules and ‘clawback clause’** Campaigners and MSPs urged SE to demand more transparency from companies about their ownership and tax affairs before awarding public money to them with conditionality attached to grants. Others challenged the investment arm to stop funding tax haven firms altogether. Tom Brake, a former Liberal Democrat MP and director of campaign group Unlock Democracy, highlighted that Holyrood [blocked](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/21/scotland-bans-covid-19-support-firms-tax-havens?ref=theferret.scot) Covid-19 relief funds to tax haven firms after parliament backed a Green amendment to a 2020 bill. “There is a cast iron case for adopting this policy comprehensively to stop taxpayers’ money from disappearing into companies whose tax affairs are a closed book,” he added. The Greens also called on the Scottish Government to adopt the policy “on a permanent basis”. Labour MSP Paul Sweeney urged SE to write “a clawback clause” into contracts to recoup public funds if firms “fail to deliver” on projects, or later slash their Scottish investments. “There have been too many cases of public subsidies being awarded to projects undertaken by multinational firms that have failed to create the jobs and economic growth that were promised,” he said. Alex Cobham, chief executive of the Tax Justice Network, stressed that while not all firms using secrecy jurisdictions are “behaving badly”, the lack of transparency creates risks of “corruption and tax abuse”. Any company receiving public funds should be required to disclose their financial affairs in all the jurisdictions where they operate, he argued. > There have been too many cases of public subsidies being awarded to projects undertaken by multinational firms that have failed to create the jobs and economic growth that were promised. > > Paul Sweeney MSP, Scottish Labour Juliet Swann of Transparency International UK also called for tighter rules. “Requiring companies registered in tax havens to disclose their true owners as a condition of receiving public funding would dramatically improve due diligence,” she said. “The public has a right to know who ultimately benefits from their money.” A spokesperson for Scottish Enterprise said: “Global businesses are attracted to Scotland by its collaborative business support environment, access to a skilled workforce, as well as a range of funding packages to develop new, or grow existing, operations here. “Scottish Enterprise’s focus is on attracting and working with inward investors to invest and create jobs in Scotland. As a direct result of our support last year, global companies choosing to locate here generated over 9,000 jobs in Scotland. “Corporation tax is a matter reserved to the UK Government and decisions around the location of registered offices are made by individual companies and are based on a wide range of factors.” Every company named in this article was approached for comment. **Update**: *We updated this article at 12:05 on 11/08/2025 to include a clarification previously given to us by Scottish Enterprise in response to calls from an MSP for a “clawback clause” in SE contracts. The investment agency stressed that its grant contracts contain a provision which requires repayment of funding if terms and conditions are not met, including job creation promises.* *Header image: David Shankbone/iStock* ### Loch polluted by radioactive waste from nuclear bomb plant URL: https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-waste-pollution-nuclear-plant/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T16:57:24.000Z Loch Long on the Clyde has been contaminated by radioactive waste from the UK’s nuclear bomb store where old water pipes have repeatedly burst and caused floods, files released after a six-year secrecy battle reveal. [Internal documents](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/222193-files-released-by-the-scottish-environment-protection-agency-about-pipe-bursts-at-coulport/?ref=theferret.scot) obtained by The Ferret from the Scottish Government’s environmental watchdog disclose that radioactive water drained into the loch, which is [popular](https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/things-to-see/lochs-in-the-national-park/loch-long/?ref=theferret.scot) with swimmers, divers, kayakers and fishers, after a major flood in 2019. According to the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), the pollution happened because the Royal Navy failed to properly maintain a network of 1,500 pipes at the [Royal Naval Armaments Depot](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot) at [Coulport](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coulport/) on Loch Long in Argyll. The flooding was caused by “shortfalls in maintenance” and resulted in “unnecessary radioactive waste”, Sepa said. Plans to replace the ageing pipes at risk of failing and spreading radioactivity were “sub-optimal”, it warned. Sepa was concerned about a “lack of asset management” at Coulport, and at the nearby naval base at [Faslane](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/faslane/), by Helensburgh, the home port for [submarines](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/equipment/submarine/vanguard-class?ref=theferret.scot) armed with Trident nuclear missiles. The documents released by Sepa suggested that up to half of the components in use at Coulport were “beyond design life” in 2020. The revelations were described as “shocking” by one expert, who condemned attempts to keep problems secret. Campaigners said that poor maintenance at a nuclear weapons base was “deeply concerning”. The Ferret [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-incidents-radioactivity-faslane/) in May 2025 that there had been 12 nuclear incidents that could have leaked radioactivity at Faslane since 2023\. The Ministry of Defence said the incidents had “actual or high potential for radioactive release to the environment” – but it refused to give any details of what happened. [Rise in nuclear incidents that could leak radioactivityThere have been 12 nuclear incidents that could have leaked radioactivity at the Faslane naval base since 2023, The Ferret can reveal. According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the incidents at the Clyde nuclear submarine base had “actual or high potential for radioactive release to the environment”. But the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-27.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/31903295950_3b814a1361_o.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-incidents-radioactivity-faslane/) According to the newly [released documents](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/222193-files-released-by-the-scottish-environment-protection-agency-about-pipe-bursts-at-coulport/?ref=theferret.scot), there was a pipe burst at Coulport back in 2010 and then two in 2019\. One burst in August 2019 released “significant amounts of water” which flooded a nuclear weapons processing area, became contaminated with low levels of radioactive tritium and drained into Loch Long. After an internal investigation and a Sepa inspection, in 2020 the Royal Navy promised 23 actions to prevent more bursts and floods. It accepted that its lack of preparedness had caused “confusion”, “a breakdown in access control” and a “lack of communication of the hazards”. But in 2021 there were two more pipe bursts, prompting another inspection by Sepa in 2022\. Progress on completing the 23 remedial actions “had been slow and delayed in many cases”, Sepa said. “The events have highlighted shortcomings in asset management across the naval base.” A navy review in 2020 assessed “vulnerabilities, defects, corrosion” in “several systems” at Coulport and found that “about 50 per cent of the components reviewed were beyond design life”. This was “not what would be expected from a mature asset management system”, Sepa said. ### Flooding in the ‘Trident Special Area’ The Ferret first made a freedom of information request for files on radioactive problems at Coulport and Faslane in 2019, and then again in 2023 and 2024\. But despite multiple reviews, most files were kept secret for national security reasons, after Sepa had [consulted the Ministry of Defence (MoD)](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-pollution-clyde-nuclear-bases/). The secrecy was overturned, however, by the [Scottish Information Commissioner](https://www.foi.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), David Hamilton, in June 2025\. He [ordered Sepa](https://www.theferret.scot/faslane-radioactive-secrets-revealed/) to release most of the files, saying they threatened “reputations” not national security. The release was delayed by [another intervention](https://www.foi.scot/compliance-decisions-1472025-and-1482025-statement-commissioner?ref=theferret.scot) from the MoD in July, citing “additional national security considerations”. On 5 August, Sepa released [33 files to The Ferret](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/222242-all-files-released-by-the-scottish-environment-protection-agency-on-faslane-and-coulport-2016-2024/?ref=theferret.scot), with the names of some specific plants and dates redacted. They disclosed for the first time the problems that the Royal Navy had been having with pipes bursting and flooding parts of the “Trident Special Area” at [Coulport](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot). This is one of the most secretive, sensitive and secure areas in the UK. It includes the UK’s store of nuclear warheads for loading onto submarines, a weapons processing facility and missile bunkers. There have been nuclear weapons stored there since the 1960s. It is also where warheads are regularly replenished with the radioactive gas, [tritium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium?ref=theferret.scot), which helps to make nuclear explosions more powerful. ### Radioactive tritium contamination According to an email from the Royal Navy to Sepa in 2020, the “flooding event” in August 2019 was caused by “a failure in a flexible coupling in the low temperature hot water system” in the Trident Special Area. There were over a thousand of the couplings throughout the area’s “fluid and air systems” that were “being operated outwith their design life”, the navy said. According to a Sepa inspection report, the August 2019 flood released up to 15 cubic metres of water in a building that “had been used for 30+ years for carrying out processes that involve tritium”. The facility “has an open drain that is believed to drain directly to Loch Long,” Sepa said. The levels of tritium contamination in the water were “very low”, Sepa said. But it concluded that there were “shortfalls in maintenance and asset management that led to the failure of the coupling that indirectly led to the production of unnecessary radioactive waste.” Sepa pointed out that water was not sampled until the day after the flood, when most of it had drained away. It was not discovered to be radioactive until ten days later. Another pipe burst in September 2021 “resulted in a flood of a different area which contained radioactive substances”, said Sepa. The released documents give fewer details about the three other bursts in 2010, November 2019 and July 2021. The Ferret [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-tritium-coulport-cancer/) in November 2024 that emissions of tritium from Coulport to the air doubled over six years, rising from 1.7 billion to 4.2 billion units of radioactivity between 2018 and 2023\. The MoD declined to say what caused the increase. [Radioactive pollution from bomb plant sparks cancer fearsRadioactive air pollution from the nuclear weapons plant at Coulport, on the Clyde, has more than doubled over the last six years, prompting cancer warnings from campaigners. Emissions of the radioactive gas, tritium, from the Royal Naval Armaments Depot on Loch Long, have risen steadily between 2018 and 2023 from![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-28.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/rnad_coulport-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-tritium-coulport-cancer/) David Cullen, a UK nuclear weapons expert from the [BASIC nuclear think tank](https://basicint.org/?ref=theferret.scot) in London, described the repeated pollution incidents as “shocking” and the attempts to keep them secret as “outrageous”. He said: “The MoD is almost 10 years into a nearly £2bn [infrastructure programme](https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/clyde-infrastructure-programme-making-steady-progress/?ref=theferret.scot) at Faslane and Coulport, and yet they apparently didn’t have a proper asset management system as recently as 2022\. This negligent approach is far too common in the nuclear weapons programme, and is a direct consequence of a lack of oversight.” The Scottish Greens regarded the revelations as “deeply concerning” and called for “full transparency and accountability” from the MoD. “There are few sites as dangerous and where an accident or shoddy maintenance could have such potentially catastrophic consequences,” said the party’s co-leader, [Patrick Harvie MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/patrick-harvie?ref=theferret.scot). ### ‘No unsafe’ radioactive releases Because they are military bases, Coulport and Faslane are exempt from pollution rules that govern civilian sites. But [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said it was committed to ensuring the bases operated “in accordance with standards equivalent to those in environmental regulations, to protect both the environment and the public.” All radioactive discharges from the two sites, along with assessments of the environmental impacts, were [published annually](https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/radioactive-substances/environmental-monitoring-and-assessment/reports/?ref=theferret.scot). “Based on these assessments the risk to the environment from effluent discharges is of no regulatory concern,” Sepa told The Ferret. An “extensive replacement programme for components” had been undertaken by the Royal Navy, it said. Sepa was “satisfied” that Coulport and Faslane had made “substantial improvements to asset management and maintenance”. Sepa added: “Based on the improvements made and the information currently available, Sepa considers the programme to be adequately progressed and embedded.” The [MoD](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot) insisted that it placed the utmost importance on its responsibilities for handling radioactive substances safely and securely. “There have been no unsafe releases of radioactive material into the environment at any stage,” said a spokesperson. “We frequently engage with regulators who report there is no significant impact on the environment or public health and are supportive of an open reporting culture.” *The files released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency about pipe burst at Coulport are* [*available on DocumentCloud*](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/222193-files-released-by-the-scottish-environment-protection-agency-about-pipe-bursts-at-coulport/?ref=theferret.scot)*.* This story was co-published with [the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/09/radioactive-water-bomb-base-scotland-leak-sea-files?ref=theferret.scot). *Cover image of Loch Long thanks to iStock/*[*JoeDunckley*](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/JoeDunckley?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) ### Fish farming company to stop using lumpfish to remove sea lice from salmon URL: https://www.theferret.scot/mowi-stop-using-lumpfish-remove-sea-lice-salmon/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:47:20.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/20-9.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **Scotland’s biggest fish farming company is to stop using lumpfish to remove sea lice from salmon, after The Ferret revealed tens of thousands of the so-called cleaner fish had died at one of the firm’s Highland sites.** Lumpfish are commonly used on fish farms to ‘clean’ farmed salmon by eating the lice that infest, harm and often kill farmed salmon. Norwegian multinational Mowi will no longer use lumpfish at its sites in Scotland, although it will continue to “evaluate the benefits of using all cleaner fish”. The development follows our report in June revealing [135,000 lumpfish died](https://www.theferret.scot/135000-fish-die-at-torridon-salmon-farm/) on a Mowi farm in the Highlands, due to environmental issues, natural causes, disease and treatments to remove lice from salmon. The death toll was described as a “[catastrophe](https://www.theferret.scot/135000-fish-die-at-torridon-salmon-farm/)” by animal welfare campaigners, and a law firm dedicated to animal protection complained to the Crown Office. [More than 135,000 fish die at Torridon salmon farmMore than 135,000 fish have died at a salmon farm in the northwest Highlands run by a Norwegian company in the last two years, The Ferret can reveal. A total of 135,016 lumpfish and wrasse – aka ‘cleaner’ fish which are used to remove sea-lice from salmon – have died![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-52.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1176812165.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/135000-fish-die-at-torridon-salmon-farm/) The Ferret has since obtained an email sent in July by the Scottish Government’s Fish Health Inspectorate which said “it is our understanding that lumpfish will not be used at Mowi sites going forward”. In response to Mowi’s move, one expert said halting the use of lumpfish is “essential from an animal welfare point of view” but questioned whether the fish farm industry had a “viable plan” to solve an “out-of-control parasite problem”. In reply, Mowi said it has invested in new technology that is safer for fish, and claimed that sea lice levels have reached their “lowest levels in more than a decade”. Cleaner fish – first introduced into Scottish salmon farming [in the 1990s](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/facts/fish-welfare/cleaner-fish-and-scottish-salmon-farming?ref=theferret.scot) – are species of marine fish native to UK coastal waters. The six species used in salmon aquaculture are lumpfish and five types of wrasse; Ballan, Goldsinney, Rock cook, Corkwing and Cuckoo. The use of cleaner fish, according to the [farmed salmon industry](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/facts/fish-welfare/cleaner-fish-and-scottish-salmon-farming?ref=theferret.scot), is “mutually beneficial as the cleaner fish get a tasty meal and the salmon are cleaned of the naturally occurring wild sea lice”. Freshwater treatments are also used to remove lice from salmon. This involves salmon being temporarily transferred to wellboats filled with freshwater where the lice are removed by various methods, some of which can kill cleanerfish. > > > Abigail Penny, Animal Equality UK Dr Mark Borthwick, a former head of research at the Aquatic Life Institute who is now researching salmon farming practices, welcomed Mowi ending the use of lumpfish, but said the industry still needs to solve its lice problem. He said: “Cleaner fish are deployed primarily to protect the salmon farming industry’s social license to operate, and are only sometimes effective at eating lice. These lumpfish have done what they were deployed to do – defer questions on the commercial competence of the salmon farming industry.” Abigail Penny, executive director of Animal Equality UK, said the salmon farming industry has “failed to effectively control the rampant lice infestations in its farms”, and argued that the solution is “not to harm even more animals and further deplete our oceans”. Claiming that the use of wrasse and lumpfish as cleaner fish has been “one of the industry’s many dirty secrets for decades”, she added: “It’s time for the Scottish salmon farming industry to end the use of all cleaner fish, not just some. Continuing this broken model is utterly indefensible.” Mowi Scotland confirmed that lumpfish would no longer be used. A spokesperson added: “Mowi will continue to review all options available with regard to protecting the fish in our care from sea lice. The welfare of our fish is at the heart of what we do. It is also our business model.” They continued: “Healthy fish that grow to optimum levels are highly sought after all over the world. Cleaner fish continue to be one method available to us in a suite of methods which include freshwater treatment in wellboats. Mowi has also made major investments in [FLS mec](https://businessnorway.com/solutions/flatsetsund-engineering-fls-delouser-uses-seawater-at-seawater-temperature?ref=theferret.scot)[h](https://businessnorway.com/solutions/flatsetsund-engineering-fls-delouser-uses-seawater-at-seawater-temperature?ref=theferret.scot)[anical delousing](https://businessnorway.com/solutions/flatsetsund-engineering-fls-delouser-uses-seawater-at-seawater-temperature?ref=theferret.scot) (a chemical-free system) to gently remove sea lice after freshwater baths.” Rather than using chemicals, the FLS Delouser flushes the fish through a pipeline with seawater at seawater temperature. This keeps the mortality rate low, claims [the industry](https://businessnorway.com/solutions/flatsetsund-engineering-fls-delouser-uses-seawater-at-seawater-temperature?ref=theferret.scot). *Main image: richard johnson/iStock* ### Promise must tackle racism in the care system URL: https://www.theferret.scot/promise-must-tackle-racism-in-the-care-system/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T18:35:08.000Z **Scotland must “do more to tackle racism and bias” in child protection, according to the organisation overseeing Scottish Government reforms of the care system for children and young people at risk.** The claim was made by Fraser McKinlay, chief executive of [The Promise Scotland](https://thepromise.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), who also admitted his own organisation must do more to bring an “anti-racist lens” to its work to ensure the concerns of Black and brown families and children were heard. [The Promise](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-promise/) Scotland was formed five years ago to oversee [recommended reforms](https://www.carereview.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) of thecare system for children and young people. But [campaigners have accused](https://www.theferret.scot/migrant-mother-cultural-bias-family-ripped-apart/) both the care review – and the organisation overseeing improvements to the system – of failing to recognise issues around race and cultural differences. The Ferret has been investigating claims there are systemic issues with the child protection system in terms of racial and cultural issues for migrant families as part of a cross-border series with Scotland-based [Migrant Women Press](https://migrantwomenpress.com/?ref=theferret.scot), and journalists in Romania and Italy. Earlier this week The Ferret and Migrant Women Press told [the story of Nina](https://www.theferret.scot/migrant-mother-cultural-bias-family-ripped-apart/), an asylum-seeking mother whose children were taken into care following concerns about her parenting. Three of her children were returned to her care following an assessment commissioned by social work after the birth of her fifth baby. It noted a previous lack of racial and cultural understanding by social workers. However the relationship with the first two of her children taken into care had broken down and they remained in foster care – an arrangement that became permanent. Her fostered son later took his own life. His mother believes cultural bias ripped her family apart. [A teen took his own life in foster care. His migrant mother says cultural bias led to her family being ripped apartOn one side of Nina’s bright living room, life is flourishing. Plants line the large window, green and verdant, the tendrils of one tumbling vigorously down the side of a high shelf. But on the other side, where a small memorial has been set up, time has frozen. Cut![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-42.png)The FerretJuliana da Penha![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image0-1-jpeg.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/migrant-mother-cultural-bias-family-ripped-apart/) Grassroots organisations working with migrant families in Scotland’s child protection system claimed that while this case was historic, they had ongoing concerns that the sector was “racially biased”. They said it must be reformed to ensure Black and ethnic minority families were not discriminated against. [Passion4Fusion](http://passion4fusion.com/?ref=theferret.scot) told us that out of 76 families it had supported in the last two years through the child protection system in Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian, Dundee and Fife, most had “elements of racial bias” in their cases. In response Fraser McKindlay told The Ferret and Migrant Women Press: “I have heard from organisations working with Black and brown families who are made to feel that their voices aren’t valid. “Scotland needs to do more to tackle racism and bias in the system, and I recognise that The Promise Scotland needs bring more of an anti-racist lens to our work in supporting the promise to be kept.” He said the current plan to implement the recommendations of [Scotland’s independent care review ](https://www.carereview.scot/about/?ref=theferret.scot)states that “children and their families must have access to legal support, advice and advocacy to navigate the Home Office asylum procedures”. “The workforce should understand their religious and cultural contexts and their traditions and cultural needs must be respected by all those involved in their care to ensure their rights are upheld,” he added. > Scotland needs to do more to tackle racism and bias in the system. The Promise Scotland needs bring more of an anti-racist lens to our work in supporting the promise to be kept. > > Fraser McKindlay, The Promise Scotland He said independent advocacy was one method of helping migrant families get the support they need to ensure fair and equitable outcomes in the child protection system. The right to advocacy is part of the proposed [“Promise” bill](https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/s6/children-care-care-experience-and-services-planning-scotland-bill?ref=theferret.scot), published in June this year. However Victoria Nyanga-Ndiaye – founder of Edinburgh-based charity, [Project Esperanza](https://projectesperanza.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) – said that the acknowledgment should have come five years earlier when Promise Scotland was formed, following Scotland’s [care review](https://www.carereview.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). She claimed it had failed to take an anti-racist approach and said Black people were an “afterthought”. “This system does not accommodate culture and does not accommodate race issues,” she said. “I don’t know how we can safely navigate the experiences of Black and brown people without factoring that in.” According to the most recent [Scottish statistics](https://www.gov.scot/publications/childrens-social-work-statistics-looked-after-children-2023-24/documents/?ref=theferret.scot) for children taken into care, in 11 per cent of cases no ethnicity was recorded. In England it is a legal requirement to record ethnicity. In Scotland it is not. In response to freedom of information requests more than a third of local authorities said they did not record data on whether children taken into care were from migrant families or not. A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said that its guidance on child protection “makes clear that cultural respect and understanding must be consistently applied in all child care and protection practices”. They added: “The guidance sets out that professionals should learn about the culture or faith of the child and family and seek advice if necessary. They should also be culturally sensitive while keeping focus on the child’s experience and potential harm.” *This article was developed with the support of Journalismfund Europe* *Main image: Jac Liaw/iStock* ### Fact check: Claims on the costs of Trump’s visit, cheating at golf, and trillion dollar trade deals URL: https://www.theferret.scot/fact-check-trump-visit-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T14:42:18.000Z **Donald Trump has flown back to the US after his whirlwind visit to Scotland.** During his four-day trip, the [US president promoted his two Scottish golf courses](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg4r4z2gx2qo?ref=theferret.scot), met with John Swinney and Keir Starmer, and agreed a [trade deal](https://news.sky.com/story/us-and-eu-agree-trade-deal-says-donald-trump-13402672?ref=theferret.scot) with the leader of the EU’s European commission. There was significant coverage of his trip in the media and online, and several claims were made relating to Trump’s time in Scotland. ### **1\. US taxpayers just paid $10M for Trump’s trip to Scotland** ![President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer board Marine One at Royal Air Force Lossiemouth, Scotland on Monday, July 28, 2025, en route Trump International Scotland in Aberdeen. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/1024px-donald_trump_and_airforce_one_with_united_kingdom_prime_minister_keir_starmer_on_28_july_2025_in_scotland.jpg) President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer board Marine One at Royal Air Force Lossiemouth. Image: Daniel Torok/White House The US president’s trip was described as a private visit, and was intended to promote his golf courses in Scotland. While he did meet with politicians including the first minister and prime minister, it was not an official state visit. This led to [criticism](https://x.com/JoJoFromJerz/status/1950155649632911501?ref=theferret.scot) [online](https://x.com/RWPUSA/status/1950205343188885567?ref=theferret.scot) about how much the trip, which was primarily made to promote private business interests, would cost the US taxpayer, with claims online that the security and logistics bill for Trump’s visit would cost $10m (£7.6m). The claims stem from an [article by online media outlet](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/trump-scotland-golf-vacation%5Fn%5F688278b0e4b01be72b3e620b?ref=theferret.scot) HuffPost, published as the president arrived in Scotland, which analysed the cost of various parts of his trip. Huffpost gave a “conservative estimate of $9.7m (£7.4m) for the five-day jaunt”. To get this figure, the website included “the hourly operating cost of Air Force One; the need to ferry Marine One helicopters and motorcade vehicles across the Atlantic aboard C-17 transports; (and) secret service overtime expenses” among other expenses. However, it did not provide detailed breakdowns of its methodology. The costs were estimated by looking at averages from a report by the [US General Accounting Office](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-19-178.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), a non-partisan watchdog that analyses how public money is spent. Its [2019 report](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-19-178.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) looked at the cost of four visits president Trump made to his Mar-a-Lago holiday estate in 2017 during his first presidency. Much of the cost is down to Air Force One, the private plane that the president travels on. The hourly cost of operating the aircraft has been estimated at between [$177,843](https://www.twz.com/45066/here-is-what-the-vc-25a-air-force-one-jets-now-cost-per-hour-to-fly?ref=theferret.scot) and [$273,063](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/trump-scotland-golf-vacation%5Fn%5F688278b0e4b01be72b3e620b?ref=theferret.scot). Huffpost used the higher figure to estimate the cost of travelling from Washington DC to Scotland and back as a six hour and seven hour journey respectively, costing $3.8m. The $9.7m figure also included the use of a second plane for presidential and security staff. However, it is an estimate based on previous costs reported, and doesn’t account for inflation, which increases costs. It does reveal the actual bill from the 2017 trip, and is instead intended to be illustrative of the potential cost of a visit to Scotland for this length of time. The White House has not revealed the actual cost of the visit, and did not respond to queries from Ferret Fact Service. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Half-True.png) ### 2\. **Social media video shows president Trump cheating at golf** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/1024px-president_donald_trump_on_tuesday_july_29_2025_in_aberdeen_scotland.jpg) President Donald Trump participates in the grand opening ceremony of Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen. Image: Daniel Torok During the US president’s visit, he played a round of golf at his Trump Turnberry course on the west coast of Scotland. A [video was widely-shared online](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1709078116413645) purporting to show Trump cheating during his round, with a ball dropped by one of two men who were acting as caddies. The [video shows](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1709078116413645) the president driving up to a section of the course near a bunker, with the two caddies walking ahead of him. Trump then gets out of the golf buggy, and one of the other men appears to drop a ball behind him from his left hand onto the course. The video appears to be legitimate, taken by an onlooker as Trump played a round of golf on Sunday 27 July. Other [images published](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/president-donald-trump-waves-as-he-plays-golf-at-his-trump-news-photo/2226553926?ref=theferret.scot) by Getty and [videos on YouTube ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u78CTEl8p6g&ref=theferret.scot)by Associated Press show Trump playing the same course on the same day. It’s not likely that Trump was playing a competitive round, but the way the ball was dropped would violate the rules of the game. The rules of golf in the UK are set out primarily by the [Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A)](https://www.randa.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which provides a rule book, periodically updated. Its American equivalent is the [US Golf Association (USGA)](https://www.usga.org/?ref=theferret.scot). What Trump’s caddy appears to be doing is what’s called [a ‘drop’](https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/golf-rules/golf-rules-explained-dropping-and-measuring-170443?ref=theferret.scot) in golf. This is when a player’s ball is either unplayable, such as if it’s out of bounds or in a penalty area like a pond or river. The player then takes a ‘drop’, where they are required [under R&A rules](https://www.randa.org/rog/clarifications/rule-14?ref=theferret.scot) to drop the ball from knee height onto the ground, usually in line with where their ball entered an unplayable area. While we don’t know where Trump’s original ball ended up, Trump’s caddy appears to throw the ball without attempting to discern the correct drop zone, and R&A and USGA rules say the ball must be dropped by the player themself. The [USGA rules state](https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/topics/dropping.html?ref=theferret.scot): “Your caddie is not allowed to drop your ball”. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: True** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/True.png) ### 3\. **“Trump just worked out a trillion dollar trade deal with Europe”** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/54689554454_2486e09e94_k.jpg) President Donald J. Trump with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland. Image: Daniel Torok President Trump was able to meet with Keir Starmer, John Swinney and Ursula von der Leyen, leader of the EU’s European commission during his visit. [Supporters](https://x.com/JesseBWatters/status/1950353902114652164?ref=theferret.scot) of the [president](https://x.com/Monicaandersox/status/1949856558709432387?ref=theferret.scot) were quick to highlight the value of those meetings, with social media posts claiming the trip to Scotland secured a “$1tn” in trade deals for the US. The most significant agreement was made between the US and the EU, with the two sides [committing to](https://news.sky.com/story/us-and-eu-agree-trade-deal-says-donald-trump-13402672?ref=theferret.scot) a 15 per cent tariff on most EU goods entering the US. Trump had previously threatened to impose a 30 per cent rate. As [part of the deal](https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda%5F25%5F1930?ref=theferret.scot), EU countries will procure US liquified natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy products valued at $750bn, and the European Commission said that companies in the EU “have expressed interest in investing at least $600bn” into various sectors in the US by 2029. This would be a combined value of more $1.35tn (£1tn), although it has yet to be delivered. The deal is not legally binding, but is a political agreement that the two sides will continue to negotiate the details of. The [latest figures for 2024 show](https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/europe-middle-east/europe/european-union?ref=theferret.scot) the US bought $235.6bn more from the EU than it sold to the bloc, a significant trade deficit that the US president’s tariffs are attempting to reduce. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Mostly-True.png) *Main image: President Donald Trump participates in the grand opening ceremony of Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen, Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Aberdeen, Scotland. Credit: Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok.* ### A teen took his own life in foster care. His migrant mother says cultural bias led to her family being ripped apart URL: https://www.theferret.scot/migrant-mother-cultural-bias-family-ripped-apart/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T11:05:38.000Z On one side of Nina’s bright living room, life is flourishing. Plants line the large window, green and verdant, the tendrils of one tumbling vigorously down the side of a high shelf. But on the other side, where a small memorial has been set up, time has frozen. Cut flowers and candles gather with some forlorn stuffed toys and photos of the son who was removed from her care as a toddler, along with his pre-school sister. Contact between Nina and her children, who we’ll call Zara and David, was stopped seven months later. Her son David had been in permanent foster care for years when, still a young teen, he took his own life. The nature of his death meant the only glimpse Nina was allowed in the morgue was of his hands. They reminded her of the hands of her youngest child, now nine and playing quietly upstairs. Nina lives in a space between two worlds. Part of her moves amongst the living – caring for her three children still at home, messaging her oldest living in England, childminding, going to church, tending her garden. But, she says, the other part is destroyed by a loss that wells up as uncontrollable emotion and pulsating grief, which threatens to engulf her universe. It takes her to lawyers and support groups and to dark places. This is also a story with different sides. There is Nina’s version, a mother from Southeast Africa who claims her actions were culturally misunderstood by a racially discriminatory social work system, which removed her children, leading to the seemingly irreversible breakdown of her bonds with two of them. But then there is the perspective of the foster parents and of Zara, the older sister also removed from Nina’s care, who is now a young adult – all said they did not want to contribute. Zara has been consistent in her refusal to have contact with her mother. To protect their identities – as well as those of Nina’s other children – we have given everyone in this story different names and changed or removed some details. For Nina’s supporters, some of her claims of racial bias are part of a pattern, highlighted by two new reports by Black and migrant-led organisations in Scotland launched in the last three months. Both offer evidence to support concerns that the child protection system is designed in a way that discriminates against families on the basis of race and culture. The Ferret has teamed up with [Migrant Women Press](https://migrantwomenpress.com/?ref=theferret.scot) to investigate these long-standing and widespread fears in cross-border work with journalists in Italy and Romania. ![Article headline: A teen took his own life in foster care. His migrant mother says cultural bias led to her family being ripped apart Image description: Illustration of a woman with dark curly hair walking along a pavement at dusk, wearing a red shirt, white trousers, and brown sandals. She carries a small bag with blue stripes in her right hand and a crossbody satchel over her shoulder. Behind her, her shadow appears on a wall, along with the shadows of two small children holding hands, symbolising memory or absence. The sky is purple with scattered white clouds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image0-1-jpeg-1.jpg) Illustration by Catherine Weir Grassroots organisation [Passion4Fusion](https://passion4fusion.com/?ref=theferret.scot) said they had worked with 76 families over the last two years. Most of the cases showed some elements of “racial bias” in terms of social work involvement, they claimed. Edinburgh-based [Project Esperanza](https://projectesperanza.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which also works with parents and young people, told us they worked with over 40 Black and racialised families and shared similar concerns. Many of them were migrants, unfamiliar with Scottish laws and customs. We also received anonymised details of cases from [Scottish Refugee Counci](https://scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)l and Glasgow-based [Women’s Integration Network](https://www.womensintegrationnetwork.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which also supports migrant women. These organisations are calling for reform to ensure more migrant families get support sooner, helping them address problems and raise their children in line with Scottish laws before they escalate to a situation where children are removed from the home. Most recent [Scottish social work statistics](https://www.gov.scot/publications/childrens-social-work-statistics-looked-after-children-2023-24/documents/?ref=theferret.scot) suggest that 828 Black and ethnic minority children were in the care system as of July 2024, but there are a further 1,297 children with no recorded ethnicity. Child protection is one of the most complex and emotive issues, wound-up in love and fear. Scotland’s current policy is that as long as it is safe, [families should get the support needed for them to stay together](https://thepromise.scot/resources/2020/keepthepromise-family-support.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). But social workers also have to be highly attuned to risk. On average, [one child a week](https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/children-and-families-at-risk/children-in-care?ref=theferret.scot) dies by assault or undetermined intent in the UK, most commonly caused by the child’s parent or step-parent. In Nina’s case there are copious but redacted legal notes taken from documentation she provided to her lawyer – covering the period from when she first entered the asylum system until Zara and David were permanently fostered many years later – to help us tell this story. Even the reports don’t all concur. Some raise concerns about her ability to give her children a safe and nurturing home, while others provide clear explanations for her parenting choices, allaying fears. It is from these we can confirm that Zara and David were born in the UK more than 15 years ago while Nina was working as a carer for an older woman in the North of England, saving money to send back to two older children back in Southeast Africa who were looked after by extended family. The intention was for them to join her later. But when the older woman died, Nina’s work visa had already expired. She claimed asylum saying she would be under threat of [female genital mutilation](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation?ref=theferret.scot) (FGM )if she returned home. Within weeks she was confronting the devastation of being refused refugee status. Along with then-baby David and three-year-old Zara, she found herself in immigration detention for more than two months. Several failed attempts were made to physically remove them from the country. She was put on a plane several times, along with her children, sometimes she says, in handcuffs. It was while in detention that concerns were first raised about Nina’s depressed state. Fears about the impact of that on her children saw them taken into care for two weeks but then returned to her on the advice of social workers. From there, the family was allocated an asylum flat and sent to Scotland. Notes state that social workers there were alerted and visited from September. They recorded Nina’s seeming “emotional detachment” from her children and difficulty controlling her emotions. Some reports later allege she used physical chastisement. She vehemently denies this, insisting she was never aggressive to her children, claiming she would put David in another room until he stopped crying. Within months a referral was made to her doctor due to the impact of her immigration situation on her mental health. > She is not an evil mother. She was just trying to look after kids in the way that was normal in her culture. > > Flora Now, many years later, Nina remembers this period differently, claiming social services were only alerted when she left one of her small children with a friend while she went to report to the Home Office. It seems odd until she explains: “I don’t know the system. I didn’t understand the language. We don’t have social services in my country.” She does remember the way her world fell apart when, more than a decade ago, they were removed from her care. “I felt like my kids were dead,” she says. “When your child is missing you think about them constantly. What are they eating? Are they sleeping? Are they crying? You feel completely helpless, completely hopeless. All you want to do is get them back with you.” At night she could not sleep. Perhaps, she thought, the police would help her. She left the house after midnight, the empty streets blanketed in snow. “But I wasn’t cold,” she remembers. “I just kept walking, thinking about my kids, how I could get them back.” At the police station she begged them to return them and threatened to harm herself if they did not. In her pocket, they found a knife. She was arrested for possession, a charge the court later threw out. But it remained on her notes like a stain, evidence of her “erratic and unpredictable” behaviour. “They tried to say I was dangerous,” she says. She self-referred to a psychiatric hospital where her highly distressed state was assessed to be reactive to her situation. No mental illness was diagnosed. During this time supervised visits to her children were allowed once a week. In her anxious state she fretted about their care, worried about the care of their Black skin and African hair. She was allowed to shave David’s head and given a limited time to braid Zara’s hair. “I never got to finish it,” she says. “Our African hair needs to be cared for properly.” She worried about them developing a scalp infection, which is more common among African children, meaning [proper hair care](https://www.bad.org.uk/pils/caring-for-afro-textured-hair/?ref=theferret.scot) is needed. When the social worker left the room during her final visit she shaved Zara’s head too. To Nina, this simply didn’t seem problematic. ”That is so normal for us,” she says. “Me and my sisters always had our hair like that. You look at primary schools in my country and you could not tell the girls from the boys.” Now she concedes her daughter hadn’t grown up in Africa: “She wasn’t ready for that,” she acknowledges. But to the social worker, who walked back into a room with two distressed and frantic children and a then unrepentant mother, a line had been crossed. Contact ended that day. Nina’s distraught daughter told social workers she didn’t want to see her mum again. And she didn’t. But this backdrop meant that when, just months later, Nina’s two older children arrived from the African country where they were born and lived with extended family, they were immediately taken into care. Authorities said there was no evidence that Flora and Shelton, as we’ll call them, were her children and sent for DNA tests. But though these were a positive match, they were not allowed home. Flora, staunch in her support for her mother even as a young teen, got the bus from school to her mum’s every day and had to be repeatedly returned to the children’s home by police. “That was traumatising,” says Nina. “Luckily, my daughter is incredibly strong.” It inspired Nina’s growing sense of defiance. And something else was growing inside her. ![teenage looking out window](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1419860534.jpg) In July 2024, 82% of children in care in Scotland were white, compared with 89% of the overall under‑18 population. Image: Pablo Rodrigo Sanchez Remorini/iStock Her new baby arrived with the new year and Nina named her Adira – ‘strong one’. She needed that strength, Nina says. Her baby’s name was already on a pre-birth child protection register and within days, she too was removed from her mother’s care due to the previous concerns. But this time it was different. “They gave me a new \[social work\] team this time,” explains Nina. “I felt like these social workers could see the real Nina. I said to myself: ‘God is good’.” For nine more months she was allowed supervised visits with her baby. Notes record her delight in her daughter at this time, who she would sing to as they played. Meanwhile independent assessors, commissioned by social work, re-examined all the records, read-up on theories about cultural misunderstandings and racial bias in child protection cases and interviewed Nina, her GP and Zara and David’s foster carer. Their observations of Nina’s parenting were based on 30 hours of visits she was allowed with her new baby over that time. Their subsequent report was balanced but transformative for Nina. It noted she had “some difficulties” in her care for Zara and David and acknowledged the allegation – denied by Nina – that she may have used physical chastisement, though they found nothing to prove it. But it also mentions videos showing happy times with her “lively and bright” children before they went into care. It concluded concerns that David was developmentally delayed due to her poor parenting were, in fact, regression due to the trauma of “his abrupt separation” from his mother. It found “no evidence” that she had struggled with parenting prior to the children being taken into care, when her mental health deteriorated. It refuted several allegations of poor parenting stated as fact in children’s panel hearings. It suggested she had been culturally misunderstood over issues from the care of African hair to her way of expressing emotion. Assessors wrote: “behaviours when taken in the context of Nina’s nationality and culture are immediately less alarming” and that an understanding of them would allow for “intervention in a culturally sensitive manner”. It recorded the way relations had broken down between Nina and her then social worker. While Nina had previously been untrusting of social workers and officials, assessors experienced “a level of honesty and openness not previously observed”. They recommended her baby be returned to her care, with ongoing support from social work, and that her oldest daughter Flora went home too because she had been so vocal about her desire to. They noted they would need to interview Shelton to have a view on his future. However the relationship with Zara and David in foster care had been “fractured by the separation”, they wrote, noting that ”extensive work” with mental health professionals was needed to repair it. To Nina, the assessment exonerated her. “If I hadn’t had my baby they would say I was still a dangerous person who was not allowed to have kids,” she says. “It changed everything in every way possible.” \_ It is difficult to get definitive figures on the number of children from Black and [racialised](https://mycommunity.org.uk/why-you-should-consider-using-the-term-racialised-instead-of-bame?ref=theferret.scot) families taken into care in Scotland. Official [Scottish statistics](https://www.gov.scot/publications/childrens-social-work-statistics-looked-after-children-2023-24/documents/?ref=theferret.scot) show only 82 percent of children in care in July 2024 were white, though a higher proportion – 89 percent – made up the general population of under 18s in Scotland. But for a further 11 per cent of those in care no ethnicity was recorded. In England it is a legal requirement to record ethnicity. In Scotland it is not. English research shows Black children are [more likely](https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/news/extreme-ethnic-inequalities-in-the-care-system?ref=theferret.scot) than their white or Asian counterparts to be taken into care. The Ferret and Migrant Women Press tried to get figures for the number of migrant children taken into care in Scotland over the last five years. Only nine local authorities provided figures, with six claiming no children had been taken into care. West Lothian’s figures were far the highest with a total of 42 migrant children taken into care over five years, including 12 children from Nigeria, eight from Poland and eight from Romania and Slovakia. Two were taken into care at birth. Though some cases were “ongoing” none of those children had been adopted. Five councils, including Edinburgh, refused to give details due to the small number of children involved, which they argued could identify them. But 11 out of the 32 local authorities – more than a third – said they did not record data on whether children taken into care were migrants or not. “While information on nationality and ethnicity may be provided on a voluntary basis, where this is the case it is often only contained in observational notes and may not be provided at all,” admitted Glasgow City Council, Scotland’s largest local authority. Dumfries and Galloway council added: “We don’t have anything on our system that would help us identify these cases.” Concerns about the disproportionate intervention of social work in Black families across Europe are long running and widespread. In 2021 the [BBC reported ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-56845771?ref=theferret.scot)on the case of a Nigerian victim of trafficking, living in an Italian migrant shelter, who was threatened with having her son taken into care. Those running the shelter were apparently concerned by her so-called “African” ways of bringing up her son, which included carrying him on her back and encouraging him to eat by putting food in his mouth. The 2023 Indian film Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway documented the real-life story of Anurup Bhattacharya and Sagarika Chakraborty, an [Indian immigrant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian%5Fdiaspora?ref=theferret.scot) couple whose children were taken away by Norwegian authorities in 2011\. Other cases have been documented in [Sweden](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13691457.2022.2149474?ref=theferret.scot). Conversely there have been concerns about the way fears of raising the issue of race can prevent abuse being acted on. The murder of ​​eight-year-old [Victoria Climbié](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c5edeed915d696ccfc51b/5730.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from the Ivory Coast twenty-five years ago, by her great aunt and her boyfriend, is said to be instrumental in current social work practice. But some claim that understandable fear has led to prejudice. > In our experience, when Black people get into this system they don’t get the same support as white people and they are considered high risk. > > Helene Rodger, Passion4Fusion Helene Rodger, chief executive of [Passion4Fusion](https://passion4fusion.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which supports families in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Midlothian, West Lothian, Dundee and Fife, says the situation is complex. She explains: “A lot of the families we support come to the attention of social services due to physical chastisement.” She doesn’t excuse it but says it needs to be seen in context. “In a lot of African countries it is quite normal for it to be used as a form of discipline, not harm,” she adds. “We parent how we were parented and that is how most of us were disciplined. In Scotland it’s only been illegal since 2020\. Often it’s teachers or neighbours who contact social services.” One family the charity is supporting have had three children taken to separate white foster carers for this reason, split from their siblings, she explains. But she also shares details of cases where their advocacy and support early on has helped social workers to understand their cultural contexts, led to problems being addressed and seen children returned home. She claimed migrants should be given clearer information and an opportunity to learn about parenting in Scotland so they know it is against the law to smack their children. Social workers should be trained to better understand the different cultural contexts, she said. Ensuring early and non-judgemental support is key, she claims. “Because in our experience when Black people get into this system they don’t get the same support as white people and they are considered high risk,” she says, meaning their cases will be judged as requiring intensive support and child protection involvement. “There is no opportunity for failure.” [English research](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/628666598fa8f556165a1e4b/Ethnicity%5Fand%5Fchildrens%5Fsocial%5Fcare.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) backs her experience. As part of its report, [They Took My Child Too](https://passion4fusion.com/resources/final-they-took-my-child-v5/?ref=theferret.scot) – launched at the Scottish Parliament in May – Passion4Fusion surveyed over 100 parents, community members and professionals with experience of the social work system. Almost three quarters believed that there was a “culture gap” between families and social work, while 93 per cent “agreed or strongly agreed” that more culturally aware and sensitive child protection services would improve the welfare of Black and brown children. “We cannot fix what we refuse to name,” Helene Rodger told a packed room at the May event. “There is racism in the care system.” Recommendations included mandatory anti-racist and cultural competency training for social care workers, foster carers, and child protection decision-makers, along with increased recruitment of Black foster carers and social workers. \_ Nina’s baby came home after that life-changing assessment. African-born Flora and Shelton were also returned to her care. Flora, now in her mid-twenties and working as an engineer, remembers the relief of that decision. “We just wanted to be with mum,” she says. “If there hadn’t been that assessment everything could have been different. She is not an evil mother. She was just trying to look after kids in the way that was normal in her culture.” Nina still aspired to have all her children at home, or at least have contact with the other two. Yet Zara remained adamant that she wanted to stay with her foster family and did not want to see her mother. Nina finds this hard to accept. According to the [Passion4Fusion](https://passion4fusion.com/?ref=theferret.scot) report this scenario is not uncommon. It claims many Black and racialised children in care “express reluctance or resistance to reconnecting with their families or communities of origin”. Rodgers points out that many of the families she works with are living in poverty. In foster care children have warm homes, their own rooms and parents with more disposable income. But what Nina really can’t understand is why contact did not start with her son, whose views on seeing her, she says, do not seem to have been fully explored. Notes suggest that while his view on seeing his mother was not consistent, he was sometimes receptive to gifts, photographs and letters she sent him. An increasing level of research suggests even when children are [adopted](https://www.cypnow.co.uk/content/news/adopted-children-should-remain-close-to-birth-families-study-suggests/?ref=theferret.scot), contact with their birth families boosts wellbeing. Several years ago the local authority that removed Nina’s children from her care successfully applied for a permanence order for Zara and David, which meant Nina lost parental rights. They remained with their foster carers. Nina kept working with lawyers to fight the decision. She was granted asylum, got a job and registered as a childminder, contracted by social services to look after the children of others. “I was always working and planning for the time when they would come, when we would all be together,” she says. Flora too wanted to contact her fostered brother and sister and got her own lawyer. Since July 2021 the [right to sibling contact](https://www.chscotland.gov.uk/what-we-do/latest-news/new-rights-for-brothers-and-sisters-in-children-s-hearings-from-26-july/?ref=theferret.scot) has been part of Scots law but The Ferret understands Zara refused contact. Then one day, there was a phone call from social work. “They said they wanted to speak to me about my son,” Nina says, who claims she immediately knew something was wrong. “I was so scared.” When the police arrived she broke down and fell to the ground. “All these years I was fighting and fighting to see my boy and they didn’t want to know me, wouldn’t speak to me. And now they are at my door to tell me he is dead?” She is crying, wiping tears away as her voice gets faster and louder. Flora never met her younger brother. Previous work by The Ferret has found that since 2021, 11 young people in the care system have completed suicide, the most common cause of death in this group. [Suicide and self harm causing deaths of young people in careAt least 16 children and young people have died of suicide or drug overdoses while in the care system since 2021, the youngest of whom took their own life at just 11 years old, The Ferret has found. Their deaths – which have prompted “outrage” – were among 38 of young people![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-39.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1496541962.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/suicide-self-harm-cause-death-young-people-care/) Nina claims she wasn’t welcome at the funeral, but she did attend with friends and supporters. The Ferret and Migrant Women Press have seen a video of her deeply upset, screaming and crying during the service. She is a grieving mother. Not in view are foster parents and a sister, also grieving. This is not a story in which anyone wins. – Victoria Nyanga-Ndiaye – founder of Edinburgh-based charity, [Project Esperanza](https://projectesperanza.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) – is currently working with over 40 migrant families with child protection involvement. She claims the way to improve the situation is to make the system less hostile. “It’s designed for hardship,” she says. “Even if you’re white, it’s not fit for purpose. But when you are Black or brown there is a whole other dimension.” Yet she sees signs of hope. “I’m starting to hear statutory bodies saying, ‘yes, we have got it wrong’,” she says. It’s not been easy work – she claims she’s had to “bulldoze” her way into meetings, and been on the receiving end of awkward silences, and cold shoulders. Very senior managers have even cried over their discomfort when confronted with conversations about race, she claims. But after years of effort, she’s beginning to see change. – When we see Nina again she is in her lawyer’s office. Some days, like this one, feel very heavy. Jelina Berlow-Raham, her legal representative, is working with her to push for a fatal accident inquiry. The Crown Office will not make a decision on this until its ongoing investigation into David’s death is complete. “There are many questions about his death that still need to be answered,” Berlow-Raham explains. Nina knows that while having the inquiry might help, it cannot change the inescapable. “Once my life was a normal life,” she says. “And now my son is dead. I feel like he was kidnapped, tortured and killed by social services. It feels like there is no accountability.” A spokesperson for the health and social partnership involved said it is “committed to practising in a culturally sensitive manner which reflects and values the cultural diversity of (the local authority)”. “Our position remains unchanged,” they added. “(The local authority’s) children should be in their own homes, families and communities and we have invested significant resources in support to achieve this. There are, however, some circumstances which mean that it is not safe for children to live at home.” > Once my life was a normal life and now my son is dead. I feel like he was kidnapped, tortured and killed by social services. It feels like there is no accountability. > > Nina But to Nina, whatever the legal paperwork says, David was still her son. She carried him inside her for nine months as he grew. “And when he was a baby I would have him here, on my front.” She places her hand to her heart, where she tied him to her chest in his sling. “What went wrong? What was happening that nobody could see? Those are the questions I want answered.” This system, she says, has to change. “People say we are in a modern country where the laws are working. But the laws don’t work for people like us.” There will be other versions of this story. If a fatal accident inquiry goes ahead some of those will also be told by lawyers and expert witnesses. But this one is Nina’s. Later, she will get in her car, hoping she can get home before tears overwhelm her. She will make dinner for her younger children. On Sunday she will go to church. When it stops raining she will take the children to the park or tend her garden where a single red rose is in bloom. One part of her goes on living, the other is frozen in time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/jfe_l_pos-1.png) *This article was developed with the support of Journalismfund Europe*. *Illustration by Catherine Weir* ### Human trafficking survivors awarded lifeline support after legal challenge URL: https://www.theferret.scot/human-trafficking-survivors-support-legal-challenge/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T14:49:34.000Z [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) An anti-human trafficking organisation has successfully legally challenged a Scottish Government policy, which left some trafficking survivors living on just over £6 per day. The legal challenge by by law firm [Just Right Scotland](https://www.justrightscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) means the Scottish Government will now backdate payments and help potentially hundreds of trafficking survivors. The government has also launched a review of its support system for victims of human trafficking, after the legal firm proved it had left some of those recovering from trauma living below the poverty line. Just Right lawyers told The Ferret that support rates paid in England and Wales, which are based on a needs assessment, are higher, and that payments made for children there are not available in Scotland. Under [international law](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a75ae20e5274a545822d636/8414.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) governments must ensure that trafficking survivors are adequately supported. The Scottish Government accepted it was wrong before the case was heard by a judge and conceded the case earlier this month. A government spokesperson told The Ferret it is “committed” to supporting trafficking survivors to “rebuild their lives”. ### Trafficking on the rise The [number of people](https://www.gov.scot/publications/preventing-criminal-exploitation-evidence-summary/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot) thought to have been trafficked has risen rapidly in recent years, with 920 adults and children in Scotland going through the Home Office’s process to officially identify victims of human trafficking or modern slavery in 2024. The majority of [human trafficking survivors](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/modern-slavery-nrm-and-dtn-statistics-end-of-year-summary-2024/modern-slavery-national-referral-mechanism-and-duty-to-notify-statistics-uk-end-of-year-summary-2024?ref=theferret.scot) are from the UK, however other common nationalities include Vietnamese, Chinese, Eritrean, Nigerian and Albanian survivors. Many are forced to work in the sex industry, cannabis cultivation or supplying drugs, or without being paid in car washes, nail bars, on [farms ](https://www.theferret.scot/marks-and-spencer-to-check-on-migrant-farm-workers/)or in domestic servitude. They are often subjected to verbal, emotional and physical violence that can have lasting and traumatic effects, and are vulnerable to be tracked down and re-exploited. When people manage to escape trafficking they are entitled to a [package of support](https://www.humantraffickingfoundation.org/support-services?ref=theferret.scot) to protect them from their traffickers while they recover and identify their next steps. This usually includes financial support and accommodation – either a “safe house”, flat or hotel. In Scotland trafficking survivors are [granted](https://www.gov.scot/policies/human-trafficking/support-victims-trafficking/?ref=theferret.scot) a “recovery” rate of financial support of £74.75 a week (when self-catering rather than in a hotel) while they go through the process of being recognised as a survivor. After being recognised as such, they can start seeking work if they have permission to stay in the country, claiming benefits if necessary. Others might claim asylum and be entitled to asylum support. However [Just Right Scotland](https://www.justrightscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) found that after 90 days trafficking survivors in Scotland were having their support rate cut almost in half, regardless of whether they were still in the process of being recognised as a survivor. The law firm’s successful legal case was based on the experience of a Turkish family it had been supporting with an eight-year-old son. The mother and family had both been forced to work without pay, and forced into criminality, despite coming to Scotland on skilled work visas. > We were dealing with the trauma of what happened to us and nothing was going right, so it felt like we were trapped in an endless circle of despair. > > Alara, trafficking survivor When they appealed to their employer to address the “unbearable” work conditions he ended the employee sponsorship required and kicked them out of the accommodation provided as part of the agreement. He had not paid them for any work done. The Home Office has since accepted that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe they have been trafficked – the first stage in the trafficking identification process – but the family is still waiting for its final – or “conclusive” – decision. Yet though the process was not complete the family’s support was cut from £149.50 to £87.94 per week after 90 days, leaving them struggling to afford essentials for their young child. Lawyers argued that if the family had been supported in England or Wales, they would have been receiving around £195 each week – more than double the Scottish total – which includes around £73 per parent and around £49 for their child. Alara, as we have agreed to call the Turkish mother, said she and her husband sought assistance from authorities because they had “nowhere else to go”. But when the weekly allowance offered was cut almost in half she was left struggling to afford food. “We were always searching for work but we were unable to find anything at the time because I was only permitted to do very specific jobs,” she explains, due to the terms of her visa. “We were also dealing with the trauma of what happened to us and nothing was going right, so it felt like we were trapped in an endless circle of despair.” > If we want victims to come forward to report their experiences so that we can bring traffickers to justice, we need to make sure that we treat them with dignity and respect. This includes making sure that at a minimum, their basic needs are met. > > Anushya Kulupana, Just Right Scotland The Scottish Government has now agreed to increase their payments to the higher rate while they complete the process. Alara said she was delighted about the difference it would make for her family but also “overjoyed that we could help other families in similar situations too”. [Just Right Scotland](https://www.justrightscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) solicitor Anushya Kulupana, who represented the family, said: “This was all about making sure that victims of trafficking and other forms of modern slavery in Scotland are at least provided the basic minimum of what the law says they need to help them start on the long journey towards recovering from their traumatic experiences. “If we want victims to come forward to report their experiences so that we can bring traffickers to justice, we need to make sure that we treat them with dignity and respect. This includes making sure that at a minimum, their basic needs are met.” A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said it could not comment on individual cases. However they added: “We are committed to identifying trafficking victims and to supporting them to rebuild their lives. “A review of victim support is currently being undertaken. As part of this review, consideration will be given to what is happening in other parts of the UK. The policy on support which is determined following this review will be published to provide clarity on how decisions are made around support.” The Scottish Government’s latest [human trafficking and exploitation strategy](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-trafficking-exploitation-strategy-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) was launched today. ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Image thanks to iStock/Motortion* ### Freedom of expression group condemns ‘years of legal threats’ against activist who spotlights environmental issues URL: https://www.theferret.scot/freedom-of-expression-group-legal-threats/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:59:06.000Z **A group campaigning for freedom of expression has condemned multinationals for “years of legal threats” against an activist who spotlights environmental and animal welfare issues caused by industrial salmon farming.** Index On Censorship called for “public interest speech” to be protected after it emerged that a court had banned Don Staniford – who has been campaigning for two decades – from some fish farms in Scotland. In his latest legal battle, anti fish-farm activist Staniford told Oban Sheriff Court this month he would stay away permanently from property owned by Scottish Sea Farms (SSF) after the company took action against him. The [salmon firm argued](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farm-legal-action-filming-activist/) that Staniford’s incursions on to fish farms are unlawful, and that his conduct poses a risk to the safety and wellbeing of the company’s staff. The activist, however, claims the bans imposed are effectively [SLAPPs](https://www.theferret.scot/calls-tackle-abuse-lawsuits-freedom-of-expression/) – strategic lawsuits against public participation – preventing him revealing what he regards as the truth about fish farming. At Oban Sheriff Court, Staniford agreed that he or anyone working for him would “refrain from boarding, entering onto, physically occupying, attaching himself to, attaching vessels to, trespassing upon, all structures, docks, walkways, buildings, yards, floats, vessels, boats, or pens of aquaculture sites of the pursuer \[SSF\].” The campaigner is now banned from properties belonging to Scotland’s two biggest salmon farmers, SSF and Mowi – a Norwegian multinational which successfully obtained an injunction to ban Staniford from climbing onto its salmon pens. Mowi also tried to ban him, but failed, from coming within 15 metres of its property and flying drones over its farms. The three-year legal battle with Mowi left Staniford with a bill of reportedly [£82,761 ](https://www.salmonbusiness.com/mowi-pursues-83000-in-legal-costs-from-activist-don-staniford/?ref=theferret.scot)to cover the firm’s legal costs. Staniford has been opposing salmon farming for more than 20 years. A high profile activist who covertly enters fish farms to film, he regularly posts photos and videos of diseased and dying fish in fish farm pens online. He was accused by Mowi of distorting the truth, by allegedly editing together images in a way that makes the pens look worse than they are. Nik Williams, policy and campaigns office at Index on Censorship, said Staniford has “endured years of legal threats and actions” based on his “public interest campaigning” focused on one of Scotland’s “most influential” industries. ![Article headline: Freedom of expression group condemns “years of legal threats” against activist who spotlights environmental issues Image description: Don Staniford stands in front of the Sea Farms Barcaldine Hatchery sign, holding a placard that reads “Scottish Scamon” with a graphic image of a diseased fish. Additional posters around him display slogans like “Salmon Farming is a Welfare Nightmare” and “Salmon Farming Causes Harm,” showing close-ups of salmon with visible injuries. The protest is set beside a rural road with trees and fencing in the background.](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Don-Staniford-22-of-43.jpg) He added: “No industry should be exempt from scrutiny. We are awaiting the Scottish Government’s response to the public consultation on SLAPPs that closed earlier this year, and this demonstrates the need for urgent and robust action against the legal actions that restrict public interest speech.” Staniford said: “It was a bad day in Oban Sheriff Court. The ban is much wider than the interdict won last year by Norwegian giant Mowi in that it also includes land bases.” A legal firm which represented SSF, is now seeking an interdict (injunction) for Bakkafrost Scotland – a Faroese-owned salmon farmer operating in Scotland – at a hearing on 24 September at Dunoon Sheriff Court. Mowi, Scottish Sea Farms and Bakkafrost Scotland, were asked to comment. *Main image: iStock and Tero Vesalainen* – *Second image: Lauren Fair* ### Ban on salmon farm polluting loch after 273 breaches URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farm-ban-polluting-loch-creran/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T18:03:13.000Z A ban on a Norwegian salmon farming company dumping toxic pesticides in a Highland loch following 273 environmental breaches over six months has been strongly defended by the Scottish Government’s green watchdog. The [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) insisted that it was “proportionate and reasonable” to suspend a licence for [Scottish Sea Farms (SSF)](https://scottishseafarms.com/?ref=theferret.scot) to pollute [Loch Creran](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/loch-creran/), north of Oban in Argyll, because the company had failed to ensure that the breaches would not happen again. Sepa accused SSF of deliberately exceeding daily discharge limits by up to six times for two chemicals used to treat caged young [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) for a fungal infection. Limits for [formaldehyde](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/formaldehyde-properties-incident-management-and-toxicology/formaldehyde-general-information?ref=theferret.scot) were breached on 177 days between May and November 2024, while limits for [bronopol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronopol?ref=theferret.scot) were breached on 96 days, it said. Sepa suggested that the pollution could exceed environmental quality standards in Loch Creran, a [protected nature conservation site](https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/8294?ref=theferret.scot), by up to ten times. This posed a “significant” risk to endangered marine wildlife, it said. In May 2025 SSF appealed to the Scottish Government against Sepa’s ban, demanding its withdrawal. The ban was “neither necessary nor reasonable”, the company argued, as the two chemicals were “essential” to protect fish health and welfare. SSF stressed that it had been in compliance with its pollution licence since November 2024\. It accepted that it had breached daily limits earlier in 2024, but said it had not exceeded Sepa’s annual discharge limits. Campaigners argued that the company should be “heavily fined” and prevented from dumping any toxic chemicals into Loch Creran. Public trust in SSF had been “undermined”, they claimed. ![salmon farm](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Creran-5.jpeg) Loch Creran (photo thanks to Andrew Holder) Multiple breaches of the daily limits to discharges into Loch Creran were discovered by Sepa inspectors when they visited SSF’s freshwater salmon hatchery at Barcaldine on the shore of the loch in July 2024\. They accused SSF of also breaking the rules by failing to notify Sepa of the breaches. After failing to obtain the assurances it required that breaches would not recur, in May 2025 Sepa suspended SSF’s licence to discharge authorised amounts of formaldehyde and bronopol into the loch. The company appealed to the Scottish Government, which is now considering the matter. The government’s planning and environmental appeals division has [published online](https://www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk/CaseDetails.aspx?ID=126574&ref=theferret.scot) Sepa’s response to SSF’s appeal. Sepa described the pollution breaches as “a conscious and deliberate act” that “may have gone undetected” if its inspectors hadn’t visited. Sepa accused SSF of “undermining the precautionary approach” and argued that the suspension was necessary because the company had not put in place the measures needed to prevent a recurrence. Its action was “proportionate and reasonable”, Sepa said. Sepa consulted the Scottish Government’s wildlife agency, [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), because of Loch Creran’s designation as a [special area of conservation](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/international-designations/european-sites/special-areas-conservation-sacs?ref=theferret.scot). The loch contains the world’s largest [serpulid reef](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/marine-habitats/serpulid-reefs?ref=theferret.scot), a rare and [beautiful network](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farm-pollution-probe-loch-creran/) of seabed structures made by worms hosting over 70 different species. According to NatureScot, the reef is in an “unfavourable declining” condition. It told Sepa that SSF’s “serious” breaches were likely to have “a significant effect”. [Probe into claim rare reefs harmed by fish farm pollutionVideo allegations that fish farm pollution has damaged rare and beautiful wildlife are under investigation by two Scottish Government watchdogs. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) and NatureScot are examining claims that internationally important and brightly coloured reefs in Loch Creran, on the west coast, have been harmed by toxic![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-7.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/serpulid-reef-four-loch-creran-graham-saunders--c-naturescot.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farm-pollution-probe-loch-creran/) In its appeal, also [published online](https://www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk/CaseDetails.aspx?ID=126574&ref=theferret.scot), SSF did not dispute that it had discharged formaldehyde and bronopol into Loch Creran from its Barcaldine hatchery in breach of authorised limits in 2024. But the company said this was because it was having to deal with an “unprecedented” level of fungal infection, known as [saprolegnia](https://www.gov.scot/publications/diseases-of-wild-and-farmed-finfish/pages/saprolegnia/?ref=theferret.scot), impacting fish health and welfare. The freshwater mould, which looks like cotton, can spread across the skin and fins of fish and kill them. According to figures [released](https://www.gov.scot/publications/fish-health-inspectorate-mortality-information/?ref=theferret.scot) by the Scottish Government’s [Fish Health Inspectorate](https://www.gov.scot/policies/fish-health-inspectorate/?ref=theferret.scot), SFF reported 671,404 young salmon killed by the infection at Barcaldine between June and November 2024\. This was despite repeated treatments with the chemicals. Since Sepa’s ban came into force in May, the company has been collecting contaminated water from the hatchery and transporting it in tankers to a licensed disposal site. But this could only be used for part of the hatchery operation and was “not a long-term solution”, it said. SSF argued the ban compromised the ability “to safeguard fish health and welfare, and is disproportionate.” It was “neither necessary nor reasonable” and should be quashed, the company said. ### Salmon farm ‘undermined’ public trust The [Coastal Communities Network](https://www.communitiesforseas.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which brings together 30 groups around Scotland concerned about the marine environment, accused SSF of ignoring its legal duty to protect Loch Creran’s reefs. The company must realise that it was not “above the law”, said the network’s John Aitchison. He highlighted the high number of recorded deaths due to the fungal infection. “Shamefully, the company’s excuse is that it had to prioritise fish health over its legal obligation to protect Loch Creran’s reefs,” he told The Ferret. “It is not enough for Sepa to temporarily and partially suspend SSF’s discharge licence. The company should be fined heavily and prevented from dumping any toxic chemicals in the loch in future. Scotland’s sea is not a sewer.” The [Friends of Loch Creran](https://www.facebook.com/LochCreran/about), a local environmental group, [objected](https://www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk/Document.aspx?id=1103006&ref=theferret.scot) to SSF’s appeal against Sepa’s ban. The company should have shown “some signs of contrition” rather than launching an “aggressive” appeal, said the group’s Dennis Archer. He added: “The more serious aspect of the offences is that the company, by not reporting the problem over such a long period, has undermined the trust which Sepa and the public need to have in them to be responsible operators.” [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) confirmed it was aware of the breaches at Loch Creran. “This is extremely concerning, and we are engaging with the regulator, Sepa, who is undertaking an active investigation,” said a spokesperson. ### ‘Serious threat’ to fish health at salmon farm [Scottish Sea Farms](https://scottishseafarms.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which is owned by [two Norwegian salmon firms](https://scottishseafarms.com/about-us/our-story-so-far/?ref=theferret.scot), accepted that there had been breaches of daily limits at Barcaldine in 2024\. “However, it is important to note that the total annual use of this medicine remained within the overall limits set by Sepa,” the company said in a statement. The fungal infection “if left untreated, poses a serious threat to fish health and welfare”, it argued. “In this case, the pathogen presented more aggressively than usual and was less responsive to early intervention, necessitating additional treatment to safeguard the young salmon in our care.” SSF said it had remained “in compliance with licence conditions” since the suspension. The company has also commissioned an independent survey to assess “any potential impact” on the sensitive habitats in Loch Creran, claiming that Sepa has not provided evidence of impacts. “Scottish Sea Farms remains committed to responsible farming, continuous improvement, and constructive engagement with regulators and stakeholders,” its statement said. [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment “while the appeal process is ongoing”. *Cover image of serpulid reef in Loch Creran thanks to Graham Saunders and NatureScot.* ### Claim water pollution is worse in Scotland than England is Mostly False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/water-pollution-scotland-england-mostly-false/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:18:04.000Z **UK environment minister Steve Reed’s comments on pollution levels in Scotland have caused controversy.** In an [interview with Channel 4 News](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3joTYF4TZmc&ref=theferret.scot) posted on YouTube on 21 July 2025, the Labour minister said that sewage pollution was worse in Scotland than in England, as he argued against the nationalisation of water supply. > “In Scotland they have a nationalised water company but pollution levels in Scotland are worse than they are in England”. > > Steve Reed, UK environment secretary Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Mostly False**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Banner-Logo-4.png) ### **Evidence** Steve Reed MP was [interviewed on Channel 4 News](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3joTYF4TZmc&ref=theferret.scot) on Monday, where he discussed the Labour government’s plans to reform the UK water industry. The government [plans to scrap the UK’s water regulator](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/environment-secretary-steve-reed-response-to-the-independent-water-commissions-final-report?ref=theferret.scot), Ofwat, and replace it with a “single powerful super-regulator responsible for the entire water sector”. This was in response to an [independent report](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687dfcc4312ee8a5f0806be6/Independent%5FWater%5FCommission%5F-%5FFinal%5FReport%5F-%5F21%5FJuly.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) into the water sector in England and Wales, commissioned by ministers and published in July 2025. In the interview with journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Reed was asked if nationalising the water supply in England and Wales would lead to better value and service for customers. He argued against nationalisation, citing the alleged cost of the move. Reed also argued that nationalisation “wasn’t guaranteed to work”, citing Scotland’s nationalised water supply, which he claimed saw pollution levels worse in north of the border than in England. While water services were privatised in England and Wales in 1989 as part of then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s drive to sell off state-run industries, Scotland’s water services stayed in public hands and [since 2002](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2002/3/notes/division/2?ref=theferret.scot) they have been provided by Scottish Water, a publicly-owned company answerable to Scottish ministers. Water pollution can be measured in several different ways. The percentage of bodies of water in good condition is often cited in media reports about water quality and lack of pollution. The [independent water commission’s report](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687dfcc4312ee8a5f0806be6/Independent%5FWater%5FCommission%5F-%5FFinal%5FReport%5F-%5F21%5FJuly.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) compared the different nations of the UK, and found Scotland had more water bodies achieving ‘good’ status compared to England and Wales. Scotland’s percentage of ‘good’ condition water bodies was 66 per cent, compared with 16 per cent in England, and 30 per cent in Wales. It should be noted that Scotland has a lower population density than England, which is a key factor in determining good status. In Scotland, [87 per cent of bathing waters](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687dfcc4312ee8a5f0806be6/Independent%5FWater%5FCommission%5F-%5FFinal%5FReport%5F-%5F21%5FJuly.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) are considered to be in good condition, according to recent statistics. This is broadly comparable with England (85 per cent) but lower than Wales (94 per cent) Another way to look at the level of pollution in water is by looking at sewage overflows. Both the Scottish and UK Governments [have been criticised](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/sep/04/sewage-in-scotlands-rivers-and-beaches-far-more-widespread-than-realised?ref=theferret.scot) in recent years for the amount of sewage released into waterways, usually during heavy rainfall when the capacity of sewer pipes is exceeded. To avoid flooding people’s homes and public areas, water companies are allowed to use ‘combined sewer overflows’ to discharge untreated sewage into rivers or seas. Surfers Against Sewage, a group which campaigns against pollution in waters across the UK, [found there were 23,498 discharges](https://www.sas.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SAS-WQR25-V6-Digital.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of sewage from overflows in Scotland in 2024. In England, there were [450,398 discharges](https://www.sas.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SAS-WQR25-V6-Digital.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in 2024\. However, England has [more comprehensive monitoring](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/storm-overflows-monitoring-hits-100-target?ref=theferret.scot) of its sewage overflows, with [almost all](https://www.endsreport.com/article/1856248/100-english-sewage-outfalls-monitored-government-confirms?ref=theferret.scot) being monitored across the country. This means that sewage overflows are recorded and included in statistics. In Scotland, there is a lack of data for many overflows that exist. Surfers Against Sewage found that 6.7 per cent of Scottish Water’s network of overflows was monitored, meaning the true number of overflow discharges could be significantly higher. Scottish Water has committed to improving its monitoring, and had [installed 1,000](https://environmentalstandards.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Storm-overflows-an-assessment-of-spills-their-impact-on-the-water-environment-and-the-effectiveness-of-legislation-and-policy-September-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) new monitors by the end of 2024, which it claimed would bring monitoring up to [about 35 per cent](https://environmentalstandards.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Storm-overflows-an-assessment-of-spills-their-impact-on-the-water-environment-and-the-effectiveness-of-legislation-and-policy-September-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of storm overflows. Scottish monitoring has been criticised by Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS), the Scottish Government body which scrutinises environmental law. Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS), the Scottish Government body which scrutinises environmental law [said in 2024](https://environmentalstandards.scot/our-work/our-analytical-work/statement-on-responses-to-ess-storm-overflows-report/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20report%20set%20out%20that,hundreds%20of%20times%20a%20year.): “There is no comprehensive, publicly available information on the scale and environmental impact of spills from storm overflows in Scotland”. “Where there is data, it is clear that some sites spill much more frequently than should be expected, some of them hundreds of times a year,” the agency said. The UK Government cited the level of pollution incidents per 10,000km of sewage pipe as evidence for higher levels of pollution in Scotland. A [report from ESS](https://environmentalstandards.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Storm-overflows-an-assessment-of-spills-their-impact-on-the-water-environment-and-the-effectiveness-of-legislation-and-policy-September-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) looked at comparisons between Scotland and England. It stated that such comparisons should be treated with caution “since the data for Scotland is presented by financial year compared to by calendar year in the other countries and there may be some differences in counting and reporting”. Scottish Water data indicated that there were 36 category 1 to 3 water and waste water incidents per 10,000 km of sewer in Scotland in 2023-24\. According to [data analysed by ESS](https://environmentalstandards.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Storm-overflows-an-assessment-of-spills-their-impact-on-the-water-environment-and-the-effectiveness-of-legislation-and-policy-September-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), there were 41 such incidents per 10,000km in England in 2023. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly False** Steve Reed’s claim that pollution levels in Scotland are worse than in England is not supported by most of the evidence. Scotland has a higher percentage of water bodies achieving ‘good’ status, and the number of spillage incidents per 10,000km of sewage pipe is slightly lower in Scotland. Comparisons between Scotland and England on the use of sewage overflows is difficult to make due to a relative lack of monitoring in Scotland. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Mostly-False-1.png) *Main image:* [*House of Commons*](https://www.flickr.com/photos/uk%5Fparliament/54001913186/in/photostream/?ref=theferret.scot)*,* [*CC BY-NC-ND 2.0*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) ### Campaigners say citizenship ban risks turning refugees into ‘second‑class’ residents URL: https://www.theferret.scot/citizenship-ban-refugees-second-e2-80-91class-residents/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T14:51:58.000Z [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **Torture survivors and charities in Scotland have condemned the UK Government’s citizenship ban for refugees, arguing it means people with the legal right to live here are now “second class” citizens living in fear of deportation.** New Home Office [rules](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/good-character-nationality-policy-guidance?ref=theferret.scot) mean thousands of people who have come to the UK in small boats or hidden in lorries will normally be refused citizenship – even if their claim for political asylum is granted. [Most people](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-september-2024/how-many-people-claim-asylum-in-the-uk?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Since%202020%2C%20there%20has%20been,1%2C%202%2C%203) who enter the UK on small boats to claim political asylum, having escaped war and persecution, are eventually granted refugee status and many claim British citizenship. The new ban could affect at least 71,000 people and it prompted [148 organisations](https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/press-office/media-centre/nearly-150-charities-and-faith-leaders-unite-against-refugee-citizenship-ban/?ref=theferret.scot) and individuals to write to the home secretary Yvette Cooper, urging her to reverse the decision. Signatories to the letter claim the new rules break international law and discriminate against refugees, thousands of whom will be denied rights and left living their lives in “limbo”. Campaigners also argued the ban makes it more difficult for refugees to integrate into society and risks “playing into toxic politics” which is “manipulated by [the far right](https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-anti-immigration-protest-far-right/) to bring hate and disorder to our streets”. [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-24-224753.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-anti-immigration-protest-far-right/) Last summer, [rioters](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74lwnxxxzjo?ref=theferret.scot) in England attacked mosques and tried to burn down hotels housing asylum seekers, and in recent days protests down south turned violent again after crowds targeted a hotel in Epping, Essex, which houses people seeking sanctuary in the UK. The government faces a [“powder keg”](https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2025/jul/23/will-the-epping-hotel-riots-spark-another-summer-of-unrest-podcast?ref=theferret.scot) situation, amid fears that far right violence targeting migrants could erupt across England again in coming days and weeks. People in Scotland affected by the citizenship ban spoke to The Ferret following debates this month at Westminster over the government’s [Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61435/documents/6684?ref=theferret.scot) (Borders Bill) which is making its way through the UK Parliament. The UK Government’s bill – a response to the small boats crossing issue – is [designed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c5ye676026dt?ref=theferret.scot) to “strengthen UK border security”. Peers supportive of refugees, however, have tabled amendments to the bill and, if accepted, they would change the new Home Office guidance on citizenship. ### **Citizenship applications** The new guidance for Home Office visa and immigration staff update the [“good character”](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/good-character-nationality-policy-guidance?ref=theferret.scot) requirement for British citizenship applications. Anyone who arrived without valid entry clearance or electronic travel authorisation after undertaking a “dangerous journey” – such as crossing the English Channel in small boats or concealed in vehicles – will almost certainly be refused citizenship, critics said. These changes apply to applications made on or after 10 February 2025, but people who came to the UK prior to then are still affected, even though they could have lived in the UK legally for years. The new guidance says: “A person who applies for citizenship from 10 February 2025 who has previously arrived without a required valid entry clearance or electronic travel authorisation, having made a dangerous journey will normally be refused citizenship.” > We haven’t done anything wrong; we shouldn’t be punished for taking the only option we had left when other legal ways to survive just weren’t available. > > Gulan, a refugee who came to Scotland with her two children to escape torture in Iraq Critics of the ban say most refugees have no choice but to take irregular routes to reach the UK due to the lack of safe and legal alternatives. They claim the guidance breaches international law, because [Article 31](https://www.unhcr.org/uk/media/article-31-1951-convention-relating-status-refugees-non-penalization-detention-and-protection?ref=theferret.scot) of the UN Refugee Convention protects refugees from penalties for irregular illegal entry. Seeking UK citizenship costs [£1,735](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fees-for-citizenship-applications/fees-for-citizenship-applications-and-the-right-of-abode-from-6-april-2018?ref=theferret.scot) an application, and there is no right of appeal against a refusal. ### **Borders bill** The government’s [Borders Bill](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61435/documents/6684?ref=theferret.scot) has passed through the House of Commons and is now with the House of Lords for consideration. An [amendment](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61435/documents/6684?ref=theferret.scot) – tabled by the Bishop of Chelmsford with support from Baroness Lister of Burtersett, Lord German and Lord Kerr of Kinlochard – aims to mitigate the “most damaging impacts” of the citizenship ban. The new clause would ensure the good character requirement is not applied contrary to the UK’s international legal obligations. With Westminster now in summer recess the bill won’t be debated again until September/early October. Once peers have finished examining the draft legislation, any amendments made will be sent back to the House of Commons for agreement or further negotiation – a political process often referred to as “[ping pong](https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/ping-pong/?ref=theferret.scot)”. ![The Fasi family, Rothesay. Mohammed, Zakarya, Naam, Muna and Yahya.](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Fasi-family-RothesayJ46536.jpg) The Fasi family, Rothesay. Mohammed, Zakarya, Naam, Muna and Yahya. ### **Reaction** Those affected by the ban include Yahya Fasi, a youth football coach with St Mirren football club [charitable foundation](https://smfcfoundation.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) who is a refugee from Syria. A former professional football player in Damascus, he has lived in Rothesay, Bute, since 2020, where his family has a barbershop, beautician business and a patisserie. He told The Ferret that he and his family have “worked hard” towards getting citizenship, and did everything asked of them, adding that the ban is “heartbreaking”. “To now be told we can’t even apply is deeply disappointing. We’ve built our lives here from nothing. We’ve always tried to give back to the community and to contribute in any way we can, because Bute feels like home,” Fasi said. “It’s where we finally felt safe, where our children are growing, and where we’ve started to heal. We don’t want to go back to Syria. We have no one left there, no family, no home. Everything we had was destroyed. Even speaking about it brings back painful memories we try to forget.” Gulan, a refugee who came to Scotland with her two children to escape torture in Iraq, said she faced “horrible and unbearable violence” at home and had “no choice but to leave”, adding that the journey was “extremely dangerous”. She said: “Over the years, we have integrated into the community and found happiness. With our skills and experiences, we deserve to be treated with dignity and respect as any citizen. We haven’t done anything wrong; we shouldn’t be punished for taking the only option we had left when other legal ways to survive just weren’t available.” [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-25-104621.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/torture-charity-government-protect-women-violence/) Ahlam Souidi, a senior community development worker at Freedom from Torture, a charity in Glasgow that helps refugees, said many of the torture survivors she works with took “extraordinarily dangerous journeys, compelled by desperation” and with no “viable alternatives”. “If the government really follows through with blocking refugees from getting citizenship, the UK will be taking a huge step backwards,” she argued. “This approach doesn’t align with our values as a compassionate society and will only cause further distress to the survivors I work with every day. We urge the government to immediately reconsider.” Her views were echoed by Sabir Zazai, chief executive at the Scottish Refugee Council, who claimed the policy change will have a “significant long-term impact” on many people already in Scotland, who are “working and contributing” to the economy and culture. “This change doesn’t discriminate between refugees, victims of trafficking, or children,” he said. “It doesn’t consider the unique vulnerabilities and complex backgrounds of people seeking protection, many of whom have fled unthinkable circumstances. “British citizenship is the beginning of many people’s integration journey. Without it, people do not have the right to vote in UK elections. They do not have the freedom to travel, or work in many government jobs. But worst of all, they remain at risk of detention or deportation.” A Home Office spokesperson said: “Citizenship applications will continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis.” ### **Syrian asylum claims resume** It emerged this month that the UK Government would start processing Syrian asylum claims again. Last December decisions were suspended after President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by an Islamist militant group called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, after years of civil war. This left in limbo more than [7,000 Syrians](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4y2e8neywo?ref=theferret.scot) in the UK waiting for a decision on an asylum claim. In parts of Syria, the security situation remains unstable and there has been fighting in the province of Suweida between Druze and Bedouin militias, as well as government forces, in recent weeks. The [latest violence](https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/07/1165429?ref=theferret.scot) started last week. A few days later, Israel got involved and launched air strikes, saying it was protecting the Druze against government forces. At time of writing more than [1,100 people](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70xyv4z74go?ref=theferret.scot) are reported to have been killed in Suweida, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based in the UK. > If the government really follows through with blocking refugees from getting citizenship, the UK will be taking a huge step backwards. > > Ahlam Souidi, Freedom from Torture Meanwhile, the UK Government has published [updated guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/syria-country-policy-and-information-notes?ref=theferret.scot) for officials to make decisions on Syrian asylum claims. It says that about 60 per cent of the population suffers from food insecurity, millions live in inadequate accommodation, roughly half of the hospitals are non-functional, and millions face issues accessing sufficient clean water and safe sanitation systems. The guidance continues: “There are approximately 7.4 million internally displaced persons in Syria, with over two million living in temporary shelter arrangements such as camps, which suffer from severe overcrowding and poor living conditions.” However, there is a caveat that “the general humanitarian situation in Syria is not so severe that there are substantial grounds for believing that there is a real risk of serious harm” if someone is returned. “All cases must be considered on their individual facts, with the onus on the person to demonstrate they face persecution or serious harm,” the guidance adds. *Photography by Angela Catlin.* ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) ### Fishing boat off Shetland abandoned 80km of nets in seas for almost a month URL: https://www.theferret.scot/shetland-fishing-boat-abandoned-nets-month/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T13:20:22.000Z **A fishing boat off Shetland broke down and abandoned more than 80km of netting in the sea for almost a month, prompting fears sea life and the marine environment may have been damaged.** Despite fishing seven times longer than legal limits, the crew were given a warning and no fine, according to documents released under freedom of information law. We can also reveal that the Scottish Government closed its investigation when the crew claimed they were retrieving the nets. In fact, the vessel’s owner confirmed the equipment was left at sea for a further 10 days. Local fishermen and Shetland politicians have called for stricter rules around the use of gillnetting, which hang vertically in the water like walls. They claimed the incident shows the Marine Directorate has a threadbare monitoring operation after more than [£8m](https://fishingnews.co.uk/news/fall-in-investment-in-marine-science-a-real-worry/?ref=theferret.scot) of real-terms cuts from the Scottish Government in the past two years. “The current system simply is not working,” argued Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland. “Proper enforcement of the current rules ought to be the bare minimum.” Documents from the Marine Directorate’s investigation show the nets were set by the Genesis II on a subsea shelf north of Shetland in late April. The vessel’s owner said the last nets were recovered by 21 May – leaving them at sea weeks past the three-day legal limit. Exact net lengths and locations were redacted from the official documents. But leaked coordinates from local fishing crews reveal the location of nine nets, each almost 10km long, spread across the fishing grounds. ![The red fishing vessel Genesis II (A100) moored at a pier in the evening light, fishing nets draped over the side and coiled ropes securing the boat to the dock. A rugged coastal landscape is visible in the distance beneath a partly cloudy sky.](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Genesis-II-2.jpg) Genesis II left more than 80km of netting at sea, seven times the legal limit Hooktone Group, an Anglo-Spanish company which owns Genesis II, said it worked to collect the nets as quickly as possible. “We are committed to responsible and selective fishing practices,” said Hooktone’s chief executive and co-founder, Maria Hermida. “Our crews continue to demonstrate professionalism and cooperation, even in challenging circumstances.” Hooktone has repeatedly been asked by government agencies to join British delegations at fishing conferences, including in Barcelona this May while its gillnets were in the water. It is due to attend another event in Denmark this October. In a statement, the Scottish Government confirmed the details of the incident but said its punishment options were limited because the breakdown constituted *“force majeure”*. Sometimes also known as an “act of god”, *force majeure* is a legal concept which reduces a party’s culpability for wrongdoing when circumstances are deemed to be out of their control. The Marine Directorate did not respond to questions about its investigation or budget resourcing. Gillnets, also known as drift or entangling nets, are a controversial form of fishing criticised by environmental campaigners. They are banned in sensitive marine environments such as the Sea of Cortez and are being phased out at the Great Barrier Reef. Instead of being dragged through the water, gillnets sit in place on the seafloor ensnaring creatures that swim into them. Oceana, a marine conservation group, has described the equipment as “walls of death” and said this incident was “shocking and sad”. Studies suggest they are the [most deadly](https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/study-highlights-scale-of-seabird-deaths-linked-to-fishing-in-european-waters?ref=theferret.scot) form of fishing gear for Europe’s diving seabirds and kill[ nearly 2,000 porpoises](https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-04/Review%5Fof%5Fharbour%5Fporpoise%5Fin%5FUK%5Fwaters%5F2019.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in the North Sea alone each year. > It should not need freedom of information requests for the public to gain clear insights into the Marine Directorate’s decision-making processes, including where those processes are lacking. > > A spokesperson for Open Seas James Anderson, the skipper of a local Shetland trawler who first spotted the buoys marking Genesis II’s nets while his crew were fishing in the area, said the gillnets would have been full of dying and rotting fish. “Not just fish – god knows what’ll be attracted to all that dead fish,” he added. “It’s just environmentally terrible.” Hooktone said it sizes gillnets to target monkfish and avoid other animals, and branded bottom-trawling fishermen as hypocritical and “ignorant” for criticising their environmental impact. The company also said its nets are fixed with trackers so they cannot be lost and claimed that no unintentionally snared animals were found in the recovered netting. Genesis II was fishing 55km northwest of the island of Unst when its gearbox failed, leaving the crew stranded overnight. The next evening, as it was towed into Shetland, the skipper wrote to the Marine Directorate with the nets’ coordinates promising to pick them up “as soon as the engine is fully operational”. A fortnight later – four times the legal limit for leaving gillnets deployed – Hooktone wrote to officials proposing that another of its vessels fishing in the area, Brisan, pick up the nets instead. Marine Directorate officials agreed, and the next day issued Genesis II’s skipper with a warning letter, then closed its investigation. “Many thanks to the team for their timely work with regards to this case,” read one of the emails released under freedom of information law. Over the following week while the Brisan continued fishing, local fishermen wrote to officials complaining that the nets were still at sea. The Marine Directorate said it was still investigating the incident and dismissed other complaints. On 19 May, Brisan began collecting the nets. The final nets were retrieved on 21 May – 23 days after they were deployed. “I do wonder how long this gillnetting might have been left at sea if local fishermen had not raised their unfolding ecological concerns with the government,” said Daniel Lawson, an executive officer of the Shetland Fishermen’s Association. “To see government officials congratulate each other for issuing a mere warning letter is emblematic of the enforcement gulf Shetland fishermen consider to exist between themselves and non-UK owned vessels fishing around the isles.” ![A wide-angle view of the Genesis II (A100) fishing vessel docked beside Shetland Catch. The red boat sits at the end of a rocky pier, under an overcast sky, with an industrial seafood facility and low rolling hills in the background. ](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Genesis-II-3.jpg) Docked near Shetland Catch, the Genesis II was investigated over abandoned nets. “The current system simply is not working,” said Alistair Carmichael MP Lawson said the incident illustrates the need for stricter rules – either to cut the current 100km limit of gillnets any one boat can set at a time, or enforce more stringent rules for recovering gear in emergency situations. Some politicians said the most responsible course was to criminalise gillnets in British waters altogether. Local MP Carmichael called a ban the “only workable outcome”. Shetland Greens councillor Alex Armitage said a ban would not only be good for the environment, but be more easily enforceable than piecemeal regulatory restrictions. While it can be difficult to monitor how much gillnetting a boat has set out – or how long for – the slow speed and backtracking pattern a gillnetting vessel leaves is easily recognisable to illegal fishing experts. Other critics argued that the Marine Directorate was falling short of its responsibilities after more than £8m of cuts over the past two years. “The resourcing of the directorate does not match the scale of what is being asked of it,” said Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart, comparing the warning letter to “a rap over the knuckles”. Environmental charity Open Seas described the gillnetting as “reckless”. But it claimed that the Marine Directorate’s response was just as concerning. “It should not need freedom of information requests for the public to gain clear insights into the Marine Directorate’s decision-making processes, including where those processes are lacking,” a spokesperson said. “Those responsible for environmental damage must be held to account.” For Shetland fishermen like Anderson, the incident taps into a number of longstanding grievances: that local boats are alleged to be pulled up for minor paperwork infringements while feeling increasingly squeezed out of their traditional grounds. “When you look at the shelf where we used to fish it’s absolutely covered \[in gillnets\] because it’s unregulated and nobody’s watching them,” said Anderson. The practice also threatens the sector’s sustainability if local trawlers are pushed down into shallower grounds where they are more likely to catch pressured species, like cod, he claimed “It’s frustrating,” Anderson added. “I just feel anger.” *This story was co-published in print in today’s issue of The Shetland Times.* *Images: Daniel Shailer* *This story was amended at 14.05 on 25 July 2025 so the headline reads: “Fishing boat off Shetland abandoned 80km of nets in seas for almost a month.”* ### Fact check: Online claims about secret Afghan resettlement URL: https://www.theferret.scot/fact-check-claims-secret-afghani-resettlement/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T18:45:36.000Z **A secret scheme to relocate to the UK thousands of Afghans put at risk by a data breach has been revealed, after a legal block on reporting it was lifted.** The news led to significant anger on social media, with prominent accounts criticising the amount of people coming to the UK. Some [claimed the scheme](https://x.com/Basil%5FTGMD/status/1945410034822758545?ref=theferret.scot) meant the UK would support the Afghani refugees for life, and that the “cover up” had cost £7bn. > UK Government deal with Afghans includes agreement to support them financially for the rest of their lives… £7bn already spent to cover this up. > > Online posts [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at these claims. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Banner.png) #### **Background** The details of a [secret settlement scheme](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/oral-statement-on-afghan-data-breach?ref=theferret.scot) for Afghani nationals were revealed last week by the UK Government. It was the result of a huge data leak that threatened to put those who worked with UK armed forces in Afghanistan at risk. Three years ago, details of 18,714 Afghani citizens who had applied for a UK Government relocation scheme were accidentally shared by a defence official – which media has [reported](https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/deny-delete-and-delay-the-secrecy-operation-inside-special-forces?ref=theferret.scot) was a junior soldier – and later posted onto a Facebook group. The scheme, called the [Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy-information-and-guidance?ref=theferret.scot) was launched in April 2021, aiming to assist Afghans who assisted the UK Government in its war against the Taliban with safe passage to the UK, as the militant Islamist group regained control over Afghanistan. The data breach took place nearly a year later in February 2022, under Boris Johnson’s Conservative government, but it wasn’t until 2023 that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) became aware of the leak. Concerns were raised that the breach could put the Afghani applicants in danger, with an ARAP volunteer saying the Taliban could have a “kill list – essentially provided to them by the UK government”. In December 2023, when Rishi Sunak was prime minister, a [High Court injunction](https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/MOD-Judgment-No-4-final.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was put in place, preventing any reporting of the data breach. The MoD said the government needed four months to “do everything it reasonably can to help those who might have been put at further risk”. The government then set up the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) – a secret scheme to relocate those involved in the leak. The injunction was then extended repeatedly after a series of challenges by the MoD, and continued after Labour won the general election in July 2024\. It was lifted on 15 July 2025, after an independent review. On the same day, defence secretary John Healey [announced](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/oral-statement-on-afghan-data-breach?ref=theferret.scot) the route would be closing. After the details of the scheme were revealed, a number of claims began to be shared on social media opposing the resettlement and the secretive nature of the scheme. #### **CLAIM: “UK Government deal with Afghans includes agreement to support them financially for the rest of their lives”.** The ARR scheme has [so far relocated](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/oral-statement-on-afghan-data-breach?ref=theferret.scot) 900 people on the breached data list, as well as 3,600 family members. A further 600 invitations have been made to Afghan nationals and their families, which the UK Government said they would honour. The MoD said that, in total, [6,900 people](https://news.sky.com/story/mod-data-breach-put-lives-of-around-20-000-afghans-at-risk-of-serious-violence-13396941?ref=theferret.scot) will have come to the UK under ARR. About 36,000 Afghans have come to the UK overall through its various relocation schemes. The schemes offer [indefinite leave to remain](https://www.gov.uk/indefinite-leave-to-remain?ref=theferret.scot), which means those who come to the UK can [stay permanently should they choose to](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghanistan-response-route?ref=theferret.scot). There has also been financial integration assistance put in place, under the previous Conservative government’s ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, which was put in place “to ensure Afghans arriving in the UK receive the vital support they need to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education and integrate into their local communities”. This includes additional school places for families, university scholarships, and language classes. [Extra funding](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/operation-warm-welcome-underway-to-support-afghan-arrivals-in-the-uk?ref=theferret.scot) was also put in place to help to fund NHS treatment and assistance for rented housing. The Afghani nationals settling in the UK will not get guaranteed financial support for their whole lives, however, and will need to find employment and can only access government benefits in the same way as any UK resident, if they achieve citizenship. #### **CLAIM: “£7 billion already spent to cover this up”** The defence secretary told the UK Parliament the ARR scheme had [cost £400m so far](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/oral-statement-on-afghan-data-breach?ref=theferret.scot), and that he expected the resettlement of the 600 people still to take place [would cost](https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-07-15/debates/52337725-C8E1-4D11-952A-BA4A9C1CCEE6/Afghanistan?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=On%20those%20still%20to%20come%2C%20I%20expect%20the%20cost%20to%20be%20a%20similar%20sum) “a similar sum”. However, [journalist Lewis Goodall](https://goodallandgoodluck.substack.com/p/my-two-years-in-secret-court-how), one of the journalists whose reporting was blocked by the injunction said documents seen in court suggest the numbers of people being resettled could be much higher, and the projected cost could be an underestimate. The £7bn figure was reported in the media, allegedly coming from an [official submission](https://df5i94ys4gb0d6.archive.is/wT1KQ/03aded70536880e1eb67c196d6c8aed5fb2191a6.webp?ref=theferret.scot) suggesting the cost of the scheme could rise to £7bn. It did not say the money had already been spent. The defence secretary told MPs this was “a previous estimate” and related not just to the ARR scheme but “an estimate of the total cost of all government Afghan schemes for the entire period in which they may operate”. He later clarified that the total cost of all the Afghan relocation schemes so far was “around £2.7bn”. The expected cost over the lifetime of these schemes was between £5.5bn and £6bn Ending the scheme would, he said, save £1.2bn for the taxpayer and result in about 9,500 fewer Afghans coming to the UK. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/False-1.png) ### When ‘critical friends’ fall out: how the Scottish Government sleepwalked into a crisis over Israel meeting URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-crisis-meeting-israel-2/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T16:27:20.000Z On a warm summer’s night last August, John Swinney took to the stage at the Edinburgh International Book Festival for a fireside chat with former Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford. Two of the most seasoned veterans of the devolution era, Swinney and Drakeford talked of the importance of “collaborative” politics. Then a piercing cry rang through the auditorium. “Your party is mingling with genocidal deputy ambassadors,” a young woman [shouted](https://newint.org/democracy/2024/party-politics-must-be-more-spectator-sport?ref=theferret.scot). The event was swiftly ended, and the protester hustled out. She might well have been disappointed to see the first minister on stage. Until days before, the man who she accused of “mingling” with the Israeli government, Angus Robertson, had been [due to appear](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24528155.angus-robertson-pulls-book-festival-appearance-amid-israel-row/?ref=theferret.scot) instead. The photograph of Robertson with the beaming Daniela Grudsky, Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK, had that month rocked the Scottish Government and created a [schism](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24528823.robertson-still-liability-says-snp-msp-apology/?ref=theferret.scot) within the SNP. [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-18-113807.jpg)](https://x.com/DanielaGrudsky/status/1823035827779506485?lang=en-GB&ref=theferret.scot) Robertson faced [loud calls](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24528823.robertson-still-liability-says-snp-msp-apology/?ref=theferret.scot) to quit his role as the cabinet secretary for external affairs. Critics argued the meeting was a “[breach of trust](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,angus-robertson-faces-conference-backlash-over-israel-meeting?ref=theferret.scot)” when Israel stood [accused](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/israeli-authorities-palestinian-armed-groups-are-responsible-war-crimes?ref=theferret.scot) of grave breaches of international law in Gaza, and with its prime minister then under investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Israel [denies](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/icc-judges-reject-israels-request-withdraw-netanyahu-arrest-warrant-2025-07-16/?ref=theferret.scot) claims it is committing war crimes or [perpetrating genocide](https://news.sky.com/story/israel-rejects-amnesty-genocide-claim-as-no-surprise-and-fake-news-13267655?ref=theferret.scot) in Gaza, and [rejects](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/icc-judges-reject-israels-request-withdraw-netanyahu-arrest-warrant-2025-07-16/?ref=theferret.scot) the jurisdiction of the ICC which issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu on war crimes charges in November 2024. A year on, despite the intense furore around the meeting, the public still knows little about how it came about or what was discussed. Now The Ferret can shed new light on the affair, revealing details of previously withheld internal emails, Whatsapp chats and partial minutes of the meeting. They show ministers, advisers and officials across Swinney’s government were entangled. And we can reveal that while publicly stating that the “UK is in danger of being complicit in killing innocent civilians”, behind the scenes the Scottish Government tried to set up an earlier meeting with Swinney and the ambassador and was talking itself up as a “critical friend” of Israel. In response to this story, Angus Robertson told The Ferret that under the “abhorrent circumstances” Gazans face “at the hands of the Israeli government”, the Scottish Government is “unequivocal that it would not be appropriate to meet with the Israeli Government” until “real progress has been made towards peace”. Our findings come after a 10 month freedom of information (FoI) battle, which involved challenges to the Scottish Information Commissioner and claims from the Scottish Government that releasing details of the meeting could [damage](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-angus-robertson-israel-meeting/) UK-Israeli relations and even be seen as “[antisemitic](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-antisemitic-meeting-israel/)”. [Scottish Government claimed it would be ‘antisemitic’ to release information about secret meeting with IsraelThe Scottish Government claimed it would be “antisemitic” to release information about Angus Robertson’s secret meeting with an Israeli ambassador, The Ferret can reveal. Robertson, Scotland’s external affairs secretary, apologised after being criticised over a meeting he had last year with Daniela Grudsky Ekstein, Israel’s deputy ambassador![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-71.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/2048px-the_new_york_times_climate_hub_-_closing_celebration_51671855587.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-antisemitic-meeting-israel/) ### **Swinney ‘actively sought a meeting’ with Israeli ambassador** On 8 May 2024, John Swinney took office as Scotland’s first minister. For his predecessor Humza Yousaf, the Palestinian cause had been close to home: his own parents-in-law had been visiting relatives in Gaza when the Israeli bombardment began in the wake of the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, that killed about [1,200 people](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67039975?ref=theferret.scot). More than 250 [hostages](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67477240?ref=theferret.scot) were also taken. Swinney quickly faced criticism over a perceived lack of action on the issue. The Scottish Greens called on the new first minister “to demonstrate that Scotland’s solidarity with the people of Palestine extends to action, not just words” and, in response, the government [reiterated](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2024/07-a/foi-202400416169/documents/foi---202400416169---information-released---annex-a/foi---202400416169---information-released---annex-a/govscot%3Adocument/FOI%2B-%2B202400416169%2B-%2BInformation%2Breleased%2B-%2BAnnex%2BA.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) Yousaf’s call for a ceasefire and for the UK Government to ban arms exports to Israel. Swinney followed up with a [tweet](https://x.com/JohnSwinney/status/1795132847121981803?ref=theferret.scot) on 27 May stating that the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza was “one of the greatest moral issues of our time”. > [](https://twitter.com/JohnSwinney/status/1795132847121981803?ref=theferret.scot) But secret emails show that just a week later, on 3 June, a Scottish Government official emailed the Israeli embassy, looking to speak to “someone urgently to make arrangements” for a meeting between Swinney and Israeli ambassador, Tzipi Hotovely, while she was in Scotland. The embassy’s Israel-Scotland affairs officer advised this visit was no longer going ahead because of “sudden security threats”, but that the ambassador was “eager to meet with the first minister virtually”. Later that day, the embassy emailed a ‘list of attendees’ for a meeting which included Hotovely, the embassy’s head of civil society, Hodaya Azvada, and the Israel-Scotland affairs officer. Some other names are redacted. Asked about these exchanges, the Scottish Government said the meeting referenced in the ‘list of attendees’ did not go ahead and no meetings with representatives of the Israeli government took place before 8 August. But Scottish Labour MSP, Mercedes Villalba, argued this was evidence Swinney’s government had “actively sought a meeting with a representative of a state whose prime minister is now wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity”. On 30 July, a Scottish Government official’s phone pinged with a WhatsApp message from embassy official, Azvada. “Hope you’re well?” she asked. “We should get back to you today re DCM (deputy chief of mission) visit,” the official replied. “Apols for delay.” Discussions had progressed and a trip to Scotland was being arranged for the deputy ambassador – or DCM – Daniela Grudsky. “It is next week and the schedule is filling,” Azvada said. Less than two hours later, an official emailed Angus Robertson, copying in Swinney, recommending that he meet with Grudsky – and warning of “sensitivities” over the Gaza war. Azvada asked via Whatsapp if there was “any chance we could meet” deputy first minister Kate Forbes as well, but was told: “FM isn’t available so Mr Robertson is the right interlocutor.” [Scottish Government refuses to release minutes of ‘secretive’ Israel meetingThe Scottish Government has refused to release minutes of Angus Robertson’s ‘secretive’ meeting with an Israeli diplomat, prompting accusations it is ‘hiding’ from scrutiny of the discussions. In a freedom of information (FOI) response the Scottish Government said it was withholding both the minutes and agenda of Robertson’s![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-72.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/51672658201_882ce9a46c_k-e1726159391624-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-angus-robertson-israel-meeting/) ### **“Transparency takes up so much time”** As soon as the meeting was firmed up for 8 August, discussion turned to communications management. “We’d normally issue a short statement for transparency’s sake,” the Scottish Government official told Azvada. “But let me know if you have any security considerations, esp around timing.” It was agreed there would be no announcement of the meeting until the Monday following, 12 August. Azvada made sure to double check the embassy could issue the [tweet](https://x.com/DanielaGrudsky/status/1823035827779506485?lang=en-GB&ref=theferret.scot) that would ultimately ignite the whole controversy, and was told: “Yeah that’s fine.” The Scottish official then told Azvada: “You’ll be aware we are usually inundated with freedom of information requests. Practically every meeting our ministers have is FoI’d. We redact sensitive information but the bar is high and we have to justify it. The FoIs are usually inspired by comms but if we don’t issue something, we’re criticised for being secretive!” The official added: “Transparency is obviously a good thing, but it takes up such a lot of our time.” In her official response, Azvada said the embassy did “not consent” to the release of information about meetings, “in order to allow the fruitful and open discourse between Israel and the United Kingdom”. This would later be echoed, almost word for word, by the Scottish Government in its reasoning for denying The Ferret’s FOI requests. > Freedom of information law exists to enable accountability, it is not something to attempt to circumvent or over-complicate. > > Talat Yaqoob, equality campaigner and researcher Subsequent emails show that the Scottish Government provided further updates on FOI requests to the Israeli embassy after the meeting, which reiterated its position that no information should be released. Amnesty International told The Ferret it appeared the Scottish Government already had “one eye” on the challenges that requests for transparency would create for them, even before the meeting took place. Meanwhile Talat Yaqoob, an equality campaigner and researcher who has worked in the Scottish Parliament, said it was “extraordinary that a foreign government would get any say over what the Scottish public is permitted to know about the work of its own elected officials”. “Freedom of information law exists to enable accountability, it is not something to attempt to circumvent or over-complicate,” she added. The Scottish Government said it had complied fully with the Scottish Information Commissioner and pointed out that information can be withheld under [freedom of information law](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2002/13/section/32?ref=theferret.scot) if it could substantially prejudice relations between the UK and another country. ### **‘Critical friends’?** After public anger had erupted around the meeting, Swinney [tweeted](https://x.com/JohnSwinney/status/1823705194112418098?ref=theferret.scot) on 14 August that it had been “accepted on the basis it would provide an opportunity to convey our consistent position on the killing and suffering of innocent civilians in the region”. But the Scottish Government had already put out a [statement](https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/h-2nd-snp-slammed-%E2%80%98shameless%E2%80%99-meeting-israeli-diplomat?ref=theferret.scot) saying that the attendees had also discussed “areas of mutual interest, including culture, renewable energy, and engaging the country’s respective diasporas”. In the redacted minutes released to The Ferret, much of the section of “Israel/Scotland relations” is blacked out. But the minutes do state: “The Scottish Government’s position remained that the Palestinian people had the right to self-determination and that a secure Israel should be able to live in peace and security. There was value in dialogue between Scotland and Israel as critical friends.” While Swinney publicly referenced the “killing and suffering of civilians”, the minutes suggest that Robertson adopted a more reserved tone with Grudsky, noting that “every effort must be taken to reduce civilian casualties”. Mercedes Villalba claimed the minutes showed the Scottish Government’s private attitude to Israel was “quite different” to its public stance. She added that her constituents were organising weekly protests against what they see as UK complicity in the war in Gaza. They would be asking whether Angus Robertson still believed Scotland could be “critical friends” with a country currently facing genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice, Villalba claimed. In a “profound apology” [issued](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/09/01/angus-robertson-snp-apology-meeting-israel-daniela-grudsky/?ref=theferret.scot) to delegates at the SNP conference on 1 September, after heavy criticism from within the party, Robertson said one of the government’s priorities for the meeting was to express its support for an “end of UK arms being sent to Israel”. But there is no mention of this in the minutes released. Talat Yaqoob said it was a failure of leadership that arms sales do not appear to have been addressed. She said the apparent omission was a “dereliction of duty” given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. ### **The aftermath** At 2.37pm on 12 August, the Scottish Government [posted](https://x.com/ScotGovInter/status/1822990693033205827?ref=theferret.scot) about the meeting on its international division’s X account. Barely anyone noticed – perhaps unsurprising given the account only has 4,500 followers. > [](https://twitter.com/ScotGovInter/status/1822990693033205827?ref=theferret.scot) At 5.36pm, Grudsky posted her own now infamous tweet, complete with the picture of the pair by an art deco fireplace in St Andrew’s House. She said they had discussed “the unique commonalities between” Scotland and Israel and “emphasized the urgent need to bring back our 115 hostages”. There was no mention of a ceasefire call. “Looking forward to cooperating in the fields of technology, culture and renewable energy,” Grudsky added. Over the next few days, dissent began to bubble in the SNP ranks. Backbench MSPs Kevin Stewart, Christine Grahame, and Emma Roddick all put their heads above the parapet. On 14 August, Swinney issued his statement on X, but Robertson himself laid low. A Scottish Government official emailed the Edinburgh Book Festival to give “a quick heads up that FM will now be attending” the event with Drakeford – instead of Robertson. On the morning of Monday 19 August – with the “ongoing public controversy” having continued to rage over the weekend – Swinney called Robertson in for a meeting. “They discussed the history of the issue and noted the public remarks of MSPs, MPs and commentators,” records released to The Ferret reveal. “They reflected on the need to address the concerns raised by the meeting around the SG’s position on the relationship with the Israeli government. In particular, they noted the need to be more clear that the Scottish Government did not believe that ‘normal’ relations with the Israeli government were currently possible given the events in Gaza and the position of the ICC.” They also agreed it was time for Robertson to break his silence – and issue his original apology. This was circulated among officials and redrafted by international relations deputy director, John Primrose, and Swinney’s special adviser, Jack Middleton. In the wake of the controversy the government [ruled out](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ydg5lqgwxo?ref=theferret.scot) further meetings with Israeli diplomats until progress has been made in Gaza peace talks. But arms firms supplying Israel [continue](https://www.theferret.scot/arms-firms-israel-grants-allegations-genocide-gaza/) to receive subsidies from the Scottish Government. It is only thanks to repeated FOI requests from The Ferret and other media outlets that this information has entered the public domain. [Arms firms supplying Israel receive money from the Scottish Government despite genocide claimsArms firms supplying Israel have continued to receive taxpayers’ money from the Scottish Government despite allegations of genocide in Gaza, prompting criticism its human rights due diligence is “not fit for purpose”. In correspondence to Scottish Enterprise, seen by The Ferret, Amnesty International said it was “astonishing” that companies supplying![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-73.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-2198211664.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/arms-firms-israel-grants-allegations-genocide-gaza/) And there are details of the meeting between Grudsky and Robertson which remain hidden from public view, including the discussions they held about the other topics which are redacted in the minutes released. “It is squarely in the public interest to have absolute clarity on whether the cabinet secretary presented a strong challenge to the deputy ambassador over war crimes and violations of international law in Gaza when they met,” said Amnesty’s Liz Thomson. “Just months before that meeting took place Amnesty asked Robertson for a clear framework on how human rights considerations inform international engagement and raised concerns that the Scottish government’s action wasn’t matching its rhetoric. Such guidance is clearly needed to inform all external affairs activity.” Mercedes Villalba was more direct. “We need answers – and we need them now,” she claimed. In a statement provided to The Ferret, external affairs secretary, Angus Robertson, said: “Close to 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza \[some [estimates](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02009-8?ref=theferret.scot) say the death toll is higher\] – many more are now being left to starve at the hands of the Israeli Government. “Civilians who queue to access what little humanitarian aid is permitted to enter Gaza are [frequently shot](https://www.ft.com/content/4fc96ec7-d65b-4b0e-a6ec-aa77396ed8e2?ref=theferret.scot) at and killed by Israeli Defence Forces. “The rhetoric of Israeli politicians has become increasingly extreme in recent months. “Under such abhorrent circumstances, the Scottish Government is unequivocal that it would not be appropriate to meet with the Israeli Government. “This will remain our position until real progress has been made towards peace and Israel cooperates fully with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes.” At the Book Festival that night, Swinney said that devolution had “strengthened the self-confidence of Scotland”. Over two decades of self-government, Scotland has become more visible on the international stage. But to critics, the Robertson affair has exposed serious gaps in transparency and accountability about how, and with whom, Scotland does diplomacy. The Embassy of Israel in London did not respond to requests for a comment. *Main image: Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales/Flickr* ### Coming soon URL: https://www.theferret.scot/coming-soon/ Last updated: 2025-07-31T09:25:23.000Z This is The Ferret, a brand new site by Paul Dobson that's just getting started. Things will be up and running here shortly, but you can [subscribe](#/portal/) in the meantime if you'd like to stay up to date and receive emails when new content is published! ### Ten years on, The Ferret is still digging — and looking ahead URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ten-anniversary-the-ferret-looking-ahead/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T15:54:21.000Z [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SSID-newsletter-banner.png)](theferret.scot/subscribe) **Ten years after we first huddled around a kitchen table in Edinburgh, forming The Ferret while eating pizza,there is another table bringing us together. This one sits in the backroom of our bright yellow newsroom on Bowman Street in Govanhill, Glasgow.** Seven of us are gathered here: co-editors, reporters, our business manager, fact checking lead, and social media and production lead (that’s me, hi!), surrounded by half-finished coffee cups but, unfortunately, no pizza this time. The décor is different, with soundproof panels, coffee machines, posters and pictures by our photojournalist, Angela Catlin, and a kind of cheerful chaos. But the feeling is strangely familiar. A decade on, we are still mulling over the same big question that brought us together in 2015\. How can we do journalism that matters? Back then, we were just a small collective of journalists with a hopeful plan. We wrote down that “without serious, fact-based journalism in pursuit of the public interest and beholden to no-one, Scotland would be a smaller place,” and we meant every word. We promised not to be owned by distant shareholders, not to align with any party or lobby, and to be transparent and accountable in everything we did. So we set up as a co-op, owned by our members and stubbornly independent. That stubbornness got us through the early days: late nights on sweat equity, chasing grants, crowdfunders, community meet-ups, until, remarkably, The Ferret grew. Today we have published over 2,600 stories, built a team of nine, gained 2,500 members and opened Scotland’s first community newsroom, where locals can meet us and pitch ideas. The Ferret started out to serve the public interest, and these days it is literally powered by the public. [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-14-142326.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-pizza-optimism-truth-10thbirthday/) Still, sitting here in Govanhill with the street outside bustling, it is clear the world around us has changed dramatically. When we launched, Scotland was in the aftermath of the independence referendum and trust in journalism had frayed. Now trust appears to have tumbled. Only about [a third of people in the UK](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-06/Digital%5FNews-Report%5F2025.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) say they trust most news most of the time. In the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, the UK [ranked bottom among 28 countries](https://pressgazette.co.uk/media-audience-and-business-data/trust-in-media-uk-edelman-barometer-2024/?ref=theferret.scot), with only 31 per cent of people saying they trust the media ‘to do what is right’, well below the global average of 50 per cent. [Hundreds of local papers have folded](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/mar/26/regional-newspapers-fight-for-survival-in-a-digital-world?ref=theferret.scot), [ad money has all but vanished](https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/107659/html/?ref=theferret.scot#%5Fftn3) to tech giants, and [almost five million people across the UK](https://www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/local-news-map-report-2024?ref=theferret.scot) now live in so-called news deserts. Even the way people find news is almost unrecognisable. Fewer pick up a paper or click on a homepage. More scroll TikTok, where [33 per cent of young people](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/tv-radio-and-on-demand-research/tv-research/news/news-consumption-2024/news-consumption-in-the-uk-2024-report.pdf?v=379621&ref=theferret.scot) now get their news. Audiences are drifting away not because they do not care, but because traditional media often does not speak to them in ways that resonate. On top of that swirl memes, misquotes and misinformation, which is everywhere, with [over half of people globally](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2025/dnr-executive-summary?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Overall%2C%20over%20half%20our%20sample,in%20Western%20Europe%20%2846%25%29.) saying they struggle to tell what is real online. The constant flood of negative headlines and breaking alerts can also trigger [news fatigue](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/people-are-turning-away-news-heres-why-it-may-be-happening?ref=theferret.scot), leaving many overwhelmed or tuning out, a growing concern in today’s media landscape. It is a noisy, suspicious, fragmented landscape, and sometimes it feels like we are all stumbling through it together. Which is exactly why we think independent, fearless journalism matters more than ever. Our first mission still stands: to dig deep, hold power to account and shine a light where others might not. But being an investigative newsroom in 2025 demands more. ![A colourful window display at The Community Newsroom in Govanhill, Glasgow, marks The Ferret’s 10th anniversary. The mural features a giant birthday cake with ten candles and a ferret holding a spade, celebrating a decade of ‘digging for facts.](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PXL_20250716_101033132.jpg) The community newsroom in Govanhill, all dressed up to celebrate our 10th birthday In a world flooded with information and misinformation, it is not enough just to break stories. We also have to support people to understand them. We have talked a lot around this table about how The Ferret’s next decade should be about not just digging up truths, but mapping them out. We want to offer clarity, context and connection in a confusing time. We want to be more transparent about how we work, clearer about why a story matters, and open about the impact it has or could have. We also want to keep inviting the public in, through our community newsroom doors and events, and online through interactive pieces and new formats. More explainers, more conversations, more chances for people to shape what we investigate next. In short, we hope to be your guides through the maze, ferrets tunnelling persistently to drag out what is hidden, then laying it out plainly for all to see. As we clear away the empty coffee cups and flip open calendars to plan the next investigations, that stubborn optimism is still here too. The world might be messier and trust shakier, but we are still committed to honesty, transparency, and to making facts meaningful for the people and communities we serve. We would love to hear your ideas about what The Ferret should tackle next, and what kind of journalism Scotland needs in the years ahead. If you have thoughts, please share them with us [via this short form](https://forms.gle/NrHPZc62VEU5W4hd8?ref=theferret.scot). Here is to another decade of digging deep together. ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) ### Claim Scottish Government spent £700 each on bikes for children is Half True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-700-bikes-children-half-true/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T17:02:08.000Z **A Scottish Government scheme to give free bikes to school children who cannot afford them has been criticised after reports emerged about the costs involved.** Prominent [social](https://www.facebook.com/STOPSwinneyandSNP/photos/cult-headlines-labour-mp-says-one-thing-the-snp-excel-at-is-wasting-our-money-as/1059046013082631/?%5Frdr) [media](https://www.facebook.com/100068238998982/posts/the-snp-government-did-not-fork-out-nearly-10-million-for-free-bikes-the-hard-wo/1028937566057534/) [pages](https://www.facebook.com/UAS1707/posts/pfbid0wp9ttM12DAzWkfgvqLKRwUUkDUEiegSRez9TRND6zRQbscvaU9hqrHYCpg249p13l) questioned whether the scheme was good value for money, after a [news article claimed](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/snp-government-forks-out-nearly-35521575?ref=theferret.scot) the Scottish Government had spent nearly £10m on the pilot projects. > SNP Government forks out nearly £10m on ‘free’ bikes for children at £700 a pop. > > Daily Record [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it **Half True**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Banner-6.png) #### **Evidence** Scottish Government agency [Transport Scotland](https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/evaluation-of-free-bikes-pilots-for-school-age-children-who-cannot-afford-them/introduction/?ref=theferret.scot) launched the Free Bikes for Children Pilot Scheme in 2021\. This followed [a pledge in the SNP’s 2021](https://issuu.com/hinksbrandwise/docs/04%5F28c%5Fsnp%5F100%5Fdays%5F210x297mm?ref=theferret.scot) Scottish Parliament election manifesto to deliver free bicycles to children who can’t afford them. [Two further free bikes schemes](https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202500466775/?ref=theferret.scot) have taken place since – the Free Bikes Partnership, and as part of the People and Place Programme. In 2025, the [Daily Record newspaper reported](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/snp-government-forks-out-nearly-35521575?ref=theferret.scot) that the scheme had so far cost nearly £10m, with the bikes costing “£700 a pop”. This is based on a [response to a freedom of information request](https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202500466775/?ref=theferret.scot) by the Scottish Government, which revealed that – across the three schemes – £9,419,808 had been spent between August 2021 and March 2025. During this time, 13,244 bikes had been distributed, which averages just over £711 per bike. Labour MP Joani Reid [described the costs](https://www.joanireidmp.co.uk/free-bikes-cost-millions/?ref=theferret.scot) as “outrageous” and said: “I am not against giving children free bikes, I am against my constituents being ripped off like this. “Public money is precious and needs to be spent with care.” In a [post on her website](https://www.joanireidmp.co.uk/free-bikes-cost-millions/?ref=theferret.scot), she argued that children’s bicycles could be [purchased](https://www.argos.co.uk/search/childrens-bike/?clickOrigin=searchbar:home:term:childrens+bike&ref=theferret.scot) from High street retailers for under £200, and even a higher-quality branded bicycle would cost under £500. However, the costs of the scheme do not just include bikes. The [FOI response stated](https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202500466775/?ref=theferret.scot) this number “includes bikes purchased as part of fleets, for example by schools, and used by multiple children for purposes such as cycle training”. In a [separate response](https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202400440820/?ref=theferret.scot), the Scottish Government also clarified that the pilot scheme was delivered primarily by charities and community groups, partnered with Transport Scotland. “Rather than allocate a bike per child in a specific area, many of them operated temporary loan schemes, or bike libraries – with approximately one bike for every three to four children under that approach,” the response stated. The cost of the scheme also included staffing costs to run the projects, cycle training, storage, maintenance and safety accessories such as helmets, bike lights and locks. According to an [impact report for the initial pilot scheme](https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/52880/evaluation-of-free-bikes-pilots-for-school-age-children-who-cannot-afford-them.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), produced by Research Scotland, the “direct cost of providing a new standard bike ranged from £230 to £400”, with the average cost across the different regional schemes being £354. Higher [direct costs](https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/52880/evaluation-of-free-bikes-pilots-for-school-age-children-who-cannot-afford-them.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) were incurred for adaptive bikes, which are made for people with disabilities who cannot ride a standard two-wheeled bicycle. According to the report, new adaptive bikes “ranged from £1,018 to £2,980”. Further [costs came from](https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/52880/evaluation-of-free-bikes-pilots-for-school-age-children-who-cannot-afford-them.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) identifying eligible families who would qualify for the schemes, and delivering bikes to the children. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** The free bikes scheme from the Scottish Government cost £9.4m and delivered 13,244 up to March 2025\. While the scheme cost about £711 for each bike delivered, this figure does not include the additional costs such as staffing, storage, maintenance and safety. According to an impact report for the initial pilot scheme, the average direct cost of the bicycles was £354, rather than £711. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Half-True-1.png) ### Councils sell off 1,850 properties amidst budget shortfalls URL: https://www.theferret.scot/councilna-tries-to-control-international-students-at-scos-sell-off-properties-amidst-budget-shortfalls/ Last updated: 2026-07-15T09:37:08.000Z **Scotland’s cash-strapped councils have sold off 1,851 homes, schools, community centres, civic halls and other properties in recent years amidst budget shortfalls, The Ferret can reveal.** Thirty-one local authorities disposed of the public assets between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2024, generating £243m in revenue, according to data we obtained via freedom of information. The sales include 113 former schools and nurseries, 69 community centres and civic halls, 17 care homes, 14 public toilets and eight libraries. Some councils shed large proportions of their total number of properties in recent years, which range from small plots of land to sprawling building complexes. Shetland sold 14 per cent of its assets, while Fife and North Lanarkshire – which withheld details about its sales – shed around a tenth. Others disposed of up to a fifth of their schools. ![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-11-at-16.45.02.jpg) St Clements Hall in Lerwick, Shetland was among the council’s sales. Image credit: Google Some services which were run via the sold properties appear to have been stopped, with no replacements earmarked. Trade unionists and campaigners said councils were “swinging the axe” at services which provide “vital support for everyone in our towns and cities”. They blamed the Scottish and UK governments for “cuts and austerity”. Councils said cash shortages had led to difficult decisions about cutting some services, and called for a “fair budget settlement”. A Labour MSP claimed the UK Government had delivered a “record” budget to Holyrood, which partly funds councils, while the Scottish Government also claimed to have made “record” payments to local authorities. The disposal of properties by local authorities is a continuing trend. In 2021, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/public-bodies-shed-property-worth-hundreds-millions/) that councils sold off 2,663 assets between 2015 and 2019\. They included 39 leisure centres, 23 public toilets, 17 libraries, seven swimming pools and four outdoor centres. [Selling off Scotland: public bodies shed property worth half a billionScotland’s public institutions sold off more than half a billion pounds worth of land and property between 2015 and 2019, with public assets being shed to make up for budget shortfalls. The sold property, totalling at least £584,829,652, includes housing, schools, nurseries, hospitals, care homes and healthcare![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-24.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/4668219719_bf1373001e_k1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/public-bodies-shed-property-worth-hundreds-millions/) Ongoing cash constraints mean councils face further stark choices about the future of public assets. In May, Scotland’s Accounts Commission [said](https://audit.scot/publications/local-government-budgets-202526?ref=theferret.scot) mounting pressures from inflation, increasing costs and demand had surpassed additional funding awarded to councils by the Scottish Government, meaning town halls face a budget shortfall of £647m in 2025-26 alone. Additional costs they must shoulder include wage rises, higher employer National Insurance contributions in light of the UK Government’s increase, and growing service demands, including social care requirements due to Scotland’s ageing population. Councils are aiming to raise more money via increases in council tax and charges for some services. But communities who face paying more have growing expectations for the services they use as a result, the commission added. ### **What did councils sell off?** Fife Council sold eight community centres and civic halls – around a tenth of its total number of halls and centres, when compared to the local authority’s current asset register. Other councils sold a significant number of key assets. Glasgow sold 23 former schools, Highland and Dundee disposed of 10 each, Aberdeenshire nine, and Shetland, Dumfries and Galloway and the Western Isles seven each. Argyll and Bute sold six schools, Fife and Edinburgh five each, while Perth and Kinross, and Fife, each sold four. ![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Pathhead_Halls_Kirkcaldy-1.jpg) Pathhead Halls in Kirkcaldy was one of assets sold by Fife Council. Image credit: [user:kilnburn](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Kilnburn?ref=theferret.scot) Proportionally, Shetland and the Western Isles sold nearly a fifth of their schools, Inverclyde sold a sixth, while Dundee sold a tenth, according to the councils’ current asset registers. Six more Western Isles schools are considered to be “surplus” to requirements. Residents of Scotland’s rural areas and islands have [previously warned](https://www.theferret.scot/forty-rural-primary-schools-closed-five-years/) that school closures could make local battles against depopulation unwinnable. [Forty rural primary schools shut in five yearsForty primary schools in mostly rural areas of Scotland have been closed or mothballed by councils in recent years due to dwindling pupil numbers, prompting depopulation concerns. The figures obtained by The Ferret under Freedom of Information (FOI) show that 20 schools were mothballed and 20 were shut for good![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-25.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/school-luing-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/forty-rural-primary-schools-closed-five-years/) The Western Isles also sold four care homes – a quarter of its total listed care facilities – while Glasgow shed five. The sales contrast with [warnings](https://www.agescotland.org.uk/news/1127-more-than-10000-people-waiting-for-social-care-at-home?ref=theferret.scot) of a social care crisis in Scotland. North Lanarkshire sold the most properties (207), followed by Fife (189), East Ayrshire (167), Highland (153) and Dundee (106). Public assets can vary in size and significance, however. Edinburgh council made the most from its sales (£48.8m), although property prices in the capital are significantly higher than elsewhere in Scotland. West Dunbartonshire banked £29m, Fife £26.6m, Highland £24m, Glasgow £20m, Aberdeen £17m, and Dundee £12.8m, ![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/geograph-7133767-by-Mary-and-Angus-Hogg-1.jpg) Sold off: Richmond Hall, Kirkoswald, South Ayrshire. [Photo](https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7133767?ref=theferret.scot) ****©** [****Mary and Angus Hogg**](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/7257?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) East Renfrewshire and North Lanarkshire councils refused to provide any information about their sales, while East Dunbartonshire withheld sale prices. North Lanarkshire Council said the information would be too costly for it to collate, while the other two argued the data could be purchased via Registers of Scotland. ### **Councils defend their sales** Local authorities stressed that some schools, halls and centres had been replaced. Those closed were due to declining usage, or deteriorating conditions, they added. Fife Council stressed over 100 of its 189 sales were parts of land and buildings, rather than entire properties, and encouraged communities to apply to take over the running of local hubs. Council assets were sometimes given to local groups, it said. Aberdeenshire Council added that in addition to providing crucial revenue, some sales allowed old buildings to “enjoy a new lease of life within our communities”. The community transfers of buildings did not always stop formerly council-run services from being discontinued, however. ![Article headline: Councils sell off 1,600 local assets amidst budget shortfalls Image description: A Derelict School Building With Boarded Up Windows And Overgrown Grounds in Glasgow, Scotland](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/iStock-1227167521.jpg) Haghill Primary in Dennistoun, Glasgow, was one of the schools sold by the local authority. Image: **yvonnestewarthenderson/iStock* In Aberdeenshire, schools were sold due to declining pupil rolls or ageing buildings, which place “a significant financial burden on the council during challenging financial times,” said a spokesperson. Highland Council highlighted that schools with dwindling pupil numbers were mothballed to give an opportunity for more children to move to the catchment area and avoid the risk of permanent closure. Dumfries and Galloway Council argued its closures “had no measurable impact” on pupil population decline, which was “fairly consistent across all areas”. The local authority provides education “to all school-aged pupils”, it added. In Dundee a new £100m community campus, which will feature the “state-of-the-art Greenfield Academy”, would open to around 1,500 pupils in August, the council said. ### **‘Swinging the axe’** The Scottish Trades Union Congress said the scale of sell-offs was “alarming as it is unsurprising.” Local authorities were “swinging the axe” at services which provide “vital support for everyone in our towns and cities”, warned deputy general secretary, Dave Moxham. “Yet again, it’s the failure of politicians – their grave, unforgivable inaction on redistributing wealth – which has pulled the shutters down on our services,” he argued. ![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/geograph-4864756-by-Billy-McCrorie.jpg) Stronord Outdoor Education Centre was one of the assets disposed of by Dumfries and Galloway Council. [Photo](https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4864756?ref=theferret.scot) ****©** [****Billy McCrorie**](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/22650?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) Some opposition parties laid the blame for the councils’ sales at the door of the Scottish Government. “It’s a measure of the SNP government’s chronic underfunding of Scotland’s local authorities that, to make ends meet, councils are being forced to cut services and sell off the properties that provided them,” claimed Scottish Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for local government, Craig Hoy. His view was echoed by Scottish Labour, which warned that the disposals “can undermine councils’ ability to both serve communities and achieve financial stability in the long term”. “However, councils have been left with little choice but to take this course of action because the Scottish Government has failed to listen to warnings about the state of their finances,” alleged local government spokesperson, Mark Griffin MSP. “The UK Labour Government has delivered record funding for the Scottish Government, so the SNP has no excuses,” he claimed. > Every one of these public assets made people’s lives better, every one was something that local communities owned collectively. > > Cat Hobbs, We Own It Campaign group We Own It, however, argued that governments both north and south of the border shared responsibility for the “absolutely devastating” disposal of council property. “Every one of these public assets made people’s lives better, every one was something that local communities owned collectively,” said Cat Hobbs, the group’s director. “The message for both the Scottish Government and for Westminster must be: stop forcing councils to sell off the family silver. Demand that they steward these assets for future generations instead and give them the funding to do so. “Cuts and austerity are a false economy, a quick fix with dire consequences. The damaging impact on communities today and in the long term must not be ignored.” ### **Budget settlements: shortchanged or ‘record’ high?** COSLA, which represents Scotland’s local authorities, said that while councils “work hard to continue running high-quality services”, they face significant budgetary challenges. “This means that in some cases they have had to make difficult decisions about which properties and services they can continue to run,” said a spokesperson. “COSLA will continue to advocate for a fair budget settlement for Scottish local government that recognises the importance of local decision making in getting the best outcomes for our communities.” ![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-11-at-16.59.10.jpg) Highland Council sold the former drill hall in Wick. [Photo](https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6671705?ref=theferret.scot) ****©** [****Claire Pegrum**](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/3729?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) The Scottish Government said it had given councils “a record £15.1bn this year – a real terms increase of 5.5 per cent”. “The total local government finance settlement increased by almost 50 per cent between 2013-14 and 2025-26,” a spokesperson said. “Most local authorities have had to account for the planned hike in employer national insurance contributions and the UK Government is entirely responsible for this. “Local authorities are independent bodies and it is for them to decide how to manage their budgets and property portfolios based on local needs and priorities.” Every council named in this article was approached for comment. *Main image: yvonnestewarthenderson/iStock* ### Palestine Action: Why has the UK proscribed the group? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-is-happening-with-palestine-action/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:12:18.000Z **MPs have voted to ban activist group Palestine Action, after members broke into a UK military base in Oxfordshire last month and damaged planes.** The group’s direct action was in protest against the UK Government’s support for Israel and activists targeted RAF Brize Norton, where planes set off to a base in Cyprus which has [reportedly assisted](https://aoav.org.uk/2025/britain-sent-over-500-spy-flights-to-gaza-aoav-study-reveals-the-scale-of-british-intelligence-gathering-above-gaza-raising-fears-of-complicity-in-israeli-war-crimes/?ref=theferret.scot) the Israeli military in surveillance over Gaza. Home secretary Yvette Cooper [said after](https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-06-23/debates/25062337000014/PalestineActionProscription?ref=theferret.scot) the incident that Palestine Action would be ‘proscribed’, which means it would be added to a list of organisations that are banned in the UK. Ferret Fact Service explains. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-3.png) ### **What happens when an organisation is proscribed?** The UK Government has the ability to ‘proscribe’ organisations under the [2000 Terrorism Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/section/1?ref=theferret.scot). This means it is illegal to be a member, state publicly that you are a member, and support the organisation in public in a way that might invite other people to support it. This could mean expressing support in speeches, publishing images or by wearing clothing in support of the group. It’s also illegal to arrange events that support the organisation or are being addressed by a member. Last Wednesday, [MPs at Westminster](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/04/ban-on-palestine-action-to-take-effect-after-legal-challenge-fails?ref=theferret.scot) voted for Palestine Action to be added to this list. The ban came into force on Saturday after a [legal challenge](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/04/ban-on-palestine-action-to-take-effect-after-legal-challenge-fails?ref=theferret.scot) from the group failed. More than [80 groups](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proscribed-terror-groups-or-organisations--2/proscribed-terrorist-groups-or-organisations-accessible-version?ref=theferret.scot#list-of-proscribed-international-terrorist-groups) are currently proscribed in the UK under the Terrorism Act, while 14 linked to paramilitary activities in Northern Ireland are banned under previous legislation. Most of the [organisations](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proscribed-terror-groups-or-organisations--2/proscribed-terrorist-groups-or-organisations-accessible-version?ref=theferret.scot#list-of-proscribed-international-terrorist-groups) currently proscribed are linked to Islamist or far right violence. In 2016, far right group Scottish Dawn was proscribed after an investigation by The Ferret. The maximum sentence for belonging to or showing support for a proscribed organisation is 14 years in prison. Police arrested 29 people at a protest in opposition to Palestine Action’s proscription, which took place on Saturday after the ban came into force. The [Metropolitan Police said](https://news.sky.com/story/police-arrest-protesters-supporting-palestine-action-after-group-designated-as-terrorist-organisation-13392763?ref=theferret.scot) the protesters had been held on suspicion of committing offences under the Terrorism Act 2000. ### **How is terrorism defined?** This is controversial, as [terrorism is defined differently across the world](https://theconversation.com/how-we-define-and-use-the-word-terrorism-in-the-israel-hamas-war-matters-a-lot-215670?ref=theferret.scot) and hotly-debated by academic experts. There is [no international consensus](https://icct.nl/sites/default/files/2023-03/Schmidt%20-%20Defining%20Terrorism%5F1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) about its exact meaning. This means organisations and actions may be defined as terroristic by some countries and not others. According to the Terrorism Act 2000, which underpins the proscription of groups in the UK, terrorism is the use or threat of action which: - involves serious violence against a person, - involves serious damage to property, endangers a person’s life (other than that of the person committing the act), - creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or section of the public, - is designed seriously to interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system. To be defined as terrorism, these actions must be designed to influence government or an international governmental institution or to intimidate the public, and be done to advance a political, religious, racial or ideological cause. ### **Does this mean the UK Government sees Palestine Action as a terrorist group?** Effectively yes. Cooper, in her [speech to parliament](https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-06-23/debates/25062337000014/PalestineActionProscription?ref=theferret.scot) ahead of the debate, said the group’s “activities meet the threshold set out in the statutory tests established under the Terrorism Act 2000”. According to the UK Government, the home secretary [can proscribe a group](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proscribed-terror-groups-or-organisations--2/proscribed-terrorist-groups-or-organisations-accessible-version?ref=theferret.scot#list-of-proscribed-groups-linked-to-northern-ireland-related-terrorism) under the legislation “if they believe it is concerned in terrorism”. Guidance states a proscribed group “commits or participates in acts of terrorism, prepares for terrorism, promotes or encourages terrorism (including the unlawful glorification of terrorism), or is otherwise concerned in terrorism”. ![19.11.2024. London, United Kingdom. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper delivers keynote speech that unveils a major policing overhaul at the 9th Annual Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Partnership Summit. Picture by Andy Taylor / Home Office](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/1024px-Home_Secretary_Yvette_Cooper_attends_the_9th_Annual_APCC_and_NPCC_Partnership_Summit_-19.11.2024_London_United_Kingdom_-_2.jpg) Home Secretary Yvette Cooper at the 2024 Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Partnership Summit. Image: Andy Taylor/Home Office ### **Can organisations be taken off the proscribed list?** Yes. An organisation [can apply](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00815/SN00815.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to be taken off the list, which will then be decided on by the home secretary. So far, four organisations have been de-proscribed: Peoples’ Mujaheddin of Iran, International Sikh Youth Federation, Hezb-e Islami, and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. Organisations can also appeal if the Home Office decides to reject a request for de-proscription. An independent appeals commission will then decide on the case. ### **Has a similar protest organisation been proscribed before?** Palestine Action appears to be the first organisation MPs have voted to proscribe under the Terrorism Act 2000\. Its activities have been restricted to attacks on property. In her statement to the House of Commons, Cooper said Palestine Action’s members were “demonstrating a willingness to use violence”, and cited the damage caused at RAF Brize Norton, and a separate protest at Thales defence factory in Glasgow. In 2024, [Lord Walney](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66473eddf34f9b5a56adc9e3/E03131940%5FHC%5F775%5FLord%5FWalney%5FReview%5FAccessible.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), the UK Government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption, described the group as a “far left, anarchist, anti-Israel activist group” and recommended that proscription be kept under review. He said he did not believe the group met the threshold to be proscribed at the time. This advice predated the damage at Brize Norton. Climate activism group Extinction Rebellion [appeared on a list](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/10/xr-extinction-rebellion-listed-extremist-ideology-police-prevent-scheme-guidance?ref=theferret.scot) put together by police as an example of an allegedly extremist ideology that should be reported to the authorities running the anti-radicalism Prevent programme, but it has not been proscribed. Since the ban, a new organisation called ‘Yvette Cooper’ has emerged, posting similar direct action protests to Palestine Action. In a video, the group said: “If you want to ban[ Palestine](https://www.thenational.scot/topics/palestine/?ref=theferret.scot) Action, you’ll have to proscribe Yvette Cooper too”. ### **What do human rights groups think?** Amnesty International [described the ban](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/uk-banning-palestine-action-disturbing-legal-overreach-uk-government-amnesty?ref=theferret.scot) as “an unprecedented legal overreach”. It questioned the UK’s definition of terrorism as “deeply flawed and overly broad”. A selection of [human rights experts appointed by](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/un-experts-urge-united-kingdom-not-misuse-terrorism-laws-against-protest?ref=theferret.scot) the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) also questioned the move. In a statement, they criticised the “unjustified labelling of a political protest movement as ‘terrorist’”. “According to international standards, acts of protest that damage property, but are not intended to kill or injure people, should not be treated as terrorism,” the statement continued. The home secretary told MPs that Palestine Action’s proscription had been “assessed through a robust, evidence-based process, by a wide range of experts from across government, the police and the security services”. *Main image: Merch HÜSEY/Unsplash* ### The Ferret: pizza, optimism and truth URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-pizza-optimism-truth-10thbirthday/ Last updated: 2025-11-13T14:11:26.000Z **Ten years ago a small group of us sat round my kitchen table in Edinburgh eating carrot sticks and pizza. We had an idea, and we were trying to work out how to make it a reality.** The idea was to create something that would help stem the decline in investigative journalism. A new online publication that would hold power to account, whoever wields it, without fear or favour, underpinned by an enduring belief in truth, honesty and transparency. Those were the heady days in the wake of the [Scottish independence referendum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014%5FScottish%5Findependence%5Freferendum?ref=theferret.scot) in 2014, and we were full of optimism. I burnt the pizza, while the talented and experienced journalists round the table gradually gave birth to [The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/author/editor/). The [founding statement](https://www.theferret.scot/about-us/) we drafted in 2015 said that “without serious, fact-based journalism in pursuit of the public interest and beholden to no-one, Scotland would be a smaller place.” We promised that The Ferret would not be owned by some distant corporation. “It will be owned by its members and run as a not-for-profit operation in Scotland,” we said. “It will not be aligned with any political party or any vested interest. It will be utterly transparent and totally accountable in all it does.” We also aimed “not to be dour”, and to listen to our readers, who would all have a say in what we did. We became a multi-stakeholder co-operative, [registered with the UK Government’s Financial Conduct Authority](https://mutuals.fca.org.uk/Search/Society/18834?ref=theferret.scot). We designed logos, launched our first [crowdfunder](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-ferret-s-first-investigation-fracking?ref=theferret.scot#/), applied for grants and asked people to [join us as members](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/). We relied heavily on [sweat equity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweat%5Fequity?ref=theferret.scot), opted to be independently regulated by [Impress](https://www.impressorg.com/?ref=theferret.scot), and gradually grew. In 2017 we launched the [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/), the first in Scotland to be internationally accredited. Since then we have rigorously checked more than 500 facts from politicians and others, finding some to be false, some true and many somewhere in between. Our first major investigation was into fracking for underground gas. Remember that? We exposed the pollution and risks, and helped ensure that it was [ruled out by the Scottish Government](https://www.theferret.scot/fracking-ban-fail-anger/) in 2019. Over the years since we have investigated many other important areas of Scottish life, including human rights, the arms trade, housing, homelessness, asylum seekers, drug deaths, the health service, land ownership, political lobbying, dark money, fossil fuel pollution, the far right, fish farming, animal welfare and much else. With the help of our readers and funders, we have conducted major investigations into who runs Scotland, private finance, marine pollution and climate change. We have worked with most other major media outlets to co-publish stories, and increase their impact. In all, we have published more than 2,600 stories, have more than 2,500 members and an annual turnover of over £300,000\. We employ nine people, either full or part-time, and reach over half a million readers every year. We have produced podcasts, won a series of media awards, and successfully acquired many big and small grants. We have held many meetings for members and the public, including one with the actor, [Michael Sheen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael%5FSheen?ref=theferret.scot). We have often influenced public policy. Our [reporting in 2018](https://www.theferret.scot/trump-steve-bannon-newsxchange-edinburgh/) caused the then first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, to pull out of a conference featuring the US rightwing influencer and one-time Trump supporter, Steve Bannon. In 2023 the environmental campaigner, Greta Thunberg, [withdrew from](https://www.theferret.scot/greta-thunberg-pulls-out-of-book-festival-event-after-ferret-revelations/) an event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival because it was sponsored by Baillie Gifford, which invested in the oil and gas industry. Protest erupted, and Baillie Gifford subsequently stopped sponsoring book festivals. Along the way we have inevitably had our fair share of caricatures. We’ve been compared to [Gradgrind](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gradgrind?ref=theferret.scot), the harsh and fact-obsessed school master in Charles Dickens’s Hard Times. We’ve also, bizarrely, been likened to “a self-important pub singer who, despite it being busy, insists on playing Ralph McTell songs all night.” Like many journalists, we take a perverse pride in annoying the powerful, especially the corrupt, comfortable, complacent and coddled. That means, though, that we have also received a series of legal threats, a few of them potentially threatening our existence. Of course we haven’t got everything right. We’re not diverse enough. We’ve had to learn how to become a business, strangely the collective noun for ferrets. We’ve had to make corrections, and even withdraw a few stories as a result of complaints. This is all rightly part of what we do, and how we develop. We always endeavour to act with integrity, and when we make mistakes, we learn from them, and move on. Mostly, though, we’ve got it right. For all this, we depend crucially on our members and readers, for whom we exist. Without their backing and subscriptions, we wouldn’t be able to function. We have to work hard to earn the income we need to keep us going – and we need to keep going. Much has changed since 2015, in Scotland, the UK and the world. Some of those gathered round my kitchen table have moved on to other, great, things. Some are still around, with one even deciding to acquire two pet ferrets. New and gifted people have joined us, believing in the vital role of independent journalism in a free and democratic society. Without doubt, The Ferret now has one of the [best teams](https://www.theferret.scot/about-us/) in the Scottish media. Scotland feels like a different place from a decade ago, with a declining legacy media, a growing distrust of government and increasing uncertainties about the future. Globally, there is much to fear, as truth retreats, tyranny advances and murderous wars intensify. Never, in our small part of the world, has it been more important to fight for the truth by uncovering secrets and exposing wrong-doing. With your help, that is what we are here for – and what we’ll keep doing for decades to come. *Cover image of a ferret thanks to iStock/*[*MaaraJuberte*](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/MaaraJuberte?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)*.* ### Plans to keep gas plant open could “blow hole” in climate targets URL: https://www.theferret.scot/keep-peterhead-gas-plant-open-climate-targets/ Last updated: 2025-11-17T18:50:58.000Z **Energy giant SSE may keep Scotland’s dirtiest power station open until 2040 – ten years longer than planned – which critics fear could “blow an enormous hole” in the Scottish Government’s climate strategy.** The company owns the [Peterhead](https://www.ssethermal.com/flexible-generation/operational/peterhead/?ref=theferret.scot) gas-fired power station in the north east which has been producing electricity since 1982. It is the largest remaining fossil fuel power station in Scotland and has [repeatedly](https://foe.scot/press-release/sse-scotlands-biggest-polluter-rakes-in-obscene-profits/?ref=theferret.scot) been the country’s biggest polluter, releasing more than one million tonnes of climate-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) in an average year. That is about the same as 250,000 cars. SSE, along with Norwegian company Equinor, is [planning](https://www.ssethermal.com/flexible-generation/development/peterhead-carbon-capture/?ref=theferret.scot) to build a new replacement gas power station next to the current one. They claim this new plant will help Scotland meet climate targets because it will use technology to capture most of its emissions and store them under the North Sea. However new plans show that the old Peterhead plant could stay operational until 2040 – and could run at the same time as the new one. That’s despite SSE previously [saying](https://www.theferret.scot/new-peterhead-gas-plant-run-at-same-time-as-old/) it “could not foresee” the old plant staying open past 2030. [New Peterhead gas plant could run at same time as old, energy giant admitsA proposed new gas-fired power station at Peterhead could run at the same time as the existing one, the energy giant behind it has admitted, prompting fears it could accelerate the climate crisis. Scottish energy firm, SSE, submitted an application to Scottish ministers for a major new gas burning power![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-53.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/511600096-edited-e1680175030896.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/new-peterhead-gas-plant-run-at-same-time-as-old/) Meanwhile a [document](https://www.gov.scot/publications/statement-accompany-climate-change-scotland-act-2009-scottish-carbon-budgets-amendment-regulations-2025/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot) published on climate change by the Scottish Government last month suggests ministers were unaware of the changed timeline – which one campaigner claimed was “stunning” given “all their [cosy meetings](https://foe.scot/press-release/ministerial-code-broken-28-times-in-scot-gov-handling-of-peterhead-power-station-application/?ref=theferret.scot) with SSE”. Campaigners and local politicians argued extending the life of the “mega-polluter” old plant could see Scotland “bust through” its climate targets. But SSE said it is needed to play an “important back up role” ensuring Scotland can keep the lights on when energy from other sources, like wind turbines, is not available. ### **Extended lifespan** The finding about the old plant’s extended life comes from a new [assessment](https://www.ssethermal.com/media/cb1ddp5y/peterhead-low-carbon-power-station-additional-information-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of the environmental impact of the new plant published by SSE in May. The document says that if the new plant (Peterhead 2) is approved by Scottish ministers, the old one (Peterhead 1) is “expected” to stay in operation with its “existing total capacity available up to 2040”. In a response to The Ferret, SSE said it expects the current station to run until the mid-2030s, and that the 2040 date is a worst case scenario. Unlike the current station, the new one would use [carbon capture and storage](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-carbon-capture-storage/) (CCS) technology to reduce emissions. SSE says building the new plant is essential to Scotland meeting its climate targets because it will provide a reliable source of “dispatchable” low-carbon power at times when renewable sources cannot meet demand, such as when the wind is not blowing. [FFS explains: carbon capture and storageCarbon capture has been heralded by some as an important technological solution to the climate crisis. As COP26 continues in Glasgow, the potential impact of carbon capture and storage in reducing emissions is in the spotlight. Ferret Fact Service looked at how it works, and whether carbon capture is actually![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-71.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/iStock-1300697645.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-carbon-capture-storage/) But Peterhead 2 will still be linked to considerable emissions. The new environmental assessment looked at “well-to-tank” emissions – including the climate pollution created when drilling for the gas that will be burned at the new site. These emissions will not be captured by CCS. Taking these into account, the new plant could cause the equivalent of 17 million tonnes of CO2 to enter the atmosphere over its 25-year life – [three times more](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25228830.bid-stop-taxpayer-backed-gas-power-plant-pollution-ratings-soar/?ref=theferret.scot) than SSE originally estimated in 2022. Climate activists believe this could still be an understatement because they are skeptical about the amount of CO2 that will be captured by Peterhead 2. ### **‘Unreliable technology’?** SSE has “conservatively” assumed that 90 per cent of the emissions from the new site will be captured and stored. Campaigners argue this level of capture has never been achieved in practice. The think tank Carbon Tracker published an [analysis](https://foe.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/FINAL-VERSION-The-Real-Emissions-of-Peterhead.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on Peterhead 2 last year which argued most carbon capture plants operating today “struggle to achieve high capture rates above 80 per cent, let alone 90-95 per cent”. “Carbon capture has repeatedly failed to deliver so trying to make future calculations based on such an unreliable technology is foolish at best and downright reckless at worst,” Friends of the Earth Scotland’s senior climate campaigner, Alex Lee, told The Ferret. They warned that continuing to allow gas burning at Peterhead could “blow an enormous hole in Scotland’s limited carbon budget”. Last month the Scottish Government [announced](https://www.gov.scot/news/new-climate-targets-set/?ref=theferret.scot) a new approach to measuring progress towards its target for Scotland to reach net zero emissions by 2045\. This would bring in new “carbon budgets” – limits on how much carbon Scotland can emit every five years – to replace annual targets that were dropped last year after being repeatedly missed. A [document](https://www.gov.scot/publications/statement-accompany-climate-change-scotland-act-2009-scottish-carbon-budgets-amendment-regulations-2025/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot) accompanying these new budgets included the assumption that Peterhead 1 would be replaced by the new plant “just after 2030”. Lee said it was “stunning” that the Scottish Government did not appear to know that the life of the plant is likely to be extended “despite all their cosy meetings with SSE”. In the five years between 2019 and 2023 – the most recent for which there is data – Peterhead 1 produced nearly 6 million tonnes of climate-warming CO2. SSE expects the old plant to run at reduced levels once the new station comes online and is predicting a “reduction in overall emissions” from Peterhead. But “worse case scenario” projections by SSE suggest in total the site could be responsible for the equivalent of 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere each year of the 2030s. SSE stressed that this was “unlikely”. Politicians expressed concern that keeping the old plant running could see the Peterhead site consume a growing share of Scotland’s carbon budgets. This would leave less room for emissions from sectors which are seen as hard to decarbonise, such as farming. > Our energy transition will continue to be disorderly, with workers paying the price with our jobs, health, environment and climate, until the government gets a grip. > > Mercedes Villalba MSP, Scottish Labour Maggie Chapman, the Scottish Greens MSP, said keeping “mega-polluter” Peterhead running until 2040 would see Scotland “bust through its climate targets”. “Given the success of decarbonising Scotland’s energy supply, there can be absolutely no justification to continue generation from gas past its use-by date,” Chapman continued. She added that instead of expanding one of Scotland’s most polluting sites, “we need to see government-led projects to build a better future” for workers and communities which have relied on the fossil fuel industry. Chapman’s fellow north east MSP, Scottish Labour’s Mercedes Villalba, said the Scottish Government appeared to be “clueless” about the overlap in running Peterhead 1 and 2 because of its “inadequate and ineffective oversight”. “Proposals for a new plant rely on CCS which remains years from realisation in Scotland,” Villalba said. “Meanwhile, with no plan for transition, it is no surprise that the dirtier alternative is set to continue. “Our energy transition will continue to be disorderly, with workers paying the price with our jobs, health, environment and climate, until the government gets a grip.” An SSE spokesperson pointed out that the UK government had “outlined the need for up to 35GW of gas generation to remain on the system by 2030”. “This type of capacity will continue to play an important backup role into the 2030s,” they said. “As a result, our existing assets, including Peterhead 1, will remain operational for longer than previously expected, helping us to keep the lights on when required. “Peterhead carbon capture (Peterhead 2) will ultimately replace the existing station, delivering low-carbon power and supporting the transition to a clean energy system.” The Scottish Government said policies to meet the carbon budgets would be set in its draft climate change plan which is due “later this year”. A spokesperson said ministers were opposed to continued use of fossil fuels to generate electricity if they are not “abated” by CCS technology. “However, as the UK Climate Change Committee and National Infrastructure Commission have emphasised, there will continue to be a role for small amounts of abated natural gas, due to renewables’ intermittent nature and the flexibility which gas is able to provide during periods of low renewable generation,” the spokesperson said. “The application for Peterhead low carbon power station is live – as such it would not be appropriate to comment on it or prejudice any considerations or final outcome.” *Main image: Colin\_Hunter/iStock* ### Faslane’s radioactive secrets to be released after FoI battle URL: https://www.theferret.scot/faslane-radioactive-secrets-revealed/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T14:49:48.000Z **Information kept secret for years on radioactive problems at the Clyde nuclear bomb bases is to be released to the public, after Scotland’s freedom of information watchdog said it threatens “reputations” not national security.** The [Scottish Information Commissioner](https://www.foi.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), David Hamilton, has ordered the government’s [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) to release files it has been withholding about “poor maintenance” and radioactive waste since 2016 at the [Faslane](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/faslane/) and [Coulport](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coulport/) naval bases near Helensburgh. His decision is the result of a six-year [freedom of information (FoI) battle](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-pollution-clyde-nuclear-bases/) by The Ferret, involving four FoI requests, opposition from the [Ministry of Defence (MoD)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/ministry-of-defence/) and two formal appeals. Sepa has until 28 July 2025 to comply, or appeal. Hamilton ruled that Sepa had breached FoI law by wrongly claiming that releasing the files would endanger defence, national security or public safety. He also dismissed Sepa’s argument that disclosure would prejudice criminal or disciplinary action, pointing out there was “no possibility” of such action because the MoD was exempt from environmental rules. Campaigners welcomed the ruling, with one former Sepa chief executive accusing Sepa and the MoD of “covering up their failures”. Governments were “dishonest” about the real risks of nuclear weapons, others claimed. Sepa said it “respects” Hamilton’s rulings, and was committed to upholding its FoI responsibilities. The MoD said that the events reported by Sepa had “no impact on the environment”, and insisted it had “a strong and transparent safety culture”. In the past Sepa has released extensive details of radioactive blunders at Faslane and Coulport in response to FoI requests. In 2009 the Guardian [reported](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/apr/27/nuclear-mod-clyde-saftey-breaches?ref=theferret.scot) that there had been leaks of radioactive coolant into the Firth of Clyde from nuclear submarines in 2004, 2007 and 2008. But in recent years the MoD has clamped down on releasing information about the UK nuclear weapons programme, citing national security. The Ferret [reported in 2017](https://www.theferret.scot/trident-nuclear-suppressed-ministry-defence/) that the MoD had censored its annual nuclear safety assessments. In 2019 The Ferret made an FoI request to Sepa for information on “any environmental issues with radioactivity” at Faslane and Coulport since 2016\. But this request, along with almost a thousand others, was [abandoned by Sepa](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-quietly-scrapped-1000-information-requests/) following a criminal [cyber attack](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/cyber-attack/) in 2020. We resubmitted our request in 2023\. Sepa released a few files covering 2016-19, but withheld others because of “national security concerns” or because they could prejudice Sepa’s ability to conduct “inquiries of a criminal or disciplinary nature”. We submitted another FoI request to Sepa in 2024 asking for updated information on radioactive issues at the nuclear bases since 2019\. Sepa again withheld four files on the grounds that they could jeopardise public safety. The Ferret made a fourth FoI request in August 2024 for all the correspondence between Sepa and the MoD about our previous three requests. This [showed](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-pollution-clyde-nuclear-bases/) that the MoD had blocked Sepa from releasing information. We then lodged two appeals with the Scottish Information Commissioner, David Hamilton. One asked him to investigate Sepa’s refusal to release information on radioactive issues at the nuclear bases from 2016 to 2019, and the other from 2019 to 2024. ### Faslane files ‘threaten reputations’ Hamilton has now published [his decisions](https://www.foi.scot/decision-1472025?ref=theferret.scot) on [both appeals](https://www.foi.scot/decision-1482025?ref=theferret.scot). He concluded that Sepa should not have kept the majority of the information secret, rejecting its arguments that releasing the files could “prejudice substantially” defence, national security or public safety. “The commissioner does not accept that making the majority of the information available would, or would be likely to, lead to the kind of prejudice argued by the authority,” said reports from his office. “The commissioner is of this view as he is not convinced that disclosure of this information is a threat to anything other than reputations.” The [report covering 2019-2024](https://www.foi.scot/decision-1472025?ref=theferret.scot) noted that “much of this information discloses issues which occurred as a result of poor maintenance, certain of which he considers to be generic in nature.” Hamilton could see “no harm in its disclosure”. The [report covering 2016-2019](https://www.foi.scot/decision-1482025?ref=theferret.scot) said that much of the information “discloses routine inspections and actions recommended to rectify any issues identified, and amendments to procedures to improve the handling and disposal of waste”. Hamilton pointed out that, although the MoD had promised to act as if it were covered by environmental rules, it was legally exempt. That meant there was “no possibility of any criminal or disciplinary proceedings” being pursued by Sepa. He criticised Sepa for failing to disclose that it had an MoD document marked “official sensitive”. He also found Sepa in breach of the law for failing to identify all the information covered by one FoI request. In both decisions, however, Hamilton accepted that a limited amount of information should remain confidential. This included “building names and specific locations”, “timeframes for improvement works” and “particular working practices”. There was no public interest in disclosing information which could be “used by those with malicious intent to cause harm or disruption”, he said, particularly when the national threat level was said to be “substantial”. Hamilton ordered Sepa to release the majority of the information it had kept secret, and to review the withholding of other information by 28 July. Sepa has a right to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of law within 42 days. ### Radioactive risks ‘should be public’ Professor [Campbell Gemmell](https://www.linkedin.com/in/campbell-gemmell-64370451/details/experience/?ref=theferret.scot) was Sepa’s chief executive between 2003 and 2012 when it [released more than 400 pages](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/apr/27/nuclear-waste-scotland?ref=theferret.scot) about environmental safety at Faslane and Coulport. “It’s good to see this result albeit after a long wrangle,” he told The Ferret. “But it’s rather ridiculous that the information commissioner had to be involved in securing the release of what Sepa should have released anyway. Hiding behind FoI restrictions and exemptions as well as spurious MoD and national security claims is disappointing and frankly disingenuous bureaucratic nonsense.” Gemmell added: “Protecting the environment and the public as well as seeking to inform and engage should be more important than protecting reputations. “Repeated failures of control and environment protection at the nuclear bases over many years suggest that preventing such failures still needs to be much more of a priority for the MoD, and for Sepa, than covering up their failures.” The [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) accused Sepa of “complicity in a public-relations culture of secrecy” about nuclear weapons. “Sepa should enable public awareness of serious accidents at nuclear bases, along with the small, and not-so-small, accidental and routine radioactive discharges,” said the campaign’s chair, Lynn Jamieson. “Sadly this is typical of government dishonesty about the real risks of nuclear weapons and nuclear power – adding risks of catastrophic accidents and radiation to our environment, putting a target on our backs and leaving a legacy of harm for future generations.” According to the [Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland](https://www.cfois.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), Sepa had shown a “dismal failure” to understand the basics of Scotland’s [20-year-old FoI law](https://www.foi.scot/celebrating-20-years-freedom-information?ref=theferret.scot). “Disclosing information on the environmental impacts of radioactivity at Faslane is a win for all of us,” said the campaign’s director, Carole Ewart. [Sepa quietly scrapped 1,000 information requestsNearly 1,000 unanswered information requests have been binned by the Scottish Government’s environmental watchdog without requesters being told. The Ferret has learned that in March 2023, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) closed 893 unanswered freedom of information (FoI) requests which were submitted before 9 January 2023\. The![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-19.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/daren_fitzhenry_20171031_055.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-quietly-scrapped-1000-information-requests/) [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said it was “firmly committed” to upholding its FoI responsibilities and would take “every opportunity to embed learning and best practice”. It had made “significant improvements” in the last two years. “Sepa respects the decision by the Scottish Information Commissioner on Sepa’s handling of these two related information requests,” said the agency’s head of governance, Kieron Gallagher. An [MoD](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot) spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities for the safety and security of radioactive materials very seriously and have robust arrangements for compliance with environmental legislation under clear agreements with Sepa. “The events at [His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde and Coulport](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot) previously reported by Sepa had no impact on the environment and demonstrate we have a strong and transparent safety culture that learns from experience and takes action to prevent recurrence.” ### Revealed: The mega farms polluting the environment with excrement URL: https://www.theferret.scot/mega-farms-polluting-the-environment-excrement/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:06:29.000Z **Mega farms in Scotland, including some with more than a million animals, have repeatedly leaked excrement and failed to monitor contamination, putting humans, wildlife and the environment at risk, The Ferret can reveal.** By failing to responsibly contain or dispose of slurry, wastewater and harmful air particles these industrial-sized farms were responsible for 126 breaches of green regulations between May 2022 and November 2024. The rule breaking is revealed in inspection reports compiled by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), which The Ferret obtained under freedom of information law. Campaigners and an MSP argued that polluters should face greater penalties for allowing more serious breaches to occur. Scotland’s mega farms “pollute rivers, degrade soils, fail to deliver nutritious food, and drive biodiversity loss,” according to wildlife charity WWF. In reply, Sepa said mega farms are “regulated closely” and repeat rulebreakers face “enforcement” from the environmental regulator. Farming sites that have [the capacity](https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/162852/sepa-s-standard-farming-installation-rules-how-to-comply-incorporating-ppc-application-guidance.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for more than 40,000 poultry birds, or either 2,000 pigs or 750 sows, must obtain a permit from Sepa and face inspections. Smaller operations, and beef and dairy farms [do not require](https://sectors.sepa.org.uk/media/1151/dairy-production-sector-plan%5Fsingle.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) such permissions, despite being [major polluters](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-good-agricultural-practice-for-reducing-ammonia-emissions/code-of-good-agricultural-practice-cogap-for-reducing-ammonia-emissions?ref=theferret.scot), although they are subject to other rules. Some 114 pig and poultry mega farms currently have permits, and are collectively allowed to keep nearly 19 million birds and 109,000 pigs, according to Sepa’s data. ![mega farm](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1344311927.jpg) An intensive poultry farm. ***Credit**[***:Alfribeiro**](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/Alfribeiro?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) #### **Hook2Sisters** The worst offending mega farm company was Hook2Sisters (H2S). The Oxfordshire-based firm, which is permitted to keep nearly 7.5 million birds at its 19 Scottish sites, was responsible for more than a quarter of all intensive farm environmental breaches. At its poultry complex, near Eccles, Berwickshire, H2S polluted the environment with “chicken litter and dirty water” in 2022, and was not treating surface water to remove pollutants. Around two years later, Sepa found that operators were failing to check whether the site was contaminating soil and groundwater. Polluted groundwater can threaten drinking water supplies, [according to](https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/environment-and-business/challenges-and-choices/user%5Fuploads/pollution-from-abandoned-mines-challenge-rbmp-2021-1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) Sepa’s English counterpart. No pollution monitoring was taking place at the H2S mega farm near Balado, Kinross in 2022\. In each of the two years that followed, the firm contaminated ground via cracked concrete at the site. Further monitoring failures were discovered at the H2S mega farm, near Meikleour, Perthshire, in 2023\. More cracked flooring, and a lack of drainage systems designed to prevent water pollution was found at its poultry complex near Broxburn, West Lothian, in both 2022 and 2024. The Broxburn site is allowed to hold nearly 1.3 million birds. At Balado, a “significant build up of dust and mud” had formed under the fans ventilating four chicken sheds in 2023\. Poultry farm dust contains faeces and other pollutants, which can harm humans, according to a [2023 study](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722071145?ref=theferret.scot) published in the Science of The Total Environment journal. At its Gogarbank poultry complex in western Edinburgh, dirty water was not being properly contained and “waste material” and rubbish had littered nearby woodland in 2022\. H2S had also not adequately concreted the ground to stop pollution. An H2S spokesperson said: “As of June 2025, we can confirm remedial action has been taken at all farms and all locations as listed are compliant. We remain committed to upholding the highest environmental standards and continuing to invest in our Scottish farming base.” The Ferret previously revealed that between 2015 and 2017, H2S sites at Alloa, Balado and Broxburn were among the [biggest polluters](https://www.theferret.scot/ammonia-pollution-farms-scotland/) of ammonia. [Revealed: the intensive farms polluting Scotland with ammoniaIntensive farms are polluting Scotland with increasing amounts of ammonia gas that contributes to millions of deaths worldwide, according to figures from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa). The latest available data, collated by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and passed to The Ferret, showed a spike in ammonia emissions![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-22.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-865947780.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ammonia-pollution-farms-scotland/) The harmful gas combines with other pollutants in cities and creates a [deadly form](https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2020/february/can-air-pollution-kill-you?ref=theferret.scot) of air pollution called PM2.5. 2 Sisters Food Group, a separate entity which runs chicken abattoirs, also has a [history](https://www.theferret.scot/intensive-farming-firm-2-sisters-flouting-regulations/) of [flouting](https://www.theferret.scot/400-sites-in-scotland-broke-environmental-rules/) Scotland’s environmental regulations, as we have previously revealed. It has received millions of pounds in taxpayer subsidies from the Scottish Government. #### **Breaches from other mega farms** Other factory farms that flouted environmental rules included those run by **PD Hook**, which acts as a supplier to H2S and other firms. PD Hook’s Helensfield Poultry Farm near Clackmannan, which houses 133,000 birds, failed to monitor soil and groundwater in 2022. Cracked concrete flooring was discovered at PD Hook’s Mossbank Farm, near Cowdenbeath, in 2022\. PD Hook said that this and all other environmental issues discovered by Sepa had since been resolved. At pig producer’s **DW Argo** Ellismoss Farm near Kinellar, Aberdeenshire, which can hold up to 4,277 pigs, slurry was found to be leaking into surface water in 2023 – an issue that Sepa officers had “raised at several previous inspections”. DW Argo declined to comment. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-2208106762.jpg) Pigs in pens at a mega farm. [Credit: dusanpetkovic](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/dusanpetkovic?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) In 2022, Sepa found that Welsh poultry firm, **Annyalla Chicks**, allowed dirty wastewater to flow onto land neighbouring its Addinstone complex, near Earlston. Operators of the site, which can house up to 382,000 chickens, put soil and groundwater at risk due to the “exceptionally poor condition” of concrete surfaces, and allowed dust to accumulate beneath chicken shed ventilation fans. The farm also lacked a suitable way to store dead chickens and the liquid waste produced by their corpses. In 2024, Sepa found that York-based Warrendale Eggs Ltd was releasing dust and particulate matter – air pollution which is harmful to humans – via exhaust fans from its chicken sheds at Swinton Poultry Farm near Greenriggs, Duns. Sepa also found a blocked and broken drain, ground surfaces in poor condition, and large cracks in a drainage channel, both of which risked pollution to soil and groundwater. Poor drainage, and cracked and worn surfaces were also found in 2022 at Warrendale’s Cottage Wood farm near Earlston. Fragments of polystyrene were discovered in blocked drains on the site, and in nearby water. Meanwhile, “significant quantities of dust and feathers” had formed on fans, outside surfaces and nearby vegetation. #### **Calls for polluters to pay** Campaigners and an opposition MSP argued that polluters should be made to pay for environmental breaches, or have public funds clawed back. Kirsty Tait, Scotland director of the [Food, Farming and Countryside Commission](https://ffcc.co.uk/about-us?ref=theferret.scot), an independent charity, said: “The challenges of avoidable pollution highlighted in this investigation are ones that citizens involved in [The Food Conversation](https://thefoodconversation.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), the UK’s largest public dialogue about food, want addressed.” “Notably, there was frustration from citizens in the Lothians about the lenient treatment of polluters, and support for making serious ecosystem damage a crime was high.” Tait added: “Citizens want government and industry to be accountable for their actions and to protect people and planet.” Jenny Hawley, policy and advocacy manager at [Plantlife](https://www.plantlife.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), also called for Sepa to charge polluters “for the devastation they are inflicting on our natural environment and to extend the permitting system to smaller poultry units and mega beef and dairy farms.” She claimed that “uncontrolled air and water pollution from this kind of intensive livestock farming is driving Scotland’s wildlife ever-closer to the edge of extinction”. [Farming and forestry pollution sees hundreds of waterways downgradedEndangered species are being put at risk by pollution from farming and forestry industries, which has led to poorer quality in hundreds of Scottish waterways and dozens being rated ‘bad’ or ‘poor’. Fertilisers, pesticides, slurry and other substances can have “severe impacts on plants and animals in rivers”, reduce drinking![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-23.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/4464667181_982fa01743_o.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/farming-forestry-pollution-waterways-scotland/) WWF Scotland branded the rise of mega farming “a warning sign that our food system is heading in the wrong direction”. “We’ve built a system where the most harmful forms of agriculture are also the most profitable – megafarms that pollute rivers, degrade soils, fail to deliver nutritious food, and drive biodiversity loss,” said Ruth Taylor, WWF’s agriculture and land use policy manager. She added: “What we urgently need to see is farming with nature, through nature-friendly methods that restore ecosystems, build resilience and ensure farmers stay profitable.” The Scottish Greens spokesperson for rural affairs, Ariane Burgess MSP said: “These industrial-scale operations, which cram millions of animals into confined spaces, are clearly failing in their responsibilities”. Burgess added: “The fact that these firms continue to ignore basic environmental protections while raking in taxpayer money is completely unacceptable. There must be consequences for those who break the rules, and that includes the removal of public funding and the suspension of operations until environmental practices are improved.” Sepa said it expects “all regulated operators to understand their impact on the environment and to comply with their obligations in legislation, and conditions set out in authorisations”. “Intensive agriculture is regulated closely due to the potential risks it poses to the environment,” said a spokesperson. “Our experience is that most of those we regulate respond to our advice and guidance and come into compliance, preventing repeated patterns of behaviour. “However, when necessary we will escalate our enforcement response, and have served enforcement notices and final warning letters as required. This has already led to compliance being restored at some sites. “All sites that are currently non-compliant are scheduled for inspections in 2025.” Every mega farming company named in this article was asked to comment. ***Header image credit***[***:*** ](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/Alfribeiro?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)[***Carl Banks***](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/CarlBanks?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) ### Claim Scotland supplies England with electricity for no payment is Mostly False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-supplies-electricity-free-mostly-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T16:12:57.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/20-13.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **Energy has long been part of the debate surrounding Scottish independence.** In recent years, supporters of independence have suggested that Scotland is being short-changed in its exports of electricity to the rest of the UK. A [post was shared hundreds of times](https://x.com/ron%5Fdickinson/status/1934640089495490790?ref=theferret.scot) on social media this week claiming that Scotland was receiving no money for the electricity it supplies to England. > Scotland supplies about 1.7 terawatt hours (of electricity) to England every month for zero payment. > > Online post [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it Mostly False. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-16.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Evidence** The electricity market has [three stages](https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/explainer/electricity-market?ref=theferret.scot) – generation, networking and supply. Electricity generation is done by private companies across Scotland and the UK, and comes from a mix of sources. Fossil fuels (such as natural gas), renewable energy and nuclear energy make up the majority of the UK’s electricity generation. According to UK Government statistics, [50.8 per cent](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e4f7c49c9de963bc39b526/Energy%5FTrends%5FMarch%5F2025.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of the UK’s electricity generation was from renewable sources in 2024. In Scotland, about 70 per cent of generation is renewables, mostly from on and offshore wind power. More electricity is produced in Scotland than the country needs. Much of this excess cannot be stored, and is sold by generating companies and transferred to the rest of the UK. [Statistics for 2024](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-section-5-energy-trends?ref=theferret.scot) show Scotland exported the net equivalent of 17.2 terawatt hours of electricity to England. This works out at 1.43 terawatt hours per month. This is lower than the 1.7 terawatt hours used in the claim. The post on social media goes on to say that Scotland gets “zero payment” for this transfer of electricity. But this isn’t quite right either. To understand the financial benefit we first need to look at how the grid works. Once energy is [generated](https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/explainer/electricity-market?ref=theferret.scot), it enters the [national grid](https://www.drax.com/power-generation/what-is-the-national-grid/?ref=theferret.scot), which in Scotland is operated by Scottish Power and SSE. This network allows electricity to be transported across the UK, and is responsible for making sure the supply of electricity on the grid meets demand, and the grid is [balanced](https://www.neso.energy/what-we-do/systems-operations/what-balancing-mechanism?ref=theferret.scot). Electricity demand ebbs and flows, and at times where a lot of electricity is being used, such as during a significant televised sports event like the World Cup, the grid has to be able to cope with a surge. Retail suppliers are companies which sell electricity to the consumer, competing with each other for the public’s business. There are caps on the amount of money that can be charged for normal energy usage, set by the [energy regulator Ofgem](https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/energy-price-cap?ref=theferret.scot). The UK’s energy sector was [privatised in the 1980s](https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/explainer/electricity-market?ref=theferret.scot), so since then profits from electricity exports have not come directly to governments. The generation of energy is done by private companies, who then effectively sell electricity to consumer and business retailers on the wholesale market. According to Scottish Government statistics, the net electricity exports from Scotland in 2024 had an indicative [wholesale value of £1.5bn](https://www.gov.scot/publications/energy-statistics-for-scotland-q4-2024/pages/electricity-exports/?ref=theferret.scot). This does not include the money made from selling the electricity to consumers. Due to the UK’s privatised model, money from these exports goes to the companies that generate and retail electricity, rather than directly to the Scottish Government. Some [argue](https://greens.scot/energycrisis?ref=theferret.scot) that [nationalising](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-62623751?ref=theferret.scot) the UK’s biggest energy firms would reduce bills and make electricity more sustainable. Laws around [electricity production](https://www.parliament.scot/about/how-parliament-works/devolved-and-reserved-powers?ref=theferret.scot) and energy markets are reserved to Westminster, so the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to nationalise the industry. The government does receive money from electricity generation and retail indirectly, however. Energy companies operating in Scotland pay taxes which assist public spending in Scotland, and other indirect economic benefits like jobs created. The Scottish Government also gained more than £756m through [selling the seabed](https://www.theferret.scot/what-is-scotwind-and-why-was-it-controversial/) for offshore wind projects, for example. In [2017](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58677769?ref=theferret.scot), the Scottish Government announced plans to set up a publicly-owned, not-for-profit energy company that would sell to consumers “as close to cost price as possible”. This was scrapped [in 2021](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58677769?ref=theferret.scot), and energy secretary Gillian Martin told MSPs this year that the plans were not possible under the current devolution arrangement. ### **Ferret Fact Service: Mostly False** The claims in this social media post are not accurate. About 1.43 terawatt hours of electricity generated in Scotland is transferred to England each month, rather than 1.7 terawatt hours. The Scottish Government does not receive money directly from this energy because the UK’s electricity system is privatised, but it does indirectly gain revenue from the sector through tax receipts, job creation and licensing for generation in and around Scotland. ![This claim is Mostly False](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_4mostlyfalse-3.png) *Mostly False – The claim may contain a kernel of truth but leaves out facts which lead one to a different impression.* > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Main image: iStock/AlbertPego* ### Revealed: 585 cracks in Torness nuclear reactor URL: https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-reactor-torness-585-cracks/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T18:07:36.000Z The estimated number of cracks in the graphite core of a nuclear reactor at Torness in East Lothian has risen to 585 – the highest so far – prompting fears of a nuclear “meltdown” and calls for its early closure. In documents released under freedom of information law, the UK Government’s safety watchdog, the [Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/office-for-nuclear-regulation/), said that the state of the graphite core posed a “significant challenge” to plans to keep [Torness](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/torness/) and other ageing nuclear stations running over the next five years. In November 2024 ONR advised the French operator, [EDF Energy](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/edf-energy/), to “pause for thought” before deciding to extend the lives of Torness and other nuclear stations in England. Less than a week later EDF decided to extend the life of Torness from 2028 to 2030. Campaigners accused EDF of putting profits before safety, and warned that keeping “clapped out reactors” running would endanger the public. It was “time for these ageing reactors to be closed”, they said. EDF, however, insisted that nuclear safety was its “overriding priority” and that it would not consider operating Torness unless it was “confident it was safe”. Planned closure dates for reactors were “kept under review”, it said. ONR said that cracking was “a well known phenomenon”, and that the number of cracks was “acceptable”. It stressed that the risks were “tolerable”, and that it would not allow any nuclear plant to operate “unless we are satisfied that it is safe.” The Ferret [previously reported](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-safety-warnings-as-cracks-rise/) that 46 cracks had been detected in April 2024 in the graphite bricks that surround the highly radioactive uranium fuel powering one of the two reactors at Torness. The first three cracks [were found](https://www.theferret.scot/first-cracks-found-in-torness-nuclear-reactor/) in February 2022. [Safety warnings as cracks rise at Torness nuclear plantThe number of cracks in the core of an ageing nuclear reactor at Torness in East Lothian has risen to 46, prompting warnings that prolonging its operation would be “gambling with public safety”. The UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) told The Ferret that the cracks were detected in April![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-9.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1407949026.jpg)](https://the-ferret.ghost.io//torness-safety-warnings-as-cracks-rise/?ref=theferret.scot) But only a small proportion of the bricks were actually inspected, and no estimate has previously been given for the total number of cracks across the core. Following a freedom of information request by The Ferret, ONR has now [disclosed](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25979577-foi202504006-response-letter/?ref=theferret.scot) that 59 cracks were found in a similarly limited inspection in March 2025. In [its response](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25979577-foi202504006-response-letter/?ref=theferret.scot), ONR said that this “equated to around 585 cracks when forecast across the central area of the core where cracking is expected”. The high number of cracks did not “challenge safety margins” at Torness, it said. EDF confirmed that it had found 59 cracks in the graphite bricks it sampled in March 2025\. This suggested that in total around a third of the central part of the core had cracking, equivalent to about 585 cracks, it said. ONR also revealed that another inspection in May 2025 discovered the first crack in the second reactor at Torness. It started generating electricity later than the first reactor. Torness nuclear power station, near Dunbar, was [officially opened](https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/107476?ref=theferret.scot) in May 1989 by the then Conservative prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. The site had been the target of [anti-nuclear protests](https://www.theferret.scot/spycops-torness-anti-nuclear-scotland/) since 1978. Scotland’s other nuclear power station at [Hunterston](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/hunterston/) in North Ayrshire was [closed down](https://www.edfenergy.com/media-centre/news-releases/zero-carbon-electricity-generation-ends-hunterston-b?ref=theferret.scot) in January 2022, more than a year earlier than planned. This followed the discovery of an [estimated 586 cracks](https://www.theferret.scot/hunterston-cracked-nuclear-reactors-another-year/) in its two reactors. ### ‘Pause for thought’ on Torness ONR also released to The Ferret the [results of its assessment](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25977423-outcome-of-onrs-review-of-edfs-agr-lifetime-review-paper/?ref=theferret.scot) of EDF’s 2024 review of extending the lives of Torness, and other advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs) at [Heysham](https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/power-stations/heysham-1?ref=theferret.scot), near Lancaster, and [Hartlepool](https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/power-stations/hartlepool?ref=theferret.scot), on the north east coast of England. Three scenarios were reviewed. One assumed Torness closed as planned in 2028, a second assumed its operation was extended to 2030, and a third envisaged keeping it going until 2032. ONR concluded that because of cracking and other issues, “graphite represents one of EDF’s significant challenges for lifetime extension”. It also highlighted a series of other potential ageing problems with AGRs, including risks from leaking boilers, failing equipment, and corrosion. “It is possible that safe operation of certain components might be undermined due to life extension,” ONR said. There were a number of issues which had not been fully covered in EDF’s review, it argued. “Although these are not considered a blocker to potential life extensions, ONR expects EDF to manage and resolve these issues as part of its lifetime management of the AGRs,” ONR added. “Moreover, coupled with the aspects identified by EDF in the submissions, this should give EDF pause for thought when reaching a decision on AGR lifetime extensions.” ONR [wrote to EDF](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25977423-outcome-of-onrs-review-of-edfs-agr-lifetime-review-paper/?ref=theferret.scot) with its advice on 27 November 2024\. On 3 December – less than a week later – EDF [decided](https://www.edfenergy.com/media-centre/edf-confirms-boost-uks-clean-power-targets-nuclear-life-extensions?ref=theferret.scot) to extend the life of Torness from 2028 to 2030, and to extend the lives of its English AGR stations. Another document released by ONR was a [June 2024 assessment](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25976361-foi202504006-ar-01462-rev-1-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) of the “structural integrity” of the graphite core of the more badly cracked reactor at Torness. The majority of the 35-page document was redacted “for the purposes of safeguarding national security”. The ONR assessment found “shortfalls” in the crack predictions made by EDF, and concluded that this “raises a question” over the company’s “ability to predict the future core state”. At the time ONR nevertheless gave EDF permission to keep running Torness on the grounds that the risks were “tolerable”. [Safety warnings as cracks rise at Torness nuclear plantThe number of cracks in the core of an ageing nuclear reactor at Torness in East Lothian has risen to 46, prompting warnings that prolonging its operation would be “gambling with public safety”. The UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) told The Ferret that the cracks were detected in April![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-10.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1407949026-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-safety-warnings-as-cracks-rise/) The nuclear critic and consultant, [Peter Roche](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), argued that there was “a significant design difference” which could make cracking at Torness worse than at Hunterston. “Graphite debris in the fuel channels or misshapen bricks could compromise the operator’s ability to keep the fuel cool and in a worst case lead to a meltdown,” he claimed. This risked releasing radioactivity into the environment. “Clearly it’s time for these ageing reactors to be closed,” Roche said. “Keeping them open would be gambling with public safety.” The veteran environmental campaigner, [Dr Richard Dixon](https://www.rdixon.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), accused EDF of trying to cover the costs of building new nuclear plants. “It cannot be a coincidence that running Torness for an extra two years would ease EDF’s major financial woes caused by the massive delays to its reactor projects elsewhere,” he said. “EDF’s inability to complete reactor projects anything remotely like on time or on budget should not mean that the public in Scotland face the extra risk of running clapped out reactors ever further past their sell-by date.” The Scottish Greens described the Torness cracks as “potentially dangerous”. It was “deeply concerning” that EDF was planning to keep the station going until 2030, according to the party’s energy spokesperson and retiring co-leader, [Patrick Harvie MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/patrick-harvie?ref=theferret.scot). “It appears that the profits of a giant energy company are being put ahead of safety here in Scotland,” he told The Ferret. EDF is [owned](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EDF%5FEnergy?ref=theferret.scot) by the French government, and [earnt](https://www.edf.fr/en/the-edf-group/dedicated-sections/investors/financial-and-extra-financial-performance/financial-results?ref=theferret.scot) £15.6bn (€18.3bn) before interest and taxes in 2024. ### Nuclear safety is ‘overriding priority’ [ONR](https://www.onr.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) pointed out that every nuclear facility required a valid safety case for safe and continued operations, together with investment to sustain equipment reliability and skilled staff. “Graphite cracking is a well-known phenomenon, and EDF has demonstrated through their safety case that they have suitable understanding of the graphite behaviour to justify safe operation of the core,” said an ONR spokesperson. “The number of cracked fuel bricks remains within the acceptable parameters of the safety case and we are satisfied that risks associated with any core cracking mechanism have been demonstrated to be at levels which are tolerable and as low as is reasonably practicable.” The spokesperson added: “The ongoing safety of operations at any nuclear site must be fully demonstrated to us as part of our ongoing regulation which is informed through our extensive inspection and assessment regime. “As the independent nuclear regulator, we will not allow any plant to operate unless we are satisfied that it is safe to do so.” [EDF](https://www.edfenergy.com/?ref=theferret.scot) defended its decision to extend the life to Torness to 2030, but said it would be kept under review. “Nuclear safety is EDF’s overriding priority, and we would not consider operating the power station unless we were confident it was safe,” said a company spokesperson. “We are operating well inside the safety case agreed with the ONR for Torness. This includes a demonstration that the reactor cores can be operated safely with 100 per cent of the graphite bricks in the central part of the core cracked, including shutdown in the event of a major earthquake, larger than ever recorded in the UK.” The spokesperson said that EDF’s lifetime review in 2024 was “rigorous” and “took into account recent graphite inspection results which supported the view that the station’s generating life could be extended.” They added: “The most recent inspection results from earlier this year were in line with our expectations, meaning March 2030 is still the most likely view for Torness. As ever, our end of generation dates are a forecast based on information available at the time and are kept under review.” EDF also pointed out that the Torness reactors were designed to be “more tolerant” of earthquakes than Hunterston B, which operated for seven years after cracking was first observed. The company had spent more than £300m researching graphite ageing over the last two decades. ### Documents released by the Office for Nuclear Regulation *Cover image of Torness nuclear power station thanks to EDF Energy.* ### Human rights checks on arms firms to be tightened but critics express concern URL: https://www.theferret.scot/human-rights-checks-government-grants-tightened/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T16:13:06.000Z **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* ### Arms firms supplying Israel receive money from the Scottish Government despite genocide claims URL: https://www.theferret.scot/arms-firms-israel-grants-allegations-genocide-gaza/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T14:55:59.000Z **Arms firms supplying Israel have continued to receive taxpayers’ money from the Scottish Government despite allegations of genocide in Gaza, prompting criticism its human rights due diligence is “not fit for purpose”.** In correspondence to Scottish Enterprise, seen by The Ferret, Amnesty International said it was “astonishing” that companies supplying Israel had still received funding from the Scottish Government’s investment agency amidst claims of war crimes. Amnesty International accused Israel of [committing genocide](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/?ref=theferret.scot) in a report last December. It wrote to Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Government’s business agency, 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 – Babcock Marine and BAE Systems. Yet The Ferret found that since January 2022, Scottish Enterprise has collectively given arms firms linked to Israel (Raytheon, Thales and Leonardo) at least £2,746,000. In reply to Amnesty’s concerns, Scottish Enterprise told The Ferret it had invited the human rights organisation to a meeting. A new [due diligence procedure](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/6144568/Customer-Due-Diligence-Procedure-Human-Rights.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) 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[ hundreds of checks](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-enterprise-criticised-human-rights-checks/) had been made on companies seeking grants from the public body, but 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](https://www.theferret.scot/human-rights-scottish-enterprise-arms-scrutinised/) to review Scottish Enterprise’s human rights checks in response to further criticism. > I hope you can understand why Amnesty is seriously concerned to learn that checks are not performed on a company for such lengthy periods, and that developments such as the ongoing genocide in Gaza do not, at the very least, trigger a process by which Scottish Enterprise would renew a check. > > Neil Cowan, Amnesty International UK Scotland director. Now, Amnesty International has written to the public body seeking input into the review after it emerged US arms giant Raytheon was given £500,000 in 2024, months after Israel began its ground invasion in Gaza following the 2023 attack by Hamas. Part of the grant was paid, Amnesty said, after the International Court of Justice made its [interim ruling](https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20240126-ord-01-00-en.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on claims of genocide in Gaza. In January 2023, the court stated “there is a real and imminent risk that irreparable prejudice” will be caused to the rights of Palestinians in Gaza under the genocide convention. It could take years for the court to rule on whether Israel has committed genocide. Israel strongly denies allegations of genocide. In a letter to Scottish Enterprise on 10 June 2025, Neil Cowan, Amnesty International’s Scotland director, wrote: “Based on the information disclosed it appears that the Raytheon grant was awarded without a human rights due diligence process being undertaken or revisited in light of developments internationally. Can you please confirm whether that is accurate? If a check was undertaken can you please confirm when?” In response, Scottish Enterprise chief executive, Adrian Gillespie, said in a letter the agency funds projects delivered over more than one year. After funding is contracted, he explained, payments are made in stages as companies “meet agreed milestones and provide evidence of expenditure”. This, he stated, helps to ensure public funds are used appropriately. In the case of Raytheon, Gillespie added, the project funding was authorised and contracted in 2022, and payments were made over time as conditions were met. He wrote: “At the time of contracting, a valid HRDD (human rights due diligence) check from 2019 was still in effect, so no new check was required under our current procedure, which requires checks every three years.” Gillespie also confirmed that Scottish Enterprise’s human rights due diligence is under review and that an update will be provided to the Scottish Parliament in due course Cowan replied to Gillespie on 20 June, to say Amnesty International is “seriously concerned” to learn that “checks are not performed on a company for such lengthy periods”, and that developments such as the “ongoing genocide in Gaza do not, at the very least, trigger a process” by which Scottish Enterprise would renew a check. He added: “Raytheon is a company known to supply Israel. It is astonishing that, months into Israel’s assault on Gaza no review of Raytheon’s 2019 check was triggered. If information in the public domain is correct, at least part of the grant in question was paid in February 2024, after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found plausible risk that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. Unfortunately this appears to be just one example of a company linked to a state accused of war crimes escaping appropriate scrutiny by Scottish Enterprise.” > We are in correspondence with Mr Cowan, who has accepted our invitation to meet and we plan to discuss with him the work underway to enhance our human rights due diligence process. > > A spokesperson for Scottish Enterprise. Cowan also pointed out that freedom of information disclosures to Amnesty revealed that Leonardo, a company known to produce F35 (fighter jet) components, also received a grant in October 2023 after Israel began bombing Gaza. “Again no due diligence process was revisited prior to that payment being made,” he said. [Arms firms supplying Israel with bombs and parts for warplanes invited to HolyroodArms companies supplying Israel with bombs and parts for warplanes have been invited to the Scottish Parliament despite the rising death toll in Gaza and allegations Britain could be complicit in war crimes. Firms invited to a reception at Holyrood include the US arms multinational Raytheon which makes smart bombs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-21.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/usaf_f-35a_lightning_ii_landing-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/arms-firms-israel-bombs-invited-to-holyrood/) Scottish Enterprise told The Ferret: “We are in correspondence with Mr Cowan, who has accepted our invitation to meet and we plan to discuss with him the work underway to enhance our human rights due diligence process.” Israel’s assault on Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about [1,200 people](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67039975?ref=theferret.scot) and taking more than 250 hostages. This triggered a massive Israeli response, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, including many women and children. In April last year, some [600 British lawyers](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3g9g63jl17o?ref=theferret.scot) including four former Supreme Court justices, signed a letter to the UK Prime Minister, asking him to stop arms sales to Israel and referring to “a plausible risk of genocide”. A counter-letter from UK Lawyers For Israel (UKLFI) said the ICJ had only ruled that Gaza Palestinians had a plausible right to be protected from genocide. Leonardo, Raytheon and Thales have been asked to comment. *Featured photo credit: IStock and Emanuel Acosta* ### Scots universities took funding from Chinese organisations with military links URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-universities-funding-chinese-organisations/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T16:15:10.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/22-11.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **Scottish universities have accepted millions of pounds from Chinese organisations with alleged links to the military, human rights abuses and spying, The Ferret can reveal.** Some universities accepted money from companies and institutions with ties to the People’s Liberation Army in China, including those which are sanctioned by other countries. Other universities took funding from institutions and tech firms accused of helping the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spy on and target users, spread misinformation and abuse human rights. The director-general of MI5 last year [warned](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/26/foreign-states-targeting-sensitive-research-at-uk-universities-mi5-warns?ref=theferret.scot) vice-chancellors that China and other states the UK Government views as adversaries are attempting to steal technology from universities that can “deliver their authoritarian, military and commercial priorities”. The [Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China](https://www.ipac.global/?ref=theferret.scot) said The Ferret’s research suggests that funding from CCP-linked organisations in Scottish higher education is particularly prevalent. This, it claimed “should be a matter of deep concern for ministers and the wider Scottish public”. However the Chinese Embassy in London has [accused](https://www.thetimes.com/world/asia/article/links-to-campuses-at-heart-of-chinas-military-ambitions-xv3z6wfmw?ref=theferret.scot) critics and media outlets of “politicising and stigmatising normal educational exchanges between the two countries”. It has denied the use of subversive tactics abroad and argues that research collaboration with UK universities has “enhanced mutual understanding”. The Ferret asked Scotland’s universities to disclose funding they received from Chinese organisations between 2020/21 and 2024/25. > The fact that money is still being allowed to flow without being flagged should be a matter of deep concern for ministers and the wider Scottish public. > > Luke de Pulford, Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China Ten universities collectively received at least £39.7m of funding. Of that, £5.5m came from organisations allegedly linked to the military, human rights abuses or spying, or was used to fund controversial Confucius Institutes. These are CCP-funded educational and cultural programs on UK campuses which have [been accused](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-49511231?ref=theferret.scot) of monitoring and censoring UK students, and pushing propaganda. Dundee university refused The Ferret’s request while others withheld some information which, they argued, was commercially sensitive. As such, the true total could be higher. Edinburgh university received more than £11m in research funding from unnamed Chinese organisations but it did not provide further detail. The university said it was not feasible to provide a complete list of possible funding from China. Some of Edinburgh Napier University’s funding, £1.2m, came from unnamed Chinese partners for transnational education programmes. St Andrews university would only provide funding information for named organisations, rather than any from China. ![Riccarton Campus, Edinburgh, Scotland - 05 September 2020: A number of visitors are walking towards the main reception building of Heriot-Watt University sited on the Riccarton Campus on the outskirts of Edinburgh.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1273735280.jpg) Heriot-Watt University said global partnerships were “vital” to advancing its research and teaching, while also benefiting its students, supporting cultural exchange and contributing to the university’s financial sustainability. Image: Bob Douglas/iStock ### **Military links** Some universities accepted money from Chinese organisations with military ties. Strathclyde university received £130,000 in research funding from **Wuxi Paike New Materials Technology,** which [makes](http://www.wuxipaike.com/en/?ref=theferret.scot) metal forgings [for](https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201802/12/WS5a812353a3106e7dcc13c44a.html?ref=theferret.scot) the Chinese military. Strathclyde did not specify when it received the money from the firm, which was [sanctioned](https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/trade-csl-78cbcb93cab34930940b9a30a2568e7c/?ref=theferret.scot) by the US Government in December 2020 due to its military links. Strathclyde also accepted £22,100 for “research studentship/knowledge exchange” from the **Chinese Academy of Sciences** on an undisclosed date. The academy is [designated](https://unitracker.aspi.org.au/universities/university-of-chinese-academy-of-sciences/?ref=theferret.scot) “medium risk” by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), due to its alleged weapons research. ASPI is a defence think tank founded by the Australian Government. It has [been described](https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/07/26/australia-and-china-are-on-speaking-terms-again?ref=theferret.scot) as having a hawkish stance on China and has [received funding](https://ad-aspi.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/2025-03/ASPI%20Funding%202023-24.pdf?VersionId=GsXfp4y%5FoklpcSHqbirBC0VQKo3ni8ED&ref=theferret.scot) from the overseas governments, including the US and UK, as well as the defence industry. In 2020, a drone submarine developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences [was found](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/31/indonesian-fisher-finds-drone-submarine-on-possible-covert-mission?ref=theferret.scot) by an Indonesian fisherman in the South China Sea and thought to be on a possible covert mission by military observers. The following year, in October 2021, Robert Gordon University (RGU) was given £46,820 by the academy to research spectral imaging – a method of capturing highly detailed images. An RGU spokesperson said the research collaboration was transferred to the university in 2021 after it appointed a professor from Strathclyde who was working on the project. The collaboration ended in 2023. In April this year, The Times [reported](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/universities-continue-deals-with-china-despite-mi5-warning-over-spying-3fbszj8df?ref=theferret.scot) that RGU, Aberdeen and Strathclyde universities were among 23 UK institutions to have signed an agreement with Chinese institutions with alleged military links, despite warnings from MI5. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-06-20-172855.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/why-are-scottish-universities-worried-about-money/) ### **Surveillance and spying allegations** Some universities accepted money from tech firms, including those accused of helping the CCP to spy on users, and spread misinformation. Heriot-Watt University received between £150,000 and £200,000 from tech firm **Huawei** to [research](https://microwaves.site.hw.ac.uk/reconfigurable-c-band-analogue-beamforming-network-for-hybrid-mimo/?ref=theferret.scot) wireless communications hardware between November 2020 and November 2021. In July 2020, it was announced that Huawei will be [banned](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-47041341?ref=theferret.scot) from UK infrastructure by the end of 2027 over fears it could facilitate spying from China. In 2019, we [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/huawei-scotland-police-universities/) that universities and Police Scotland refused to sever links with the tech giant despite fears their devices may be used to spy for Beijing. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-06-20-162242.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/huawei-scotland-police-universities/) Huawei has [previously said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-47041341?ref=theferret.scot) it had never been asked by the CCP to spy and “would categorically refuse to comply”. In 2022/23, Edinburgh university accepted £127,973 from tech firm, **Tencent**, to fund a research project called “serving big machine learning models”. Allegations of mass surveillance and human rights abuses by Tencent were reported years earlier. CCP committees within Tencent ensure that the state’s “political goals are pursued”, [according to](https://www.aspi.org.au/report/tiktok-wechat/?ref=theferret.scot) a 2020 study from ASPI. A 2022 [report](https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/28/chinese-tech-firms-fueling-beijings-repression?ref=theferret.scot) from Human Rights Watch claimed that via its messaging app, WeChat, Tencent “[censors](https://citizenlab.ca/2019/07/cant-picture-this-2-an-analysis-of-wechats-realtime-image-filtering-in-chats/?ref=theferret.scot) and [surveils](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2016/10/which-messaging-apps-best-protect-your-privacy/?ntvDuo=true&ref=theferret.scot)” users on the CCP’s behalf and “hands over user data to authorities when ‘sensitive’ information is discovered”. “There have been numerous reports about people getting harassed, detained, or imprisoned for their private messages on WeChat,” it added. A 2020 [study](https://citizenlab.ca/2020/05/we-chat-they-watch/?ref=theferret.scot) from the University of Toronto found that WeChat also monitored users outwith China. Tencent has previously [rejected](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/28/wechat-user-numbers-plummet-nearly-30-in-australia-amid-concerns-of-chinese-interference?ref=theferret.scot) claims that the CCP uses WeChat for spying. WeChat [reportedly](https://www.ft.com/content/d460c6f6-ffc7-4d61-9350-bef378fcc5c5?ref=theferret.scot) spread Russian propaganda and misinformation surrounding Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, while supressing posts sympathetic to Kyiv, but Tencent declined to comment on the claims. In January, the US [added](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9q78wn9g8zo?ref=theferret.scot) Tencent to a list of businesses it claims work with China’s military. Tencent has denied the allegations. ### **Monitoring, restrictions and propaganda** Some organisations funding Scotland’s universities have allegedly policed overseas students and restricted their freedoms. Most of these financial contributions were used to fund Confucius Institutes at Scottish universities. Confucius Institutes teach Chinese language and culture, but have [been accused](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-49511231?ref=theferret.scot) of monitoring students, spreading state propaganda, censoring topics – such as the independence of Taiwan – and stifling free speech on campuses. China has [rejected](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/china-defends-confucius-institutes-now-under-fire-from-us-china-administration-us-language-fire-b1071908.html?ref=theferret.scot) the allegations. In 2021, a former Chinese diplomat, who defected to Australia, [told The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/whistleblower-china-controls-students-universities/) that China tries to control international students at Scottish universities via student associations. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-06-20-162017.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/whistleblower-china-controls-students-universities/) A 2023 report from the UK Parliament’s intelligence and security committee [said](https://isc.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ISC-China.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the institutes were run by **Hanban**, an arm of China’s education ministry ultimately controlled by the CCP’s propaganda department. Its institutes must obey CCP law, monitor students overseas and influence their behaviour, the report alleged. The last UK government [u-turned](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65624287?ref=theferret.scot) on a bid to ban the institutes, while top Australian universities [closed](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx1dyxyg10o?ref=theferret.scot) their institutes in April. Since 2020, Strathclyde, Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt universities have accepted more than £5m, including from Hanban, to fund their Confucius Institutes. Edinburgh’s institute was partly funded by Fudan University, which [reportedly](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/18/china-cuts-freedom-of-thought-from-top-fudan-university-charter?ref=theferret.scot) omitted the phrase “freedom of thought” from its charter in 2019. Aberdeen university accepted £5,000 from the **China Scholarship Council** (CSC) in November 2023 to fund a visiting researcher. Some European universities have [paused](https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20230720113914406&ref=theferret.scot) or [ceased](https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20241107142108558&ref=theferret.scot) cooperation with the CSC, citing threats to academic freedom, research security and the risk of “industrial espionage”. ### **Universities ‘ignoring evidence of risks’** [Luke de Pulford](https://www.ipac.global/the-alliance/luke-de-pulford?ref=theferret.scot), executive director of the [Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China](https://www.ipac.global/?ref=theferret.scot), an international alliance of cross-party politicians, said The Ferret’s research was “shocking, but not surprising”. “The fact that money is still being allowed to flow without being flagged should be a matter of deep concern for ministers and the wider Scottish public,” he claimed. “The rest of the UK has been slow to address dependencies which are curtailing academic freedoms and assisting the People’s Liberation Army, but this evidence suggests that the problem is even more acute in Scotland and needs urgently to be tackled.” [Laura Harth](https://safeguarddefenders.com/en/person/laura-harth?ref=theferret.scot), China in the world director at human rights group [Safeguard Defenders](https://safeguarddefenders.com/en?ref=theferret.scot), said: “It remains staggering to see evidence-based institutions consistently ignore the endless amount of evidence on the security, IP theft and foreign interference risks related to cooperation with (CCP) entities. “This is the exact opposite of the academic rigor we should expect and an outright denial of their commitment to independent thinking and discovery. “Universities and other entities that continue to ignore such risks do so at the expense not only of their students and stakeholders, but of our democratic societies as a whole. Such free-riding has to stop.” The Scottish Conservative shadow education secretary, [Miles Briggs](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/miles-briggs?ref=theferret.scot), said there was “good reason” to be wary of university funding with alleged links to spying, human rights abuses, the military and other issues. “For too long SNP ministers have been complacent about the overexposure of the university sector in Scotland without investigating where funding has come from,” he claimed. The Ferret contacted the Chinese Embassy which has previously been critical of what it has branded politicised anti-Chinese rhetoric, but we received no response. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-06-20-173308.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/can-we-solve-the-universities-funding-crisis/) ### **Universities ensure ‘robust due diligence’** Aberdeen university said it has “robust procedures in place to ensure due diligence around international collaboration”, including “mitigations” for “higher risk partnerships” such as a team to review security issues, and the use of an official “[trusted research](https://www.npsa.gov.uk/specialised-guidance/trusted-research?ref=theferret.scot)” checklist. A spokesperson added that the university complies with UK regulations including [control requirements](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-strategic-export-controls?ref=theferret.scot) around the export or transfer in goods, software or technology, including data, information and technical assistance. Heriot-Watt University said global partnerships were “vital” to advancing its research and teaching, while also benefiting its students, supporting cultural exchange and contributing to the university’s financial sustainability. The university complies with UK Government international security guidelines and partnerships are “rigorously assessed” to ensure “academic freedom and institutional autonomy,” a spokesperson added. An Edinburgh university spokesperson said all partnerships, “including donations and research funding, are subject to a rigorous due diligence process.” A Strathclyde university spokesperson said: “All of our research is subject to risk assessments, ethical approvals and adherence to UK Government guidelines on national security, export control and the [Academic Technology Approval Scheme](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academic-technology-approval-scheme?ref=theferret.scot).” A spokesperson for Robert Gordon University (RGU) said: “All of RGU’s international collaborations are developed with robust due diligence and are aligned with the university’s commitment to research excellence.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Universities are autonomous institutions and are expected to understand and manage the reputational, ethical and security risks associated with international partnerships. “This includes conducting appropriate due diligence before entering into new partnerships, and monitoring existing partnerships to ensure they comply with relevant legal requirements”. National security is reserved to the UK Government’s Home Office, which did not respond to a request to comment. Every organisation in this article was approached for comment, either directly or via the Chinese consulate in Edinburgh and the Chinese embassy in London. ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: CornishPhotography/iStock* ### John Swinney rapped by stats regulator over attainment gap claim URL: https://www.theferret.scot/john-swinney-stats-regulator-attainment-gap-claim/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T17:01:21.000Z [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/21-1.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **First minister John Swinney has been rapped by the UK statistics regulator for making a misleading claim about Scottish education, following a fact check from The Ferret.** During a Holyrood meeting in May, the first minister claimed the SNP had reduced the “overall poverty-related attainment gap” in Scotland by 60 per cent. Ferret Fact Service [looked into this claim](https://www.theferret.scot/overall-attainment-gap-down-60-mostly-false/) in a fact-check article and gave it a ‘Mostly False’ rating. This was because Swinney was using one specific type of attainment – positive destinations for school leavers – when there are numerous ways the attainment gap can be measured. On many of these measures, there have been much smaller decreases in the attainment gap between rich and poor students. This was brought to the attention of the UK Statistics Authority by Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy, who [wrote to](https://uksa.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence/pam-duncan-glancy-msp-to-sir-robert-chote-scottish-attainment-gap/?ref=theferret.scot) chair Sir Robert Chote, quoting the Ferret Fact Service article. [In his response](https://uksa.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence/letter-from-sir-robert-chote-to-pam-duncan-glancy-msp-scottish-attainment-gap/?ref=theferret.scot), Chote agreed Swinney “should have been clearer” that he was referring to just one measure of attainment. In fact, positive destinations for school leavers are not [one of the thirteen key measures](https://www.gov.scot/publications/2025-national-improvement-framework-improvement-plan/pages/10/?ref=theferret.scot) the Scottish Government uses to measure its progress on the poverty-related attainment gap. Sir Robert wrote that “to maintain trust and confidence in their statements, ministers should take care that when they claim progress of their policies it is by their own defined measures”. He confirmed that the UK Statistics Authority has raised the matter with the first minister’s office. The Scottish Government did not confirm whether Swinney plans to correct the record when asked by The Ferret. After Sir Robert’s comments were published, Duncan-Glancy raised the matter at [first minister’s questions](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2025-05-08.3.63&ref=theferret.scot#g3.65) in May. She said the letter “demolishes the government’s claim on the attainment gap and exposes the truth—that a generation of children have been let down by a government that is more interested in spinning numbers than in solving problems”. John Swinney responded, saying he [acknowledged the letter](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2025-05-08.3.63&ref=theferret.scot#g3.65) and argued the attainment gap has reduced across a number of different measures. He said: “I have used one particular measure of the attainment gap—I could use others. The poverty-related attainment gap between young people from the most and least-deprived areas meeting standards in literacy is at a record low in primary schools, and the attainment gap has reached record lows between secondary pupils achieving third level in literacy and numeracy. “Nothing will detract me from focusing on improving the life chances of children, whether or not they are living in poverty, and ensuring that we tackle the issues around household income and engagement with schools. That will lie at the heart of the steps that we are taking in relation to our attainment agenda.” The Ferret asked the First Minister’s office whether Swinney would correct the record. A spokesperson admitted it is “important that information provided to Parliament is accurate and its basis in evidence clear” but did not commit to the parliamentary record being updated. “The Scottish Government uses a range of measures and sources to consider progress made in closing the poverty-related attainment gap and the First Minister cited a number of statistics in parliament to show there has been progress made in addressing the poverty-related attainment gap,” a spokesperson said. “This included progress in relation to the poverty-related gap for young people in a sustained positive destination (9 months after leaving school), which has reduced by three-fifths (or 60 per cent) since 2009-10. “But we accept there is more to do to address the lasting impact of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis for young people affected by poverty.” ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: The Scottish Government, [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot)* ### ‘Can’t get a meeting in the diary’: Swinney made to wait for crunch meeting with Grangemouth billionaire URL: https://www.theferret.scot/swinney-wait-grangemouth-meeting-jim-ratcliffe/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:45:47.000Z **It took John Swinney two and a half months to secure a key meeting with Sir Jim Ratcliffe on the future for workers at Grangemouth – and the billionaire only spared half an hour of his time on a video call.** The first minister [wrote](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2025/03-a/foi-202500452064/documents/eir-202500452064---information-released---annex-a/eir-202500452064---information-released---annex-a/govscot%3Adocument/EIR%2B202500452064%2B-%2BInformation%2BReleased%2B-%2BAnnex%2BA.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to the Ineos chair and chief executive on 6 February asking to meet him at a “very early opportunity” to discuss “a way forward that protects employment at Grangemouth”. But despite an offer from Swinney to travel to meet Ratcliffe in person, the Scottish Government could only secure a 30-minute meeting on Microsoft Teams with him on 25 April. That was 78 days after Swinney contacted Ratcliffe – who [ranked](https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list?ref=theferret.scot) at number seven on the Sunday Times rich list and is reportedly worth over £17bn – and just four days before it was [announced](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/crude-processing-ends-scotlands-grangemouth-oil-refinery-2025-04-29/?ref=theferret.scot) the century-old refinery at Grangemouth had processed its last oil. The Ferret has also obtained internal Scottish Government documents which say ministers only found out about the end of refining at Grangemouth from media reports. Around four hundred people employed at the site are [losing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czdl7qgg2rqo?ref=theferret.scot) their jobs. The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) questioned how the Scottish Government could deliver a fair energy transition for workers when it “can’t get a meeting in the diary” with key business leaders. One MSP claimed Ratcliffe seemed happy to be a “pantomime villain” but added that it does not “seem like either a just transition or the wider future of Scotland’s economy” is at the top of Swinney’s “in-tray”. > It is no surprise that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has so little respect for the workers and communities impacted by the closure of his refinery at Grangemouth that he won’t spare more than a few minutes of his time to discuss it with the first minister. > > Catrina Randall, Friends of the Earth Scotland An Ineos spokesperson said the company’s track record “speaks louder than any headline” and it was “no secret that the diaries of senior political and business leaders are extremely demanding”. They accused The Ferret of trying to “manufacture a controversy out of nothing”. The Scottish Government said it was committed to securing a “sustainable future” for Grangemouth and had committed £87m to protecting jobs at the site. The findings come from correspondence released to The Ferret following a freedom of information (FOI) request. In his letter to Ratcliffe on 6 February Swinney said he was “willing to travel” for a meeting and do so “at the earliest opportunity”. The Ferret requested Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s response to this letter but was told by the Scottish Government that it did not hold a reply from Ineos to Swinney. We also asked for all correspondence between Ineos and the Scottish Government on the back of the letter. Documents released show the first minister again wrote to the Manchester United co-owner on 21 February outlining Scottish Government financial backing for new proposals at Grangemouth. Swinney wrote he was “committed to working” with Ineos and urged the company to “live up” to its “responsibilities as a responsible business”. Subsequent emails, which are partially redacted, show Scottish Government officials and an Ineos representative – whose email sign off says they are based in Monte Carlo, where Ratcliffe [reportedly](https://www.tatler.com/article/sir-jim-ratcliffe-manchester-united-sunday-times-interview?ref=theferret.scot) owns a home – trying to find a date for a meeting over the course of a number of weeks in late March and early April. ![ineos grangemouth](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/iStock-178133151-e1712328434479.jpg) A flock of migrating geese fly over the Grangemouth refinery in winter. Image: FrankCornfield/iStock These included ‘chaser’ emails sent by the Scottish Government to Ineos after they had not received a response. In one email, the Scottish Government notes that a meeting at the beginning of March had “unfortunately” not gone ahead. Most of the details of the meeting that eventually took place on 25 April are redacted, but partial minutes do show Ineos arguing the refinery was “aged and loss making” and Ratcliffe expressing “concern about carbon taxes and energy costs”. The Grangemouth refinery is owned by Petroineos, a joint venture between Ratcliffe’s firm and PetroChina, which is owned by the Chinese government. It was [announced](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm24jlm08y9o?ref=theferret.scot) in November 2023 that the refinery would close and be transformed into a terminal for the import of finished fuels. About 70 staff from the refinery will continue working at the import terminal. On 29 April this year, Ineos [confirmed](https://news.stv.tv/scotland/all-oil-refining-in-scotland-ends-as-grangemouth-operation-ceases?ref=theferret.scot) that the refinery had processed its last oil after over 100 years of operations. The Ferret submitted a separate FOI request asking for details of the Scottish Government’s planned response to media inquiries about the closure of the refinery. One internal document released through this request notes that Scottish ministers were made aware of the end to refining operations on 29 April “via the media”. The Scottish Government declined to comment on this point. ![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Refinery-closure-2.png) An internal Scottish Government memo suggests ministers found out about refinery closure “via the media”. Ineos employs 1,300 staff at other industrial facilities which are part of the Grangemouth complex and remain operational. The Scottish Government has pledged financial support to find a way forward for the refinery site. The Scottish and UK Governments paid £1.5m for a “feasibility study”, commissioned by Petroineos, called [Project Willow](https://www.sdi.co.uk/invest-in-scotland/invest-in-projects/project-willow-grangemouth?ref=theferret.scot) which was carried out by the consultancy firm Ernst and Young and looked at a potential future for the site. The findings of that study were published in March, with [Project Willow](https://www.sdi.co.uk/media/vlubfykz/project-willow%5Fpid%5Fv214.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) suggesting nine ‘credible’ alternatives for the refinery. However these would still need billions in private sector investment to get off the ground. Business development agency Scottish Enterprise [said](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/national/25231168.84-inquiries-projects-grangemouth-received-government-msps-told/?ref=theferret.scot) this week that it had received 84 inquiries about projects for Grangemouth, including some which have a “good opportunity” to become projects in “the next three to four years”. The Scottish Government has [pledged](https://www.gov.scot/news/plan-for-future-of-grangemouth/?ref=theferret.scot) £25m to support “investible propositions” at the site, while the UK Government has promised £200m. > The sad reality is that these workers are more likely to find new jobs overseas than in their own communities. > > Roz Foyer, STUC But according to Catrina Randall, a campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, this is the wrong approach and the Scottish Government should “learn its lesson in giving support to greedy multinationals like Ineos who in turn treat it and the people it represents with little more than contempt”. “It is no surprise that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has so little respect for the workers and communities impacted by the closure of his refinery at Grangemouth that he won’t spare more than a few minutes of his time to discuss it with the first minister,” Randall claimed. The general secretary of the STUC, Roz Foyer, said refinery workers had been “badly let down” and it was time for the Scottish Government to “take control in the energy sector with a proper plan for jobs instead of leaving it to the whims of billionaires”. Foyer added: “The Scottish and UK governments have been promising to protect workers and create new jobs in green industries, but if our political leaders can’t get a meeting in the diary, it’s hard to see how they will deliver a fair transition for workers across the oil and gas sector. “The sad reality is that these workers are more likely to find new jobs overseas than in their own communities.” Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene said Ratcliffe “seems happy to paint himself as something of a pantomime villain”. But he said the “onus is on the first minister’s office to keep the pressure on and lock down key meetings like this”. Greene added: “Despite John Swinney’s warm words it doesn’t seem like either a just transition or the wider future of Scotland’s economy is at the top of his in-tray”. An Ineos spokesperson said: “Ineos has invested billions of pounds into Grangemouth and the Forties Pipeline System over the past decade, securing critical infrastructure, high quality jobs, and energy security for both Scotland and the UK. “Our track record speaks louder than any headline. It is no secret that the diaries of senior political and business leaders are extremely demanding. To twist that into a narrative of disrespect is disingenuous and dishonest. “The Ferret knows this and is deliberately trying to manufacture a controversy out of nothing, as usual. We remain focused on the real priority, which is working with the first minister and his government to secure the long-term future of Ineos in Scotland.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is committed to working with all stakeholders – including business, the workforce and the community – as we seek to secure a long term and sustainable future for the Grangemouth industrial cluster. “Ministers have made clear their determination to secure a sustainable future for the refinery site and the wider industrial cluster and have so far committed around £87m to do so, including the £25m Grangemouth Just Transition Fund and up to £450,000 to support affected workers to make the transition into new roles.” *Main image: John Swinney. Credit: Scottish Government. Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Credit: The CBI* ### ‘Frustrating and disheartening’: Glasgow community group blames council for delays to Covid memorial URL: https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-council-blamed-for-delays-to-covid-memorial/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T18:02:31.000Z [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/19.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **Glasgow City Council has been accused of “moral” and “bureaucratic” failure over delays to a memorial for victims of the Covid-19 pandemic which is sitting in storage at taxpayers expense.** Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the nationwide [Remembering Together](https://www.rememberingtogether.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) initiative in March 2021, with projects in each of Scotland’s 32 council areas given £120,000 to create a “unique” local memorial. The national project [concluded](https://www.rememberingtogether.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) in September 2024, with memorials completed or being installed in every council area – except Glasgow. Across Scotland memorials funded through Remembering Together ranged from music and events to benches and the creation of a [special tartan](https://www.rememberingtogether.scot/scottish-borders/remembering-together-scottish-borders-is-coming-to-a-close?ref=theferret.scot) in the Borders. Govanhill Baths Community Trust, the community organisation leading Glasgow’s project, says a sculpture co-created by artists and Glaswegians affected by Covid-19 is finished and ready to be installed in Queen’s Park, in the city’s Southside. However, the council has yet to approve the installation, claiming that “valid” safety concerns about the memorial have not been “adequately addressed”. Govanhill Baths disputes this, and claims the council has shown little engagement with the project or guidance on what steps can be taken to ensure it is installed. It says council employees have attended meetings about the project without being properly prepared and that goalposts for it to gain approval have been shifted at the eleventh hour. The sculpture remains in storage, which has cost the organisation over £1,800 in public money so far. > Instead of a public space for reflection and care, we are left with a sculpture in storage, accumulating monthly costs – because of systemic failures and a lack of accountability. > > Fatima Uygun, Govanhill Baths Community Trust The chief executive of Govanhill Baths Community Trust, Fatima Uygun, claimed trying to get clearance from the council had been “one of the most frustrating and disheartening experiences” the organisation had faced. “We began this project with a deep commitment to honouring the lives lost, the communities most affected, and the collective trauma we’ve all carried,” she said. “The community showed up. The artists delivered. But instead of a public space for reflection and care, we are left with a sculpture in storage, accumulating monthly costs – because of systemic failures and a lack of accountability.” Uygun argued those most impacted by Covid-19 – including those “experiencing disabilities, bereaved families and frontline workers” – had been “sidelined” by a process that, for many of them, echoed the failures they experienced during the pandemic. “We’ve submitted proposals, attended meetings, revised plans, and waited,” Uygun continued. “This memorial was meant to offer dignity and space to grieve. The fact that it remains hidden from public view is more than a bureaucratic failure – it’s a moral one.” The artwork, designed by Glaswegian artists Littlewhitehead, is around two metres tall and features concrete panels on a metal frame. Its design has yet to be unveiled to the public but the plan is to put it near the poetry garden in Queen’s Park. A council spokesperson said there was “a risk from children climbing and falling from the structure” and also from a “concrete panel falling from the steel structure that supports these panels”. They continued: “We have valid concerns about the safety of the proposed structure that have not been adequately addressed by the team from Govanhill Baths. “Govanhill Baths undertook to provide us with information that would satisfy our safety concerns and so far they have not done so. As the landowner of Queen’s Park, we have a legal responsibility to ensure our parks are safe for the public to use. “Without further information from the project team that satisfies our safety concerns, the community trust does not have permission to install the structure in Queen’s Park. We are happy to continue the dialogue with their project team and find a way for the proposed memorial to go on display.” > My worry is that the impact of these genuine and heartfelt stories will continue to be minimised as the delay goes on. > > Audrey O’Brien, artist Govanhill Baths said the sculpture was designed in “consultation with a structural engineer” who has “confirmed the soundness of the design”. They said they welcomed “any sincere effort to resolve the situation”, but that their experience with the council “tells a different story”. Artist Audrey O’Brien worked on the first phase of the Glasgow project which involved meeting with “nearly 40 people from diverse local community groups” to inform the type of memorial that Glaswegians wanted. She said: “Each person I spoke to shared their personal reflections about their experiences during Covid-19, many of which were very moving. “In terms of the delay to the installation of the final sculpture, my worry is that the impact of these genuine and heartfelt stories will continue to be minimised as the delay goes on. The sculpture as the city’s artistic response has a vital role to play in helping all of us process what happened, both now and into the future.” Carla Almeida, previously the Remembering Together lead for [Greenspace Scotland,](https://www.greenspacescotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) who oversaw the 32 projects across Scotland, said despite various hurdles the national project had many highlights and had been cathartic for those involved who had lost people during Covid and not had the chance to grieve. She claimed that though in some areas it took longer, or was more difficult to get buy-in, Glasgow City Council “had zero interest from the get go”. “It is quite embarrassing, “ she added. “We had 32 projects and though the others have had many many challenges and delays all the others are going ahead.” Scottish Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, who represents the Glasgow region, said the failure to install the sculpture was “disappointing”. Sweeney said: “I share the frustration of Govanhill Baths, who fulfilled their side of the bargain and constructed a sculpture co-created by artists and people affected by Covid-19\. It is now time that the council fulfill their side of the deal and install the sculpture in a prominent location in the city, so that we can remember family members and loved ones who died tragically as a result of Covid-19.” Glasgow City Council [pointed out](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-61611189?ref=theferret.scot) that it had previously worked with organisations, including The Herald newspaper, to create a nationwide Covid-19 memorial in the city’s Pollok Park. The Scottish Greens councillor for the local Pollokshields ward, [Jon Molyneux](https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/1753/Councillor-Jon-Molyneux?ref=theferret.scot), said delivery of the memorial is “long overdue” and that it was “vital” that a “solution is found as soon as possible that allows the artwork to go in the ground”. ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: Susanne Neumann/iStock* ### Claim 37 per cent of Scots want to abolish Holyrood is Unsupported URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-37-per-cent-abolish-holyrood-unsupported/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T17:10:10.000Z **The future of Holyrood was called into question this week, after claims that more than a third of Scots wanted to abolish the devolved parliament.** Numerous [social media](http://x.com/SimonHall184077/status/1930656035900923984?ref=theferret.scot) [accounts](https://x.com/abolishholyrood/status/1930206659885875657?ref=theferret.scot) and media outlets [reported](https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/one-three-scots-would-abolish-35335207?ref=theferret.scot) that a poll had [found 37 per cent of Scots](https://x.com/AgentP22/status/1930261513668853942?ref=theferret.scot) were in favour of scrapping the Scottish Parliament. This claim was also promoted by on X, via the [Grok AI chatbot](https://x.com/grok/status/1930316819400929801?ref=theferret.scot). > 37 per cent of Scots support abolishing Holyrood. > > Social media posts Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Unsupported**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Banner-7.png) #### **Evidence** There are a number of groups and political parties which have campaigned for the abolition of the Scottish Parliament, arguing that the [devolved parliament](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56861579?ref=theferret.scot) costs [too much money](https://web.archive.org/web/20210731162546/https://www.abolishholyrood.org/post/devolution-a-costly-divisive-failed-experiment) and focuses on policies which do not help the people of Scotland. The Abolish the Scottish Parliament Party stood candidates on the regional list in the 2021 Holyrood election. It [gained 7,262 votes](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9230/CBP-9230.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), amounting to 0.3 per cent of the vote share. UKIP also made ending the devolved parliament part of its campaign in 2021 and [gained 3,848 votes ](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9230/CBP-9230.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)on the regional list and 699 in constituencies. The claim recently promoted on social media that more than one-third, 37 per cent, of Scots want to scrap the parliament comes from a Norstat (formerly Panelbase) poll which was published in June, with the polling done in late May. It was commissioned by pro-independence [blogger](https://wingsoverscotland.com/and-no-great-mischief-should-they-fall?ref=theferret.scot) Wings Over Scotland. However, the question asked was not a straight choice between keeping the Scottish Parliament in its current form or abolishing it. Instead, the poll asked respondents about a hypothetical choice in a referendum between Scottish independence or a return to being ruled by Westminster only. The [poll’s exact wording](https://wingsoverscotland.com/and-no-great-mischief-should-they-fall?ref=theferret.scot) was: “If there were to be a second independence referendum tomorrow and the ONLY options on the ballot paper were full independence or the permanent closure of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood and a return to direct Westminster rule, how do you think you would vote?” According to [Wings Over Scotland](https://wingsoverscotland.com/and-no-great-mischief-should-they-fall/?ref=theferret.scot), the response –which did not include ‘don’t knows’ – was 37 per cent in favour of a return to Westminster direct rule and 63 per cent choosing full Scottish independence. This is not a standard polling question, and is unlikely to form the basis of a future referendum. The form of the question may not give an accurate picture of the position of most Scots on the Scottish Parliament, as the question did not allow those surveyed to keep the status quo. There have been several other polls in recent years which have asked related questions. A survey for the Sunday Times in [January 2024](https://www.whatscotlandthinks.org/questions/overall-do-you-think-devolution-has-been-a-good-thing-or-a-bad-thing-for-the-people-of-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) found 26 per cent of Scots thought that devolution had been a bad thing for Scotland, while 50 per cent thought it had been good. Another poll for Holyrood Sources podcast, [from March 2024](https://www.whatscotlandthinks.org/questions/do-you-agree-or-disagree-with-the-following-statement-devolution-was-a-mistake-25-years-ago-and-should-not-have-happened/?groups%5B0%5D%5B0%5D=Strongly%2Bagree&groups%5B0%5D%5B1%5D=Tend%2Bto%2Bagree&groups%5B1%5D%5B3%5D=Tend%2Bto%2Bdisagree&groups%5B1%5D%5B4%5D=Strongly%2Bdisagree&ref=theferret.scot), found 26 per cent of those surveyed agreed that “devolution was a mistake 25 years ago and should not have happened”. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Unsupported** The claim that 37 per cent of Scots want to abolish Holyrood is not supported. The poll on which the statistic is based asked whether those surveyed would like full Scottish independence or to abolish the Scottish Parliament and go back to direct rule from Westminster. No status quo option was available. Recent polls asking about devolution’s impact on Scotland have shown around a quarter saying it was a bad idea. *Unsupported – A claim that is not backed up by solid evidence and cannot conclusively be judged true or false.* *Main image: iStock/MartinIsaac* ### New bill to widen freedom of information law could cover firms providing public services URL: https://www.theferret.scot/bill-freedom-of-information-law-scottish-parliament/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T18:02:37.000Z [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/22.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **A new bill to widen freedom of information legislation in Scotland and cover private firms providing public services has been introduced to the Scottish Parliament.** Katy Clark MSP’s bill aims to address problems with the [Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2002/13/contents?ref=theferret.scot) and improve transparency and accountability in public services. If the bill becomes law, third-party organisations that deliver public services such as care homes would be subject to FoI laws, and public authorities would be obliged to proactively publish certain information. The Labour politician’s bill would also remove the first minister’s power to override certain decisions of the Scottish Information Commissioner, whose enforcement powers would also be strengthened. Clark said it was time to end private providers of vital public services being [“entirely exempt from transparency](https://katyclark.org/members-bill/?ref=theferret.scot)”. In 2023, the outgoing Scottish Information Commissioner, Daren Fitzhenry, described government FoI procedures as “not fit for purpose” in a damning[ final report](https://www.foi.scot/sites/default/files/2023-10/2023%20Scottish%20Government%20Intervention%20Report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). His report revealed that there was a backlog of 117 FoI cases in May 2023, that some government FoI responses had been delayed for over two years, and that the role of political advisers was “ambiguous” and “anonymous”. The Scottish Government stressed then it was committed to ensuring “openness and transparency”. Carole Ewart, director of the[ Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland,](https://www.cfois.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) welcomed Clark’s bill and said she would work with MSPs from all parties to ensure it becomes law by March 2026, in order “to fix Scotland’s transparency deficit”. She added: “We are delighted the bill will be considered by MSPs and hope it achieves all party support to ensure the architecture of transparency, accountability and scrutiny so carefully constructed 23 years ago is restored and strengthened to improve FoI practice, meet the challenges of public service diversification and the digital age.” > We are delighted the bill will be considered by MSPs and hope it achieves all party support to ensure the architecture of transparency, accountability and scrutiny so carefully constructed 23 years ago is restored and strengthened to improve FoI practice, meet the challenges of public service diversification and the digital age. > > Carole Ewart, director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland. [David Hamilton](https://www.foi.scot/commissioner-welcomes-new-bill-reform-foi-law?ref=theferret.scot), the Scottish Information Commissioner, also welcomed the bill and said the extension of FOI rights to third-party organisations like care home providers “is long overdue”. He added: “We need to ensure that the information published by public bodies reflects our expectations in this digital age and it’s also an undisputed fact that FOI has failed to keep up with the way public services are being delivered.” ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image credit: iStock and Natali\_Mis* ### Norwegian firm’s plan for UK’s first deep-sea salmon farm off Shetland prompts concerns URL: https://www.theferret.scot/norwegian-firm-plans-deep-sea-salmon-farm-shetland/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T18:03:39.000Z **A Norwegian company has drawn up plans for Britain’s first deep-sea salmon farm in waters off Shetland, The Ferret can reveal, prompting concerns it is an “experiment in factory farming” that could damage the environment.** Offshore salmon farming involves raising fish at sea in submerged cages, several miles away from coastal areas. Modelled on oil platforms, these super-sized farms are bigger than inshore sites and more robust for deeper waters. The new technology is viewed by supporters as a more sustainable form of fish production. But critics have described offshore farming as “[factory farming of the sea”](https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/6661/legal-action-taken-to-protect-threatened-and-endangered-species-from-industrial-finfish-aquaculture-operations?ref=theferret.scot) and super farms off Norway have suffered problems such as fish escapes which can impact the marine ecosystem. The finding comes from government documents released under freedom of information law to The Ferret, along with plans leaked from Norwegian aquaculture giant SalMar. They show that the Shetland site, if sanctioned, would see three huge farms spread across an area several times the size of Lerwick – rearing more than five million fish. Proposals for the project are already developed enough for Crown Estate Scotland to be considering specific coordinates for the farms. The plans have also been shared with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Shetland Islands Council, and the Scottish Government. MSPs were told last month that while firms operating in Norway with links to Scotland are looking at offshore opportunities, no companies currently operating in Scotland are considering this. Campaign group Animal Equality criticised what it described as a “veil of secrecy” over SalMar’s plans, while environmental charity Green Britain Foundation (GBF) said the aquaculture industry was demonstrating it “can’t be trusted”. “They’re apparently planning massive offshore operations in Shetland waters,” said GBF’s founder Dale Vince. “We don’t need another experiment in factory farming, in a pristine environment, from an industry in pursuit of profit at any cost.” SalMar did not respond to our request for a comment. Salmon Scotland – which represents salmon farmers – said it had no knowledge of any company plans to move immediately into offshore locations. **SalMar in Shetland** During a visit to Shetland in January, SalMar presented a plan to locals for three separate farms, each five kilometers apart and rearing 1.6 million fish apiece. The site’s total footprint would cover more than 25 square kilometres. The plans said the super farm could bring dozens of jobs to Shetland. The scale of the project, however, has concerned local fishers. “It will mean spatial squeeze inshore and offshore for us,” said Sheila Keith, of Shetland Fishermen’s Association. “I’m not convinced growth is always the best thing for industries in Shetland when we have finite space and parameters to work with. Is expansion the best thing for Shetland?” > We don’t need another experiment in factory farming, in a pristine environment, from an industry in pursuit of profit at any cost. > > Dale Vince, Green Britain Foundation. SalMar presented its plans to a number of local stakeholders, including Yell community council at a public meeting. The community council declined to share the presentation with The Ferret but did volunteer emails from SalMar in which the company said: “We have chosen not to share any written material such as the presentation shared with you and would not like this to be shared with externals such as the media, please do not share it”. The firm raised similar concerns with government officials. In emails discussing freedom of information requests, SalMar urged officials to withhold details and they agreed. “We will redact the specifics on \[redacted\] proposed and the more specific area of interest first identified, as well as the reference to \[redacted\] as previously discussed,” an official wrote to SalMar in March. Shetland Islands Council rejected a similar freedom of information request for emails exchanged with SalMar – citing commercial sensitivities and intellectual property rights. The council told The Ferret that it held “initial pre-application discussions on this matter”, but declined to comment further. **Holyrood vote this month** Holyrood will vote on whether to extend marine planning zones into offshore waters later this month, effectively opening up areas to applications for the new technology, as proposed by SalMar for Shetland. > Companies at the moment have no direct, to my knowledge, plans to move immediately into \[offshore\] location\[s\]. > > Dr Iain Berrill, Salmon Scotland. At a meeting of the Rural Affairs and Islands committee (RAIC) last month at Holyrood, Salmon Scotland reassured ministers that regulators would have ample time to develop the expertise to keep offshore farms in check, because companies would move “incrementally” into deeper waters. “Companies at the moment have no direct, to my knowledge, plans to move immediately into \[offshore\] location\[s\],” said Iain Berrill, Salmon Scotland’s head of technical. “We’re not going to rush straight to that area.” Government documents show that SalMar has been discussing plans for a farm in Scotland with government officials for at least 18 months. As early as July 2024, Crown Estate Scotland asked SalMar’s holding company, Kverva, to provide coordinates to check for existing infrastructure like subsea cables in the area, or other developers who have expressed an interest. Most of these documents – a heavily redacted combination of meeting agendas, minutes and emails – were omitted from the government’s initial freedom of information response to The Ferret, but later released on review. At last month’s RAIC Holyrood meeting, ministers were told the government’s marine directorate did not have detailed information about the plans. When asked the next day about those plans, a government spokesperson said some of its communications with SalMar are “commercially sensitive”. When giving his evidence to the RAIC, Salmon Scotland’s Berrill did acknowledge that Norwegian companies are already farming in offshore waters abroad. “There are companies which have facilities in other countries, specifically Norway, which are in those \[offshore\] locations at the moment, and they have some links to our companies,” he said. “But at the moment those that are operating here are doing this in an incremental manner.” > If asked to do so, Crown Estate Scotland occasionally completes checks of the seabed for potential development conflicts as a matter of courtesy. > > A spokerperson for Crown Estate Scotland. Scottish Sea Farms (SSF), one of Salmon Scotland’s member companies operating in Shetland, is half owned by SalMar. The government’s minutes show that SSF attended at least one of SalMar’s planning meetings with officials in June. At that meeting SalMar agreed to begin sharing coordinates with Crown Estate Scotland. Neither SalMar nor SSF responded to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Salmon Scotland confirmed Berrill’s evidence. “The evidence provided to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee is accurate – while some Norwegian salmon farming companies have the capability to operate in more exposed offshore locations,” said Salmon Scotland adding that “none of the companies currently operating in Scotland are seeking to develop such farms at this time.” Crown Estate Scotland’s director Mike Spain gave evidence alongside Berrill during last month’s committee meeting but did not mention SalMar’s plans. A spokesperson said: “If asked to do so, Crown Estate Scotland occasionally completes checks of the seabed for potential development conflicts as a matter of courtesy. The check is effectively a snapshot in time and does not infer any permissions or development rights.” Holyrood is now expected to vote on opening up Scotland’s offshore waters to aquaculture applications on 11 June 2025\. If passed, the measures would come into effect a week after on 18 June. By extending existing marine planning zones from three nautical miles out to 12, the ultimate consenting decision for offshore farms would still rest with local councils, as it currently does for inshore farms. **“There’s a lot of unknowns”** Offshore salmon farms – mostly in Norway – have a mixed track record. While almost [16,000 fish escaped during SalMar’s first offshore trial in 2019](https://www.salmonbusiness.com/salmar-satisfied-after-only-15805-salmon-escape-from-worlds-first-offshore-fish-farm/?ref=theferret.scot), the company has claimed record low fish deaths in more recent rounds of production. During the RAIC meeting last month various experts described the technology as untested. From fish health to the logistics of getting staff around the massive sites, the RSPCA told ministers “there’s a lot of unknowns”. The head of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, Elspeth Macdonald, raised concerns about the overall environmental impact of offshore farms – such as fish escapes, the impact of offshore infrastructure, or the volumes of fish excrement they might generate. SalMar has now put its offshore plans in Norway “on hold”, according to its website, “due to regulatory uncertainty”. If Holyrood passes the amendment later this month, SalMar is expected to begin its application for Britain’s first deep sea salmon farm this summer. That process would involve a pre-application consultation and public events in Shetland. A final application could then be submitted with Shetland Islands Council, which is responsible for putting the plans past national regulators. *Main image: Jakub Rutkiewicz/iStock* ### Claim knife crime has reduced is Half True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-knife-crime-has-reduced-is-half-true/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T17:04:54.000Z **Knife crime has made headlines in recent weeks, after the death of a boy at Irvine beach in May.** Kayden Moy died after allegedly being stabbed, and three teenagers were arrested in connection with the incident. During [first minister’s questions on 22 May](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPd73eOAg9c&t=126s&ref=theferret.scot), Scottish Conservatives leader Russell Findlay asked John Swinney what he would say to parents scared for their children’s safety after a series of recent knife incidents involving young people. The first minister firstly paid tribute to Kayden, and outlined Scottish Government steps to tackle knife crime. He went on to claim that knife crime in Scotland had fallen over the past 15 years. > “We have seen a sustained fall in knife crime in the past 15 years.” > > First minister John Swinney Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Half True.** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Banner-8.png) #### **Evidence** Scotland has had significant success in reducing deaths caused by knife crime since 2005, when Police Scotland’s violence reduction unit was set up. Its [approach to violent crime](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-45572691?ref=theferret.scot) was rooted in treating violence as a [public health crisis](https://quarterly.blog.gov.uk/2019/07/04/a-radical-approach-to-tackling-knife-crime-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot), and it is credited in reducing murders and gang violence in Scotland. Swinney’s claim is that there has been a sustained fall in knife crime in the last 15 years. There are a few different ways to measure this. Statistics on the [number of murders](https://www.gov.scot/publications/homicide-scotland-2023-24/documents/?ref=theferret.scot) each year in Scotland are broken down by the weapon used. Knives are counted under ‘sharp implements’. There were 57 murders using sharp implements in 2008-09, and 28 in the most recent data covering 2023-24. This is a significant reduction in the last 15 years. However, the latest figure of 28 is an increase from the low of 23 in 2013-14, and higher than 2021-22 (25 murders) and 2018-19 (27). According to [Scottish Government research](https://www.gov.scot/publications/homicide-scotland-2022-23/pages/7/?ref=theferret.scot), the most common main method of killing in each of the last 10 years was with a sharp instrument like a knife. The Scottish Government told Ferret Fact Service that Swinney’s claim referred to data from [Public Health Scotland (PHS)](https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/15516/2022-10-11-ui-2022-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) which publishes statistics on hospital admissions due to assault by a knife or other sharp object. According to PHS, this “provides one way of assessing the impact of knife crime”. In 2023-24 there were [438 emergency hospital admissions](https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/29687/2024-10-29-ui-2024-report-final.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) as a result of assault by a knife or other sharp object, which has reduced from 1,414 in 2008-09\. There has been a small increase in recent years, with [405 people](https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/22504/2023-10-10-ui-2023-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) admitted in 2022-23, and [399](https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/15516/2022-10-11-ui-2022-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in 2021-22. A further measure of knife crime in Scotland is found in the Scottish government’s annual [statistics on the crime](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2023-24/documents/?ref=theferret.scot) of ‘handling a knife or pointed weapon in a public place’, also known as possession. Until 2017-18, Scotland [only recorded crimes](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2023-24/pages/9/?ref=theferret.scot) where the weapon wasn’t also used in another offence (like as part of an assault or murder). Where a knife was used in a murder, for example, the weapon was considered as part of that offence. Since then, recording has changed. So now data on possession of a bladed weapon is split into two categories – where it is used as part of another crime, and where it is not. In 2023-24, there [were 2,137](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2023-24/documents/?ref=theferret.scot) knife or pointed weapon crimes recorded where the weapon was used in another offence. This number has increased since statistics were first counted in 2017-18, when 1,595 crimes were recorded in this category. For crimes where the blade or pointed weapon was not used in another offence there has also been an increase, from from 2,140 in 2017-18 to 2,582 in 2023-24. Fifteen years ago, there were 4,080 crimes recorded in this category, so there has been a reduction since then. However, the data shows there has been an increase in recorded crimes of handling knives and pointed weapons over the last seven years. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** John Swinney’s claim about knife crime over the past 15 years depends on what measure you look at. There has been a reduction in the number of people killed or injured by knife crime in the last fifteen years. However Swinney’s claim there has been a ‘sustained’ drop is contradicted by the fact the number of incidents has been increasing in more recent years. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Half-True-2.png) **Half True* – The claim is somewhat or partially accurate, but leaves out crucial information or is selectively taken out of context* *Main image: iStock* ### Scots charity in trans rights row after announcing change to bathroom access URL: https://www.theferret.scot/citizens-advice-trans-rights-bathroom-access/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:37:53.000Z **A Scottish charity may be discriminating against transgender staff after announcing a change to bathroom access following the recent UK Supreme Court ruling on the Equality Act, say legal experts.** In a leaked email sent to Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) staff last month, its chief executive claimed the charity was bound by “legal constraints” following a recent Supreme Court decision in April on how “sex” should be interpreted under the Equality Act 2010. The ruling stated that, under the Equality Act 2010, the definition of “woman” refers to “biological sex”. Following the ruling on 16 April, ‘gender critical’ campaigners [claimed the decision](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/16/a-huge-reset-trans-rights-campaigners-and-gender-critical-activists-react-to-supreme-court-ruling?ref=theferret.scot) had brought “clarity on the law” and described the decision as “a massive relief”. But lawyers have since pointed out the ruling on the definition of “man” and “woman” relates to the 2010 Equality Act only, and campaign groups have raised concerns over the interpretation of the ruling. In an email on 6 May, chief executive Derek Mitchell said CAS would be enforcing a policy of “male only” and “female only” toilets on the basis of sex assigned at birth. This, he said, was in response to the ruling and subsequent interim “guidance” offered by the [Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)](https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which is the UK’s human rights regulator. A separate, single-occupancy WC would be available “for any colleague”, he clarified. Mitchell also wrote: “As an employer, CAS is required to comply with the law, and we need to ensure our practices and policies reflect current legal standards. This is not an expression of any view on the High Court \[sic\] ruling, it is our legal obligation as an employer.” Two days later Mitchell sent a second update that acknowledged the upset that had been caused, but doubled down on claims that the charity was bound by the law to introduce changes. Staff told The Ferret they were left feeling hurt, afraid and disappointed by the decision and concerned by the claim this decision had been taken out of the charity’s hands by legal changes. > It’s almost like it’s polluted my work. > > Staff member, Citizens Advice Scotland Lawyers and campaigners told The Ferret that the EHRC update was neither intended as formal guidance nor legally binding, therefore giving employers options on how they proceed. They also warned that caution must be taken to avoid legal challenges. When approached by The Ferret, Citizens Advice Scotland said it recognised “this issue touches on deeply personal experiences and we will continue to monitor and review our approach should guidance change”. Staff at CAS, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed neither the trade union or the equality, diversity and inclusion committee were consulted ahead of the announcement. One worker claimed they no longer felt able to come out as trans at work, saying that “this is not a safe place to be”. Others described how CAS had built its workplace culture around inclusion and dignity, and that this policy change was effectively a “slap in the face”. “It’s almost like it’s polluted my work,” said one staff member. “Because obviously when we consult \[clients\], we’re very respectful of any kind of pronouns. So I would like to think that we would treat our colleagues the same, and that the attitude from management would be the same.” Another said the decision to put this out “without going through proper channels to make sure that the information that he’s putting in there is correct” made them feel “less safe within the organisation”. Since the ruling, legal professionals and campaigning organisations including the [Good Law Project](https://goodlawproject.org/were-bringing-a-legal-challenge-to-the-ehrcs-interim-update/?ref=theferret.scot), have raised concerns over how it is the interpreted and whether or not it will impact other legislation that governs access to toilets and changing rooms in the workplace. [Explainer: The Supreme Court gender rulingThe Supreme Court’s decision on how to legally define a woman under equality law is having a wide impact on policies and guidance across the UK. After the decision, which ruled that the definition of “woman” should be defined by biological sex only, there was confusion among charities and![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-46.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1305651777.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/supreme-court-gender-ruling-explained/) Jen Ang, a human rights lawyer and director of legal firm Lawmanity, was shown the leaked emails. She said: “The Supreme Court decision does not require employers to provide only separate toilets for men and women – it only clarified the meaning of ‘sex’ for purposes of the Equality Act and in so doing, shifted our understanding of what is required if single sex, mixed sex or only sex facilities are being provided by an employer. “Employers must consider a range of factors in deciding what toilet facilities to provide, and be prepared to justify their decisions.” She claimed companies or charities who restricted access to some facilities on the basis of a protected characteristic (like sex or gender reassignment) without being able to justify the decision as a “proportionate means to a legitimate aim”, may be open to legal challenge in the future. “This is a good reason why organisations should start early with good faith efforts to gather the information they will need to make these decisions,” she added. “By engaging with staff and service users to understand their requirements – and also why clear and practical guidance and support is urgently needed from our UK equalities and human rights regulators, and from our national governments.” The EHRC and Bridget Phillipson, minister for women and equalities, have both claimed that the Supreme Court ruling has brought clarity to the law. But there has been uncertainty from charities and other organisations about what policy alterations, if any, they might have to make after the ruling, with some claiming they are forced to make changes, and others – such as [domestic violence charity Refuge](https://refuge.org.uk/news/refuge-responds-to-todays-supreme-court-ruling-on-gender-and-single-sex-spaces/?ref=theferret.scot) – saying the ruling will have no impact on how they provide services. A six week consultation period has now opened on the future code of practice in order for the EHRC to provide appropriate guidance before submitting it for parliamentary approval. > Organisations should follow the law – not guidance which we believe seriously misstates the law, and is leading employers and service providers into error. > > Jess O’Thomson, Good Law Project “Until then,” warned Jen Ang, “it remains unclear what the EHRC guidance will require and organisations should be wary of changing their established policies, without a full understanding of the significance of the Supreme Court decision and what it means, specifically, for their organisation, as employers and service providers. She added: “It is not possible, or wise, to seek to immediately apply the Supreme Court judgment as requiring a one-size-fits all solution to the question of what type of toilets to provide, for whom.” Following the release of EHRC’s interim update, the Good Law Project has [launched legal proceedings](https://goodlawproject.org/were-bringing-a-legal-challenge-to-the-ehrcs-interim-update/?ref=theferret.scot) against the human rights regulator, as well as the minister for women and equalities, accusing them of misrepresenting the law. Good Law Project’s community outreach lead Jess O’Thomson claimed: “Organisations are not obliged to follow the EHRC ‘interim update’, and it is not legally binding. Organisations should follow the law – not guidance which we believe seriously misstates the law, and is leading employers and service providers into error. They added: “We are very concerned about decisions being taken in the wake of the Supreme Court judgment which we think are getting the law wrong. This is why we have started legal proceedings against the EHRC and Bridget Phillipson, whose serious misstatements of the law have already led employers and service providers into error. Such errors are severely impacting the ability of trans people to live their lives with dignity.” Human rights advocacy group Liberty has also launched legal action against the EHRC, alleging it has failed to carry out a fair consultation on changes to their code of practice. Liberty alleges that UK courts have established that consultation periods should be at least 12 weeks minimum. The EHRC initially proposed a two week consultation period, later revising it up to six weeks. Derek Mitchell, chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland, said: “Respecting the Supreme Court judgement, the interim EHRC guidance \[sic\], and our shared values of inclusion, fairness and dignity is fundamental. We recognise this issue touches on deeply personal experiences and we will continue to monitor and review our approach should guidance change.” A spokesperson for the Equality and Human Rights Commission added: “As we have said publicly since 16 April, the law – as set out in the Supreme Court’s judgment – is effective immediately. Those with duties under the Equality Act 2010 should be following it and looking at what changes, if any, need to be made to their policies and practices. Where necessary, duty-bearers should take appropriate specialist legal advice.” An Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator spokesperson said: “In the interim, if charities are unsure how the ruling affects them, they may wish to refer to the interim update from the EHRC and seek legal advice where necessary to ensure their policies remain lawful, proportionate, and aligned with their charitable purposes.” *Header image: CRobertson/iStock* ### Explainer: The Supreme Court gender ruling URL: https://www.theferret.scot/supreme-court-gender-ruling-explained/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T11:50:16.000Z **The Supreme Court’s decision on how to legally define a woman under equality law is having a wide impact on policies and guidance across the UK.** After the decision, which ruled that the definition of “woman” should be defined by biological sex only, there was confusion among charities and public bodies about how this would impact current policies on gender inclusion. [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) takes a look at what the ruling does and does not say, and what its impact could be. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Banner-4.png) ## **How did we get here?** The Supreme Court’s ruling came as a result of several legal challenges, which began after the Scottish Parliament passed a bill in 2018 to tackle underrepresentation of women on the boards of public bodies. The definition of “women” in the law included people who were living as a woman after gender reassignment, or were proposing to undergo the gender reassignment process. This was challenged by [For Women Scotland](https://forwomen.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), a ‘gender critical’ campaigning organisation which opposes changes to gender recognition law. This Scottish Government act was found to be unlawful in 2020 as it was legislating on equal opportunities, which is an area of law reserved to the UK Parliament. A lot of legislation that becomes law in the Scottish and UK parliaments is underpinned by previous regulations. In this case the relevant legislation was the [Equality Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents?ref=theferret.scot), which came into force in 2010 and is enshrined in law across the UK. After it was deemed unlawful, the Scottish Government released new guidance relating to its public bodies representation law, stating that the definition of a “woman” in the act was the same as it is in the Equality Act, which [defines a woman](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/212?ref=theferret.scot) as “a female of any age”. This included, according to the Scottish Government’s guidance, anyone with a [gender recognition certificate (GRC)](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/registration/gender-recognition/?ref=theferret.scot) which showed their gender as female. A GRC is a [document](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/registration/gender-recognition/?ref=theferret.scot) that a transgender person can apply for, which means they are legally recognised as their affirmed gender. This guidance was again challenged by For Women Scotland in 2022\. The group [argued](https://supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc%5F2024%5F0042%5Fjudgment%5Faea6c48cee.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) that the definition of a woman in the Equality Act refers to biological sex, meaning that a trans woman with a gender recognition certificate would not be considered a woman for the purposes of the law. This argument was rejected in Scotland’s court of session but For Women Scotland appealed to the Supreme Court, the final and highest appeal court in the UK for civil cases. The Supreme Court was asked to rule on how the Equality Act definition of a woman should be interpreted, and announced its decision in April this year. ### **What did the Supreme Court find?** The court [upheld the appeal](https://supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc%5F2024%5F0042%5Fpress%5Fsummary%5F8a42145662.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), finding that the definition of “woman”, “man” and “sex” in the Equality Act refer to biological sex (this refers to the sex someone is assigned at birth). It stated that including those with a gender recognition certificate would make the Equality Act “incoherent and impracticable to operate”. The Scottish Government’s guidance that a trans woman could be included under the definition of “woman” in the Equality Act was found to be incorrect. In the judgment, Lord Hodge, Lady Rose and Lady Simler [stated](https://supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc%5F2024%5F0042%5Fjudgment%5Faea6c48cee.pdf?ref=theferret.scot): “It is not the role of the court to adjudicate on the arguments in the public domain on the meaning of gender or sex, nor is it to define the meaning of the word “woman” other than when it is used in the provisions of the Equality Act 2010”. The finding, they said, does not remove protection from trans people, with or without a GRC. A trans woman can be victimised under the law on the grounds of gender reassignment, and when she faces discrimination because she is “perceived as a woman and can compare her treatment with that of a person not perceived to be a woman”. ### **What did the equality commission say?** The Supreme Court’s interpretation of the law led to a significant knock-on effect, with public bodies, charities and other public-facing sectors like the hospitality and events industry questioning what the impact of the ruling would be on spaces such as toilets and changing facilities. The [Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)](https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which is the UK’s human rights regulator, [released a document](https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/media-centre/interim-update-practical-implications-uk-supreme-court-judgment?ref=theferret.scot) called “An interim update on the practical implications of the UK Supreme Court judgment”. In it, the body attempts to set out how the finding might impact current guidelines and procedures. It [states that the judgment has implications](https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/media-centre/interim-update-practical-implications-uk-supreme-court-judgment?ref=theferret.scot) for workplaces, services that are open to the public (such as hospitals, shops, restaurants, leisure facilities, refuges and counselling services), sporting bodies, schools, and associations (groups or clubs of more than 25 people which have rules of membership). In workplaces, the EHRC states that trans women should not be allowed to use women’s bathrooms, and trans men should not use men’s bathrooms. This was also the case for schools. It said: “Pupils who identify as trans girls (biological boys) should not be permitted to use the girls’ toilet or changing facilities, and pupils who identify as trans boys (biological girls) should not be permitted to use the boys’ toilet or changing facilities”. It is not “compulsory for services that are open to the public to be provided on a single-sex basis or to have single-sex facilities such as toilets, “ according to the EHRC. But it goes on to state that services offering only mixed-sex facilities could fall foul of the law through the Equality Act’s [section](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/notes/division/3/2/2/7?ref=theferret.scot) on “indirect sex discrimination”. This is when a blanket approach that applies to everyone has an effect which particularly disadvantages people from a protected group. This update [does not amount to formal guidance](https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/media-centre/interim-update-practical-implications-uk-supreme-court-judgment?ref=theferret.scot). Instead it is described as highlighting “the main consequences of the judgment”. The EHRC’s guidance is not strictly legally-binding, but it can investigate organisations that it suspects have broken equality law. ### **What do charities and businesses need to do now?** There remains significant confusion among business, and third-sector organisations on how this judgment could be practically applied. The judgment [does not require charities and businesses](https://goodlawproject.org/resource/trans-inclusion-after-the-supreme-court-decision-faqs/?ref=theferret.scot) to change their approaches immediately, however it may be that once the EHRC’s new guidance relating to the Equality Act is completed, organisations have to alter provisions for single-sex spaces and facilities. While EHRC’s codes of practice are not legally-binding, they can be used to support legal cases. The judgment was specifically focussed on the definition of ‘sex’, ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in the Equality Act 2010\. Rules around public facilities and bathrooms in businesses and those in other non-governmental services are underpinned by [various other pieces of legislation](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/3004/regulation/20?ref=theferret.scot), which could see a knock-on effect from this ruling, but are as yet unchanged. ### **What is happening now?** The EHRC is [currently consulting](https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/media-centre/news/equality-regulator-opens-consultation-updates-services-code-practice?ref=theferret.scot) on changes to its official code of practice around the Equality Act in the wake of the Supreme Court’s judgment, which will take place until the end of June 2025\. The regulator has committed to presenting an updated code of practice to the government by the end of June for ministerial approval. This will aim to provide clarity over the implementation of the Equality Act post-judgment. The UK’s first judge to publicly say they are transgender has [announced](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qw2149yelo?ref=theferret.scot) that she will attempt to take the UK Government to the European Court of Human Rights over the ruling, which she said violated her human rights. Legal campaigners the [Good Law Project have announced](https://goodlawproject.org/were-bringing-a-legal-challenge-to-the-ehrcs-interim-update/?ref=theferret.scot) they will pursue a legal challenge in the High Court to the EHRC’s interim update and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson. They argue that interim guidance, which requires toilet use based on “biological sex”, would breach the UK’s obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998 if it was enforced. *Main image: smartin69/iStock* ### More than 135,000 fish die at Torridon salmon farm URL: https://www.theferret.scot/135000-fish-die-at-torridon-salmon-farm/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T17:00:37.000Z **More than 135,000 fish have died at a salmon farm in the northwest Highlands run by a Norwegian company in the last two years, The Ferret can reveal.** A total of 135,016 lumpfish and wrasse – aka ‘cleaner’ fish which are used to remove sea-lice from salmon – have died at Mowi Scotland’s site at Torridon since September 2023. Fish deaths were due to environmental issues, natural causes, disease and treatments to remove lice from salmon. The mortality rate was described as a “catastrophe” by an animal welfare charity, while a law firm dedicated to animal protection complained to the Crown Office, alleging that some fish “were subjected to inappropriate, unnecessary, and often fatal treatments” at the farm. In response, Mowi said it has a “very strict health and welfare policy” and meets all the standards set out to ensure the welfare of cleaner fish. The firm added it was not aware of any complaint. A spokesperson for the Crown Office said investigations of allegations are for the police, and decisions on prosecutions are the remit of the procurator fiscal. Wrasse and lumpfish are small and eat lice that can infest and damage farmed salmon. Freshwater treatments are also used to remove lice from salmon. This involves salmon being temporarily transferred to wellboats filled with freshwater where the lice are removed by various methods, some of which can kill cleanerfish. But wrasse and lumpfish can be removed prior to freshwater treatments conducted on wellboats. > The mass death of tens of thousands of these animals is yet another grim reminder of how the industry disregards aquatic life. > > Abigail Penny, Animal Equality UK An [official report](https://storage.googleapis.com/inspection%5Fcase%5Finformation/2024-0397%5FFS0234.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by the Fish Health Inspectorate – following an inspection at the Torridon site last October – said freshwater treatments had been carried out in March, July and September last year, but that some “happened on a boat that can’t grade out (remove them) lumpfish.” In September 2023, the first batch of 63,089 lumpfish arrived on site and not long after lumpfish mortality started to rise, the report said. It added: “After testing by the company it was found that furunculosis (a painful skin infection resulting in boils) was the cause (lumpfish were vaccinated but further testing revealed it was a different strain).” Mowi believed the cause of the outbreak was wrasse on site. Environmental issues were also noted as causes of the fish deaths. Warming seas mean ­jellyfish and algae are making their way to more ­northerly climes which present ­challenges for farmed salmon. Jellyfish sting salmons’ eyes, skin and gills, resulting in health ­problems and death, while harmful algal blooms can be fatal to fish. A complaint to the Crown Office by a law firm called Advocates for Animals, claimed Mowi’s decision to stop removing lumpfish on the Torridon site prior to treatments, was “unnecessary, being a departure from previous practices” and “caused death to lumpfish”. Edie Bowles, solicitor at Advocates for Animals, told The Ferret: “Like other animals under human control, fish must have their welfare needs met and not be subject to unnecessary suffering.” Abigail Penny, executive director of the charity, Animal Equality UK, said: “The mass death of tens of thousands of these animals is yet another grim reminder of how the industry disregards aquatic life, treating them as mere commodities rather than sentient creatures capable of suffering.” A spokesperson for Mowi said it takes all fish welfare “very seriously”and that it works closely with the Fish Health Inspectorate and the Animal and Plant Health Agency on any welfare concerns reported. “We have invested hugely in the latest generation of well boats which we use as a freshwater treatment for gill infections such as amoebic gill disease (AGD) and also for the removal of sea lice,” the Mowi spokesperson continued. “A feature of these well boats is a grading function which sorts cleaner fish and separates them from the salmon so that only the salmon receive the freshwater treatment. “Our policy for AGD control follows all standards from third party welfare schemes and certifications including the RSPCA which this year introduced new standards for the welfare of cleaner fish, which we welcome.” A spokesperson for the Crown Office said: “Where Police Scotland or other reporting agencies considers there to be a sufficiency of evidence, they may submit a report to the procurator fiscal.” Neither Advocates for Animals or Animal Equality UK have specialist reporting agency powers. *Main image: Halfdan Hallseth/iStock* ### Firm linked to Tory donors probed by UN over human rights allegations in Indonesia URL: https://www.theferret.scot/tory-firm-human-rights-allegations-in-indonesia/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T18:47:13.000Z **A company closely linked to a family whose members have donated to the Conservatives and Better Together has faced scrutiny from the UN over allegations of land grabbing and human rights abuses in Indonesia.** Jardine Matheson – a Hong Kong-based firm with [Scottish roots](https://www.forbes.com/profile/keswick/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Keswick%20family%20owns%20a,William%20Jardine%20and%20James%20Matheson.) – was contacted last October by UN officials seeking “clarification” about allegations raised against another firm it ultimately controls, Astra Agro Lestari (AAL), which produces palm oil on the island of Sulawesi. The UN’s [letter](https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=29367&ref=theferret.scot) details accusations that AAL operates without necessary permits, and has failed to obtain consent to cultivate Indigenous communities’ land. It also documented alleged intimidation of community activists by company employees. In response to the allegations AAL says it is implementing a three-year action plan to address issues, developed alongside a third-party environmental consultancy. Jardine Matheson [says](https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/un-accuses-indonesias-no-2-palm-oil-firm-of-rights-environmental-abuses/?ref=theferret.scot) it has full confidence in AAL’s strategy and allegations against it are “unsubstantiated”. But while the UN officials wrote that they welcomed the plan and did not want to “prejudge” the accuracy of the accusations, they also noted allegations “keep being raised” against AAL. Jardine Matheson was warned that it may be failing to implement adequate due diligence measures to ensure it meets UN principles on business and human rights. Jardine Matheson was founded in 1832 by Scots merchants William Jardine and James Matheson who built their wealth on the opium trade. The pair have been [described](https://bsky.app/profile/willdalrymple.bsky.social/post/3lobl3mlylc2l?ref=theferret.scot) by eminent historian William Dalrymple as the 1830s’ “most ruthless and profitable drug runners”. The company has been [controlled](https://www.ft.com/content/1425467d-4fce-4439-bc65-6ca3f9f56cfe?ref=theferret.scot) by the Keswick family – who married in through Jardine’s niece – for five generations. Family members [own land](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-tories-100k-billionaire-family-tax-haven/) in Scotland and have [donated](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=Keswick&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=RegisterName&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot) to political organisations including the Conservatives, [Better Together](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=weatherall&sort=RegulatedEntityName&order=asc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=RegisterName&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot) and [VoteLeave](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Donations/C0243366?ref=theferret.scot). In total members of the Keswick family have donated over £2m to political causes since 2001, according to Electoral Commission data. Beneficiaries included Boris Johnson and former Scottish leader and Dumfriesshire MP, David Mundell. [Scottish Tories handed nearly £100k by billionaire family behind tax haven firmThe Scottish Conservatives have been given £96,000 by members of an influential billionaire family behind a company ultimately owned in an offshore tax haven. Jardine Matheson is a firm based in Hong Kong but incorporated in the tax haven of Bermuda. Its owners, the Keswick family, have helped to![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-41.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/2048px-official_portrait_of_rt_hon_david_mundell_mp_crop_1-4.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-tories-100k-billionaire-family-tax-haven/) Many of the donations were given by former Jardine Matheson boss and Spectator owner [Henry Keswick](https://www.ft.com/content/78a26c3d-c991-4fec-940d-ebf4010dbe75?ref=theferret.scot) – who died in November 2024 just weeks after giving £30,000 to Robert Jenrick during the Tory leadership campaign. But other family members, including current Jardine Matheson board member [Adam Keswick](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=adam%20keswick&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=RegisterName&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot), are also donors. Human rights campaigners have urged the Tories to “review” all further donations linked to Jardine Matheson until it has addressed the concerns about AAL. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXelVYQ0EJCMjkHyGkKpgjO7zJOQUZEvpU8yarIrx2F_4qlujr-BT2X6HzSa6oSg5rmIIgmABqYQDhnufqTOebr60PT0Ia7niOH00MRd7G_outQReg0uxy5mxKSh-HrBbuc6dnrt?key=yWQ68R5yS_GYukCdVG0EBw) The UN [letter](https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=29367&ref=theferret.scot), sent on 9 October 2024, was addressed to “Mr Keswick”. Ben Keswick has served as executive chairman of Jardine Matheson since 2019\. The same letter was sent to AAL, as well as the Indonesian and Chinese governments. Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil, a commodity found in consumer products from chocolate to shampoo. The expansion of the industry in the country – home to nearly 300 million people – has been accompanied by [conflict over land](https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/09/23/when-we-lost-forest-we-lost-everything/oil-palm-plantations-and-rights-violations?ref=theferret.scot) between companies on one side and rural communities and Indigenous peoples on the other. There are estimated to be thousands of these land disputes active nationwide. The UN letters outline “alleged violations”, some dating back decades, many of which were sparked by disputes over land and whether AAL and its subsidiaries have required permits and consent to operate. In the 2000s, one local AAL subsidiary is alleged to have taken over community land through the use of violence, including “indiscriminate shooting”, with the help of the police. Another is accused of “uprooting crops and destroying tools” of indigenous farmers, having already cut down the crops they relied on for food without consent. In a more recent instance, in December 2023 AAL employees allegedly visited two women human rights defenders and pushed them to sign a document stating there was no land conflict in their area. This visit allegedly took place after the women had appeared in a video produced by an environmental group speaking about the impacts of AAL’s operations and calling for the return of community land. The women perceived this as an “act of intimidation” but AAL [said](https://www.astra-agro.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Statement-re-action-plan-and-Rio-Mukti-Final-9-Feb-24-1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the visit had been “misconstrued” and was an effort to “straighten out” a “rumour in the community” that the company would arrest those involved in the video. > The dominant model of industrial palm oil production is predicated on land theft, labour abuse and rampant deforestation. > > Gaurav Madan, Friends of the Earth Two community leaders who travelled to London in May 2024 to meet with representatives of Jardine Matheson and AAL reported that while they were away their families were visited by company representatives inquiring about their whereabouts. While the rapporteurs said they “do not wish to prejudge the accuracy of these allegations” they expressed “serious” concerns about a number of points. These included allegations about intimidation and criminalisation of “environmental human rights defenders and Indigenous and community leaders,” the rapporteurs wrote. “These practices are prone to have a grave chilling effect on their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” the letter continues. AAL said it “does not use violence against communities, and moreover has no security personnel in place to carry out such activities”. Major consumer goods companies, including giant multinational Nestlé, have [suspended](https://foe.org/news/consumer-goods-giants-palm-oil/?ref=theferret.scot) sourcing palm oil from AAL due to concerns about its human rights and environmental record. Nestlé [said](https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/nestle-stop-sourcing-indonesian-palm-oil-producer-aal-2022-09-30/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=LONDON%2FJAKARTA%2C%20Sept%2030%20%28,land%20and%20human%20rights%20abuses.) in 2022 that the move came after an independent assessment of AAL. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund – often seen as the barometer of ethical investing – also [cut ties](https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/norway-wealth-fund-sells-stakes-3-jardine-firms-environment-concerns-2024-03-01/?ref=theferret.scot) with Jardine Matheson in 2024 due to concerns about the risk posed to the habitat of endangered orangutans by a gold mine operated by another of its subsidiary companies in Sumatra. That move was based on [fears](https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/norway-wealth-fund-sells-stakes-3-jardine-firms-environment-concerns-2024-03-01/?ref=theferret.scot) that the Martabe gold mine could [threaten](https://action.friendsoftheearth.uk/petition/save-rare-orangutans-uk-owned-gold-mine?ref=theferret.scot) the last remaining habitat of the Tapanuli orangutan, pushing it closer to extinction. ![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/AAL-palm-oil-report_LUMIX-16-scaled-1.jpg) ### ‘**Legacy of colonialism’** Friends of the Earth (FOE) US, which has produced several reports on AAL’s activities alongside Indonesian environmental group, WALHI, said concerns raised were “emblematic of the palm oil industry’s operations”. “Too often, palm oil companies forcibly take communities’ lands without their consent, devastating local livelihoods and ways of life,” FOE’s forest and lands campaigner, Gaurav Madan, told The Ferret. Madan added that Jardine Matheson’s response to the allegations had been “largely cosmetic and disappointing”. He continued: “The dominant model of industrial palm oil production is predicated on land theft, labour abuse and rampant deforestation,” a model which is a “lasting legacy of colonialism”. Neil Cowan, Amnesty International’s programme director in Scotland, said the group had investigated human rights abuses linked to palm oil production in Indonesia and found that forced and child labour were “systemic”. “Under international human rights standards for business, Jardine Matheson and AAL have clear responsibilities to take measures to ensure their business activities don’t contribute to human rights violations,” Cowan added. He said the Conservatives should review all donations linked to Jardine Matheson “until it can be shown that the company has addressed the serious concerns being raised”. AAL said it was the “duty” of the Indonesian government to respond to the investigation rather than the firm itself, which it claimed was in line with UN protocols. > Jardine Matheson and AAL have clear responsibilities to take measures to ensure their business activities don’t contribute to human rights violations. > > Neil Cowan, Amnesty International The Indonesian government has defended AAL, [claiming](https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadFile?gId=38801&ref=theferret.scot) it complies with legal standards and has cultivation rights for the “majority” of land it owns. “Regarding human rights and environmental concerns raised by certain non-governmental organisations, AAL has made concerted efforts to address these issues, including with third-party facilitation to foster dialogue,” a letter from a government official to the UN reads. “However, despite multiple attempts, the company continues to face challenges in establishing meaningful communication, primarily due to a lack of responsiveness from the said organisations.” “Astra Agro is fully committed to upholding human rights policies and asserts that it is not engaged in any form of land grabbing or violations of human rights,” the official [claimed](https://www.astra-agro.co.id/en/2025/03/04/statement-from-the-indonesian-government-and-astra-agro-to-the-united-nations-regarding-the-sulawesi-issue/?ref=theferret.scot). The Indonesian government has been [accused](https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/un-accuses-indonesias-no-2-palm-oil-firm-of-rights-environmental-abuses/?ref=theferret.scot) of being a spokesperson for AAL rather than an impartial regulator. The company’s [action plan](https://www.astra-agro.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AAL-ACTION-PLAN-AS-FOLLOW-UP-ON-THE-THIRD-PARTY-VERIFICATION-REPORT-2024-FOR-PUBLICATION.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), published in summer 2024, is making progress in redressing grievances and addressing ongoing conflict in Sulawesi, AAL says. The plan was developed alongside a “third-party” environmental consultancy which had previously investigated the allegations against AAL. A spokesperson added: “We take these allegations seriously and are handling them carefully in a transparent manner. “We want to take this opportunity once again to remind all stakeholders from civil society that our door remains open, and we are willing to sit down and discuss any and all concerns without any preconditions. We have made this offer frequently over recent months, and remain hopeful of a positive response.” Friends of the Earth has previously [described](https://foe.org/news/investigation-palm-oil/?ref=theferret.scot) the third-party investigation as “one-sided” and [claim](https://foe.org/news/violence-threats-aal-indonesia/?ref=theferret.scot) AAL’s attempts to “paint a rosy picture” of company-community relations “obscure” the reality of the situation in Sulawesi. Jardine Matheson pointed The Ferret to AAL’s response to the allegations and said they were “unsubstantiated”. It said AAL’s action plan had been “developed transparently with inputs from key stakeholders and academic experts”. The Tories and the UN Human Rights Commission have both been contacted for comment. *Main image: Members of the Sinar Rio Jaya Farmers Group, Rio Mukti village, Donggala Regency. Credit: Friends of the Earth* ### ‘Neo-Nazi’ group condemned for using children in by-election campaign URL: https://www.theferret.scot/neo-nazi-group-condemned-for-using-children/ Last updated: 2026-01-09T13:12:53.000Z **A far right group branded as neo-Nazi has been condemned for using children to promote its white nationalist politics ahead of the by-election in South Lanarkshire next week.** Patriotic Alternative (PA) posted images posted on its social media channel on 28 May showing two young males, on bikes, covering their faces with the group’s leaflets, alongside banners hung up in Bothwell, north of Hamilton. “Activists were out at the Bothwell Bridge monument hanging out banners and engaging with the general public, handing out leaflets,” said text accompanying the images. “There will be more to come as we at Patriotic Alternative Scotland continue to promote white advocacy in Scotland.” MSPs said they were “deeply disturbed” by the stunt, arguing that some children were vulnerable to “radicalisation” and viewed as “easy prey by the far right”. The banners appear to be the same as those hung up in the village of Stonehouse by PA earlier in May, as [reported](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/far-right-group-founded-nazi-35251022?ref=theferret.scot) by the Daily Record. One targeted Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, with the phrase “Scotland too white Anas?”. Other slogans included “They don’t hate racism they just hate white people” and “Scotland built by white people”. Another banner pictured in Stonehouse urged people to “Vote Reform”. The white nationalist group is not a registered political party but is backing Reform UK. PA leader Mark Collett recently joined a far right Scots influencer in an online streaming session to unveil their plans for supporters to infiltrate Reform and campaign against the party’s political opponents. Non-white members of both Scottish Labour and SNP have also been targeted by a far right group called British Movement Scotland (BMS) in light of the by-election. One recent post stated that BMS “does not believe that Anas Sarwar belongs in Scotland”. The Holyrood by-election is due to take place in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse on 5 June. But the campaign surrounding it has been mired in a racism row. Reform UK spent thousands of pounds on a doctored video which used a years-old clip of Sarwar and falsely claimed that he promised to prioritise Pakistanis. Nigel Farage’s party [defended](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ceqg0jr12weo?ref=theferret.scot) the ad after other parties branded it as “racist” and an example of “scummy tactics”. In March, we [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-group-condemned-15-year-old-racist/) that the far right Homeland Party – which splintered from PA – was accused of targeting young men after one of its schoolboy activists posted racist, misogynistic and Islamophobic messages on social media. Homeland said it disagreed with posts, which it claimed were made before the boy joined the party, but defended him as a “true son of Scotland who is doing his community proud”. PA’s use of school-aged boys on social media was condemned by politicians. “As a former youth worker, reports like this make me profoundly sad,” said Scottish Lib Dem leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP. “Kids who are lacking support and role models are viewed as easy prey by the far right.” Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman said she was “deeply disturbed” by the banners. “It is especially worrying to see school-aged young people involved in this kind of activity,” said Chapman. “It shows how vulnerable some are to radicalisation, particularly when they face uncertainty about their future and feel let down by those in power.” Chapman added: “Let’s be clear, Patriotic Alternative is an extremist organisation built on hate, racism, and dangerous conspiracy theories. Their attempts to spread fear and division must have no place in our local communities.” An SNP Spokesperson said: “Any and all forms of racism have absolutely no place in Scottish politics. It is incumbent on all of us to call this offensive language out for what it is”. PA was approached for comment. *Main image: AlexLinch/iStock* ### Named: five lochs polluted by fish farms URL: https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farms-five-lochs-pollution/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T15:20:02.000Z Five freshwater lochs in the Highlands and Islands have been damaged by pollution from fish farms, according to a long-term scientific study by University College London. The study concludes that faecal waste and uneaten food dropped into the lochs from over 50 [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) and trout cages since the 1980s and 1990s is “highly likely” to have altered the water quality, risking algal blooms and posing dangers to wildlife. Researchers insisted they had to keep the identities of the lochs secret in order to protect “the confidentiality of commercial information”. One of the funders of the study was the Norwegian salmon farming multinational, [Mowi](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/mowi/), previously known as Marine Harvest. But now the names and locations of the polluted lochs can be revealed, thanks to a freedom of information battle won by the campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot). They are Loch Arkaig, north of Fort William; Loch Earn, west of Crieff; Loch Langavat, on the Isle of Harris; Loch of Buttersone, near Dunkeld; and Loch Shin, near Lairg in Sutherland. WildFish accused Mowi of trying to hide the names of the lochs, and claimed that the industry could not be trusted. Open net salmon farming could not be practiced without “unacceptable environmental impacts”, the group said. Mowi, however, dismissed the study as “inconclusive”, arguing that salmon farming did not harm lochs. The company counter-attacked WildFish, accusing it of failing to fund wild salmon conservation. [Toxic fish farm pesticide polluted ten lochs across ScotlandTen lochs across Scotland have been polluted by a toxic pesticide used by fish farms to control fungus, parasites and disease. Figures released under freedom of information law reveal that more than 22 tonnes of formaldehyde, which causes cancer and is used as an embalming fluid, have been poured into![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-3.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-856740964.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/formaldehyde-pesticide-fish-farms-lochs/) The study by researchers from [University College London (UCL)](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) and the Scottish Government’s wildlife agency, [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), was [published in the Journal of Environmental Management](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479724021418?via=ihub&ref=theferret.scot) in August 2024\. It examined samples of sediments taken from the bottom of seven lochs between 1996 and 2015. The sediments were analysed to discover the composition of algae over 100 to 200 years to see if the introduction of fish farms made any difference. Wastes from fish cages can pollute lochs causing algae to bloom, depriving underwater plants and animals of the light and oxygen they need to survive. In three lochs – Arkaig, Earn and Langavat – researchers found “marked”, “striking” and “major” changes in the algae after the start of fish farming in the 1980s. In another two lochs – Butterstone and Shin – they also detected changes after fish farms arrived, though they were less marked. The researchers concluded that at the five lochs the introduction of salmon or trout farms was “highly likely to have contributed to alterations in water quality”. At the two other lochs they studied – Loch Huamavat on the Isle of Lewis and Loch Shiel, west of Fort William – changes were “subtle” and could not be linked to the arrival of fish farms. The researchers suggested this could be because of the differing scale of fish farming operations, the siting of fish cages, and the way the water flowed. ### ‘Plain wrong’ to keep lochs secret When [the UCL study](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479724021418?via=ihub&ref=theferret.scot) was published, the lochs were only identified as A, B, C, D, E, F and G. “The authors do not have permission to share data”, it said, because of “the need to preserve anonymity of the study sites”. The campaign group, WildFish, [described](https://wildfish.org/latest-news/mowis-perfect-timing/?ref=theferret.scot) this as “plain wrong” on the grounds that, if lochs had been polluted by fish farms, the public had a right to know. It asked the researchers to name the lochs, but they refused, [citing](https://wildfish.org/latest-news/information-commissioner-backs-wildfish-to-end-salmon-farming-secrecy-in-university-research/?ref=theferret.scot) “the confidentiality of commercial information”. WildFish then filed a freedom of information request to UCL, which was also refused. So the group appealed to the [UK Information Commissioner](https://ico.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), who issued [a decision in March 2025](https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/decision-notices/2025/03/ic-356710-w6g9/?ref=theferret.scot) ordering UCL to name the seven fish farms. WildFish’s solicitor, [Guy Linley-Adams](https://wildfish.org/latest-news/meet-the-team-guy-linley-adams/?ref=theferret.scot), blamed the secrecy on the salmon farming company that helped fund the research, [Mowi](https://mowi.com/uk/?ref=theferret.scot). “If you sponsor academic research and that research shows that your activities may have caused long-term harm to the environment, don’t you have a moral obligation to come clean?” he said. “Mowi didn’t seem to think so. Time and again, we see that you just cannot trust the Scottish salmon farming industry.” Linley-Adams argued that open-net salmon farms should be shut down. Externalising costs and impacting the environment was “part of the industry’s basic business model”, he claimed. “Open net salmon farming cannot be practiced without unacceptable environmental impacts outside the cages, on the seabed, in the water column and on wild marine species”. The Scottish Greens called on the salmon farming industry to be more transparent. “The changes to water quality coinciding with the arrival of fish farms is not surprising,” said Green MSP, [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot). “Waste and chemicals are released into our waters by farms, which harm wildlife, damage the seabed and marine environment and even put its own industry at risk.” She added: “I have been urgently calling for a pause on both new salmon farms and the expansion of existing salmon farms across Scotland, to buy time for the government to genuinely assess the long-term environmental impact.” [Pollution of West Highland loch under investigationAn investigation is under way into a pollution incident at a West Highland loch which locals have described as an “ecological catastrophe”. Fishermen who operate at Loch Hourn raised the alarm last month after finding their catch included dead prawns, worms and other creatures – all of which, they said, smelled![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-4.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1875033443.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/investigation-pollution-west-highland-loch/) According to [Mowi](https://mowi.com/uk/?ref=theferret.scot), the UCL study related to research from over 20 years ago that “does not take account of more recent environmental data relating to the same lochs”. The company “willingly participated” to help understand the impact of fish farms on freshwater lochs. “Freshwater lochs where Mowi has salmon farms were examined as part of this study, as well as lochs with farms operated by other companies,” the company said. “The report is inconclusive in determining whether or not fish farming in freshwater lochs leads to ecological changes.” After the names of the seven lochs were released, Mowi [published findings](https://mowi.com/uk/blog/2025/04/25/37-year-research-project-indicates-that-nutrient-status-of-freshwater-lochs-is-not-impacted-by-salmon-farming/?ref=theferret.scot) from its own 37-year monitoring programme of water quality in Loch Arkaig, which the UCL study said had been altered by fish farming. The company concluded that salmon cages in the loch had not done any harm as they “did not alter the nutrient status of the water body”. It [announced in January 2025](https://www.salmonbusiness.com/mowi-quits-loch-arkaig-after-35-years-producer-reveals-reason-behind-the-switch/?ref=theferret.scot) that it was going to cease farming salmon in the loch in April. ### Study of lochs ‘inconclusive’ Mowi’s chief operating officer in Scotland, [Ben Hadfield](https://mowi.com/investors/corporate-governance/leadership/?ref=theferret.scot), attacked WildFish. “It is disappointing that WildFish has chosen to highlight a report that is inconclusive in determining whether or not fish farming in freshwater lochs leads to ecological changes,” he told The Ferret. “However, this is what we have come to expect from an organisation that chooses to campaign for the closure of open net salmon farms, rather than investing in conservation initiatives to boost the wild salmon population in Scotland.” He added: “Instead, at Mowi, we are investing in continuous scientific research to properly assess and understand the impact of our operations on the nutrient status of freshwater lochs. “This is not a regulatory requirement, we do it because it gives us a better understanding of the environment in which we operate and because we are committed to farming sustainably. “We are also proactive in supporting conservation initiatives which aim to address declining wild fish numbers in Scotland by restoring habitats, protecting against predators and supporting river restocking.” [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which also helped fund the UCL study, said it was happy to be involved in “this open access, peer-reviewed paper which adds to the knowledge about the impacts of the fish farming industry”. It pointed out that the fish farms were all given the go-ahead before 1997, and that most of the samples had been taken over a decade ago. But a spokesperson added: “It offers useful information about the scale of the impacts and some of the factors that might be helpful to both the industry and regulators in considering siting and management of current and future developments.” Researchers at [University College London](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) did not respond to requests to comment. *Cover image of Loch Arkaig thanks to iStock/*[*Cablach*](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/Cablach?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)*.* ### We investigated Who Runs Scotland. Here’s what we found out. URL: https://www.theferret.scot/we-investigated-who-runs-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:49:11.000Z Who Runs Scotland? That’s the question we have been trying to answer in our latest series. Often, in media coverage, it seems that the power in our country lies entirely within the Scottish Parliament and at Westminster. But influence and power is often consolidated outside of the spotlight; by [lobbyists](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-at-government-events/), wealthy individuals, think tanks and [industry interests](https://www.theferret.scot/whisky-salmon-oil-who-runs-scotlands-exports/). Over the last month, we have spotlighted the people, organisations and businesses that wield this power across Scotland. We kicked off by revealing the businesses who have been [attempting to woo](https://www.theferret.scot/lobbying-scotland-business-scottish-ministers/) the Scottish Government most, by meeting with first minister [John Swinney](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/john-swinney?ref=theferret.scot) and his ministers. Chief among these were fossil fuel giants, influential PR firms and the short-term lets industry. Our analysis also found that [44 per cent](https://www.theferret.scot/lobbying-scotland-business-scottish-ministers/) of lobbying is by companies and business groups. This is higher than charities, campaign groups and trade unions combined. Scottish Government ministers are not the only target for lobbyists. Who Runs Scotland also looked at who was attempting to [win friends and influence people](https://www.theferret.scot/whos-influencing-people-at-the-scotland-office/) at the Scotland Office, now run by Labour’s Ian Murray. The second part of our series examined the PR firms who clear the way for business and political interests to gain access to our decision-makers. Major PR companies are [stuffed with former politicians, spin doctors and advisors](https://www.theferret.scot/influence-game-revolving-door-politics-media-and-pr/). Former Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy is now running his own lobbying enterprise – Arden Strategies – helping defence firms and fossil fuel giants to share their views with ministers north and south of the border. Our helpful (but not entirely serious) ‘revolving doors score’ highlighted just how close the politics and PR worlds are. Who Runs Scotland also took an [in-depth look](https://www.theferret.scot/third-of-scotland-newspapers-owned-in-us-tax-haven/) at our print media, which is now remarkably one-third owned in a single US tax haven. We examined who is running our [defence industry](https://www.theferret.scot/who-runs-scotlands-defence-industry/), and the groups attempting to hold sway in the nascent [space sector](https://www.theferret.scot/who-runs-scotlands-space-industry/). High pay was another focus of our reporting. We looked at the assets and controversies surrounding Scotland’s [richest people](https://www.theferret.scot/who-are-scotlands-richest-people/), and revealed that more than [400 people in Scotland’s universities](https://www.theferret.scot/university-staff-earn-more-than-the-first-minister/) earn more than first minister John Swinney. We also discovered how [public agencies wield power](https://www.theferret.scot/organisations-powers-investigate-reported-40000/). Our reporting revealed the number of public bodies that have little-known powers to seize evidence, search premises, and even spy on Scots. These so-called specialist reporting agencies include the SSPCA, NHS Scotland, and the Food Standards Agency. They came to prominence during the Horizon scandal, where the Post Office used its powers to investigate, wrongly charge and privately prosecute hundreds of innocent people. This series took our small team of journalists months to put together; requiring freedom of information requests, in-depth data analysis, interviewing, contact building, intensive fact-checking and editing. Investigative journalism takes time and effort to complete responsibly and accurately. And we couldn’t have done it without the more than £11,000 we raised from our crowdfunding campaign last year. We wanted to look at Who Runs Scotland, and our supporters backed us with their money, as they have always done. Ten years ago, we started The Ferret with a crowdfunded investigation into fracking, and we are grateful that people across Scotland still find our work important enough to support today. ### Rise in nuclear incidents that could leak radioactivity URL: https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-incidents-radioactivity-faslane/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T11:41:35.000Z **There have been 12 nuclear incidents that could have leaked radioactivity at the Faslane naval base since 2023, The Ferret can reveal.** According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the incidents at the Clyde nuclear submarine base had “actual or high potential for radioactive release to the environment”. But the MoD has refused to say what actually happened in any of the incidents, or exactly when they occurred. There were five in 2023, four in 2024 and three in the first four months of 2025 – the highest for 17 years. Campaigners warned that a “catastrophic” accident at Faslane could put lives at risk. The Trident submarines based there were a “chronic national security threat to Scotland” because they were “decrepit” and over-worked, they claimed. New figures also revealed that the total number of nuclear incidents categorised by the MoD at [Faslane](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/faslane/), and the neighbouring nuclear bomb store at [Coulport](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coulport/), more than doubled from 57 in 2019 to 136 in 2024\. That includes incidents deemed less serious by the MoD. The Scottish National Party (SNP) described the rising number of incidents as “deeply concerning”. It branded the secrecy surrounding the incidents as “unacceptable”. The MoD, however, insisted that it took safety incidents “very seriously”. The incidents could include “equipment failures, human error, procedural failings, documentation shortcomings or near-misses”, it said. The latest figures on “nuclear site event reports” at Faslane and Coulport were disclosed in [a parliamentary answer](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-05-02/49938?ref=theferret.scot) to the SNP’s defence spokesperson, Dave Doogan MP. They show that a rising trend of more serious events – first [reported by The Ferret in April 2024](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-lapses-clyde-alarm/) – is continuing. [Alarm over nuclear safety lapses on the ClydeThe number of safety incidents that could have leaked radiation at the Trident nuclear base on the Clyde has risen to the highest in 15 years, according to information released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). One incident in 2023 at the Faslane base, near Helensburgh, was given the MoD’![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-30.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/45155638-e1693376866580.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-lapses-clyde-alarm/) There was one incident at Faslane between 1 January and 22 April 2025 given the MoD’s worst risk rating of “category A”. There was another category A incident at Faslane in 2023. The MoD [has defined](https://theferret.scot/storage/2018/11/MoD-letter-on-nuclear-safety-events-at-Faslane.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) category A incidents as having an “actual or high potential for radioactive release to the environment” in breach of safety limits. The last category A incident [reported](https://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1302/Nuclear%5FSafety%5FEvents%5Fin%5FFaslane%5Fand%5FCoulport-Deidre%5FBrock%5FMP.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by the MoD was in 2008, when radioactive waste leaked from a barge at Faslane into the Clyde. There were [spillages](https://theferret.scot/storage/2018/11/MoD-letter-on-nuclear-safety-events-at-Faslane.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from nuclear submarines at the base in 2007 and 2006. There were also four “category B” incidents at Faslane in 2023, another four in 2024 and two in the first four months of 2025\. The last time that many category B incidents were reported in a year was 2006, when there were five. [According to the MoD](https://theferret.scot/storage/2018/11/MoD-letter-on-nuclear-safety-events-at-Faslane.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), category B meant “actual or high potential for a contained release within building or submarine”, or “actual or high potential for radioactive release to the environment” below safety limits. The MoD also categorised nuclear site events as “C” and “D”. C meant there was “moderate potential for future release to the environment”, or an “actual radioactive release to the environment” too low to detect. D meant there was “low potential for release but may contribute towards an adverse trend”. The number of reported C incidents at Faslane and Coulport increased from six in 2019 to 38 in 2024, while the number of D incidents rose from 50 to 94. At the same time the number of incidents described by the MoD as “below scale” and “of safety interest or concern” dropped from 101 to 39. ### **Nuclear Site Events at Faslane and Coulport 2019-2025** | **Year** | **Category A** | **Category B** | **Category C** | **Category D** | **Below Scale** | | ---------------- | -------------- | -------------- | -------------- | -------------- | --------------- | | 2019 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 50 | 101 | | 2020 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 122 | | 2021 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 41 | 99 | | 2022 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 88 | 87 | | 2023 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 54 | 83 | | 2024 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 94 | 39 | | 2025 (Jan-April) | 1 | 2 | 11 | 22 | 5 | (*Sources: UK parliamentary answers in* [*2025*](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-05-02/49938?ref=theferret.scot)*,* [*2024*](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-04-12/21095?ref=theferret.scot)*,* [*2023*](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-04-14/180428?ref=theferret.scot) *and* [*2022*](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-04-14/154065?ref=theferret.scot).) The SNP’s [Dave Doogan MP](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4736/contact?ref=theferret.scot), criticised the MoD in the House of Commons for the [“veil of secrecy”](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-05-19/debates/5B968859-EA5C-4B89-B2FB-1A41398E8BD3/TopicalQuestions?ref=theferret.scot#contribution-4CC94BBE-8B16-436F-8FD8-138B69BF65F8) which covered nuclear incidents. Previous governments had outlined what happened where there were “severe safety breaches”, he told The Ferret. “The increased number of safety incidents at Coulport and Faslane is deeply concerning, especially so in an era of increased secrecy around nuclear weapons and skyrocketing costs,” Doogan added. “As a bare minimum the Labour Government should be transparent about the nature of safety incidents at nuclear weapons facilities in Scotland, and the status of their nuclear weapons projects. That the Scottish Government, and the Scottish people, are kept in the dark about these events is unacceptable.” Doogan highlighted that the government’s [Infrastructure and Projects Authority](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/infrastructure-and-projects-authority?ref=theferret.scot) had judged many of the MoD’s nuclear projects to have “significant issues”, as [reported in February](https://www.theferret.scot/trident-nuclear-unachievable-third-year/) by The Ferret. The MoD nuclear programmes would cost an “eye-watering” £117.8bn over the next ten years, he claimed. He said: “If the UK cannot afford to store nuclear weapons safely, then it cannot afford nuclear weapons.” [Trident project rated “unachievable” third year runningA £4bn project to help replace nuclear-armed Trident submarines on the Clyde has been branded as “unachievable” for the third year running by a UK government watchdog. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) has again given the manufacture of new reactors to power replacement submarines its lowest rating of “red”![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-31.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/45137612-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/trident-nuclear-unachievable-third-year/) Anti-nuclear campaigners argued that the four Trident-armed Vanguard submarines based at Faslane were ageing and increasingly unreliable. They required more maintenance and their [patrols were getting longer](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-trident-patrols/) to ensure that there was always one at sea. “The Vanguard-class submarines are already years past their shelf-life and undergoing record-length assignments in the Atlantic due to increased problems with the maintenance of replacement vessels,” said Samuel Rafanell-Williams, from the[ Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot). “There is a crisis-level urgency to decommission the nuclear-capable submarines lurking in the Clyde. They constitute a chronic national security threat to Scotland, especially now given their worsening state of disrepair.” He added: “The UK government is placing the people of Scotland at risk by continuing to operate these decrepit nuclear vessels until their replacements are built, which will likely take a decade or more. “The Vanguards must be scrapped and the Trident replacement programme abandoned in favour of a proper industrial policy that could genuinely revitalise the Scottish economy and underpin our future security and prosperity.” ### Nuclear accident could ‘kill our own’ [Dr David Lowry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David%5FLowry?ref=theferret.scot), a veteran nuclear consultant and adviser, said: “Ministers tell us the purpose of Britain’s nuclear weapons is to keep us safe. “But with this series of accidents involving nuclear weapons-carrying submarines, we are in danger of actually killing our own, if one of these accidents proves to be catastrophic.” According to Janet Fenton from the campaign group, [Secure Scotland](https://www.securescotland.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), successive governments had hidden information about behaviour that “puts us in harm’s way” while preventing spending on health and welfare. She said: “Doubling the number of incidents while not telling us the nature of them is making us all hostages to warmongers and the arms trade, while we pay for it.” The secretary of state for defence, [John Healey](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/john-healey?ref=theferret.scot), told the House of Commons that he rejected “any accusation of a veil of secrecy”. He [promised](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-05-19/debates/5B968859-EA5C-4B89-B2FB-1A41398E8BD3/TopicalQuestions?ref=theferret.scot#contribution-4CC94BBE-8B16-436F-8FD8-138B69BF65F8) the SNP MP, Dave Doogan, that he would look into the allegations and write to him. When pressed by The Ferret, the MoD declined to outline what had happened in the three category A and B incidents at Faslane in 2025\. It has also refused to give details of earlier incidents in response to a freedom of information request. An [MoD](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot) spokesperson said: “We have robust safety measures in place at all MoD nuclear sites and we take safety incidents very seriously. Our nuclear programmes are subject to regular independent scrutiny and reviews. “In line with industry good practice and in common with other defence and civil nuclear sites, [His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot) has a well-established system for raising nuclear site event reports. “They are raised to foster a robust safety culture that learns from experience, whether that is of equipment failures, human error, procedural failings, documentation shortcomings or near-misses.” In 2024 The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-lapses-clyde-alarm/) earlier MoD figures showing that the number of safety incidents that could have leaked radiation at Faslane had risen to the highest in 15 years. We have also [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-trident-patrols/) on the risks of Trident-armed submarines being on patrol at sea for increasingly long periods. *Cover image thanks to the Ministry of Defence* ### Scottish Government claimed it would be ‘antisemitic’ to release information about secret meeting with Israel URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-antisemitic-meeting-israel/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:35:19.000Z **The Scottish Government claimed it would be “antisemitic” to release information about Angus Robertson’s secret meeting with an Israeli ambassador, The Ferret can reveal.** Robertson, Scotland’s external affairs secretary, apologised after being criticised over a meeting he had last year with Daniela Grudsky Ekstein, Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK. Critics accused Robertson of trying to normalise relations with Israel and called for him to be suspended. After the row erupted last August, The Ferret submitted a freedom of information (FOI) request to the Scottish Government asking for correspondence about the meeting with Grudsky. Officials initially refused to disclose any information. When we appealed against the decision, the government told Information Commissioner, David Hamilton, that it could be antisemitic to release logistical information about the meeting. According to Hamilton, an independent official charged with overseeing transparency laws, the government “stated that it had to be mindful of the need to treat Israel as it would ‘any other democratic nation’, in line with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of Antisemitism”. He said in a report: “The (Scottish Government) argued that ignoring Israel’s wishes in circumstances where other countries’ wishes have been respected, could be considered as an antisemitic action under the IHRA definition.” > The IHRA definition of antisemitism, and its attendant examples, conflates criticism of the policies, practices, and constitution of the State of Israel, with antisemitism. > > Ben Jamal, Palestine Solidarity Campaign Hamilton noted that “the withheld information is mostly concerning the logistical arrangements” of the meeting and that “the majority of information withheld by the \[Scottish Government has no inherent sensitivity”. Dismissing almost all of the government’s objections, he ordered that the withheld correspondence be released within six weeks. The government had breached transparency laws, Hamilton added, “by failing to identify, locate, retrieve and properly consider all of the information that fell within scope of the request and incorrectly withheld information” in response to the original request. He ordered a fresh review of relevant documents within six weeks. The IHRA definition has been accepted by [45 countries](https://ihra.combatantisemitism.org/?ref=theferret.scot) including the UK. The IHRA is an intergovernmental body established in Stockholm in 1998\. It comprises 31 member nations whose purpose is to place political and social leaders’ support behind the need for Holocaust education, remembrance and research, both nationally and internationally. The Scottish Government[ adopted the definition in 2017](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/uk-governments-adoption-of-the-ihra-definition-of-antisemitism/?ref=theferret.scot). But critics have claimed it conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. In 2023, more than [100 Israeli ](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/apr/24/un-ihra-antisemitism-definition-israel-criticism?ref=theferret.scot)and international civil society organisations asked the United Nations to reject the definition, arguing it is being “misused” to protect Israel from legitimate criticism. The Ferret revealed in 2022 that Aberdeen University had rejected the definition after the university senate heard concerns it ‘impinged too heavily on academic freedom and the work of academics’. After a two-year consultation, the university instead adopted the Jerusalem Declaration of Antisemitism ([JDA](https://jerusalemdeclaration.org/?ref=theferret.scot)) which claims to offer a [clearer definition](https://jerusalemdeclaration.org/?ref=theferret.scot). More than 350 scholars of antisemitism, Holocaust studies and Jewish studies – who drew up the JDA – said the lack of clarity in the IHRA definition “has [caused confusion and generated controversy](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/apr/24/un-ihra-antisemitism-definition-israel-criticism?ref=theferret.scot), hence weakening the fight against antisemitism”. [IHRA definition of antisemitism rejected at Aberdeen UniversityAberdeen University has rejected a “working definition” of antisemitism as recommended by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for governments and organisations around the world to adopt. After a two-year consultation, the university has adopted the Jerusalem Declaration of Antisemitism (JDA) instead of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) guidance. The![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-45.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-508656564-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/antisemitism-definition-aberdeen-university/) Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal said: “The IHRA definition of antisemitism, and its attendant examples, conflates criticism of the policies, practices, and constitution of the State of Israel, with antisemitism. He added: “Its adoption, by the Scottish Government and other public bodies, undermines our ability to hold Israel accountable for harming Palestinians, and violating international law. This case illustrates the absurd injustice that can result, when the Scottish Government is seeking to avoid legitimate journalistic scrutiny over meetings with Israeli officials by falsely asserting it could be a breach of the IHRA definition and antisemitic. “The Information Commissioner has rightly dismissed this flimsy assertion and the Scottish Government should reassess the validity of its position on the IHRA definition.” Nick McGowan-Lowe, Scotland organiser at the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), claimed that the Scottish Government is “lightning-quick to claim a commitment to the principles of openness, transparency and accountability, but is glacially slow when it comes to putting those same principles into action”. He added: “The NUJ has long argued that Scotland’s FOI legislation is in dire need of reform, and will be lobbying for support of Katy Clark MSP’s bill at Holyrood to bring freedom of information laws into line for a modern democracy.” Carole Ewart, director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland, said: “Scotland’s 20 years old FOI Act is only powerful because people can enforce their right to access information for free. However, it is outdated and needs reformed to introduce a presumption in favour of disclosure, increase pro-active publication and tighten enforcement provisions. She added: “As the commissioner’s office received its highest number of FOI appeals ever in April, with 81 appeals from people who were unhappy with a public authority’s FOI response, there is a danger that failure to update FOI law and fund the commissioner’s office adequately will weaken the architecture of transparency so carefully constructed over the last twenty years.” Asked whether it stood by the claim that disclosure could be an antisemitic act, the Scottish Government declined to comment. “We have received the Information Commissioner’s decision and are considering its terms,” a spokesperson said. “Freedom of Information legislation permits us to consider whether disclosure of information would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially relations between the UK and any other state. This applies to all countries.” *Main image: Angus Robertson delivers a speech at the NY Times Climate Hub Closing Celebration in Glasgow. Credit: Scottish Government* ### Beaver bid blocked after Kate Forbes stepped in URL: https://www.theferret.scot/beaver-bid-blocked-kate-forbes-affric/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:51:40.000Z A bid to release beavers in the Highlands was delayed after intensive lobbying by farmers and landowners prompted an intervention by the local MSP and deputy first minister, Kate Forbes, The Ferret can reveal. Emails released under freedom of information law disclose why the wildlife agency, [NatureScot](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/naturescot/), postponed a long-awaited plan to move [beavers](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/beavers/) into Loch Beinn A’ Mheadhoin in Glen Affric. Forbes, the [National Farmers Union in Scotland (NFUS)](https://www.nfus.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) and local landowners privately piled pressure on the agency to derail a beaver licence application by the government’s [Forestry and Land Scotland](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). The tree-felling, dam-building, semi-aquatic mammals were due to start being released in Glen Affric in spring 2025\. But NatureScot [announced in April](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/news-releases/affric-beavers-decision-delayed?ref=theferret.scot) that it would “take the summer” for more consultations because there was “considerable concern about the proposal among the local community and its representatives.” Campaigners have condemned the delay as “ministerial appeasement of the NFUS at the expense of Scotland’s nature”. They dubbed the revelations “beavergate”, saying they raised “urgent questions about behind-the-scenes lobbying and hidden voices”. Forbes, however, defended her role as a local MSP relaying concerns of constituents to “relevant public bodies”. Her status as deputy first minister was “immaterial to progressing constituency casework”, she said. NatureScot accepted the delay could cause “frustration”, and promised a “short and focused” engagement on “specific impacts”. The planned release was “contentious” and there was “ministerial interest”, it said. [Forestry agency delays beaver plan opposed by landownersA plan for the first reintroduction of beavers in northern Scotland has been postponed by the Scottish Government’s forestry agency following opposition from landowners, aided by the local SNP politician, Kate Forbes. A dossier of emails released under freedom of information law also reveals disagreements within Forestry and Land![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-54.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-503488988.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/beavers-forestry-agency-landowners/) Beavers were hunted to extinction in Scotland in the 16th century. They were accidentally or illegally released in Tayside before 2006, and are [now thought](https://www.nature.scot/doc/beaver-management-report-january-2023-april-2024?ref=theferret.scot) to number over 2,000 along the Tay and the Forth. In 2019 the Tayside beavers were given legal protection by the Scottish Government. But farmers and landowners, who feared the damage they could cause by flooding, were licensed [to shoot](https://www.theferret.scot/naturescot-failing-enforce-humane-killing-beavers/) 352 of them between 2019 and 2022. In 2021 [Green MSP Lorna Slater,](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/lorna-slater?ref=theferret.scot) then biodiversity minister, announced a [change of policy](https://www.gov.scot/news/protecting-scotlands-beaver-population/?ref=theferret.scot) aimed at allowing beavers to be moved to other parts of Scotland instead of being shot. Authorised releases have since [taken place](https://www.nature.scot/doc/beaver-management-report-january-2023-april-2024?ref=theferret.scot) at Loch Lomond and in the Cairngorms. [In March 2022](https://theferret.scot/storage/2023/10/Beaver-Translocations-Letter-to-FLS-8th-March-2022%5FRedacted.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) Slater asked Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) to identify land it owned suitable for reintroducing beavers. Working with the rewilding campaign group, [Trees for Life](https://treesforlife.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), FLS developed a proposal to release up to four beaver families on land it owns in Glen Affric, above the Beinn A’ Mheadhoin dam. The Ferret [reported in October 2023](https://www.theferret.scot/beavers-forestry-agency-landowners/) that FLS had postponed applying for a beaver release licence following opposition from landowners, backed by Forbes. It wasn’t until January 2025, after two years of consultations, that FLS finally submitted its full licence application to NatureScot. ### Beaver application ‘novel and contentious’ What happened next has now been revealed by [over 80 pages of emails](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25939911-foi-freedom-of-information-request-rob-edwards-glen-affric-beaver-re-introduction-information-for-release-a5116974/?ref=theferret.scot) released by NatureScot in response to a freedom of information request by The Ferret. Local farmers and land managers, whose names have been redacted, wrote a series of angry letters, urging NatureScot to reject the licence application. They expressed alarm about the damage that beavers might do to riverbanks and salmon spawning areas. They complained that beavers had already been illegally released downstream at Strathglass, and criticised the consultations as biased. Forbes wrote to NatureScot in January, also saying that constituents were worried that beaver dams could harm salmon spawning beds. She asked for the matter to be investigated. NatureScot told NFUS it didn’t “normally” seek comments on licence applications, but was “happy” to receive them from farmers. On 28 February 2025 NFUS wrote to NatureScot expressing “serious concerns”, calling for a “pause” and requesting a meeting. [The letter](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25939911-foi-freedom-of-information-request-rob-edwards-glen-affric-beaver-re-introduction-information-for-release-a5116974/?ref=theferret.scot) argued that, if released, beavers would quickly move downstream from Glen Affric to a “high conflict area of productive agricultural land”. It criticised Trees for Life and FLS for “poor” and “inflammatory” responses to farmers’ concerns. “Pausing the processing of this application, or even better postponing it for, say, a year, will show a willingness by NatureScot to address the genuine concerns of those most likely to be impacted,” NFUS argued. “Our members have engaged with their local parliamentarian Kate Forbes MSP, deputy first minister, who is in discussion with [Mairi Gougeon MSP](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/cabinet-secretary-for-rural-affairs-land-reform-and-islands/?ref=theferret.scot), minister for rural affairs, land reform and islands, and has advised that Scottish Government will be looking into the matter.” After receiving the letter from NFUS, one senior NatureScot official told a colleague that it would be assessed. “The case is considered novel and contentious so when we have completed, we will pass by ministers, who will take an interest,” the official wrote. NFUS chased up its letter and its demands on 12 March and again on 31 March. NatureScot announced the [decision to delay](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ceqrxr72xgvo?ref=theferret.scot) the Glen Affric beaver application on 2 April, prompting [accusations](https://treesforlife.org.uk/naturescot-accused-of-great-beaver-betrayal/?ref=theferret.scot) of a “great beaver betrayal” from campaigners. ### Beavergate [Trees for Life](https://treesforlife.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) called on NatureScot to explain its actions. “This growing beavergate controversy raises urgent questions around the behind-the-scenes lobbying and hidden voices seeking to block Scotland’s nature recovery,” chief executive, Steve Micklewright, told The Ferret. “Exactly what part has Kate Forbes played in this sorry saga? Is she willing to meet and engage positively with rewilding organisations, or should we give up asking?” Micklewright argued that the issue went beyond the multiple benefits of bringing beavers back to Glen Affric. “It goes to the heart of why the Scottish Government keeps hitting the pause button on restoring biodiversity, and whether NatureScot can show the leadership to fulfil its purpose,” he said. “NatureScot now needs to show it can lead on nature recovery with vision and integrity – including by standing up to high-powered anti-nature lobbying. And all of our government ministers need to show that they fully support NatureScot in that.” According to the [Scottish Wild Beaver Group](https://www.scottishwildbeavers.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which campaigns to protect beavers, it was “really disheartening” to see Forbes use her influence to halt a beaver licensing process which had been conducted with “high community consultation standards”. The group’s James Nairne said: “It seems to mark yet another example of ministerial appeasement of the NFUS at the expense of Scotland’s nature, and raises serious questions about how committed this government is to Scotland’s [beaver strategy](https://www.nature.scot/doc/scotlands-beaver-strategy-2022-2045?ref=theferret.scot) and the Scottish [biodiversity strategy](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-2045/?ref=theferret.scot) more generally.” [Malcolm Wield](https://www.soirbheas.org/staff-directors/?ref=theferret.scot), a former forest manager who has lived close to Strathglass since 1993, claimed that a lot of local people were “excited” at the idea of having beavers in the area. “Even if many often feel the need to keep their heads down, their views have to count too,” he said. “Undemocratic intervention by the deputy first minister on such an important issue is unfair and demonstrates total disregard for the breadth of views here, not to mention biodiversity.” [63 beavers shot in Scotland last yearA total of 63 beavers were killed under licence in Scotland last year, down from 87 the previous year. A new report by NatureScot has also revealed 45 animals were trapped and moved to licenced projects, compared with 33 in 2021\. Of these, 15 beavers were released to the wild.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-55.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1324605092.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/63-beavers-shot-scotland-last-year/) [Kate Forbes](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/kate-forbes?ref=theferret.scot) stressed her role as a constituency MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch. “I am obligated to relay constituency concerns and queries to the relevant public bodies and I’m proud to work hard on behalf of my constituents,” she told The Ferret. “When multiple local residents in Glen Affric expressed concerns about the introduction of beavers at drop-in surgeries, I raised those in my constituency capacity with the relevant public bodies. This is consistent with the approach I would take on any issue, from healthcare to wildlife.” She added: “My status as deputy first minister is immaterial to progressing constituency casework, and any suggestion to the contrary puts my constituents at a disadvantage.” [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) insisted it was “absolutely committed” to expanding the beaver population across Scotland for the benefit of biodiversity. “We understand that there may be frustration around the timeframe for this licensing decision,” said a spokesperson. “This short and focused engagement will be on the specific impacts on land and fisheries managers and the mitigation and management available to them.” NatureScot pointed out that Scottish ministers could modify or revoke beaver licensing decisions, and it had to keep them briefed on “any novel or contentious issues”. ### ‘Only right’ for NatureScot to delay beaver licence NatureScot’s delay was backed by the Scottish Government. “Given the concerns from the local community, it is only right that NatureScot take the time to undertake further engagement with land and fisheries managers,” said a spokesperson. “The Scottish Government supports the targeted reintroduction of beaver populations where appropriate. We want to make sure that where translocations take place, measures are put in place to ensure rural people and beavers are able to thrive.” [Forestry and Land Scotland](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) described the delay to releasing beavers in Glen Affric as “disappointing” but said it could appreciate NatureScot’s position. Consultations were extensive and allowed everyone in the local community to have their say, it argued. “The consultation process and other inputs helped us to identify where the majority opinion lay. It also helped us to develop appropriate and adequate mitigations to address the concerns raised by those who were not in favour of beaver reintroductions,” said north region planning manager, Euan Wiseman. The [National Farmers Union in Scotland](https://www.nfus.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said its members were committed to helping nature restoration. “Local farmers and crofters highlighted concerns in relation to the Glen Affric beaver release to their MSP representative,” confirmed a spokesperson. ### The emails released by NatureScot under freedom of information law *Cover image of a beaver in the River Tay thanks to iStock/*[*Gregg Parsons*](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/GreggParsons?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)*.* ### Pollution of West Highland loch under investigation URL: https://www.theferret.scot/investigation-pollution-west-highland-loch/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T13:24:29.000Z **An investigation is under way into a pollution incident at a West Highland loch which locals have described as an “ecological catastrophe”.** Fishermen who operate at Loch Hourn raised the alarm last month after finding their catch included dead prawns, worms and other creatures – all of which, they said, smelled strongly of bleach. The full scale of the damage is not yet known but a local group told The Ferret “this is not some minor incident but in reality something closer to an oil spill”. The Scottish Government is investigating the incident. Loch Hourn, a dramatic, deep, fjord-like sea loch, surrounded by mountains, stretches approximately 14 miles between the Knoydart peninsula and Glenelg. A community-run group called Friends of Loch Hourn said a “large area” of the seabed in Loch Hourn was “poisoned” during the night of 19 April, adding that it was “not clear exactly what happened”. The group queried whether vessels used by a salmon farm run by the Norwegian multinational Mowi were involved, and accused the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) of being slow to respond to the incident. Mowi Scotland strongly denied any involvement and said it conducted its own investigation and found “no evidence to suggest that there is any linkage to our Loch Hourn fish farm”. Friends of Loch Hourn said that well boats (vessels designed for the transportation of live fish) had been servicing a fish farm at the mouth of the loch, around three miles west of the incident. At 10:30pm on 19 April, an “unidentifiable, large vessel with many deck lights” was seen near to the area where a prawn boat had creels, the community group added. > Make no mistake, this is not some minor incident but in reality something closer to an oil spill. Just because it is all on the seabed, maybe 100 metres down, with nothing to actually see from the surface does not alter the fact that this is an ecological catastrophe. > > A spokesperson for Friends of Loch Hourn. It also voiced concerns over “the seeming lack of urgency” in response to the incident by bodies responsible for protecting the environment. It said the incident was reported to Portree Fisheries Office on 22 April, and to Sepa on 24 April, but it took two weeks for a formal investigation to begin. “In a situation like this, one would have thought that speed was of the essence: get on the ground, take sediment and water samples and determine the extent of the areas affected, before evidence becomes dispersed and pollutants get diluted,” said a Friends of Loch Hourn spokesperson. “This has not been our experience.” The Scottish Government said it was aware of reports of a potential environmental incident at Loch Hourn. “This is an ongoing investigation and we are liaising with partners. Given this is still a live investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment,” a spokesperson added. Mowi Scotland said reports of vessels in Loch Hourn allegedly discharging anything that could impact the marine environment were “false and misleading” and that it was “fully cooperating” with Sepa. [More than 100 environmental breaches at fish farmsFish farms have broken environmental rules more than 100 times in the last two years, according to Scottish Government regulators. Figures released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) suggested that the industry’s record was one of the worst in Scotland. Breaches included waste discharges, pesticide misuse, seabed pollution,![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-1.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1809371011.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farms-environmental-breaches/) The company added: “All vessels in the area in the time period in question were carrying out normal, recognised activities in support of farming operations. No vessel undertook any cleaning or disinfection activities during their time at the Loch Hourn farm and even if they had, this process is also subject to stringent regulations which pose no risk to the marine environment.” A spokesperson for Sepa said it was made aware by a member of the public of a potential pollution incident at Loch Hourn on Thursday 24th April. “We responded quickly to the report, identified this was outwith Sepa’s remit and swiftly passed details to partners to investigate,” they added. Sepa regulates well boat discharges from authorised sites. The Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate regulates discharges from elsewhere. *Photo credit:* [*iStock/Kenneth Sutherland*](https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/knoydart-peninsula-with-a-yacht-sailing-down-the-loch-hourn-gm1875033443-553271560?searchscope=image%2Cfilm&ref=theferret.scot) ### Royal Ascot, London Marathon and the Platinum Jubilee: Events use Scottish land to clean up their carbon footprint URL: https://www.theferret.scot/royal-london-platinum-jubilee-scottish-land-carbon/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T21:09:48.000Z **Royal family events, major UK sporting occasions, airlines and English councils have used Scottish land to clean up their carbon emissions, despite claims such ‘offsets’ are a “greenwashing scam” and harm land reform efforts.** Analysis by The Ferret has found carbon credits, or ‘offsets’, produced by trees planted in Scotland have been bought by events including motorsport rallies, the Queen’s state funeral and her Platinum Jubilee. Other buyers include British Airways, councils in Devon and Norwich and luxury fashion brand Burberry. Buying carbon credits theoretically ‘offsets’ carbon emissions created by events and companies by funding tree planting and peatland projects that absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. The credits are [supposed](https://orsted.com/en/what-we-do/insights/the-fact-file/what-role-do-carbon-credits-play-on-the-path-to-net-zero?ref=theferret.scot) to be used to mop up an organisation’s unavoidable emissions. However an MSP and a former boss of Scotland’s environment watchdog said buying carbon credits was the “easy, short-term option” for organisations, unless they had “exhausted all possibility of reducing their own emissions”. The use of carbon credits is “a greenwashing scam” that “does nothing to cut carbon pollution,” one green campaigner argued. Companies do not have to buy the credits and some do so because of a genuine commitment to protecting the environment. The firms and events who bought Scotland-generated credits told The Ferret offsets were only a small part of the actions they were taking to reduce their climate impacts. ![Carbon](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/14461013041_0393bcf390_o.jpg) Horse racing at the Royal Ascot. Image credit: [CharlesFred](https://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/?ref=theferret.scot) via [Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/14461013041?ref=theferret.scot) (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) We found that Ascot racecourse, in Berkshire, bought Scottish credits to compensate for emissions produced by a ‘net zero enclosure’ at its famous Royal Ascot event. The London Marathon purchased them to make up for pollution produced by international travel to the race. Upmarket pizza oven company Ooni also bought credits, partly to make up for emissions produced by its own anniversary celebrations. Once redeemed, each credit permits its owner to emit one tonne of CO2, because the equivalent amount has been absorbed. Some [believe](https://www.climateimpact.com/services-projects/carbon-credits-explained-what-they-are-and-how-they-work/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Carbon%20credits%20enable%20critical%20finance,climate%20change%2C%20yet%20least%20responsible.) carbon credits will play an important role in tackling the climate crisis, by attracting money into projects to revive nature and capture carbon. But in Scotland, there are also concerns about how competition for sites to produce the credits is driving up rural land prices, potentially shutting out local communities from owning land. A [2023 study](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-forests-estates-investors-absentee-owners/) found that ownership of Scotland’s forests is becoming increasingly dominated by wealthy estates, investors and absentee owners who live outside Scotland. [Swathes](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2025/02/10/scotland-rewilding-carbon-credits/?ref=theferret.scot) of land across the country are currently earmarked for tree planting and peatland restoration projects which will generate offsets. Some landowners who sell carbon credits do so with the aid of millions of pounds of taxpayer subsidies and a wide range of [tax relief](https://rse.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/RSE-inquiry-into-public-financial-support-for-tree-planting-and-forestry-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), as [we detailed](https://www.theferret.scot/politicians-billionaires-offshore-forestry-handouts/) in February. Our new findings come from analysis of a [public register](https://mer.markit.com/br-reg/public/index.jsp?name=meall%20gorm&entity=assignment&entity%5Fdomain=Markit&srd=false&additionalCertificationId=&acronym=&standardId=&categoryId=&unitClass=&ref=theferret.scot) of carbon credits assigned to organisations in the last three years. The Ferret’s previous research, in 2022, [found](https://www.theferret.scot/major-firms-snapping-up-scotlands-carbon-credits/) weapons manufacturers, the Labour Party, and financial institutions that poured billions of pounds into fossil fuels were among those buying Scottish carbon credits. They were generated on land owned by Scotland’s richest man, private equity companies and property firms. That followed the [revelation](https://www.theferret.scot/shell-greenwashing-forestry-land-scotland/) in 2020 that senior Scottish Government forestry officials feared that a £5m tree-planting deal with Shell – which earns carbon credits for the oil giant – could be viewed as “greenwashing”. Most of the credits sold over the last few years are known as ‘pending issuance units’ (PIUs), which cannot be used to offset emissions immediately because planted trees are not yet mature. In fact, some might not be ready until the early 22nd century. The average PIU was estimated to cost £23.30, [according to](https://woodlandcarboncode.org.uk/uk-land-carbon-registry/uk-carbon-prices?ref=theferret.scot) the Woodland Carbon Code. The register only includes the sale of credits to companies who agree to be named publicly, so some buyers may remain secret. The number of trees planted to generate a credit depends on a range of factors including the location and tree type, but one European offsetting agency puts [the number](https://www.encon.eu/en/calculation-co2?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=To%20summarise%20the%20various%20studies,by%2031%20to%2046%20trees.) at 31 to 46 trees. #### **Who’s buying Scotland’s carbon credits?** The biggest known buyer of carbon credits produced in Scotland since April 2022 is Sky Group – the parent firm of Sky News. It was assigned 49,400 credits set to be produced by a tree planting project near Bridge of Ericht, Perthshire. Sky says it is focused on cutting the emissions from its operations before it buys carbon credits and that it plans to reduce the amount it offsets as the company decarbonises. Salesforce, a cloud-based software firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, provided “philanthropic” support for a tree planting scheme on a former upland sheep farm in the Scottish Borders, called [Talla and Gameshope](https://bordersforesttrust.org/wild-heart/talla-&-gameshope?ref=theferret.scot), and Maryfield Farm near Banchory, Aberdeenshire, which generated 6,507 carbon credits. The US company said it did not use these credits to reduce or offset its reported emissions. “Any credits issued through these projects were assigned to ensure that they could not be double-claimed,” a spokesperson added. Devon County Council secured 5,151 credits from Woodland Trust plantations at Craigengillan, East Ayrshire, and Caplich, near Invergordon, while Norwich City Council bought 929 credits from the Moffat-based Selcoth Forestry. A spokesperson for Devon Council said it had a “robust plan to reduce its carbon emissions by 70 per cent by 2030” and was offsetting the remainder to achieve net-zero. The Spanish-owned bank, Santander, acquired 3,566 credits from a project at Delnadamph, part of the Balmoral Estate, which is owned by the King. It said buying offsets “play a role in mitigating” the bank’s pollution as it decarbonises and that emissions from its operations had more than halved since 2019. Luxury fashion brand, Burberry, bought up 1,599 credits from Scottish and English sites. Credits produced by an East Ayrshire tree plantation will be used to offset emissions from the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and state funeral in 2022, the 2023 Royal Ascot, and “international travel” related to the 2022 and 2023 London Marathons. The same forestry project, Montgreenan near Kilwinning, will generate credits sold to British Airways, a firm behind two music festivals in London, and the University of Glasgow. #### ‘**Greenwashing scam’?** Reacting to our findings, [James Curran](https://www.scotlink.org/people/james-curran-mbe/?ref=theferret.scot), who was chief executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency between 2012 and 2015, argued that organisations should only use carbon credits “when they have exhausted all possibility of reducing their own emissions. “Otherwise it’s just taking the easy, short-term option,” he said. “Carbon markets, along with government grants and generous tax breaks, are driving some really bad practices – for example extensive [Sitka spruce planting](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/), an alien invasive species, that offers very little nature benefit or amenity value,” argued Curran. “Also in many instances, there is less carbon uptake than might be expected.” He called for “root and branch reform” of the carbon credit market, with more scrutiny from regulators. Campaign group Friends of the Earth Scotland branded carbon credits and offsetting a “greenwashing scam”. “Tackling the climate crisis requires all big polluters to rapidly cut their emissions but offsetting enables polluters to keep on polluting then simply pay for someone else to plant a few trees in their name,” argued the group’s head of campaigns, Caroline Rance. “It is deeply alarming to see large swathes of land being designated or sold off for carbon offsetting – capturing rural land to protect corporate interest and pricing people out of their communities.” Scottish Greens co-leader, Patrick Harvie, also raised concerns, claiming there was a “long history of carbon credits, offsets and other ‘workarounds’ being used instead of direct action to cut emissions”. He added: “The simple reality is that we cannot all pay someone else to cut emissions for us, so reliance on carbon credits will always risk making inequality worse, by allowing the wealthy to keep polluting.” Community Land Scotland said that while carbon credits can help to reach net zero and allow rural communities to generate income, some investors may use the initiative to avoid reducing their carbon footprint. “The market for carbon credits is still fine-tuning its business model, but as these processes are refined, it is likely that there could be large numbers of organisations and events chasing a finite number of carbon credits on the moors and hillsides,” said a spokesperson. “In turn, this could ultimately further increase land prices, effectively excluding the communities that live in these areas. Carbon credits need to be controlled and not used as a means to avoid more difficult environmentally-friendly choices.” Those buying carbon credits generated in Scotland stressed they were making efforts to reduce their emissions. The pizza oven-maker, Ooni, said it focuses on “reducing our carbon emissions at source”, invests in “credible, permanent carbon removals that are informed by science”, and seeks “opportunities to create a positive social impact”. The London Marathon said it was striving to reach net zero by 2030, primarily by reducing emissions, and had been recognised by the Council for Responsible Sport. A spokesperson said some emissions were more difficult to reduce, including travel, but a £31 levy on international participants had been introduced. “This is then used in full to purchase high-quality carbon removal credits which is recognised as best practice by multiple climate action organisations and the UK Government’s net zero strategy,” they added. Ascot racecourse pointed to significant decreases in carbon emissions and waste at the site, and said its recycling rate had risen. Its [website](https://www.ascot.com/about/sustainability?ref=theferret.scot) says the course is “constantly adapting” to become more sustainable. All companies and events named in this story were contacted for comment. *This story was updated at 08:58 on 13/05/2025 to add a comment from Devon County Council.* *This story was updated at 17:15 on 13/05/2025 to note that Salesforce did not use its credits, and it support for its projects was philanthropic.* ***Header image: Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee pageant outside Buckingham Palace, 2022\. Image credit: Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street*** ( **CC BY-NC-ND 2.0**) ### Calls to tackle “abusive” lawsuits designed to block freedom of expression URL: https://www.theferret.scot/calls-tackle-abuse-lawsuits-freedom-of-expression/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T21:10:54.000Z [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/19.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **“Abusive” lawsuits used to silence sexual assault survivors, activists, journalists and others trying to report on matters of public interest must be tackled imminently, the Scottish Government has been told.** Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation ([SLAPPs](https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/guidance/slapps-warning-notice/?ref=theferret.scot)), which lawyers have described as “an abuse of the legal process”, are designed to remove information from the public domain or prevent it being published in the first place. Campaigners, and an MSP who hosted a discussion about SLAPPs this week, argue the lawsuits are designed to shut down freedom of expression, and are urging ministers to take action in order to “protect our democracy”. Many people threatened with a SLAPP do not have the time or money to legally defend themselves, and Scottish courts and judges have inadequate powers to dismiss the lawsuits. As such, SLAPPs allow wealthy and powerful individuals and organisations to shut down scrutiny, and make it harder for bodies such as law enforcement agencies to gather information needed to tackle wrongdoing. A petition urging the Scottish Government to tackle SLAPPs, from the former SNP MP, [Roger Mullin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-mullin-0941454/?original%5Freferer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2F&originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot), led to a [consultation](https://consult.gov.scot/justice/strategic-lawsuits-against-public-participation/?ref=theferret.scot) in which stakeholders are invited to share their experience of legal abuse – and present opportunities for reform – with ministers. The consultation closes on 23 May. > SLAPPs are a threat to democracy and we hope the consultation is the first step towards stamping them out. > > Nik Williams, Scotland Anti-Slapp Working Group The Scotland Anti-SLAPP Working Group argues that regulators have not responded to the threat of the lawsuits, and that government inaction would contradict ministers’ commitments to protect human rights. Scotland is falling behind international efforts to tackle SLAPPs, it claimed, and pointed to progress made by the EU, the Council of Europe, US states and Canadian provinces. The working group says the Scottish Government must quickly adopt an anti-SLAPP law to allow courts and judges to throw out SLAPP actions at the earliest stage possible. To ensure a level playing field, the group said costs for those defending themselves must be minimised, and a defence fund should be established to protect public watchdogs and journalists from SLAPPs. Meanwhile, those filing SLAPPs must face higher costs and sanctions for choosing to do so, it added. > Too many people have been caught up in this issue when they are simply trying to use their voice to speak the truth. > > Michelle Thomson MSP, SNP On 7 May, the SNP MSP [Michelle Thomson](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/michelle-thomson?ref=theferret.scot) held a roundtable discussion about SLAPPs, which included victims of legal abuse. “I’m pleased to support the petition of Roger Mullin and the work underway to stop SLAPPs being used in Scotland,” she told The Ferret. “Too many people have been caught up in this issue when they are simply trying to use their voice to speak the truth. “The Scottish Government has launched [a consultation](https://consult.gov.scot/justice/strategic-lawsuits-against-public-participation/?ref=theferret.scot) and I would encourage everyone to complete it. Taking action is a necessary step to protect our democracy.” Nik Williams, convenor of the Scotland Anti-Slapp Working Group, said: “The consultation on SLAPPs is the first opportunity for Scotland to address the kind of legal threats that silence journalists, sexual violence survivors, social media users and everyone who speaks out. “As well as preventing people from expressing themselves, SLAPPs prevent everyone from being able to receive the information they need to play an active role in society. “They are a threat to democracy and we hope the consultation is the first step towards stamping them out.” ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: Jorm Sangsorn/iStock* ### Who runs Scotland’s space industry? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/who-runs-scotlands-space-industry/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:49:28.000Z The latest frontier of Scotland’s industry may well be space, with significant investment being made in this emerging sector. As part of our Who Runs Scotland series, we’ve been looking at this burgeoning industry and some of the organisations and individuals involved. Space launch was long the preserve of governments, but in the last two decades it has been revolutionised by private companies – most notably Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Scotland – home to advanced [satellite manufacturing capabilities](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/scotlands-space-sector-key-to-uk-ambitions?ref=theferret.scot), data analysis expertise and a satellite launch market – is vying to be a leading space nation and offers several benefits for launching satellites. Its northerly latitude allows satellites to cover a wide range of the Earth’s surface for observation and communication, and vast stretches of unpopulated land, particularly in the Highlands and Islands, provide ideal launch sites. MPs were told recently that a new spaceport called SaxaVord, on the island of Unst, Shetland will be ready for satellite launches by July. It has been touted as the UK’s “[Cape Canaveral](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr531z0rjzmo?ref=theferret.scot)”. The [UK Space Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/scotlands-space-sector-key-to-uk-ambitions?ref=theferret.scot)[ says](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/scotlands-space-sector-key-to-uk-ambitions?ref=theferret.scot) that 228 organisations in Scotland, employing more than 8,000 people, generated a combined income of £298m in 2021/22, almost double the amount for 2018/19\. [Space Scotland](https://spacescotland.org/?ref=theferret.scot) – a not-for-profit [company](https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/124634/pdf/?ref=theferret.scot) set up in 2021 to support the sector – estimates the workforce could increase fivefold by 2030. Those involved in the sector include astronaut Tim Peake, Scotland’s richest man Anders Povlsen, a Ukrainian billionaire once accused of being a Russian spy, and a Pakistani philanthropist based in the US. [Who are Scotland’s richest people?The power and influence of the wealthiest in society has been one of the main themes of The Ferret’s Who Runs Scotland series. We’ve looked at how powerful people and actors have leveraged their influence to impact policy and government decision-making. But who are Scotland’s richest people,![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-55.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/untitled-1400-x-700-px.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/who-are-scotlands-richest-people/) More than £106m in grants has been awarded by the UK Space Agency to projects in Scotland over the last decade, a freedom of information request by The Ferret has revealed. Highlands and Islands Enterprise invested £2.087m into a spaceport in Sutherland and paid £1.963m in grant funding to Orbex for costs associated with developing the site. ### **Rocket firms** #### **Orbex** Orbex Express Launch specialises in small and medium-sized rockets. The private firm registered in Kent – with a premises in Forres, Moray – aims to launch a rocket called Prime from SaxaVord this summer. Last December Orbex said it would pause construction of a spaceport in Sutherland to instead focus on its Shetland site. The firm has received [£20m in funding](https://orbex.space/news/uk-government-invests-in-uk-orbital-launch-capability-for-first-time?ref=theferret.scot) from the UK Government. Its other investors include the state-owned [Export & Investment Fund of Denmark](https://www.eifo.dk/en/?ref=theferret.scot) (EIFO), a venture capital company headquartered in London, called [Octopus Ventures](https://octopusventures.com/?ref=theferret.scot), and [Sohaib Abbasi,](https://orbex.space/news/uk-government-invests-in-uk-orbital-launch-capability-for-first-time?ref=theferret.scot) a Pakistani–American investor who is the former CEO of software firm, Informatica. #### **Skyrora** Skyrora Limited has a space rocket engine factory in Cumbernauld and is hoping to fire small satellites into space from the Shetland Isles. Its parent firm is Skyrora Ventures Limited, a company registered in England and Wales. Skyrora has received £2.5m of taxpayers’ money from the UK Space Agency, and £3m from the European Space Agency. It is ultimately owned by a Ukrainian-born tech entrepreneur called Max Polyakov, who is based in Edinburgh. In 2022, the US authorities forced Polyakov to [sell his shares ](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/max-polyakov-and-noosphere-released-by-us-from-restrictions-imposed-before-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-302192342.html?tc=eml%5Fcleartime&ref=theferret.scot)in Firefly Aerospace, a Texas-based rocket maker, amid claims he was a Russian spy. Polyakov strongly disputed the claims and that he posed any threat to US national security, but complied with the order. Last year, however, the US Treasury Department released him from these restrictions. The British astronaut [Tim Peake](https://skyrora.com/who-we-are/?ref=theferret.scot) is on Skyrora’s advisory board. #### **Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA)** Founded in 2018, RFA is a German firm from Augsburg using 3D printing to make low-cost rockets. Its RFA One launcher “enables small satellites to get into low-Earth orbit flexibly and on a budget”, according to [its website](https://www.rfa.space/mission/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Our%20RFA%20ONE%20enables%20small,flexibly%20and%20on%20a%20budget.). The firm operates in Germany, Portugal, Sweden and Scotland. In January, the firm announced it had received its [spaceflight operator licence](https://www.rfa.space/rfa-receives-launch-licence-from-the-uk/?ref=theferret.scot) from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The licence allows the launch of its 30-metre tall RFA One rocket northwards from Unst, away from populated areas. Last August, one of its rockets exploded during testing at SaxaVord Spaceport. ### **Scottish spaceports** A spaceport is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft. #### **SaxaVord (previously known as Shetland Space Centre)** The SavaxVord Spaceport in Unst is at a more advanced stage of development, and is already seeing engine tests. There are hopes for launches from the site in 2025\. Anders Holch Povlsen is a major investor and main stakeholder. It will be ready for satellite [launches by July](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr531z0rjzmo?ref=theferret.scot), says the BBC. A number of companies plan to use SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst, the northernmost point in the UK, as a launch site for commercial rockets. Unst, which has about 650 inhabitants, was one of the first Viking outposts in the North Atlantic. Its location means that rockets lifting off from the site do not need to pass over populated areas. #### **Space Hub Sutherland** The Sutherland Spaceport was granted planning permission in 2020 and Orbex proposed launching up to 12 orbital rockets a year from the facility near Tongue. But the firm said last December it would pause construction and instead focus its efforts in SaxaVord, which is at a more advanced stage with its launch platforms. Plans for the Sutherland spaceport were vigorously opposed by Scotland’s richest man, Anders Holch Povlsen, the Danish billionaire founder of the Asos clothing chain. He owns [more than half of the shares](https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2025/02/21/billionaires-firm-now-owns-more-than-half-of-shetland-space-centre?ref=theferret.scot) in SaxaVord and has been involved in the spaceport since 2020 when his firm Wild Ventures Ltd invested £1.5m. Highland and Islands Enterprise, which has provided millions of pounds of funding for the Sutherland project, said it was [deeply disappointed](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c623dlz2p55o?ref=theferret.scot) by the decision. #### **Spaceport 1 – North Uist** [Construction has begun](https://www.newsweek.com/new-million-dollar-spaceport-begins-construction-remote-island-1994039?ref=theferret.scot) on a spaceport being built in North Uist. The port is the third launch site to be announced in Scotland in recent years, following the Sutherland spaceport in Melness and SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland. The Comhairle (Western Isles Council) has [secured £947,000](https://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/news/2024/construction-work-begins-spaceport-1-north-uist?ref=theferret.scot) investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards the £2.6m cost of the project and is contributing £675,000. The spaceport will be able to support as many as 10 suborbital rocket launches a year, once fully operational. ### **UK space agency funding** More than £106m in grants has been awarded by the UK Space Agency to projects in Scotland over the last decade. Recipients include the universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Strathclyde, and St Andrews. The US arms firm Lockheed Martin has received £23m to establish launch operations at SaxaVord and develop related technologies. [Headquartered](https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2018-07-16-Lockheed-Martin-To-Help-UK-Space-Agency-Build-First-Commercial-Spaceport-Launch-First-Orbital-Rocket?ref=theferret.scot) in Maryland, US, Lockheed Martin is a defence firm that employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide. It has been[ condemned](https://www.theferret.scot/uk-government-arms-firms-scotland-condemned-deaths/) in relation to the bombing of Gaza because it provides Israel with fighter jets. *Main image: dima\_zel/iStock* ### Who runs Scotland’s defence industry? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/who-runs-scotlands-defence-industry/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:49:39.000Z The defence sector is one of Scotland’s most controversial industries, and regularly lobbies ministers and MSPs. As part of our [Who Runs Scotland](https://theferret.scot/society/who-runs-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) series, The Ferret has looked at the sector and its major players We found that arms firms have held 99 meetings with MSPs since the last election. An estimated [13,250 people](https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/themencode-pdf-viewer/?file=https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Scotland-Regional-Facts-Figures-2023.pdf&ref=theferret.scot#zoom=auto&pagemode=none) are employed by Scotland’s defence sector and with defence now an urgent priority for the UK Government – due to the perceived threat from Russia – that number will likely increase. A trade body called [ADS Group Scotland](https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/about/locations/scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) promotes the defence sector (as well as aerospace, defence, naval and security) to policymakers at Holyrood and Westminster. In 2022, the sector had a £7.3bn turnover and employed 33,500 people directly. Defence is reserved to Westminster and the Ministry of Defence is responsible for defence contracts. But the Scottish Government can award grants to arms firms for projects in Scotland, via its business agency Scottish Enterprise. ADS has 1400 members in the UK. Out of the 19 organisations that form ADS Scotland’s council, 13 are headquartered abroad or in England. Its Scotland council also includes three Scottish academic institutions: St Andrews University; Strathclyde University and Ayrshire College. We previously revealed that five private companies, who employ around three quarters of the arms workforce in the arms industry, had [thou](https://www.theferret.scot/arms-dealers-held-meetings-with-uk-government/)[s](https://www.theferret.scot/arms-dealers-held-meetings-with-uk-government/)[ands of closed door meetings](https://www.theferret.scot/arms-dealers-held-meetings-with-uk-government/) with the UK Government between 2011 and 2020. The access at Westminster given to BAE Systems, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon (now RTX) and Thales, amounted to 2217 meetings with the UK Government. including 40 when representatives from the prime minister’s office were present, lasting a collective 58 hours. We also found that 87 people who worked for one of these five firms had also worked for the UK Government, making them so-called ‘revolving door’ employees. But who are these arms firms who exert influence in Scotland? **Leonardo** The [Italian multinational Leonardo](https://www.leonardo.com/en/home?ref=theferret.scot) builds avionics technology and employs over 2000 people in Edinburgh. It is a major manufacturer of radars, lasers and infrared countermeasure systems for helicopters and aircraft. Leonardo is on the ADS Scotland Council. #### **RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies)** RTX is a [US arms giant](https://www.rtx.com/?ref=theferret.scot) that employs 1,900 people in Scotland. Raytheon makes electronics systems for smart bombs in Glenrothes, Fife, and anti-drone technology in Livingston. RTX is on the ADS Scotland Council. #### **Thales** The[ French arms multinational ](https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/countries/europe/united-kingdom/about-thales-uk/regional-presence/thales-scotland?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Thales%20provides%20significant%20support%20and,of%20the%20West%20of%20Scotland.)employs 780 people in Glasgow and Rosyth. Thales Glasgow facility has been the sole supplier of periscopes to the Royal Navy since the First World War. It has a £169m contract to provide periscopes for the new class of Dreadnought nuclear deterrent submarines. Thales is on the ADS Scotland Council. #### **Lockheed Martin** The US arms company employs [327 staff in Glasgow.](https://lockheedmartinuk.mediaroom.com/2015-09-18-new-flagship-glasgow-office-for-lockheed-martin?ref=theferret.scot) Lockheed Martin UK, headquartered in London, is the UK-based arm of Lockheed Martin Corporation, a US global security and aerospace company. #### **BAE Systems** The UK arms giant employs [2700](https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/themencode-pdf-viewer/?file=https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Scotland-Regional-Facts-Figures-2023.pdf&ref=theferret.scot#zoom=auto&pagemode=none) people in Scotland. The company operates two shipyards at Govan and Scotstoun, as well as operations in Hillend and Bishopton. BAE is on the ADS Scotland Council. #### **Babcock International** The UK [defence multinational](https://www.babcockinternational.com/?ref=theferret.scot) works with the Royal Navy at Rosyth and HMNB Cluge at Helensburgh, also known as Faslane. It has 29 sites in Scotland and 100 staff. The firm says it also supports more than [3,000 jobs](https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/themencode-pdf-viewer/?file=https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Scotland-Regional-Facts-Figures-2023.pdf&ref=theferret.scot#zoom=auto&pagemode=none). Babcock is on the ADS Scotland Council. *Featured image is of an RAF Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4\. Credit: iStock and Wirestock* ### Starmer’s claims about nuclear regulation ‘not true’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/starmer-nuclear-safety-watchdog/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T21:11:08.000Z [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/19.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **In his bid to boost nuclear power, the prime minister Keir Starmer ignored warnings from his nuclear safety watchdog that it was inaccurate to blame regulation for delays, The Ferret can reveal.** A document released under [freedom of information](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/freedom-of-information/) law discloses that the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation told the government that claims about delays to [nuclear power](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/nuclear-power/), made in an initial draft of an announcement by Starmer, were “not true”. However, the claims were repeated in the prime minister’s [final announcement](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-rips-up-rules-to-fire-up-nuclear-power?ref=theferret.scot) in February, which said the Labour government would “rip up rules to fire up nuclear power”. Campaigners said they were appalled by Starmer’s “cynical and unprofessional” approach, accusing him of “ignorant prejudice” and of borrowing language from a right wing pressure group. They warned that weakening the regulation of nuclear plants would put public safety at risk. The draft release also quoted the energy secretary, [Ed Miliband](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/ed-miliband?ref=theferret.scot), promising that nuclear power would be “built by unionised British workers”. But that was changed in the published version to say that nuclear power would create “thousands of skilled jobs”. The Labour government in London under Starmer and Miliband has become an enthusiastic cheerleader for nuclear power. Ministers are keen to kickstart a new nuclear building programme “to grow the economy and deliver cleaner, more affordable energy”. Scottish Labour under [Anas Sarwar MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/anas-sarwar?ref=theferret.scot) has also become a [strong supporter](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/new-nuclear-could-power-scotland-34643845?ref=theferret.scot) of nuclear power. Labour and the Conservatives have been [piling pressure](https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/ditch-dishonest-just-transition-and-back-nuclear-energy-findlay-tells-swinney-5087549?ref=theferret.scot) on the SNP’s Scottish Government to abandon its long-held opposition to the building of any new nuclear stations. [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-04-30-165427.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-safety-warnings-as-cracks-rise/) The [Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)](https://www.onr.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) is an independent body set up by the government to ensure nuclear safety. It was asked to comment on a draft government press release announcing a new taskforce to speed up the regulation of nuclear power. In response to a freedom of information request, ONR released [a copy of the draft](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25920512-eir202502005-government-to-speed-up-new-nuclear-power-to-boost-growth-and-energy-security-onr-comments-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot) with its annotations making four suggested corrections. The draft was passed to The Ferret. But none of the corrections were implemented when [Starmer made the announcement on 6 February](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-rips-up-rules-to-fire-up-nuclear-power?ref=theferret.scot), promising to “put Britain back in the global race for nuclear energy”. The draft release stated that three European regulatory regimes had reached “different assessments” of the design of the two reactors being built at [Hinkley Point C](https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/nuclear-new-build-projects/hinkley-point-c?ref=theferret.scot) in Somerset, “leading to delays and increased costs”. ONR pointed out that this was “not accurate”, and that it [had refuted](https://www.onr.org.uk/publications/regulatory-reports/other-reports/onr-s-regulatory-influence-on-the-epr-design-in-the-uk/?ref=theferret.scot) such claims before. “Our feeling is that linking regulatory factors into the increasing Hinkley Point C costs and timeframes isn’t true and the sentence doesn’t stand up,” it said. ONR also suggested that the new taskforce should not look at the “approval” of new reactor designs, as suggested in the draft, but their “deployment”. Delays had been caused by construction problems, not safety regulation, it argued. “The approval of reactor designs is a small aspect of ONR’s regulatory regime and not a rate-determining factor,” [ONR said](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25920512-eir202502005-government-to-speed-up-new-nuclear-power-to-boost-growth-and-energy-security-onr-comments-redacted/?ref=theferret.scot). “The reactor approval process has no bearing on the overall speed of delivery, but rather construction.” Neither amendment was made in [Starmer’s announcement](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-rips-up-rules-to-fire-up-nuclear-power?ref=theferret.scot), which reiterated the disputed wording from the draft. It also included a slew of much stronger language about “slashing red tape to get Britain building”. Two other amendments suggested by ONR – pointing out that Hinkley Point C had been “built over many years” and that the “international alignment” of regulators was already happening – were also rejected. ### Nuclear power delays The energy company EDF [predicted](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40479053?ref=theferret.scot) in 2007 that electricity from Hinkley Point C would be cooking Christmas turkeys in 2017\. It has since been repeatedly delayed, with EDF [saying in January 2024](https://www.edf.fr/en/the-edf-group/dedicated-sections/journalists/all-press-releases/hinkley-point-c-update-1?ref=theferret.scot) that the station might not be finished until 2031. The estimated total cost of building the plant [has risen](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/16/edf-hinkley-point-c-delays-cost-overruns?ref=theferret.scot) from £18bn in 2016 to £35bn in 2024\. This could rise to £46bn when [inflation](https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator?ref=theferret.scot) is taken into account. According to ONR, its assessment of the Hinkley reactor design was completed in 2012 but construction did not start until 2017\. Its regulation had not delayed building since then, it said. In his announcement, Starmer also promised to scrap the planning rules that limited the building of new nuclear power stations in England and Wales to eight sites which have already hosted nuclear plants. He wanted to encourage developers to build “mini-nuclear power stations” anywhere they are needed, he said. In June the government [is expected](https://www.ft.com/content/4a889ad7-6d41-47a9-a946-c2535ae2aaa6?ref=theferret.scot) to make a final investment decision on the construction of the delayed new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk. It has already [invested some £8bn](https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/uk-government-investment-continues-squeeze-on-edfs-share-of-sizewell-c-27-03-2025/?ref=theferret.scot) in the plant. Campaigners claimed many of the arguments used in Starmer’s nuclear announcement echoed those [previously aired](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-britain-is-building-the-worlds-most-expensive-nuclear-plant/?ref=theferret.scot) by the right-wing campaign group, [Britain Remade](https://www.britainremade.co.uk/about?ref=theferret.scot). Its chief executive, [Sam Richards](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-richards-80308b130/?ref=theferret.scot), is a former advisor to Boris Johnson, and its head of policy, [Sam Dumitriu](https://www.linkedin.com/in/samdumitriu/?ref=theferret.scot), used to work for the free-market [Adam Smith Institute](https://www.adamsmith.org/?ref=theferret.scot). ### Starmer’s nuclear announcement ‘misleading’ [Dave Cullen](https://basicint.org/our-staff/dave-cullen/?ref=theferret.scot), who co-chairs a [forum for ONR and campaign groups](https://www.onr.org.uk/working-with-others/public-participation/non-government-organisations-ngos-and-campaign-groups/?ref=theferret.scot), criticised Starmer’s announcement as “misleading”. He is with the nuclear disarmament think tank, [BASIC](https://basicint.org/?ref=theferret.scot), and is independent of ONR. “I’m shocked by the cynical and unprofessional approach of the government to this announcement,” he said. “It seems as though it would rather attack an imaginary problem than seriously consider how to approach energy security.” Cullen added: “I welcome good-faith efforts to improve nuclear regulation, but this is an attempt to tear up a system that is there to keep us safe, on the basis of a fantasy.” [Andrew Blowers](https://www.banng.info/who-we-are/?ref=theferret.scot), an anti-nuclear campaigner and emeritus professor of social sciences at The Open University, accused Starmer of “ignorant prejudice” in blaming regulators for delays. “Efforts to pressurise regulators feed directly into a free for all, devil take the hindmost, approach to nuclear development,” he told The Ferret. “Deregulation will remove safeguards and the need for industry to meet the strictest standards of safety.” [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-04-30-165540.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/spycops-torness-anti-nuclear-scotland/) In its [FoI response](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25920511-eir202502005-response-letter-7-april-2025/?ref=theferret.scot), ONR said the draft press release was “shared under a strict embargo just a few days before release”, with an opportunity “to make representations on accuracy”. It continued: “Dialogue about specific sections of the press release, and in some cases, representations made about the accuracy of sentences/sections is standard practice discussion between communications teams.” ONR had not been consulted on the “formation and membership” of the new nuclear regulatory taskforce,” but it had been “fully briefed” on the government’s intentions,” an ONR spokesperson added. “We have [welcomed](https://www.onr.org.uk/news/all-news/2025/02/onr-welcomes-new-government-independent-taskforce-on-nuclear-regulation/?ref=theferret.scot) the creation of the taskforce and look forward to discussing all aspects of our regulation with the review team, understanding how our regulation can be improved further and considering ways to speed up the safe delivery of new nuclear projects.” The ONR spokesperson continued: “Nuclear safety and the protection of workers and the public will always be our priority, but we are committed to regulating in a way that supports cost-effective, efficient nuclear deployment and technological advancements.” Responding on behalf of the government, the [Department for Energy Security and Net Zero](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-energy-security-and-net-zero?ref=theferret.scot) did not address the rejection of ONR’s corrections. “It would not have been appropriate for ONR to be closely involved in the setting up of this taskforce,” said a spokesperson. “They have been informed of the review and will provide an important source of expertise as it progresses.” [Britain Remade](https://www.britainremade.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) did not respond to requests to comment. ### Freedom of information response from the Office for Nuclear Regulation ### Draft press release with comments by the Office for Nuclear Regulation ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *A version of this story was also [published in the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/may/06/starmer-nuclear-watchdog-regulations-delays-reactors?ref=theferret.scot)*. *Cover image of Torness nuclear power station in East Lothian thanks to iStock/[versevend](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/versevend?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot).* *At the request of the Office for Nuclear Regulation, an additional paragraph of its comment was added to this story at 11.34 on 6 May 2025.* ### Far right groups are weaponising Christianity, warn experts URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-are-weaponising-christianity-warn-experts/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T16:35:51.000Z **Experts have warned that far right groups are weaponising Christianity for their political agendas and have urged churches to speak out against right-wing extremism.** They said groups like Britain First and supporters of the jailed far right activist Tommy Robinson are increasingly using Christian rhetoric to try and build support for their political causes. The Scottish Government is also monitoring the issue. A response to a freedom of information request by The Ferret revealed its safer communities division suggested staff attend a recent[ seminar ](https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/events/2025/01/30/christianity-and-far-right-extremism?ref=theferret.scot)called Christianity and Far Right Extremism, hosted by a think tank called Theos. The organisers said far right extremism has gained ground over recent years in the US and UK, and has sometimes done so by using Christian language, symbols and imagery. Far right groups claiming to be Christian include Britain First. In 2014, its members [targeted mosques](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/13/police-far-right-invasions-bradford-glasgow-mosques-britain-first?ref=theferret.scot) across the UK with bibles, calling it a ‘Christian crusade’. Supporters also paraded through Muslim-majority areas of UK cities, with large crosses. One of the speakers at the Theos webinar was Dr Maria Power, a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford. She is co-editor of [The Church, the Far Right, and the Claim to Christianity](https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/8-november/books-arts/book-reviews/book-review-the-church-the-far-right-and-the-claim-to-christianity-edited-by-helen-paynter-and-maria-power?ref=theferret.scot), a book published last year on the church’s response to the rise of the far right. > The toxic and divisive rhetoric of the far right have no place in our society. > > Roz Foyer, STUC Power told The Ferret: “One of the main problems facing the churches in dealing with right-wing extremism is the fact that many of the ‘extremists’ are speaking and spreading hate from within the church. The Christian churches need to exercise their teaching authority more and speak out against such examples of right-wing extremism, demonstrating how these belief systems are counter to the teachings of Christianity.” She said one of the best things churches can do to combat right-wing extremism is to fund youth work. “At present, not enough funding is being directed towards youth work, either in the churches or within society as a whole, and this is a fundamental problem. Young people need community, and right-wing extremist groups provide this for them when the churches don’t.” Patrik Hermansson, senior researcher at the anti-racism charity HOPE not hate, said there are many groups that connect themselves with Christianity. The clearest example is probably Britain First, he told The Ferret, adding that “increasingly Tommy Robinson’s supporters have begun using this rhetoric as well”. Another factor is US influence, which Hermansson said, has been increasing for a number of years. He claimed some of this “relates to Christian institutions funding far right activity in the UK, and US reactionaries building relationships with Christian reactionary groups and activists in the UK.” Donald Trump’s US election win “spurred on the far right in the UK and is generally supported by it”, he added with the caveat “it is probably too early to tell of outright influence.” Last week a summit aimed at tackling the threat from the far right, hosted by first minister John Swinney, was held in Scotland. About 50 organisations, including political parties, faith groups and charities, attended the forum in Glasgow. Swinney claimed that shared values were under [“huge threat”](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedywqeq18jo?ref=theferret.scot) from disinformation and pressure from the “hard right”. All Holyrood parties except the Conservatives attended the event. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party was not invited. Farage claimed Reform was [“never part of the far right](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedywqeq18jo?ref=theferret.scot)“. Britain First, the Catholic Church and Church of Scotland were asked to comment. [From Moscow to Glasgow: Twenty years of tracking far right hateIt was 2009 when I met the far right activist Tommy Robinson. After several weeks of negotiations, Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had agreed to meet with his English Defence League (EDL) acolytes and the rendezvous was a derelict building near Luton town centre. Eleven men turned up.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-78.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/edlj45484.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/twenty-years-of-tracking-far-right-hate/) ### **Home Office withheld information about Scots far right party due to ‘national security’** Meanwhile, a separate request for information by The Ferret about a far right political party registered in Scotland was refused by the Home Office, which cited concerns surrounding “national security”. We asked the UK Government department for communications it held regarding the [Homeland Party](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/homeland/) – which is registered at a West Lothian address and led by a Scot – and Patriotic Alternative, another far right group from which Homeland splintered. But it declined the request, citing part of the freedom of information act which relates to national security. If released, the information “would undermine national security and the integrity and effectiveness of the government to conduct practices to keep the public safe,” the Home Office argued. “Releasing this information would allow those of concern to the authorities to gain knowledge or information, which would allow them to further or continue their activities of concern.” The Home Office also said it was exempt from releasing the information due to another section of the act, which relates to the formulation or development of government policy, and allows for it to occur in private and without “without fear of premature disclosure”. “This is because the information relates to current, ongoing policy development, the counter-extremism sprint 2024, to understand and effectively respond to the threat posed by extremists and extremist groups in the UK,” the Home Office stated. “Release of information relating to these groups risks undermining development of new government policy to respond to the threat of extremism in the UK.” If released, the information would be “highly likely to be useful to high-harm, extremist groups and individuals seeking to circumnavigate government oversight and intervention”, argued the Home Office. Such actors spread “damaging conspiratorial narratives”, “exacerbate community tensions, promote violence and radicalise into terrorism”, it added. The [counter-extremism programme](https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024-12-17/debates/24121749000021/PreventingRadicalisation?ref=theferret.scot) was commissioned by home secretary Yvette Cooper in August last year. It was designed “to understand and effectively respond to the threat posed by extremists” – namely those of Islamic and far right ideologies – and learn how the government can adapt. The review was reportedly [accelerated](https://news.sky.com/story/home-secretary-yvette-cooper-to-crack-down-on-people-pushing-hateful-beliefs-13198972?ref=theferret.scot) following far right riots in England and Northern Ireland last year, which saw organisations including Homeland and a Scottish white supremacist martial arts club try to use the unrest as a [recruitment drive](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-groups-riots-scotland-recruit-members/). [Far right groups in Scotland using riots to recruit new membersFar right groups in Scotland are using the recent riots in England and Northern Ireland to try and recruit new members, The Ferret can reveal. They include a white supremacist martial arts club and a political party called Homeland which promotes a nationalism based on ancestry, land and the “law![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-79.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/photo_2023-08-05_11-23-13.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-groups-riots-scotland-recruit-members/) Homeland’s enquiries secretary, Carl Wilkinson, told The Ferret that his party does not meet the UK Government’s 2024 [definition](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-strengthens-approach-to-counter-extremism?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=It%20reads%3A,and%20freedoms%20of%20others%3B%20or) of extremism. The definition includes the “promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights”. Wilkinson highlighted that Homeland is a registered political party, and argued that it participates in elections, “has never promoted violence”, and “operates under the law and within the bounds of democratic norms”. The news comes days after Homeland held a conference focused on the mass deportation of migrants with guest speakers [including](https://www.theferret.scot/author-slogan-white-supremacist-far-right-party/) the man behind a conspiracy theory cited by white supremacists and mass murderers. The event was also attended by members of the far right German party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), which was designated as extremist last week. [Author of slogan cited by white supremacist murderers invited to UK by far right partyThe man behind a conspiracy theory cited by white supremacists and mass murderers has been booked as a conference speaker by a far right political party led by a Scot. Renaud Camus – who coined the term “the great replacement” – has top billing at an upcoming Homeland Party conference which will![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-80.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/renaud_camus_-_autoportrait_blond_plieux_bibliotheque_29_novembre_2012-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/author-slogan-white-supremacist-far-right-party/) ### **‘Remigration conference’** Homeland’s recent conference on 26 April, in Lincolnshire, focused on “remigration”, which the party describes as removing “illegal, unintegrated, and unwelcome migrants”. Speakers included French academic Renaud Camus, who coined the term [“the great replacement](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/world/europe/renaud-camus-great-replacement.html?smid=nytcore-android-share&ref=theferret.scot)” – a conspiracy theory that white Europeans are being replaced by Muslim people of colour in collusion with a globalist elite. Camus appeared via video link after the Home Office barred his entry to the UK, [reportedly](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/18/anti-migration-philosopher-renaud-camus-banned-from-uk/?ref=theferret.scot) telling him that his presence in the UK was not “conducive to the public good”. The writer denounces violence, but his work has [been cited](https://www.theferret.scot/author-slogan-white-supremacist-far-right-party/) by white supremacists and mass murderers. Homeland defended Camus as having “consistently promoted peaceful discourse and democratic solutions” and argued he “cannot be blamed for the actions of individuals who have cited his work”. Also in attendance was Lena Kotré, an elected politician from Germany’s Alternative for Germany party, now [classified](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy6zk9wkrdo?ref=theferret.scot) as extreme-right by German intelligence. She [reportedly met](https://correctiv.org/aktuelles/neue-rechte/2024/12/27/kein-geheimtreffen-gegen-deutschland/?ref=theferret.scot) with neo-Nazis last year and, in Berlin, handed out self-defence [stabbing weapons](https://www.theferret.scot/afd-politician-handed-weapons-far-right-party-event/), which are legal in Germany but banned in the UK. Homeland alleged that Kotré distributed the weapons to women who had been targeted by sexual violence from immigrants. The party called it “a blatant lie” that Kotré attended a neo-Nazi event, which it argued was a “political conference”. [AfD politician who handed out weapons to speak at UK far right party eventA far right German politician who handed out weapons and met with neo-Nazis is set to speak at the Homeland Party’s UK conference focused on the mass deportation of migrants. Alternative For Germany (AfD) politician, Lena Kotré, reportedly distributed Kubotans – self-defence stabbing weapons which are legal in Germany but![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-81.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/afd-politician-handed-weapons-far-right-party-event/) ### **Who is the Homeland Party?** The far right party is led by Kenny Smith, a former British Nationalist Party politician from the Isle of Lewis. In 2023, Smith led a breakaway faction from PA to form Homeland, which registered as a political party despite [an intervention](https://www.theferret.scot/home-office-far-right-homeland-stealth-party/) from the Home Office and [warnings](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-terrorist-racist-rules-election-watchdog/) from some Electoral Commission staff that senior figures shared “terrorist literature” and “antisemitic and racist” content. Homeland dismissed the “spurious claims” it alleged were made by “junior” commission staff determined to reject the application. [Far right ‘terrorist’ and ‘racist’ posts broke rules, election watchdog staff claimedElection watchdog staff accused senior figures in the far right Homeland party of breaking their own code of conduct by sharing “terrorist literature” and “antisemitic and racist” content, The Ferret can reveal. The Electoral Commission (the commission) approved Homeland’s bid to register as a political party and field candidates![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-82.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image-7.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-terrorist-racist-rules-election-watchdog/) ### **‘Toxic and divisive rhetoric’** An Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) event, held this week, focused on opposing the far right. “Hundreds of trade unionists” declared that “the toxic and divisive rhetoric of the far right have no place in our society,” STUC’s general secretary, Roz Foyer, told The Ferret. “We will take that call and that action to every town and city across Scotland.” Scottish Labour’s Michael Marra said Scots “must remain vigilant about the rise of the far right and stand up against the division that extremist groups want to sow”. The Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman called for “a focus on extremism in education settings and on groups using social media to radicalise people, specifically vulnerable groups who are susceptible to this kind of conditioning, covertly or openly.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We work closely with partners in Scotland and the UK to ensure we are able to identify and tackle the threat of extremism and terrorism.” Counter-extremism is devolved to the UK Government. The Home Office does not comment on individual cases. *Main image: Pixabay/Pexels* ### Campaigners call for mental health ward deaths to be investigated URL: https://www.theferret.scot/campaigners-call-mental-health-deaths-investigated/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T21:13:21.000Z Only 11 of more than 1,000 deaths in Scottish mental health wards over the last decade have been investigated by Scotland’s public body overseeing the welfare of patients, according to a new report by Glasgow University. The study – [Nothing to see here](https://www.sccjr.ac.uk/publication/nothing-to-see-here-deaths-in-custody-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) – is the fourth annual monitoring report on deaths in state care by the university’s Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR). Published this week, it examines [deaths in ](https://www.theferret.scot/addiewell-private-prison-scotland-grieving-family/)[prison](https://www.theferret.scot/addiewell-private-prison-scotland-grieving-family/), [police ](https://www.theferret.scot/more-than-200-died-contact-with-police-scotland/)[custody](https://www.theferret.scot/more-than-200-died-contact-with-police-scotland/), migration detention and [asylum ](https://www.theferret.scot/inquiry-calls-asylum-system-deaths-escalating/)[accommodation](https://www.theferret.scot/inquiry-calls-asylum-system-deaths-escalating/) and of those sectioned under a compulsory order by the [Mental Health Act.](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/20/contents?ref=theferret.scot) It also highlights the deaths of children and [young people in care](https://www.theferret.scot/suicide-self-harm-cause-death-young-people-care/) and of people with learning difficulties or who are [autistic](https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-discharges-delayed-by-three-years/) and living in hospital. Researchers found that a total of 244 people died in these settings of “state control” last year alone. More than half of those – 138 people in total – died after being sectioned in mental health facilities. Only two investigations into deaths were published in 2024 by statutory body, the [Mental](https://www.mwcscot.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)[ Welfare Commission for Scotland](https://www.mwcscot.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (MWCS), the report notes. A further two court-ordered fatal accident inquiries into the deaths of people detained on mental health grounds were also published, according to the report. #### Deaths not investigated In England and Wales all deaths in mental health detention will be investigated by a [public coronial inquest](https://coronerscourtssupportservice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/CCSS-EL%5FInquest%5FFactsheet%5FFinal29317221%5F3.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) but in Scotland fatal accident inquiries are not mandatory in mental health settings although they must be carried out following a death in prison or police custody. [Professor Sarah Armstrong](https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/saraharmstrong/?ref=theferret.scot), one of the report’s authors, said all deaths of those who had been sectioned should be investigated so that lessons could be learned and lives saved, a call backed by campaigners. The commission said it was in discussions with the Scottish Government about expanding its remit for investigations into deaths. Over the past decade 1,232 people have died while detained or under a compulsory order. The number of people who have been detained has increased, and the number of people who have died has also increased. The percent of the total people detained has remained consistently between 1.1 to 1.3 percent. Armstrong said: “The current process for which deaths are investigated and which are not is not always clear what criteria is used. The whole system is opaque.” She said it was “surprising” that while the Mental Welfare Commission had “done some hard hitting and quite critical [investigations](https://www.mwcscot.org.uk/publications?type=43&ref=theferret.scot)” these were only carried out for a small number of deaths. Armstrong and her team are highly critical of the fatal accident process, which they say is too slow, insensitive to families and fails to make binding recommendations. But she added: “There should be some sort of mandatory, transparent investigation for anyone who dies while in the detention of the state.” She also raised concerns about the increase in the number of people from deprived communities being sectioned, claiming that previous work into deaths in state care showed that families from these communities would have additional barriers in advocating for themselves and their loved ones. No cause of death is given in the statistics released by the Mental Welfare Commission but there have been concerns raised about the number of suicides in mental health wards. [![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-01-at-17.34.09.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/suicide-self-harm-cause-death-young-people-care/) An [investigation by the BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2gdyv4wzjo?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20there%20were%2011,of%203.7%20per%2010%2C000%20admissions.) in March 2025 found that a patient takes their own life in Scotland’s mental health hospitals nearly every five weeks on average, with families raising concerns that not enough was being done to protect vulnerable people. It also found that the [Health and Safety Executive](https://www.hse.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (HSE) had issued improvement notices to three hospitals – one in Highland, another in Lanarkshire and a third in Forth Valley – in recent years for failing to reduce the risks of patient suicides. In 2023 student [Jake Llewellyn](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1rvqy9zq7jo?ref=theferret.scot), who was just 26, died at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, near Falkirk. A police investigation into his death is still ongoing. > “If lessons had been learned then maybe Luke would still be here.” > > Karen Mckeown Mental health campaigner[ Karen Mckeown](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-60158804?ref=theferret.scot),whose partner took his own life after asking for medical help eight times in the week leading up to his death, said she agreed “100 percent” with the call for mandatory investigations. She said this should also include those with contact with services just prior to their death. She has previously called for a review of mental health services and claims that the way hospital staff “dismissed” her partner Luke Henderson’s mental distress is a widespread issue. “Deaths in the mental health services are not handled properly or sensitive with the families,” she told The Ferret, claiming that basic errors on internal reviews made them “not worth the paper they are written on”. Life saving lessons could be learned from introducing mandatory investigations, she insisted, adding: “I have fellow campaigners who have lost loved ones the same way I lost Luke and had the same struggles. If lessons had been learned then \[from previous cases\] maybe Luke would still be here. And if lessons were learned from Luke’s case maybe many behind him that I could name would still be here.” A spokesperson for the Mental Welfare Commission said it “remains keen to extend its investigation remit in relation to deaths in detention and homicides and continues to discuss this with the Scottish Government”. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Each of these deaths is tragic and we will carefully consider the findings of this sobering annual report. The health and wellbeing of all those detained under mental health legislation is a priority for the Scottish Government and we continue to work with partners to ensure their safety.” *Cover image thanks to iStock/Kayode Fashola* ### Who are Scotland’s richest people? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/who-are-scotlands-richest-people/ Last updated: 2026-03-17T15:48:47.000Z **The power and influence of the wealthiest in society has been one of the main themes of The Ferret’s Who Runs Scotland series.** We’ve looked at how powerful people and actors have leveraged their influence to impact policy and government decision-making. But who are Scotland’s richest people, and how did they make their money? As part of Who Runs Scotland, we’ve taken a look. #### **1\. Anders Holch Povlsen** **What is their net worth?** £6.73bn – 24th richest person in the UK (Sunday Times Rich list) **How did they make their fortune?** Fashion, online shopping, financial services Anders Holch Povlsen is [Scotland’s richest man](https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list?ref=theferret.scot), and has been [measured by Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/profile/anders-holch-povlsen/?ref=theferret.scot) as one of the 200 wealthiest people on the planet. His primary business interest has been retailer [Bestseller](https://bestseller.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which began as a small shop run by Povlsen’s parents in the Danish town of Ringkobing. He took over the firm aged 28, and has built it into a multimillion pound fashion empire with 2,800 shops across 44 countries. Bestseller owns a number of well-known brands, including Jack & Jones, Only & Sons, and Lil Atelier. The firm also owns part of the Topshop and Topman brands, and is a major shareholder in online clothes retailer ASOS. He and his wife Anne [bought the 42,000-acre Glenfeshie estate](https://wildland.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) in the Cairngorms for £8m in 2006, and through their company [Wildland](https://wildland.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), they are attempting a significant, although at times controversial, rewilding project in the area. They are Scotland’s [largest private landowners](https://andywightman.scot/docs/WOS%5F2024%5FPRELIM%5Fv2.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), according to research from Who Owns Scotland. Povlsen’s firm [secretly lobbied](https://www.theferret.scot/landowner-lobbied-minister-on-spaceport/) Scottish Government ministers in 2020 in opposition to a proposed spaceport in Sutherland, near to one of his estates. The billionaire reportedly has a significant stake in a separate spaceport in the northern tip of the Shetland Islands. He also faced criticism after private jets he [owned made over 1,000 flights](https://www.theferret.scot/private-jets-took-over-1000-flights-in-four-years/) in four years, despite his reputation as a champion of the environment. A number of flights were made from Denmark to Inverness, before Povlsen celebrated his 50th birthday. Pop legend [Lionel Richie](https://www.northern-scot.co.uk/news/lionel-richie-flies-into-inverness-airport-317762/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Richie%20performed%20his%20many%20hits,for%20his%20late%2Dnight%20departure.) was reportedly flown in for the lavish bash, at Aldourie Castle on the banks of Loch Ness. #### **2\. Glenn Gordon and family** **What is their net worth?** £5.619bn – 36th in UK **How did they make their fortune?** Drinks industry The chairman of [William Grant and Sons](https://www.williamgrant.com/gb/we/?ref=theferret.scot#our-story), Gordon is a descendant of the company’s founder. His company owns some of Scotland and the world’s most well-known drinks brands, [including](https://www.williamgrant.com/gb/we/?ref=theferret.scot#our-story) whiskies like Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Hendrick’s gin and Sailor Jerry rum. The firm faced an inquiry in 2025 over [its acquisition](https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/william-grant-and-sons-slash-the-famous-grouse-merger-inquiry?ref=theferret.scot) of the Famous Grouse brand by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), but the deal was cleared after an investigation. Gordon, [who is now based in Jersey](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/thAMI4c5i8u82mhO4g36LG7qTnk/appointments?ref=theferret.scot), is a director of William Grant and Sons alongside his cousin Peter, who preceded Gordon as chairman of the firm. #### **3\. Sir Ian Wood and family** **What is their net worth?** £1.911bn – 88th in UK **How did they make their fortune?** Oil and gas services Sir Ian Wood is one of Scotland’s highest-profile businessmen. The company he founded, Wood group, has become an oil services multinational with operations in more than 50 countries. He retired as chairman in 2012, but remains a director of [JW Holdings](https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/DrE80phR5aLPbeqBDx2%5FYEi57x6ENbUgtgKpGL%5FNwUk/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3KKOEOELI%2F20250430%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4%5Frequest&X-Amz-Date=20250430T133926Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEAsaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJIMEYCIQDT3I91pabgq9gas2xy1W3qLIDVH5qtXu%2FcqjhGHOsk8gIhAKq%2F45C19wpSTwoc%2FubbaUaP7Fe9ttT6KOHnNfs%2BBW7ZKsQFCKT%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEQBRoMNDQ5MjI5MDMyODIyIgw34lS5EWubodkk7N8qmAUQaKGqg80A%2BJn8syQNU3sspg0rWTWdU3%2BI%2F52bOl7aFE1aoVeR8n11vePFlZWq3HNWZtPxmL1MeoWtE3jte5hrjGKHvF5ivtJK%2Fsk9w4IJx6zspefgBCRs4K4bJmM4%2BK%2BOfuMPernvaSllkbakOabe3nmvzRSW4h4JON47VbH7rxzaOaABCDVuGuNU2jXBFBXSGpVX2c%2FNfuQk%2FHQhbvjfcgGu4fkPh2QWNTLEHE6tBb1KK8Jzlzyj7%2FDG%2FFQL7uA04cxMJ5GbafDmkuRNKchr17eUMkL%2FFudq03kTDsmE4CPkVrTiCK%2BcPfurJ0gmpE7UhUETE0QpMneINzZetaJzxsOFzzSzyZ1nZn6FDYBvIVMeFYHM53vPwtc7Fn1zM0R2arYOMmxSfNWx0DpMMtzhnT%2FRfMK22Cq%2BuuvMaLH7ngh0BHCwiajBHXZMsB0CHQLmeXKDuJlckbGk0xrJ7bojkW%2FlktQ%2FG%2F5J6ewaMpJua12LfaYOK2gVI5gr3U9EW%2FT%2FaZ5MjF0%2Fy0pFitKW5jYYKpiHKoRN6NzeH0OAkzjN4l%2B8esuIOkb8PUd%2BzHQvEvunep4B3upU4y375Z13mjT6snqIf%2F0LIvIbXWn%2Fy4%2FmbYEJuhPTXYx5bHeiBkr7x6sKfm5WfudUqfWeNVkBGi9DBWd1WE6vw9Tf8eq%2BlGyY5ljiVdKXCIMD2TKdDhn8i5XdokbfTs73jWZjpjzvOSK7meXn7KRNczx7VD8UfmXmSVpEBGxTKM2JzTlIl0UudprXUdXjquPbGq7xpPcM6uDR97oq2wWju9DgPPdrB6PB%2BEVTk6kSV%2FgSAkY%2FWB96YBOj6slqdSKCQF4rr9%2FVmQ28bNi%2B8MMB5tDKYv4KwHdDzmshFjgMUBMKMK2LyMAGOrABTZNuH7zpLfYsPU98uMvAfqc9GJ%2FhTcAupIsbG8r5O9ls2OMgBX36urOOMjJga8NHm9Ya5nSf%2B3VGHflrVoGZDhP4Y88qHbIjEJ%2Fbvzo7t98FO0ryhupFbir3iZTQkljbr0zz3Ql3dFgzAKINijJWxzf7O8w3aveo8nz%2FM10%2BT3ObDNtAHSlusad7vqWJYr7S6T2xX2Mmeug%2BBtNS1h9r402PIRPmcpDV00vuIKRix1I%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies%5Fhouse%5Fdocument.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=19820df31fcfa1b44f0181c81a9a6ff160d636e286eb52bb952cdfda0fece48e&ref=theferret.scot), which is one of Scotland’s largest fishing firms. Since leaving Wood, he has spent time on various business interests, including [Opportunity North East (ONE)](https://www.opportunitynortheast.com/about?ref=theferret.scot), a group which promotes entrepreneurial growth in north east Scotland. The Aberdeen-born businessman has exerted influence over Scottish and UK Government policy, In 2013, he [undertook a review](https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/wood-review-implementation-team?ref=theferret.scot#government-response-and-latest-developments) of how the UK’s recovery of oil and gas could be maximised, with his recommendations being accepted by ministers. Wood has also regularly made public political interventions, [querying](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-28867487?ref=theferret.scot) the Scottish Government’s predictions on oil and gas before the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. He also belatedly expressed [support](https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/scottish-politics/1901632/sir-ian-wood-now-favours-brexit-but-still-opposes-independence/?ref=theferret.scot) for Brexit, having voted to stay in Europe in the 2016 referendum. #### **4\. Mahdi Al-Tajir** **What is their net worth?** £1.641bn – 102nd in UK **How did they make their fortune?** Metals, oil and gas, mineral water, property Keir House, a [15,000-acre estate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keir%5FHouse?ref=theferret.scot) in Perthshire, is the centre of Mahdi Al-Tajir’s Scottish business empire. It is here that his bottled water firm, Highland Spring, is based. Born in Bahrain, Al-Tajir was [once the United Arab Emirates ambassador](https://web.archive.org/web/20110924200353/http://www.cnbcmagazine.com/story/the-worlds-richest-arabs/111/1) to the UK. He was a [close ally and advisor](https://vlex.co.uk/vid/fayed-v-tajir-793914965?ref=theferret.scot) to the UAE’s founder, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and worked as Dubai’s head of customs. He was also involved in the emirate’s petroleum exports, and was once described as “the Mr Fixit of Dubai”. He bought Keir House in 1975, and splits his time between there and a reported residence in London. Aside from Highland Spring, Al-Tajir [also has investments](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/DKritUE1DoqKb85k-bLbQCrXCoY/appointments?ref=theferret.scot) in luxury hotel, The Park Tower, in London and property firms. #### **5\. Lady Philomena Clark and family** **What is their net worth?** £1.581bn – 106th in UK **How did they make their fortune?** Car dealerships Philomena Clark [took over as chair](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC036386/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) of Arnold Clark Automobiles, after her [husband’s death](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-39554441?ref=theferret.scot) in 2017\. She now runs the firm, which has nearly 200 dealerships across the UK. She has kept a relatively low profile, with her [business holdings](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/Ei-4ZYVbDxdboZ0v8re2QcNksIk/appointments?ref=theferret.scot) mainly linked to the automobile industry. In 2022, the [company suffered](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-64488013?ref=theferret.scot) a cyber attack from a Russian ransomware group, with customers having bank details and ID documents stolen. Her husband, Sir Arnold became the UK’s first car billionaire in 2016, and was known to race [yachts and collect vintage cars](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-39554441?ref=theferret.scot). ### Edinburgh University told staff it bought valuable property amid funding crisis…then denied it URL: https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-university-bought-property-then-denied-it/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T16:59:17.000Z **Unions have called for urgent clarity from Edinburgh university after it published an “incorrect” memo that said the cash-strapped institution had purchased an iconic A-listed office block while it was laying off staff.** An internal communication from the university to staff in late March – shared with The Ferret – said it had bought the former Scottish Widows building opposite Edinburgh’s Commonwealth swimming pool the previous month. However in response to queries from The Ferret, a spokesperson for the university denied it had bought the building. They did not explain how the miscommunication had occurred. Pressed further, a spokesperson said “at this stage, all we can say is that any information suggesting the university has bought the building is incorrect”. The property on Dalkeith Road in the Newington area of the city is known for its distinctive brown hexagonal buildings. Staff reacted with anger and disappointment to the confusion around the purchase, while the union said it had now lost any remaining trust it had in management. The information was shared in an online post just weeks after the university announced £140m of cuts over the next 18 months. The Ferret understands the post was taken down a few days later. ![Image description: Scottish Widows Building on a cloudy day](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1024px-Scottish_Widows_Building_-_geograph.org_.uk_-_7460415.jpg) Scottish Widows building, Edinburgh. Image: Geograph Britain and Ireland This week the university [said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj9e894z23jo?ref=theferret.scot) 350 staff had left through a voluntary severance scheme launched in January and that academic promotions would be frozen for the 2025-26 year. The university has not ruled out further compulsory redundancies. On Friday the University and College Union (UCU) branch released an [analysis](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/c48z2b86kjajaydwlztj2ffawcjzf6?ref=theferret.scot) claiming that up to 2,000 jobs might be at risk and more money than ever is being spent on buildings. The memo said the Scottish Widows building was bought as part of the university’s “capital plan” to continue its commitment to “world-class facilities” for students and staff. The UCU called for urgent answers over the confusion and clarity about whether buying the property was, or is, under consideration. The university told staff it had purchased the building in answer to a question posted on an internal online hub. The Ferret understands the question reflected longstanding rumours circulating amongst Edinburgh staff. ![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/AD_4nXfy2INMNcpwuYtXxe7VBOSXoRDrVcOvT1xNf-BLuoXMSik9wDKKrC88xVplGG1aRfXBc8UoPLtumfxp4l25bDowArF-UVJ3u2x3RT47uI2GywGbKl0i5YSijNLr6ZQ6vPKHwsNHOA.png) The union said the rumours were fuelled by the lack of “transparency and accountability” surrounding capital expenditure at the university. It claimed “finance and capital” were “driving the direction of the university rather than teaching and research”. Scottish Labour said “overstretched” university finances meant it was “more important than ever” that “all financial decisions are sound and high standards of transparency are being held”. The Dalkeith Road site has been vacant since 2020. But [plans](https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/articles/new-residential-quarter-approved-at-former-scottish-widows-headquarters-in-edinburgh?ref=theferret.scot) to redevelop it into a ‘business hub’ and nearly 200 apartments – of which 35 per cent were expected to be ‘affordable’ – were approved by the council in 2023. The cost of that refurbishment – which would [include](https://www.midlothianview.com/news/plans-approved-for-former-scottish-widows-headquarters?ref=theferret.scot) replacement of the building’s glass façade because it contained “significant amounts of asbestos” – was previously estimated to be £100m. University of Edinburgh management has [blamed](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13929/Edinburgh-university-principal-announces-university-planning-140million-of-cuts?ref=theferret.scot) factors including a fall in the recruitment of international students, “longstanding” underfunding of Scottish undergraduates and rising staff costs for its financial troubles. But the UCU – which is [balloting](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crrz0nxdlrxo?ref=theferret.scot) members on strike action – has accused senior staff of “manufacturing a crisis” to justify cuts and claim the biggest threat to its finances is “[unrestrained](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/3fzpaa5xmpw4rhswnawnydf8wk5te8?ref=theferret.scot)” capital spending on things like buildings. [Over 400 university staff earn more than the first ministerOver 400 members of staff at Scotland’s universities earn more than the first minister, despite a funding crisis engulfing the sector that could see lower paid roles axed. A Ferret analysis as part of our Who Runs Scotland series found at least 400 university staff are paid more than![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-29.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-695287958.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/university-staff-earn-more-than-the-first-minister/) A number of universities across Scotland – including Dundee, Robert Gordon and Aberdeen – are facing financial problems. The body that represents Scotland’s higher education institutions, Universities Scotland, [argues](https://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/he-funding/?ref=theferret.scot) the root cause of the crisis is underfunding. The amount the Scottish Government gives universities for each Scottish student has [declined](https://ifs.org.uk/articles/decline-foreign-students-and-higher-costs-create-perfect-storm-scottish-universities?ref=theferret.scot) in real terms for more than a decade. Universities have become increasingly dependent on income from international students — who often pay tens of thousands in fees — to plug the gap. [Analysis](https://www.theferret.scot/why-are-scottish-universities-worried-about-money/) by The Ferret last year showed seven of Scotland’s universities relied on international fees for more than a quarter of their total income in the 2022-23 academic year. There has been a [fall](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1w0y93w8vyo?ref=theferret.scot) in recruitment of non-EU students this year, partly because of a change to UK Government visa rules which made studying in Britain less attractive. Funding pressures have meant some universities have recorded operational deficits in recent years. Edinburgh, however, has continued to record surpluses – although it [says](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8gzd6n1g7o?ref=theferret.scot) these are now not sustainable – and has significant assets which the UCU says could be used to stave off job cuts. [Universities on the edge: How can we solve the funding crisis?Sitting in the midst of the usually buzzing Strathclyde University campus you might be forgiven for forgetting that – with three weeks to go till polling day – a general election campaign is raging across the country. Term finished last month and very few students are still here. Traditionally party leaders are![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-30.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1353470505.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/can-we-solve-the-universities-funding-crisis/) The union argues management has not been transparent in sharing details of modelling to forecast future deficits, and that the target of £140m in cuts had been set “arbitrarily”. It also [claims](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/6afemrfww6dcl38mnaaazm3exc6l9j?ref=theferret.scot) senior staff are incentivised to view buildings as “assets” and staff as “costs”. Announcing the scale of cuts in February, principal Sir Peter Mathieson said in an email that “steadily rising” staff numbers and pay rises in recent years had meant the amount spent on staff was “no longer sustainable” and had to be reduced. He wrote that capital spending was also being reviewed but reducing this would “only be a short term measure” and would “do nothing to address the underlying issues”. The university’s provost, Kim Graham, [said](https://archive.ph/oIXRd?ref=theferret.scot) at the start of April it was “exploring opportunities to dispose of buildings which are no longer strategically critical to the university”. Peter Mathieson himself has faced [scrutiny](https://thestudentnews.co.uk/2023/02/01/stupid-corrupt-its-tone-deaf-students-react-to-mathiesons-knighthood/?ref=theferret.scot) for his pay packet and expenses. He is one of the [highest earners](https://www.theferret.scot/university-staff-earn-more-than-the-first-minister/) in Scottish academia and staff said they had been left “speechless” to learn Mathieson had [received](https://thestudentnews.co.uk/2025/03/13/exclusive-vice-chancellor-accepts-four-figure-pay-rise-despite-140m-in-planned-cuts/?ref=theferret.scot) a 2.5 per cent pay rise in January, the month before he announced the scale of cuts the university is planning to make. The Ferret also [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-uni-staff-rage-principals-second-job-cuts/) in March that Mathieson had taken a second job at a company linked to the university last year, which critics said could distract him from the problems facing the institution. [‘A slap in the face’: Edinburgh uni staff rage at principal’s second job amid layoffsThe head of Edinburgh university has been accused of ‘greed’ for taking a second job just months before he announced staff cuts. University of Edinburgh principal and vice-chancellor Sir Peter Mathieson joined the board of Roslin Cell Therapies (CT) in June last year. The role at the biotech firm could![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-31.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1887406643.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-uni-staff-rage-principals-second-job-cuts/) According to [Sophia Woodman](https://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/staff/sophia-woodman?ref=theferret.scot), president of the Edinburgh branch of the UCU, the confusion around the purchase “makes it extremely difficult” to “trust anything” university management says. “Yet I’m not even that surprised,” she told The Ferret. She claimed that graphs shared showing cashflow “have subsequently been changed”. Woodman continued: “Peter Mathieson has said in public that he has shared detailed financial modelling when all we’ve had is eight slides, two of which were title slides. “It means we all wonder if the underlying assumptions could also be wrong”. She called for “urgent clarity” and for the university to confirm whether buying the Scottish Widows building “had been under consideration”. A university spokesperson told The Ferret: “The university has not acquired 15 Dalkeith Road. We are reviewing all capital expenditure as we assess affordability across all university activities.” ### **‘Marie Antoinette moment’?** Meanwhile, a new freedom of information (FoI) request shared with The Ferret has revealed guests were wined and dined at the private home Mathieson lives in free-of-charge in the affluent new town area of the city. The university said ten events had been hosted at the property since November 2023\. Guests enjoyed delicacies including champagne, caviar crème fraiche, and wild mushroom and truffle arancini. At one end of year reception for 40 staff, seven bottles of wine and 10 bottles of prosecco were downed. Guests also enjoyed canapes such as avocado on savoury biscuit and haggis bon bon, whisky and mustard. The cost of that event was £906. At a working dinner last June, 14 people had gin-cured salmon, potato veloute and turnip chou croute, alongside a prime Scotch fillet of beef. Three bottles of £65 champagne were also drunk at the event which cost £1300. Edinburgh said in the FoI response that the principal’s residence was “not solely used as a family home, but also as a venue for hosting formal university events. “This includes events to welcome international guests, which strengthens the university’s global reputation and increases our partnerships and potential funding streams,” it argued. Referring to the events at Mathieson’s house, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton claimed it could be Edinburgh university’s “Marie Antoinette moment”. > University funding in Scotland is fundamentally no longer fit for purpose and Scotland’s world-class universities are being put at risk and young Scots are being failed as a result. > > Pam Duncan Glancy, Scottish Labour’s education spokesperson He added: “Constituents are contacting my office concerned about their jobs. They will have absolutely no truck with lavish spending from university bosses when they and their colleagues are staring down the barrel of compulsory job cuts. “Since the news of prospective cuts emerged, I have been in contact with the Principal about the situation at the university and I will keep up the pressure on behalf of all the staff and students who this will affect.” Scottish Labour’s education spokesperson Pam Duncan Glancy said: “At a time when university finances are so overstretched, it is more important than ever that all financial decisions are sound and high standards of transparency are being upheld. “However, university funding in Scotland is fundamentally no longer fit for purpose and Scotland’s world-class universities are being put at risk and young Scots are being failed as a result.” A spokesperson for Edinburgh university said: “The university has not acquired 15 Dalkeith Road. We are reviewing all capital expenditure as we assess affordability across all university activities. “The principal’s residence is often used as a venue for hosting formal university events to welcome an array of guests, such as dignitaries, international partners and other supporters. All hospitality was provided using standard menus from our internal university catering service. “These events help to enhance the university’s reputation, strengthen our partnerships and potential funding streams.” *Main image: Greg Bouchillon/iStock* ### A third of Scotland’s newspapers owned in US tax haven URL: https://www.theferret.scot/third-of-scotland-newspapers-owned-in-us-tax-haven/ Last updated: 2025-11-19T11:28:50.000Z **Nearly a third of Scotland’s most-read national newspapers are owned in a US tax haven – and that proportion may soon rise to half, The Ferret can reveal.** As part of our Who Runs Scotland series, The Ferret analysed the ownership of the 21 national newspapers that adults in Scotland say they read – both in print and online – according to media regulator Ofcom’s 2024 news [survey](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/tv-radio-and-on-demand-research/tv-research/news/news-consumption-2024/news-consumption-in-the-uk-2024---scotland.pdf?v=379762&ref=theferret.scot). We found that six titles are owned by companies incorporated in Delaware, US, where it is easy to set up corporate entities [without disclosing](https://www.icij.org/news/2024/08/us-lags-on-financial-transparency-compared-to-other-developed-nations-researchers-say/?ref=theferret.scot) the true owners. The publishers behind more four papers are the target of a takeover bid involving an investment firm based in the [tax haven](https://news.uchicago.edu/how-tax-dodging-and-corporate-secrecy-found-home-delaware-hal-weitzman?ref=theferret.scot) state. Not one of the seven companies that own the most-read Scottish titles are incorporated in Scotland. ![](https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/k4Rmh/full.png) Other than the six newspapers incorporated in Delaware, three are owned in Jersey, and 10 are owned in England, while the ownership of two more are in limbo. Media reform campaigners said Holyrood and Westminster must do more to prevent concentrated media ownership. Tax campaigners claimed the Delaware-ownership of Scottish media created a risk of “tax abuse”, and that secrecy provisions in the US state could allow anonymous owners to “subvert domestic politics” via their newspapers’ content. ### **Who owns Scotland’s papers?** [Reach PLC](https://www.reachplc.com/home?ref=theferret.scot) publishes the most Scottish nationals – the Daily Record, Sunday Mail, Daily Star of Scotland, Scottish Daily Express and Scottish Sunday Express, as well as The Mirror and online publications including Glasgow Live and Edinburgh Live. The London-based firm is chaired by [Nicholas Prettejohn](https://www.reachplc.com/nicholas-prettejohn?ref=theferret.scot), who also chairs TSB Banking Group, and is an independent director of the polling firm, YouGov. [Jim Mullen](https://www.reachplc.com/about-us/our-board?ref=theferret.scot), Reach’s chief executive, held senior roles at gambling firms and News International – which is now called News UK. The London-based [News UK](https://www.news.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) publishes the Scottish Sun, Scottish Sun on Sunday, and the Scotland editions of The Times and Sunday Times. Chief executive [Rebekah Brooks](https://www.news.co.uk/who-we-are/executives/rebekah-brooks/?ref=theferret.scot) once edited The Sun, and the News of World tabloid, which ceased publication following a phone hacking scandal. News UK’s parent, [News Corp](https://newscorp.com/news-corp-leadership/?ref=theferret.scot), which is [incorporated](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01893198/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) in Delaware, is owned by the family of billionaire media baron, Rupert Murdoch, and [chaired](https://newscorp.com/news-corp-leadership/?ref=theferret.scot) by his son, Lachlan. Also [incorporated](https://opencorporates.com/companies/us%5Fde/5644893?ref=theferret.scot) in Delaware is [Gannett](https://www.gannett.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which owns The Herald, Herald on Sunday, The National and the Sunday National, [plus](https://www.newsquest.co.uk/news-brands?ref=theferret.scot) the Scottish Farmer and more than 20 Scottish locals including the Glasgow Times. Its titles are published by [Newsquest Media Group](https://www.newsquest.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which is headquartered in London and has a registered office in Newport, Wales. Ownership of The Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph – both of which have Scotland editions – is in a state of limbo. The billionaire Barclay family [agreed](https://news.sky.com/story/telegraph-put-up-for-sale-after-ownership-battle-with-government-13126107?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=RedBird%20IMI%20announced%20it%20had,state%20ownership%20of%20UK%20newspapers.) to pass ownership to a fund bankrolled by the United Arab Emirates’ royal family after it paid off their debts. But after the UK Government intervened to block ownership by a foreign state, the fund withdrew its bid. > A free and healthy democracy depends on a free and independent media. > > A spokesperson for the Media Reform Coalition In March, US businessman, Todd Boehly, and Northern Irish media mogul, [David Montgomery](https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-montgomery-1911b121/?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot), made a [joint bid](https://news.sky.com/story/chelsea-owner-boehly-and-montgomery-in-talks-about-daily-telegraph-bid-13337159?ref=theferret.scot) to buy the Telegraph titles and the Leeds-based National World, which owns The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and [19 Scottish locals](https://corporate.nationalworld.com/about-us/publications/?ref=theferret.scot) including Edinburgh Evening News. Boehly is acting via a media arm of his investment firm, Eldridge Industries, which is [incorporated](https://opencorporates.com/companies/us%5Fde/5654605?ref=theferret.scot) in Delaware. If his bid is successful, 50 per cent of Scotland’s most-read newspapers would be at least partly owned in the US tax haven state. Billionaire Lord Rothermere, another press baron, is a controller and executive director of the London-based [Daily Mail and General Trust](https://www.dmgt.com/?ref=theferret.scot) (DMGT). It owns the Scottish Daily Mail, Scottish Mail on Sunday and the Scottish editions of the Metro and the i Paper, via its [DMG Media](https://www.dmgmedia.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) subsidiary. Rothermere owns DMGT via the Jersey-registered Rothermere Continuation Limited, a company controlled via a trust “held for the benefit of Viscount Rothermere and his immediate family”, according to DMGT’s [latest accounts](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00184594/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot). The Guardian and The Observer do not have dedicated Scottish print editions, but are widely available in Scotland. The Guardian’s publisher, [Guardian Media Group](https://www.theguardian.com/gmg/2018/jul/24/about-guardian-media-group?ref=theferret.scot) (GMG), and its owner, [The Scott Trust Limited](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06706464?ref=theferret.scot), are both London-based. Named after The Guardian’s original editor and owner CP Scott, the trust does not have an ultimate controlling party. Its chair is the Norway-based [Ole Jacob Sunde](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ole-jacob-sunde-9b90ab18?originalSubdomain=no&ref=theferret.scot), the founder and chair of a Nordic wealth management firm. [As of](https://www.theguardian.com/info/2025/apr/07/observer-faqs?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Ownership%20of%20the%20Observer%20is,Limited%20to%20Tortoise%20Media%20Limited.) 22 April, The Observer’s new owner is the London-based [Tortoise Media Limited](https://www.tortoisemedia.com/2024/12/04/tortoise-and-the-observer?ref=theferret.scot). The news platform does not have a controlling party but [James Harding](https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-harding-422371139/?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot), its co-founder and editor, is the biggest shareholder. Harding is a former editor of The Times and director of BBC news. Fellow co-founder and chair of Tortoise is [Matthew Barzun](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewbarzun/?ref=theferret.scot), who was US ambassador to the UK, and a fundraiser for Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. ### **Other titles** Other titles that are widely available in Scotland, but did not feature in the results of the news consumption survey, include The Sunday Post – the only national paper owned in Scotland. It is published by the Dundee-headquartered [DC Thomson](https://www.dcthomson.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), alongside regional papers The Courier, Dundee Evening Telegraph, the Press and Journal and the Aberdeen Evening Express. [According to](https://www.dcthomson.co.uk/about-us/?ref=theferret.scot) its website, DC Thomson remains a “family-owned business” and its directors are all descendants of original founder, William Thomson. The publishing firm’s [accounts](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC005830/officers?ref=theferret.scot) show there is no individual controlling party. The Independent and The Independent on Sunday – online-only since 2016 – belong to the London-registered [Independent Digital News and Media](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07320345?ref=theferret.scot). Its biggest controlling shareholders include Russian-born billionaire and son of former KGB agent, [Lord Evgeny Lebedev](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4900/contact?ref=theferret.scot). Lebedev was elevated to the House of Lords after being nominated by [his friend](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/oct/21/parties-politics-peerages-boris-johnson-evgeny-lebedev-friendship?ref=theferret.scot) and then-prime minister, Boris Johnson, in 2020\. The other major controllers are media mogul Justin Byam Shaw, and Saudi Arabian investor, Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel. A UK Government legal representative [told a court](https://www.ft.com/content/4545d17a-ad63-11e9-8030-530adfa879c2?ref=theferret.scot) that Abuljadayel’s purchase of his stake from Lebedev via a Cayman Islands firm was “unconventional, complex and clandestine”. The Financial Times is owned by the Tokyo-based Japanese media giant, [Nikkei Inc](https://www.nikkei.co.jp/nikkeiinfo/en/corporate/?ref=theferret.scot), while the socialist Morning Star is owned by the [People’s Press Printing Society](https://www.uk.coop/directory/morning-star?ref=theferret.scot), a London-based reader’s cooperative and [registered society](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/IP12750R?ref=theferret.scot). The Ferret is a non-profit investigative journalism cooperative [registered](https://mutuals.fca.org.uk/Search/Society/18834?ref=theferret.scot) in Edinburgh. It is [funded](https://www.theferret.scot/transparency/) by member subscriptions, grants, event and training fees, and story sales to other media organisations. ### **TV, radio and online** The publicly-owned BBC Scotland, headquartered in Glasgow, has several TV channels, radio stations and an online news service. Director [Hayley Valentine](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y3j5dvzwdo?ref=theferret.scot) was launch editor of BBC Scotland’s [ill-fated](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68346649?ref=theferret.scot) The Nine, head of the BBC radio newsroom, and executive producer of Question Time. STV is also based in Glasgow with news broadcast via its TV channel. It is largely owned by investment firms, with London’s Slater Investments [holding](https://markets.ft.com/data/equities/tearsheet/profile?s=STVG:LSE&ref=theferret.scot) the biggest stake – 19 per cent. Group chair [Paul Reynolds](https://www.stvplc.tv/about-us/leadership/board-of-directors/paul-reynolds/?ref=theferret.scot) worked for BT and other telecoms firms. Chief executive, [Rufus Radcliffe](https://www.stvplc.tv/about-us/leadership/board-of-directors/rufus-radcliffe/?ref=theferret.scot), held senior roles at ITV south of the border, and worked at Channel 4. Channel 4 has a creative hub in Glasgow and the publicly-owned channel’s board [is appointed](https://www.channel4.com/corporate/about-4/operating-responsibly/freedom-information/frequently-asked-questions?ref=theferret.scot) by media regulator, [Ofcom](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/home?ref=theferret.scot), in agreement with the UK Government media secretary. Sky News is also a notable news source for Scots. It is owned by Comcast Corporation, which is headquartered in Pennsylvania, US. ### **Scots media ownership ‘a genuine worry’** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/2022-07-16_16_14_35_View_east_along_Delaware_State_Route_8_-Halltown_Road-_at_First_State_Street_in_Marydel-_Kent_County-_Delaware.jpg) A sign welcoming motorists to Delaware. Image taken in 2022\. Credit: [Famartin](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Famartin?ref=theferret.scot) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot)) The north eastern US state of Delaware is the second smallest after Rhode Island. It has long been the adopted home of Joe Biden, who represented the state in the US senate for 36 years before standing down to become vice president, and later president. But Delaware is also known as a tax haven, with [more registered](https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691180007/whats-the-matter-with-delaware?ref=theferret.scot) businesses than residents. The state, [according to](https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691180007/whats-the-matter-with-delaware?ref=theferret.scot) former Financial Times journalist and author of What’s the Matter with Delaware?, Hal Weitzman, allows for tax dodging, and syphons the earnings of some of the poorest people in society. Alex Cobham, chief executive of the [Tax Justice Network](https://taxjustice.net/?ref=theferret.scot), said the state is “a major provider of anonymous and opaque company registration” and called it “a genuine worry that between a third and a half of the press in Scotland is or will be Delaware-owned.” He claimed tax haven ownership of media organisations can obscure the controlling interests of a company, “offering scope for tax abuse”, and “may be genuinely hostile to national interests, and seek to subvert domestic politics for its own ends”. ### **Calls for media ownership reform** Cobham and others called on the Scottish and UK Governments to reform the media by preventing concentrated ownership, and enforcing greater transparency measures. “Holyrood should consider a sensible minimum standard for regulation that would include requirements to publish full beneficial ownership information, and full annual accounts for the whole business structure behind each Scottish press outlet,” said Cobham. A spokesperson for the [Media Reform Coalition](https://www.mediareform.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said: “A free and healthy democracy depends on a free and independent media. But for decades the UK has been in a severe crisis of concentrated media ownership, and this new research shows that Scotland’s media faces the same dangerous challenges.” The coalition called on the UK Government to “create a proactive, future-proof framework for protecting and promoting media plurality, with clear market caps on media ownership, power to impose public interest obligations on the largest media companies, and stronger independent media regulation to ensure high standards”. Jonathan Heawood, executive director of the [Public Interest News Foundation](https://www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), said: “The media play a vital role in democracy, so it’s problematic when the owners of the media aren’t accountable to citizens and residents in the country where they operate. “Our research shows that people are more likely to trust local media that is locally owned, so offshore ownership is hardly likely to inspire loyalty among audiences.” [Julian Calvert](https://www.gcu.ac.uk/staff/juliancalvert?ref=theferret.scot), a journalism lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University, said most papers covering Scotland have “been in decline for 30 years” and that “ownership by large groups focussed on hitting short-term profits has certainly been a factor.” The owners of all named publishing firms and individuals linked to tax havens were approached for comment. Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel could not be reached. *Update: At 14:57 on 24 April, we corrected a claim in this this article that 13 of Scotland’s most-read newspapers are owned in England. In fact, three of these titles are owned in Jersey, with the other 10 owned south of the border. We also updated a chart to reflect these amendments.* *Main image: lorenzo grifantini/iStock* ### Whisky, salmon and the black, black oil: Who runs Scotland’s most iconic exports? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/whisky-salmon-oil-who-runs-scotlands-exports/ Last updated: 2026-05-01T16:13:10.000Z In our Who Runs Scotland series so far, we have revealed the industries which have the most access to political power in Scotland through lobbying meetings with our ministers, MPs and MSPs. Our analysis [found that three of Scotland’s most high-profile and powerful industries](https://www.theferret.scot/lobbying-scotland-business-scottish-ministers/) – oil and gas, fish farming, and whisky – have repeatedly attempted to exert influence over Scottish politics in this way. These iconic exports are often assumed to be working hard for Scotland’s economy. But where does their ownership really lie? Which companies are behind some of Scotland’s best known exports, which are trying to sway the decision-making of elected officials? #### **Whisky** *Total lobbying of Scottish MSPs since 2021:* ***243*** *Ownership outside the UK: *France, Thailand, Japan, Bermuda** Just a third of Scotch single malt whisky distilleries are owned in Scotland. Whisky is considered Scotland’s national drink – besides Irn-Bru. The sector is important to Scottish tourism, employs 41,000 Scots, and generated £5.4bn in exports last year alone, [according to](https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/industry-insights/skills-and-inclusion/?ref=theferret.scot) the Scotch Whisky Association. But who actually owns our distilleries? According to our analysis, just 52 (34 per cent) of Scotland’s 153 [single malt](https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/discover-scotch/faqs/?ref=theferret.scot) whisky distilleries are owned in Scotland. Some 46 are owned by companies in England, 18 are owned in France, while seven belong to Japanese firms. Some distilleries bought out by offshore firms in recent years were founded as early as the 1700s – including Scotland’s oldest, Glenturret. Others include Bowmore, Oban, Tobermory, Highland Park, Jura and Laphroaig. Buyouts of Scots distilleries [are viewed](https://www.theferret.scot/the-worlds-richest-man-who-owns-scotlands-whisky/) as a positive sign of foreign investment by some. Critics, however, have expressed concern that profits could be siphoned out of Scotland. **Distillery owners** The Ferret looked at distilleries which produce single malt whiskies. These are whiskies which are produced at one distillery, in copper pot stills, and from water and malted barley without any additional cereals. Single malts make up many of Scotland’s most iconic and prestigious whisky brands. To be branded as single malt Scotch whisky, the drink must be bottled – but not owned – in Scotland. Today, 32 distilleries – more than a fifth – are held by the London-listed international spirits giant, Diageo – the single largest owner. Most were founded in the 18th or 19th century. They include well-known malts like Oban, Talisker in Skye, and Glen Ord, Glendullan, and Dufftown distilleries, which produce Singleton whiskies. The French spirits group, Pernod Ricard, owns 13 distilleries, including Scapa in Orkney, and Glenlivet, Aberlour and Tormore. Other major foreign owners are Thailand’s ThaiBev, Philippines-based Emperador, Japan’s Beam Suntory, and Bermuda-owned Bacardi. Each firm controls five Scottish distilleries. Beam Suntory-owned distilleries include Auchentoshan, Laphroaig and Bowmore, while ThaiBev owns Tamnavulin, Jura, Dalmore and others. Perthshire-based Glenturret – the oldest distillery in the country, which was founded in 1775 – is owned in Switzerland. #### **Oil and Gas** *Total lobbying of Scottish MSPs since 2021:* 238 *Ownership outside the UK: *Norway, Canada, US** Scotland is considered the largest producer of oil and the second largest producer of gas in Europe, according to [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/managing-coasts-and-seas/oil-and-gas?ref=theferret.scot). According to [Offshore Energies UK](https://oeuk.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (OEUK), the trade body for the North Sea industry, just under half – around 90,000– of the nearly [220,000 jobs](https://oeuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Economic-Report-2023-Offshore-Energies-UK-OEUK.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=13) supported by the UK oil and gas sector are in Scotland. But arguments about who owns Scotland’s oil and gas have long raged. We looked at the operators with the biggest stake in the highest producing oil and gas production hubs in the Scottish adjacent waters of the North Sea according to [Dundas Consultants](https://archive.ph/ZyxxA?ref=theferret.scot) and found the majority are owned by foreign companies or governments outside of the UK. The rest were owned by companies ultimately registered in England. Only one in ten of these companies’ directors was registered as resident in Scotland on Companies House with less than half based in the UK. **Oil and gas field owners** Total Energies operates the two biggest production hubs in the North Sea and is one of the world’s [largest oil and gas companies](https://energy-oil-gas.com/news/the-10-biggest-oil-companies-powering-the-global-economy/?ref=theferret.scot), [registered](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/02172239?ref=theferret.scot) in France. The firm is the largest equity holder in the [Elgin](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/assets/elgin-franklin?ref=theferret.scot) hub, which at peak production was [turning out](https://www.reuters.com/article/business/energy/total-battles-to-extend-life-of-north-sea-field-idUSL8492369/?ref=theferret.scot) approximately seven per cent of total UK oil production. Other big players include UK firm [BP](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00102498?ref=theferret.scot) which has a majority stake in [fields](https://www.bp.com/en%5Fgb/united-kingdom/home/where-we-operate/north-sea/north-sea-portfolio.html?ref=theferret.scot) off the coast of Shetland. The company was once majority state-owned, but privatised under [Margaret Thatcher](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/contemporary-european-history/article/thatchers-north-sea-the-return-of-cheap-oil-and-the-neoliberalisation-of-european-energy/0ECD31517218BA73D24504BD2B47FD7C?ref=theferret.scot)’s government. Its biggest shareholders now are [reportedly](https://www.ft.com/content/25cd4cac-631f-467c-a372-00d0fdb2dfe0?ref=theferret.scot) the American asset management giants BlackRock, Vanguard and activist investor Elliot, which is said to have played a [role](https://www.hedgeweek.com/elliott-facing-potential-showdown-with-bp-institutional-investors/?ref=theferret.scot) in BP’s decision to row back on its green targets. [Serica](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05450950?ref=theferret.scot) is a lesser known UK-based firm which merged with energy company Tailwind in 2023\. That company’s largest voting shareholder is Swiss oil trading firm [Mercuria](https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/news/2022-12/herbert-smith-freehills-advises-mercuria-in-relation-to-sale-of-tailwind-energy-to-serica?ref=theferret.scot). It operates the [Bruce field](https://www.serica-energy.com/bruce-area-ICOP?ref=theferret.scot). Some of the biggest production hubs are majority owned by foreign governments. They include China National Offshore Oil Corporation or CNOOC Petroleum, established by the Chinese [state](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01051137?ref=theferret.scot) in 1982\. CNOOC UK’s immediate parent company is held in the British Virgin Isles, number one in the [corporate tax haven index](https://cthi.taxjustice.net/full-list?ref=theferret.scot). Its largest North Sea production hub is [Buzzard](https://cnoocinternational.com/operations/uk/?ref=theferret.scot), about 100 miles off the coast of Aberdeen. The Norwegian majority [state-owned oil company](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01285743?ref=theferret.scot), Equinor, formerly known as [Statoil](https://www.equinor.com/about-us/our-history?ref=theferret.scot), also has several holdings including an 80 per cent share in the proposed, and controversial, [Rosebank](https://www.equinor.com/energy/rosebank?ref=theferret.scot) oil field. Environmental activists [claim](https://foe.scot/press-release/rosebank-oil-field-uk-government-will-not-defend-the-indefensible/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Friends%20of%20the%20Earth%20Scotland%20just%20transition%20campaigner%20Rosie%20Hampton,fuel%20to%20the%20climate%20fire.) the field will increase emissions and drive climate change, which [Equinor denies](https://www.equinor.com/energy/rosebank?ref=theferret.scot). The remaining 20 per cent stake of Rosebank is held by Ithaca Energy, whose Israeli [parent company](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC272009?ref=theferret.scot), the [Delek Group,](https://markets.ft.com/data/equities/tearsheet/profile?s=DLEKG:TLV&ref=theferret.scot) is headed-up by billionaire [Yutzhak Tshuva](https://www.forbes.com/profile/yitzhak-tshuva/?ref=theferret.scot), who made his money in energy and property. In April 2024 The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/government-gave-oil-licences-to-idf-linked-firm/) that Delek also owns a stake in Delek Israel, a petrol station chain which held a multi-million-pound contract to provide refuelling services to Israeli military vehicles. Its contract was later extended, despite [widespread condemnation](https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15767.doc.htm?ref=theferret.scot) of the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza, which have [claimed](https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/15/middleeast/gaza-death-toll-40000-israel-war-intl/index.html?ref=theferret.scot) over 40,000 lives according to Palestinian officials. Delek has also been [named](https://www.theferret.scot/cambo-owner-blacklist-business-west-bank/) on a UN list of firms whose activities in the occupied West Bank caused “particular human rights concerns”. Other companies with foreign owners include Harbour Energy, founded by American private equity firm [EIG Global Energy Partners](https://eigpartners.com/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2014\. It purchased its first [North Sea assets](https://www.harbourenergy.com/about-us/our-history/?ref=theferret.scot) from Shell for $3bn three years later. Its largest stakeholder is now German-registered chemicals company BASF, following a merger with another company called Wintershall. Also topping the energy charts is Apache, which bought up the [Forties oil field](https://www.ice.org.uk/what-is-civil-engineering/infrastructure-projects/forties-oil-field?ref=theferret.scot) – one of the largest in the North Sea – in 2003\. Though ultimately [owned](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04614761?ref=theferret.scot) by US energy firm the [APA corporation](https://apacorp.com/?ref=theferret.scot), its immediate parent company is held in the Cayman Islands, a [corporate tax haven](https://cthi.taxjustice.net/?ref=theferret.scot). #### **Farmed salmon** *Total lobbying of Scottish MSPs since 2021: *116** *Ownership outside the UK: *Norway, Canada, US** Farmed salmon from Scotland is the UK’s biggest food export and global sales of Scottish salmon were worth £844m last year. The product is a key part of the UK Government’s ‘[Brand Scotland](https://www.scotland.org/more-info/about-us?ref=theferret.scot)’, which is an initiative to sell the “very best of Scotland to the world” The industry claims that [Scottish salmon](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/news/scottish-salmon-exports-hit-record-high?ref=theferret.scot) is “globally recognised for its superior quality” while the Scottish Government says “salmon is the jewel in the crown of Scotland’s world-class produce”. However, campaigners are highly [critical](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) of its environmental and animal welfare record. **Salmon farm owners** Mowi (formerly Marine Harvest), a Norwegian multinational operating in 70 countries, it is the world’s largest farming company and a major player in the Scottish market. Mowi Scotland has 48 farms that employ 1,500 staff in the Highlands. Its [largest shareholder](https://www.calameo.com/read/006652081dc562bfce8b7?ref=theferret.scot) is Geveran Trading, which is [registered in Cyprus](https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapid=40991268&ref=theferret.scot) and owned by Norway’s richest man, John Fredriksen, a shipping billionaire. [According to the US business magazine, Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/profile/john-fredriksen/?ref=theferret.scot), he is worth £12.9bn and lives as a tax exile in Cyprus. The second largest shareholder is the Norwegian state pension fund. Scottish Sea Farms is another significant firm in the sector with 660 staff and [46 fish farms](https://scottishseafarms.com/about-us/key-facts/?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland, including 22 in Orkney and 29 in Shetland. It is a subsidiary of the Norwegian firm, [Norskott Havbruk](https://www.salmar.no/en/about-salmar/?ref=theferret.scot), which is owned by two other Norwegian companies, [Leroy Seafood Group and Salmar.](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00958001/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) Most of [SalMar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SalMar?ref=theferret.scot)’s [shares](https://www.salmar.no/en/20-largest-shareholders/?ref=theferret.scot) are owned by the Norwegian investment company, [Kverva](https://kverva.no/en/?ref=theferret.scot), which is in turn owned by [Gustav Magnar Witzøe](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6285397/Gustav-Magnar-Witz-e-Worlds-youngest-male-billionaire-25-heir-model-gives-glimpse-life.html?ref=theferret.scot), another billionaire worth [£2.4bn,](https://www.forbes.com/profile/gustav-magnar-witzoe/?ref=theferret.scot) according to Forbes. Bakkafrost Scotland (formerly The Scottish Salmon Company) is owned by P/F Bakkafrost, a company in the Faroe Islands and its [largest shareholder](http://www.scottishsalmon.je/sample-page/8-2/?ref=theferret.scot) is the Norwegian state pension fund, Folketrygdfondet. Bakkafrost has [60 fish farm sites](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/members/bakkafrost-scotland?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Bakkafrost's%20salmon%20are%20reared%20in,apart%20in%20the%20international%20marketplace.) across the west coast of Scotland and employs over 500 people. Others are owned by North American firms such as Cooke Aquaculture Scotland which [runs salmon farms](https://www.cookeseafood.com/divisions/cooke-aquaculture/?ref=theferret.scot) in Canada, the US, Chile. It has 40 sites in Orkney and Shetland, where the firm employs 380 people. It is [ultimately owned](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC419789/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) by a Canadian multinational called Cooke Inc which is headquartered in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada. In Sutherland and the Hebrides, Loch Duart employs 167 people. The firm is [registered in](https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC195923?ref=theferret.scot) Glasgow but owned by an American fund called [SAF II Master Fund](https://www.salmonbusiness.com/loch-duart-sees-profits-fall-amid-expansion-plans/?ref=theferret.scot), which is managed by a US investment firm called [Vision Ridge Partners](https://vision-ridge.com/?ref=theferret.scot) in Boulder, Colorado. Organic Sea Harvest – registered in 2017 in Skye – is part-owned by [Villa Seafood UK](https://www.villaseafood.com/about/?ref=theferret.scot), a multinational seafood company, headquartered in Ålesund, Norway, and a Dutch firm called [Visscher Seafood](https://www.intrafish.com/salmon/visscher-seafood-leveraging-stake-in-scottish-salmon-farmer-to-expand-organic-market/2-1-1005029?zephr%5Fsso%5Fott=10k1Gi&ref=theferret.scot). OSH [announced in March](https://www.fishfarmingexpert.com/fish-mortality-mowi-scotland-organic-sea-harvest/mowi-has-bought-all-stock-from-organic-sea-harvest/1915469?ref=theferret.scot) that a decision had been made to fallow its farms at Culnacnoc and Invertote until refinancing could be agreed for the business, including for the development of a new farm near Balmaqueen. *Whisky image: iStock/bizoo\_n* *This article was updated at 09.02 on 23/04/25 to explain that Organic Sea Harvest is seeking refinancing.* ### Releasing pheasants boosts Lyme disease risk, claims new study URL: https://www.theferret.scot/releasing-pheasants-boosts-lyme-disease-risk-study/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T14:44:26.000Z **Releasing pheasants into the countryside may boost the risk of humans catching Lyme disease, according to new research from universities and the UK Health Security Agency.** [The study](https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/177210/?ref=theferret.scot), published in the journal Ecology Letters, found the bacteria that can cause [Lyme disease](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/?ref=theferret.scot) was almost 2.5 times more common in ticks located in areas where the [gamebirds](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/gamebirds/) were released. Some [35 to 48 million](https://www.gwct.org.uk/media/1251254/Gamebird-Releasing-Report-2021.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) pheasants are released into the UK countryside each year to be shot for sport. Lyme disease-infected ticks can be found right across Scotland, but are [most prevalent](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27030039/?ref=theferret.scot) in the Highlands and Tayside. [Millions of gamebirds imported during record bird flu outbreakMore than three million pheasants and partridges were imported into Scotland throughout the most severe bird flu outbreak in history – a move critics say risked endangering native birds. The most recent global strain of the highly contagious avian disease killed nearly four million birds in the UK, ranging from farmed![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-14.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/stockvault-common-pheasant202586.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/millions-gamebirds-imported-bird-flu-outbreak/) Contracting the disease can be [life-changing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-65557344?ref=theferret.scot), causing later-stage [symptoms](https://lymediseaseuk.com/symptoms/?ref=theferret.scot) including pain, muscle, heart and memory issues, disturbed sleep and fatigue, as well as anxiety and depression. The prevalence of ticks in Scotland is set to increase by a quarter in the coming decade under the most “optimistic” climate change scenario, according to a University of Stirling [study](https://www.stir.ac.uk/news/2024/august-2024-news/ticking-time-bomb-new-modelling-predicts-huge-increase-in-ticks-across-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) published last August. If global temperatures are limited to 1C by 2080, the prevalence of ticks will increase by 26 per cent, but under a 4C temperature rise, the number will almost double, with only the highest peaks in Scotland remaining too cold for the parasites. In the pheasant study, from the UK Government’s [Health Security Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency?ref=theferret.scot) and academics at Cardiff and Exeter universities, researchers studied ticks in 25 woodland areas in South West England where pheasants are released – and 25 nearby sites where no pheasants are released. ![Lyme disease](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Langholm-bird-pensJ45585.jpg) Pheasants roam in a filed in Langholm, Dumfriesshire, after being released by breeders. Image credit: Angela Catlin ### ‘Increased risk’ of Lyme disease for humans “Borrelia bacteria can live in a wide range of hosts, including pheasants, wild birds and mammals – and humans,” said Emile Michels, from Exeter’s university’s centre for ecology and conservation. “Pheasants are known to be ‘competent’ hosts of Borrelia – meaning they have a relatively high likelihood of contracting and retransmitting the bacteria. “More research is needed, but our findings suggest there may be an increased risk of potential exposure to Borrelia-infected ticks for people – such as gamekeepers – who work in woodlands where pheasants are released in numbers.” Dr Jolyon Medlockfrom the [Health Security Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency?ref=theferret.scot) said the government body lacked data on “the resulting impact on human health, including evidence of Lyme infection”, but would continue to work with academics to better understand the factors that cause the disease to be transmitted. A spokesperson for Lyme Disease UK said they welcome “all research that gives a greater understanding of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease”. They added: “As ticks now seem to be staying active in some areas throughout the colder months, due to our warming climate, it is essential to know what drives the spread of this bacteria”. [Rare capercaillie under threat from gamebirdsGamebirds such as pheasants and partridges could be threatening the capercaillie which is a rare bird potentially facing extinction in the UK, The Ferret can reveal. In the UK, capercaillie – an iconic woodland bird – are only found in Scotland. But they could be extinct within 30 years and an emergency![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-15.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-177556414.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/gamebirds-threatening-tcapercaillie-extinction/) The Scottish Greens’ spokesperson for rural affairs, Ariane Burgess MSP pointed out that pheasants’ “capacity to spread Lyme disease to humans has been discussed and debated for decades”. It was therefore “not surprising to consider the risks increasing through breeding and releasing more of these beautiful birds for humans to simply murder as a pastime,” she claimed. Burgess added: “Hunting is not only cruel in its practice. The ritualistic mass-killing of species like pheasants for sport is also majorly damaging to our biodiversity and should be completely outlawed in Scotland.” *Pheasant header image thanks to* [*Freek Wolsink*](https://www.pexels.com/@freek-wolsink-508219/?ref=theferret.scot)*. Tick header image thanks to* [*Erik Karits*](https://www.pexels.com/@erik-karits-2093459/?ref=theferret.scot)*.* ### Over 400 university staff earn more than the first minister URL: https://www.theferret.scot/university-staff-earn-more-than-the-first-minister/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:59:17.000Z **Over 400 members of staff at Scotland’s universities earn more than the first minister, despite a funding crisis engulfing the sector that could see lower paid roles axed.** A Ferret analysis as part of our [Who Runs Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/who-runs-scotland/) series found at least 400 university staff are paid more than John Swinney, whose combined MSP and first ministerial salary is [£135,605](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgenrjxj05lo?ref=theferret.scot). In total 1,250 members of staff across the country’s 15 universities were paid more than £100,000 per year. This figure puts them in a bracket with some of the [highest earners](https://ifs.org.uk/tools%5Fand%5Fresources/where%5Fdo%5Fyou%5Ffit%5Fin?ref=theferret.scot) in the country. Our analysis showed just under three per cent of the total Scottish university workforce earns upwards of £100,000\. Their annual salaries collectively cost £175m per year. That is equivalent to nearly a quarter of the [main teaching grant](https://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/2526allocations/?ref=theferret.scot) – the biggest chunk of funding universities receive from the Scottish Government. A number of universities across the country have announced that they are making cuts, including to jobs. Growing staff costs are one of the factors [blamed](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/dundee-job-cuts-could-hit-700-staff-university-shrinks-modules?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Figures%20shared%20by%20O'Neill,184%20million%20in%202023%2D24.), [alongside](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cddynyz9q6po?ref=theferret.scot) a stagnation in government funding and a drop in the recruitment of international students. [Universities Scotland](https://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which represents the higher education sector, said institutions need to pay enough to attract “experienced” people to navigate “challenging and volatile operating environments”. That requires salaries that match “market rates across the UK and globally,” the body claimed. [Universities on the edge: How can we solve the funding crisis?Sitting in the midst of the usually buzzing Strathclyde University campus you might be forgiven for forgetting that – with three weeks to go till polling day – a general election campaign is raging across the country. Term finished last month and very few students are still here. Traditionally party leaders are![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-60.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1353470505-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/can-we-solve-the-universities-funding-crisis/) Critics argued that while high pay is not the root cause of the funding crisis, vast salaries for senior staff are difficult to rationalise when students and lower-paid employees are “struggling”. Low pay and job insecurity were endemic problems in the sector, one claimed. They called for increased public scrutiny to ensure management teams and other top staff are justifying high salaries amid job losses and cuts to programmes. John Swinney’s pay has remained at £135,605 since 2009, when former first minister Alex Salmond introduced a pay freeze for ministers following the global financial crisis. This freeze was partially lifted in April 2025, but Swinney declined to take the increase. ### **Pay discrepancy** Our analysis looked at the annual accounts of every Scottish university in 2024, apart from Dundee, for which we used 2023 figures because it is yet to publish accounts for last year. [The University of Edinburgh](https://uoe-finance.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-01/ARA%2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) has the largest workforce of any Scottish institution, and employs 385 staff who earn six figures, including those known as “clinical staff” who work in medicine as well as teaching in education. This includes principal Sir Peter Mathieson, whose basic salary [rose](https://thestudentnews.co.uk/2025/03/13/exclusive-vice-chancellor-accepts-four-figure-pay-rise-despite-140m-in-planned-cuts/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=cuts%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Student-,EXCLUSIVE%20vice%2Dchancellor%20accepts%20four%2Dfigure%20pay%20rise%20despite,%C2%A3140m%20in%20planned%20cuts&text=The%20University%20of%20Edinburgh's%20vice,by%20The%20Student%20has%20found.) by 2.5 per cent in January to nearly £380,000\. The pay rise came just weeks before Mathieson told Edinburgh [staff](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c204kn5n4z6o?ref=theferret.scot) it was seeking £140m in cuts which would result in a “smaller staff base”. Mathieson has also faced [scrutiny](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-uni-staff-rage-principals-second-job-cuts/) for taking a second role at a firm linked to the university, which critics within Edinburgh described as a distraction from tackling the problems facing the institution. [‘A slap in the face’: Edinburgh uni staff rage at principal’s second job amid layoffsThe head of Edinburgh university has been accused of ‘greed’ for taking a second job just months before he announced staff cuts. University of Edinburgh principal and vice-chancellor Sir Peter Mathieson joined the board of Roslin Cell Therapies (CT) in June last year. The role at the biotech firm could![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-61.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1887406643-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-uni-staff-rage-principals-second-job-cuts/) Edinburgh is one of two Scots universities – alongside [St Andrews](https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/media/finance/documents/financial-statements/financial-statement-31-july-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) – where the principal is paid more than ten times the median employee. The [University of Glasgow](https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media%5F1137393%5Fsmxx.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) has the second highest number of staff on high salaries, with 350 employees on £100,000 or more and the principal paid nine times the median member of staff. At [Stirling](https://www.stir.ac.uk/research/hub/pdfs/uos-financial-statement-2023-24.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) university, principal Gerry McCormac received a basic salary of £414,000, with his full pay and benefits package equating to £438,000, making him the highest paid figure in Scottish academia in 2024. ![](https://theferret.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-19-085151.png) ### **Dire warnings** A number of institutions across Scotland have announced redundancies. Edinburgh launched a voluntary severance scheme in January and said in February that £140m of cuts to its budget in the next 18 months will mean a “smaller staff base”, with cuts going [beyond](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13929/Edinburgh-university-principal-announces-university-planning-140million-of-cuts?ref=theferret.scot) those who have already left through the voluntary scheme. On 17 April, principal Mathieson told the BBC that there would have to be a “radical re-wiring” of the way the way the university operates. Robert Gordon in Aberdeen has [already](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89g0xqk59wo?ref=theferret.scot) had a round of redundancies and warned more jobs could go, while the University of Dundee is planning to shed over 600 roles – a fifth of its workforce. However, Scottish education minister, Jenny Gilruth, last week [said](https://www.sfc.ac.uk/?news=team-named-for-independent-investigation-into-university-of-dundee-financeshttps://www.sfc.ac.uk/?news=team-named-for-independent-investigation-into-university-of-dundee-finances&ref=theferret.scot) the institution was working with the Scottish Funding Council to bring the total number of job losses down. Aberdeen has had a [programme](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13498/Strikes-off-at-University-of-Aberdeen-as-threat-of-compulsory-redundancies-withdrawn?ref=theferret.scot) of voluntary redundancies in recent years and this week [announced](https://news.stv.tv/north/aberdeen-university-announces-job-losses-as-it-faces-11-2m-financial-black-hole?ref=theferret.scot) it would be stopping staff recruitment, pausing promotions and “revisiting” voluntary severance. Universities Scotland [claims](https://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/he-funding/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Scottish%20Funding%20Council's%202021,underpinned%20by%20international%20student%20income.) the root cause of the financial turmoil is long-term underfunding. While the Scottish Government increased the main teaching grant by 1.8 per cent in its most recent budget, the body [pointed out](https://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/2526allocations/?ref=theferret.scot) that this was a real-terms cut. Public funding per Scottish student has [declined](https://ifs.org.uk/publications/scottish-budget-higher-education-spending?ref=theferret.scot) in real terms for over a decade, a situation which universities sought to address by attracting more non-EU students who pay tens of thousands in fees. However, critics say funding shortfalls alone do not explain the scale of cuts at some universities. Last year saw a [sharp drop](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1w0y93w8vyo?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20largest%20number%20of%20overseas,dropped%20from%209%2C415%20to%205%2C985.) in the recruitment of international students across the board, especially on postgraduate courses, partly attributed to changes to UK Government visa rules. Dundee, meanwhile, is believed to have become particularly [dependent](https://archive.ph/gy8Ty?ref=theferret.scot) on fees from [Nigerian students](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/nigeria-currency-crisis-leaves-dundee-university-fighting-to-survive-mbb78rcgn?ref=theferret.scot), but recruitment from the West African country was impacted by a devaluation of its currency in 2023. There have also been [accusations](https://www.ft.com/content/b095805d-a069-432e-bf31-e4513fb2d2f2?ref=theferret.scot) of mismanagement and “poor investment decisions” at Dundee, with officials [telling](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0520y092po?ref=theferret.scot) a Holyrood committee that “misleading” information given to the university’s court meant the perilous state of its finances only became clear in late 2024. Dundee has been [given](https://archive.ph/7vTWg?ref=theferret.scot) £22m in funding by the Scottish Government to help stave off the threat of insolvency. An independent [investigation](https://www.sfc.ac.uk/?news=team-named-for-independent-investigation-into-university-of-dundee-finances&ref=theferret.scot) into the “rapid deterioration” of its financial position will examine the role that management played. Meanwhile at the University of Edinburgh, the University and College Union (UCU) branch accused management of creating a “[manufactured crisis](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crrz0nxdlrxo?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Universities%20and%20Colleges%20Union,as%20a%20%22manufactured%20crisis%22.)”. Unlike other universities, Edinburgh is only [projecting future deficits](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/2eppzf7pgrh9w5j7ffxgnpbhgsa4s4?ref=theferret.scot) and has run surpluses in recent years. The union says Edinburgh has assets worth over £3bn which, they [argue](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/3fzpaa5xmpw4rhswnawnydf8wk5te8?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Management%20Is%20Manufacturing%20a%20'Financial,without%20improving%20teaching%20and%20research.), could be used to help stave off cuts. High pay for senior staff has become a [flashpoint](https://www.scotsman.com/education/edinburgh-university-principal-handed-near-ps20000-pay-rise-while-slashing-budgets-4863578?ref=theferret.scot) for the union. Sophia Woodman, president of the Edinburgh branch of the UCU, told The Ferret the union had “repeatedly” argued that management could show solidarity and savings could be made “by cutting the salaries of the highest earners including the principal”. But management said that would have a “negligible” impact on the overall finances, she claimed. Woodman argued its response was “really problematic and disrespectful”. There was a “real problem with low pay”, she alleged, with the university finding it difficult to recruit cleaners because it was not paying enough. “People on casual contracts and PhD students are really struggling to pay rent and cover their bills,” Woodman added. She continued: “There’s a lack of accountability about these high salaries and why they are necessary and why it’s a good use of university money to pay people so much.” An Edinburgh university spokesperson said it was a [Living Wage Employer](https://www.livingwage.org.uk/accredited-living-wage-employers?ref=theferret.scot) – meaning it pays at least a benchmark hourly rate, currently £12.60 – and was “committed to fair work and pay”. Over 15,000 colleagues had received an “increment progression or payment this year,” they added. Amid the funding pressures, some university principals have [reignited](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crrz0nxdlrxo?ref=theferret.scot) the [conversation](https://archive.ph/Vrdff?ref=theferret.scot) over tuition fees while Universities Scotland [claimed](https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/mar/24/scottish-voters-split-over-free-tuition-as-university-financial-crisis-deepens?ref=theferret.scot) it was time for the debate about higher education funding to “move beyond” the “binary loop of free versus fees”. Polling [suggests Scots are split](https://carnegie-trust.org/new-report-on-higher-education-funding-published?ref=theferret.scot) on the issue of whether those who can afford it should pay for tuition. But according to Andrew Speke of the [High Pay Centre](https://highpaycentre.org/about/?ref=theferret.scot), which focuses on the role high pay plays in economic inequality, it would not be “fair or sensible” to reintroduce fees while top earners at universities “remain untouched”. Speke added: “The issue of high pay in the university sector has been exacerbated by the marketisation of higher education, and it is therefore unsurprising that those benefiting from this will also be arguing for further marketisation in Scotland.” He said tackling the issue of high pay would not be enough to tackle the funding crisis facing universities by itself, but “if more equitable pay structures could play a role in cutting costs” then universities should be “encouraged” to implement them. The president of the National Union of Students in Scotland, Sai Shraddha S. Viswanathan, said it was “frustrating” to hear about management “taking home huge salaries when students and everyday staff are struggling”. Viswanathan added: “For this crisis to be addressed, Scotland’s higher education system needs to be recognised for what it is: a public good which enriches our society, and needs greater public funding. “However, it is only reasonable that with increased public funding would come increased public scrutiny and that university management be made to justify what could possibly merit them taking home more money than the first minister.” In response, most universities referred us to the statement from Universities Scotland, which stressed universities were “multi million pound enterprises” that needed to offer high pay to attract the right level of skills and experience, and were facing “incredibly challenging and volatile” environments. “Over the last decade alone, senior teams in universities have had to steer institutions through the impact of Brexit and the pandemic, \[with\] the pressures to leverage more private resources to the current financial headwinds coming from all angles,” a spokesperson said. Salaries were “commensurate with market rates across the UK and globally”, they added. It claimed that over the last year some universities had seen a reduction in their senior management teams as part of an overall restructure, but insisted this was “a matter for each individual institution”. In response to enquiries from The Ferret, a spokesperson for the University of Dundee said over half of those earning £100,000 were “clinical staff” who work in both medical and teaching environments. “Our salaries at all levels are competitive, and are set in relation to the higher education sector not just in Scotland and the UK, but around the world,” they said. A Scottish Government spokesperson said salary levels were a matter for each university but added: “We expect universities, however, to exercise restraint in setting senior pay. “Senior pay packages should be in step with the salary, terms and conditions offered to other university staff. Institutions must ensure the highest standards of transparency in setting pay awards.” *Main image: iStock/*[*krithnarong*](https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/architectural-detail-historical-building-at-edinburgh-university-scotland-gm695287958-128526023?ref=theferret.scot) ### Catch of the day: industry pressures government to serve farmed salmon URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-at-government-events/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:55:19.000Z The UK Government has been accused of acting as the “promotional wing” of the multinational salmon farming industry, after a minister appeared to bow to pressure to serve more farmed salmon at government receptions. The Ferret can reveal that industry leaders lobbied the Scotland Office minister, [Kirsty McNeill](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/kirsty-mcneill?ref=theferret.scot), at a meeting in September 2024 for “greater supply of Scottish [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/)” at government events. She replied she was “keen to see this”. Minutes of the meeting released under [freedom of information](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/freedom-of-information/) law also show salmon company bosses complaining about “fractured” regulation and delays to export health certificates. They called for “a more enlightened approach on immigration” to attract fish farm workers to Scotland. The Scotland Office’s role in helping to “spin a glossy PR story” was described as “deeply troubling” by the [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). They said farmed salmon should “stay off the menu” at government events. Campaigners argued that farmed salmon were frequently dosed with “highly toxic chemicals” and had “an appalling environmental record”. It was “bizarre” the UK Government wanted to serve a product subject to “systematic greenwashing”, they claimed. But the industry insisted that the government was right to “showcase” Scottish salmon and help to boost sales. The product was an “extraordinary success story” enjoyed in nearly 50 countries, it argued. The [Scotland Office](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scotland-office?ref=theferret.scot) defended its support for the salmon industry as a vital part of its plan for economic growth. It said Scottish salmon was the “jewel in the crown” of Scotland’s produce. As part of its major investigation – [Who Runs Scotland](https://theferret.scot/society/who-runs-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) – The Ferret [revealed on 8 April](https://www.theferret.scot/whos-influencing-people-at-the-scotland-office/) the extent to which oil, whisky and other industries lobbied the Scotland Office. We have also [reported in detail](https://www.theferret.scot/influence-game-revolving-door-politics-media-and-pr/) on the public relations firms that help businesses influence ministers. On 11 September 2024 in London, McNeill and two of her senior officials met [Atholl Duncan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/athollduncan/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Tavish Scott](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tavish-scott-285436189/?ref=theferret.scot), respectively the chair and chief executive of the industry body, [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). Also present were executives from two big salmon farming companies, [Mowi](https://mowi.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Bakkafrost](https://www.bakkafrost.com/?ref=theferret.scot), as well as Alan Roden from the PR firm, [Quantum Communications](https://www.theferret.scot/influence-game-revolving-door-politics-media-and-pr/). The [official minute of the meeting](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25897746-db-2889-meetings-with-scottish-salmon-and-others-for-release-1/?ref=theferret.scot) released by the Scotland Office disclosed that it ended with the industry pressing for more of its salmon to be served at government events. “Finally Salmon Scotland said that they would welcome greater supply of Scottish salmon at UK Government/Scotland Office events,” the minute recorded. “Minister McNeill said that she was keen to see this but that catering procurement across government was not centralised and so the Scotland Office would need to see how best to take that away.” Scottish salmon has been served at government events in the past, including the [COP26 climate summit in Glasgow](https://lochduart.com/loch-duart-scottish-salmon-on-the-menu-at-cop26/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2021 and at [St Andrews Day receptions](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/news/salmon-is-uks-favourite-fish-as-sales-rise-by-more-than-3?ref=theferret.scot) at Holyrood and the British Embassy in Paris in 2023. Earlier in the meeting, Bakkafrost said that “the regulatory environment for salmon production in Scotland was too fractured”, and didn’t include incentives for investment. The company argued that “there should be good regulation, not more regulation”. The industry also complained that problems with [export health certificates](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-an-export-health-certificate?ref=theferret.scot) were delaying salmon exports. According to [the minute](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25897746-db-2889-meetings-with-scottish-salmon-and-others-for-release-1/?ref=theferret.scot), Bakkafrost said “the international competitiveness of Scotland has eroded” and “its share of the global market has diminished”. In addition, salmon companies highlighted a need for foreign workers. “The industry is looking for a more enlightened approach on immigration, to make Scotland more attractive to workers from elsewhere,” Salmon Scotland’s Tavish Scott was reported to have said. The meeting with the Scotland Office was on the same day as a salmon industry [“breakfast briefing”](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/news/new-mps-learn-more-about-scotlands-vital-salmon-sector?ref=theferret.scot) for MPs at Westminster, hosted by the Labour MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, [Torcuil Crichton](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5246/contact?ref=theferret.scot). The Scottish Greens blamed salmon farming for pollution, mass mortalities and damaging the coastal environment. “It’s deeply troubling to see the UK Government’s Scotland Office acting as a promotional wing for the salmon farming industry,” said Green MSP, [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot). “Instead of helping to spin a glossy PR story about Scottish salmon, ministers should be listening to the scientists, communities, and campaigners who are calling for a pause in expansion until the serious animal welfare and environmental issues are addressed.” Burgess added: “Salmon must stay off the menu for government events. Any encouragement to serve salmon at more government events will only embolden these fish farmers to continue harming the environment and the animals for profit.” ### Campaign to get salmon ‘off the table’ The campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), has been urging restaurants to keep farmed salmon [“off the table”](https://offthetable.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). The campaign [has been backed](https://wildfish.org/latest-news/new-wildfish-report-finds-consumers-could-be-misled-as-to-the-reality-of-the-farmed-salmon-they-are-purchasing/?ref=theferret.scot) by more than 350 chefs, restaurants, community groups, charities and campaign groups, it said. “It is quite bizarre that the UK and Scottish governments are apparently keen to serve up salmon farmed in Scotland to illustrious and, one imagines, discerning guests,” said WildFish interim director, Andrew Graham-Stewart. “This is hardly a product that UK plc or Scotland plc can be proud of, despite the industry’s efforts at systematic greenwashing. The more aware guests will likely appreciate that farmed salmon has an appalling environmental record, and it is frequently dosed with highly toxic chemicals, which kill other marine life and compromise fragile marine ecosystems.” A spokesperson for [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said: “With such a strong global reputation for quality, it’s absolutely right that governments showcase Scotland’s fantastic food and drink, and help grow a sector that creates thousands of jobs and brings in hundreds of millions of pounds for the economy. “Scottish salmon is an extraordinary success story and everyone in Scotland can take immense pride that we produce the UK’s largest food export here, which is enjoyed in nearly 50 countries worldwide.” A [Scotland Office](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scotland-office?ref=theferret.scot) spokesperson said: “Scottish salmon, and our support for the food and drink sector, is a vital element of our plan for change to drive economic growth.” Salmon was “the jewel in the crown of Scotland’s world-class produce” providing “well paid, high skilled jobs in Scotland’s rural communities,” they added. ### Minutes of meetings with the farmed salmon industry released by the Scotland Office *Cover image thanks to iStock/*[*semenovp*](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/semenovp?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)*.* ### Influence games: the revolving door between politics, media and PR URL: https://www.theferret.scot/influence-game-revolving-door-politics-media-and-pr/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:50:45.000Z Scotland’s most influential public relations companies are staffed by former politicians, government ministers, spin doctors and newspaper editors, The Ferret has found, exposing the “revolving door” between politics, the media and lobbying. These well-connected figures are now being paid to represent the interests of the UK’s largest businesses including fossil fuel and energy multinationals, big finance, and arms firms. [Lobbying](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/lobbying/) is a normal part of the democratic process, allowing businesses and civil society alike to raise issues with elected representatives. A move to public relations consultancy from journalism or politics is considered standard by many in the industry. [Parliamentary rules](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmpubadm/252/25206.htm?ref=theferret.scot) aim to prevent former ministers and senior civil servants from lobbying for two years after leaving these roles. But they are free to work as corporate lobbyists thereafter. The Ferret has not found any examples of any Scottish firm breaking these rules. Tom Brake, of [Unlock Democracy](https://unlockdemocracy.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), called for the ban to be extended from two to five years after leaving office or employment. The “revolving door” between government and PR “gives these firms, and their clients, an unfair advantage,” he said, “particularly when a former elected official or special advisor walks away with a detailed understanding of important processes such as procurement rules or an extensive list of favoured contacts.” Agustina Olivieri, head of campaigns for the [Good Law Project](https://goodlawproject.org/?ref=theferret.scot), said the revolving doors between Holyrood and corporate interests were “spinning as smoothly as ever” and “glaring loopholes” should be closed. Politicians should listen to those with “real policy expertise based on a social justice agenda” rather than “the dizzying spin of corporate lobbyists pushing for tax cuts or shilling for oil and gas barons,” she argued. Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman said there was a culture of “groupthink, of chumminess and game-playing” that led an already disenfranchised public to become more frustrated. According to the [Edelman Trust Barometer](https://www.edelman.com/trust/2024/trust-barometer?ref=theferret.scot) only 30 percent of people in the UK reported trust in the government in 2024. “Politicians should always seek to further the interests of their constituents and of Scotland as a whole. We cannot do that if the means to get there only involves a select few in the same echo chamber,” she added. As part of its Who Runs Scotland series, The Ferret has profiled five of Scotland’s most influential PR and lobbying firms to see who’s behind them and who they represent. #### Profile key ***We’ve given the PR firms below a “revolving doors score”, which is calculated as follows:*** ***Founder (past or present) is a political or media figure = 2 points (3 points if both)*** **Current associate is a political or media figure or has worked for a client \[or more than one of these\] = 1 point** *Lobbying figure:* *This is the number of times the company has lobbied in Scotland since the last Scottish Parliament election.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-504011354.jpg) Big Ben in London with the houses of parliament. Credit: iStock/[BrianAJackson](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/BrianAJackson?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) #### Arden Strategies **HQ:** Motherwell **Founder**: Jim Murphy **Established:** 2015 Murphy is part of the Labour establishment. He served as the MP for East Renfrewshire (formerly Eastwood) from 1997 to 2015 and held multiple cabinet roles including secretary of state for Scotland. In the run-up to the 2014 [Scottish independence referendum](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/independence-referendum/) Murphy undertook a pro-union tour of the country – in which he substituted Irn Bru crates for the traditional soap box – which was suspended following abuse from Yes supporters. Elevated to Scottish Labour leader following the referendum, he resigned following the party’s collapse at the 2015 Scottish election where they[ lost 40 out of 41 seats](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-scotland-32635871?ref=theferret.scot), including his own. In the early days of Arden Strategies – which takes the name of the [Glasgow housing estate](https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24913435.former-mp-mission-help-young-adults-glasgow-scheme/?ref=theferret.scot) where Murphy was born – Better Together campaign director [Blair McDougall](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaires-lobbyists-dark-money-scotlands-parties/) worked with Murphy as a “[senior strategist](https://web.archive.org/web/20240225203905/https://ardenstrategies.com/about/)”. McDougall, a former Labour party advisor, worked there until his successful bid for Murphy’s former East Renfrewshire seat in last July’s election. Murphy has filled Arden Strategies with Labour insiders. Former Scottish Parliament presiding officer [Ken Macintosh](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-40120002?ref=theferret.scot) is a consultant at the firm, which runs a dedicated Scotland directorate aimed at preparing business clients for next year’s Holyrood elections. But it only has two meetings logged on the [Scottish lobbying register](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/Search/SearchResult?id=cf7cf7bd-6d89-48eb-b7e8-82acc02d940e&Hash=baKGDdkKcgnvaduoPJ1vvhTEC%2bGVD3d6lPcRRE2z1xQ%3d&ref=theferret.scot) – both from an event at the Scottish Labour ‘[business day](https://www.theferret.scot/energy-giants-lobbyists-labour-business-event/)’ where Murphy discussed Scottish business with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and MSP Daniel Johnson. Until now Arden’s focus has been on the UK Government and the consultancy has sponsored Labour’s UK-wide conferences and pitches itself as a bridge between corporate clients and the party, promising to help them “navigate and engage” with Labour policies. Arden also [reportedly](https://www.ft.com/content/fbc0b36f-1402-47e7-b065-07ff19f0db20?ref=theferret.scot) sponsored fundraising dinners for 2024 candidates. **Clients:** Arden [declared](https://orcl.my.site.com/CLR%5FPublic%5FProfile?id=0014J00000w4PJyQAM&ref=theferret.scot) defence contractor Northrop Grumman as a client in 2024\. This drew [criticism](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/arden-strategies-labour-keir-starmer-lobbying-arms-firms-energy-northrop-grumman-drax/?ref=theferret.scot) due to the US firm’s involvement in the supply of weapons to Israel. The company has had multiple licences with the UK Government to supply components for military equipment, according to [Campaign Against the Arms Trade ](https://caat.org.uk/data/exports-uk/licence-list?company=Northrop+Grumman&ref=theferret.scot)data. Arden reportedly [hosted](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgl7l5yl42o?ref=theferret.scot) an event for Northrop Grumman at last year’s Labour conference in Liverpool. Murphy’s firm has also represented several North Sea oil and gas companies, such as [Equinor](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/equinor/), the Norwegian-state owned energy company behind the controversial Rosebank oil field bid off the coast of Shetland. Equinor met with Ian Murray, secretary of state for Scotland, three times in his [first six months](https://www.theferret.scot/whos-influencing-people-at-the-scotland-office/) in post. [INEOS](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/ineos/), the petrochemical company led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe which caused outcry over its role in the decision to close the Grangemouth oil refinery, has also been an Arden client and met Murray four times in his first half year as Scottish secretary. **Revolving doors score:** Founder is a former MP, 19 staff have worked in politics (mostly for the Labour party) and one in journalism. **Total score =** 22 **Lobbying meetings in Scotland:** 2 **Lobbying in the UK**: Yes **From their website: *“* *With a team of strategists and advisers drawn from the worlds of politics, government, media and business we bring together decades of senior front line experience and exceptional insights to tackle the toughest challenges.”*** #### Quantum Communications **HQ:** Edinburgh **Established:** 2018 **Founders:** Alan Roden and Flavia Paterson This communications agency brings together Scottish and UK political insiders. They include [Alan Roden](https://www.theferret.scot/questions-raised-2m-spent-quango-care-system-reform/), Scottish Labour’s former communications director who was also a [senior advisor](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/kezia-knows-it-is-a-big-risk-and-a-massive-opportunity-says-friend-and-adviser-alan-roden/?ref=theferret.scot) to a [number](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/sarwar-in-plot-against-labour-leader-6nf3g5z3h?ref=theferret.scot) of Labour politicians. Prior to that he was Scottish political editor of the Daily Mail. Flavia Paterson, meanwhile, was director of communications for the Scotland Office when it was run by [David ](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/david-mundell/)[Mundell](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/david-mundell/). Her previous business roles include head of corporate affairs for energy giant SSE. **Clients:** Notable clients include fish farming industry body [Salmon Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/). Last June The Ferret reported that the UK Government threw out more than 20 objections to the Scottish fish farming industry’s successful bid to remove the word “farmed” from the official name of its salmon. Quantum also represents whisky firm Chivas Brothers, Muir Mhor Offshore Wind Farm and charities like music project Sistema Scotland. **Revolving doors score:** One founder has been in both journalism and politics, the other in politics, three staff are former journalists and three have worked in politics. **Total score =** 11 **Lobbying meetings in Scotland:** 181 **Lobbying in UK**: Yes **From their website: *“* *Working across the UK and led by a team with unrivalled frontline experience in media, government and the corporate environment, we provide trusted and effective advice to help you achieve your organisational goals.”*** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1314069726.jpg) Credit: iStock/[yanik88](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/yanik88?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) #### True North Advisors **HQ:** Aberdeen **Established:** 2020 **Founder:** Geoff Aberdein True North is another PR firm with a name that’s meaningful to its founder, in this case taking the name of Geoff Aberdein’s late father’s fish merchant business. By the age of 24 Aberdein was head of press for the SNP’s Westminster cohort. He later became a special advisor to Alex Salmond and latterly his chief of staff. In 2022 Aberdein was joined by Fergus Mutch, former head of communications and research for the SNP. Aberdein and Mutch are now [True North](https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-the-oil-industry-snp-lobbyists/)’s managing partners. Other notable additions to the team include former SNP MP Eilidh Whiteford, and Andrew Liddell, political author and commentator and son of former Labour advisor, Lord Roger Liddell. Ryan Crighton, who recently joined as a senior partner also worked for Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, which is a True North client. Aberdein is also one third of political podcast Holyrood Sources, which [describes](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/geoff-aberdein-62a05972%5Fwe-are-approaching-the-first-anniversary-activity-7151498244382978049-SAeL?ref=theferret.scot) itself as being for “sensible people”, which he presents along with Andy Maciver, of rival PR firm Message Matters, and Calum Macdonald of Times Radio. The podcast is currently sponsored by energy company SSE, takes a [pro-business stance](https://holyroodsources.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and has covered concepts backed by True North and Message Matters clients, such as [carbon capture and storage](https://holyroodsources.com/?ref=theferret.scot). **Clients:** True North has several high profile [fossil fuel companies](https://www.scottishfinancialnews.com/articles/true-north-75-of-scots-support-north-sea-oil-and-gas?ref=theferret.scot) as clients including BP, Shell and Harbour Energy. BP has recently faced criticism for abandoning targets to cut oil and gas output. [Opportunity North East (ONE)](https://www.theferret.scot/concerns-just-transition-fund/), a private sector “catalyst for change” group in the Aberdeen area chaired by oil magnate Sir Ian Wood, has been a client. True North claims a “guerilla” PR campaign it ran helped secure the headquarters of [GB Energy](https://truenorth.scot/our-work-great-british-energy?ref=theferret.scot) for Aberdeen. Sir Ian, formerly of the Wood Group, was one of those involved in the bid in his role as chairman of ETZ, which True North also represents. ETZ is behind controversial plans to build green energy infrastructure in St Fittick’s Park, the last greenspace in Torry, one of Aberdeen’s most deprived areas. In recent months True North has [lobbied](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/Search/SearchResult?id=7159e850-5b55-44e9-9786-c0ea7311089f&Hash=iMTD%2f5GUCc9OFolOBTfWcep4vHnEX%2f02KpNh%2bMj9Cak%3d&ref=theferret.scot) the Scottish Parliament for Shell and ONE in the Scottish Parliament too. They have also represented Scottish Financial Enterprise. **Revolving door score:** Founded by a former political advisor, while three former journalists and three who have worked in politics work there. Three staff have worked for clients, one of whom was also a former journalist. **Total score** \= 10 **Lobbying meetings in Scotland:** 42 **Lobbying in UK**: Yes **A True North spokesperson said:** *“True North is a strategic advisory firm whose expert advisors draw upon the experience of successful careers in international business, marketing, creative design, events management, media, public policy, and politics. We are proud to be a Scottish headquartered company delivering support to a wide range of leading businesses and organisations across the UK spanning the energy, financial services, food and drink, technology, housing and third sectors.”* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1356683241.jpg) The Scottish Parliament building with reflection in water Edinburgh Scotland. Credit iStock/[Nigel Stripe](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/NigelStripe?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) #### Message Matters **HQ:** Edinburgh **Established:** 2012 **Founders:** Peter Duncan and Andy Maciver Message Matters was set up by former Conservative MP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale Peter Duncan, and former Scottish Tory head of media, Andy Maciver. In 2018 Duncan was revealed to be a trustee of the [Scottish Unionist Association Trust](https://www.theferret.scot/tory-dark-money-trust-address-trustees/) (SUAT), which was accused of having funded the Scottish Conservatives with “dark” – or untraceable – money. At the same time he was lobbying Tory MSPs. SUAT has claimed the money was made with assets primarily from property sales. However it was fined twice by the Electoral Commission for failing to properly report donations. Duncan [resigned as a SUAT trustee](https://www.theferret.scot/former-tory-mp-quits-dark-money-trust/) in July 2018, to have “more separation” from his work lobbying politicians. Maciver has also worked as an advisor to MSP Murdo Fraser and in communications for Lloyds Bank. He has a column in the Herald newspaper, makes regular media appearances and is one third of the Holyrood Sources podcast. Other staff for the agency include several who have worked as journalists or for politicians. The consultancy is one of Scotland’s [top lobbyists](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/Search/SearchResult?id=52838f84-a014-4d66-aa6a-56fdcc88b33c&Hash=ZJ2sY26VxGwaqBP1enj9kXUP5C%2buyxwtAjR8YM6mwEw%3d&ref=theferret.scot) registering over 400 meetings with Scottish ministers, special advisors and MSPs on behalf of its clients since May 2021\. It had more than 40 meetings in January and February of this year alone on issues including banning greyhound racing, and legislating for assisted dying. **Clients**: These include familiar names like oil company [Equinor](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/equinor/), who are also clients of Arden Strategies. Scottish Land and Estates, which represents Scotland’s landowners, is also on its [client list](https://messagematters.co.uk/our-clients/?ref=theferret.scot), as well as Rathbones – a London-based investment company – and several major renewables companies. It also represents campaign groups such as Dignity in Dying, which is calling for assisted dying to be made legal across the UK, and think tank [Reform Scotland](https://www.reformscotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot), whose director Chris Deerin is the Scotland editor of the New Statesman. **Revolving doors score**: Both founders are from politics, and one of them also in the media. Two associates are former journalists and one has worked in politics. **Total score =** 8 **Lobbying meetings in Scotland:** 424 **Lobbying in UK**: Yes **From their website: *“* *A strategic communications agency with a difference – we are proud to have supported and delivered for over 120 clients.”*** #### Charlotte Street Partners **HQ:** Edinburgh **Established:** 2013 **Founders:** Malcolm Robertson and Andrew Wilson When Malcolm Robertson and Andrew Wilson started working on Charlotte Street Partners in 2013, Alex Salmond’s SNP Government was riding high and the independence referendum was within sight. Wilson started his career as an economist – including a role for the Scottish Government before becoming an MSP – and clocked up PR experience as a communications chief at the Royal Bank of Scotland. He had worked as a deputy chief economist for the bank from 2005 to 2007. He brought his banking contacts with him to Charlotte Street, with the late Sir [Angus Grossart](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-meet-the-quango-class/), merchant banker and vice chairman of RBS, becoming chair of Charlotte Street Partner’s board by August 2014 until his [death in 2022](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-61456923?ref=theferret.scot). Malcolm Robertson had headed up communications for BAA (British Airports Authority). In 2015 Wilson and Robertson were joined by [Kevin Pringle](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24335403.veteran-snp-spin-doctor-kevin-pringle-leaves-scottish-government/?ref=theferret.scot), Alex Salmond (and then Nicola Sturgeon’s) former chief advisor. Pringle later returned to the Scottish Government as a special advisor under Humza Yousaf’s premiership. He has since joined SSEN Transmission as head of communications. Wilson is now head of communications for Santander, having left Charlotte Street Partners in 2023\. Its current stable includes managing partner Laura Hamilton, who has a background in banking PR for TSB and Lloyds, and Frank O’Donnell, former editor-in-chief of The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Press & Journal, amongst other titles. In 2019 the firm had its membership of PR industry body the [Association for Scottish Public Affairs](https://aspa.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) revoked when they employed Lord Ian Duncan, a Scottish politician then serving as a [deputy speaker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senior%5FDeputy%5FSpeaker%5Fof%5Fthe%5FHouse%5Fof%5FLords?ref=theferret.scot) in the [House of Lords](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House%5Fof%5FLords?ref=theferret.scot) as a part-time consulting partner. Charlotte Street Partners insisted at the time of appointment he would not be involved in lobbying. **Clients:** Charlotte Street has not registered any clients with the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists which means there are no public filings of its client list and it does not give details on its website. However recent companies it has lobbied the Scottish Government on behalf of include renewable company Green Cat Hydrogen, charity Muscular Dystrophy UK and tidal energy company Orbital Marine. Previous businesses it has represented include [FirstGroup,](https://powerbase.info/index.php/Charlotte%5FStreet%5FPartners?ref=theferret.scot) [News Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/charlotte-street-partners-lobbying-for-rupert-murdoch/), publishers of The Scottish Sun, The Times, and Sunday Times in Scotland and [AG Barr](https://orcl.my.site.com/CLR%5FClient%5FProfile?Id=a082400000Pnfg0AAB&ref=theferret.scot), the maker of Irn-Bru. **Revolving doors score**: One original founder was from politics. Two of the current staff worked in politics and three were journalists. One part-time advisor sits in the House of Lords. **Total score =** 8 **Lobbying in Scotland**: 29 **From their website: *“* *As a strategic communications and public affairs agency based in Edinburgh, we deliver reputation advice and services to leaders with a mission, who want to make a difference.”*** #### Some notable others Other significant PR firms include Media House International, founded by Jack Irvine, launch editor of the Scottish Sun, which specialises in crisis PR. Former Fleet Street journalist Ramsay Smith is an executive director and John McLellan, former Scotsman editor and current director of Newsbrands Scotland is an associate. McLellan was [also](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-18568879?ref=theferret.scot) Ruth Davidson’s spin doctor. 56 Degrees North, a company co-founded by former business journalist John Penman and former lobbyist Anthony Thompson, includes several former special advisors and other journalists. There’s also Gen Comms, which was founded by former Scottish Conservative comms chief and UK Government special advisor, Ramsay Jones. Morrison Media was set-up by John Morrison, ex-BBC News chief political correspondent. Both are registered for UK lobbying. Last October ex-SNP MP Stewart Mcdonald set up Regent Park Strategies. Its website does not yet list clients but features a clutch of endorsements by sitting and recent MPs. The Big Partnership, 3×1, Pagoda PR and Orbit are other Scottish companies currently registered for UK Government lobbying, all of whom boast former journalists or politicians in their ranks. On the not-for-profit side, Unity Consulting is run by former Labour MSP Neil Findlay, Jeremy Corbyn special advisor Tommy Kane and Michael Sharpe, former Labour general secretary. Based in West Lothian, the firm represents unions, charities and campaign groups. ### Revealed: The organisations with powers to seize evidence, search premises, and spy on Scots URL: https://www.theferret.scot/organisations-powers-investigate-reported-40000/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:56:01.000Z **Organisations in Scotland using obscure powers to investigate the general public reported nearly 40,000 alleged crimes to prosecutors in the last four years, The Ferret can reveal.** The SSPCA, NHS Scotland, and the Food Standards Agency are among at least 54 so-called [‘specialist reporting agencies’](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/publications/specialist-reporting-agencies/?ref=theferret.scot) (SRAs) given powers to investigate criminal activity. SRAs came to prominence after the Post Office used its powers to investigate, wrongly charge and privately prosecute hundreds of innocent people in what is known as the Horizon scandal. In Scotland, these powerful agencies undertake investigations and send reports to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), independently of Police Scotland. Some can obtain warrants, seize evidence, search premises, interview, caution and charge people. They can also spy on people. The Ferret investigated the hidden powers of specialist reporting agencies as part of our [Who Runs Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/who-runs-scotland/) series, which examines those who wield power in our country behind the scenes. In Scotland, investigatory powers are bestowed upon organisations through legislation and powers vary – but the Crown Office is the only public prosecution service in Scotland. In a freedom of information request, we asked the Crown Office how these low-profile but significant powers had been used in Scotland. It revealed that since 2020, SRAs have investigated serious crimes including murders, drugs supply, fraud, assault, rape, hate crimes, child pornography and the possession of weapons. In total, these agencies made 37,233 reports between 2020 and 2024\. The Crown Office records the number of charges reported, not cases, and a reported case may hold multiple charges. Politicians said there must be proper oversight of SRA prosecutions to ensure nothing like the Horizon scandal ever happens again. Last year the Post Office was stripped of its status as a SRA and can no longer file reports to the Crown Office. It can conduct preliminary investigations into suspected criminal conduct and refer cases to police. The National Federation of SubPostmasters said the system in Scotland did not prevent miscarriages of justice over Horizon. In reply, the Crown Office said that new guidance for reporting agencies will be issued this year. #### **Scotland’s Specialist reporting agencies** SRAs include – among dozens of others – River Tweed Commissioners, NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services, Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, the Office of Rail Regulation, and the Registrar of Companies. These agencies can send reports to the crown office but the procurator fiscal decides whether to instigate proceedings and what formal charges should be. Prosecutors can request additional information but they can also reject the reports if they do not think there is a legal case to answer. SRA powers vary. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), for example, can obtain search warrants and make arrests and it can recover criminal assets through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002\. HMRC filed 133 reports to the COPFS over the four year period including 35 alleged tax frauds. Frauds were also the focus of investigations by local authorities (594), the Child Support Agency, (7), and immigration enforcement (90). The Health and Safety Executive investigated four murders/culpable homicides, which the Crown Office said were related to deaths in a working environment. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency reported 14 alleged environmental offences. British Transport Police – which polices the railway network of England, Scotland and Wales – investigated 94 serious assaults/attempted murders, 71 sexual assaults, and two rapes. The Ferret sent FOI requests to several SRAs requesting details of their powers and recent investigations. > There must be proper oversight of SRA prosecutions, and that “where powers are abused there must be real consequences, with individuals being held accountable for their actions”. > > Maggie Chapman MSP, Scottish Greens’ justice spokesperson. National Services Scotland (NSS) – a public body – revealed it has a unit called NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services which filed 57 reports. It investigates bribery, corruption, fraud, embezzlement and cases of theft involving NHS funds or property. NSS said: “All counter fraud services’ investigations are undertaken by appropriately trained counter fraud specialists. These staff are employees of National Services Scotland.” The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) made 1112 reports including 1043 relating to wildlife offences, and 25 about “threatening and abusive behavior”. Some of its investigations resulted in criminal convictions. Last June, [Sean Garland,](https://www.scottishspca.org/news/dufftown-man-sentenced-for-animal-fighting-charges/?ref=theferret.scot) from Dufftown, was given 200 hours community service for keeping three dogs for fighting and failing to obtain veterinary treatment for facial injuries, causing unnecessary suffering to Patterdale terriers. In March 2024, as part of the [Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act](https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/s6/wildlife-management-and-muirburn-scotland-bill?ref=theferret.scot), the SSPCA was given additional investigative powers to tackle wildlife crime. “These powers allow our inspectors, who are already investigating animal welfare offences, to search, examine, and seize evidence,” it told The Ferret. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) – an organisation regulating the private security industry whose powers are set out in section 19 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 [(PSIA](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2001/12/contents?ref=theferret.scot)) – filed 46 reports to prosecutors. Its criminal investigations department can investigate issues such as working without a valid licence, breaches of licence conditions, and the deployment of “unlicensed security operatives”. Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park has investigated violations of local byelaws and environmental legislation. Investigations are undertaken by its ranger service but the park’s “enforcement management group” decides whether to file a report to the Crown Office. The park’s powers derive from the [National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2000/10/contents?ref=theferret.scot), and the [Loch Lomond, and The Trossachs National Park Designation, Transitional and Consequential Provisions (Scotland) Order 2002.](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2002/201/contents/made?ref=theferret.scot) It reported two incidents over the period and both concerned the use of jet-skis on Loch Lomond. The Civil Aviation Authority said the four cases it reported to the Crown Office were alleged offences under the Air Navigation Act, including one which endangered the safety of an aircraft. The Registrar of Companies, which publishes information on UK firms, reported 514 incidents to the Crown Office including 189 alleged frauds. #### **‘Under-scrutinised’** Scot Lib Dem deputy leader Wendy Chamberlain MP said the Scottish Government must check whether the powers afforded to SRAs are being deployed “effectively and correctly”. She added: “An under scrutinised quirk of prosecution policy in England led to a series of decisions that ruined the lines of many sub-postmasters. Meanwhile the Crown Office in Scotland made many of the same mistakes. The inner workings of our justice system must be carefully monitored to ensure nothing similar can happen again.” > The relationship between a prosecution authority and an investigating agency must be based on absolute candour and trust. > > Crown Office spokesperson Maggie Chapman MSP, Scottish Greens justice spokesperson, described the Horizon scandal as “one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in modern UK legal history”, adding that the conduct of the Post Office has been “shocking from start to finish”. As a result, she said, there must be proper oversight of SRA prosecutions, and that “where powers are abused there must be real consequences, with individuals being held accountable for their actions”. Calum Greenhow, of the National Federation of SubPostmasters, said: “The number of Scottish cases of victims of the Horizon scandal is proportional to the number of overall cases across the UK. Therefore, the way matters in Scotland are dealt with does not appear to have provided a level of protection that it should have.” A spokesperson for the Crown Office said that as an “independent and impartial prosecution service” it is determined to ensure that all miscarriages of justice resulting from “unreliable Horizon evidence” are overturned. “The relationship between a prosecution authority and an investigating agency must be based on absolute candour and trust,” they added. “Like all specialist reporting agencies, Post Office limited had a legal duty of revelation and was required to make COPFS aware of the issues with its Horizon system. We now know it failed to do this.” COPFS added it will publish [updated guidance](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/publications/reports-to-copfs-a-guide-for-specialist-reporting-agencies/html/?ref=theferret.scot) for SRAs this year. #### **The Horizon scandal** More than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted for stealing because of incorrect information from a computer system called Horizon, which was built for the Post Office by Fujitsu and rolled out from 1999\. It was intended to standardise accounting practices for UK post offices but there was an immediate increase in the number of unexplained accounting shortfalls after it was enacted. The faulty system made it look like money was missing from branch accounts but rather than investigate claims Horizon was faulty, the Post Office accused people of theft and fraud. Former sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses say the scandal ruined their lives. Many faced bankruptcy or lost their livelihoods. Marriages broke down, and some families believe the stress led to serious health conditions, addiction and even premature death. The Post Office, owned by the UK Government, led prosecutions itself in England. In Scotland, the Post Office acted as a SRA and referred cases to COPFS to prosecute on its behalf. [In May 2024,](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/post-office-crown-office-police-scotland-scottish-parliament-scottish-government-b1158279.html?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Post%20Office%20has%20been,of%20crimes%20to%20the%20police.) the Post Office was stripped of its status as a SRA and can no longer file reports to the COPFS. Its Post Office Investigations Services has been replaced by an Assurance & Complex Investigations Team which was established in 2022\. It can conduct preliminary investigations into suspected criminal conduct and refer cases to police. Last June, the [Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2024/6?ref=theferret.scot), came into force, effectively overturning all convictions that relied on evidence from the Horizon system. The Scottish government identified 141 potential cases after the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill became law. A total of 97 cases were assessed as being affected by Horizon. By February 2025, 64 sub-postmasters had their convictions quashed, while 11 cases are still being assessed. 22 have been upheld. Earlier this month, a new support group – Scottish Postmasters for Justice and Redress Group – was launched at the Scottish Parliament to try and speed up compensation payments for Scots victims of the scandal. A Post Office spokesperson said it is “working hard to rebuild trust” with postmasters. “We have taken important steps to improve our policies and culture and if there are allegations of wrongdoing, the business acts fairly and in line with proper internal and external processes. In cases of suspected criminal activity, the Post Office now refers evidence to Police Scotland,” they added. *Main image credit: iStock/gorodenkoff* ### Open for business: Which opposition MSPs meet most with corporate interests? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/which-opposition-msps-meet-with-corporate-interests/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:56:14.000Z **Lobbying and access to the corridors of power have been key themes of the first week of The Ferret’s** [**Who Runs Scotland**](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/who-runs-scotland/) **series. We kicked off our month-long investigation by revealing that businesses dominate lobbying of the Scottish Government.** But it’s not just ministers whom lobbyists target. Opposition MSPs are also an important entry point to Holyrood. They can propose debates, table amendments to bills and some could be future ministers. So which MSPs have companies seen as most important – and most open – to their messages since the last election in 2021? We’ve plunged back into the darkest depths of Holyrood’s [lobbying register](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/LobbyingRegister/SearchLobbyingRegister?ref=theferret.scot) to find out. ### **Daniel Johnson (270 meetings)** Johnson, Scottish Labour’s shadow secretary for enterprise and business, is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a popular target for corporate lobbying. He has had over 100 more meetings with business than any other opposition MSP. Johnson met most with **Scottish Financial Enterprise** (16), which represents financial services firms. He also had meetings with banks, insurance firms, asset managers and representatives of the private equity industry. He was lobbied 12 times by the **British Retail Consortium**. Johnson is the sole shareholder of **Stripe Retail Ltd**, which provides “retail consulting and advisory services”. Johnson’s shares are valued at £280,000 and he receives dividends from the company. He also had meetings with the **Scottish Tourism Alliance** (9), the trade body for Scotland’s green energy industry, **Scottish Renewables** (8), and oil giant **BP** (7). He attended Scotland’s rugby win over Australia in November 2024 as a guest of **Vodafone**. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/fuasx-number-of-meetings-with-businesses-since-last-election-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/which-opposition-msps-meet-with-corporate-interests/) ### Anas Sarwar (169 meetings) Just over half of lobbying of the Scottish Labour leader since 2021 has come from business interests. Sarwar’s meetings with corporations have been broadly spread across industries, but **ScottishPower** (8) topped the list. He also met repeatedly with fellow energy giants **Shell** (5) and **SSE** (5). He met **Salmon Scotland**, the trade association for Scotland’s controversial fish farming sector, 5 times. Two of these events were organised by lobbying firm **Quantum Communications,** which is led by Alan Roden, the former Scottish political editor of the Daily Mail who was previously a Scottish Labour spin doctor. In a [piece](https://www.thetimes.com/article/9a9c134a-01c0-4208-b43d-e38081092440?shareToken=e871fc63cdd9a8b711b9be3d233ffceb&ref=theferret.scot) in The Times earlier this week entitled ‘We can use our ties with Trump to make Scotland greater again’, Sarwar wrote that “if we want Scotland to prosper, we must make it a place where businesses feel wanted and welcomed”. Labour said the headline for The Times piece was given by the paper itself and were not Sarwar’s words. ### **Miles Briggs (157 meetings)** Tory MSP Briggs is the second-most lobbied MSP overall, behind only the now housing minister, Paul McLennan. Just over a third of his meetings involved business interests. Briggs met **Homes for Scotland** – the representative body for Scotland’s housebuilding industry – 14 times. He served as the Scottish Conservatives’ housing spokesperson between May 2021 and October 2024. The list member for the Lothian region met **Scottish Land and Estates (SLE)**, which represents rural landowners, 8 times. Discussions with SLE included “possible amendments” to legislation affecting landlords, including an offer by the body to send Briggs a “draft text of an amendment to strike out” part of a bill relating to the private rental sector that it opposed. ### **Brian Whittle (153 meetings)** Whittle, the Scottish Conservative MSP for South Scotland, met most frequently with clients of the public relations firm, **Message Matters (12)**, itself run by two former Tory figures. Whittle is himself a director and shareholder of a business advice consultancy called **Trackside Consultancy**, where he says he works for a maximum of 12 hours a month outside of parliamentary time. He has been paid just under £13,000 for the role since the last election. The individual business groups that lobbied Whittle most were Scottish Renewables (7) and the **Scottish Grocer’s Federation** (5). He had four meetings each with the **Nuclear Industry Association**, **ADS Group** – which represents over 1000 members in the weapons and aerospace sector – and the **Scotch Whisky Association**. Whittle was treated to tickets to the Scotland vs France rugby match at Murrayfield by **Scottish Gas.** He estimated the value of tickets and hospitality to be around £500. ### **Sarah Boyack (139 meetings)** Lothian regional MSP, Boyack – the Scottish Labour spokesperson on energy, just transition and net zero – was another who had numerous meetings with clients of **Message Matters** (9) and **Quantum** (7). Around half of corporate lobbying of Boyack was by energy companies – particularly those involved in renewables – with **SSE** (6), German company **RWE** (5) and Scottish Renewables (4) to the fore. In October 2024, Boyack joined Anas Sarwar on a visit to Stuttgart to meet representatives of **EnBW** in order to “learn lessons” for the Labour government’s GB Energy proposal and “encourage more investment in Scotland”. The cost of the trip was met by the German firm. ### **What do the parties say?** A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “Scottish Labour MSPs meet with businesses, experts and campaigners regularly to learn more about how we can deliver a new direction for Scotland.” A Scottish Conservatives’ spokesperson claimed the party was “proud to regularly meet businesses who tell us they have been let down by 18 years of SNP failure”. *Cover image composite thanks to Scottish Parliament/iStock*/*Scottish Labour* ### Who’s winning friends and influencing people at the Scotland Office? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/whos-influencing-people-at-the-scotland-office/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:27:47.000Z **The SNP has been in power at Holyrood for nearly 20 years and polls suggest it will win again in 2026.** But last year’s general election was a blip in the party’s dominance, as Labour won a landslide across the UK including 37 of Scotland’s 57 seats. Longstanding MP [Ian Murray](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3966/contact?ref=theferret.scot) was named the government’s Scottish secretary nine years after he had been Labour’s last man standing following its electoral wipeout north of the border. So who has Murray brought into his team, who is trying to influence them, and what does the Scotland Office actually do? As part of our series, [Who Runs Scotland?](https://theferret.scot/society/who-runs-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot), The Ferret takes a closer look. ### **Who’s in Murray’s team?** **Kirsty McNeill**, elected as MP for Midlothian last year, is under-secretary of state for Scotland and Murray’s deputy. McNeill was an adviser to Gordon Brown while he was prime minister and on his charity projects after he left office. She has worked for various charities and, prior to her election in 2024, was [chair](https://web.archive.org/web/20240529145645/https://ourscottishfuture.org/about/) of the board of Our Scottish Future, a think tank Brown set up in 2019 to make a “[progressive case](https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-independence/gordon-brown-launches-think-tank-with-warning-boris-johnson-could-end-union-1412973?ref=theferret.scot)” for the Union. Two veterans of the independence referendum are the special advisers at the Scotland Office, **Kieron Higgins** and **Callum Munro**. Higgins joined Murray’s team as a political adviser in May 2024 after five years at Citizens Advice Scotland. Before that he was a spin doctor for Scottish Labour and national communications officer for Better Together in 2014. Munro is a former head of news at the British Army and has been a member of the army reserve. He was ‘get out the vote’ coordinator for the ‘No’ campaign during the referendum. ![Scotland Office](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/kirsty-mcneill.png) Midlothian MP Kirsty McNeill is second in command at the new-look Scotland Office. **Image credit: UK Government* ### **Who’s had access to Murray & Co?** Records of Murray’s meetings are available for his first six months in the Scotland Office. His first official meeting was with the **Scotch Whisky Association (SWA)** involving a photo opportunity and a discussion about protections for Scotch Whisky in Brazil. Murray said the choice of the whisky industry for his first meeting proved “economic growth and job creation” were top of the agenda for the UK government. The ‘water of life’ could be the key to unlocking “markets for other Scottish products and services”, he [wrote](https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/holyrood/24450162.ian-murray-labour-will-reset-holyrood-westminster-relations/?ref=theferret.scot) in The Herald. The SWA is one of three organisations Murray saw at least three times in his first half-year in the role. He met **Petroineos** in his first week in post and on three other occasions before the turn of the year. Each of these meetings were to discuss the company’s Grangemouth oil refinery – which is due to close this year with the loss of hundreds of jobs. Murray held talks with Norwegian state oil giant **Equinor** three times between September and December. Equinor is behind the controversial bid to drill for oil at the Rosebank field off the coast of Shetland, a project which has faced a massive backlash from environmental campaigners. Other energy industry players he scheduled time for included **BP**, **Shell**, **Harbour Energy**, oil and gas trade body, **OEUK**, and **EDF**. Business interests accounted for 66 of the 121 meetings held by Murray in his first six months. These included engagements with defence giants **BAE Systems**, **Thales** and **Kongsberg** which each have a presence in Scotland and have faced protests over links to Israel since the start of the war in Gaza. Murray attended the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire in July where he had a number of “planned brush by” discussions with companies including **RTX (formerly Raytheon)** and **Leonardo** to hear their “priorities”. Individuals he has met include banker and executive chairman of the [Buccleuch Group](https://www.buccleuch.com/?ref=theferret.scot), **Benny Higgins**. The pair discussed business, the regeneration of the Granton area of Edinburgh and artwork. Higgins is also the [chair](https://www.nationalgalleries.org/about-us/who-we-are?ref=theferret.scot) of the board of the National Galleries of Scotland. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/qff9h-groups-ian-murray-met-multiple-times-in-first-six-months.png) ### **What about gifts and jollies?** The Labour government has faced [criticism](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/dec/27/the-public-expected-us-to-be-squeaky-clean-now-they-think-were-all-the-same-how-freebiegate-rocked-labour?ref=theferret.scot) for accepting freebies since it was elected. Murray and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar faced [scrutiny](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/anas-sarwar-ian-murray-fuel-33731124?ref=theferret.scot) in September when it was revealed they were treated to free seats and hospitality at a Liverpool football match by fish farming trade body, **Salmon Scotland**. Defending the decision to accept the tickets, Scottish Labour said Salmon Scotland – whose industry has come under fire for its impact on the environment and the welfare of fish – was an “important strategic partner in promoting Brand Scotland”. Murray has been on a number of [trips](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e56e3ca82c168e578c9be0/Scotland%5FOffice%5FMinisterial%5FOverseas%5FTravel%5FOctober-December%5F2024.csv/preview?ref=theferret.scot) since he took office to promote Scottish trade. He visited Singapore and Malaysia in November 2024 to discuss issues like whisky, energy and defence with ministers from the south east Asian countries. That trip – which cost the taxpayer around £5,000 – came the same month as a two-day journey to Norway “in support of UK trade and the defence sector”. Murray also used the trip to speak to the Norwegian energy industry, including Equinor, about “investment planned in Scotland”. Last week he [visited](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/scottish-secretary-focusses-on-jobs-and-investment-in-usa-visit?ref=theferret.scot) New York as part of its ‘Tartan Week’ celebrations alongside other Scottish Labour figures, as well as the Lord Mayor of London, Alasdair King, and the chief executive of **Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE)**, Sandy Begbie. SFE represents the companies that make up Scotland’s financial services sector. According to the government [website](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/scottish-secretary-focusses-on-jobs-and-investment-in-usa-visit?ref=theferret.scot), the Tartan Week trip was aimed at “encouraging inward investment in Scotland” and inviting major global investors to attend a Scottish Investor Summit – organised by SFE and the **City of London Corporation** – in Edinburgh in October. Meetings as part of the visit were held at the New York offices of **BlackRock**, the world’s largest asset management company which also has a presence in Scotland. ### **What does the Scotland Office do?** The Scotland Office is a department of the UK Government with bases at Whitehall in London and Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh’s city centre. It was previously known as the Scottish Office prior to devolution in 1999, when most of its powers were passed to the Scottish Government. Its role is now to represent Scottish interests on issues that are reserved to the UK Government. The Scotland Office also “[advocates](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scotland-office/about?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20SO%20represents%20and%20advocates,government%20is%20visible%20and%20accessible.)” for UK Government policies in Scotland and is responsible for the “[smooth running](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/devolution-of-powers-to-scotland-wales-and-northern-ireland?ref=theferret.scot#territorial-offices)” of the devolution settlement. However the Scottish secretary does have the power to block bills passed by the Scottish Parliament if there are grounds to believe they could “have an adverse effect on the operation of the law as it applies to reserved matters”. This power is set out in section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 which [established](https://www.parliament.scot/about/how-parliament-works/parliament-rules-and-guidance/guidance-on-public-bills/part-1?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=1.8%20The%20Scotland%20Act%201998,Acts%20of%20the%20Scottish%20Parliament%E2%80%9D.) the Scottish Parliament. It was only used for the first time in 2023, when Alister Jack [issued](https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/section-35-scotland-gender-recognition-bill?ref=theferret.scot) a section 35 order to prevent the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) bill from proceeding. Murray has been clear he does “not foresee” using a section 35 order, the Scotland Office told us. It said it is “focussed on delivering the UK Government’s missions in Scotland” which had [helped](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/deal-agreed-to-secure-harland-wolffs-future-protecting-thousands-of-uk-shipbuilding-jobs?ref=theferret.scot) save Harland and Wolff’s Scottish yards, provided [support](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plans-for-future-of-grangemouth?ref=theferret.scot) for Grangemouth and invested in projects across Scotland. *Cover image composite thanks to Paul Maguire and the UK Government* ### Who’s lobbying Scotland? How big business influences Scottish ministers URL: https://www.theferret.scot/lobbying-scotland-business-scottish-ministers/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T18:05:44.000Z **Fossil fuel giants, influential PR firms and the short-term lets industry are among the top lobbyists of the Scottish Government since John Swinney became first minister, The Ferret can reveal.** Energy company SSE, oil major BP, and the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers were the three business groups who met Swinney’s ministers or their advisers most, while the National Farmers Union of Scotland was the most active lobbyist overall. Message Matters, run by former Tory spin doctor, Andy Maciver and ex-Conservative MP, Peter Duncan, was the public relations firm that had the most time with Swinney’s government on behalf of a range of clients. In the first nine months of Swinney’s premiership, 44 per cent of lobbying was by companies and business groups – higher than any other sector, including charities, campaign groups and trade unions combined (38 per cent). As part of our month-long series, [Who Runs Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/so-who-runs-scotland/), The Ferret analysed hundreds of records from the Holyrood lobbying register via [Transparency International](https://www.transparency.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) UK’s [Open Access](https://openaccess.transparency.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) tool. Experts said Scotland needed more “public policy expertise and far less spin.” Loopholes should be closed to bring lobbying “out of the shadows,” campaigners argued. Deputy first minister and economy secretary, Kate Forbes, was the most accessible minister for lobbyists. She chalked up over 100 meetings between May 2024 and February 2025 – 80 per cent of which were with business interests. Lobbying is a normal and legal part of the political process, which allows different stakeholders and interest groups to meet with lawmakers and attempt to influence the direction of policy. But while it often goes under the radar, lobbying can have a big impact on policy decisions. Scotland’s deposit return scheme – for example – was shelved after a [major](https://www.theferret.scot/whisky-lobbying-deposit-scheme/) lobbying [effort](https://www.transparency.org.uk/news/spirited-away-what-do-we-know-about-demise-scotlands-deposit-return-scheme?ref=theferret.scot) by opponents including the whisky industry. Campaigners with lobbying experience, including a former spin doctor, claimed the process favours businesses while “marginalised” communities are largely shut out. They alleged that Scotland’s democracy could be “undermined” by lobbying from big business, and called for all meetings to be minuted and made public. The Scottish Government said the public would expect it to “meet with a wide range of groups on a variety of subjects”. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfh9x2gTr1DXFMa1M36DRLY7UZSBYRQHfFLs3FSSNNTq8iYh_2Wl0biqbAUfsi9395ODEtQI5x_DSgbnqd0jYAmUjIwGRIk-IlKrrKCJS0FYmhSRB60i96DclIEloFG6FLotf2IFg?key=Pud8ZQP6bTottTAzGzao6oYV) #### **What did top lobbyists ask for?** **Energy giants** The energy industry – including both renewable and fossil fuel companies – accounted for 11 per cent of lobbying activity under Swinney, more than any other business sector. SSE, based in Perth and one of Scotland’s biggest companies, met ministers 13 times. In one meeting with Swinney, the multinational lobbied for changes to Scotland’s planning system to “unlock more flexible” energy generation, including that equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. The government is considering a [controversial bid](https://www.theferret.scot/new-peterhead-gas-plant-run-at-same-time-as-old/) from the firm to build a new CCS-equipped gas power station at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. SSE [argues](https://www.ssethermal.com/flexible-generation/development/peterhead-carbon-capture/?ref=theferret.scot) the site would produce mostly clean power but environmental campaigners fear approving it could be incompatible with climate targets and keep Scotland “[locked into](https://foe.scot/press-release/labour-accused-of-hypocrisy-over-fossil-fuel-donation/?ref=theferret.scot) volatile gas markets”. In other meetings, the company promoted its renewables projects and frequently asked that the planning process for green energy projects be sped up. An SSE spokesperson told The Ferret that it regularly engaged with “politicians from all parties, community groups and others about our work”. They added: “That engagement is carried out ethically and transparently and it’s no secret that to unlock this investment we want to ensure Scotland’s planning system keeps pace with the rest of the UK.” BP representatives met with ministers 10 times since Swinney came to office, including multiple meetings with the first minister, his deputy Forbes, and acting energy minister, Gillian Martin. The company lobbied ministers via its exhibition stand at the SNP conference last year. It also met Forbes and public finance minister, Ivan McKee, at the Holyrood Magazine [garden party and political awards](https://events.holyrood.com/event/holyrood-garden-party-political-awards-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) last September. According to the register, BP’s lobbyists mostly promoted the impact of its North Sea oil and gas business on Scotland’s economy, and discussed the government’s energy strategy. The firm recently [scaled back](https://www.ft.com/content/8bcf131f-c820-493f-8ea6-6a35440facd3?ref=theferret.scot) its green targets in an effort to [increase value](https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/news-and-insights/press-releases/growing-shareholder-value-a-reset-bp.html?ref=theferret.scot) for shareholders – a move that outraged environmental groups. An [analysis](https://www.transparency.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-02/Power%20Politics%20-%20Emerging%20insights%20into%20climate%20lobbying%20in%20Scotland.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of climate-related lobbying by Transparency International earlier this year found two in three meetings on the issue in Scotland were with business rather than civil society. TI warned this imbalance of access could be “delaying more radical policy” to tackle the climate crisis. **Farming** The National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS) clocked up 25 lobbying meetings, including with agriculture minister Jim Fairlie, himself a former NFUS member. The group asked for future agricultural funding to be ring-fenced, and promoted gene editing crops, which it argues make growing more efficient and environmentally friendly, but ministers oppose over fears of tainting Scotland’s reputation for natural food. NFUS said it meets ministers “to ensure the real-life experiences” of the 9,000 farmers and crofters it represents “are understood by policymakers and reflected in decisions that affect rural Scotland”. **Short term lets** The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC), which represents owners of short-term rentals listed on sites like Airbnb, met ministers eight times. It targeted Forbes, housing minister Paul McLennan, and Ivan McKee, who is responsible for planning. He met with the body five times in nine months, while Forbes and McLennan also met with Airbnb directly. The group’s lobbying has focused on the impact of the introduction of a licensing scheme for short-term rentals in 2023, which was aimed at addressing the sector’s impact on local communities and housing demand. Many short-term let landlords were angered by the move. In its meetings with ministers the ASSC claimed the regulations were having a “materially negative impact” on its members and the “wider tourism economy”. The association “makes no apology for championing the interests of our members,” a spokesperson said. They claimed it was important “that ministers and MSPs hear first-hand from a sector that has been negatively impacted by Scottish Government regulation.” **Public relations** PR firm Message Matters met the government 18 times on behalf of various different charities, private firms and trade bodies. Shetland Islands Council was its biggest client. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeXTSd7SJwKbhAs4MAG8ZxuzIYcKGKHnRXQMSSKqSG3nlh7aCZztfyGZfxD2PXviPZurOW4xWonMBd29hx3xCm9ntCQFfZkWI9tP1DrxgXguTVqzU6QGxqj-WzeIwoqCCoJo3hDBw?key=Pud8ZQP6bTottTAzGzao6oYV) Campaigners criticised the number of meetings that ministers had with business interests compared to community representatives and campaigners, saying this reinforced the idea that only big business was important to economic growth and stability. [Talat Yaqoob](https://rse.org.uk/fellowship/fellow/ms-talat-yaqoob-21994/?ref=theferret.scot) has worked in the Scottish policy sphere in a variety of roles for many years. She said communities have “nowhere near” the level of engagement with decision-makers compared to others. “It is par for the course that governments will be lobbied by different actors, but this can only be acceptable under conditions of full transparency and equal access for all,” she said. “The number of lobbying meetings, particularly by big business, reflects the misconception that economic growth and stability is only accomplished through them. A strong economy is also enabled by communities being invested in and having their needs met – if space for these conversations are not given the same prominence, then we all suffer.” Her concerns were shared by James Mitchell, a professor of public policy at the University of Edinburgh. He said that while ministers and MSPs should engage with different interest groups, “not least to gain insights and ideas”, there must be an “even playing field” for all stakeholders. “There is a particular issue regarding paid lobbyists who are not likely to be expert in a subject matter and thereby can offer little in the way of expertise on policy formulation and, crucially, delivery, but may have easy access,” Mitchell claimed. #### **Bring lobbying ‘out of the shadows’** Scotland’s [lobbying law](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2016/16/contents?ref=theferret.scot) came into force in March 2018\. It [requires](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/Home/Help?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1&ref=theferret.scot) organisations which hold face-to-face meetings – including online – with MSPs and government representatives to record who they lobbied and why within six-and-a-half months. The law doesn’t cover lobbying by phone, letters or email, by organisations with less than ten full time staff or by people who are unpaid. Meetings also don’t have to be registered if “factual information or views on a topic” were requested by ministers or MSPs. Organisations often meet with multiple politicians and advisors at the same time, and log an event on the register for each MSP or government representative present, meaning some meetings are recorded more than once. Lobbying rules had “gaps that undermine accountability”, said Juliet Swann, nations and regions programme manager at [Transparency International UK](https://www.transparency.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). “Knowing who lobbies our politicians, and why, is vital for open and transparent democracy,” she continued. “While Scotland’s lobbying register has revealed much about influence at Holyrood over the past eight years, significant issues remain. “We must close gaps that undermine accountability – like the ‘Zoom loophole’ that lets lobbyists escape scrutiny simply by turning off their cameras during virtual meetings. We also need to reconsider exemptions for meetings requested by MSPs and cross-party group discussions. These reforms are essential to fully bring Scottish lobbying out of the shadows.” [James Mackenzie](https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mackenzie-610a1047?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot) is a freelance campaigner, lobbyist, and former spin doctor for the Scottish Greens. He claimed that while “well-intentioned”, the lobbying register “does not really address the core ways in which our democracy is undermined by business interests”. He added: “It would be more useful if all meetings ministers and special advisers have with external bodies were minuted and those minutes made public. That way the arguments being made in private, for example efforts to reduce environmental protection in the name of profit, could be aired in public. “We should also see an end to corporate donations to political parties, which is a more direct problem than any number of meetings.” All organisations named in this story were asked to comment. ### So, Who Runs Scotland? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/so-who-runs-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T14:57:30.000Z Scotland is just a year away from its next election, and current polling suggests the SNP could be about to extend its time in power. It’s been a tumultuous few years at the top of Scottish politics. Since 2023, there have been three first ministers, innumerable ministerial changes, the collapse of a coalition and a police investigation into the SNP’s finances. The media circus that surrounds our elected politicians can often obscure the powerful interests that are impacting decisions in Scotland everyday. Often, it seems that power and influence is confined to Holyrood and Westminster. But who is influencing our politicians? Which business interests are wielding power outside of parliament? Who is running our industries? Who is impacting our environment and climate? Here at The Ferret, we are interested in those who hold sway both within and outside of parliament’s walls – those who often go under the radar in the corridors of power, without the public accountability our politicians face. Four years ago, we published our first major series looking at where power lies in Scotland. At that point, Nicola Sturgeon was riding high in the polls, the Conservatives were in control of Westminster, and the world was emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic. The world has changed unimaginably since then. So we asked you to help us examine who controls the levers of power in Scotland in 2025, and raised more than £11,000 in a crowdfunding campaign. The result is a [new month-long series](https://theferret.scot/society/who-runs-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) – **Who Runs Scotland** – launching this Sunday. Throughout April, we’ll investigate powerful business interests, lobbying and PR firms, examine the affairs of wealthy Scots wielding influence and delve into the foreign interests that leverage power right here in Scotland. We’ll look at the multinationals that own some of Scotland’s iconic industries, examine the powerful dealmakers and board members who exert influence on our arts, culture and education, and investigate the tech bros and businesses looking to take control of Scotland’s future – in sectors like AI and space exploration. We have spent months investigating the issues you said you were interested in, examining sectors, businesses and powerful individuals that often escape the glare of the media. This project, funded by donations from our readers and members, is for everyone in Scotland who is concerned about where the power lies. And we want to make it accessible. So thanks to you, we’re also making the whole series **free to read**, helping you share our findings far and wide. What’s more, we’ll be sharing key stories about power in Scotland that we’ve already looked at throughout the year. We’d love for you to be involved, so email us at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot) or message us on social media if you think there’s some influence we should be delving into. You can also sign up to our [FREE Ferret Underground](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) newsletter for all the stories and inside scoops from the series each week. We could not have done this series without your incredible support. We hope you [find it illuminating](https://theferret.scot/society/who-runs-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot). ### How could the benefit changes impact Scotland? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/how-could-the-benefit-changes-impact-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-10-15T23:19:18.000Z **The UK Government’s changes to disability benefits have been criticised by campaigners and politicians in Scotland.** New rules for assessing who can receive the personal independence payment (PIP) were announced by chancellor Rachel Reeves in March, alongside changes to [universal credit](https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit?ref=theferret.scot). Concerns have been raised about how these policies will [impact](https://www.theferret.scot/number-of-scots-facing-benefit-sanctions-doubled/) people in Scotland, which has some control over its social security system. Ferret Fact Service explains. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-19.png) #### **What changes have been announced?** More than [3.5 million](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-statistics-to-january-2025?ref=theferret.scot) people are paid the personal independence payment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The benefit is for those who have a long-term physical or mental health condition. It is [made up of two parts](https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-uc-changes/whats-changing-when?ref=theferret.scot), one for daily living and one for mobility. Claimants are eligible for one or both of the elements and payments are adjusted accordingly. The UK Government [plans to tighten up the eligibility criteria](https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-uc-changes/whats-changing-when?ref=theferret.scot) for the daily living part of PIP, and applicants will need to score higher on their assessment than previously. There are also plans for more frequent assessments for many people claiming PIP. The [Office for Budget Responsibility](https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2025/?ref=theferret.scot#chapter-3) has estimated this will result in about 800,000 people having their benefits impacted, and the changes will come into force in April 2026. People who receive [universal credit](https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-youre-paid?ref=theferret.scot) could also face changes to their payments. About [7.5 million people](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-9-january-2025/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-9-january-2025?ref=theferret.scot) across the UK get monthly payments, while some in Scotland get their payments twice a month. Some people who receive universal credit are [not obliged to try and find work](https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-uc-changes/whats-changing-when?ref=theferret.scot) due to long-term health concerns, and many people receive a top-up to these benefits to account for this. The [new proposals](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10222/?ref=theferret.scot) will mean that incapacity benefit will no longer be available to those under 22, while those claiming the benefit for the first time will receive a smaller payment. The weekly amount will be reduced from £97 to £50, [at which level it will be frozen](https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/blog/benefits-entitlements/universal-credit-changes?ref=theferret.scot) until the end of 2029-30. People already claiming the health-related top-up will have their payment frozen at the higher rate. #### **How much control does the Scottish Parliament have over disability benefits?** Some benefits are [devolved to Scotland](https://www.gov.scot/publications/social-security-independent-scotland/pages/7/?ref=theferret.scot), which means a few of the payments received by Scots are the responsibility of Scottish ministers, who make decisions on changes. Eleven benefits were devolved after the [2016 Scotland Act came into force](https://www.gov.scot/publications/social-security-independent-scotland/pages/7/?ref=theferret.scot). These included the disability living allowance, PIP, attendance allowance and severe disablement allowance. The UK Government [retained responsibility](https://fraserofallander.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Perspective-1-An-overview-of-social-security-in-Scotland.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for major benefits including universal credit, child benefit, the state pension and maternity allowance. #### **How could these changes affect Scottish benefits?** In Scotland, [PIP has been replaced](https://fraserofallander.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Perspective-1-An-overview-of-social-security-in-Scotland.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by the adult disability payment (ADP), and the changes to PIP announced by the chancellor will not apply in Scotland. Currently there are 433,050 people receiving the adult disability benefit. While there are a small number of people in Scotland still receiving PIP (because ADP is not fully rolled out), it is [expected](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2025/03/18/disability-benefit-reform-implications-for-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) everyone will be transferred over to adult disability payments by the time the main changes proposed by the UK Government come into force. The Scottish Government has [ruled out](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2025/03/18/disability-benefit-reform-implications-for-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) making similar changes to those made by the UK Government. The cabinet secretary for social justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, told a Scottish Parliament committee on [6 March](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2025/03/18/disability-benefit-reform-implications-for-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) that ministers “do not intend to follow Westminster’s approach, because that would be exceptionally detrimental to people who receive those payments and are entitled to them.” Universal credit changes [will impact Scotland](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2025/03/18/disability-benefit-reform-implications-for-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot), as this benefit remains reserved to Westminster. #### **What about Scotland’s budget?** While Scottish ministers have no plans to replicate the UK Government’s reforms, there may be a knock-on effect for the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government [gets most of its funding](https://fraserofallander.org/scottish-budget-guide/?ref=theferret.scot) each year through a block grant, transferred from the UK Government, which is made up of a proportional allocation of money accrued from taxes from all the UK’s nations, including Scotland. The Scottish Government decides how the block grant is [spent.](https://fraserofallander.org/scottish-budget-guide/?ref=theferret.scot) Changes to the budget are made annually based on spending by the UK Government that year. Scotland is given a [proportional amount](https://fraserofallander.org/scottish-budget-guide/?ref=theferret.scot) of that change in spending, depending on whether the money has been spent in an area where powers are reserved by Westminster or devolved to Scotland. This calculation is known as the [Barnett formula](https://fraserofallander.org/scottish-budget-guide/?ref=theferret.scot). If there is a spending increase on UK Government NHS spending, for example, there will be a knock-on increase in the block grant for Scotland. The aim of the UK Government’s plans on disability benefits is to save money, so there may be a reduction in spending, with a knock-on impact on the Scottish block grant. This would mean Scottish ministers would either have to similarly reduce spending on their benefits system to cover the costs, try and find the money from elsewhere in its annual budget, or raise money for it through taxation, for example. Analysis by economic researchers the [Fraser of Allander Institute](https://fraserofallander.org/spring-statement-reaction/?ref=theferret.scot) found that PIP reforms will see social security spending reductions to the block grant. [FAI estimates](https://fraserofallander.org/spring-statement-reaction/?ref=theferret.scot) this will increase from £177m in 2027-28 to £455m. This could see the Scottish budget about £900m worse off by 2029-30, compared to previous projections. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* Main image: [Kirsty O’Connor/No 10 Downing Street](https://www.flickr.com/photos/ukgov/?ref=theferret.scot), [CC BY-NC-ND](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot) ### FFS explains: The CalMac ferries contract URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-the-calmac-ferries-contract/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:03:12.000Z **Scotland’s shipbuilding industry has been back in the spotlight in recent weeks, after the announcement that seven new ferries for Caledonian MacBrayne will be built by a Polish firm instead of a Clyde shipyard.** The [contract for seven new small ferries](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqjd8xx8wvlo?ref=theferret.scot), which will replace existing boats with more modern electric vessels, is part of CalMac’s plan to decarbonise its fleet. Opposition parties [argued](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-20-03-2025?meeting=16328&iob=139485&ref=theferret.scot#orscontributions%5FC2669792) that the first minister John Swinney had allowed the contracts to go overseas when the nationalised Ferguson shipyard on the Clyde could have built them. But how was it decided to build the ferries in Poland? And could the Scottish Government have intervened? Ferret Fact Service explains. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-2.png) #### **How does the tendering process work?** CalMac is a publicly-owned company, so ferries built for use on its routes are meant to go through a system of public tendering. This means that [Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL)](https://www.cmassets.co.uk/about-us/?ref=theferret.scot), which owns the ferries and land-based assets used by CalMac, puts out a public notice to say it needs a number of ferries to be built, and then private companies bid for the contract to do the work. The contract for seven new ferries [was announced in July 2024](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3615z2wl74o?ref=theferret.scot), with CMAL initially selecting 12 bidders, including Ferguson. While the Clyde firm made it onto the final shortlist of six, the contract was eventually handed to [Polish firm, Remontowa](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqjd8xx8wvlo?ref=theferret.scot). The tender is worth £175m and will see seven new “loch class” vessels built to replace ageing boats currently serving routes in Scotland. #### **Could Ferguson have been directly given the contracts?** When the plan to build seven new vessels was announced, there were calls for the contract to be awarded to the Ferguson yard, in order to help secure its future. It is [possible under certain circumstances](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-procurement-policy-handbook/pages/7/?ref=theferret.scot) for the open tendering process to be bypassed. This is known as a direct award. Legally there are only very specific cases where this can be used. The Scottish Government gives [some examples](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-procurement-policy-handbook/pages/7/?ref=theferret.scot) of how a direct award could be given out, including “extreme urgency due to unforeseen circumstances”, “covering the immediate need where there is only one possible supplier”, or small modifications to existing contracts. In an [exchange with Labour MSP Claire Baker](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-18-03-2025?meeting=16323&iob=139434&ref=theferret.scot) in the Scottish Parliament, deputy first minister Kate Forbes said that a direct award of the ferries contract to Ferguson “would have introduced substantial risk” that the contract could have been legally-challenged by other shipbuilders. She said it could have led to the “worst of both worlds, with the boats not being delivered to islanders and Ferguson Marine not getting the contract because the matter ended up in the courts”. According to a [report by public finance watchdog](https://audit.scot/uploads/2024-12/s22%5F241217%5Fferguson%5Fmarine%5Fport%5Fholdings%5Flimited.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), Audit Scotland, the small ferries contract went to public competitive tender after “legal advice that a direct award would be in breach of the conditions set out in the UK Subsidy Control Act”. [Subsidy control](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/subsidy-control-rules-key-requirements-for-public-authorities/subsidy-control-rules-quick-guide-to-key-requirements-for-public-authorities?ref=theferret.scot#an-introduction-to-subsidy-control), which was previously called state aid when the UK was part of the European Union, sets rules on how public money can be used. It regulates when a state public authority can and cannot give financial support to an enterprise, giving them an economic advantage. It is against the law for public money to be spent to give one group or company a competitive advantage over others, unless strict criteria are met. The UK guidelines state that “subsidies should be given in the public interest” such as to address a market failure. According to the Scottish Government, [legal advice](https://audit.scot/uploads/2024-12/s22%5F241217%5Fferguson%5Fmarine%5Fport%5Fholdings%5Flimited.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) suggested handing the contract directly to Ferguson without an open tendering process would have fallen foul of these rules. #### **What happened to Ferguson?** The Ferguson shipyard, which has been producing ships on the Clyde since the start of the 20th century, was [forced into administration](https://www.insider.co.uk/news/ferguson-shipbuilders-sold-clyde-blowers-9891531?ref=theferret.scot) in 2014\. It was then [taken over by a company](https://www.insider.co.uk/news/ferguson-shipbuilders-sold-clyde-blowers-9891531?ref=theferret.scot) owned by Scottish businessman Jim McColl, and renamed Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL). In 2015, it was announced [the new company had beaten six other bidders](https://www.cmassets.co.uk/caledonian-maritime-assets-limited-announces-scottish-shipbuilder-as-preferred-tenderer-for-two-large-ferries-contract/?ref=theferret.scot) to win a £97m contract for two CalMac ferries, which were later named the MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa. FMEL’s plan was to build the two boats at the same time, with Glen Sannox due to enter service in mid-2018. After numerous delays, and spiralling costs for both ferries, Ferguson [entered administration](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-49370082?ref=theferret.scot) once again in 2019. A [report from Audit Scotland](https://audit.scot/uploads/docs/report/2022/nr%5F220323%5Fvessels.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) found the contract had been awarded without normal mandatory financial safeguards in place for public procurement. The investigation could not identify why Ferguson won the order without these guarantees. The Scottish Government then stepped in to secure the immediate future of the business, which was [eventually nationalised](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-49370082?ref=theferret.scot) after various private bids were rejected. Glen Sannox entered service in January 2025\. Glen Rosa is due to begin taking passengers in autumn of this year. *Main image: iStock/Richard Johnson* *Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) owned CalMac. CMAL and CalMac Ferries are in fact both owned by the Scottish Government, with CMAL owning assets such as ferries and harbours.* ### Far right group condemned for targeting teenager who posted racist content URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-group-condemned-15-year-old-racist/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:22:02.000Z **A far right group has been condemned for targeting young men after one of its teenage activists posted racist, misogynistic and Islamophobic messages on social media.** The schoolboy – who we are not naming – is a card-carrying member of the Homeland Party. In one video, the teenager said he has “always been disgusted by mixed race couples and race mixing in general” and claimed white women’s attraction to Black or Asian men is “wrong for them and stems from porn addiction and promiscuity”. The 16-year-old also called for pro-immigration politicians to be jailed and in a post on social media, he said that “the idea that we fought the Nazis in an ideological war is extremely damaging and must be refuted”. He also claimed to have been interviewed by a teacher over his political views, suggesting it was at the behest of counter terrorism officers. The Scottish Greens said the teenager’s comments – some of which were posted after he joined Homeland – are “shocking” and it was “deeply troubling to see someone so young sharing such poison and hatred”. The party accused “hate groups like Homeland” of targeting “young and disenfranchised people,” particularly “boys and young men”. The anti-racism charity Hope not hate claimed Homeland is “leading young men, some of them teenagers, down a dark path, doing potentially irreparable damage to their futures in the process”. An expert on the ‘manosphere’ said “unregulated social media” plays a “big part” in the radicalisation of young men. [Author of slogan cited by white supremacist murderers invited to UK by far right partyThe man behind a conspiracy theory cited by white supremacists and mass murderers has been booked as a conference speaker by a far right political party led by a Scot. Renaud Camus – who coined the term “the great replacement” – has top billing at an upcoming Homeland Party conference which will![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-33.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/renaud_camus_-_autoportrait_blond_plieux_bibliotheque_29_novembre_2012-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/author-slogan-white-supremacist-far-right-party/) The Homeland Party –which offered to coach the teenager in debating skills last September when he was 15 years old – confirmed he was a party member and described him as a “true son of Scotland who is doing his community proud”. It added: “We won’t throw such young people under the bus for things they’ve said or done online before they joined us – even when we strongly disagree with them.” Homeland is a far right political party founded by a Scot called Kenny Smith from the Isle of Lewis, who was a candidate for the British National Party, which was condemned for its racism. Smith started Homeland in 2023 after breaking away from another far right group called Patriotic Alternative. One branch organiser for the party has claimed that roughly 70 per cent of Homeland’s members are under 30. Homeland’s Scottish teenage activist became a member of the party in January and supports the mass deportation of immigrants. His political posts date back to when he was 15 years old. He said in a video that some women are addicted to porn and constantly search for “extreme” sex including “sleeping with a bunch of men”, and that “the next thing is eventually gonna be black man.” Women enjoy this because it is “perverse” and “kind of dirty”, he added. Referring to an event last month at his school when staff and pupils were encouraged to try on hijabs to celebrate ‘World Hijab Day’, the 16-year-old wrote on his social media account: “At the same time in England, a school boy was stabbed to death by a foreigner. And just to add salt to the wound, now the Labour government is set on creating a council to ‘tackle Islamophobia’. I’m disgusted at the current political and educational system in Britain.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/parlane-1.jpg) The youth wrote “yawn” in response to prime minister Keir Starmer who said antisemitism is “hatred”, and claimed that “our ancestors didn’t fight the Nazis so we could get invaded by foreigners and Muslims from the third world instead”. After posting an image of a shanty town alongside a cathedral, he wrote: “The people who built this \[the shanty town\]…are not going to benefit or enrich the culture of a people who built this \[the cathedral\].” He also said politics needs to get a “lot nastier” and urged “British people” to “come out fighting”. He added: “The only way out of our corrupt political system and to stop the heinous crimes being committed against our people is to get nasty. No more being nice. No more ‘let’s not have a political divide’. It’s about time we be honest with ourselves and realise that the pro-immigration lunatics are traitors who will never like the British people or understand our cause. People will be locked up for what they’ve done.” > “Beneath its euphemisms and empty sloganeering, the Homeland Party is a fringe fascist organisation rife with antisemitism, misogyny and crank conspiracy theories. > > David Lawrence, senior researcher at Hope not hate Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman said the rise in extremism and misogyny among young men “should concern all of us” and accused Homeland of targeting young men and “cynically trying to direct their anger into hatred against marginalised people”. She added: “But they are not doing it alone. It is in a political ecosystem where a lot of similar views, even if sanitised, are being spouted almost every day by powerful politicians and large swathes of the media. It has only helped to normalise such bile. Chapman said society needs to “counter the fake solutions and talking points” of the far right, and urged men to “play their part in stepping up and boldly calling out the harm” being done. “Unless there is a concerted effort to offer hope and to counter these hateful narratives they will only spiral,” she said. David Smith, a lecturer in psychology at Robert Gordon University with a focus on radicalisation and the ‘manosphere’, said the trend of young men moving right politically is happening in the UK, Germany, the USA, and South Korea, while young women are moving leftwards. He told The Ferret: “Obviously we need to distinguish between mainstream conservatism and the more extreme groups it sounds like he \[the 16-year-old Homeland member\] has been following. However, this trend points to a stark new gender divide that appears to be opening around the world.” “The far right has always been effective at storytelling, and in this case, I think many young people feel a sense of national decline, where life seems harder than it should,” Smith said, adding that for some “their anger is being harnessed, unconstructively, in the wrong direction.” David Lawrence, senior researcher at Hope not hate, said: “Beneath its euphemisms and empty sloganeering, the Homeland Party is a fringe fascist organisation rife with antisemitism, misogyny and crank conspiracy theories. Nonetheless, the group often brags about the youth of its membership, many of whom have been recruited on social media. Responsible adults ought to be wary of the influence of this toxic organisation.” Kenny Smith, leader of the Homeland Party, said: “Young men like our new member are fed up being second class in their own homeland. Every day the aggressive liberal progressives spew their hatred against native young men. They have had enough and want a future.” He added: “The young man you speak of, joined our party in mid-January and is already engaged in positive community work. Unlike the professionals quoted in this article, we volunteer our time to guide people away from online extremism and help them build something more grounded and constructive. [Far right European politicians join Homeland UK conferenceA far right party in the UK hosted controversial European political parties including one designated as “extremist” and whose regional leader was fined for using a Nazi slogan. Homeland, which is led by a Scot and has been approved as a UK political party, hosted figureheads from the Alternative for![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-34.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/discussion-panel-conf-2024.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-european-politicians-join-homeland-uk/) “Hope not hate claims to be ‘building communities challenging hate,’ yet their entire operation revolves around spreading hate toward their political opponents, including children. Unlike us, they contribute nothing positive at the grassroots level. They are demonstrably one of the most toxic forces in UK politics. The unscrupulous Ms Chapman is one of the worst offenders in Scotland for demonising those who refuse to submit to her Communist-style oppression.” Last year, the Electoral Commission approved Homeland’s bid to register as a political party and field candidates in elections across Britain. This was despite [comments](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-terrorist-racist-rules-election-watchdog/) from its staff accusing Homeland of breaking its own code of conduct by sharing “terrorist literature” and “antisemitic and racist” content. Homeland dismissed the “spurious claims” and said it enforces a code of conduct. The party advocates the mass deportation of immigrants and says [nationalism](https://www.theferret.scot/homeland-registers-political-party-electoral-commission/) should be based on land and the “[law of blood](https://homelandparty.org/our-thinking/nationalism-explained/?ref=theferret.scot)” – which means membership of a nation is defined by ancestry rather than political decisions. ### Abused by fraudsters: A timeline of Scottish Limited Partnerships URL: https://www.theferret.scot/a-timeline-of-scottish-limited-partnerships/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:32:16.000Z **Scottish Limited Partnerships, or SLPs, are a business entity provided for in UK law dating back to the Limited Partnerships Act of 1907.** [SLPs](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-limited-partnerships/) differ from limited partnerships elsewhere in the UK as they have “legal personality”, which allows them to enter into contracts, and take on debts or own property. In a limited partnership in England and Wales or Northern Ireland, this is done by the partners. For this reason, SLPs are attractive entities for companies engaged in illicit or secretive activities. Firms can establish a legitimate foothold in the UK while obscuring their operations through partners located in “secrecy jurisdictions”. They have been linked with money laundering, internet fraud, and one of the worst bank robberies in recent history. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) ### Timeline #### December 2014 The Great Moldovan Bank Robbery It emerges that $1bn vanished from three of Moldova’s leading banks. Much of the money passed through UK companies, according to a report by the private international investigation agency Kroll. [ Read more ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33166383?ref=theferret.scot) #### June 2015 Flat in Edinburgh housing estate revealed to be home to hundreds of firms The Sunday Herald reveals that 438 companies were registered to a modest flat in Pilton, a housing estate made famous by Irvine Welsh’s 1993 novel, *Trainspotting*. Some were owned by offshore vehicles in “secrecy jurisdictions” such as Seychelles and some were accused of involvement in the Moldovan bank fraud. [ Read more ](https://www.ianfraser.org/the-moldovan-connection/?ref=theferret.scot) #### July 2016 SLPs are reported to be marketed to customers in Latvia, Ukraine and Russia These “off-the-shelf” Scottish firms prompt fears that SLPs are being used for money-laundering and tax evasion in the former Soviet Union, according to The Herald’s reporting. [ Read more ](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14623297.fears-grow-scottish-firms-used-money-laundering-former-soviet-union/?ref=theferret.scot) #### December 2017 Investigators say nearly $3bn was launded from banks in Moldova Much of the “dirty cash” was funneled through anonymous Scottish and UK shell firms, according to US-based private detective agency, Kroll. [ Read more ](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15792485.full-extent-multi-billion-dollar-bank-heists-links-scottish-firms-revealed/?ref=theferret.scot) #### April 2018 The UK Government accounces a crackdown on SLPs The move comes after a review by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) found that Scottish entities had been used to move $80bn from Russia in just four years. [ Read more ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-43935839?ref=theferret.scot) #### October 2021 Edinburgh firm linked to Ukranian mafia embezzlement The Ferret revealed that two addresses in Edinburgh were listed as the official headquarters for thousands of businesses, including one linked to a Ukranian corruption case. Many were created by companies registered in offshore jurisdictions such as the British Virgin Islands or Seychelles. [ Read more ](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-offices-linked-secretive-partnerships/) #### June 2022 Dozens of Scottish firms linked to UN sanctions target The firms registered at an Edinburgh address involve a man linked to a gas tycoon blacklisted by the UK Government for aiding Russa’s occupation of Ukraine, the Ferret found. [ Read more ](https://www.theferret.scot/firms-scottish-gas-tycoon-sanctioned-russia/) #### March 2023 Only three SLPs formed by residents of Scotland An analysis by The Ferret of all 631 SLPs created during 2022 showed that only three were registered by Scotland residents. Most were registered to companies based in the UK, but nearly two hundred were registered to “secrecy jurisdictions” like Switzerland, the United States, Seychelles, and the United Arab Emirates. [ Read more ](https://www.theferret.scot/only-3-631-scottish-limited-partnerships-formed-residents-scotland/) #### October 2023 UK regulation intented to curb abuse of limited partnerships becomes law The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) aims to deliver reforms on tackling economic crime and improving transparency over corporate entities. #### March 2024 Scottish firms continue to be linked with fraud and accusations of tax evasion and collusion with Russia The Ferret reports on one SLP registered in Granton, Edinburgh used by the self-styled “King of Fraud” to hoard much of the ill-gotten gains of an internet fraud scheme. Another SLP in Glasgow is linked to a pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch wanted for tax evasion. [ Read more ](https://www.theferret.scot/muirhouse-slp-and-the-king-of-fraud/) *Main image: Yau Ming Low/iStock* ### Muirhouse, SLPs and the King of Fraud URL: https://www.theferret.scot/muirhouse-slp-and-the-king-of-fraud/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:27:42.000Z **“He works on the night shift and is probably asleep,” says an elderly woman as she walks past us and opens the door to her ground floor flat.** She’s referring to her neighbour across the landing whose front door has empty beer bottles outside, and a large bag of garden fertiliser on the doormat. We knock on the door. No response. We wait a few moments and chap again. Still nothing. The Ferret is in Edinburgh on a dank winter’s day trying to track down a ‘company’ linked to an international money laundering scandal – involving an estimated £770m. We’re in Muirhouse to be precise, a housing estate in Scotland’s capital made famous by its favourite son, Irvine Welsh, who immortalised the working class area in his 1993 novel, Trainspotting. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/roystonj45940.jpg) Royston Mains Street in Edinburgh, one of several addresses tied to opaque SLPs. Photo by [Angela Catlin](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot) Royston Mains Street is our second stop today. We drove here after doorstepping another nondescript tenement flat, a few minutes drive away in Granton Crescent, also in Muirhouse. There was no-one there either, nor any sign of the ‘company’ we’re investigating which is registered as a Scottish Limited Partnership (SLP), a legal entity under UK law. There are 1,156 SLPs registered at this address. SLPs date back to the Limited Partnerships Act of 1907\. They are used by thousands of legitimate businesses – but some have been used by money launderers, tax evaders and fraudsters, prompting calls for reform to laws to crackdown on criminality. SLPs are easy to set up and can hold assets and enter into contracts, which helps to obscure ownership and facilitate activities like money laundering. They’ve been of interest to The Ferret for some years now. In 2023, for example, we found that only [three out of 631 SLPs ](https://www.theferret.scot/only-3-631-scottish-limited-partnerships-formed-residents-scotland/)had been formed by residents of Scotland. [Two years prior](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-offices-linked-secretive-partnerships/), we revealed that a couple of Edinburgh addresses had been cited as the official headquarters for businesses that use opaque financial structures linked to alleged money laundering and tax abuse. Now, as part of our finance project, The Money Trail, SLPs are in sharp focus again. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image-2.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) In Edinburgh, the SLP we’re trying to track down is called Octmedia and its registered address is the top floor flat we visited in Granton Terrace. We want to speak to the people behind thisSLP because it was used to launder money generated in an international scam co-run by a man who called himself the “King of Fraud”. According to court documents seen by The Ferret, [Octmedia](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SL024755?ref=theferret.scot) was used to hoard much of the ill-gotten gains of an internet fraud scheme. The operation saw fraudsters set up advertising companies to sell online ads, and charge clients proportionate to the number of views the ads received. They also generated millions of artificial views from 650,000 IP addresses that were leased. The conmen infected 1.7 million computers with malware, which covertly accessed the internet to generate ad views. Their complex scheme was powered by 1,900 computers that were rented from a Texas data centre and used remotely to post ads onto 5,000 spoof websites. In November 2021, Aleksandr Zhukov, the self-described “[King of Fraud](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/russian-cybercriminal-sentenced-10-years-prison-digital-advertising-fraud-scheme?ref=theferret.scot)” who helped set up two ad networks in 2014, was [found guilty](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/russian-cybercriminal-sentenced-10-years-prison-digital-advertising-fraud-scheme?ref=theferret.scot) and sentenced to 10 years in prison in the US. Two other individuals pleaded guilty. While the court indictment refers to revenues of £28m generated by the fraud, [some estimates](https://www.networkworld.com/article/958693/fraud-detection-firm-outs-1b-russian-ad-fraud-gang-and-its-robo-browsing-methbot.html?ref=theferret.scot) put the total at £770m. Our investigation found that Octmedia was founded in 2016 by two firms based in the Seychelles – a so-called ‘secrecy jurisdiction’ where company owners can eschew public registers. The following year, new UK regulations made it mandatory for SLPs to disclose their owners. But Octmedia simply named another SLP, [Johnson and Brothers LP](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SL027448?ref=theferret.scot), as its owner – a legal loophole used to avoid disclosing the names of individuals. Johnson and Brothers – also registered at the Granton Terrace flat as a SLP – was itself owned by a pair of Seychelles companies during the fraud operation. However, leaked [Pandora Papers](https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/?ref=theferret.scot) files, obtained by the [International Consortium of Investigative Journalists](https://www.icij.org/?ref=theferret.scot) and seen by The Ferret, reveal the individuals behind these companies. They were Sergey Ovsyannikov and Aleksandr Isaev – two of the eight people indicted in the fraud scheme. Ovsyannikov was arrested in October 2018 in Malaysia and extradited to the US where [he pleaded guilty to charges](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/united-states-recovers-over-15-million-swiss-bank-accounts-proceeds-global-digital?ref=theferret.scot). Isaev remains at large. Some [£11.7m was recovered](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/united-states-recovers-over-15-million-swiss-bank-accounts-proceeds-global-digital?ref=theferret.scot) by authorities from Octmedia’s bank account – [reportedly](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/who-ran-methbot-3ve-ad-fraud?ref=theferret.scot) the main recipient of the scammers’ takings. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/octmedia-infographic-1.jpg) We presented the findings of our investigation to Phil Brickell MP, a member of the all-party parliamentary group on anti-corruption and responsible tax at Westminster. He said economic crime costs the taxpayer “billions of pounds” every year, and there “remain gaping loopholes” for scammers, money launderers and tax evaders to exploit. “We need full transparency in company registers, so that law enforcement can trace dirty money and drive illicit wealth out of our economy,” Brickell told The Ferret. “UK regulators need to get on top of this, and the existing, well-known loopholes urgently need to be closed.” Companies House, the UK’s register of businesses, declined to comment on specific firms but said that it “pursues non-compliant SLPs and works closely with relevant enforcement bodies to determine the appropriate action.” The National Crime Agency, which assisted the US Justice Department in its investigations, also declined to comment. Our broader investigation into SLPs for The Money Trail took us to another Edinburgh address where [102 SLPs](https://www.theferret.scot/firms-scottish-gas-tycoon-sanctioned-russia/) are registered – 5 South Charlotte Street. A firm called [A&A Investments LP](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SL034059?ref=theferret.scot) uses this address and we discovered it has continued to name a man linked to organised crime and environmental pollution as its co-owner, years after his reported death. Adam Fryderyk Stross, who was [reported](https://register.mbr.mt/app/query/get%5Fcompany%5Fdetails?auto%5Fload=true&uuid=eb88611d-1e45-5278-8c60-37643fcfbfe8&ref=theferret.scot) as dead to Malta’s business registry in 2021, remains one of two listed controllers of [A&A Investments LP](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SL034059?ref=theferret.scot). Since his reported death, A&A has [submitted](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SL034059/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) three confirmation statements, which are supposed to show any notable changes within the partnership. The latest statement, filed on 9 October last year, did not state that Stross had ceased to be an owner. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/slp-residents-infographic.jpg) A Polish national based in Malta, Stoss held a senior role in a company that ran a plastic landfill in Poland which contaminated groundwater water and crops. His [LinkedIn profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamstross/?originalSubdomain=mt&ref=theferret.scot) links to a non-existent website for A&A. But an [archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20211204072210/http://www.adamstross.com/) version of his personal website shows that he advertised tax, legal and other services. He was also CEO of [a firm](https://web.archive.org/web/20220331140232/https://stjulians.eu/) which offered services such as the bulk commodity trading of oils and fuels. In 2016, he [was arrested](https://www.statoquotidiano.it/06/05/2016/trani-operazione-varsavia-arrestati-4-polacchi/462568/?ref=theferret.scot) on suspicion of being part of a transnational criminal organisation which sold counterfeit fuel produced in Poland onto Italy. The case, along with two others, which implicated Stross in a VAT fraud scheme, was [dropped](https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/rem-odrzucila-skarge-na-reportaz-superwizjera-o-pozarach-na-wysypiskach-smieci?ref=theferret.scot), however. Commenting on our findings, Steve Goodrich, head of research and investigations at Transparency International UK, said that if a trust and “company service provider” knows their client’s circumstances have changed they should be checking what’s happened and updating the registrar accordingly. “As recent reforms bed-in, there are fewer and fewer excuses for inaccuracies on the UK corporate register,” he told The Ferret. Glasgow is also home to SLPs, and a couple of weeks earlier we’d visited Scotland’s largest city on the trail of a company linked to organised crime and a man sanctioned for aiding Russia’s war on Ukraine. We sought [Alfa Consulting LP](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SL022915?ref=theferret.scot), which is registered at a business address on Dumbarton Road, adjacent to a Tesco minimarket. The address is also home to a roofing firm, a cleaning company and a financial services firm. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/20250206_115010.jpg) A business unit on Dumbarton Road, Glasgow — official address of Alfa Consulting LP. Photo by Billy Briggs We visited the finance firm and asked if it knew of Alfa Consulting, but a man with a tattoo on his neck said he’d “never heard” of it. We emailed later to ask if the firm provides SLP services but received no reply. Alfa Consulting was created in 2015 by two companies based in the Seychelles. It is owned by a Ukrainian called Diana Bidniak who is linked to a politician from a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine that has been banned. Documents from the leaked [Paradise Papers](https://www.icij.org/investigations/paradise-papers/?ref=theferret.scot) files were obtained by the [International Consortium of Investigative Journalists](https://www.icij.org/?ref=theferret.scot) and the German newspaper [Süddeutsche Zeitung](https://www.sueddeutsche.de/?ref=theferret.scot), and seen by The Ferret. They reveal that some of Bidniak’s clients have been embroiled in controversy. They include a man [sanctioned](https://www.president.gov.ua/storage/j-files-storage/01/28/05/f6fc65f5b4d71f4122e40b9c30e5331f%5F1719253399.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by Ukraine after [accusations](https://warsawpoint.com/news/61200-vadym-iermolaiev-sanctioned-by-ukraine-will-eu-follow-and-punish-him-for-collaboration-with-russia.html?ref=theferret.scot) of tax evasion and collusion with Russia. Bidniak was also an intermediary for AVE Group, the owners of which have been [mired](https://antac.org.ua/en/news/most-interesting-facts-of-case-of-yermak-s-former-deputy-andriy-smirnov/?ref=theferret.scot) in criminal allegations, according to [reports](https://antac.org.ua/en/news/offshores-and-real-estate-in-crimea/?ref=theferret.scot) from Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Centre (ACAC). Our investigation into Alfa prompted Juliet Swann, nations and regions programme manager at Transparency International UK, to express concern that “SLPs remain attractive” to those allegedly involved in criminal activity. “Despite no longer being secrecy vehicles thanks to owners now being named, the weak controls over who can form and administer SLPs means it is still far too easy for criminals and sanctioned individuals to make use of them,” Swann told The Ferret, adding it is “disappointing that relevant reforms introduced in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023″ are not due to be enacted until Spring 2026. These changes mean that only UK regulated service providers can set up SLPs. But Swann argues they “are not a silver bullet to end the abuse of these vehicles” and should be implemented as soon as possible, adding that “a concerted crackdown on rogue professionals is desperately needed to ensure UK companies no longer fall into the hands of criminals seeking to launder money.” Back in Muirhouse, Edinburgh, at the registered address of Octmedia, we knock on the door of the ground floor tenement flat again in our search for people linked to the “King of Fraud”. No-one stirs inside. We try one last time, but silence – so we head back out into the cold. *Main image: Granton Crescent, where Octmedia was registered during a multi-million-pound fraud.* [*Angela Catlin*](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot) ### The Money Trail: Investigating finance URL: https://www.theferret.scot/the-money-trail-investigating-finance/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:33:00.000Z **For the past year, The Ferret has been working on a major project investigating finance called The Money Trail, and the next part of our series will be published on Sunday with more to come that week.** From dark money, to Scottish Limited Partnerships, to the controversial ownership of land and property, Scotland plays host to a range of illicit finance risks. So, scrutiny is vital to ensure that money does not flow to Scotland’s politics without careful monitoring, and that individuals, companies and states from around the world cannot store their wealth and dirty money in Scottish land, property and companies without it being a matter of public record. Lifting the lid on illicit finance issues requires rigorous investigative journalism, and despite legal threats we’ve published more than a [dozen investigations to date.](https://theferret.scot/finance/the-money-trail/?ref=theferret.scot) [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) ### **Land, property, and lots of money** As part of our investigation series, we vetted hundreds of offshore-owned properties with foreign owners, unmasking landowners including a Cairngorms businessman [linked](https://www.theferret.scot/cairngorm-landowner-jeeves-800m-tax-haven-scam/) to an £800m money laundering and fraud scam, and a Canadian [government body](https://www.theferret.scot/canadian-government-scotland-property-via-tax-haven/) with an alleged history of tax avoidance. Using leaked [Paradise Papers ](https://www.icij.org/investigations/paradise-papers/?ref=theferret.scot)files, made available to The Ferret by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/secret-owners-loch-lomond-golf-club/) that the top political donor to two political parties, senior bankers, a House of Lords peer, and football legend, Ally McCoist, were among secret owners of a tax haven firm behind an elite Scottish golf club. The story prompted renewed calls from campaigners for the UK Government to force overseas British territories to provide public registers revealing the beneficial owners of firms registered there. We also [unveiled](https://www.theferret.scot/politicians-billionaires-offshore-forestry-handouts/) the offshore firms, politicians, and billionaires who received hefty taxpayer forestry handouts. They included the King, J.K. Rowling, and some who have broken rules around public subsidies. The top recipient was a Guernsey resident whose spouse admitted leaving the UK for the Channel Isles to avoid tax. ### **Political finance** Ahead of the 2024 UK General Election, we analysed thousands of donation records spanning three years, [revealing the funders](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaires-lobbyists-dark-money-scotlands-parties/) linked to dark money, [tax havens](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-tories-100k-billionaire-family-tax-haven/), [climate change denial](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-climate-denial-donation-tory-party/), and the [blacklisting](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-trade-unionist-blacklisting-tory-donors/) of trade unionists. Post-election, we vetted the business and financial interests of all new MPs, revealing the [prevalence of landlords](https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-a-quarter-of-scots-mps-own-multiple-homes/), and highlighting the [hypocritical investments](https://www.theferret.scot/millionaire-mp-wind-farms-scam-owns-turbine-firm/) of politicians. And for good measure, we [scrutinised](https://www.theferret.scot/scots-peers-cost-taxpayer-house-of-lords/) Scottish members of the House of Lords to find out how much they cost the taxpayer, the amount they’ve claimed in expenses, and how active each member has been. ### **Scottish Limited Partnerships** Our next two reports will focus on [Scottish Limited Partnerships](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-limited-partnerships/) (SLPs) – legal entities that have proven controversial over the past decade. They are used by thousands of legitimate businesses – but some have been used by money launderers, tax evaders and fraudsters, prompting calls for reform to laws to crackdown on criminality. Our latest investigation into SLP’s took us to the west end of Glasgow, and Muirhouse, Edinburgh – a housing estate in Scotland’s capital made famous by author and former resident, Irvine Welsh, who immortalised the area in his 1993 novel, Trainspotting. So, if you want to find out what links working class Muirhouse to the Seychelles and Swiss bank accounts, look out for our special investigation on Sunday. This work has been made possible by funding from the [Joffe Trust](https://joffetrust.org/?ref=theferret.scot). But we want to do more of it so please [become a member](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) of The Ferret today and support independent, investigative journalism in the public interest. Yours, *Billy Briggs and Jamie Mann* ### Salmon farms file 210 appeals to ‘sabotage’ lice controls URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farms-210-appeals-lice-controls/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:27:17.000Z Salmon farms across Scotland have lodged 210 appeals against controls on lice infestations imposed by the Scottish Government’s environment watchdog, prompting outrage from campaigners. The appeals are the latest and most dramatic move in the multinational [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) industry’s long-running campaign to block lice controls being introduced by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) to protect wild fish. According to Sepa, the [sea lice](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sea-lice/) that often plague caged salmon can spread to wild salmon and trout as they swim by, and kill them. This is disputed by salmon farming companies. Campaigners accused the companies of showing “utter contempt” for regulation, and of having “effectively sabotaged” lice controls. They called on consumers to boycott farmed salmon, and for ministers to halt any growth in the industry. The salmon industry insisted that Sepa’s controls would have an “unacceptable” impact on business and “will not work”. It had “no alternative” to making the appeals but regretted having to do so, it said. The Scottish Government said it was working with Sepa to “consider any implications” of the appeals. Sepa promised to continue to implement sea lice controls “to ensure environmental protection”. After two inquiries by the [Scottish Parliament](https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/Committees/Report/REC/2018/11/27/Salmon-farming-in-Scotland?ref=theferret.scot#Summary-of-conclusions-and-recommendations) in 2018, the Scottish Government set up a [working group](https://www.gov.scot/groups/salmon-interactions-working-group/?ref=theferret.scot) involving salmon companies to consider the impact of lice. In 2021, that resulted in ministers [appointing Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/water/aquaculture/sea-lice-framework-faqs/?ref=theferret.scot) to manage the problem. Sepa conducted two consultations in [2021](https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/regulatory-services/protection-of-wild-salmon/?ref=theferret.scot) and [2023](https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/regulatory-services/detailed-proposals-for-protecting-wild-salmon/?ref=theferret.scot), and in 2024 started introducing a scheme for controlling lice numbers at individual farms. It was “a risk targeted and evidence-led approach to protecting salmon and sea trout from sea lice from fish farms,” Sepa said. The Ferret [revealed in December 2024](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farming-companies-information-breaches/) that salmon farms were refusing to provide Sepa with information on numbers of fish and lice. We [reported earlier](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-lobbying-regulation/) that the salmon industry had lobbied ministers against the controls nine times in 2023. Now it has emerged that salmon companies have appealed against Sepa’s statutory notices seeking to limit lice numbers at nearly every farm in Scotland. In a footnote to [a response](https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/rural-affairs-and-islands-committee/correspondence/2025/salmon-farming-cabinet-secretary-response.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to a third inquiry by the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Government said on 13 March 2025 that 210 appeals had been received by its [Department of Planning and Appeals](https://www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). “In the coming weeks officials will work with Sepa to consider any implications for this year’s work plan,” the government added. There are fears that the number of appeals could significantly delay the introduction of lice controls. “Attempts to strengthen necessary controls on fish farm sea lice numbers within a new improved Sepa risk assessment framework already look to be effectively sabotaged,” said professor [Andrew Watterson](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew-Watterson?ref=theferret.scot), an expert on environmental regulation from the University of Stirling. “It appears the framework is being overloaded, if not destroyed, by the very large number of appeals against Sepa about limits on sea lice numbers from multinational companies.” He added: “As a strategy for gaining public and regulatory confidence in what they do, the industry’s welter of appeals against reasonable regulation looks seriously misplaced.” ### Salmon industry shows ‘utter contempt’ for Sepa The campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), warned that the salmon farming lobby held “far too much power” over ministers and regulators. “The recent legal appeals by the salmon farming industry lay bare the utter contempt this industry shows for MSPs, regulators and anyone who dares try to curb its polluting operations,” said the group’s Scotland director, Rachel Mulrenan. “The industry claims to be the best regulated in the world, and yet takes legal action against any attempts to implement regulation,” she told The Ferret. “This latest development must be a wake up call. It’s time to step away from farmed salmon – as consumers, and as a nation.” The Green MSP [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot) described the conditions in Scotland’s salmon farms as “frankly shocking”, saying that a quarter of the fish died in the cages. “It’s completely unsustainable and risks long-term damage to our marine environment, our rural communities, and the international reputation of our industry,” she said. “Just as shocking is the ongoing failure to enforce regulations and improve these conditions. If the system is unable to deal with the volume of cases, then Sepa and the Scottish Government must take immediate action.” Burgess reiterated her call for “a pause” on all new salmon farms or expansions of existing ones. “This would allow for proper enforcement and for the industry to clean up its act,” she argued. ### Salmon firms ‘regret’ having to make appeals The industry body [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), however, maintained that Sepa’s lice controls would have an “unacceptable” impact on businesses. There were “significant and fundamental issues” with the notices issued by Sepa, it said in a [letter to Scottish ministers](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/reports/letter-to-scottish-government-on-slrf-120325?ref=theferret.scot) on 12 March 2025. “Given the scale and magnitude of our concerns, farming businesses were left with no alternative but to appeal the variation notices. We regret having to take this position,” wrote the group’s chief executive and former LibDem MSP, [Tavish Scott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavish%5FScott?ref=theferret.scot). “The appeals in no way affect our sector’s commitments around farmed and wild fish interactions, nor our businesses investment in lice management. We continue to operate to all existing agreements and legal obligations in relation to lice management and potential interactions.” Salmon Scotland represents the big four salmon companies active in Scotland. They are Norwegian-owned [Mowi](https://mowi.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Scottish Sea Farms](https://scottishseafarms.com/?ref=theferret.scot), Faroese-owned [Bakkafrost](https://www.bakkafrost.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and Canadian-owned [Cooke Aquaculture](https://www.cookescotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot). Scott told The Ferret: “We support better regulation, not more red tape. We want an evidence-based, scientifically backed framework that helps local authority planners make decisions. “We will continue to work with regulators on a better approach. Sepa’s current plan will not work and leaves business with no option but to appeal.” The Scottish Government confirmed that 210 appeals had been lodged, and said an independent reporter would be appointed to take decisions on them. “Given these are live appeals, it would not be appropriate to comment on the merits of the appeals or their handling at this stage,” a government spokesperson added. “We remain committed to supporting Scotland’s salmon farming sector but also to implementation of the sea lice risk assessment framework under Sepa.” A spokesperson for [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said: “Having been identified by Scottish ministers as the lead body responsible for managing the risk to wild salmon and sea trout from sea lice from fish farms, Sepa will continue to implement the sea lice regulatory framework to ensure environmental protection from existing and new development.” *Cover image thanks to iStock/*[*13threephotography*](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/13threephotography?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)*.* ### ‘Addiewell sentenced my son to death’: Grieving mother speaks out over ‘neglect’ by Scotland’s private prison URL: https://www.theferret.scot/addiewell-private-prison-scotland-grieving-family/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:39:49.000Z **A grieving family is planning to sue Addiewell – Scotland’s only private prison – for negligence after their beloved son and brother died alone in his cell at just 22-years old while waiting for mental health support.** Jordan Burns made multiple suicide attempts in the ten months he spent on remand in Addiewell facing charges of assault. While inside, Jordan’s attempts on his own life included trying to jump from a landing and setting fire to his cell. He had several drug overdoses and had to be resuscitated twice. In one harrowing incident just weeks before his death he took a razor blade to his throat and called his then-solicitor, threatening to kill himself. He told the lawyer he had been waiting for mental health support for months. When he died on 10 November 2023 he had not been given medication for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) previously prescribed, or been treated for his mental health issues. His mother, Janice Burns, says the prison – which is partly owned and run by private company [Sodexo](https://www.theferret.scot/addiewell-3m-shareholders-safety-rising-deaths/) – “served a death sentence” on her son. An additional 67 per cent of the private jail is owned by [Infrastructure Investment Holdings](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06555131?ref=theferret.scot), an arm of London investment firm, [HICL Infrastructure](https://www.hicl.com/?ref=theferret.scot). With the support of human rights lawyer [Aamer Anwar](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/aamer-anwar/), Janice is planning to take legal action against the prison. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/jordanrecent.jpg) Jordan Burns Politicians including the local SNP MSP called for the Scottish Government to investigate the facts surrounding his death and campaigners said the mandatory fatal accident inquiry into Jordan’s death, caused by a drug overdose, must be held urgently. Sodexo said their thoughts were with the family. Lothian and Borders NHS, which provides healthcare in the prison, claimed that it was “committed to ensuring all prisoners have access to timely mental health services”. Last year there were a record [64 deaths](https://www.sps.gov.uk/about-us/transparency/death-custody?ref=theferret.scot) in Scottish prisons with the average age of those who died being just 49\. Jordan was one of 40 people who died in jail in 2023. “His cries for help were ignored,” Janice said. “They took my boy’s life before it had even started. He was sent to Addiewell on remand, was there for almost a year and when he came home to me it was in a box. “This has happened to too many people. I just want to help change things so no other young boy or family has to go through this.” She asked not to be identified in the picture we took to protect her younger children. But she wanted to share the pictures of Jordan that fill her home – a beaming little boy in his over-sized, first school uniform, a more pensive young man hugging the family dog. In one of his mother’s favourites his arm is around his youngest brother, still just six. Burns admits her son was no angel and had troubled teenage years which led to a criminal record. “But he was loving and funny and smart”, she told us and adored by his siblings and friends. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/addiewell-jordan-collage.jpg) From the top left: Jordan in primary school, in high school, and with his baby brother. Results from the [post mortem](https://www.sad.scot.nhs.uk/atafter-death/post-mortem-examination/?ref=theferret.scot) concluded he died of a drug [overdose](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-scottish-drug-deaths-compare-uk-eu/) but it cannot answer Janice’s question about her son’s intentions that night. She is certain of two things though. “My son didn’t deserve to die,” she said. “And his death was preventable. Janice and her lawyer claim Jordan had previously been on the prison [“Talk to Me”](https://www.sps.gov.uk/family-and-friends/raise-concern?ref=theferret.scot) suicide prevention strategy but he was not on the programme when he died. “I feel like someone has ripped my heart out,” she added. “Someone there could have helped him. But nobody did. Instead he was punished.” Nobody in authority called to tell her what was happening, she claims. After Jordan died she says prison officers came to her home to give her the news – delivered in front of her other children. But they stayed just 15 minutes and couldn’t tell her what happened. When Janice phoned the prison she claims she was told she couldn’t see what officers referred to as “the body” until Jordan was in the mortuary. But she was given the wrong details for the morgue, which left her calling others to find him without success. She only managed to view Jordan three days after his death. At a meeting with Addiewell governor Samantha Pariser four months after Jordan’s death, Janice claims she was not allowed to have her advocate from charity Families Outside in the room though a prison officer she had never met was present. Her anxiety meant she forgot all her questions. She says she would not have felt legal action was necessary if Addiewell had apologised for Jordan’s death, been accountable and promised change. [Private prison records almost 600 incidents of self-harmAlmost 600 incidents of self-harming were reported at Addiewell – Scotland’s only private prison – in less than four years, almost double that of any other Scottish jail. The number of incidents, revealed in a freedom of information request, were for self-harm by cutting, which is associated with emotional distress and![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-48.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-937539198.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/private-prison-records-highest-level-self-harm/) Addiewell has been subject to intense criticism in recent years. A [damning report](https://prisonsinspectoratescotland.gov.uk/publications/hmp-addiewell-full-inspection-report-november-2022?ref=theferret.scot) published in May 2023 found less than one third of inmates said they felt safe and one in four claimed to have been assaulted or abused by staff. A freedom of information request passed to The Ferret shows that on the night Jordan died three of the prison wings were in lockdown and more than one in ten of the 109 “operational staff” were off sick. Staff shortages are a longstanding issue in the prison. In [2023/24](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC291454/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot), the prison had to pay £2.7m to the [Scottish Prison Service](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-prison-service/) for failing to meet agreed performance indicators in the last financial year. In the same year it paid out more than £1.5m of dividends to its shareholders. Last year the prison offered an apology to the family of [Callum Inglis](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-68607460?ref=theferret.scot) who died of Covid-19 in his cell in 2021\. He had been coughing up blood and struggling to breathe but did not receive medical attention. This January [fatal accident inquiries](https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/media/1olg15np/2025fai006-fai-katie-allan-william-brown.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) into the deaths of Katie Allan and William Brown \[also known as Lindsay\] found Polmont Young Offenders Institute guilty of a “catalogue of failures”. That prison is run by the Scottish Prison Service, which unlike the privately run Addiewell, is exempt from prosecution. Lawyer Aamer Anwar has claimed that Crown granted immunity from prosecution gives prisons [“a licence to kill”](https://aameranwar.co.uk/preliminary-hearing-for-the-joint-fatal-accident-inqiry-into-the-death-of-katie-allan-and-william-lindsay?ref=theferret.scot) and has called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to revoke it. The family of [Alan Marshall](https://www.inquest.org.uk/allan-marshall-homicide-investiation?ref=theferret.scot) – the prisoner who died at HMP Edinburgh in 2015 after being restrained and dragged through a corridor by up to 17 prison officers – are working with their lawyers to take action against the Scottish Prison Service. > The prison effectively sanctioned a death sentence and for that they should face prosecution. > > Aamer Anwar, human rights lawyer Since Jordan died in November 2023, there have been 14 more deaths in Addiewell. A recent report from an [international rights monitoring body](https://www.prison-insider.com/en/countryprofile/royaume-uni-2024?s=prison-life-index-codegroupsection&ref=theferret.scot#prison-life-index-codegroupsection) gave Scottish prisons an overall a grade of D – indicating regular violations of human rights standards – for the provision of “timely mental health care”. Human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar, who also represented the Allan and Brown families, said Jordan was “severely mistreated” while in prison. “There was no care plan for a desperate young man following multiple suicide attempts,” he added. “The prison effectively sanctioned a death sentence and for that they should face prosecution. Instead of getting justice, families like Jordan’s face the possibility of years of gaslighting, lies, and cover ups before a fatal accident inquiry that cannot even assign blame or determine guilt.” Deborah Coles, director of UK charity [Inquest](https://www.inquest.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which provides expertise on state related deaths, said: “The treatment of the grieving family of this young man is absolutely inhumane and unacceptable and someone at the highest level must be held accountable. “There are really important questions that must be raised in relation to this case. The fatal accident inquiry must happen as a matter of urgency.” Research by [Glasgow University](https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2024/february/headline%5F1042060%5Fen.html?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=A%20new%20report%20led%20by,average%20of%20four%20every%20week.) has consistently found that suicide risk has been missed by prison officers with fatal accident inquiries failing to make recommendations for change that they claim are urgently needed. [Professor Sarah Armstrong](https://www.sccjr.ac.uk/person/dr-sarah-armstrong/?ref=theferret.scot), who leads the research, told The Ferret: “Jordan’s tragic death, following repeated requests for help and clear signs he was in crisis, is sadly among a number in Scottish prisons in recent years. “There were six fatal accident inquiries published in 2024 involving prison suicide. In none of these was the person being supported through [Talk to Me](https://www.sps.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-09/SPS%20Mental%20Health%20Strategy%202024-2034.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). In all of these cases, the people had asked for help or been flagged for urgent referrals which did not happen. Something is seriously wrong in Scotland’s prisons.” [Private prison profits: Addiewell pays £3m to shareholders amid safety fears and rising deathsThe company which owns Scotland’s private Addiewell prison has paid more than £3m to shareholders in less than two years despite serious concerns over prisoner and staff safety amid high levels of deaths and violence, The Ferret has found. In total almost £20m has been paid out in dividends![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-49.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1194234369.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/addiewell-3m-shareholders-safety-rising-deaths/) Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: “Jordan’s family deserve answers about his death and it is not right that they have had to fight so hard for the truth. The SNP government must urgently investigate what went on here.” Fulton MacGregor, SNP MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, where the family lives, added: “This family deserves answers and I am willing to do all that I can to support them.” Dr Tracey Gillies, medical director, for NHS Lothian said it was “committed to ensuring all prisoners have access to timely mental health services”. Prisoners also have access to support through in-cell phones, she added and she claimed prescribed medication is checked on arrival in prison. An HMP Addiewell spokesperson said its thoughts were with the Burns family and said it understood “how difficult this time continues to be”. It said it could not comment further while waiting for a fatal accident inquiry into Jordan’s death. The Scottish Prison Service claimed 53 percent of the 64 deaths in Scottish jails last year were due to “natural causes”. Prisoners have unrestricted access to the Samaritans service via in-cell telephones and families can now phone the prison to raise mental health concerns, they added. *If you have been impacted by the issues raised in this story you can contact the* [*Samaritans* ](https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/?ref=theferret.scot)*on 116 123 or if you have a family member in prison you can contact* [*Families Outside*](https://www.familiesoutside.org.uk/contact-us/?ref=theferret.scot) *on 0800 254 0088* ### MoD under fire over nuclear clean-up in Scotland URL: https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-clean-up-vulcan-mod/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T16:24:48.000Z **The Ministry of Defence has been accused of trying to avoid responsibility for cleaning up a military nuclear site on the north coast of Scotland by making it “someone else’s problem”.** The Ferret can reveal that discussions to transfer ownership of Vulcan, a former submarine reactor testing site next to [Dounreay](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/dounreay/) in Caithness, to the UK and Scottish governments’ Nuclear Decommissioning Authority are at an advanced stage. The aim is to complete the deal in 2027-28. But no decision has been taken on who will pay for the site’s multi-million pound clean-up, including dismantling and disposing of two defunct, radioactive reactors. Unlike some civil [nuclear](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/nuclear/) sites, military sites do not have any funding set aside for decommissioning. Campaigners are concerned that the [Ministry of Defence (MoD)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/ministry-of-defence/) could escape paying for the pollution it has caused at Vulcan and other military sites. They are demanding transparency, and calling on the Scottish Government to block any “backroom transfer” that undermines Scotland’s interests. The 26-strong UK [group of nuclear-free local authorities](https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/?ref=theferret.scot) is planning to raise the issue with UK nuclear minister, [Lord Hunt](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/lord-hunt-of-kings-heath?ref=theferret.scot), at a meeting on 31 March. It will be urging him to extract a promise from the MoD to fully fund the decommissioning of Vulcan. The MoD promised to deliver “value for taxpayers’ money” on the Vulcan clean-up. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) said financing would be agreed with the UK Government “as part of the usual funding process”. [Secrecy over radioactive pollution from nuclear basesThe Ministry of Defence has blocked the Scottish Government’s environmental watchdog from releasing information about radioactive pollution from the Clyde nuclear bomb bases for the last nine years. Emails released under freedom of information (FoI) law reveal that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) asked the Scottish Environment Protection Agency![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-22.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/45152118-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-pollution-clyde-nuclear-bases/) Construction work at Vulcan [began in 1957](https://www.dounreaystakeholdergroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DSG2020C018%5FMOD-presentation-to-DSG%5FMarch-2020.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), with one reactor operational from 1965 to 1984, and another from 1987 to 2015\. They were used for onshore testing of five different designs of reactors to power the UK nuclear submarine fleet. In 2012 the second Vulcan reactor suffered a mishap, and started leaking radioactivity into its cooling water. When the leak was [disclosed two years later](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140306/debtext/140306-0002.htm?ref=theferret.scot#14030652000003), it triggered a bitter argument between the Scottish and UK governments. The then first minister of Scotland, [Alex Salmond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex%5FSalmond?ref=theferret.scot), accused the Conservative UK defence minister, [Philip Hammond](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/philip-hammond?ref=theferret.scot), of deception. Hammond had told MPs that there had been “no measurable change in the radiation discharge” from Vulcan. But an [investigation by the Sunday Herald revealed](https://www.robedwards.com/2014/03/salmond-accuses-defence-minister-of-deceiving-mps-on-radioactive-pollution.html?ref=theferret.scot) that there had in fact been a tenfold rise in emissions of radioactive gases. Hammond subsequently [corrected](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140311/corrtext/140311c0001.htm?ref=theferret.scot#140311100000002) the official parliamentary record. Discussions to transfer responsibility for cleaning up the [Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan%5FNaval%5FReactor%5FTest%5FEstablishment?ref=theferret.scot) from the MoD to the [Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/nuclear-decommissioning-authority/about/our-governance?ref=theferret.scot) began in 2022\. Now, [reports](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25591303-sg-eir-202500452451-response/?ref=theferret.scot) released by the Scottish Government under freedom of information law have disclosed how much progress has been made. An [update in January 2025](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25591303-sg-eir-202500452451-response/?ref=theferret.scot) said that arrangements for the transfer were “moving ahead at full speed”. They would be put in place “during the financial year 2027-28”. The update added: “The decommissioning of Vulcan and the optimised management of the waste will serve as the exemplar for decommissioning the UK’s nuclear submarines.” There are seven [defunct nuclear submarines](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/submarine-dismantling-project?ref=theferret.scot) awaiting decommissioning at Rosyth in Fife and a further 15 at Devonport in Plymouth. Other MoD nuclear sites in Scotland that may eventually need to be cleaned up are the [Faslane](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot) nuclear submarine base and the [Coulport](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot) nuclear weapons depot on the Clyde near Helensburgh. The Scottish Government reports, however, have little to say about how the Vulcan clean-up will be paid for. According to [another January 2025 update](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25591303-sg-eir-202500452451-response/?ref=theferret.scot), a paper on “post-transfer funding options” was “being socialised” within the NDA – though it is unclear what this means. The costs of decommissioning the [more recent civil nuclear power stations](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/decommissioning-agreement-reached-on-advanced-gas-cool-reactor-agr-nuclear-power-stations?ref=theferret.scot), including [Hunterston B](https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/power-stations/hunterston-b?ref=theferret.scot) in North Ayrshire and [Torness](https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/power-stations/torness?ref=theferret.scot) in East Lothian, will be covered by the UK Government’s [Nuclear Liabilities Fund](https://www.nlf.uk.net/?ref=theferret.scot). It has secured more than £20 billion from private power companies. But there is no equivalent fund for cleaning up military nuclear sites. Uncertainty over how Vulcan’s decommissioning will be funded has triggered widespread fears that the MoD could be seeking to wriggle out of its responsibilities. ### ‘Unacceptable’ for MoD to evade nuclear responsibilities [Alba](https://www.albaparty.org/?ref=theferret.scot), the breakaway nationalist party launched in 2021 by former SNP leader, Alex Salmond, is “deeply concerned” that the MoD may “offload” defence nuclear liabilities “without transparency or adherence to the polluter pays principle.” The party’s national organiser, retired Royal Navy commodore [Rob Thompson](https://rob.alba.party/?ref=theferret.scot), said: “It is unacceptable for current and future Scottish taxpayers to bear billions in clean-up costs while the MoD evades responsibility. “The Scottish Government must urgently clarify its due diligence processes, civil-defence cooperation policy and use its veto to oppose any backroom transfer that undermines Scotland’s interests.” The former Alba MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, [Neale Hanvey](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4782/career?ref=theferret.scot), pointed out that the MoD had “dragged its heels” since the 1990s on cleaning up [radioactive pollution](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-pollution-dalgety-bay-cleaned-up/) at Dalgety Bay in Fife. It was “deeply frustrating” that the MoD has “washed its hands” of any future liability at the site, he said. [Dr Richard Dixon](https://www.rdixon.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), a veteran environmental campaigner and former director of [Friends of the Earth Scotland](https://foe.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), urged the MoD to pay for cleaning up Vulcan. “Nothing else would be acceptable,” he told The Ferret. “It took the MoD years to admit liability for radioactive contamination at Dalgety Bay and years more to fund a clean-up. I’m sure they would be delighted to make Vulcan someone else’s problem.” He added: “The current UK Government wants to find cash to increase defence spending. Transferring future military decommissioning costs to the NDA would be more than convenient.” [Westminster keeps nuclear secrets to avoid upsetting Scottish GovernmentThe UK Government is refusing to say why it is keeping nuclear safety reports secret because it is worried about “anti-nuclear arguments from the Scottish Government”. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) won’t give its reasons for failing to release annual assessments of the safety of nuclear weapons on the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-23.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/45159434-e1693376973517.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-secrets-scottish-government/) The [Nuclear Free Local Authorities](https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/?ref=theferret.scot) highlighted [reports in February](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/24/sellafield-nuclear-site-cuts-funding-union-spending?ref=theferret.scot) that £2.8 billion given to the NDA by the UK Government to clean up the biggest and dirtiest nuclear site at [Sellafield](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/sellafield-ltd?ref=theferret.scot) in Cumbria was “not enough”. “We will be raising directly with nuclear minister, Lord Hunt, how important it is that he secures from his colleague, the defence secretary, a promise to fully finance decommissioning work at Vulcan,” said the group’s secretary, Richard Outram. “It is our view that the principle that the polluter pays should apply equally to both the nuclear industry and the defence ministry.” [Pete Roche](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), a Scottish-based nuclear consultant and critic, was concerned that no money had been set aside to cover decommissioning military sites, especially given the pressures on the budget for cleaning up civil sites. “The UK Government must increase the NDA’s budget sufficiently if it is expected to take on the MoD’s decommissioning work as well,” he said. Tor Justad, chairperson of [Highlands Against Nuclear Power (HANP)](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/news/highlands-against-nuclear-power-31-1-23/?ref=theferret.scot), is a member of the [Dounreay Stakeholder Group](https://www.dounreaystakeholdergroup.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which covers Vulcan. It was important that details of the transfer to the NDA were “clarified as soon as possible and that the full costs of returning the land to a brownfield site should be paid for by the MoD,” he said. ### Funding for nuclear clean-up to be agreed An MoD spokesperson said: “Transition work is progressing to transfer the Vulcan site from the MoD to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, while ensuring we deliver value for taxpayers’ money.” The MoD was part of a team which was “working collaboratively” to deliver the transfer. The team engages with the Scottish Government, the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) and other regulators. According to the MoD, there were still a number of “operational activities” which needed to be completed at the Vulcan site before the handover could be completed. An NDA spokesperson said: “Funding for the decommissioning of Vulcan would be considered and agreed with the government as part of the usual funding process. “We are responsible for the safe, secure and sustainable decommissioning of the UK’s legacy nuclear sites. As an arm’s length body of government, we utilise our expertise in decommissioning and nuclear waste management to support the government’s priorities and ambitions.” The transfer of Vulcan will require approval from the [Scottish Government](https://www.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). “We are aware of UK Government work to consider the transfer of the Vulcan site to the NDA for decommissioning including consideration of arrangements for funding,” said a Scottish Government spokesperson. “We place great importance on the safe decommissioning of nuclear sites and are committed to the safe, secure and responsible management of radioactive waste with care for people and the environment.” *Cover image of the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment thanks to John832 via* [*Wikimapia*](https://wikimapia.org/19494855/HMS-Vulcan?ref=theferret.scot#/photo/1836833)*.* ### Israeli firm faced enforcement action over peat extraction in Scotland URL: https://www.theferret.scot/israeli-enforcement-peat-extraction-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T13:26:07.000Z **An Israeli company linked to a major Conservative Party donor faced enforcement action over its peat extraction operations in Scotland, The Ferret can reveal.** The multinational Israel Chemicals Limited (ICL) mined peat for compost until recently at Nutberry Moss, in Dumfries and Galloway. The firm was supposed to restore the site after its work finished but Dumfries and Galloway Council issued an enforcement notice against ICL because of its “failure” to put in place funding to do so. Peatlands have been described as “[Scotland’s rainforests](https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/scotland/posts/scotland%5F2700%5Fs-rainforest?ref=theferret.scot)” because of the large quantities of carbon stored and they are important in the fight against climate change. In Scotland, they store 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon, equivalent to 140 years’ worth of our total annual greenhouse gas emissions. But when peat is extracted carbon is released into the atmosphere, contributing to [global warming.](https://www.nature.scot/peatland-action-case-study-whats-connection-between-peat-and-carbon-storage?ref=theferret.scot) Documents obtained by The Ferret show the council issued an enforcement notice against ICL in February 2024, in response to its “breach of planning control.” Specifically, the council said ICL had “fail\[ed\] to comply” with requirements in the planning application to provide a financial guarantee to cover the cost of restoring the site, estimated at £1,000 per hectare, and submit full details of it to the council for approval. > Planning officers deserve credit for their dogged determination in pursuing ICL but you can’t ‘put right’ the loss of one of the world’s most precious habitats and a valuable carbon store. > > Laura Moodie, a spokesperson for the Scottish Greens in Dumfries and Galloway. This, the council said, was necessary “to ensure financial viability for the post-extraction restoration and aftercare of the site.” A deadline of 16 May 2024 was set for compliance. However, in response to a freedom of information request by The Ferret, the council said “the enforcement notice has not yet been complied with by the developer” – more than seven months after the deadline. Peat extraction at the site has now stopped, and “the operators are working with our council to get the site restored,” the local authority added. However, at time of writing, the council had not confirmed whether ICL had provided evidence that financing for the restoration had been put in place. When contacted by The Ferret, ICL confirmed that peat extraction has ended at Nutberry Moss, but declined to comment further. ICL’s largest shareholder is Israel Corporation Limited, [51 per cent of which is owned](https://www.forbes.com/profile/idan-ofer/?ref=theferret.scot) by billionaire Conservative donor, Idan Ofer. One of Ofer’s companies, Quantum Pacific UK Corporation, [reportedly made a £10,000 donation](https://www.timesofisrael.com/uk-minister-faces-questions-over-meeting-with-israeli-mining-billionaire/?ref=theferret.scot) to the Tories in 2019, as well as [two £35,000 donations](https://bylinetimes.com/2024/10/10/robert-jenrick-donations-arms-to-israel/?ref=theferret.scot) to Robert Jenrick’s bid to lead the party in 2024. The Ferret [first reported](https://www.theferret.scot/peat-multinational-breached-planning-permission/) on alleged breaches of planning permission at Nutberry Moss in October 2022\. However, the council did not take enforcement action against ICL until last year. ICL’s permission to extract peat from the site expired in November 2024. [Peat extraction plans for Nutberry Moss rejected by Dumfries and Galloway CouncilAn attempt by a fertiliser multinational to extend peat extraction in south-west Scotland has been unanimously rejected by a council on grounds it would contribute to climate change. Chemicals company ICL had applied to continue extracting peat, which it uses in the production of compost, from a site called Nutberry![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-2.png)The FerretDonald Campbell![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-1153262914.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/peat-extraction-plan-nutberry-moss-rejected-council/) A spokesperson for Dumfries and Galloway Council told The Ferret: “We are currently working directly with the site operators. This is ongoing work, but we are making positive progress. Peat extraction has now ceased and the operators are working with our council to get the site restored.” Alistair Whyte, head of the campaign group Plantlife Scotland, said he welcomed the council’s “determination to hold ICL to account” in restoring the peatland at Nutberry Moss. Calling on the Scottish Government to end peat extraction, he added: “But this is another case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted – it’s time to call a halt to the damage and destruction caused by peat extraction in the first place.” Peatland campaigner Dr Janet Moxley said it was “concerning” if ICL had not complied with the planning condition, claiming this would leave the council “at risk of having to pay for site remediation if the contractor runs into financial difficulties”. She added that restoration bonds are intended to ensure that any damage caused by minerals extraction is minimised, and to “protect the public from having to pick up large bills” if the site operators go bankrupt. “There needs to be clarity on whether or not a restoration bond has now been lodged and certainty that this site will be fully restored as soon as possible,” Moxley continued. Laura Moodie, a spokesperson for the Scottish Greens in Dumfries and Galloway, criticised ICL’s failure to meet the planning requirements and said it must provide the “financial security and long-term plan for restoration” they are required to do. She added: “Planning officers deserve credit for their dogged determination in pursuing ICL but you can’t ‘put right’ the loss of one of the world’s most precious habitats and a valuable carbon store.” *Featured photo credit: iStock and longtaildog* ### Claim overall attainment gap is down 60 per cent is Mostly False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/overall-attainment-gap-down-60-mostly-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T02:25:16.000Z **The first minister has faced sustained criticism from the other parties at Holyrood over the Scottish Government’s record on education.** During first ministers’ questions on February 27, John Swinney was challenged by Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar about the attainment gap between rich and poor students in Scotland. Swinney responded by [claiming that progress had been made](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-27-02-2025?meeting=16283&iob=139100&ref=theferret.scot#orscontributions%5FM2098E385P721C2662015) in closing the gap, and cited a reduction in the overall difference in attainment. > The overall poverty-related attainment gap has reduced by 60 per cent since 2009-10 under this government. > > John Swinney Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Mostly False.** #### **Evidence** The attainment gap is the difference in the levels of educational achievement between those from the most and least deprived areas. Historically, those from more deprived areas have been less likely to achieve the expected levels of literacy and numeracy, for example, and have a lower chance of ending up in a positive destination after leaving school. Research has shown that this gap has a [significant impact on social mobility](https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/appg-social-mobility-closing-the-regional-attainment-gap/?ref=theferret.scot). It can have “real consequences for the life chances of those from disadvantaged backgrounds,” according to the all-party parliamentary group on social mobility. The difference in attainment between those from Scotland’s most and least deprived areas is measured in various ways by the Scottish Government across different age groups. The [Scottish index of multiple deprivation (SIMD)](https://simd.scot/?ref=theferret.scot#/simd2020/BTTTFTT/9/-4.0000/55.9000/) is used to define the most and least deprived areas. Progress on closing the gap has been central to the SNP Scottish Government’s mission, with Swinney [calling it](https://www.gov.scot/publications/role-education-education-skills-speech/?ref=theferret.scot) his “driving purpose” when he was education secretary in 2016. Then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon also said in 2016 closing the attainment gap between rich and poor students was “a priority”. In response to Anas Sarwar at first ministers’ questions, Swinney claimed: “The overall poverty-related attainment gap has reduced by 60 per cent”. There is no “overall” attainment gap that is published in Scottish Government statistics. There are numerous ways in which the poverty-related gap is measured as young people progress through school and beyond. Primary school and secondary school pupils are [assessed each year](https://www.gov.scot/publications/achievement-of-curriculum-for-excellence-cfe-levels-2023-24/?ref=theferret.scot) on their attainment of the expected levels in [reading, writing, literacy, numeracy, listening and talking](https://www.gov.scot/publications/achievement-of-curriculum-for-excellence-cfe-levels-2023-24/pages/2--achievement-of-cfe-levels-by-deprivation/?ref=theferret.scot). This is released in the annual Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) statistics. Prior to 2016-17, literacy and numeracy were measured in alternate years, and are not directly comparable with later statistics. #### **Primary school** For Primary 1, 4, and 7 combined in 2023-24, the poverty-related attainment gap between the most and least deprived in reading is 17.5 percentage points. This has reduced 1.1 points since 2016-17, when the difference was 18.6 percentage points. In writing, the attainment gap has reduced 1.3 percentage points since 2016-17 (from 20.7 to 19.4), while in listening and talking it has gone down from 14.5 to 12.2 percentage points, a reduction of 2.3. The gap in attainment for literacy in 2023-24 is 20.2, 1.9 points lower than it was in 2016-17 (22.1). The poverty-related gap in combined primary school numeracy has reduced marginally from 17.6 to 17.4. #### **Secondary school** Secondary school pupils are also measured during S3 –when they are 14 or 15 – on their achievement in reading, writing, literacy, numeracy, and listening & talking. Since 2016-17, there has been a 1.9 percentage point reduction in the attainment gap for reading amongst this age group, a 1.1 point reduction in writing. The gap between the attainment of the richest and the poorest in listening and talking has reduced by 2.3 points in the same time frame. The attainment gap in literacy for S3s has actually increased since 2016-17, from 30.5 to 30.9\. It has been reduced by 1.6 points in numeracy. #### **School leavers** Attainment is also surveyed for [school leavers](https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-follow-up-leaver-destinations-no-6-2024-edition/documents/?ref=theferret.scot) at whatever age they leave. This is a measure of the poverty-related gap in those leaving school who go on to so-called ‘positive’ destinations. Positive destinations include higher education, further education, employment, training, and voluntary work. This is measured for young people both three months after leaving school (initial destinations) and nine months after (follow-up). A spokesperson for the first minister told Ferret Fact Service that Swinney had been referring to follow-up destinations in his claim at first ministers’ questions. According to the most recent statistics, the poverty-related attainment gap for school leavers going to positive follow-up destinations was 7.5 percentage points in 2022-23, down from 18.7 percentage points in 2009-10, which is a 60 per cent reduction. In 2009-10, 75.1 per cent of those in the most deprived areas of Scotland ended up in positive destinations after leaving school. In 2022-23, this had increased to 88.9, an 18.4 per cent increase. For those in the least deprived areas, the positive destinations increase from 93.8 per cent to 96.4. Progress on closing the poverty-related attainment difference for school leavers has slowed significantly. Since 2016-17, there has been 1.1 percentage point reduction in the gap. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly False** John Swinney’s claim that the “overall” poverty-related attainment gap has reduced by 60 per cent since 2009-10 is misleading. There is no overall measure of attainment, and his claim is based on one specific measure – school leavers destinations since 2009-10\. On other metrics, such as school pupil achievement, there have not been similar reductions in the gap. ![This claim is Mostly False](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_4mostlyfalse-4.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Main image: [Scottish Government](https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottishgovernment/54369434484/?ref=theferret.scot), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot).* ### Star wars: alarm at space agency’s 130 meetings with MoD URL: https://www.theferret.scot/space-agency-130-meetings-mod/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T02:26:22.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/19-23.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **Senior officials from the UK Space Agency held over 130 meetings with the Ministry of Defence in 2024, prompting renewed concerns about the “weaponisation” of space.** The meetings discussed the [spaceport](https://www.theferret.scot/author/editor/) being built at SaxaVord on Shetland, using nuclear reactors in space and collaboration with the US, NATO and arms companies. Two members of the agency’s advisory board also work for the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The subject of one meeting was kept secret because it was about a project that was “highly confidential and not in the public domain”. Releasing its title risked “compromising our nation’s security”, said the agency. The meetings, revealed in response to a [freedom of information](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/freedom-of-information/) request, have been criticised by [campaigners](https://spacewatch.uk/working-undercover?ref=theferret.scot). Though Scotland’s bid to build spaceports is marketed as scientific research, it is driven by the defence industry, they say. They warn that space could become a “new frontier of conflict” that would put humanity at risk. They fear that spaceports could be “a trojan horse for the arms industry” and demand transparency. The Space Agency and the MoD both stressed it was necessary to work together “to protect critical national infrastructure from space-based threats”. [SaxaVord](https://saxavord.com/?ref=theferret.scot), on the northern tip of the most northerly inhabited Shetland isle, Unst, is leading the race to open a spaceport in Scotland. It [told MPs in February](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr531z0rjzmo?ref=theferret.scot) that it would be ready for its first launch in July. The Shetland News also [reported in February](https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2025/02/21/billionaires-firm-now-owns-more-than-half-of-shetland-space-centre?ref=theferret.scot) that Scotland’s richest man and biggest private landowner, [Anders Holch Povlsen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders%5FHolch%5FPovlsen?ref=theferret.scot), had increased his stake in SaxaVord from 25 per cent to over 50 per cent, making him the majority shareholder. The Ferret [reported in 2021](https://www.theferret.scot/landowner-lobbied-minister-on-spaceport/) that Povlsen secretly lobbied the Scottish Government against building [another spaceport](https://orbex.space/spaceport?ref=theferret.scot) on the A’ Mhoine peninsula in north Sutherland, near one of his estates. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-03-12-165736.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/landowner-lobbied-minister-on-spaceport/) In December 2024 work on the Sutherland spaceport was [put on hold](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c623dlz2p55o?ref=theferret.scot), with initial launches planned from SaxaVord instead. There are also spaceports planned for [Machrihanish](https://www.uklsl.space/post/machrihanish-spaceport-cluster-plan?ref=theferret.scot) on the Kintyre peninsula, [Prestwick](https://www.glasgowprestwick.com/business/spaceport/?ref=theferret.scot) in South Ayrshire and [North Uist](https://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/news/2024/construction-work-begins-spaceport-1-north-uist?ref=theferret.scot) in the Outer Hebrides. The [UK Space Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-space-agency?ref=theferret.scot) was asked to list all meetings by six of its senior staff with the [MoD](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot) in 2024\. The agency responded under freedom of information law with [a six-page list](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25549892-uksa-foi-response-100225/?ref=theferret.scot) taken from calendar records, showing over 130 meetings. Some were attended by more than one agency official. Nine meetings of the agency’s advisory board and its audit and risk assurance committee in 2024 also involved people who work for the MoD. According to the agency’s [register of interests](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-space-agency-register-of-board-members-interests/ce97537b-506e-495d-97d7-280175196140?ref=theferret.scot), two of its non-executive board members, Kevin Shaw and Peter Watkins, are paid advisors for the MoD. Most of the 130 meetings were given a title, summarising their purpose. On 15 January 2024 the Space Agency’s chief executive, [Dr Paul Bate](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/paul-bate?ref=theferret.scot), met the MoD for a “discussion on SaxaVord and next steps for His Majesty’s Government”. Earlier the same month, agency director, [Matt Archer](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/matt-archer?ref=theferret.scot), discussed SaxaVord with the government’s [National Security Strategic Investment Fund](https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/for-financial-advisors/equity-finance/national-security-strategic-investment-fund?ref=theferret.scot), which invests in defence. On 27 March 2024 Archer met the MoD with [Orbex](https://orbex.space/?ref=theferret.scot), the Scottish space company that switched its planned launches from Sutherland to SaxaVord. Archer attended four meetings in 2024 with the MoD to discuss [NATO space plans](https://www.nato.int/cps/eb/natohq/topics%5F175419.htm?ref=theferret.scot). Along with the MoD, he also met with the [US Space Force](https://www.spaceforce.com/about?ref=theferret.scot) and at the US Embassy. Chief executive Bate met four times with [Major General Paul Tedman](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-space-command?ref=theferret.scot#commander-of-uk-space-command), for “catch-ups”, lunch and a discussion on the MoD’s [strategic defence review](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-strategic-defence-review?ref=theferret.scot). Tedman was appointed as the UK’s military space commander in May 2024, having previously been a deputy director at [US Space Command](https://www.spacecom.mil/?ref=theferret.scot). The Space Agency’s two deputy chief executives, Annelies Look and Chris White-Horne, also had lunch with Tedman on 22 October 2024\. In addition, Look and Bate had meetings with the MoD about the use of nuclear power in space, and White-Horne discussed “space defence civil alignment”. Alongside the MoD, Bate met with three big arms companies in 2024\. They were the British arms multinational, [BAE Systems](https://www.baesystems.com/en/home?ref=theferret.scot); the European aerospace and defence company, [Airbus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus?ref=theferret.scot); and the joint French and Italian venture, [Thales Alenia Space](https://www.thalesaleniaspace.com/en/who-we-are?ref=theferret.scot). ### Naming space project would ‘compromise national security’ The name of one company involved in a meeting was kept secret to protect its “commercial interests”. The title of another meeting was redacted “for the purposes of safeguarding national security”, the Space Agency said. It added: “This meeting title references an area of work which is highly confidential and not in the public domain. Releasing this information into the public domain would undermine our position with defence colleagues and any damage to these relationships with our partner departments could compromise our nation’s security.” The [freedom of information request](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25549892-uksa-foi-response-100225/?ref=theferret.scot) was made by the campaign group, [Space Watch UK](https://spacewatch.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). “Although the space industry presents itself as being about science, discovery, and inspiration, the reality is that much of the work in the sector is military related,” said the group’s Peter Burt. “The information released by the Space Agency shows that it works hand-in-hand with the MoD over virtually the whole remit of the agency’s work – launch programmes, satellite communication, earth observation, and international co-operation.” Burt [pointed out](https://spacewatch.uk/working-undercover?ref=theferret.scot) that space technologies were born out of weaponry developed by the Nazis in World War Two. “Nowadays these technologies are still being developed, not for the collective benefit of humankind, but largely for their military applications,” he told The Ferret. “When space programmes become indistinguishable from military agendas we accelerate a new frontier of conflict. Space should be a realm of shared scientific endeavour, not a battleground for geopolitical dominance.” He added: “Military space projects divert resources from humanitarian needs and normalise the weaponisation of the cosmos – increasing the risks we all face from warfare. We need to see more transparency from the UK Space Agency about co-operation with the MoD.” ### Concern that space could be ‘hijacked by the military’ The [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which has also been [monitoring spaceports](https://www.thenational.scot/politics/24791740.snp-wasted-millions-backing-spaceships-social-investment/?ref=theferret.scot), argued that space should be kept for peace. “Secrecy about launches whose purpose if declared would ‘compromise our nation’s security’ does not sound like a civil communications satellite or scientific experiment,” said the campaign’s David Kelly. “We do not expect to be told the details of the UK’s defence strategy. But the truth about what these spaceports are really for, instead of the fluff about civilian use, would be appropriate.” According to the [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), spaceports could be “amazing” for scientific research. “We would be very concerned if it is being hijacked by the military or used as a trojan horse for the arms industry and the further militarisation of space,” said the Green MSP, [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot). “This data raises a lot of questions, but we need answers from the MoD and others, particularly when the United States is acting so recklessly and irresponsibly on the world stage.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-03-12-170222.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/spaceports-scotland-military-spy-satellites/) The [UK Space Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-space-agency?ref=theferret.scot) highlighted the formation of the UK Government’s [National Space Operations Centre](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/national-space-operations-centre?ref=theferret.scot) to bring together “civil and military” capabilities. “We work closely with a range of government departments to deliver our shared ambitions for the UK space sector and to protect critical national infrastructure from space-based threats,” said an agency spokesperson. The [Ministry of Defence](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot) made the same point. “The MoD and [UK Space Command](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-space-command?ref=theferret.scot) have a number of routine engagements with allies and partners,” said a spokesperson. “Collaboration between departments and partners is essential for the continued success of the UK space sector and to protect critical national infrastructure from space-based threats.” [SaxaVord](https://saxavord.com/?ref=theferret.scot) did not respond to requests to comment. The Ferret [reported in 2020](https://www.theferret.scot/spaceports-scotland-military-spy-satellites/) that the arms industry was preparing to use Scottish spaceports to launch military spy satellites. At that time, multinational arms companies were manoeuvring to take advantage of the spaceports. ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Cover image thanks to iStock/[Alexyz3d](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/Alexyz3d?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)* ### ‘A slap in the face’: Edinburgh uni staff rage at principal’s second job amid layoffs URL: https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-uni-staff-rage-principals-second-job-cuts/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T13:21:37.000Z **The head of Edinburgh university has been accused of ‘greed’ for taking a second job just months before he announced staff cuts.** University of Edinburgh principal and vice-chancellor Sir Peter Mathieson [joined](https://www.roslinct.com/insights/sir-peter-mathieson-and-alexander-vos-new-non-executive-directors/?ref=theferret.scot) the board of Roslin Cell Therapies (CT) in June last year. The role at the biotech firm could potentially earn him tens of thousands on top of his existing pay, which is worth over £400,000 and was recently [increased](https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/edinburgh-university-principal-sir-peter-mathieson-handed-ps20000-pay-rise-4864424?ref=theferret.scot) by five per cent. Last month, Mathieson [warned](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13929/Edinburgh-university-principal-announces-university-planning-140million-of-cuts?ref=theferret.scot) staff about plans to cut £140m from the university’s annual budget, which would result in a “smaller staff base”. He said the move was necessary due to a “financial gap” at the university. But the University and College Union (UCU) has [accused](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/3fzpaa5xmpw4rhswnawnydf8wk5te8?ref=theferret.scot) management of “manufacturing a crisis” to justify cuts, pointing out that Edinburgh has recorded surpluses in recent years and has assets worth billions. Staff and the union have reacted angrily to Mathieson’s new role, with one lecturer calling it “a slap in the face” for those worried about their future. They questioned how he had time to take on a second job and argued he should be focused on “solving the problems at the university”. The university said any work undertaken in the role would be carried out in Mathieson’s “personal time” and insisted that cuts were needed so Edinburgh could maintain its position as a “world-leading” institution. ### **Roslin Institute** Roslin CT was established in 2006 as a commercial spin-out of the renowned Roslin Institute within Edinburgh university, known for its involvement in the cloning of Dolly the Sheep. The company now manufactures medical products including a [ground-breaking](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyxvk9pd3ldo?ref=theferret.scot) treatment for sickle cell disease. The university was a major shareholder in Roslin CT until it was sold to a private equity firm in December 2021 – a [deal](https://edwebcontent.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/202207%5Fuoe%5Fannual%5Faccounts%5F2022%5F20.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=62) that netted Edinburgh £38m. In June 2024 – two and a half years after the sale – Mathieson joined its board as a non-executive director. His earnings from Roslin CT have not been disclosed, but the company’s latest [accounts](https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/mzg-R8SJk5wZuEs-u9s6jVhDDCGMJ1YRhdaScK2w-vY/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3LGCWCDQZ%2F20250312%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4%5Frequest&X-Amz-Date=20250312T120917Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEG8aCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJGMEQCIHZ3nMpIiLnwv%2FKPbdNboSzdXOTzoKp056Z6fg5Zg7vRAiBwDyUCPs0FvkDsF8Gqhu9iBQPsljE%2FncNe6gQJl43GZyrDBQi4%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F8BEAUaDDQ0OTIyOTAzMjgyMiIMlaPb60dWaCVmvwMuKpcFXuOLVqu5sAr1iPH6WvuHzIfAROrt9AsJhet8gls6qlAeWPjvHU9tUSlORkMz%2Bwyhs7YHiiyMkNwPFsAcuFr2dsJK3lTkQ%2FrAe6l8a3f3E1IyU9NUJQSfveI%2BOLns0Cb4WBzZCz0TywJ4PhAvSENZdeteZacNd6oSU7cnpl5paZ2pgKB%2FEp2ph61KCeSLAY3%2FeBLhx3aTesoBnAqe1gm7J3G31kaKy%2BC6vQCDiVllWhWVmeLPI3DuIj9Jhk%2BaGL4fHOQ9EpaEIp7cqU3dquDyZPigyZZIlbth1i9rHSroUGUzEhimmEsPpLOeLcFTA5CKZgSpoYYQnRVleiXzP3CeJDOWXnt4pYtB%2BZPhzke36CSIwZjQlyI4sj2FxX9RukP9YgftxkLkusY2E3A1Rp1TSI7ecLtduerK%2FcBhukVOQ4fdylsqZPzn0IKOemWppG2YfXdGtaADn1JHUqGux3sDx3zmfNOHUz%2BVXqBHN9%2BsbpnZ0i92VTbBkDy97AitHjf9VTN9S4anSay4qqI6bu5sR2iW5nYW8rJdp670%2BmFx6%2B7Qi4mVZ4vZxGM55Q%2BDupvop1IIwVS5zis9WkM9emAzITwULRNCjgNKRvOC0dVP9H8c7EaRFGV5ydi95Jwr7WWOJ%2FtbHsBjgUNvuZ8W5CjykeF9wz0vwwO%2FkHW3R09QEkA5qBAYaRrneVr631KnSXzdLVNUKugY%2BQ6Yr0ijDumRwDSQgwuqtkkuPamEv1nioAY9s6F0SbTFVr10%2BEt%2FlP7%2FXlf1IjoObrT6pCY6vaCJHH0M0CN49NkKc5wgT1m03%2BmjxiTP8F45Q46YFAt25O%2B%2FedH6btNCqXNKcbbmLHKyWBVwcDE5Jp9IZkinPUD99Gu5cJ97mMy6MNDixL4GOrIBDDaAtIPY55uF5VQOIntg7t2DcAcdnJL3k1BX6xq3pKm203%2BiXsXudS%2FS3EHCcjFBXlHGJUD8F5f%2F3QgoPCB9opMpEIS3siB2H03YML72KS69CSlI77SqyltzePatvQ%2FsP6frrQQItR%2B8FBtWTju67A%2BohQN7T3y9YuTRoOJtjW36UdD33AOWJe6V3CUMHVBqxJWJqDYg7KztQ75q5vDmrrBhR3KRf5L4mgiR2k3QFeH3cA%3D%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies%5Fhouse%5Fdocument.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=c5a0b67cf3c96e1389647a793f19b45538693f66e03464a0cb89aacaf5009761&ref=theferret.scot) show its six directors received a combined £350,000 in 2023\. This means that each director potentially made tens of thousands of pounds. Four directors also held share options, a benefit which allows them to buy shares in the company at a fixed or discounted price. > The idea that Peter Mathieson would be paid this amount of money and still have the time to have a part-time job is shocking to me. > > Lecturer, University of Edinburgh The university did not disclose how much Mathieson would be paid for his role at Roslin CT, despite being asked directly by The Ferret. A spokesperson for the University of Edinburgh said: “Our arms-length commercialisation service [Edinburgh Innovations](https://edinburgh-innovations.ed.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) managed the transaction (the sale of Roslin CT) on behalf of the university. “Peter’s role will support Roslin CT’s significant endeavour to bring life-saving therapies to patients worldwide, and any work undertaken as part of this will be carried out in his personal time.” ### **Financial dispute** In an email to all staff on 25 February – following three previous emails dating back to July 2024 – Mathieson said the university sector was in “severe financial difficulty”. He blamed factors including national insurance rises, “longstanding” underfunding of Scottish undergraduates, and policy changes that have made the UK less attractive to international students. Tuition fees from overseas students are a major [source](https://www.theferret.scot/why-are-scottish-universities-worried-about-money/) of money for universities. Edinburgh [brought in](https://uoe-finance.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-01/ARA%2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=71) £363m in fees paid by non-EU students in 2023-24, about 27 per cent of its total income and a slight increase from the previous year. Over recent decades, Edinburgh had been able to attract large numbers of international students which meant it could “grow itself out of financial challenge”, Mathieson [wrote](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13929/Edinburgh-university-principal-announces-university-planning-140million-of-cuts?ref=theferret.scot). But management was now forecasting an “operational deficit in forthcoming years”. He argued the university faced a “financial gap” which required a “recurring and sustainable” reduction to its costs in “the order of £140m” – around 10 per cent of its annual turnover. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/peter-mathieson.jpg) Sir Peter Mathieson earns over £400,000 for his role as principal of the University of Edinburgh. **Photo Credit: Neil Hanna* Mathieson said this would result in a “smaller staff base” and the current voluntary severance scheme would “not be enough on its own”. The UCU has called the £140m figure “truly staggering” and “out of proportion” compared to other universities. In a blog [post](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/8gaanhyrcynlmw58ljckbykcxs9bzd?ref=theferret.scot) titled ‘cuts could kill our university’, published in response to Mathieson’s email, the union highlighted that Edinburgh has [recorded](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/2eppzf7pgrh9w5j7ffxgnpbhgsa4s4?ref=theferret.scot) surpluses in recent years. This included a net surplus of £25m in 2023-24. The union’s analysis found cuts at the University of York were less severe than Edinburgh, despite the fact York [posted](https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/24820670.university-york-reveals-reduced-deficit-annual-report/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Following%20last%20year's%20losses%20of,act%20and%20safeguard%20our%20future.%E2%80%9D) losses over the last two years. Edinburgh has net assets valued at over £3bn and the UCU has [suggested](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13929/Edinburgh-university-principal-announces-university-planning-140million-of-cuts?ref=theferret.scot) this wealth could be used to stave off job cuts. It also claims senior managers have not been transparent in sharing details of the modelling done to forecast future deficits and that the £140m target has been set “arbitrarily”. The “main threat” to the university’s finances comes from “unrestrained growth” in capital spending – such as on buildings and equipment – rather than staff costs, the union argues. In his email, Mathieson claimed capital spending was also being reviewed but “reducing this would only be a short term measure” and would “do nothing to address the underlying issues”. ### **‘Incomprehensible’** The president of Edinburgh’s UCU branch, [Sophia Woodman](https://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/staff/sophia-woodman?ref=theferret.scot), said she had been “shocked” to learn about Mathieson’s second job, having already been surprised at his willingness to accept a five per cent pay rise while “making things harder for staff at the institution”. Woodman, who is a senior lecturer in sociology at Edinburgh, said she found it “incomprehensible that Mathieson would take on a role in a former university spin-off when he’s already earning so much money”. “Throughout the university we have been demanding transparency and accountability on the university finances and the way it operates and sometimes we feel we are shouting into the wind.” Lecturers who spoke to The Ferret anonymously echoed the UCU, with one pointing out that Mathieson took the Roslin CT job at a time when the university was sending emails about its “allegedly dire” finances. [Explained: Why are Scottish universities worried about money?In recent months questions have been raised about the viability of the current funding system for Scotland’s higher education sector. But where do universities get their money from? Why are their budgets stretched? And how does the situation compare to other parts of the UK? Ferret Fact Service explains.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-512390097.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/why-are-scottish-universities-worried-about-money/) Most staff are “not allowed to take side jobs”, they noted. They added: “Mathieson is paid 10 times what I am paid as an early career lecturer. I am very happy with my job, but I am working full-time and even over weekends to do the teaching, research and admin tasks I am asked to do. “The idea that Peter Mathieson would be paid this amount of money and still have the time to have a part-time job is shocking to me. “I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but Peter Mathieson has been very consistent in his behaviour and I think it is very worrying to be governed by such a self-serving, greedy character.” Another academic said Mathieson should “focus on solving the problems at the university” rather than taking on another “demanding role” on the side. They claimed the principal had become “extremely defensive” at a meeting when asked if he would take a pay cut to “share the pain with the staff” so it was “very interesting” that he had another potential source of money. Sir Peter Mathieson said: “We appreciate many of the concerns raised by colleagues, students and others in our community, and we are making every effort to listen. “While we are not currently in deficit, we must take clear and decisive action now to avoid this. Unless we reduce costs, the university currently forecasts a close to break-even position for the 2024-25 financial year, and from the 2025-26 financial year, we forecast to be in a deficit position where our expenditure exceeds our income.” He said this had been calculated based on “financial modelling of past results, current enrolments and estimates for the coming years”. Mathieson added: “We have been and will continue to liaise with our joint trade unions throughout this process. The actions we must take now – which include a reduction of both staff and non-operating costs – will ensure that we can maintain our position as a world-leading university and emerge stronger for the future.” *Cover image thanks to iStock/Aniruddha Chatterjee* ### Study to gauge impacts of gamebirds on Scotland’s native species to go ahead URL: https://www.theferret.scot/study-impact-gamebirds-scotland-native-species/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:27:35.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/21-1-18.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **A study to determine the impacts of pheasants and red-legged partridges on Scotland’s environment and native species is set to commence this year.** The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) aims to examine the effects caused by [releasing millions](https://www.theferret.scot/millions-gamebirds-imported-bird-flu-outbreak/) of non-native gamebirds each year in rural Scotland to be shot for sport. A pilot assessment is due to take place this spring in the Cairngorms National Park. NatureScot recommended research into the impacts of gamebirds in 2023, according to [internal communications](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25559382-foi-freedom-of-information-request-jamie-mann-impact-of-releasing-game-birds-collated-information/?ref=theferret.scot) we obtained via freedom of information. RSPB Scotland has previously [urged](https://www.theferret.scot/gamebirds-threatening-tcapercaillie-extinction/) the wildlife agency to take action around the release of gamebirds in or around protected areas containing capercaillie, an endangered native bird. In internal emails, NatureScot highlighted that most existing impact studies have been done in England, where, unlike in Scotland, authorities can regulate the release of gamebirds. RSPB told The Ferret that such powers are “significantly weaker in Scotland than in other UK countries”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-03-12-111314.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/millions-gamebirds-imported-bird-flu-outbreak/) An initial assessment from NatureScot found it ”possible” or “likely” that gamebirds were present in dozens of special protected areas (SPAs) after having been released nearby. These protected areas contain habitats of native breeding birds including capercaillie, oystercatcher, golden eagle, hen harrier and osprey, but the majority do not require land managers to gain consent in order to release animals. In England, a licence [is required](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/gamebirds-licences-to-release-them?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=If%20your%20planned%20release%20is,release%20gamebirds%20in%20other%20areas.) to release gamebirds within 500-metre ‘buffer zones’ surrounding SPAs and special areas of conservation. The UK Government says it is better to “avoid releasing gamebirds wherever possible” from within any protected site. Asked about the upcoming impact study, RSPB said it was “important that we build understanding of both the numbers and of environmental impacts \[of gamebirds\] on wildlife habitats at release sites”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-03-12-112009.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/gamebirds-threatening-tcapercaillie-extinction/) Paul Walton, RSPB Scotland’s head of habitats and species, warned of potential impacts on native animal species, including the potential to pass on disease – particularly bird flu – and the risk of gamebirds attracting more predators, which could also prey on other species. “RSPB Scotland believes ministers should have the power to regulate releases of gamebirds where environmental harm or disease transfer is occurring or is likely to occur,” he added. “Such powers are currently significantly weaker in Scotland than in other UK countries.” A NatureScot spokesperson said: “Currently, there is little evidence to show that gamebirds are causing damage to protected areas in Scotland, but we will continue to monitor the situation closely.” They claimed discussions about the research had taken place with partner organisations. A GWCT spokesperson said: “The pilot project to begin looking at the numbers of gamebirds released within the Cairngorms National Park has not yet taken place, but is due to start this spring once the plan for it has been finalised.” ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: Agustín Povedano/Flickr* ### Giant supertrawlers routinely fish in Scotland’s marine protected areas URL: https://www.theferret.scot/supertrawlers-fish-scotland-marine-protected-areas/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:27:38.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/21.png) **Giant supertrawlers routinely fish in Scotland’s marine protected areas, damaging precious marine life and fish populations, despite the UK Government having had the powers to stop them since Brexit.** An investigation by Greenpeace has found that the waters most heavily fished by foreign supertrawlers in the last five years were off the coast of Scotland and included seas around Shetland and the Hebrides. Supertrawlers are massive industrial freezer trawlers measuring more than 100 metres in length. Using enormous nets, they catch hundreds of tonnes of pelagic fish like herring and blue whiting in a single day. But supertrawlers also damage rare habitats and unintentionally catch large quantities of species including dolphins and porpoises as well as sharks, seals and rays. Greenpeace has accused the UK Government of “failing our protected seas” while calling for a ban on “supertrawlers, and other types of industrial fishing” from marine protected areas. The UK Government said it was “carefully considering the next steps for protecting our marine protected areas”. The Scottish Government said herring and blue whiting are not protected features in MPAs. Greenpeace investigators found that from January 2020 to January this year, 26 supertrawlers spent significant time fishing in 44 of the UK’s MPAs. All the supertrawlers were operating legally despite the UK Government having had the power to ban them from operating in British waters since leaving the EU, Greenpeace said. The Scottish marine protected areas fished by the supertrawlers were: Wyville Thomson Ridge, West of Scotland, Central Fladen, Geikie Slide and Hebridean Slope and Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/gp1sugj7_pressmedia-2500px.jpg) Aerial view of Helen Mary supertrawler fishing within the Central Fladen Marine Protected Area (MPA), east of Scotland. Image: Christian Åslund / Greenpeace Pobie Bank Reef, West Shetland Shelf, Seas off Foula, The Barra Fan and Hebrides Terrace Seamount were also fished by supertrawlers. These MPAs were set up to protect precious features like seamounts created by extinct volcanoes, stony reefs and soft corals. They also support important species including crustaceans, deep-sea sponges, great skuas, fulmars, gulls and puffins. The five supertrawlers Greenpeace investigators identified as having spent the most time fishing in UK waters between 2020 and 2025 were Willem van der Zwan (flagged to Netherlands), Margiris (Lithuania), Helen Mary (Germany), Sch 81 Carolien (Netherlands) and Afrika (Netherlands). The Margiris (143 metres) and Willem van der Zwan (142.5 metres) are two of the biggest supertrawlers on Earth. Greenpeace pointed out these vessels land the vast majority of their catch abroad and claimed that the “hoovering up of fish gives little economic benefit to the UK”. Erica Finnie, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said marine protected areas should be “places for fish, marine biodiversity and habitats to rest and recover from the damage caused by human activities”. She added: “But the government is making a mockery of our MPAs by allowing these places to be routinely fished – despite having had the powers to ban industrial fishing vessels from protected waters since we left the EU. “By allowing industrial fishing to continue in our protected areas, the government is degrading entire MPAs from the north of Scotland to the south of Cornwall.” > The government is making a mockery of our MPAs by allowing these places to be routinely fished – despite having had the powers to ban industrial fishing vessels from protected waters since we left the EU. > > Erica Finnie, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK. A UK government spokesperson said it is committed to banning “destructive bottom trawling” where it is damaging our protected seabed habitats. They added: “Most marine protected areas are designated to protect seabed habitats, such as reef and sediment habitats, which these large trawlers operating in the open waters are unlikely to damage. A Scottish Government spokesperson said MPAs are managed “according to the needs of their protected features and their conservation objectives”, and that its MPA network “mainly focuses” on the protection of sensitive seabed habitats. They added: “Fisheries management measures for offshore MPAs were consulted on in autumn 2024 and the key findings are currently being considered, along with others the results of other statutory assessments, prior to a decision on final measures. “In addition, all fishing vessels in Scottish waters are subject to a wide range of rules and regulations with fishery enforcement authorities using a wide range of assets in place to effectively enforce compliance – including compliance vessels, surveillance aircraft, and physical and office based inspections by UK Fisheries Monitoring Centre and Marine Enforcement officers.” In Scotland, [MPAs span 247 sites](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-italy-seas-marine-protection/), covering 37 per cent of Scottish seas. These areas were designated for protection in 2014\. Inside these conservation zones, activities like fishing, aquaculture and energy infrastructure are allowed, if they are licensed and in line with legislation. Last year, The Ferret revealed there have been more than [2,000 oil spills](https://www.theferret.scot/north-sea-oil-spills-threat-marine-protected-areas/) in the North Sea since 2011, including 215 in marine protected areas. Some 308 tonnes of oil spilled into protected waters over the 13-year period. ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: [Suzanne Plunkett / Greenpeace](https://media.greenpeace.org/Detail/27MZIFJVGS4OZ?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Scots trainers racing greyhounds in England are transporting dogs “illegally” URL: https://www.theferret.scot/trainers-racing-greyhounds-transporting-illegally/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:28:45.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/20-18.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **Scots-based trainers racing greyhounds in England are transporting dogs “illegally” and councils are failing to ensure they comply with animal welfare regulations, it has been claimed.** An investigation by animal welfare activists has found trainers are driving caged greyhounds, without the correct licences, on round trips of up to ten hours to places as far afield as Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands. Critics argue that dogs are often seen as disposable commodities, moved around the country in cages for racing, and then “dumped on re-homing charities” when they are no longer able to race anymore. Licenses for transporting animals are issued by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), a UK Government body. Local authorities are tasked with ensuring animal transport complies with the regulations. There are [27](https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/RAI/2024/11/27/1f1ef7b4-b124-4885-9cad-3f4e64bc262e/RAIS062024R12.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) breeders and trainers in Scotland registered with the [Greyhound Board of Great Britain](https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/RAI/2024/11/27/1f1ef7b4-b124-4885-9cad-3f4e64bc262e/RAIS062024R12.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). They keep their greyhounds in kennels in Scotland and race them at tracks elsewhere in the UK. APHA says a [“type 2](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transporting-animals-in-great-britain?ref=theferret.scot)” licence is required when a journey for a greyhound exceeds eight hours, and there should be a 48-hour break until the next journey. Most Scots trainers have a “[type 1”](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transporting-animals-in-great-britain?ref=theferret.scot) which is required for shorter journeys of up to eight hours. But activists said most round trips to England for racing take longer than eight hours, and trainers must take into account the time greyhounds spend at a track, to comply with the law. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-03-05-165514.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/more-than-300-racing-greyhounds-died-last-year/) They also accused local authorities of being “completely clueless about the rules” and claimed this “lack of knowledge” is “deeply concerning”, pointing out councils are tasked with ensuring compliance for all animal transports in Scotland. The Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell – whose bill to ban greyhound racing in Scotland will be voted on next month by MSPs in the Scottish Parliament – said welfare regulations should be able to protect greyhounds from harm if they are properly enforced, adding that “in the case of transportation they are clearly not.” The Greyhound Board of Great Britain – which says it has invested over [£13.5m](https://www.gbgb.org.uk/welfare-care/investing-in-welfare/?ref=theferret.scot) since 2015 to improve the safety and welfare of racing greyhounds – was asked to comment but did not respond. Local authorities told The Ferret they were investigating complaints. One council said resource issues means it can only investigate cases when “we become aware of potential issues”. The activists’ investigation follows a decision last month by the Welsh Government to [prohibit ](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c241p7pnmdzo?ref=theferret.scot)greyhound racing. The activists – who requested anonymity – conducted a four-month investigation, focusing on trainers who travel to places such as Newcastle Greyhound Stadium, and Monmore Green Stadium, Wolverhampton. A round trip from Edinburgh to Wolverhampton would involve at least 10 hours travelling for greyhounds, as well as the time involved at the race track. The correct APHA licence would be type 2 which covers journeys over eight hours, the activists said. But nearly all Scots trainers have a type 1 licence so unless a trainer stayed in Wolverhampton for 48 hours before returning to Scotland with their greyhound/s, they would be breaking the law, said the activists. ![greyhound](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-164109821.jpg) One Scots trainer recently posted on social media to reveal he had travelled to Monmore Green Stadium “on a 10-hour round trip” with three dogs. The activists raised the licence issue with 11 local authorities and said they “discovered a staggering lack of knowledge” regarding animal transport law. “Despite local authorities also having the power to advise against travel, they have allowed Scottish greyhound trainers to remain on the roads illegally over a number of months since we brought it to their attention,” one activist told The Ferret. They added: “After much protracted discussion with APHA and the relevant local authorities, only one has now taken out a type 2 license. I appreciate that it’s not a subject which any of them seem to have come across before, however the information is freely available had they taken the time to look it up.” APHA said in an email to an activist: “Unless an animal is delivered to a premises of destination where it is unloaded from the vehicle and accommodated for at least 48 hours, it is not deemed a new journey. A ‘new’ journey can only commence when an animal has been at a premises at least 48 hours in line with the definition of a place of departure.” Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell claimed the greyhound racing industry has “shown itself time and time again to be incapable” of reform. He added: “However there still remains the fundamental risk of racing dogs at high speed around an oval track which results in horrific injuries and death and until this is made an offence then dogs will continue to be transported to tracks to be legally raced against each as a spectacle.” Local authorities contacted by the activists included South Lanarkshire Council which found that one greyhound owner should have had a type 2 Licence. Fraser Carlin, head of planning and regulatory services at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “The owner subsequently applied to \[APHA\] for the licence and this was granted, with details being published in December on APHA’s website. “We are pursuing enquiries in relation to one other greyhound owner and, as this is a live case, we cannot comment further until we have completed our investigations.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-03-05-170930.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/shawfield-fifteen-greyhounds-die-in-three-years/) West Lothian Council said it does not hold information on everyone who holds licences in its area, or the resources to carry out “proactive checks”. A spokesperson said it can only investigate cases when it is made aware of “potential issues”. There were two probes last year after concerns were raised over animal transportation. In both cases, the council was satisfied there were no issues around the health or welfare of the animals concerned”, the spokesperson said, adding that licence information was checked with both the owner and APHA. East Ayrshire Council said it received a complaint about a greyhound owner in September 2024 and began an investigation, which is continuing. “An early visit was undertaken and we are satisfied that there are no issues around the health and welfare of the dogs,” a spokesperson added. “As this remains a live investigation, we cannot comment further at this time”. In Scotland, greyhounds, like all dogs, are covered by the general protections of the [Anima](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2006/11/contents?ref=theferret.scot)[l](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2006/11/contents?ref=theferret.scot)[ Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2006/11/contents?ref=theferret.scot), but there is no specific legislation governing the use of dogs in racing in Scotland. Thornton is, therefore, the only greyhound racing track in Great Britain not subject to regulation either by a local authority or industry body. There are currently 21 dog racing tracks in Great Britain, 20 of which are registered and licensed by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB). At present, the only greyhound track currently operating in Scotland is Thornton Greyhounds, an independent track in Fife. A former GBGB-regulated track at Shawfield Greyhound Stadium, South Lanarkshire, closed in March 2020, following the suspension of racing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In late April, MSPs will have their first opportunity to vote on Mark Ruskell’s member’s bill to ban greyhound racing. The bill has received cross-party support, allowing it to progress to this stage. A petition calling for a band attracted 35,000 signatures. In 2022 the Greyhound board launched a[ welfare strategy](https://www.gbgb.org.uk/welfare-care/investing-in-welfare/?ref=theferret.scot) – ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’ – to protect racing greyhounds. GBGB has paid out over £1.1m to support the veterinary treatment of registered greyhounds. In 2023, [The Ferret revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/more-than-300-racing-greyhounds-died-last-year/) that more than 300 racing greyhounds died in the UK and 4,354 injuries to dogs were recorded in 2022. In 2019 our reporting highlighted that greyhounds trained or racing in Scotland had tested positive for banned drugs such as [cocaine and amphetamine](https://www.theferret.scot/greyhounds-racing-shawfield-cocaine/) dozens of times. Steroids, beta blockers and prohormones – used by bodybuilders – were among other prohibited substances found in the bloodstreams of greyhounds at Shawfield Stadium. ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: Nicolas Jooris-Ancion/iStock* ### AfD politician who handed out weapons to speak at UK far right party event URL: https://www.theferret.scot/afd-politician-handed-weapons-far-right-party-event/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T18:01:29.000Z **A far right German politician who handed out weapons and met with neo-Nazis is set to speak at the Homeland Party’s UK conference focused on the mass deportation of migrants.** Alternative For Germany (AfD) politician, [Lena Kotré](https://www.landtag.brandenburg.de/de/kotr%5Flena/11227?ref=theferret.scot), reportedly [distributed](https://www.fr.de/politik/schock-vor-der-brandenburg-wahl-afd-politikerin-verteilt-stichwaffen-als-wahlkampfgeschenke-zr-93309844.html?ref=theferret.scot) Kubotans – self-defence stabbing weapons which are legal in Germany but [banned](https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives?ref=theferret.scot) in the UK – at campaign events in Berlin last year. Kotré, who was reelected to the Brandenburg state parliament in 2024, claimed the weapons would help Germans protect themselves against violence. She has been confirmed as a speaker at an April conference run by the [Homeland Party](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/homeland/), which is led by a Scot and registered at a West Lothian address. The fringe far right party has no elected representatives, but an international counter-extremism organisation claimed the AfD was giving “validation or credibility” to Homeland, which it branded as a small group of “white supremacists”. Homeland dismissed the comments, however, and argued it was not extreme for Europeans to want to “protect their own ethnic identity, culture and homeland”. Also speaking at Homeland’s event is the man behind a conspiracy theory cited by white supremacists and mass murderers, as we [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/author-slogan-white-supremacist-far-right-party/) in February. [Author of slogan cited by white supremacist murderers invited to UK by far right partyThe man behind a conspiracy theory cited by white supremacists and mass murderers has been booked as a conference speaker by a far right political party led by a Scot. Renaud Camus – who coined the term “the great replacement” – has top billing at an upcoming Homeland Party conference which will![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-62.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/renaud_camus_-_autoportrait_blond_plieux_bibliotheque_29_novembre_2012.jpg)](https://the-ferret.ghost.io//author-slogan-white-supremacist-far-right-party/?ref=theferret.scot) #### Far right ‘remigration policy’ Homeland says the April conference in England will explore “remigration”, which the party describes as removing “illegal, unintegrated, and unwelcome migrants” from the UK. Kotré last year attended a neo-Nazi conference in Switzerland in which she discussed remigration, an [undercover probe](https://correctiv.org/aktuelles/neue-rechte/2024/12/27/kein-geheimtreffen-gegen-deutschland/?ref=theferret.scot) by German investigative outlet, Correctiv, revealed. The far right politician reportedly told attendees she wants DNA samples to be used to determine the origins of migrants in order to deport them to their supposed home countries. In a social media post, Homeland described Kotré as a “prominent voice extolling the benefits of remigration”, which can be “commercially profitable for private enterprise”. [Revealed: supporters of Scots far-right group possess weaponsA leading figure of a Scots far-right group used a private chat group to recruit neo-Nazis who posed with weapons, shared a bomb-making manual, quoted a mass murderer, and said members should kill “for the greater good”, The Ferret can reveal. Kenny Smith, Patriotic Alternative (PA) Scotland’s organiser, told![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-63.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image-1-10.jpg)](https://the-ferret.ghost.io//supporters-of-scots-far-right-group-possess-weapons/?ref=theferret.scot) Homeland, which has active members in Scotland, says [nationalism](https://www.theferret.scot/homeland-registers-political-party-electoral-commission/) should be based on land and the “[law of blood](https://homelandparty.org/our-thinking/nationalism-explained/?ref=theferret.scot)” – in which citizens are defined by ancestry. The far right party also hosted an AfD representative at its [2024 conference](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-european-politicians-join-homeland-uk/). A spokesperson for the [Institute for Strategic Dialogue](https://www.isdglobal.org/?ref=theferret.scot), a counter-extremism think tank, said: “The far right has historically been a transnational phenomenon dating back decades and ideological and tactical exchange is very much the norm between these groups. “It’s concerning to see someone from the AfD, which at this point is a major party in Germany, come to a gathering of what is effectively a very small group of white supremacists and give validation or credibility to them.” Homeland’s chairman, Kenny Smith, claimed the AfD’s historic second place in the recent German election was owed to its [remigration policy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62q937y029o?ref=theferret.scot), which, he argued, “is similar in many ways to the Homeland Party policy”. Kotré “speaks out against the rising tide of immigrant violence sweeping Germany and the sexual violence targeted at women in particular,” he said, and had “won the support of many of them by distributing Kubotans free of charge to these concerned constituents.” ![Far Right](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/kubotan.jpg) The AfD’s Lena Kotré handed out Kubotans, a self-defence weapon, at campaign events in 2024. Smith claimed to know “many women” in the UK who were scared to go outside in some areas due to “the aggressive nature of many of these unwelcome migrants”, but were prevented from carrying self-defence weapons due to “our two-tier police state”. Correctiv is an “extreme-left propaganda platform”, he alleged. It was “a blatant lie” that Kotré attended a neo-Nazi event, which Smith claimed to be a “political conference”. He also branded IDS, which has also [profiled](https://www.isdglobal.org/explainers/left-wing-extremism/?ref=theferret.scot) left-wing extremism, as a “misnamed far-left think tank”, which “absurdly labels the natural desire many European people have to protect their own ethnic identity, culture and homeland as extreme”. Smith added: “I suspect their concern is already turning to anguish, as 2025 continues to see the word remigration become part of the political discourse and overtake even just the simple demand to end mass immigration.” The AfD did not respond to a request to comment. Kubotan header image thanks to [Netpilots](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Netpilots?ref=theferret.scot). Licensed under the [Creative Commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative%5FCommons?ref=theferret.scot) [Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Switzerland](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ch/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) license. ### Revealed: Trump course caused more damage to dunes last year URL: https://www.theferret.scot/trump-course-caused-more-damage-to-dunes-last-year/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T18:08:26.000Z **Donald Trump’s controversial golf course in Aberdeenshire broke environmental rules last year by again causing damage to sand dunes.** A dune at the US president’s course on the Menie estate was eroded after water was pumped onto it following heavy rain in February 2024, according to documents disclosed to The Ferret. The [Scottish Environment Protection Agency](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) was alerted to the damaged dune by a third party, not the course itself. The green watchdog determined that water environment rules had been broken, although it was considered a “minor” incident. Course managers said at the time they were doing everything they could to “protect and repair the dune”. The course is known as the [Trump International Golf Links](https://www.trumpgolfscotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and is located around ten miles north of Aberdeen. It has faced continual [criticism](https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/policymakers-have-betrayed-scotlands-natural-heritage-over-sand-dunes-destroyed-by-trump-golf-course/?ref=theferret.scot) from environmentalists for causing damage to a 4,000 year old network of mobile dunes. Dunes around the course were [stripped](https://www.nature.scot/partial-denotification-foveran-links-sssi-confirmed?ref=theferret.scot) of their status as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) by Scotland’s nature agency after their special features were damaged by the building of the course. > The Trump organisation’s track record of broken promises coupled with unsustainable hyperbole does not bode well for the second course. > > Dr Jim Hansom, University of Glasgow A second course is set to [open](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr3jyynxx8o?ref=theferret.scot) on the Menie estate later this year which Trump International has said will be one of the “most environmentally friendly and sustainable” ever built. But critics say that claim is “ludicrous” and argued the latest damage to dunes was “further evidence of the contempt with which Trump International treats Scotland’s natural heritage”. Trump International said its “vast coastal estate” is maintained to the “highest specifications and environmental standards” year round. It added that clearing work from a “freak storm” had caused “minor damage to a small and isolated area of our dunes which was immediately rectified”. ### **Rule breach** The findings come from a [freedom of information](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/foi/) response provided to The Ferret by Sepa. It shows that Sepa contacted Trump International Scotland on 8 February 2024 after it was told that “discharge” from a pipe had caused erosion on the beach side of the dunes, less than half a mile south of the clubhouse. In emails with Sepa, a representative of the course said it had been pumping water off the first fairway over the dune and on to the beach. “After 12 hours of pumping we turned the pump off and collected in the hose,” they wrote. “We then discovered a 30m length of pipe which was connected onto the larger length of pipe had come off/lost stolen \[sic\]??” It was this that had caused the dune to become eroded. They added: “We will be sure to check this and not leave it 12 hours again if we ever have to undertake this again. “Please be assured we will do everything we can to protect and repair the dune ridge.” Staff were in the process of planting [marram grass](https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/grasses-sedges-and-rushes/marram-grass?ref=theferret.scot) to stabilise the dunes, the individual noted. Sepa acknowledged that the damage to the dune was “not intended” but still breached regulations. A Sepa spokesperson told The Ferret: “This was found to be a breach of a general binding rule related to the discharge of surface water as part of rural land activities. “The Balmedie dunes form part of a naturally mobile dune system, and it is in the interest of the operator to ensure their stability. “For these reasons, no further enforcement action was deemed necessary and Sepa has not received any additional information regarding concerns of erosion at this location.” ### **Conservation status** [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/foveran-links-before-and-after-aerial-view-inc-sssi_0.jpg)](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nature.scot/dunes-menie-golf-course-may-lose-protected-status&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1740730970702400&usg=AOvVaw20ZGzsAfzfVLSiUB1dOMAi) Image: [NatureScot](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nature.scot/dunes-menie-golf-course-may-lose-protected-status&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1740730970702400&usg=AOvVaw20ZGzsAfzfVLSiUB1dOMAi) Dunes surrounding Trump International, which opened in 2012, [officially](https://www.nature.scot/partial-denotification-foveran-links-sssi-confirmed?ref=theferret.scot) lost their SSSI status in 2020. Wildlife agency NatureScot determined that after the building of the course, the dunes had been altered to the extent that they no longer included “enough of the special natural features for which they were designated”. At that time, Trump International argued it had been [singled out](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-55244660?ref=theferret.scot) and that its “ongoing care of the site far exceeds just about every other SSSI in the country”. The area had previously been a “very high quality example” of a mobile sand dune system “characteristic of north east Scotland”, NatureScot [said](https://www.nature.scot/partial-denotification-foveran-links-sssi-confirmed?ref=theferret.scot), and was of “exceptional importance” to a “wide variety of coastal landforms and processes”. The dunes were [home](https://www.theferret.scot/trump-lawyers-flood-of-complaints-to-stop-golf-course-losing-conservation-status/) to a unique community of rare plants and animals including the [adders’ tongue fern](https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/ferns-and-horsetails/adders-tongue-fern?ref=theferret.scot) and [moonwort](https://arcguiding.com/blog/nature/moonwort-folklore-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot). [Trump lawyers ‘flood of complaints’ to stop golf course losing conservation statusLawyers for Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf course bombarded the Scottish Government’s wildlife watchdog with demands and complaints in an attempt to block protected sand dunes from being stripped of their conservation status. Emails, letters and documents obtained by The Ferret reveal that Trump International Golf Links Scotland (TIGLS)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-11.png)The FerretStuart Spray![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Donald_Trump_25218642186-1200x800-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/trump-lawyers-flood-of-complaints-to-stop-golf-course-losing-conservation-status/) The course was granted planning permission in 2008 despite [warnings](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-44795229?ref=theferret.scot) from NatureScot – then known as Scottish Natural Heritage – which advised it would cause serious damage to the protected dunes. But after Trump [promised](https://web.archive.org/web/20101212232505/https:/aberdeenshire.gov.uk/planning/inquiry/Precog%5FDonald%20Trump%20Precognition.pdf) to preserve the “sanctity and beauty” of the dunes, alongside a £1bn [investment](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/exactly-10-years-ago-trump-promised-us-a1-billion-investment-the-worlds-best-golf-course-a-five-star-hotel-950-flats-and-6000-jobs-ten-years-on-weve-been-donecourageous-crit/?ref=theferret.scot) and 6,000 jobs, Scottish ministers decided to grant it planning permission. This was on the [grounds](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/22/planners-reject-donald-trump-revised-plans-scottish-golf-resort?ref=theferret.scot) that the economic benefits would outweigh any environmental damage caused. The investment has [not materialised](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68069245?ref=theferret.scot) on anywhere near the scale that Trump pledged. He also [shut down](https://archive.news.stv.tv/north/1375401-trump-shuts-down-body-created-to-protect-scottish-environment.html?ref=theferret.scot) an advisory group which was set up to “give advice on how to minimise” adverse environmental impacts. The second 18-hole course is set to open on the Menie estate later this year, which will be named after Trump’s Lewis-born mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. Trump International has [said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr3jyynxx8o?ref=theferret.scot) the new course will feature the “largest sand dunes in Scotland” and be part of the “greatest 36 holes in golf” alongside the original. It has also hailed the environmental credentials of the new project, but experts remain unconvinced. [Dr Jim Hansom](https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/ges/staff/jimhansom/?ref=theferret.scot), a specialist in coastal ecology at the University of Glasgow, branded claims about the care taken by the course of the dunes “ludicrous”. He told The Ferret: “The Trump organisation’s track record of broken promises coupled with unsustainable hyperbole does not bode well for the second course, which will again engineer and manicure a previously wild and bare sand dunescape. “Given the damage inflicted on the Menie dunes by course one, why a second course should be allowed to proceed is a sad reflection on the weakness of our decision making processes at the coast.” > (Trump) shouldn’t have any kind of footprint in Scotland let alone one that is doing so much damage to our natural world. > > Maggie Chapman MSP, Scottish Greens [Bob Ward](https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/profile/bob-ward/?ref=theferret.scot), policy and communications director at the Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, argued last year’s environmental breach was “further evidence of the contempt with which Trump International treats Scotland’s natural heritage”. Scottish Greens MSP [Maggie Chapman](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/maggie-chapman/) said: “Time and again Trump has shown that he just doesn’t believe laws apply to him. “His existing course has already damaged our precious environment while providing a platform for one of the most immoral and repugnant politicians in the world. “He shouldn’t have any kind of footprint in Scotland let alone one that is doing so much damage to our natural world.” A spokesperson for Trump International Scotland said: “This vast coastal estate is maintained to the highest specifications and environmental standards 365 days of the year. “During a freak storm and unprecedented rainfall in early 2024, the clearing work resulted in minor disruption to a small isolated area of our dunes which was immediately rectified. “We cooperated fully with Sepa and took their advice in addressing this issue.” ### **Trump vs the environment** Trump has described climate change as a “[hoax](https://www.forbes.com/sites/markjoyella/2022/03/21/on-fox-donald-trump-calls-climate-change-a-hoax-in-the-1920s-they-were-talking-about-global-freezing/?ref=theferret.scot)” and made opposition to clean energy policies a key [part](https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/09/trumps-plans-invite-environmental-disaster-harris-takes-climate-change-seriously-lacks?ref=theferret.scot) of his campaign for re-election. Since taking office in January he has [issued](https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/operation-damage-control-trumps-executive-orders-and-the-climate/?ref=theferret.scot) a series of executive orders including ones which withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement, block clean energy projects, and promote fossil fuels. He has also [introduced](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/endangered-species-act-trump-esa?ref=theferret.scot) measures to weaken protections for endangered species and become embroiled in an unlikely [spat](https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/delta-smelt-fish-trump-20165828.php?ref=theferret.scot) over a small fish called the delta smelt. Trump [incorrectly](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/donald-trump-yearslong-war-delta-smelt%5Fn%5F6797f30ce4b038f1c403db0a?ref=theferret.scot) argued that Los Angeles did not have enough water to tackle devastating recent wildfires because of measures to protect the smelt, which he branded an “essentially worthless fish”. One charity in the US has [alleged](https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/trump-invokes-authoritarian-powers-on-day-one-to-gut-environmental-protections-2025-01-20/?ref=theferret.scot) that “no one in American history has shown more disdain for the environment than Donald Trump” while a leading climate scientist has said his agenda [poses](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/06/trump-climate-change-environment-threat?ref=theferret.scot) “a major threat to the planet”. The King this week [invited](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly4403gjxdo?ref=theferret.scot) Trump to Scotland for a meeting to discuss an unprecedented second state visit to the UK during the second term of his presidency. *Main image: 首相官邸ホームページ/Wikimedia* ### Human rights checks by Scottish Enterprise on arms firms to be scrutinised URL: https://www.theferret.scot/human-rights-scottish-enterprise-arms-scrutinised/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:31:05.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/22-18.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **Human rights checks conducted by Scottish Enterprise on arms firms seeking government grants are to be scrutinised over fears taxpayers’ money is funding firms linked to human rights abuses.** The Ferret [revealed in 2023](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-enterprise-criticised-human-rights-checks/) that hundreds of due diligence checks had been made on companies seeking grants from Scottish Enterprise (SE), but no firm had failed, despite some having links to states accused of war crimes, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. A new [human rights procedure ](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/6144568/Customer-Due-Diligence-Procedure-Human-Rights.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)was introduced by SE in March 2019, following criticism of the public body for funding arms firms selling to countries with poor human rights records. The Scottish Government’s promise to review human rights checks conducted by SE followed a Scottish Parliament debate yesterday brought by the Scottish Greens in which some MSPs expressed concerns about grants to arms firms. Deputy first minister Kate Forbes said the government would “review and ensure” that the most robust processes are in place. SE is a non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government which provides business grants using taxpayers’ money. Its human rights due diligence checks include assessing whether a company has been “associated with human rights abuses anywhere in the world”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-02-27-121547.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-enterprise-criticised-human-rights-checks/) Despite that commitment, SE has given taxpayers’ money to firms linked to countries accused of human rights violations in wars in Gaza and Yemen, as well as two Scottish universities linked to illegal [West Bank settlements](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-enterprise-criticised-human-rights-checks/). A freedom of information request by The Ferret in 2023 revealed that 199 human rights checks had been conducted by SE and every company passed. Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said: “We welcome the SNP’s commitment to review the human rights checks that are applied, but it should not have taken our debate to make them do that.” She added: “The new tests need to be far more robust than anything we have had to date, as no human rights check worthy of the name would allow grants to companies that are complicit in genocide.” Neil Cowan, Scotland programme director at Amnesty International UK, said: “It has long been clear that, with no company ever failing one of the checks, they are not credible and require overhaul. “It is now essential that the Scottish Government sets out what that review will involve, with it being critical that it includes independent input, review and analysis, and that it is focused on meeting Scotland’s international obligations.” ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: Aermacchi M346\. Credit: Ronnie Macdonald/Wikimedia* ### Claim Anas Sarwar called Billy Connolly ‘vulgar and outdated’ is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-anas-sarwar-billy-connolly-vulgar-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:31:05.000Z ****Anas Sarwar was criticised by social media users after it was alleged he had criticised Scottish comedy legend Billy Connolly.** An [image which spread across X](https://x.com/HamptonCaught/status/1893992817812197582?ref=theferret.scot) showed the Scottish Labour leader claiming Connolly was “vulgar and outdated” and that he would “end the culture of vulgarness” in Scotland if his party won a majority at the next election. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/gkkdgtcxuaavkvt-1.jpg) [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it **False**. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-21.png) #### **Evidence** The [image that was shared](https://x.com/HamptonCaught/status/1893992817812197582?ref=theferret.scot) across social media appears to show an online article with the headline “Sarwar says Billy Connolly is outdated vulgar and offensive”. The subheadline goes on to state that Sarwar has said he is not a Connolly fan, and “comedians like him do not represent the Scottish people with their vulgar and offensive humor”. It was shared by multiple accounts on X and Facebook, and was reposted hundreds of times, after being shared initially on 23 February. Scottish Labour denied he ever said this, [and a source](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/labour-mock-weird-nationalist-disinformation-34739515?ref=theferret.scot) told The Daily Record it was “weird nationalist disinformation”. Anas Sarwar has previously stated his admiration for Billy Connolly and his comedy, [describing him](https://x.com/AnasSarwar/status/1347864447046574084?ref=theferret.scot) as the “best comedian I have ever had the pleasure to see in the flesh”. The article that has been screenshotted does not appear to be real, and Ferret Fact Service could not find any reference to it or similar articles referencing Sarwar’s alleged dislike of Connolly other than in the image itself. Nor does there appear to be any reference to Sarwar attempting to “end the culture of vulgarness” in Scotland as part of his policy platform ahead of the next election. In the shared screenshot, there are a few telltale signs that it has been mocked up, rather than come from a reputable news source. It is intended to look like an article from a mainstream newspaper, but has no publication name. The image of Anas Sarwar appears to be slightly too big for the space it is in, and the text below it is extremely close to the bottom of the image. The caption also does not line up with the image itself, or the headline text. This suggests it has been put together using editing software rather than directly screenshotted from an article. There are also a number of grammatical errors, and unusual wording that is unlikely to come from a mainstream news outlet. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** The image shared across social media is not accurate. It is not a real news website page, and has been created using a graphics editing programme. Anas Sarwar has no policy to “end the culture of vulgarness”, and has praised Billy Connolly publicly a number of times. ![This claim is false](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_5false-2.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ### Quango criticised for ‘extravagant’ spending on coaching for bosses URL: https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-quango-criticised-for-extravagant-spending/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T18:10:33.000Z **A Scottish Government quango spent £175,000 on ‘coaching’ for its bosses in two years, despite a stretched budget and questions over its performance.** The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) spent an average of £7,000 a month on executive coaching between 2022 and 2024, a freedom of information request has shown. The money was splashed out on sessions delivered by an Edinburgh-based firm called [Discovery Coaching Limited](http://www.discoverycoaching.com/?ref=theferret.scot). It is run by [Jonathan Frost](http://www.discoverycoaching.com/jonathan-frost/?ref=theferret.scot), a consultant who has authored books on business including *‘*[*When Zebras Discover Motorbikes*](https://www.jonathanfrostauthor.com/books/when-zebras-discover-motorbikes/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=How%20to%20influence%20people%2C%20situations,to%20cope%20with%20this%20change.)*’* about how to “influence people, situations and results”. Politicians have branded the spending by the green watchdog “absurd” and said it was a “prime example of the SNP’s bloated and wasteful quango culture”. Sepa said its spending on coaching reflects its commitment to “continuous improvement” and had gone through the appropriate tender process. The money has all been spent since Nicole Paterson took over as Sepa’s chief executive in late 2022. > At a time when Scotland is seeing tens of thousands of sewage dumping incidents every year, Nicole Paterson should set out exactly what performance benefits the public are seeing for their £175,000. > > Alex Cole Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrats It paid for over 40 members of Sepa’s “wider leadership cohort” to take part in “leadership development work”, the freedom of information response notes. Paterson herself is [paid](https://beta.sepa.scot/media/qqylabrv/sepa%5Fannual%5Freport%5Fand%5Faccounts%5F2023-24.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) over £125,000 a year and is one of five senior staff members on a six-figure salary. Discovery Coaching lists big businesses among its [clients](http://www.discoverycoaching.com/clients/?ref=theferret.scot), including Scottish Power and Edinburgh Airport. Jonathan Frost [claims](http://www.discoverycoaching.com/jonathan-frost/?ref=theferret.scot) to have worked with “literally hundreds of managers and directors” and [coined](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meetings-That-Make-Difference-meetings/dp/1517099978?ref=theferret.scot) the term ‘thinknosis’- the practice of “guiding people into a state of deeper thought, focus and concentration”. Sepa has faced [criticism](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-polluters-legal-action/) over its performance including for failing to seek prosecutions of those who have broken environmental rules. Prosecutions of polluters after reports by the regulator [dropped](https://www.theferret.scot/environmental-prosecutions-plummet-sepa/) from 18 a year to zero between 2014 and 2023\. That’s despite the number of complaints about pollution by the public rising over that period. [‘Licence to pollute’? Prosecutions of environmental rule-breakers plummetComplaints about pollution in Scotland leapt over the last ten years while successful prosecutions of polluters have fallen from 18 to zero, The Ferret can reveal. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) received 9,201 complaints about pollution from the public in 2023\. This was a 60 per cent increase![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-12.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1053959264.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/environmental-prosecutions-plummet-sepa/) Sepa has seen its [budget](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-funding-sepa-slashed/) shrink by more than a quarter in real terms since 2010, analysis by The Ferret has found. The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole Hamilton, told The Ferret that while public sector organisations need to “invest in skills and training” the amount spent on the coaching looked “absurd”. He added: “Taxpayers will be wondering whether Sepa is letting senior staff pad their CVs or whether it simply hired poorly in the first place. “At a time when Scotland is seeing tens of thousands of sewage dumping incidents every year, Nicole Paterson should set out exactly what performance benefits the public are seeing for their £175,000.” The Scottish Labour MSP, Monica Lennon, claimed “extravagant spending on senior executives while frontline staff, the public and the environment get left behind has become too common under the SNP”. Lennon added: “Ultimately, Scotland’s environment watchdog must stand up to the big polluters wrecking our environment and that can only happen if the SNP’s budget is fair and Sepa’s leadership spends it wisely.” Scottish Conservatives finance spokesperson, Craig Hoy MSP, claimed the public would be “rightly angry” to be paying for coaching for senior executives. Hoy said: “This is a prime example of the SNP’s bloated and wasteful quango culture.” > This is a prime example of the SNP’s bloated and wasteful quango culture. > > Craig Hoy MSP, Scottish Conservatives A spokesperson for Sepa noted a programme to “enhance leadership capability and capacity” was agreed as part of its “organisational reset” in 2023 and paid for by “savings” within the leadership team. They added: “Like other public bodies, investing in leadership coaching reflects our commitment to continuous improvement and delivery of high-quality public services. “As our services transform to protect and support Scotland’s environment it is key we ensure the senior leaders in Sepa are highly skilled, professional and engaged public service leaders.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said “It is the responsibility of all public sector bodies to ensure they are as efficient and effective as possible while delivering value for money for the taxpayer.” Discovery Coaching was asked to comment. ### Author of slogan cited by white supremacist murderers invited to UK by far right party URL: https://www.theferret.scot/author-slogan-white-supremacist-far-right-party/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T18:09:25.000Z **The man behind a conspiracy theory cited by white supremacists and mass murderers has been booked as a conference speaker by a far right political party led by a Scot.** [Renaud Camus](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/world/europe/renaud-camus-great-replacement.html?ref=theferret.scot) – who coined the term [“the great replacement](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/world/europe/renaud-camus-great-replacement.html?smid=nytcore-android-share&ref=theferret.scot)” – has top billing at an upcoming Homeland Party conference which will explore the idea of removing “illegal, unintegrated, and unwelcome migrants” from the UK. The French author first used the term in a 2011 book, arguing it was the “replacement of a people, the indigenous French people, by one or others; of its culture by the loss of its cultural identity through multiculturalism.” Camus’ idea of the “great replacement” has since spread beyond France and inspired far right groups who claim Europe’s white majority is being replaced with Muslim people of colour in collusion with a left-wing, globalist elite. Camus is now due to visit Britain next month as a guest of the Homeland Party, a political group active in Scotland that says [nationalism](https://www.theferret.scot/homeland-registers-political-party-electoral-commission/) should be based on land and the “[law of blood](https://homelandparty.org/our-thinking/nationalism-explained/?ref=theferret.scot)” – which means membership of a nation is defined by ancestry rather than political decisions. [Far right group Homeland registers as political party despite objectionsA far right group described as an “extreme organisation” has been allowed to officially register as a political party despite formal objections lodged with the Electoral Commission. Homeland – which promotes a nationalism based on ancestry, land and the “law of blood” – applied to the Electoral Commission (EC) last May to![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-64.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/screenshot-2021-08-31-at-17-29-38-1200x509-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/homeland-registers-political-party-electoral-commission/) Party chair, [Kenny Smith](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/kenny-smith/), Homeland’s de-facto leader, is from the Isle of Lewis and formed Homeland in 2023 after [leading a breakaway](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-group-formed-hitler-birthday-patriotic-alternative-splits/) faction from Patriotic Alternative, another far right group. Camus’ UK trip comes as a [report ](https://tellmamauk.org/tell-mama-records-the-highest-number-of-anti-muslim-hate-cases-in-2024-since-its-founding/?ref=theferret.scot)revealed there was a 73 per cent increase in Islamophobic assaults last year in the UK, amid fears the “great replacement” conspiracy theory is spreading. Critics of the term include anti-racism group Hope not Hate which said it has been “used to justify racism and even terrorism across the globe”. The Scottish Greens said the theory has been “pushed by some of the most extreme and racist conspiracy theorists of the fringes” and it is “having a terrible real world impact”. Camus did not reply to a request for a comment but has previously [condemned violence](https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/renaud-camus-great-replacement-brenton-tarrant/?ref=theferret.scot). The Homeland Party defended the French author and said he has “consistently promoted peaceful discourse and democratic solutions” and that he “cannot be blamed for the actions of individuals who have cited his work”. In the most extreme cases, the great replacement has been used to justify the murder of non-whites. Converts include the white supremacist who [named](https://news.sky.com/story/buffalo-shooting-what-is-the-great-replacement-theory-mentioned-in-payton-gendrons-manifesto-12615069?ref=theferret.scot) his manifesto after the theory and [killed 51 people](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-53861456?ref=theferret.scot) during 2019 attacks on New Zealand mosques. The theory has also been cited by those behind attacks in the US, including the murders of [11 people](https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/06/02/great-replacement-theory-rises-again-ending-tragedy/?ref=theferret.scot) at a Pennsylvania synagogue in 2018, [23 people](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/07/us/el-paso-shooting-racism.html?ref=theferret.scot) at a Texas supermarket in 2019, and [10 people](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/buffalo-supermarket-shooting-suspect-posted-apparent-manifesto-repeate-rcna28889?ref=theferret.scot) at a New York grocery store in 2022. While Camus was [fined](https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2014/04/10/l-ecrivain-renaud-camus-condamne-pour-provocation-a-la-haine-contre-les-musulmans%5F4399551%5F3224.html?ref=theferret.scot) by the French government in 2014 for inciting racial hatred against Muslims and north African immigrants, whom he called “thugs” and “colonisers,” he has disavowed terrorism, which he [branded](https://x.com/RenaudCamus/status/1158000063517515778?ref=theferret.scot) as “practices of the occupants”. > Whether they are calling themselves Homeland, Patriotic Alternative or anything else for that matter, the vile beliefs they stand for have no place in our politics. > > Maggie Chapman MSP, Scottish Greens Far from being confined to the lexicon of fringe extremists, his theory has been promoted by far right political leaders around the world. They include US president [Donald Trump](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-mike-johnson-great-replacement-election-b2528050.html?ref=theferret.scot), and the respective Italian and Hungarian prime ministers, [Giorgia Meloni](https://www.thetimes.com/article/giorgia-meloni-is-first-west-european-leader-to-believe-great-replacement-conspiracy-theory-pddmf5vsf?ref=theferret.scot) and [Viktor Orbán](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/18/cpac-conference-budapest-hungary-viktor-orban-speaker?ref=theferret.scot). It has also been used by Trump’s “special government employee”, billionaire [Elon Musk](https://www.reuters.com/technology/elon-musk-curses-out-advertisers-who-left-x-over-antisemitic-content-2023-11-29/?ref=theferret.scot). Closer to home, the great replacement has been embraced by far right groups including the Homeland Party, which opposes “mass immigration” and whose activists delivered leaflets on the issue last month to homes in Glasgow and Inverurie. The party – which has denounced violence – recently announced its booking of Camus to speak at its “Big Remigration” conference in England in April. The event focuses on its aim to “facilitate and encourage” the return of “illegal, unintegrated, and unwelcome migrants” to their origin countries. Homeland is also advertising the inclusion of an “MP from one of Europe’s largest nationalist parties” after [hosting](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-european-politicians-join-homeland-uk/) representatives of two foreign far right parties at its 2024 conference, including Alternative for Germany (AfD). [Kenny Smith](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/kenny-smith/), Homeland’s chairman, is a former member of the racist British National Party, and he recently expressed admiration for a far right figure from Austria called Martin Sellner, who advocates the mass deportation of immigrants. Until recently, Sellner was among the leading voices of the Identitarian Movement, which calls for an ethnically homogenous Europe. He was leader of Generation Identity, in Austria, a movement that was actively trying to recruit in Scottish universities six years ago, as [revealed by The Ferret.](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-generation-identity-recruit-scottish-universities/) [Far right group trying to recruit in Scottish universitiesA far right group accused of being a front for neo-Nazis is trying to recruit at Scottish universities. Generation Identity Scotland/Alba is part of a European-wide movement that opposes Islam, immigration and multiculturalism. One of its members has been linked to the banned neo-Nazi group National Action and GI![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-65.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Generation-Identity-US.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-generation-identity-recruit-scottish-universities/) Sellner reportedly received donations from and communicated with the same New Zealand terrorist who adhered to the great replacement and murdered 51 people. Videos from a far right content creator, known as You Kipper, were [shared](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2024/11/25/a-home-for-cranks-the-rapid-growth-of-the-fascist-homeland-party/?ref=theferret.scot) by the terrorist days before the massacre. You Kipper now promotes Homeland and other far right causes on social media. Sellner [advocates “remigration”](https://www.ft.com/content/bbdf305d-0852-4c7c-8cb8-0ccb106ba812?ref=theferret.scot), the same term adopted by Homeland to describe its mass deportation policy. Last October, Sellner was [expelled from Switzerland](https://www.dw.com/en/martin-sellner-switzerland-expels-austrian-far-right-figure/a-70542144?ref=theferret.scot) after defying an entry ban. He was banned from entering the UK in 2018 and the US, a year later, on national security concerns. Homeland’s Smith praised Sellner in a recent interview. He said: “Finally, sensible nationalists have taken control of these parties. When the AfD \[Alternative for Germany\] started they were pretty much a libertarian party but these people have now been pushed aside and genuine nationalists are in control, promoting sensible nationalism, very measured in their language – guys like Martin Sellner. “You know, these guys have been talking for years in a very articulate way, in a sensible way, and they’ve kept the nutcases and the extremists out.” David Lawrence, senior researcher at Hope Not Hate, claimed that the Homeland Party is “desperate to establish links to larger and more influential groups and figures overseas, so it can inflate its own importance”. He said Homeland had “attempted to court Martin Sellner, the figurehead of the international Generation Identity network and one of the best known far right activists” in Europe. [Former Scots neo-Nazi group member involved in HomelandA member of a now defunct group branded neo-Nazi has been active in a new far right political organisation called Homeland, The Ferret can reveal. Tayside-based James Munro of the Scottish Nationalist Society (SNS), attended Homeland’s summer camp in June this year. Munro and another former SNS member, Jordon![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-66.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/cafe-salute-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/former-member-scots-neo-nazi-group-homeland/) Lawrence also argued that Homeland is “attempting to walk a fine line by appealing to the broad British public while also recruiting” among the far right. “Towards the latter, the invitation of Renaud Camus, an undeniably influential figure, has been seen as a coup,” said Lawrence. Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman said the great replacement has “fuelled attacks and atrocities while demagogues and hate preachers in the White House and across Europe have used it to justify the most cruel, authoritarian and racist policies”. She added: “Whether they are calling themselves Homeland, Patriotic Alternative or anything else for that matter, the vile beliefs they stand for have no place in our politics.” Homeland’s Smith told The Ferret that Camus is a “political thinker” who had rejected false theories that “Jews and western elites” are behind the great replacement. He added: “No philosopher or political theorist can be held responsible for how their ideas are interpreted or misused by extremists. By degrees of separation, neither can we.” Regarding Homeland’s immigration policy, Smith claimed that “the principle of remigrating illegal, unintegrated, and unwelcome migrants is legally viable, morally justifiable, practically feasible, and beneficial to society as a whole”. He added that “depriving criminal migrants of citizenship and deporting them is standard practice in governments worldwide”, including in the UK. Smith defended Martin Sellner and claimed that “banning a law-abiding EU citizen from entering any country for no actual crime – simply for expressing legitimate political views – demonstrates the growing extremism of establishment authorities”. He also accused Maggie Chapman MSP of trying to “silence political opponents”. Sellner did not respond to our request for a comment. Meanwhile, in a new[ report](https://tellmamauk.org/tell-mama-records-the-highest-number-of-anti-muslim-hate-cases-in-2024-since-its-founding/?ref=theferret.scot), the anti-hate crime charity Tell MAMA said it had recorded the highest number of anti-Muslim hate incidents since its foundation in 2011, with 6,313 last year. The report cited the [great replacement](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/feb/19/uk-islamophobic-assaults-surged-by-73-in-2024-anti-hate-charity-reports?ref=theferret.scot) as a growing concern and said: “In some examples, the most explicit references to the so-called “great replacement” came from the likes of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, (aka Tommy Robinson) with one such post accruing over 400,000 views and using terminology about Europe’s apparent ‘suicide’.” Homeland counts a member of a former [neo-Nazi group](https://www.theferret.scot/former-member-scots-neo-nazi-group-homeland/), the Scottish Nationalist Society (SNS), amongst its ranks. The party said the former member of SNS – which disbanded prior to Homeland’s formation – had been involved as a “disenfranchised” teenager but had since “grown up”. [Far right Homeland activists gain Scottish community councils seatsMembers of a new organisation formed after the “UK’s most dangerous group on the British far right” splintered are members of Scottish community councils, we can reveal, prompting calls for an urgent investigation. Homeland was formed in April after some members of the white nationalist outfit Patriotic Alternative (PA)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-67.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image-2-4-2-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-homeland-scottish-community-councils/) Homeland has also had at least three [members](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-homeland-scottish-community-councils/) appointed as community councillors in Scotland, including one who was [accused](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-councillor-condemned-comments-black-brits/) of “abhorrent racism” by an MSP for arguing that black politicians and footballers are “clearly not” British. The councillor claimed his comments were “not about race, but ethnicity and in-group preference”. Last year, the Electoral Commission approved Homeland’s bid to register as a political party and field candidates in elections across Britain. This was despite [comments](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-terrorist-racist-rules-election-watchdog/) from commission staff in documents seen by The Ferret accusing Homeland of breaking its own code of conduct by sharing “terrorist literature” and “antisemitic and racist” content. Homeland dismissed the “spurious claims” and said the party enforces its code of conduct. The commission’s “junior staff” were determined to see the application rejected, it claimed. *Main image: Renaud Camus/Wikimedia* ### Private prison records almost 600 incidents of self-harm URL: https://www.theferret.scot/private-prison-records-highest-level-self-harm/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:32:13.000Z Almost 600 incidents of self-harming were reported at Addiewell – Scotland’s only private prison – in less than four years, almost double that of any other Scottish jail. The number of incidents, revealed in a freedom of information request, were for self-harm by cutting, which is associated with emotional distress and poor mental health and wellbeing. In total Addiewell recorded 590 incidents from January 2021 until the end of August 2024, an average of 13 every month. Critics said the figures should raise alarm bells and called for action. The prison, run by outsourcing company Sodexo, has been subject to [serious concerns](https://www.theferret.scot/violent-assaults-increase-at-hmp-addiewell-scotland/) about violence, and high levels of deaths in custody. Last year [more prisoners](https://www.sps.gov.uk/about-us/transparency/death-custody?ref=theferret.scot) died in Addiewell than at any other prison. Earlier this week The Ferret revealed that despite paying penalties to the Scottish Prison Service due to failure to meet agreed standards, Addiewell Limited – the company that owns it – has paid more than [£3m to shareholders](https://www.theferret.scot/addiewell-3m-shareholders-safety-rising-deaths/) in less than two years. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-02-19-at-18-27-14.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/addiewell-3m-shareholders-safety-rising-deaths/) A spokesperson for the prison said it was “subject to the same range of intensive scrutiny as all prisons” and was “building on progress” made to improve the prison’s safety and operation record. Healthcare at the prison is delivered by NHS Lothian. The health board also serves HMP Edinburgh. That prison logged 208 incidents of self-harm by cutting over the time period – the third highest according to the data. NHS Lothian has been asked to comment. The Scottish Prison Service said it worked hard to keep prisoners safe and supported. The Scottish Liberal Democrats, who obtained the figures, said Scotland’s approach to imprisonment was “failing” and called for action. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-02-19-at-18-41-00.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/distressed-prisoners-13000-calls-samaritans-six/) Justice spokesperson for the party [Liam McArthur MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/liam-mcarthur?ref=theferret.scot) added: “Huge numbers of people, many with complex problems, are being sent to a place proven to increase their likelihood of reoffending and where incidents of self-harm are on the rise. “Addiewell prison has been a magnet for such behaviour with regular reports of assaults and self-harm. Prisons can be a pressure cooker but the government has a responsibility to ensure high safety standards are maintained across the entire prison estate.” He claimed a “properly-funded justice system that also includes greater use of robust and effective community sentences”, was needed, striking a balance between punishment and rehabilitation “in order to reduce reoffending and make communities safer.” Despite fears being raised about safety at Addiewell prison, its most [recent report](https://prisonsinspectoratescotland.gov.uk/publications/hmips-ipm-annual-monitoring-report-hmp-addiewell-2023-24?ref=theferret.scot) from the Scottish prison inspectorate commended management for making progress towards improving the jail. However the prison continued to score a red rating – indicating serious concerns – for health and wellbeing. #### Highest level of self-harm annually The self harm figures show that in the first eight months of 2024 there were 110 incidents of self-harm by cutting recorded at Addiewell. Most other prisons did not give exact figures, but reported having fewer than five incidents (<5) in many of the months of last year. But the next highest appears to be HMP Kilmarnock with a maximum of 55 incidents in 2024\. Kilmarnock was formerly run by private company Serco but [handed back](https://www.serco.com/uk/media-and-news/2024/serco-hands-back-hmp-kilmarnock-to-the-scottish-prison-service?ref=theferret.scot) to the Scottish Prison Service in March. Figures for 2023 show 203 incidents of cutting at Addiewell, almost 2.5 the next highest number. That year a [whistleblower](https://www.theferret.scot/violent-assaults-increase-at-hmp-addiewell-scotland/) shared reports with The Ferret which suggested mental health and addiction support were often hard to access or had long waiting lists. The annual number of reported incidents of cutting in 2021 and 2022 were also significantly higher than the numbers recorded at other prisons. [Sarah Armstrong](https://www.sccjr.ac.uk/person/dr-sarah-armstrong/?ref=theferret.scot), a Glasgow University professor of criminology who researches deaths in custody, said: “Addiewell saw more people dying in 2024 than in Barlinnie, a prison of much greater size. That combined with the level of self-harm should ring alarm bells. > Self-harm levels are a sign of despair and a lack of support to cope with threatening, dulling environments. The entire Scottish prison system is in crisis. > > Professor Sarah Armstrong, Glasgow University “Prisons in Scotland are dangerous, and we are seeing this in escalating levels of death and self-harm. Self-harm levels are a sign of despair and a lack of support to cope with threatening, dulling environments. The entire Scottish prison system is in crisis.” She claimed there was a lack of urgency in taking action on the recommendations of an [independent review into prison deaths](https://www.gov.scot/publications/independent-review-response-deaths-prison-custody-second-progress-report/?ref=theferret.scot) completed four years ago and said there was a desperate need for a change in prison culture. [Fulton McGregor](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/fulton-macgregor?ref=theferret.scot), an SNP MSP who has previously raised concerns about [the financing of Addiewell](https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/privately-run-prison-to-cost-more-than-1bn-over-duration-of-contract?ref=theferret.scot) – agreed under a Private Finance Initiative contract under the last Scottish Labour and Lib Dem coalition – said “public safety, rehabilitation and wellbeing should not be driven by private profit”. “That is why it has been SNP policy for 18 years that prisons should be owned and managed by the public sector,” he added. #### Complex mental health needs A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said people arrived with “complex mental health needs and vulnerabilities” and insisted staff worked hard alongside the NHS to support and keep people safe. “Everyone who enters custody is assessed by both prison staff and NHS partners to identify exactly what mental health, social care, substance misuse, and other support is needed. We also have peer mentors and listeners, trained by the Samaritans, to support people when they first arrive and throughout their time in custody.” Last year it introduced [dedicated phone lines](https://www.sps.gov.uk/family-and-friends/raise-concern?ref=theferret.scot) in every prison, so families could raise mental health concerns about their loved ones and the prison service [mental health strategy for 2024-2034](https://www.sps.gov.uk/about-us/our-latest-news/mental-health-strategy-2024-2034-launched?ref=theferret.scot) aims to create environments where people feel able to seek help and support. Cover image thanks to iStock/shostak ### Mapped: The connections of the ‘culture war’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/mapped-the-connections-of-the-culture-war/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:32:13.000Z **Over the last year, The Ferret has been investigating the so-called ‘culture war’.** We have looked at how disinformation and conspiracies have entered the mainstream debate around issues that have been dragged into the cultural conflict. We have also looked at the real world impacts of online [discourse around misogyny](https://www.theferret.scot/toxic-how-tackle-rise-misogyny-online-hate/). As part of our investigation, we have [highlighted links](https://www.theferret.scot/orban-conservative-think-tank-scotlands-culture-war/) between organisations across the globe, and examined how populist groups and powerful think-tanks and funders are helping to spread ‘[culture war](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-institute/assets/culture-wars-in-the-uk.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)‘ viewpoints in the UK and Scotland. From the powerful think-tank behind Donald Trump’s presidential agenda, and the private university funded by Hungarian populist Viktor Orbán, to events, campaign groups and media organisations pushing agendas in the UK, we have mapped the way these organisations overlap and intersect. To illustrate some of these connections, we have put together an interactive map highlighting how these groups connect and help to influence each other, and where the key hotspots are in Scotland, the wider UK, Europe and the US. Tap on the arrows at the top of the map and read the captions to explore some of the global connections in the culture war. *Note: This map works best on a desktop or laptop computer.* ![visualization](https://public.flourish.studio/story/2876215/thumbnail) [![culture war map](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-02-18-184207.jpg)](https://public.flourish.studio/story/2876215/?ref=theferret.scot) *[Tap the link](https://public.flourish.studio/story/2876215/?ref=theferret.scot) to view the map in a separate page.* ### Tice boasted about savings from solar panels – despite branding renewables a ‘rip off’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/reform-deputy-accused-of-hypocrisy-over-renewables/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:43:30.000Z **Reform UK’s Richard Tice boasted putting solar panels on his company’s properties could help tenants with their bills – despite publicly claiming people are being “ripped off” by the renewables industry.** In a speech last week, Tice, Reform’s deputy leader, [pledged](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn93w44yv74o?ref=theferret.scot) that if it wins the next election the party would impose new taxes on the renewable industry which he called “a massive con”. He said there was a “direct link” between higher electricity prices and the growth of renewable energy generation. But Tice has been accused of “blatant hypocrisy” because his company has fitted solar panels and electric car charging stations at commercial properties it owns in England. “These initiatives will save hundreds of tonnes of CO2 every year and help our occupiers with lower electricity bills than they might otherwise have to pay, as well as provide an attractive return for shareholders,” Tice [wrote](https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/zBYZZMSr1uvjIAA6lr9JZqEAo081-bN8d-ur6Q-c69w/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3OS3WTSO2%2F20250217%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4%5Frequest&X-Amz-Date=20250217T093931Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEEkaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJHMEUCIG2cBszJtCZTVe4av3xgmpGTrzKEyaxhvLyomX9jZZ0pAiEAq%2BsoXQFLBS3IAjmVbiC75Ci3B6MKqghCL9OjhIiJsOQqugUIchAFGgw0NDkyMjkwMzI4MjIiDDt%2FDprFWah1L5fSOiqXBVwPfmpo2DAeIy0V5eLa0mZygMWl2bIHqy3Tqpsh0Jyh28SikgTsM%2BW5DFbr3eLfnxbUgL6xK88%2Fv%2FakzkfAzvwzYdfKiHtuMJFgbmI6FKknW4SkgRt4qNSQmBy0sJfgsOk34tMIyHVJmv4u6ZbnzV74p2JJzoDOKckYBvgS76ZVS2mYAiOziyZwMnksLrW6JWxNlYqw%2Brf%2FL9PtfIV8sLYs1FAkDr7n%2BSXIKL%2BGk7vPsXU0EW6q1SXgerVHGD6YYTq5j4GlwjTULVYjxTCOEl6lAAhE%2BmpJ3fG8HANktdIR%2B5taET3vfLsf3L%2B2jcEAMiRHAds%2FLoP7lySaDAJOUmL%2F10HJILAVcDLy6bAzwO%2Bz%2Bo9W5Yj2uRzOK7QQWMQ6RIwOk6mF81g3kKino5WWz25LOzAXH%2Bir4JAA8%2FMChU1iIcFYHVaLsiNkac1oVhLm5OtTTKYZ7h82y8Il8jDQFDtouHLDcgzaziSZKYo0VS1%2BBvS1IGNxFwQS0XDpBNGYo72avc%2FuRjoVGIP7PLhfRnn3Lzh%2B44%2Bkvjm3R69VBuUdNf%2F5dVyxXF%2FAtzr4MTUl0fjZYOtdQKL6Cx7vno%2B0L%2BcpAo1IkR39IHxphvyTOwQhhgD2Rw0fZ0Bmbd%2Bm%2FNiBCSNZEB0PVJuDswPD%2BmpAhDivxguQJ64w6i03mETh37epbt6l7FaSGlHeDen2jM4U5eSsVZLe9IAmU1wF4amcb3IcRsnm7%2Bc37oZ0xn%2FUw0gVfwcy2KTeG2scfZbUbFMCyt9j7MnNq1pLqULnkwZ9u5FXH1%2FqnvfEkRKFNlKwVm9M4uyLUfeLEPS1cjXKwCgwEFv0QkSNfx8soPJVAjQf0VRHm3UpdMMxB%2F77qBl1o8x4MR6wNBZT8jDJ7su9BjqxAYFrBdIuaZ%2BchpnhtBVCDSrP7n4Yj48KNGlmoycRkUmtHCbjJr7Qrl5yjE1%2BZnVSLW4ZanL%2B2A8Pt%2BGwqceQIRyuJLkwRf%2F1FW62GXBVvu831sOVgpRSJipvJFezJRas6PcCqS443kzuYRdEXsrQRJEmMmCVMvwHtZbvKLdIR9007uQ0DadlZB8IWQKMJcQ8kaDwKxmWr1CbdQgqtLXbWb3kz2H4fVf7iSvvw9l9UxLf%2Fg%3D%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies%5Fhouse%5Fdocument.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=f08bc4fbf539ccb91f8ac31925db34c6d409266ec533b716fab74783371b668f&ref=theferret.scot) in the 2022 annual report for Quidnet REIT, a real estate firm in which he is the largest shareholder. Critics claimed The Ferret’s finding showed Reform’s “performative” opposition to renewables was “more about scoring culture war points than genuinely helping British households”. Tice claimed he had “always said unsubsidised solar panels on roofs can make sense for the homeowner or business tenant”. “It cuts out middlemen via the grid,” the Boston and Skegness MP told The Ferret. “What does not make sense is gobbling up productive farmland and subsidising renewables as that drives up electricity bills.” > This is just another example of the party’s performative ‘war on net zero’, more about scoring culture war points than genuinely helping British households. > > Dr Will Stronge, The Autonomy Institute The solar panels appear to have been lucrative for Quidnet REIT. The firm makes most of its money from collecting rent, but its [2023 accounts](https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/v52jXaDvOXr8klQ7OJWeUjcQxRx1oNpHHT6EoqgPgNo/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3OS3WTSO2%2F20250217%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4%5Frequest&X-Amz-Date=20250217T094149Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEEkaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJHMEUCIG2cBszJtCZTVe4av3xgmpGTrzKEyaxhvLyomX9jZZ0pAiEAq%2BsoXQFLBS3IAjmVbiC75Ci3B6MKqghCL9OjhIiJsOQqugUIchAFGgw0NDkyMjkwMzI4MjIiDDt%2FDprFWah1L5fSOiqXBVwPfmpo2DAeIy0V5eLa0mZygMWl2bIHqy3Tqpsh0Jyh28SikgTsM%2BW5DFbr3eLfnxbUgL6xK88%2Fv%2FakzkfAzvwzYdfKiHtuMJFgbmI6FKknW4SkgRt4qNSQmBy0sJfgsOk34tMIyHVJmv4u6ZbnzV74p2JJzoDOKckYBvgS76ZVS2mYAiOziyZwMnksLrW6JWxNlYqw%2Brf%2FL9PtfIV8sLYs1FAkDr7n%2BSXIKL%2BGk7vPsXU0EW6q1SXgerVHGD6YYTq5j4GlwjTULVYjxTCOEl6lAAhE%2BmpJ3fG8HANktdIR%2B5taET3vfLsf3L%2B2jcEAMiRHAds%2FLoP7lySaDAJOUmL%2F10HJILAVcDLy6bAzwO%2Bz%2Bo9W5Yj2uRzOK7QQWMQ6RIwOk6mF81g3kKino5WWz25LOzAXH%2Bir4JAA8%2FMChU1iIcFYHVaLsiNkac1oVhLm5OtTTKYZ7h82y8Il8jDQFDtouHLDcgzaziSZKYo0VS1%2BBvS1IGNxFwQS0XDpBNGYo72avc%2FuRjoVGIP7PLhfRnn3Lzh%2B44%2Bkvjm3R69VBuUdNf%2F5dVyxXF%2FAtzr4MTUl0fjZYOtdQKL6Cx7vno%2B0L%2BcpAo1IkR39IHxphvyTOwQhhgD2Rw0fZ0Bmbd%2Bm%2FNiBCSNZEB0PVJuDswPD%2BmpAhDivxguQJ64w6i03mETh37epbt6l7FaSGlHeDen2jM4U5eSsVZLe9IAmU1wF4amcb3IcRsnm7%2Bc37oZ0xn%2FUw0gVfwcy2KTeG2scfZbUbFMCyt9j7MnNq1pLqULnkwZ9u5FXH1%2FqnvfEkRKFNlKwVm9M4uyLUfeLEPS1cjXKwCgwEFv0QkSNfx8soPJVAjQf0VRHm3UpdMMxB%2F77qBl1o8x4MR6wNBZT8jDJ7su9BjqxAYFrBdIuaZ%2BchpnhtBVCDSrP7n4Yj48KNGlmoycRkUmtHCbjJr7Qrl5yjE1%2BZnVSLW4ZanL%2B2A8Pt%2BGwqceQIRyuJLkwRf%2F1FW62GXBVvu831sOVgpRSJipvJFezJRas6PcCqS443kzuYRdEXsrQRJEmMmCVMvwHtZbvKLdIR9007uQ0DadlZB8IWQKMJcQ8kaDwKxmWr1CbdQgqtLXbWb3kz2H4fVf7iSvvw9l9UxLf%2Fg%3D%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%2209718143%5Faa%5F2024-09-06.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=4eb9784aab43705298dd6073ef9ee8e618824f2c7ee2deceb2d20ae51b28321c&ref=theferret.scot) note that it has cashed in on the sale of energy to tenants and the electricity grid. Income from activities other than rent increased from around £5,000 in 2022 – when the solar panels were being installed — to over £150,000 in 2023. Tice is not the only Reform politician with interests in renewables. Great Yarmouth MP, Rupert Lowe, has [installed](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/feb/13/reform-mp-rupert-lowe-hails-solar-energy-money-saver-while-party-vows-tax-sector?ref=theferret.scot) solar panels on his farm. He also owns a [company](https://www.loweoliver.co.uk/solar-pvs?ref=theferret.scot) which installs renewable systems and says that “local, carbon-neutral generation of energy is much cheaper than buying gas-powered electricity”. In his speech, Tice [said](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td1AH3gRzB4&ref=theferret.scot) net zero policies were to blame for higher energy bills and the argument that renewables would make energy cheaper was a “lie” because of subsidies paid to the sector. However a [rise](https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-why-uk-energy-bills-are-soaring-to-record-highs-and-how-to-cut-them/?ref=theferret.scot) in wholesale gas prices was the main [cause](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9714/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Global%20prices%20for%20gas%2C%20electricity,tensions%20between%20Russia%20and%20Ukraine.) of the recent energy crisis which sent bills soaring. > It’s gas prices that have sent our bills through the roof, not renewables. > > Mel Evans, Greenpeace Energy bills in the UK do include ‘green [levies](https://www.nesta.org.uk/project/finding-ways-to-deliver-cheaper-electricity-by-rebalancing-levies/household-energy-bills-green-levies/?ref=theferret.scot)’ which help pay for projects like renewables and home insulation. Some experts argue that green levies on bills are [regressive](https://www.nesta.org.uk/project/finding-ways-to-deliver-cheaper-electricity-by-rebalancing-levies/household-energy-bills-green-levies/?ref=theferret.scot) because poorer households spend a larger proportion of their income on them, and have suggested moving them to general taxation. But supporters [say](https://eciu.net/insights/2024/are-green-levies-going-up-in-april-2024?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Green%20levies%20are%20essential%20for,typical%20consumption%20in%20October%202023.) scrapping them completely could hamper the rollout of home insulation and renewables projects and leave the UK reliant on foreign gas, which can fluctuate in price. They argue this could drive bills up further, while critics have claimed Reform’s tax plans could cause energy costs to “[skyrocket](https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4409746/statist-plan-cause-household-bills-skyrocket-experts-slam-reform-proposals-windfall-tax-renewables?ref=theferret.scot)”. Greenpeace described Reform’s proposals as a “jumble of misinformation and gaslighting” which would “allow Big Oil bosses to rake in even more billions in profits”. “It’s gas prices that have sent our bills through the roof, not renewables,” the group’s head of climate issues, Mel Evans, said. “Reform’s quack cure will only worsen the disease by making us even more reliant on gas and the dictators controlling its price.” Dr Will Stronge of the climate change research organisation, [The Autonomy Institute](https://autonomy.work/?ref=theferret.scot), accused Tice and Reform of “blatant hypocrisy”. Stronge added: “His company profits from providing solar panels and electric vehicle charging points, whilst Reform MPs use solar to lower their bills – yet Reform continues to weaponise them for political gain. “This is just another example of the party’s performative ‘war on net zero’, more about scoring culture war points than genuinely helping British households.” *Main image: House of Commons/Flickr* ### Private prison profits: Addiewell pays £3m to shareholders amid safety fears and rising deaths URL: https://www.theferret.scot/addiewell-3m-shareholders-safety-rising-deaths/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:15:07.000Z **The company which owns Scotland’s private Addiewell prison has paid more than £3m to shareholders in less than two years despite serious concerns over prisoner and staff safety amid high levels of deaths and violence, The Ferret has found.** In [total](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC291454/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) almost £20m has been paid out in dividends to shareholders since the prison opened in 2008\. Yet in half of the years it has been open it has failed to meet agreed Scottish Prison Service standards, paying penalties as a result. In January a [murder inquiry](https://insidetime.org/newsround/two-arrested-after-prisoner-falls-to-his-death/?ref=theferret.scot) was launched after an Addiewell prisoner was allegedly pushed and fell from a jail landing. He later died from his injuries. Last year there were more deaths at Addiewell, in West Lothian, than in any other Scottish prison. A third of [Addiewell Prison Limited’](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC291454?ref=theferret.scot)s shares are owned by [Soxedo Investment Services](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04371939?ref=theferret.scot) and 67 per cent are owned by [Infrastructure Investment Holdings](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06555131?ref=theferret.scot), an arm of London investment firm, HICL Infrastructure. According to [accounts](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC291454/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) for 2024, Addiewell Prison Limited paid over £3m in dividends to the two firms from April 2023 to November 2024. The prison is run by facilities management company [Sodexo](https://www.sodexo.com/?ref=theferret.scot) under a [private public finance (PFI) dea](https://www.operis.com/addiewell-prison-pfi-closes-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot)l made in 2006 by Scotland’s then Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition. > When shareholder payouts are prioritised over basic amenities for inmates, it can have tragic results. > > Cat Hobbs, We Own It Critics said “prisons should never be a place for the pursuit of private profit at the expense of vulnerable people” and said “profit-hungry companies” should have contracts for public services ended. They claimed “serious issues specific to HMP Addiewell” need to be resolved “with some urgency’ and there needed to be greater reinvestment in education, counselling and staffing levels to reduce violence and reoffending. However, Sodexo said it was “subject to the same range of intensive scrutiny as all prisons” and was “building on progress” made to improve the prison’s safety and operation record. In recent years other serious concerns have been raised about the prison. A [damning report](https://prisonsinspectoratescotland.gov.uk/publications/hmp-addiewell-full-inspection-report-november-2022?ref=theferret.scot) published in May 2023 found less than a third of inmates said they felt safe. In reports found “credible” by inspectors, one in four claimed to have been assaulted, or abused by staff. Severe shortages of experienced staff was another issue raised. In 2023 [The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/violent-assaults-increase-at-hmp-addiewell-scotland/) reported that violent assaults were higher at Addiewell than at any other prison. A whistleblower claimed a culture of violence, fear and intimidation was rampant within the prison, and claimed that an inspectorate report painted a “rosy picture” compared with the reality. [Violent assaults increasing at Scotland’s troubled private prisonViolent assaults have been rising more steeply at HMP Addiewell – Scotland’s troubled private prison – than any other jail last year, according to a Ferret investigation. There were a total of 166 assaults by prisoners last year. These included attacks by razor blades and scalding and some resulted in people![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-27.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/untitled-design-63.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/violent-assaults-increase-at-hmp-addiewell-scotland/) They shared details of violent assaults including in public areas and involving homemade weapons, razor blades or scaldings. One email shared, originally sent by the then prison director, suggested the prison may never have been fully staffed at any point since it opened in 2008. Addiewell’s [company accounts](https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/8LNi79lPvxRAW8vIK9LCIC71gd8jIpdNq0PtL6QNkEU/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3E5YJ3OZT%2F20250214%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4%5Frequest&X-Amz-Date=20250214T094626Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEP7%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJHMEUCIA0nFfJI1iODdYE5pySzbN6bggJhIqtYJcXUl%2FK1r5zkAiEAr0ALSvvxd3CxGEb5yOQTlnq8ui1PgvWUx2A0bnO0XyEquwUIJhAFGgw0NDkyMjkwMzI4MjIiDMiJu75THSfLh9OnayqYBUbYnjkRxbQX4I0L8mZsW98dronbM1nHKHVjzzGQBGah%2BD%2BPhdggZJcnMP6qf4KqYeFPZIqFbVsNHXK1xL0%2F%2Fe1irZF8K0%2F%2FtpHrE6C8mRHbW4S67WfOr5KhjCeGkvPZ0uqflfk214OjvNl0wzujTcjYty6rxbNPAIq%2FfEWdAtY2tpOPNoCF78ypfU14q3600syKVQUrq4P6ltjNyBXBz8sRVgQRBTX1bRtT0KISazd2kJFHQBhhM%2FZ%2BvvYTT5sJuoClPRGs2XYH634GAcZFeXtV93sXQ9KT2jRLHmCmk3%2FWHmZlEI6qCzz55L6JrS%2FBUGcXLnQY3m1YBRBygCyfTFfrUJb9STYClZ8O31lr8DL5jPK4vUd70cRrdHnEvuLJEwSlSOYCr52IIagHNBd9%2FbsqIOV%2FZECRM0Fl1oN0ntUHZlqk88jDvs1YO%2BBWUG9eyRB7A6rKY67vsuV41NWnJySdAtpTSiCHDtaujBioLxCYlmn%2F3WezxhqT2iuJbuC%2F%2BX9jp6x8e4NsA%2B6253JKRe%2FWVSZomsoDco3hx1yHpMWrmO2yxIGN8Sxi2cCqt24Y7UgOGxlfwV3x5U40erirzSLGEf%2F8Kzk7L39zMIm8sfLup0tnTtygMH1z6H%2Bi8n%2BCy5%2F3q%2BF%2FLhgybMblDERJbr83UTxU1FZAe%2FfnObcb0AgQKV7NkQv6%2Fls3%2BoEl3Pp7NvxO8RJQ%2FlhfwZwN%2BJpKR3gUNMzzv0EGUSvCEvJoe8KpgiW1De%2BbAjV7AoVFNzXhpLaYOz%2BUqHLYMPeYLfEFW%2B67FimaR4Qy9faBAetqBEXg9g5%2FsxI9yYz7OM5AIwhhxVtGL8pUWM2s5yUxb4S8%2BS4bjL6mDrqO%2FOXMbBSjaif9hy1ZGFCZsrkwwqK7vQY6sQGpxHoT7RvGvllmD7HHJs0b9tm0FGtMzmS%2Fd8TitSZVgjaBV8BeJ2S%2FUankBqfJb8C2zL6Ux2Bsopn1YYmCOKnsme2QFp%2Bi3Ze4Pg8V00IGnkid2vLWSdWcIH3sczScpeZe60hwsv8Utqkcdm1nuhCeCEbSdQakQLAJVht83bStmlRhHeCYwFMZehqFDjvNO2O7yW8%2BhFZW8tm3UuE8urke4dMvuNgq9%2BjHmaTPPMeWRyo%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies%5Fhouse%5Fdocument.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=eb86fa3231889e4b97336dbd320a4b460d5cad753fe05a484d0a2117827c27db&ref=theferret.scot) show that these failings also had a financial cost. Prison bosses had to pay the Scottish Prison Service £2.7m for failing to meet agreed performance indicators in the last financial year. [In total](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC291454/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) Addiewell limited has paid £9m in fines since 2011. Despite these fines the [Scottish Prison Inspectorate](https://prisonsinspectoratescotland.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) has commended prison management for recent improvements. In its 2024 report [inspectors said](https://prisonsinspectoratescotland.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publication%5Ffiles/HMIPS%20-%20IPM%20-%20Annual%20Monitoring%20Report%20-%20HMP%20Addiewell%20-%202023-24%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the level of serious concern had reduced dramatically while acknowledging that its journey to “transformation” was “by no means over”. In 2016 a [parliamentary question](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament?msp=5596&committeeSelect=&qry=Addiewell+&dateSelect=custom&dtDateFrom=2016-01-12&dtDateTo=2025-02-14&showCommittee=true&ResultDisplayType=Contributions&ref=theferret.scot#orsearch) revealed the prison would end up costing Scottish tax payers nearly £1billion over its 25 year contract – more than 12 times what it cost to build. Addiewell is now Scotland’s only private prison. His Majesty’s Prison [(HMP) Kilmarnock ](https://www.serco.com/uk/media-and-news/2024/serco-hands-back-hmp-kilmarnock-to-the-scottish-prison-service?ref=theferret.scot)was formerly run by Serco, another outsourcing company, but was transferred back to the Scottish Prison Service on 17 March 2024. According to financial journalist and author [Ian Fraser](https://www.ianfraser.org/?ref=theferret.scot) the private finance initiative – or PFI – “was a stitch up from the start”. It was [introduced](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42724939?ref=theferret.scot) by John Major’s Conservative government allowing investment to be channelled into the public infrastructure without immediately increasing national debt. [Scots prisons recorded 97 allegations of ‘sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour’Scottish prisons have recorded nearly 100 allegations of “sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour” and 12,511 claims of physical assault in the last five years. Glasgow’s Barlinnie Prison recorded the highest number of sexual assault claims from inmates with 33, followed by Edinburgh with 18, Addiewell, 9, and Perth![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-28.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-937539198-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scots-prisons-100-allegations-sexual-assault-12511-claims-physical-assault-five-years/) “Labour enlisted private sector experts from the likes of Barclays and KPMG to form Partnerships UK, who devised funding structures which were beneficial to themselves, their organisations and private sector partners. It ultimately meant the public sector was ripped off,” Fraser told The Ferret. “PFI projects were subsequently revealed to be costing the public sector between four and ten times more than actual construction costs.” In Scotland it was [“championed”](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/1335411.sturgeon-mcconnell-go-war-pfi-local-taxation/?ref=theferret.scot) by Labour leader Jack McConnell according to Fraser, who said it soon “became the only game in town for funding everything from new schools to prisons and hospitals to sewage works”. Fraser added: “It’s no wonder Sir Howard Davies, the former chairman of the Financial Services Authority and Royal Bank or Scotland or NatWest, has admitted that PFI is “[a fraud on the people](https://x.com/Ian%5FFraser/status/954130641326571523?ref=theferret.scot)”.” Sodexo runs six private prisons across the UK as well as having contracts with HMRC, police and public transport providers such as the London Underground. Last October the Sodexo Group reported a [24 per cent increase](https://www.fmj.co.uk/sodexo-delivers-a-strong-set-of-numbers-for-fy24/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Operating%20profit%20increased%20%2B24.1%25%20along,services%2C%20at%20%2B5.5%25.) in operating profit. Cat Hobbs, director of [We Own It](https://weownit.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed that “when shareholder payouts are prioritised over basic amenities for inmates, it can have tragic results”. She highlighted the findings of a [2023 inquest](https://www.inquest.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=a82f26f4-db5e-41d4-990c-307d6bb75e23&ref=theferret.scot), which revealed serious failings at Sodexo-run HMP Bronzefield following the death of an 18-year-old Black prisoner’s baby. [Rianna Cleary](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/02/the-tragedy-of-rianna-and-baby-aisha-cleary-teenager-gave-birth-all-alone-in-a-prison-cell?ref=theferret.scot) was left to give birth alone in her cell. Sodexo, which was one of several services found to have failed her, said it was “truly sorry”. “Overall, privately-run prisons are more overcrowded and more violent than those in public hands,” Hobbs added. “There is a clear message here – remove profit-hungry companies from our prison system before they do any more damage.” > Prisons should never be a place for the pursuit of private profit at the expense of vulnerable people. > > Emma Jardine, Howard League for Penal Reform Scotland In Scotland [concerns have been raised](https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/saraharmstrong/?ref=theferret.scot) about the safety of the entire prison system. Last month a sheriff concluded that the deaths of two young people at Polmont Young Offenders institute [could have been avoided](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jan/17/deaths-polmont-young-offender-institution-scotland-could-have-been-avoided-report?ref=theferret.scot) but for “a catalogue of failures” in the system. Katie Allan, 21, and William Lindsay, 16, both took their own lives at the prison. In 2024 a [record 57 people](https://insidetime.org/newsround/record-58-deaths-in-scottish-prisons-in-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) died across all of Scotland’s prisons, a total which exceeded the previous record of 53 deaths, set in 2021\. Data from the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) show that at least six prisoners took their own lives and another seven died of drug overdoses. Other deaths were due to natural causes, or no cause had yet been given. Scotland’s only privately managed prison, Sodexo-run Addiewell, [recorded 12 deaths](https://www.sps.gov.uk/about-us/transparency/death-custody?ref=theferret.scot), the most reported by any prison. Emma Jardine, policy and public affairs at the [Howard League for Penal Reform Scotland](https://howardleague.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), said the Scottish Government had talked up its commitment to a publicly owned prison service since 2007\. “Prisons should never be a place for the pursuit of private profit at the expense of vulnerable people,” she added. “There is increasing evidence of serious issues specific to HMP Addiewell which need to be looked into and resolved with some urgency.” Scottish Greens spokesperson for justice [Maggie Chapman MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/maggie-chapman?ref=theferret.scot) agreed it was “totally inappropriate for firms to profit from people’s misfortune and misery”. “But this is exactly what is happening,” she added. “It highlights the very urgent need for fundamental prison reform. [Call made for improved out-of-hours mental health care in prisonsImmediate changes should be made to put in place better out-of-hours mental health provision in prisons, it has been claimed by campaigners. They include Linda Allan, whose daughter Katie took her own life in Polmont Young Offenders Institution last year. The call came after a Freedom of Information revealed the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-29.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-902369174.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/call-improved-mental-health-care-prisons/) “We must change our strategy and focus on prevention as the current system is failing both prisoners and the wider population. Prisons are supposed to be spaces for those in custody to be held securely and safely, to serve their sentence, and to offer the opportunity for rehabilitation to prevent reoffending upon their release.” An HMP Addiewell spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, we cannot comment on matters of government policy, commercial matters or any individual deaths in our custody. Any death in custody is a tragedy and all are subject to full investigation from all relevant parties, culminating in a Fatal Accident Inquiry. “We are pleased that you note the positive comments from HMIP Scotland and the prison continues to build on that progress. Working to a well-established contract with the Scottish Prison Service, the prison is subject to the same range of intensive scrutiny as all prisons, further enhanced by a dedicated team of SPS Contract Monitors based in the prison.” A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said it had been its policy that prisons should be owned and managed by the public sector since it came into power in 2007\. “We continue to work with the Scottish Prison Service and other partners to ensure privately operated HMP Addiewell operates as a safe and secure prison,” they added. A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said it “closely monitors performance and compliance” on its contract with Sodexo to run Addiewell prison “to ensure the best possible outcomes for people in custody and for the wider community”. *Main image: ronstik/iStock* ### Scotrail awards £2m contract to firm criticised over performance URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotrail-2m-contract-firm-criticised-performance/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T11:57:17.000Z **ScotRail has handed a £2 million contract to its former private owner – claiming the deal will provide “value for taxpayers”.** The state-owned rail firm has contracted out its finance and payroll functions to Solvd, a company set up by former owner Abellio – which the Scottish Government stripped of its franchise in 2022 after [concerns ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-50891974?ref=theferret.scot)over poor performance. ScotRail bosses awarded a two-year extension to Solvd on January 29 without putting the contract out to tender. They believe the move, valued at £1.9 million in the official paperwork, will buy time to work out whether these functions should be carried out in house. But Scottish Labour transport spokeswoman Claire Baker said private firms were “cashing in on the SNP’s incompetence”. She told The Ferret: “Scotland deserves a reliable, affordable rail service but the SNP is squandering the opportunities of public ownership and contracting out its responsibilities.” Just two days after the new contract was confirmed, SNP ministers announced fares would go up by 3.8 per cent this year – following an 8.7 per cent rise a year ago and the reintroduction of peak fares last autumn. > Scotland deserves a reliable, affordable rail service but the SNP is squandering the opportunities of public ownership and contracting out its responsibilities. > > Claire Baker, Scottish Labour Abellio’s UK arm is now known as Transport UK, after it was sold by the Dutch state in a management buy-out led by chief executive Dominic Booth. He was ScotRail’s ultimate boss before nationalisation. The contract describes Solvd as a “small to medium-sized enterprise”, even though Transport UK’s website boasts that it employs 15,000 employees across Britain. Train drivers’ union Aslef, which campaigned for ScotRail to be brought into public ownership, called on ScotRail to “come clean” over continued “profiteering” in the railways since nationalisation. “Despite its chronic failure to run ScotRail effectively, this revelation shows that in its new guise Abellio is going to still profit from the now publicly owned ScotRail,” the union’s Scottish organiser Kevin Lindsay said. He added: “For ScotRail to be truly public it needs to in-source its operations and end – not extend – these contracts and this type of outsourcing that incredibly allows this failed company to continue to profit from ScotRail, taking money that should be reinvested back into services, and still turning it into shareholder dividends.” Scottish Conservative MSP Sue Webber said: “Nationalisation of ScotRail was justified by the SNP on the basis that they could do a better job than Abellio. So it’s humiliating that they are now having to lavish public money on the company in return for supposedly expert advice. > At a time when passengers are paying through the roof for chronically unreliable services, SNP ministers should explain why they think it is acceptable to hand this contract to ScotRail’s former owners. > > Sue Webber MSP, Scottish Conservatives She added: “At a time when passengers are paying through the roof for chronically unreliable services, SNP ministers should explain why they think it is acceptable to hand this contract to ScotRail’s former owners.” Justifying the decision not to put the contract out to tender, ScotRail said it was introducing a new rostering system that would “take a period of 12-18 months” to implement. It said the “full impact of this change will not be known until the implementation is complete”, and that “to tender these services now will result in duplication of resource and cost”. Finance director Derek Marchant said: “In 2023/24, ScotRail built on the successful transition into public ownership with year-on-year growth in passenger numbers and revenue, and with nine out of ten services meeting their punctuality targets. “All of this has been achieved thanks to our dedicated and highly-skilled workforce that deliver for our customers every single day. “We recognise that, as part of the public sector, we must ensure that we provide value for taxpayers. We continue to work hard to ensure this happens while delivering a safe, reliable, and green railway.” Transport UK and the government agency Transport Scotland both declined to comment, saying it was a matter for ScotRail. *Main image: fotomem/iStock* ### Trident project rated “unachievable” third year running URL: https://www.theferret.scot/trident-nuclear-unachievable-third-year/ Last updated: 2025-11-21T13:17:26.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **A £4bn project to help replace nuclear-armed Trident submarines on the Clyde has been branded as “unachievable” for the third year running by a UK government watchdog.** The [Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/infrastructure-and-projects-authority?ref=theferret.scot) has again given the manufacture of new reactors to power replacement[ ](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/dreadnought/)submarines its lowest rating of “red” for 2023-24\. There are “major issues” that do not seem to be “manageable or resolvable”, it said. The IPA has badged eight other major UK [nuclear weapons](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/nuclear-weapons/) projects, with a combined overall cost of over £55bn, as “amber”. This means they are facing “significant issues” which require “management attention”. These include building new facilities at the [Faslane nuclear base](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/faslane/), near Helensburgh, and dismantling nuclear submarines at [Rosyth](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news/2023/march/31/230331-caledonia?ref=theferret.scot) in Fife. The construction of the entire future nuclear-powered fleets of submarines – [Astute](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/equipment/submarine/astute-class?ref=theferret.scot), [Dreadnought](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/equipment/submarine/dreadnought-class?ref=theferret.scot) and [Aukus](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news/2023/march/14/20230314-aukus-deal-delivers-new-class-of-submarines-for-uk-and-australia?ref=theferret.scot) – was also rated amber. Campaigners attacked the UK nuclear weapons programme as “an unaffordable shambles” and a “disastrous money pit”. They have demanded its cancellation, and asked for the money saved to be spent on public services. The [Scottish National Party (SNP)](https://www.snp.org/?ref=theferret.scot) accused the [Ministry of Defence (MoD)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot) of being “totally unable” to deliver a cost-effective replacement for Trident on time. The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) said that public money shouldn’t be wasted on “deadly Cold War hangovers.” The MoD insisted that the Dreadnought programme was “on track” for submarines to start entering service in the “early 2030s”. It was working to “improve delivery confidence”. [Rolls-Royce](https://www.rolls-royce.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which is making Dreadnought submarine reactors for the MoD, accepted that the work was “challenging”. But it said progress was “accelerating” and it was “confident” it could deliver in time. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-02-07-133715.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/trident-nuclear-project-watchdog/) The IPA’s latest [report for 2023-24](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infrastructure-and-projects-authority-annual-report-2023-24?ref=theferret.scot) was published in January 2025, six months late. It assessed the feasibility of 227 major government projects, including 44 run by the MoD with a total cost of £298bn. Nine of the MoD projects were related to nuclear weapons and submarine programmes, with a total cost of at least £59bn. The one that was given a red rating was to construct reactors to be installed in four Trident-armed Dreadnought submarines to replace [ageing Vanguard submarines](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-trident-patrols/) at Faslane in the 2030s. The project was also rated as red in [2022-23](https://www.theferret.scot/trident-nuclear-project-watchdog/) and [2021-22](https://theferret.scot/nuclear-trident-projects-unachievable%EF%BF%BC/?ref=theferret.scot), as The Ferret reported. According to the IPA, that means that “successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable” and it may need its “overall viability reassessed”. It said: “There are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable.” The Dreadnought reactors, which are [being built](https://www.rolls-royce.com/products-and-services/defence/submarines/naval-nuclear-propulsion-plant.aspx?ref=theferret.scot) by Rolls-Royce in Derby, faced “ongoing challenges associated with achieving the required delivery date” in 2028, the [IPA added](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-government-major-projects-portfolio-data-2024?ref=theferret.scot). This was an “important milestone” for the UK’s policy of keeping at least one nuclear-armed submarine on patrol all the time, known as[ “continuous at sea deterrent”](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uks-nuclear-deterrent-casd?ref=theferret.scot). Among the eight other nuclear projects rated as amber, was a £1.9bn scheme to build new facilities at Faslane and nearby [Coulport](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot), on the Clyde, to support new submarines. Its rating was kept secret in 2022-23 and it was red in 2021-22. Amber is defined by the IPA as: “successful delivery appears feasible but significant issues already exist, requiring management attention”. The issues “appear resolvable at this stage” and should not cause delay or increased costs “if addressed promptly”. The Clyde infrastructure project was entering its “most complex phase” over the next four years, the [IPA said](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-government-major-projects-portfolio-data-2024?ref=theferret.scot). It highlighted “two main issues affecting delivery confidence”. One was rebuilding existing facilities while they continue to be used for submarine operations. The other was attracting and retaining suitably skilled staff “to a remote site in a very tight labour market in western Scotland.” ### Costs of some nuclear projects kept secret A £362m project to begin [dismantling defunct nuclear submarines](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/submarine-dismantling-project?ref=theferret.scot) at the Rosyth naval base on the Firth of Forth, was also rated as amber for 2023-24, as it was for 2022-23 and 2021-22\. “This is a novel and complex project and learning by doing encounters difficulty and challenge that cannot necessarily be planned for,” [commented the IPA](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-government-major-projects-portfolio-data-2024?ref=theferret.scot). A £37bn project to build the four Dreadnought submarines, other than the reactors, has been rated as amber for the last six years. An £11bn project to finish building seven nuclear-powered but conventionally-armed Astute submarines has been amber for the last three years. A new submarine programme, known as [Aukus](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/aukus-defence-ministers-joint-statement-april-2024/aukus-defence-ministers-joint-statement-april-2024?ref=theferret.scot), to eventually replace the Astute-class boats, is under development with the US and Australia. Its budget for 2023-24 was £495m, but its total cost and delivery date have been kept secret to protect “national security” and “international relations”. Aukus was rated as amber for 2023-24 and 2022-23\. The IPA suggested that the MoD might be over-stretching itself on the project. There was “a degree of risk relating to the ability of the defence nuclear enterprise and the wider UK supply chain to resource the programme with the necessary skills, experience and infrastructure to deliver against a demanding schedule, without adversely impacting the delivery of the Dreadnought programme,” it said. A new programme repackaging previous projects for making and storing nuclear materials at [Aldermaston](https://www.awe.co.uk/about-us/our-locations/?ref=theferret.scot) in Berkshire has been rated as amber for the last two years. Its total cost and delivery date have been kept under wraps. The rating, costs and comments on another project to test nuclear weapons in France and England, known as [Teutates](https://www.nuclearinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/01-NIS-NPT-presentation-on-Teutates-project-230413%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), have also been kept secret for national security and international relations reasons. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-02-07-133756.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-tritium-coulport-cancer/) The SNP highlighted the MoD’s record of [radioactive leaks](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-tritium-coulport-cancer/) and rising costs on the Clyde. “It is disappointing but not surprising that the MoD seems to be totally unable to manufacture a replacement for Trident in a timely or cost-effective manner,” said SNP MSP [Keith Brown](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/keith-brown?ref=theferret.scot). “The UK’s nuclear weapons aren’t safe for workers and wildlife, they don’t work when tested, and their manufacture is not efficient. Nor are they delivering a good deal for taxpayers.” The Scottish Greens described nuclear weapons as a “moral abomination” that should be opposed. “The fact that they have also proven to be a disastrous money pit only underlines the urgent need to remove them for good,” said Green MSP [Maggie Chapman](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/maggie-chapman?ref=theferret.scot). “We could do so much good with this money, investing in services that make our lives safer and better, rather than wasting it on these deadly Cold War hangovers.” The [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) (SCND) blasted the UK’s nuclear weapons as “a colonial hangover, an unaffordable shambles, a danger to us and the world”. SCND chair, Lynn Jamieson, said: “The combined cost of keeping the nuclear weapon system going and of building a replacement escalates while public services are drastically cut.” The [Nuclear Information Service](https://www.nuclearinfo.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which researches and criticises nuclear weapons, argued that the UK nuclear programme was unsustainable. “The case for cancelling badly run and unaffordable weapons projects is compelling,” said research manager, Tim Street. ### Trident remains ‘formidable’ According to the [Ministry of Defence](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot), the Clyde nuclear bases were “at the forefront” of delivering a continuous at sea deterrent. Some of the new infrastructure had already been built, and a review in April 2024 had resulted in “positive steps and recommendations outlined to further support the pace of delivery.” An MoD spokesperson said: “The UK’s deterrent remains effective, dependable, and formidable. The Dreadnought programme remains on track for the first of class, HMS Dreadnought, to enter service in the early 2030s.” The MoD was “working closely with Rolls-Royce Submarines to improve delivery confidence, including by increasing production rates and improving manufacturing resilience”. The delays in building reactors were “not expected to directly delay” the delivery of submarine programmes. In January 2025, the MoD [announced](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/landmark-9-billion-contract-for-british-business-to-boost-jobs-growth-and-nuclear-deterrent?ref=theferret.scot) a new £9bn, eight-year deal with Rolls-Royce to “deliver the design, manufacture and support services to nuclear reactors to power our submarines”. [Rolls-Royce Submarines](https://www.rolls-royce.com/products-and-services/defence/submarines.aspx?ref=theferret.scot) stressed that it was a “highly complex” and “once in a generation” project. “We’re working closely with the MoD to ensure this important project faces no further delays,” a company spokesperson told The Ferret. “The findings of the IPA report are being addressed and improvements have been recognised by the review team since the previous report. While the programme remains challenging, progress has accelerated and the majority of the technical and infrastructure challenges are now behind us. “We remain confident in our ability to deliver to the required core delivery date for Dreadnought.” #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Cover image of Trident submarine on the Clyde thanks to the Ministry of Defence.* ### Tory chair’s ex-firm admitted benefiting from bribery URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-conservatives-chair-russian-bribes/ Last updated: 2026-04-14T15:33:00.000Z **The new chairman of the Scottish Conservatives led a company which admitted benefitting from “corrupt payments” made to a Russian firm.** Oil drilling multi-national Abbot Group [told](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/crime-info/bribery-and-corruption/civil-settlements-for-bribery-offences/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Council%20and%20Session.-,Abbot%20Group%20Limited,under%20the%20self%2Dreporting%20initiative.) prosecutors it profited from the transactions which were made in 2007 in relation to a contract to supply oil rigs. At that [time](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00623285/filing-history/MTgyNDA3NTM1YWRpcXprY3g/document?format=pdf&download=0&ref=theferret.scot), the new Tory chair Alasdair Locke was executive chairman and a major shareholder of Abbot, which he also [founded](https://www.marine-capital.co.uk/alasdairlocke/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=After%20a%20career%20in%20international,shipping%20and%20oil%20service%20businesses.). After making the admission to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in 2012, Abbot – by then under new owners – agreed to [pay](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-20462004?ref=theferret.scot) a £5.6m settlement under Proceeds of Crime legislation, the amount of profit the company said it made from the Russian deal. Locke – who [left](https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/21388/founder-locke-exits-abbot-to-let-next-generation-take-over/?ref=theferret.scot) Abbot in 2009 – [criticised](https://archive.ph/HxFy8?ref=theferret.scot) the new owners’ decision to admit wrongdoing and “vigorously denies” any payments made by Abbot were corrupt. But former Labour MSP Neil Findlay said: “The reputation of politics is already at an all time low and here we have the Scottish Tories appointing as their chairman someone whose company had to pay a £5.6m ‘settlement’ under Proceeds of Crime legislation as a result of a dodgy deal with a Russian oil company. “Tory leader Russell Findlay’s attempt to paint himself as ‘Mr Law and Order’ will lie in tatters if this appointment stands.” Jolyon Maugham, director of the [Good Law Project](https://goodlawproject.org/?ref=theferret.scot) added: “In a dynamic world, there is so little we can safely rely on. The Catholicism of a new Pope, the ursine preference for wooded areas when nature calls, and the embroilment of senior Tories in bungs for contracts scandals. “It may seem like everything changes – but some things remain the same.” Locke claimed to The Ferret the payments were actually made to cancel a contract in Russia which an employee in Germany had entered into without the knowledge of Abbot’s board. Abbot was a victim because it had to make payment to get out of the contract which would have been “loss-making” for the company, he said. The businessman added that police have investigated “thoroughly” and found there was “no case to answer”. [Professor Richard Barrington](https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p480425-robert-barrington?ref=theferret.scot), an expert in anti-corruption who has advised both the private and public sector on bribery issues, said the case “raises all sorts of questions” now that Locke holds a “senior position with a Scottish political party”. A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: “Mr Locke responded to this 12 years ago. We don’t have anything else to add.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-29-165842.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) Locke was [appointed](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/donor-appointed-scottish-tory-chair-34128122?ref=theferret.scot) Scottish Tory chairman in November and has donated over £1.2m to the party since 2001. According to [COPFS](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/crime-info/bribery-and-corruption/civil-settlements-for-bribery-offences/?ref=theferret.scot), the payments in 2007 only came to light after they were flagged by an “[overseas tax authority](https://www.beltramiandcompany.co.uk/news/criminal-defence/drilling-company-fined-p56-million-for-corruption?ref=theferret.scot)” in 2011, prompting an internal investigation within Abbot which was by then under new owners. Abbot subsequently came forward in 2012 to [confess wrongdoing](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/crime-info/bribery-and-corruption/civil-settlements-for-bribery-offences/?ref=theferret.scot) under a self-reporting scheme for bribery set up by COPFS. Abbot’s settlement with the Civil Recovery Unit – which [recovers](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/publications/privacy-notice-civil-recovery-unit/html/?ref=theferret.scot) the proceeds of unlawful conduct on behalf of the Scottish Government – meant the company was protected from prosecution. But when the settlement was first reported in 2012, details of where the payments were made were not released [in case](https://www.beltramiandcompany.co.uk/news/criminal-defence/drilling-company-fined-p56-million-for-corruption?ref=theferret.scot) there was a criminal investigation into individuals involved. COPFS has now said the payments were made in connection with a contract entered into by a German subsidiary of Abbot, Bentec Drilling, to “supply drilling rigs to a Russian company”. Bentec was [wholly owned](https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/6n5SXgpK-wcjz055tlr4GL5wQNvYMQFvpNHm-sFEQAQ/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3NPBPTXN6%2F20250110%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4%5Frequest&X-Amz-Date=20250110T140145Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEL3%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJGMEQCIEphyMUlGeGqhIphpYa8s2pOXdVDzvPXi9aeOkkQ%2FvumAiAntsOmn%2F2IenMIGbCE5x21RW0lnd%2B%2FQW6anaLbCPjWcirDBQim%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F8BEAUaDDQ0OTIyOTAzMjgyMiIMg17GimrrrIaWS8%2FaKpcF62kaZ7IcuUcCHYAg9LvgpVBhl81xmXmcrvXZrP7%2B69hoX7V9B%2Bg7esQKydjo4svQ%2FBBSO8A0xkvNBQWSXn7PEo3J%2FrKyC4xix4YYNxN0RtuA1Qv1ao%2BkxJve6IKe6JkgsTmhXC2LPWzeigIKJ7WCNrDR1H6IDNbNoS5JizhuQNXO7FKN01wDeMkftsp7dL0CSjrkLRUmHDJrZdOU%2BWCTcTbG9L7SIkoFe8oy%2FOE6MfJ5NDTzwyzEYSI5LZgWcn9g0rhqkDNy5CkTnU4ZmjNu0nBK2itJbs420donmN0EY6VActzBfWxEHdoiQlwY5CYo26g8njemNeXn41VXrM7ApC%2BzokQEutNFC6rkpwbZrZ4v5lX1d3W3tTq0Fx3ANB4%2Baiswym%2B99%2BecwHr7IwUUAnxHjS%2B9xH1Qt%2BOskI68B2D%2FIoE0l47M6skmVpMmm%2Bmcf0Aa0u5f1ahpIjxlCxXbGzFP%2BQwFWYc33qDhdVhPrPqoRRq6TQCXK%2BJDIefGltk5qamzDkhUAbdqmH5IZmlr62FwhKX0VyyZALl8M0Rwryny4SNIQRR%2Fc9JeeiHK45FrBIDGbq2sCbdLFLPIF%2FzC9E4lyMeoKs7SCL%2B0Go9EFxm2suyhS6FQ25FYEoslE26qgFT8itjBgjw3QFzaIskuuCiD9Xtnt2UgrfT6%2FqeM61U6UM3q6ZdP8VeXv0YNC1VLl7zo7gdMzJmpsdPs%2FOrxaK5gyRFbn6CuPeFJv1eh8b9pPv21c2hq56NjzupkFRvmktbRm%2FtJZuXq0fTPdZ7nfccNkrT6JZjs%2BXoXL3B4cvho8iSO4zdx9BIquBH7GJqUfINR2VgGvFC19HADDjdt5TUxZeTsK286nXPTy0LYKAvuGn9bGGRZMNqzhLwGOrIB2qZsbZWzGvwY3%2BQSkWRt0aSqnAt0DvkJyDz8LKYbSy7eP%2FpaBrdiF3COivVZsti2l%2FnGe%2B4M5ybHXgI6DEkV6BzEzkWy8UaM7KZ2IJNv3dSj6gWtm8uFR3pRMsNfoJprE8MHlDK51WeyeheSWS53YfHw2WnmFm9Zp2y7Pn%2FTZq4hOwR3j7dcJWfk3FT4BaGLLbdK%2BsYO%2Fhuq5eExedtTCFkmxb56zryPq2HxVSG8clnCRg%3D%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies%5Fhouse%5Fdocument.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=bdaa9b3ad7ea64258a96ff416ce8daaf67bc96ebba5956b182717ea98b295357&ref=theferret.scot) by Abbot at the time. A COPFS spokesperson said: “There are no active criminal proceedings and, given the historic nature of the case, it would not be appropriate to comment.” Abbot [said](https://archive.ph/c9FMM?ref=theferret.scot) in 2012 it was “deeply disappointed” that “improper” payments had taken place and that all personnel involved had left the firm. After discovering the payments the company [commissioned](https://archive.ph/c9FMM?ref=theferret.scot) auditors to “review more than one hundred contracts” covering a period of 12 years and none were reported to COPFS. Locke [criticised](https://archive.ph/HxFy8?ref=theferret.scot) the settlement as “a travesty” in 2012\. “It’s a nonsense that the company has confessed to something without talking to anybody who was in charge at the time and under an act \[the Bribery Act\] that didn’t exist at the time”, he told The Times. Locke told The Ferret that as chairman he was “fully aware” of what happened in regards to the Russian deal and is “confident” Abbot took “the correct action in dealing with the situation”. He added: “Suffice it to say that I am quite sure that Abbot was not involved in any corrupt payments in this case and indeed the opposite is the case.” Locke is currently the chairman of Motor Fuel Group, which operates petrol station forecourts across the UK. He [reportedly](https://www.venturecapitaljournal.com/first-reserve-closes-abbot-buyout/?ref=theferret.scot) collected nearly £120m from the sale of Abbot to a US private equity firm in March 2008. Last year The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) his estate in Moray had breached rules around rural subsidies including for overclaiming what it was entitled to, claiming green funding for ineligible land, and mismanaging land. He is a [major donor](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) to the Tories and has contributed over £1.2m to the party since 2001 including £25,000 to Russell Findlay’s leadership campaign in September 2024. Findlay [said](https://x.com/RussellFindlay1/status/1827249037231157509?ref=theferret.scot) he was “incredibly grateful and proud” to receive Locke’s backing and described him as “one of Scotland’s leading entrepreneurs”. KCA Deutag – the new trading name of Abbot – was asked to comment. #### ***Get all our latest updates with the*** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: bomboman/iStock* ### Revealed: Politicians, billionaires and offshore firms’ taxpayer forestry handouts URL: https://www.theferret.scot/politicians-billionaires-offshore-forestry-handouts/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:27:32.000Z **The King, J.K. Rowling, billionaires and politicians are among those who have been given tens of millions of pounds of taxpayer forestry subsidies, The Ferret can reveal, prompting claims that wealthy landowners are prioritised over rural communities.** Nearly 2,000 recipients, including estates, investment firms and timber giants, were given £240m to create and manage woodlands between April 2016 and December 2024, according to data we obtained from Scottish Forestry. Top claimants of Scottish Government-issued taxpayer subsidies included the Duke of Buccleuch, a Scots MP, House of Lords peers and the Scottish Tory chairman. Others were Brewdog, a former Daily Mail chief, the Duke of Westminster, the Church of England, and a past chair of the Scottish Government’s investment arm. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) There is no suggestion of wrongdoing from claimants. But land and forestry campaigners accused the government of financing wealthy landowners rather than rural communities. The subsidies, alongside a wide range of [tax relief](https://rse.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/RSE-inquiry-into-public-financial-support-for-tree-planting-and-forestry-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and the ability to sell carbon credits, have fuelled surging land prices, and some experts [question](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) the environmental benefits of industrial forestry. But Scottish Forestry said handouts were “a vital driver” of the government’s aim to cover 21 per cent of Scotland with trees by 2032 and soak up carbon dioxide (Co2). Half of applications were for smaller woodlands, and big commercial schemes were key to meeting green targets, the agency said. [Billionaire lairds and Tory donors broke rules around rural subsidiesBillionaire lairds, sporting estates and Conservative Party donors in receipt of millions of pounds of public grants are among the owners of businesses which broke the rules around rural subsidies, The Ferret can reveal. Scotland’s rural payments schemes are largely designed to help farmers and land managers make a![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-34.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/18012117982_b919687164_o-scaled.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) ### **Billionaires, landowners and politicians** Guernsey entrepreneur **Julia Hands**, who is [reportedly](https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/guy-hands-hand-picked-hotels-chain-cuts-staff-wages-nq9rzs755?ref=theferret.scot) worth £250m, received the most in subsidies of any individual – £3.8m. Hands’ private equity boss husband, Guy, also owns swathes of Scotland’s forests. In 2009, he [left](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/feb/05/emi-citigroup-private-equity-terra-firma?ref=theferret.scot) the UK for Guernsey, a tax haven, to avoid higher taxes. WildLand Limited subsidiary, **Glenfeshie Limited**, was handed £1.5m. The firms belong to billionaire Anders Povlsen, Scotland’s biggest landowner and wealthiest person. WildLand CEO Tim Kirkwood said the funding, alongside the firm’s own investment, focused on planting native trees to support “nature recovery”, “national climate change and biodiversity goals”, and new “economic and social opportunities” for local communities. Fellow billionaire Mahdi Al Tajir’s **Blackford Farms** was given £1.3m. It is [owned](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01229010/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) in the tax haven of Liechtenstein and last year overclaimed and [misused](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) public subsidies. **The Duke of Buccleuch**’s Buccleuch Group, whose subsidiaries received £3.1m, told The Ferret it is playing a “key role” in helping the Scottish Government meet its annual target of increasing woodlands by 18,000 hectares. **Kinnaird Estate**’s co-owner, Crawford Gillies – a Barclays director and former chairman of government investment arm, Scottish Enterprise – netted £938,000, while **Charles Sinclair**, the former [chief of a trust](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1103678/Charles-Sinclair-CBE.html?ref=theferret.scot) behind the Daily Mail, got £865,000. [Care home moved to spare view from billionaire’s hotelPlans for a vital new care home on the north coast were changed after Scotland’s richest man complained it would ruin the view from his luxury hotel. Anders Povlsen’s company Wildland Limited argued that building a care home next to its “boutique” Lundies House hotel in the village![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-35.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1296176596.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/care-home-moved-to-spare-view-billionaires-hotel/) **Dornells Estate**, which claimed £1.3m, belongs to James Jack, brother of the former Tory Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack. He also is also a [controller](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SO306319/persons-with-significant-control?ref=theferret.scot) of the **Annandale and Lochwood Estates** partnership**,** which was awarded £746,000, but [broke the rules](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) by overclaiming or failing to start subsidised activity. The partnership said Jack was involved in his capacity as a trustee of the Raehills Trust. “He is neither a beneficiary nor an owner of any of the properties or businesses within the partnership,” it added. Other listed partners include the Earl of Annandale and Hartfell and his son, David, a NatureScot [board member](https://www.nature.scot/about-naturescot/board-directors-and-committees/our-board/board-members?ref=theferret.scot). Landowning politicians in receipt of subsidies include millionaire [Lib Dem MP, Angus MacDonald](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5362/contact?ref=theferret.scot)via **Doughty Hill** (£1.85m),former Tory MSP and shadow land reform secretary, [Lord Donald Cameron](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5012/registeredinterests?ref=theferret.scot), via **Achnacarry Estate** (£560,000), and Tory lord and former environment minister [Baron Robbie Douglas Miller](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/01/scottish-landowner-who-obstructs-public-access-made-environment-minister?ref=theferret.scot) via **Bavelaw Estate** (£512,000). **Glenrinnes Farms**’ owner Alasdair Locke, received £238,000\. He gave [£1.3m](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=Locke&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=Register&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot) to the Tories, including £25,000 to Russell Findlay’s successful leadership campaign, after which he was appointed party chairman. His firm [breached](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) subsidy rules by overclaiming and mismanaging land. Other recipients included the King via **Balmoral Estate** (£403,000) and the **Duke of Westminster** (£469,000), whose family wealth is [estimated](https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list?ref=theferret.scot) at £10bn. ### **Investment firms and carbon credit developers** Land expert Andy Wightman last year [highlighted](https://andywightman.scot/2024/10/french-government-sells-scottish-forests/?ref=theferret.scot) that France’s **Woodland Invest**, which was awarded £1.59m, put its extensive Scottish forestry portfolio up for sale. As the [largest investor](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE029057/filing-history?ref=theferret.scot) is France’s state investment bank, the Paris government stands to profit, Wightman pointed out. The [tax haven-linked](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-national-bank-hands-50m-26087036?ref=theferret.scot) investment giant, **Gresham House**, which was pledged £50m by the Scottish Government’s investment bank, got £4.6m. Other tax haven recipients include the British Virgin Islands-[owned](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/FC033287?ref=theferret.scot) **Balavil Estate**, which got £670,000. Some £1.5m went to **Richard Davidson**. Heis [a member](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OC389623/officers?ref=theferret.scot) of a wealth management firm [for the super rich](https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/money/article/the-financial-adviser-helping-the-super-rich-get-richer-xp9w3m9rj?ref=theferret.scot) and The Forestry Partnership 2008. In 2021, the partnership, which owns land in the Trossachs, asked the national park authority to let timber trucks run through a popular visitor site. The park refused, and faced legal action as a result. A spokesperson said the case was “paused for parties to negotiate.” Forest owners can also sell [carbon credits](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/carbon-credits/) to buyers seeking to offset their carbon footprint. In 2022, [we found](https://www.theferret.scot/developers-behind-scotland-carbon-credit-green-rush/) management firm **Scottish Woodlands** to be Scotland’s biggest developer of offsetting schemes, which can generate credits. It received £1.6m in subsidies. [Revealed: The developers behind Scotland’s carbon credit ‘green rush’Scotland’s richest man, an oil giant, an earl, and private equity and property firms are among those developing carbon credit projects that critics say are pushing up land prices and allowing companies to “greenwash” their image, The Ferret can reveal. With its swathes of rural land, Scotland has attracted![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-36.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image-from-rawpixel-id-3305104-original-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/developers-behind-scotland-carbon-credit-green-rush/) Proponents say offsetting incentivises carbon capture and attracts private money. But critics argue it allows polluting corporations to “greenwash” their image. Scottish Woodlands said its work supports national green objectives, provides rural jobs, and ensures “future UK timber security”. Over 70 per cent of its woodland offsetting activity was for farmers and landowners, and less than one per cent of its clients’ carbon credits had been sold on, a spokesperson claimed. Brewdog planted around 500,000 trees to offset its own emissions as part of the subsidised **Lost Forest** near Aviemore. But around half died, and the beer giant, which was handed £1m, now [deems](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/brewdog-abandons-carbon-negative-target-n2gq25w7s?ref=theferret.scot) it too expensive to be a carbon-negative company. ### **Access issues, community concerns and legal action** Some recipients’ plantations have allegedly caused issues**.** In 2022, **Thistlelane Limited**, a firm controlled by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling – who was last year valued at £945m – was [accused](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-61672867?ref=theferret.scot) of blocking paths in the Borders. It won £706,000 in subsidies. **Ardnamurchan Estate** received £1.1m. In 2021, locals – including Highland Council’s former leader – [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/highland-landowner-breaching-public-access/) 17 locked gates on the estate, some allegedly within subsidised woodlands. [Highland estate owner breaching public access rights, say localsThe former leader of Highland Council has accused a wealthy landowner of breaching outdoor access legislation by locking gates on walking routes, which it is claimed have been used for generations. Dr Michael Foxley and fellow residents of the Ardnamurchan peninsula in the west Highlands argue that by doing so,![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-37.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Picturesque-views-from-one-of-the-Glenborrodale-paths-looking-to-Loch-Sunart-scaled.jpeg)](https://www.theferret.scot/highland-landowner-breaching-public-access/) The obstructions were in an apparent breach of Scottish Forestry’s [grant conditions](https://www.forestry.gov.scot/support-regulations/woodland-creation?ref=theferret.scot), locals claimed. The estate faced a council [legal bid](https://www.theferret.scot/council-and-charity-takes-highland-estate-to-court/) to force the reopening of a path past its wood sheds – on land [owned](https://www.theferret.scot/highland-estate-public-access-legal-fight-tax-haven/) in a tax haven – but the action has been paused for negotiations. In Langholm, Dumfriesshire, locals are campaigning against **James Jones and Sons**’ plans for a mainly Sitka spruce forest on a prominent hilltop. The timber giant is owned by the Bruce Jones family, who are valued at [nearly £600m](https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list?ref=theferret.scot). A community group, which won public funding to stop the spread of the self-seeding Sitka spruce on the neighbouring nature reserve, [expressed](https://www.scotsman.com/hays-way/anger-over-conifer-forest-proposal-as-community-feels-its-disappearing-under-a-carpet-of-sitka-4829180?ref=theferret.scot) bafflement at the firm’s subsidies, which total £3.4m. ### **What are they planting?** More than half of subsidies funded conifer plantations, while a further eight per cent supported “diverse” conifer forests. Less than a third went towards planting native trees. The most planted conifer is the North American Sitka spruce. We [calculated](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) that the tree, deemed “invasive” by some, makes up nearly half of Scotland’s forests. If left unmanaged, it kills native species and threatens protected habitats vital to fight climate change. But forestry bodies [argue](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) that Sitka absorbs carbon quickly, and is key to Scotland’s woodland growth and net zero targets. [‘Invasive’ Sitka spruce threaten Scottish species and habitats, say expertsA North American tree that kills native species and threatens protected habitats vital to fight climate change now makes up nearly half of Scotland’s forests, The Ferret can reveal. Our analysis of official forestry data shows that Sitka spruce makes up 43 per cent of Scotland’s woodlands, more![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-38.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image-from-rawpixel-id-3305104-original.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) A [report](https://rse.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/RSE-inquiry-into-public-financial-support-for-tree-planting-and-forestry-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from the Royal Society of Edinburgh last year urged Scottish Forestry to ditch subsidies and tax breaks for commercial conifer plantations, and instead fund native broadleaves, which, it argues, lock up more carbon and Co2, support more plant and animal species, and live far longer. ### **Scotland’s land ‘seen as a commodity’** Scottish Labour’s rural affairs and land reform spokesperson, [Rhoda Grant MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/rhoda-grant?ref=theferret.scot), said subsidies are necessary “to promote sustainable forestry management and climate change mitigation”. But she stressed: “Those with the means and resources to improve the land themselves should do so. Scotland’s land should not be seen as a commodity to avoid paying tax, nor should it be used as a financial asset or a tax-efficient investment.” Grant added: “Landowners must use their land in a responsible way and those with the biggest pockets and biggest estates have the biggest onus to do so.” The [Forest Policy Group](https://www.forestpolicygroup.org/?ref=theferret.scot) think tank said our findings exemplified the need for a review of the subsidies system as part of the [Land Reform Bill](https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/s6/land-reform-scotland-bill?ref=theferret.scot) in the Scottish Parliament. “The Scottish Government has chosen not to channel money towards rural communities to build community wealth, or to stimulate small scale rural enterprise, through subsidised forestry,” said a spokesperson. “Rather it has opted to put money into the pockets of the already wealthy, many of whom are remote individuals and companies who have no interest in the people living in rural Scotland.” > Landowners must use their land in a responsible way and those with the biggest pockets and biggest estates have the biggest onus to do so. > > Rhoda Grant MSP, Scottish Labour Community Land Scotland’s Dr Josh Doble said he was “increasingly concerned by the power of forestry corporations, wealthy landowners and forestry investors within the Scottish land market”. There was “a lack of transparency around environmental regulation and muted community engagement” around tree planting projects, he claimed. “Commercial forestry can generate significant profits with money flowing to shareholders and being extracted out of local economies and the wider Scottish economy, especially where owners are based in foreign jurisdictions,” added Doble. “More of the wealth being generated needs to be captured locally with meaningful community benefit arrangements put in place”. Scottish Forestry said subsidies were “a vital driver” of forest expansion and only a “contribution” to costs otherwise met by landowners. Half of applications went to small-scale woodland schemes, “mostly from farmers and crofters”. “Large commercial schemes play an irreplaceable role in tackling climate change and achieving net zero, they support over 34,000 mainly rural jobs and contribute over £1.1bn to the Scottish economy each year,” said a spokesperson. In 2023-24, Scotland created “the highest area of new woodland in 34 years, including a record 7,700 hectares of native woodland,” which would not have been possible without subsidies, they added. Every organisation and individual named in this article was approached for comment. *Main image: Martin Vorel, Catholic Church England and Wales/Flickr, Daniel Ogren/Flickr, Allan warren* ### Scottish Government wanted to be ‘on same page’ as Westminster over Israeli meeting URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-same-page-westminster-israel/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:35:30.000Z **The Scottish Government has been criticised for working “in-step with the Foreign Office” over a controversial meeting with an Israeli official.** Emails seen by The Ferret reveal that civil servants at Holyrood urged external affairs secretary Angus Robertson to meet with Israel’s deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky after consulting with UK Government officials. A Scottish Government official had stressed the importance of being “on the same page” as Westminster ahead of the meeting, the emails show. The meeting, on August 8 last year, prompted criticism from senior SNP and opposition figures after a picture was circulated by Grudsky on social media. At the time, the late former [first minister](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/politics/5061761/john-swinney-israel-deputy-ambassador/?ref=theferret.scot) Alex Salmond said the meeting called into question whether both Robertson and first minister John Swinney could continue in office. Commenting on The Ferret’s findings, Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said it was “concerning” that Scottish ministers had aligned their foreign policy with Westminster, while Christine Grahame, one of the SNP’s longest-serving MSPs, blasted Robertson’s “lack of judgment”. The Scottish Government said it was “normal” for officials to consult the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) when ministers are meeting international contacts, “given their central role in UK foreign relations”. The emails were released under freedom of information law. The Scottish Government is still refusing to publish the [minutes](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-angus-robertson-israel-meeting/) of the meeting between Robertson and Grudsky despite an appeal to the [Scottish Information Commissioner](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-information-commissioner/) by The Ferret. > This confirms why people were appalled at Angus Robertson’s actions. This worsens an already bad situation. > > Kenny MacAskill, Alba Party The Scottish Government’s international relations team wrote to the FCDO almost a month before the meeting, the emails reveal. They said they had received a request “for the new Deputy Head of Mission \[at the Israeli Embassy\] to see the FM and Cabinet Secretaries”. Stating that they were inclined to “recommend that the Cabinet Secretary accepts the meeting”, they requested “a briefing on the visit”. A Foreign Office civil servant said Whitehall could provide the “latest briefing lines”. A Scottish Government official replied: “Yes please to the lines – I’m keen we’re on the same page.” In public, SNP ministers have emphasised their different attitude to the Gaza war, [calling for a ceasefire](https://www.gov.scot/publications/gaza-israel-first-minister-letter-leader-opposition-uk-parliament/?ref=theferret.scot) before either Labour or the Conservatives backed the demand. Swinney wrote to both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer last May [demanding](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czqq1q412pjo?ref=theferret.scot) that the UK recognises a Palestinian state. Another email stated that SNP special advisers had “asked what the FCDO advice was on these matters”, with a civil servant replying: “On meeting the Deputy Head of Mission, they’re relaxed. It’s a normal diplomatic meeting. I’ll ask them for all the latest lines in advance of any meeting.” Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said: “The Scottish Government has rightly taken a different position from Westminster on the killing, and has actively and publicly condemned Israel’s actions and demanded a ceasefire, which made the meeting even more shocking. She added: “The UK government has [armed](https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-oxfam/gaza-israel-crisis-sign-petition-call-for-ceasefire-now/does-the-uk-sell-arms-to-israel/?ref=theferret.scot) and supported the Israeli bombardment right from the start, so it is concerning that the Scottish Government worked in-step with the Foreign Office to get the go-ahead for such a meeting to take place.” The emails reveal that Swinney’s private office was closely involved in planning the meeting – and responding to the backlash – throughout. International relations officials even discussed tweeting a picture of the event with Swinney’s press adviser Jack Middleton. The official asked: “Just to check before I publish tweet – did we get the pic from embassy? If not, I’ll issue without.” Alba Party acting leader Kenny MacAskill, who served as justice secretary under Salmond, said: “This confirms why people were appalled at Angus Robertson’s actions. This worsens an already bad situation. “No wonder the Foreign Office were relaxed when both Tory and Labour administrations have been colluding with Israel. Scotland should have been nowhere near Israel given the genocide they are perpetrating.” The emails show that officials were keen to “proactively” issue a press statement about the meeting, but were asked by the Israeli Embassy to hold off doing so for four days. They acknowledged there was a “small chance that news of the deputy ambassador’s presence in Scotland may leak in the meantime”, but appeared to be unprepared for the scale of the backlash. Robertson initially hailed the meeting as a success, with a government spokesperson saying the pair had discussed “areas of mutual interest, including culture, renewable energy, and engaging the country’s respective diasporas” as well as calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. But he later apologised, saying the meeting should have been “strictly limited to the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the appalling loss of life in the region”. Christine Grahame, a former deputy presiding officer at Holyrood, said: “Whatever these exchanges disclose, the meeting was not about the dreadful plight of civilians in Gaza but about trade. The fact that the UK endorsed it says as much about the UK as it does about Angus Robertson’s lack of judgement.” A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The meeting request from the Israeli UK deputy ambassador was accepted on the basis it would provide an opportunity to convey the Scottish Government’s consistent and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. This position was made clear by the cabinet secretary for external affairs during the meeting. Since this meeting there has been no further ministerial engagement with the Government of Israel.” They added: “The Scottish Government makes its own decision on whether to accept and how to manage meetings based on the available information.” A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We remain committed to building a more collaborative relationship with the Scottish Government. However, it is important that the UK speaks with a single voice to international partners. “A resolution to this conflict has been a priority since day one for this government. We continue to push for all phases of the ceasefire deal to be implemented in full, the release of all hostages, and much more aid to enter Gaza.” *Featured image thanks to Scottish Government/Flickr* ### Alone, at risk and afraid: urgent action needed to stop care leavers becoming homeless URL: https://www.theferret.scot/urgent-action-needed-stop-care-leavers-homeless/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:36:33.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-3.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Young people leaving care are still being left homeless and at risk, in unsuitable hostels surrounded by drugs, or too afraid to sleep at night despite a Scottish Government “promise” to ensure they are given a safe and loving home for as long as needed, The Ferret has heard.** The failures are being highlighted by a new report – due to be released this week – which calls for urgent action to be taken to prevent homelessness for care leavers. The “progress report”, which The Ferret was given exclusive sight of, marks the fifth anniversary of then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s [flagship care](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-promise/) review – known as ‘[The Promise](https://thepromise.scot/?ref=theferret.scot)’. The Promise – aimed at improving the life chances of children in care homes, foster and other forms of state care – was [launched](https://thepromise.scot/what-is-the-promise/independent-care-review?ref=theferret.scot) in February 2020\. It said all children in the care system must grow up “loved, safe and respected”. Its recommendations are due to be fully implemented by 2030. But now the [Promise oversight board](https://thepromise.scot/oversight-board/?ref=theferret.scot), appointed to oversee the commitment, has made a sharp critique of the Scottish Government’s failure to address youth homelessness in its latest report, due to be published on 5 February. > What young people need is not just housing – it’s a home. > > David Anderson, The Promise Oversight Board While commending progress in some other areas, the report will say that the oversight board’s direct requests for the government to address the number of children leaving care homeless have gone unheeded. “No reasonable explanation” has been given as to why action has not been taken, according to the report. The chair of the review’s oversight board told The Ferret “the promise has already been broken to some young people” and said the commitments to young people in care could not be fulfilled unless their right to a home was upheld. In the last two years there has been a 14 per cent increase in care leavers under 25 being homeless or threatened with homelessness, according to the latest Scottish homeless data. Pressure on housing is well established. In [May 2024](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4n11j180lzo?ref=theferret.scot) the Scottish Government announced a national housing emergency, following [similar declarations by councils in Glasgow and Edinburgh](https://www.theferret.scot/homeless-crisis-national-housing-emergency/) the year before. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-31-174935.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/homeless-crisis-national-housing-emergency/) The Scottish Government said tackling the housing emergency for everyone, including those in care, would “remain the Scottish Government’s focus for 2025”. The row over the lack of homeless support dates back to [October 2022](https://www.gov.scot/publications/ending-homelessness-together-annual-report-2022/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot) when the Scottish Government “paused” a 2019 agreement with local authorities which stated young people leaving care should have priority for housing support. The Promise oversight board raised concerns in its second report in July 2023\. Four months later the board wrote to both housing minister [Paul McLennan](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/minister-for-housing/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Marie Todd](https://www.google.com/search?q=Marie+Todd+Minster+for+Social+Care%2C+Mental+Wellbeing+and+Sport&rlz=1C5CHFA%5FenGB1021GB1023&oq=Marie+Todd+Minster+for+Social+Care%2C+Mental+Wellbeing+and+Sport&gs%5Flcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBBzQwM2owajSoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ref=theferret.scot), minister for social care and mental wellbeing, calling for the government to reconsider. Both letters made the link between homelessness and the raised risk of “tragic early death” for young care leavers. Yet despite follow-up meetings the policy has remained stubbornly on hold. The oversight board’s latest report disputes the government’s claim that “current action is sufficient” and reassurance that “local authorities are continuing to prioritise young care leavers,” pointing out that the homeless statistics show the situation is getting worse not better. “We strongly urge government to either reinstate or replace this provision,” the report adds. “The right to a home is fundamental to the promise being kept.” The report also calls for more [affordable homes](https://www.gov.scot/policies/more-homes/affordable-housing-supply/?ref=theferret.scot), particularly those suited for larger families and for action to be taken on the number of children spending months or longer in temporary accommodation, which puts pressure on already stretched families. > People need to think ‘what if it was my child?’ > > Emily Cutts, G20 Works Speaking to The Ferret , the board’s chair, David Anderson, acknowledged work towards resolving the issue was ongoing. Last Thursday a Scottish Government official emailed him requesting a further meeting and claiming the government is “confident” it will be “about to find the resources to progress further the homelessness prevention pathway for care leavers”. He also stressed that there were examples of good work, such as the [National House Project](https://fife.thehouseproject.org/?ref=theferret.scot) in Fife, where young people are given support to transition to independent living. But Anderson, who grew up in care, added: “On this issue though progress is not happening fast enough. “What young people need is not just housing – it’s a home. We know that without safe and supportive housing young people are at risk of being [exploited](https://www.celcis.org/news/news-pages/report-recognising-risks-and-prevalence-child-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). We know of young people that are so scared in the places that they are staying they would prefer to leave even though they are homeless. “When I was 16 I was in a flat barricading myself in because I didn’t feel safe. And what we are hearing is this is still happening. Scotland is not a big country – we should be able to change this.” He said implementing the Promise by 2031 was “still achievable. But added: “We don’t have a minute left to waste.” The Ferret spoke to young people and youth workers who said vulnerable young people leaving care – some under 18 being placed in homeless hostels with adults – where they being put at risk. Emily Cutts, founder of Glasgow’s [G20 Works](https://www.theferret.scot/how-la-homeboys-are-inspiring-young-glaswegians/) – a youth project in a deprived housing estate in the north west of the city – said it was still “almost impossible to find suitable accommodation for vulnerable young people” due to long waiting lists. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-31-175249.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/how-la-homeboys-are-inspiring-young-glaswegians/) “We have seen under 18s being placed in hostels with drug addicts and other vulnerable adults where they are in danger,” she added. “Most often these places have no safeguarding or support in place.” One young person supported by the charity felt so unsafe they placed a bike in front of their door and left without being able to sleep. “There are some really great services but there are simply not enough of them,” added Cutts. “People need to think ‘what if it was my child?” Other charities confirmed the issues were Scotland-wide. Charity [Who Cares? Scotland](https://www.whocaresscotland.org/?ref=theferret.scot) saw 440 over 16s from 2021 to 2024 who raised housing issues, 37 per cent of whom were homeless. “Something isn’t working,” said Kenny Murray, deputy director. “Housing is the foundation that young people can build their lives around. We now need to see a route map of how this is going to be addressed. Who is responsible? And how will they be held to account?” Scottish Labour’s children and young person’s spokesperson [Martin Whitfield](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/martin-whitfield?ref=theferret.scot) said the “damning comments” made by the Promise oversight board “lay bare the SNP government’s shameful betrayal of care experienced young people”. He called on the government to “listen to these warnings and act now.” A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said that tackling the housing emergency and supporting children in temporary accommodation “will remain the Scottish Government’s focus for 2025 and work to prevent homelessness, including for care leavers and young people, is part of this response”. ### **How colleges and universities are offering a route out** ***The Ferret heard from two young people who had struggled with homelessness on leaving care, and who found accessing education was key to getting support.*** Social workers were involved in Tony Anderson’s life for as long as he can remember. The 29-year-old from Dundee was one of seven children removed from his family’s care when he was 13\. He has struggled with periods of homelessness since he left care at 16. In recent years he’s used his experience to advocate for change as a member of the [justice working group for the Promise Scotland](https://thepromise.scot/resources/2023/response-care-and-justice.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and sat on the [Rock Trust’s Aff the Street’s](https://www.rocktrust.org/blog-aff-the-streets/?ref=theferret.scot) national youth steering group. He knows how foundational housing is. His experience pre-dates the Promise commitments but he told The Ferret: “I think if I had the right support from the start things would have been very different.” He was placed in a flat following the breakdown of an initial supported placement. But at just 16 and coping with a traumatic past he struggled to run a household without help. “My mental health was quite bad and I think not knowing what was going to happen was hard to cope with,” he said. “Now it’s much more common for young people to be able to go back to visit their children’s home for their dinner or whatever but then it wasn’t like that. “I was just told I would be moving the next week and that was that. I felt like I had been thrown away – like I was trash. I struggled with rejection from my dad and I think that made it more difficult.” He was evicted from his flat due to rent arrears and on turning 18 found himself in his first homeless unit. “It was one of the toughest experiences of my life,” he explains. “There were a lot of drugs and with that came a lot of death.” Two people died while he was there. After ending up in jail for six months he moved back in with his mother, who was now with a new partner. Tragically she died not long afterwards, leading to another spell of homelessness. But after securing a place at Edinburgh College things turned around. The college provided accommodation and the stability allowed him to start a degree in politics and public policy at the University of Glasgow. Currently sofa surfing after taking time out of his course due to mental ill-health, Tony is currently working for the civil service. “The reasons why care leavers need extra support needs to be better understood,” he says. Some say not enough has changed since Anderson left care. Emma, a member of Who Cares? Scotland and its Empowering Voices network, was 15 when her care placement with another relative – known as kinship care – broke down. The Promise has just been launched. She moved back to the family home. But things did not go well. “I was totally let down,” she says. “I was allowed by the system to be put in dangerous situations in an abusive household.” Lockdown restrictions came into place shortly afterwards, leaving her isolated in a situation where domestic abuse was commonplace. Between the ages of 15 and 17 she was regularly “kicked out” by her parents, staying with friends or sofa surfing until she was allowed to return home. “I tried to tell my social worker what was going on,” she explains. “But she refused to validate what I was saying.” Education was also Emma’s saviour. With the help of teachers who rallied around she managed to get a place at university where she is studying social work on a scholarship, her rent paid by the university for four years. “Now I’ve been able to restart and rebuild my life in a home that is safe,” she says. “I was lucky. But so many people in care get lost in the system and it has such a detrimental effect on their lives. We need to have the right support and housing in place when we are making the transition from care. That needs to be a priority.” #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: max-kegfire/iStock* ### ‘We can’t wait five years’: Neglected ‘banana flats’ residents say council breaching their rights URL: https://www.theferret.scot/neglected-banana-flats-breach-rights-residents/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:24:07.000Z Residents of Leith’s famous “banana flats” claim Edinburgh City Council is breaching their human rights after persistent issues with toxic black mould, faulty lifts, drug dealing, and problems with rats and mice. A new report by the [campaign group](https://www.bethanychristiantrust.com/cables-wynd-residents/?ref=theferret.scot) residents have formed alleges that the council, which owns all but four of the flats, has failed to invest in the building, depriving those in the block of their human right to decent [housing](https://www.theferret.scot/mark-fortune-criminal-charges-threatening-tenants/). Cables Wynd House – known as [the banana flats](https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/history/story-edinburghs-banana-flats-made-23710188?ref=theferret.scot) due to its curved shape – is an Edinburgh landmark made infamous as the home of Simon “Sick Boy” Williamson from Irvine Welsh’s 1993 novel [Trainspotting](https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/354738/trainspotting-by-welsh-irvine/9781784878894?ref=theferret.scot). Built in the 1960s in the [brutalist](https://www.architecture.com/explore-architecture/brutalism?srsltid=AfmBOopdrjepDKYIjsfYy2lXFV5ZrLBrggxoDZznSsynDqpSiRf0NyRf&ref=theferret.scot) architectural style, it was [category A listed in 2017](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-38826344?ref=theferret.scot), which means it is considered to be a building of national or international importance. Last summer the group successfully petitioned the council over its failure to repair lifts. Now it has released a report revealing over half of residents experienced dampness and mould last year. The report is based on three years of research, with residents surveyed in 2022 and 2024. #### Residents fighting back Fifty-three per cent of residents reported problems with mould and 63 per cent said they had problems with pests such as mice, rats and pigeons. Four in ten said the problems with their home negatively impacted their mental health. In [August 2022](https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/documents/s48090/Item%2010.11%20-%20By%20Councillor%20McVey%20-%20Cables%20Wynd%20House.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) Edinburgh City Council announced it was planning a refurbishment of the flats. But residents, while welcoming the news, insist that their views must be at the heart of plans. They are concerned about the length of time that it may take and have called for action on the most pressing issues by July this year. Kirsty Chatwood, who has been a resident of Cables Wynd House for 22 years, said living in the flats had positives such as great views and neighbours. “But there are downsides too, such as the lack of maintenance and the impact that has on all our lives,” she added. A previous refit of kitchens and bathrooms did not work out as planned and the group are determined that this time they will get the housing that they are entitled to under human rights legislation. > Issues like black mould that won’t wait for five years. We need those sorted. We’re doing this not only for residents here but for those in similar situations across Scotland. > > Kirsty Chatwood, resident “Last time we were promised the moon and back. But that’s not how it worked out. The council has been completely irresponsible. So there’s a lot of fear and anxiety about how successful this next planned refurb will be,” she added. “Issues like black mould that won’t wait for five years. We need those sorted. We’re doing this not only for residents here but for those in similar situations across Scotland.” When Stacey Panda moved in with her baby 10 years ago she had previously been homeless and was grateful for somewhere to stay. But soon the mice and drug dealing in the building started to wear her down. “To be honest, I would happily leave, but it is so extortionate to rent privately and hard to find anyone to swap,” she told The Ferret. “So I want to fight to make it better. Some people have just given up. I want to do this for them too.” > Cables Wynd residents have lived with substandard housing for too long. The health and wellbeing of 250 residents is being impacted by housing failures. > > Lorraine Barrie, Making Rights Real Lorraine Barrie of human rights campaign [Making Rights Real,](https://makingrightsreal.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) who has been supporting the residents group, said: “Cables Wynd residents have lived with substandard housing for too long. The health and wellbeing of 250 residents is being impacted by housing failures. “With the millions of pounds being invested by the council it is vital monies are well spent and the best outcomes are achieved – by listening and involving residents. Their report is an impressive collection of the experiences of residents young and old. This is true grassroots community participation in action.” The report was also welcomed by the [Scottish Human Rights Commission](https://www.scottishhumanrights.com/?ref=theferret.scot) who said alll the issued raised by residents were “basic human rights” ones. City of Edinburgh council’s [housing, homelessness and fair work](https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeId=141&ref=theferret.scot) convener Lezley Marion Cameron said: “The council is committing a significant investment of £69m in Cables Wynd House to address the concerns of our tenants, as set out in this report. “Our commitment to our tenants is to make sure everyone is kept informed about when the works start and importantly, what it means for them. Our priority as a council and as a landlord must be and is that all our tenants have a safe, comfortable, and well-maintained home.” *Cover image thanks to* [*Tom Parnell*](https://flic.kr/p/8ZTYBy?ref=theferret.scot) ### Union sparks living wage row at elite Scots golf club URL: https://www.theferret.scot/union-living-wage-row-elite-scots-golf-club/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:33:28.000Z **A major trade union has challenged an elite Scottish golf club – which costs more than £100,000 to join – to honour its commitment to pay the living wage after it advertised a job paying below the benchmark fee.** Unite criticised Loch Lomond Golf Club’s November advert for a £12 per hour spa [receptionist position](https://archive.ph/Gg89X?ref=theferret.scot), after the real hourly living wage for over 18s was raised from £12 to [£12.60](https://scottishlivingwage.org/what-is-the-real-living-wage/?ref=theferret.scot) the previous month. The golf club, a certified living wage employer, did not respond to a request to comment. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) The [Living Wage Foundation](https://www.livingwage.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which accredits the club, told The Ferret that employers have six months to up their pay after it publishes the living wage each year. But Unite called the discrepancy “inexcusable”. The row comes after the union [accused](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/19/living-wage-foundation-accused-of-accrediting-firms-not-paying-the-living-wage?ref=theferret.scot) the Living Wage Foundation of “ethics washing”, following allegations from cleaners that it had accredited another firm paying outsourced workers below the living wage. [Revealed: The secret owners of elite Scots golf clubTop political donors, a Labour lord and Scottish football hero Ally McCoist have been among secret owners of a tax haven firm behind an elite Scottish golf club, The Ferret can reveal. The 660-acre private Loch Lomond Golf Club hosted the Scottish Open and boasts a Georgian mansion, a spa![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-53.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1266432844-1-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/secret-owners-loch-lomond-golf-club/) On 19 January, [we revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/secret-owners-loch-lomond-golf-club/) that Loch Lomond Golf Club has counted major political donors, a Labour lord, footballers and senior bankers among past shareholders of its parent company, which is registered in the Cayman Islands – a tax haven. The club is open only to members who can join on a strict invite-only policy, and the entry fees are [estimated](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/13238413/inside-scotland-most-exclusive-golf-club-loch-lomond/?ref=theferret.scot) at well over £100,000 today. A [recent advert](https://archive.ph/yJTgN?ref=theferret.scot) for a housekeeping role at the club does not specify an hourly rate, but promises tips, free meals and, in 2025, £2,500 per annum in addition to wages. Workers can also access discounted use of the club’s facilities, including a round of golf. But Unite argues the club should immediately raise salaries for its lowest paid workers. #### **Golf club living wage discrepancy ‘inexcusable’** “For any employer – especially a prestigious local brand – to claim to be a living wage employer without actually paying the rate is inexcusable,” said Bryan Simpson, Unite’s lead organiser for hospitality. The real living wage “exists to ensure that workers are paid a wage they can live on and customers can be made aware of who the decent employers are,” he argued. “Hospitality is already the lowest paid sector in the Scottish economy.” He added: “We would urge Loch Lomond Golf Club to do the right thing and pay their workers the \*real\* living wage of £12.60 which they claim they pay before any more reputational damage is done.” Lorna Slater, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, echoed Simposn’s view. “I urge Loch Lomond Golf Club to address this immediately,” she said. “Every worker deserves a real living wage and an end to the stress, anxiety and pain that comes from poverty pay. “Prestigious and high profile venues need to be leading by example.” A spokesman for the Living Wage Foundation said: “We encourage accredited employers to implement the new rates at the earliest opportunity, and we know that many do. However, to make it practical and possible for employers, we do offer a six-month implementation period, so the deadline for employers to implement the new rates is May 2025. “Loch Lomond Golf Club are therefore in compliance with the terms of their accreditation as long as all real Living Wage roles are uprated to the new rates by this deadline.” ***Header image credit:*** [***Kindel Media***](https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-putting-golf-ball-on-a-tee-6572963/?ref=theferret.scot) ***via Pexels.*** ### Torture charity asks governments to better protect women from violence URL: https://www.theferret.scot/torture-charity-government-protect-women-violence/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:36:34.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-4.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **The physical and mental abuse Sana suffered took place over many years and left her isolated, lonely and “psychologically destroyed”.** A Kurdish refugee living in Glasgow, she is talking candidly about the extreme violence she suffered at the hands of her former husband and his family. Sana – we’ve changed her name to protect her identity – is speaking to The Ferret at Freedom from Torture’s (FFT) centre in Glasgow where torture survivors are counselled and helped to rebuild their lives. She has agreed to talk about her past as part of a new campaign by the charity’s [Women Together group ](https://secure.freedomfromtorture.org/page/156158/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=3vgubxso&ref=theferret.scot)which aims to raise awareness about the scale of gender-based violence in the UK and abroad, while urging politicians to ensure there is effective support to help survivors overcome trauma. Many people supported by FFT in Glasgow are refugee women and all have survived horrific violence in their home countries and also some in Scotland. They include Sana who had to leave Iraqi-Kurdistan for safety. As a child, she was deprived of an education when her father arranged her marriage to an older man who constantly beat her. His parents supported the abusive behaviour and Sana was even separated from her only child. “Being physically and psychologically tortured daily was not easy to bear, and the pain and suffering were unimaginable,” she explains. “I lost myself and my sense of existence — I felt like I was just nothing. This constant state of fear made me feel even more powerless and trapped. Additionally, I was deprived of my right to be a mother, which compounded my feelings of loss and despair.” ![Article: Torture charity calls for governments to better protect women from violence Image description: Ahlam Souidi, a community development worker with Freedom from Torture, in Glasgow, standing confidently in front of a painted mural that reads, “TREE OF HOPE: THE WORLD WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE.”](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/domestic-abusej45824.jpg) Ahlam Souidi, a community development worker with Freedom from Torture, in Glasgow. Image: Angela Catlin Violence against women is endemic in many countries. In the UK, the government said last year it was treating violence against women and girls as a “[national emergency](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-measures-set-out-to-combat-violence-against-women-and-girls?ref=theferret.scot)” after it emerged offences in England and Wales had risen by [37 per cent](https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/call-to-action-as-violence-against-women-and-girls-epidemic-deepens-1?ref=theferret.scot) between 2018 and 2023\. At least one in every 12 women will be a victim each year, a report by the National Police Chiefs Council said, with the exact number of victims expected to be much higher. In Scotland, where figures are logged differently, there were 14,484 sexual crimes recorded by Police Scotland last year and 63,867 incidents of domestic abuse – an increase of three per cent compared to the previous year. That equates to 5,322 incidents every month, or around 177 each day. Only this month, the family of a young mum who died four years ago [demanded that police](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly53rzjn72o?ref=theferret.scot) investigate claims her death might not have been suicide. Demi Hannaway, from Airdrie, died in May 2021 after being the subject of physical and mental abuse at the hands of her partner Andrew Brown. FFT – which campaigns against torture and for the rights of survivors seeking asylum in the UK – is one of many charities helping women who have survived violence. Established in 1985 in England, the UK-wide charity has helped more than 50,000 people from at least 100 nations. Savage beatings, whippings, burnings, cuttings and rape are all common methods of torture, FFT says. Its Scottish facility opened in Glasgow in July 2004\. The organisation’s head of clinical services in Scotland, Paula Shiels, says that on a daily basis staff witness first-hand the “very real impact” that gender-based violence has on people’s lives. “It’s shameful that the survivors we support, who have endured violence in their home countries, continue to encounter it in this country,” adds Sheils, who is calling on both the Scottish and UK governments to invest in programmes to better protect women and girls. The campaign by the Women Together group aims to advance women’s rights and ensure they have better access to vital services such as mental health support and legal assistance. Women from[ Black and ethnic minority communities ](https://www.gov.scot/publications/minoritised-ethnic-womens-experiences-domestic-abuse-barriers-help-seeking-summary-evidence/pages/3/?ref=theferret.scot)who suffer domestic violence often face additional barriers around language, police discrimination and immigration rules, which means crimes may be under-reported. > Being physically and psychologically tortured daily was not easy to bear, and the pain and suffering were unimaginable. > > Sana, a refugee in Glasgow Twenty women who’ve been counselled by FFT are involved in the campaign. They designed cards with personal messages that were sent to 186 Scots politicians, both MSPs and MPs. The women have been involved in other events including Suicide Prevention Day, and 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. They also liaise with the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Migration. “The group’s primary goal is to create a supportive environment where survivor women can learn about their rights and responsibilities, and have their voices amplified,” says Ahlam Souidi, a community development worker at the charity who works with the group. “One of their key objectives is to influence policy changes by engaging policymakers. This proactive stance not only highlights their commitment to advocating for themselves but also underscores their strategic approach to effecting lasting societal change.” The Women Together group acknowledges that violence against women is a global issue. It previously held a rally to support victimised women in Iran and Afghanistan, calling on politicians to take action to support women internationally and combat violence. Sana tells The Ferret she would like to speak directly with politicians at Holyrood and Westminster about the campaign. Her life has improved immeasurably since coming to Scotland. Weekly therapy sessions at FFT have helped her recover from the past, and being involved with Women Together has helped her to have a “sense of life and purpose”. Previously she “felt invisible”. Group outings with other members and their children to explore Scotland have been beneficial for both her and her children, she says, helping to break isolation. “I’ve learnt how to lead activities and have been valued for the skills I share with others, which is a big change from before when I was made to feel worthless, always wrong, and treated like a problem.” Sana now hopes to study and open a business, a Kurdish restaurant, promoting Kurdish culture while contributing to the Scottish economy. She advises women “not to be prisoners of their fears” and to join campaigns to improve their lives and speak out about their rights. “I encourage them to open their eyes, not lose hope, and focus on personal development,” she says. “I know that some women are still suffering in silence and are unable to make the first step to seek help, and I want to advocate for them so that they, too, can find the support they need.” ![Article: Torture charity calls for governments to better protect women from violence Image description: Ahlam Souidi, a community development worker at Freedom from Torture's centre in Glasgow, speaking with a refugee called Sana. Ahlam is seated on a couch in a cozy, decorated room, with Sana, who is wearing a light-coloured hijab. The background includes vibrant artwork and a traditional purple dress on display.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/domestic-abusej45819.jpg) Sana, speaking with Ahlam Souidi, a community development worker at Freedom from Torture’s centre in Glasgow. Image: Angela Catlin The Ferret asked the Scottish Government and opposition parties at Holyrood what their response was to the Women Together campaign. Equalities minister Kaukab Stewart said violence against women and girls “is abhorrent and we need to challenge outdated stereotypes and attitudes” that allow abuse and violence to persist. “To see a society free from violence, abuse and misogyny we must prioritise addressing the root causes of that violence, gender inequality which is why our Equally Safe strategy sets out a vision to prevent violence from occurring in the first place,” Stewart added. Pauline McNeill, Scottish Labour’s justice spokesperson, agreed that “violence against women and girls is endemic” in society and said Labour supports measures to “empower victims” including improving the rights of victims to legal representation, a single point of contact and introducing trauma-informed court practices. “Our [consultation on VAWG](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jul/09/five-missions-keir-starmer-labour-government?ref=theferret.scot) highlighted the importance of tackling [attitudes of boys and men](https://www.theferret.scot/for-facts-sake-podcast-how-tackle-online-misogyny/) to women as early as school. There can be no substitute for the work that needs to be done to tackle male attitudes to violence,” she added. The Scottish Conservative MSP Pam Gosal said the “prevalence of gender-based violence is terrifying and completely unacceptable”. She pointed to her introduction of the Prevention of Domestic Abuse [(Scotland) Bill](https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/proposed-domestic-abuse-register-wins-cross-party-backing?ref=theferret.scot) to the Scottish Parliament, a members’ bill that would create a reporting system, similar to the sex offenders’ register, so that “there’s no hiding place for those guilty of this appalling crime”. It would also increase education around domestic abuse to help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, Gosal claimed. “The bill has received widespread support from stakeholders and MSPs from across the chamber, so it’s essential we now get it on the statute book as soon as possible,” she added. > Violence against women and girls is abhorrent and we need to challenge outdated stereotypes and attitudes. > > Kaukab Stewart, the Scottish Government’s Equalities Minister. The Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman said that legislation is “part of the answer” and that laws to “criminalise misogynistic behaviour” would help reports of gender-based violence to be “taken seriously”. Last year, [Rape Crisis Scotland said](https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/news/news/new-statistics-show-survivors-are-waiting-too-long-for-justice/?ref=theferret.scot) that the average time survivors are waiting for justice, from offence to conviction at the High Court, was 1,125 days, citing [a report by](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2024/07/journey-times-in-the-scottish-criminal-justice-system-2023-24/documents/supporting-documents/supporting-documents/govscot%3Adocument/Journey%2Btimes%2Bin%2Bthe%2BScottish%2BCriminal%2BJustice%2BSystem%2B2023-24.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the Scottish Government. Meanwhile, such is the concern over the rise in violence against women in the UK that earlier this month thousands of people attended protest marches. Events happened at 20 locations including Edinburgh. They were organised by a recently-established group called UK Women’s March and held two days before Donald Trump’s inauguration as president in the US. The group was launched in November 2024\. It is protesting against attacks on abortion rights in the US and Britain, as well as violence against women and girls and transphobia. UK Women’s March said Trump’s second term as US president represented “the entrenchment of misogyny in the highest and most influential office in the world, with inevitable consequences far beyond the US borders”. Concern has also been voiced by the [Women’s Resource Centre ](https://www.wrc.org.uk/blog/promote-our-petition-at-the-uk-womens-marches-2025?ref=theferret.scot)(WRC) over the “weaponisation of violence against women for right-wing agendas”. The WRC cited the “unsolicited and racist views on grooming gangs by Elon Musk”. Its [statement said:](https://www.wrc.org.uk/blog/promote-our-petition-at-the-uk-womens-marches-2025?ref=theferret.scot) “When powerful forces like these threaten our progressive values, we have a duty to come together and resist”. WRC is calling for a National Women’s Fund to “tackle the chronic underfunding crisis faced by women’s organisations providing life-saving services” across the UK. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: A refugee called Sana, at Freedom from Torture’s centre in Glasgow. Credit: Angela Catlin* *“The Women Together group relies entirely on donations: [https://secure.freedomfromtorture.org/page/156158/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=3vgubxso](https://secure.freedomfromtorture.org/page/156158/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=3vgubxso&ref=theferret.scot)”* ### More than 100 environmental breaches at fish farms URL: https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farms-environmental-breaches/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:36:37.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-5.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Fish farms have broken environmental rules more than 100 times in the last two years, according to Scottish Government regulators.** Figures released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) suggested that the [industry’s record](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/fish-farming/) was one of the worst in Scotland. Breaches included waste discharges, pesticide misuse, seabed pollution, misplaced fish cages and excessive numbers of fish. The biggest offender was Norwegian-owned salmon farming company, [Mowi](https://mowi.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which had 60 breaches at 40 sites. Other salmon multinationals with significant numbers of breaches were [Scottish Sea Farms](https://scottishseafarms.com/?ref=theferret.scot) with 22, [Bakkafrost](https://www.bakkafrost.com/?ref=theferret.scot) with nine and [Cooke Aquaculture](https://www.cookescotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot) with eight. The companies said that the breaches were often “not submitting mountains of paperwork on time”. They insisted that the industry was one of the most regulated in Scotland, and that compliance was “extremely high”. According to Mowi, the majority of the breaches were “administrative”. There was “little to no evidence” to suggest lasting negative impacts on the marine environment, the company said. Campaigners, however, attacked the industry for harming the environment and “putting profits before planet”. They demanded a “crackdown” on offending companies and a moratorium on any new or expanded fish farms. They also criticised Sepa for being a “toothless regulator”, allowing fish farms to break the rules “with impunity”. Companies should be fined and prosecuted if they keep breaking the rules, they argued. Sepa also came under fire from salmon companies for failing to replace its [compliance assessment scheme](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-may-stop-naming-rule-breaking-polluters/), which was lost after a [cyber attack in 2020](https://www.theferret.scot/pollution-data-lost-cyber-attack/). Sepa said it was developing a “new approach”, which will be subject to public consultation. Sepa released a list of recent “non-compliances” by all industries in Scotland in response to a freedom of information request by The Ferret. On 12 January 2025 [we revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/environmental-breaches-spark-calls-tougher-action/) that there had been a total of 1,616 breaches at 966 sites. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-22-105259.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/environmental-breaches-spark-calls-tougher-action/) Breaches by fish farming companies were the second highest of any sector regulated by Sepa. There were 117 breaches listed at 85 sites, including 36 in 2024 (up to 4th September), 79 in 2023, one in 2022 and one in 2021. That was higher than the metals industry (116), the packaging industry (106), landfill sites (101), poultry production (71), whisky distilleries (60), chemical manufacturers (31) and oil and gas plants (10). Only water and sewage sites recorded more breaches (426). Sepa categorised 53 of the breaches by fish farming companies as “major non compliant” and 64 as “non compliant”. In its [released spreadsheet](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/f0198138-compliance-history-final-updated-fish-farms.xlsx), the agency just said these were due to “emissions”, “monitoring, recording and reporting”, “site management” or “unauthorised” activities. When asked to explain further, Sepa told The Ferret that the breaches included “the failure to comply with effluent quality standards at fish hatcheries”, and “failures to comply with the authorisation conditions relating to the use of medicines at fish farms.” Other breaches were fish cages “located outwith the area identified in authorisation conditions” and “exceedance of the authorised biomass”. Another was the impact on the seabed “being greater than that which is permitted”. Of the 85 sites with breaches, 25 recorded two or more. There were 60 breaches at 40 Mowi sites, 22 at 20 Scottish Sea Farms sites, nine at four Bakkafrost sites and eight at seven Cooke Aquaculture sites. There were 18 breaches at 14 other sites. [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said it intervened “swiftly and effectively where necessary” and was “dedicated” to tackling non-compliance. It expected operators to “comply with their obligations in legislation,” a spokesperson added. “Where Sepa identifies non-compliance, we will communicate this in writing to the authorisation holder. This approach is central to our efforts to ensure environmental responsibilities are met and maintained.” Sepa said it was “developing a new approach to compliance assessment”. It was planning to introduce an “environmental performance assessment scheme” which would be subject to public consultation. ### Compliance at fish farms ‘extremely high’ [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which represents salmon farming companies, defended the industry. “Fish farming is one of the most regulated sectors in Scotland and environmental compliance across the sector is extremely high,” said a spokesperson. “Non-compliance is often simply a matter of not submitting mountains of paperwork on time. But on rare occasions when genuine issues are raised our members take full remedial action as quickly as possible.” The industry body added: “All this would be much easier, however, if Sepa would put in place a new compliance assessment system which was lost after the cyber-attack in 2020, an issue we have raised with the First Minister.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-22-133450.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-may-stop-naming-rule-breaking-polluters/) [Mowi](https://mowi.com/uk/?ref=theferret.scot), the largest producer of farmed salmon in the UK, agreed. “The majority of the breaches you refer to are administrative,” the company’s chief operating officer in Scotland, Ben Hadfield, told The Ferret. “Mowi spends around £750,000 per year undertaking seabed audits, analysing those results and reporting them to Sepa. There is little to no evidence to suggest lasting negative impacts on the marine environment, as these are [fully recoverable](https://mowi.com/uk/blog/2024/11/04/the-recovery-of-loch-ewe-seabed/?ref=theferret.scot).” The company pointed out that sustainability and animal welfare at its salmon farms had been accredited by a series of independent bodies. [Cooke Aquaculture](https://www.cookescotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot) stated that it upheld “the highest standards for sustainable processes within all statutory requirements” at its Scottish farms. “We are committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders and regulatory agencies to ensure we continue to comply with all regulations,” said a spokesperson. [Scottish Sea Farms](https://scottishseafarms.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and[ Bakkafrost](https://www.bakkafrost.com/?ref=theferret.scot) said Salmon Scotland could comment on their behalf. ### Moratorium on fish farm expansion? The “slow rate of progress in improving regulation and enforcement” of the salmon industry was highlighted by MSPs in [a report](https://www.parliament.scot/about/news/news-listing/committee-address-salmon-farming-concerns?ref=theferret.scot) to the Scottish Government on 17 January 2025\. The Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee called for a “clear timetable” for the implementation of recommendations first made in 2018. The committee backed off, however, from recommending a moratorium on industry expansion because of the “lack of certainty” of the impact this would have on workers and local communities. Two MSPs dissented because they backed a moratorium: the SNP’s [Emma Roddick](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/emma-roddick?ref=theferret.scot) and the Scottish Greens’ [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot). According to Burgess, the environmental breaches revealed by The Ferret showed why a moratorium was needed. “We had industry representatives sit in front of the committee telling us things were good, and where it wasn’t they were working on it – all the while knowing that they were failing to comply with the environmental rules that protect Scotland’s waters for people to enjoy,” she said. “The fish farming industry is in desperate need of improvements; for our environment, the welfare of the fish, and for the workers and local communities. Lack of progress and putting profits ahead of the planet have likely played a big role in the levels of damage that these kinds of breaches have reached.” Burgess demanded a “crackdown” on the companies breaking the rules. The industry, she added, was using “a failing business model when it comes to their environmental and social licence” – and this warranted a moratorium. The campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), pointed out that there seemed to have been breaches at most of Mowi’s [48 farms in Scotland](https://mowi.com/uk/about/?ref=theferret.scot). “What enforcement, if any, has Sepa taken in response to these breaches?” said the group’s Scotland director, Rachel Mulrenan. “The salmon farming industry is breaching environmental regulations with impunity. Far from taking action to curb its damaging activities, we have a government that continues to support it beyond all comprehension, and a toothless regulator hamstrung by this support.” The veteran anti-salmon farming campaigner, [Don Staniford](https://www.donstaniford.org/?ref=theferret.scot), said: “Salmon farms are riding roughshod over environmental regulations. “Shame on Sepa for failing to close the net on polluting salmon farms. If salmon farms cannot follow basic rules then prosecutions, fines and the cancellation of licences would act as a deterrent.” #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. ### Claim Labour handed £536m to foreign farmers is Mostly False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-labour-millions-foreign-farmers-mostly-false/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T17:08:12.000Z **Farmers are continuing to protest the UK Government’s decision to change inheritance tax rules, which they fear will impact their livelihoods.** Demonstrations are planned for the end of January, as many in the farming community say they could be forced to sell their farms if the new rules come into force. One claim causing controversy suggests the UK Government is prioritising farmers overseas via foreign aid ahead of those in Britain. Former Conservative minister Robert Jenrick [made this claim](https://x.com/RobertJenrick/status/1859865240604901549?ref=theferret.scot) in a post on X in November 2024. > Labour hand £536m to foreign farmers, paid for by hiking tax on our own farmers. > > Robert Jenrick Ferret Fact service looked at this claim and found it Mostly False. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-5.png) ### **Evidence** In October 2024, the UK Government [revealed its 2025 budget](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-budget-2024/autumn-budget-2024-html?ref=theferret.scot), with changes made to inheritance tax on agricultural properties. Previously, [agricultural property relief](https://ifs.org.uk/articles/inheritance-tax-and-farms-0?ref=theferret.scot) meant that most farming property was exempt from inheritance tax, meaning farm assets could be passed down tax-free. The budget announced that from April 2026, this exemption would be restricted to £1m. This means that any asset value higher than £1m would only get a 50 per cent tax relief. This led to [significant anger](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/11/20/why-have-british-farmers-marched-on-uks-parliament?ref=theferret.scot) in the farming community, and a series of demonstrations were held to oppose the move. [Are conspiracy groups trying to hijack farmers’ protests?After major protests across the UK at the end of last year, anger from farmers at tax changes shows no sign of abating. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has planned a nationwide day of action for 25 January. In Scotland this is set to include “coordinated tractor rallies” across the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1024px-farmers_protest_in_brussels_14.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/are-conspiracy-groups-hijack-farmers-protests/) In late November, Robert Jenrick [posted the claim](https://x.com/RobertJenrick/status/1859865240604901549?ref=theferret.scot) on X that the Labour government had given “£536m to foreign farmers, paid for by hiking tax on our own farmers”. This came from an article in the Daily Express newspaper, which cited [research produced](https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/taxpayers%5Falliance%5Freveals%5Fmore%5Fthan%5Fhalf%5Fa%5Fbillion%5Fin%5Fforeign%5Faid%5Ffor%5Ffarmers?ref=theferret.scot) by the Taxpayers’ Alliance, a pressure group that campaigns to lower taxes in the UK. The research carried out by the Taxpayers’ Alliance [stated](https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/taxpayers%5Falliance%5Freveals%5Fmore%5Fthan%5Fhalf%5Fa%5Fbillion%5Fin%5Fforeign%5Faid%5Ffor%5Ffarmers?ref=theferret.scot) that “£536.4m is being spent on ten active funding programmes focused on supporting farmers and farming communities abroad”. This information was gleaned through analysis of the UK Government’s [development tracker](https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which shows the amount of money spent in foreign aid on different projects throughout the world. The Taxpayers’ Alliance did not respond to requests from The Ferret to provide the detailed methodology of its analysis, but [did say](https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/taxpayers%5Falliance%5Freveals%5Fmore%5Fthan%5Fhalf%5Fa%5Fbillion%5Fin%5Fforeign%5Faid%5Ffor%5Ffarmers?ref=theferret.scot) that the “£536.4 million in ten foreign aid programmes for farmers identified cover varying time periods”. [Nine specific projects](https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/taxpayers%5Falliance%5Freveals%5Fmore%5Fthan%5Fhalf%5Fa%5Fbillion%5Fin%5Fforeign%5Faid%5Ffor%5Ffarmers?ref=theferret.scot) are mentioned in its press release, covering various projects in countries including Brazil, Ghana, Somalia, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The largest agriculture-related project included in the analysis is “[Support to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP)](https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/programme/GB-1-202571/summary?ref=theferret.scot)”. [GAFSP](https://www.gafspfund.org/about?ref=theferret.scot) is a worldwide project launched by the G20 nations in 2007 with the stated aim of improving food resilience in the world’s poorest countries. The UK Government has committed £206m to this project, and states its contribution is to “improve agricultural productivity” and “increase farmers’ access to markets”. Robert Jenrick’s post on X stated that the Labour government had given £536m to foreign farmers, and paid for it with the changes to inheritance tax, but this is not accurate. The £206m given to the GAFSP was to be spent between [October 2012 and June 2031](https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/programme/GB-1-202571/summary?ref=theferret.scot). By the time Labour got into power in July 2024, [about £180m](https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/programme/GB-1-202571/summary?ref=theferret.scot) of this budget had already been spent, with the money being initially committed by the previous Conservative government. This is also the case with a number of [other projects mentioned in the analysis](https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/taxpayers%5Falliance%5Freveals%5Fmore%5Fthan%5Fhalf%5Fa%5Fbillion%5Fin%5Fforeign%5Faid%5Ffor%5Ffarmers?ref=theferret.scot). Many spent a majority of their budgets before the current government took office. More than two-thirds of the money allocated to the nine projects referenced in the Taxpayers’ Alliance press release had been spent before the election in July 2024. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly False** Robert Jenrick’s claim that Labour is spending £536m on overseas farmers while increasing tax for UK farmers is misleading. The figures do not relate to spending on overseas aid from the Labour government. Instead they are the total budgets of agriculture projects which are still active, many of which used the majority of their budget during the previous government. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_MostlyFalse_RGB.png) *Main image: London, 2020\. The then Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick chairs the Daily Covid-19 Press Conference inside No10 Downing Street with Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jenny Harries. Credit: Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street* ### Are Scotland and Italy protecting their threatened seas? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-italy-seas-marine-protection/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:37:44.000Z **For the past year now, The Ferret has been investigating the health of Scotland’s seas.** The Scotland’s Seas in Danger project – funded by Journalismfund Europe – is a collaboration with Fada Collective and the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpimedia.irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI). Our aim has been to highlight problems and solutions to pressing issues impacting our oceans and seas, which produce more than half the world’s oxygen and hold most of the planet’s nature. They also support nearly half the global population’s livelihoods, providing crucial food, jobs and energy. But the marine environment is at risk, and our investigation has spotlighted threats to our waters from climate change, fish farming, oil spills, and plastic pollution, among other issues. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) The final report of our series – a collaboration with IRPI – explains what’s been happening with [marine protected areas](https://www.gov.scot/policies/marine-environment/marine-protected-areas/?ref=theferret.scot) (MPAs) in both Scotland and Italy. These environmental protection zones are intended to safeguard a wide range of marine features – including important habitats, aquatic life and geological features. Both Scotland and Italy have made bold claims over their MPAs, but green campaigners in both countries fear their respective governments are failing to protect these threatened seas. ### **What protections does Scotland have in place for its waters?** In Scotland Marine protected areas (MPAs) span 247 sites, covering 37 per cent of Scottish seas. These areas were designated for protection in 2014. Inside these MPAs, activities like fishing, aquaculture and energy infrastructure are allowed, if they are licensed and in line with legislation. The Scottish Government can issue fines for breaking rules in MPAs, such as fishing within restricted areas. [Different types](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/marine-protected-areas/scotlands-marine-protected-area-network?ref=theferret.scot) of protection zones exist, including nature conservation MPAs, special areas of conservation, special protection areas, sites of special scientific interest, and Ramsar sites, which cover wetlands of “international importance”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-17-161907.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-marine-protection-explained/) ### **Why are green groups criticising the Scottish Government over MPAs?** Green groups claim that many MPAs are vulnerable to the impact of poorly-managed fishing such as [scallop dredging and bottom trawling](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-delays-marine-environment/) because ministers have failed to tighten laws on controversial fishing methods. Scallop dredging and bottom-trawling – the most environmentally harmful forms of fishing – are restricted in less than five per cent of Scotland’s seas. Scallop dredging involves heavy-duty metal framed nets being pulled over the seabed, while bottom-trawling involves nets towed to catch fish and other marine species close to the seabed. In 2021 the Scottish Government said it was committed to establishing new fisheries management measures for MPAs by March 2024\. But these commitments have been pushed back. Attempts to strengthen protections for marine sea life [ran into controversy](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-marine-protection-explained/), particularly the government’s proposal to introduce highly protected marine areas (HPMAs). It was planned that these areas would cover about ten per cent of Scotland’s seas, with a number of activities believed to put pressure on marine environments banned or severely restricted within their boundaries. When the plan was announced, it was [criticised](https://www.theferret.scot/highly-protected-marine-areas-controversial/) by some in coastal communities as well as island and fishing industry organisations. The HPMA policy was shelved after this criticism and the response to a consultation, which showed strong opposition to the proposed plans. [Last year](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-delays-marine-environment/), the Our Seas coalition – which comprises more than 130 organisations including community groups, marine conservationists and fishers – claimed the biggest threat to the marine environment was the government’s “ongoing failure to protect it due to broken promises and endless delays”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-17-155615.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-delays-marine-environment/) In response, the Scottish Government told The Ferret that new measures to protect MPAs remain a “top government priority” and it is [now consulting](https://www.gov.scot/publications/inshore-fisheries-management-improvement-ifmi-call-evidence/?ref=theferret.scot) with a view to updating the [National Marine Plan](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-national-marine-plan-2-stakeholder-engagement-strategy-statement-public-participation/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot). But it could be 2027 before any new legislation is put before the Scottish Parliament, prompting fresh criticism over delays in enacting laws to better protect the marine environment. Critics of the government include campaign group, Open Seas, which told The Ferret: “While the Scottish Government prevaricates with endless consultations, environmental damage is continuing under its watch. Repeatedly broken promises give the impression of a government that is not committed to protecting our environment, let alone recovering the degraded condition of our seas. “Open Seas have documented ongoing damage to marine habitats inside MPAs and in areas that the Scottish Government have already pledged to protect.” Last month the government reported to the Scottish Parliament on MPAs and said: “Our priority remains putting in place management measures for fishing activity for those MPAs where measures are required to meet the MPA conservation objectives. This is an unprecedented piece of work which has involved a significant amount of stakeholder engagement over a number of years.” ![Valentina Di Miccoli from Greenpeace (in the foreground) and marine biologists from DISTAV—the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Life Sciences at the University of Genoa—prepare for a seabed monitoring mission around the island of Gallinara (Savona) on June 27, 2024.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/3na_liguria.jpg) “There’s a concrete risk that many areas the government labelled as protected, are in reality what we call paper parks: they exist on paper, but there’s no management, no controls, no conservation objectives and no sanctions,” said Valentina Di Miccoli (pictured), a Greenpeace campaigner. ### **Italy’s marine protected areas** The Italian authorities have also been condemned by green groups over marine protection. Italy currently [has 30 MPAs](https://www.mase.gov.it/pagina/aree-marine-istituite?ref=theferret.scot), covering about 11.6 per cent of coasts, according to ISPRA, an environmental research institute. These protected areas were established over the course of 40 years. In 1991 a landmark “framework law on protected areas” listed 52 sites with high marine biodiversity, where conservation measures were urgent. The law is currently under revision. However, these official figures have been challenged by environmental groups. In July 2024, [Greenpeace reported ](https://greenpeace.it/salviamo-il-mediterraneo/?ref=theferret.scot)that only 0.9 per cent of Italian waters were actively protected. According to data from the EU Environmental Agency, the figure stands at 6.87 per cent. Valentina Di Miccoli, acampaigner with Greenpeace, said: “There’s a concrete risk that many areas the government labelled as protected, are in reality what we call paper parks: they exist on paper, but there’s no management, no controls, no conservation objectives and no sanctions.” Monica Montefalcone, a marine ecologist at the University of Genova, said: “What we’ve seen in the past 30 years is a complete loss of biodiversity in Italian seas. In the marine protected area of Portofino, the seabed was covered with ‘forests’ that became ‘lawns’, because of pollution, and more recently of heat waves.” Italy’s ministry of the environment and energy transition told IRPI that “the budget for marine protected areas is being carefully considered”. Italy’s MPAs also face various threats from industry, including plans by the government to step up the transportation of gas in Italian waters, through regasification ships and coastal LNG storage plants, and new port structures for cargo ships and the cruise industry. The current Italian government, led by Giorgia Meloni of the far-right party, Fratelli d’Italia, created a new ministry for the sea and civil protection, and a three-year “plan for the sea” was adopted in 2023, after a consultation with hundreds of stakeholders. The [document](https://www.strutturapolitichemare.gov.it/media/pggknhrv/piano-del-mare.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was presented as a first of its kind. It outlined a vision where Italy has to turn into an energy hub or a “logistical platform” for transporting gas, thanks to its position at the core of the Mediterranean. As part of this project, an IRPI investigation revealed that the plan was heavily [influenced by powerful organisations](https://www.strutturapolitichemare.gov.it/it/il-piano-del-mare/audizioni-dei-portatori-di-interesse-della-societa-civile/audizioni-2024/?ref=theferret.scot), and people, representing – or close to – industrial fisheries, oil and gas companies, security and defense firms, and shipping logistics. IRPI also revealed that existing MPAs are increasingly underfunded. Its investigation revealed that funds have been cut by more than half over the past years, from €15.2m in 2021 to €7.2m in 2024. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/1na_liguria.jpg) Di Miccoli and a team of marine biologists from the University of Genoa prepare for a seabed monitoring mission near the island of Gallinara (Savona, Italy) on June 27, 2024. ### **EU Policies and legal actions** The [EU Green Deal](https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/protecting-environment-and-oceans-green-deal%5Fen?ref=theferret.scot), adopted in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, aims for ecosystem restoration. The 2022 EU biodiversity strategy established goals for [marine protection by 2030](https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/biodiversity-strategy-2030%5Fen?ref=theferret.scot), in line with the UN Biodiversity Convention (CBD), and says that 30 per cent of marine areas should be protected. An [independent assessment ](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332224003646?ref=theferret.scot)was published in September 2024 by a group of researchers that analysed 4,858 MPAs in the EU. The group stated that while MPAs covered 11.4 per cent of EU national waters in 2022, just 0.2 per cent were fully or highly protected. As much as 86 per cent of MPA coverage allows industrial activities. Some civil society organisations across Europe are suing governments over their failure to protect marine areas. In November 2024, Friends of the Earth Germany [filed a lawsuit ](https://thefishingdaily.com/latest-news/new-german-legal-action-begins-over-lack-of-marine-ecosystem-protection/?ref=theferret.scot)against the German government over bottom trawling in an MPA. In Scotland, Open Seas took the Scottish Government to [court in 2023,](https://www.openseas.org.uk/news/were-taking-the-scottish-government-to-court-but-why/?ref=theferret.scot) arguing that it had failed to act in accordance with the National Marine Plan when making licensing decisions about scallop dredging. A court ruled the government had acted unlawfully. The Scottish Government appealed but this was rejected by the highest civil court, confirming the court’s original judgement that ministers had acted unlawfully. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe and in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg.jpg) ##### If you like our independent journalism and want to help us do more, support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *All images by Natalia Alana* ### Revealed: The secret owners of elite Scots golf club URL: https://www.theferret.scot/secret-owners-loch-lomond-golf-club/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:33:52.000Z **Top political donors, a Labour lord and Scottish football hero Ally McCoist have been among secret owners of a tax haven firm behind an elite Scottish golf club, The Ferret can reveal.** The 660-acre private Loch Lomond Golf Club hosted the Scottish Open and boasts a Georgian mansion, a spa within a historic walled garden, and dramatic lochside views to Ben Lomond. But the club is open only to members who can join on a strict invite-only policy, and the entry fees – [estimated](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/13238413/inside-scotland-most-exclusive-golf-club-loch-lomond/?ref=theferret.scot) at well over £100,000 today – mean the luxury is open only to a wealthy few. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) As the club is ultimately owned and operated by a firm incorporated in the Cayman Islands, the names of its true owners are allowed to stay hidden due to secrecy provisions in the Caribbean tax haven. But the once-secret shareholders of years past are named in leaked documents. They include Scottish Labour and the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ biggest donor ahead of the last general election, Robin MacGeachy, top footballers and senior bankers. The leaked [Paradise Papers](https://www.icij.org/investigations/paradise-papers/?ref=theferret.scot) files were obtained by the [International Consortium of Investigative Journalists](https://www.icij.org/?ref=theferret.scot) and the German newspaper [Süddeutsche Zeitung](https://www.sueddeutsche.de/?ref=theferret.scot), and shared with The Ferret. > Financial transparency would guarantee that, at a time when the UK is struggling, the Treasury’s coffers are as full as possible. > > Tom Brake, Unlock Democracy One 2014 document from an offshore law firm shows that the Cayman entity, Loch Lomond Members Golf Club Limited, received nearly £50m from shareholders, members, and applicant members over just a few years. There is no suggestion of tax abuse from the company, its shareholders or club members. But a tax expert said tax avoidance and secrecy were the “two distinctive advantages” allowed by the club’s Cayman Islands ownership, with neither “in the public interest for UK taxpayers”. The revelations prompted renewed calls from campaigners for the UK Government to force British overseas territories like the Caymans to introduce a public register of the beneficial owners behind companies incorporated there. ### **Billionaires, bankers and businessmen** Among the club’s more than 500 named shareholders as of 2014 were the millionaire Labour lord and party donor, Baron [Willie Haughey](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4296/career?ref=theferret.scot), billionaire Perthshire landowner [Moshin Mohammed Mahdi Al Tajir](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-22238445?ref=theferret.scot), and the late billionaire motor magnate Arnold Clark. Businessman Robin MacGeachy is a current director of the club. Since 2014, companies owned by MacGeachy – Peak Scientific, Dusty TLP, and Treeman Rockafella – have given nearly £2.7m to the Conservatives, Labour, and the Lib Dems. The firms were both Scottish Labour and the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ [biggest donors](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaires-lobbyists-dark-money-scotlands-parties/) ahead of the last general election, handing over £700,000 and £710,000 respectively. [Billionaires, lobbyists and a ‘dark money’ trust’: Who funds Scotland’s parties?Billionaires, corporate lobbyists, a representative of King Charles, companies and individuals linked to tax havens, estate owners who have broken rules around taxpayer subsidies, and a “dark money” trust are among donors to Scotland’s political parties, a major Ferret investigation has found. Exclusive analysis by The Ferret found a![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-6.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/pexels-khwanchai-4175028-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaires-lobbyists-dark-money-scotlands-parties/) The contributions represented more than a third of Labour’s donations and more than a half of the Lib Dems’ in the three years preceding the 2024 general election, according to analysis of donations records by The Ferret. Among top sportsmen on the shareholder list were footballers Ally McCoist, Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, cricket coach Paul Collingwood, former Manchester United director Roy Gardner, and golfer Gordon Sherry. Senior bankers were well represented among shareholders. Barclays executives included current president, [Stephen Dainton](https://home.barclays/who-we-are/structure-and-leadership/leadership/stephen--dainton/?ref=theferret.scot), former director of the bank’s investment arm, [John Porter](https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-porter-b4b4779/?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot), and ex-advisory board member of its wealth management division, [Stuart Counsell](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-counsell-a1656b79/details/experience/?ref=theferret.scot). Counsell was also deputy chief executive of Deloitte. Other shareholders linked to the accounting giant were then-vice chair [Cahal Dowds](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cahal-dowds-54429629?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot), and former partner [Donald Campbell](https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-campbell-6401391b8/?ref=theferret.scot). [Martin Gilbert](https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-gilbert-936a50130/?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot), the former chair of Scottish Golf, current chair of and Revolut, and co-founder and former head of Aberdeen Asset Management, which later merged with Standard Life, also featured. So too did Fahad Al-Rajaan, who, in 2020, was accused of [embezzling](https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/kuwaiti-banker-faces-arrest-in-switzerland-over-850m-investigation-1.1052477?ref=theferret.scot) around £680m from Kuwait’s state pension fund before fleeing to London, where he lived until [his death](https://kuwaittimes.com/fahad-al-rajaan-passes-away/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2022. Construction and housebuilding heads on the list included the former managing director and chairman of Ogilvie, [Phil McEwan](https://www.ogilvie-construction.co.uk/news/item/83-new-board-appointments-at-ogilvie-group?ref=theferret.scot), the owner of East Renfrewshire-based Westpoint Homes, [Stephen Cullis](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-cullis-b0ba173a?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot), and Stewart Milne, whose Aberdeen building firm [collapsed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-67932575?ref=theferret.scot) this year. They were joined by real estate veteran [Roger Orf](https://cps.org.uk/our-board/roger-orf/?ref=theferret.scot), who is now a board member of the Centre for Policy Studies, a think-tank founded by Margaret Thatcher. > The public should be able to expect that the government “does the right thing and forces necessary transparency, regardless of links to party donors.” > > Emma Roddick MSP, SNP Supermarket boss shareholders on the list were former Tesco chair, [David Reid](https://www.fruitnet.com/fresh-produce-journal/david-reid-retires-as-tesco-chairman/154695.article?ref=theferret.scot), and ex-Tesco and Morrisons chief [Andy Higginson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-higginson-a3b97b118?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot), who became a director of the golf club in 2019\. Higginson also now chairs JD Sports and the British Retail Consortium trade body. [Rodney Aldridge](https://www.aldridgefoundation.com/person/sir-rod-aldridge-obe/?ref=theferret.scot), who founded Capita, a controversial outsourcing firm used by the UK Government, was named, as was [Ian Robinson](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12239970.scottishpower-chief-departs-to-head-se/?ref=theferret.scot), the former chief executive of Scottish Power and past chairman of the Scottish Government’s investment arm, Scottish Enterprise. ### **Member buyout and shareholdings** Members reportedly purchased the club in the early 2010s after it was put up for sale. The club said the member buyout was to retain “exclusivity”. But it has run up losses of around £16m, staying in the red – and therefore not liable for corporation tax – in 12 of the 14 years since the buyout, according to its [UK accounts](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC370195?ref=theferret.scot). Leaked documents show that 100 shares in the Cayman entity were assigned to new and existing members. Ian Robinson said he was surprised to have been a listed shareholder, having successfully applied for membership pre-buyout. “The only activity I ever engaged in at the club was playing golf!,” he told The Ferret. “I resigned as a member – not a shareholder! – around 10 years later as I was not able to play as often as I wanted.” Other members apparently opted for additional share-buying options, some of which were named after golf scores. A birdie membership cost £50,000, an eagle £100,000, and an albatross £150,000\. Each came with shares unique to the membership type. The top shareholder listed in the 2014 document was private equity boss and director of the golf club, John Burgess, who had bought nearly £4m in shares. In 2019, Burgess was joined as a director by MacGeachy, who was also a listed shareholder of the Cayman parent firm in 2014\. According to the firm’s latest accounts, all directors own shares in the offshore entity. ### **‘Avoidance’ and secrecy** Revelations that Labour donor MacGeachy and other notable party figures have had links to the tax haven-owned club come at a time when the UK Government is [under pressure](https://www.theferret.scot/uk-overseas-territories-world-worst-tax-havens/) to ensure that overseas territories introduce public registers of the beneficial owners behind companies. [UK overseas territories are world’s worst corporate tax havens, says reportUK overseas territories including the British Virgin Islands make up the world’s worst tax havens and are responsible for an estimated £63bn in global tax avoidance, according to a new study. The Tax Justice Network’s latest corporate tax haven index, released today, ranks countries on their complicity in![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-7.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1427362154.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/uk-overseas-territories-world-worst-tax-havens/) The Caymans, British Virgin Islands and Bermuda – which the government has legal and constitutional responsibility for – are the world’s top tax havens and allow for an estimated £63bn in tax avoidance, according to the Tax Justice Network’s [latest assessment](http://https/cthi.taxjustice.net?ref=theferret.scot). Campaigners and MSPs said the golf club’s offshore ownership exemplified the need for the government to press overseas territories for transparency measures. “A parent company located in the Cayman Islands offers two distinctive advantages for Loch Lomond Golf Club – the first is its tax haven status for avoidance purposes, the other is the secrecy it affords its beneficial owners wanting to hide from transparency and scrutiny,” said Claire Aston, a tax policy expert and director of [TaxWatch](https://www.taxwatchuk.org/?ref=theferret.scot). “Neither is in the public interest for UK taxpayers and the case shows the need for public registers of beneficial ownership to be implemented by the British overseas territories and Crown Dependencies”. [Tom Brake](https://members.parliament.uk/member/151/career?ref=theferret.scot), the former Lib Dem MP and director of campaign group [Unlock Democracy](https://unlockdemocracy.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) echoed Aston’s point. “It’s high time the UK government exerted greater pressure on the Cayman Islands and others to introduce public registers of ownership,” he said. “Financial transparency would guarantee that, at a time when the UK is struggling, the Treasury’s coffers are as full as possible.” SNP MSP, [Emma Roddick](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/emma-roddick?ref=theferret.scot) said the measures would help to “prevent tax avoidance by companies operating here in Scotland”. The public should be able to expect that the government “does the right thing and forces necessary transparency, regardless of links to party donors,” she added. The Scottish Greens’ spokesperson for social justice, [Maggie Chapman MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/maggie-chapman?ref=theferret.scot), agreed. She argued that “individuals and organisations who do choose to squirrel away their lions’ share of wealth offshore must be held accountable publicly”. Chapman added: “The UK Labour Government must close these loopholes for the benefit of everyone in society, rather than cosying up to their wealthy donors.” The Ferret contacted every individual named in this article via their associated companies. Loch Lomond Golf Club, Scottish Labour, the Scottish Lib Dems and the UK Government did not respond to requests to comment. *Main image:* [*Richard Johnson*](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/richardjohnson?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot) ### Global ‘anti-woke’ petition campaigns on Glasgow statues and Stornoway’s Tesco closed on Sundays URL: https://www.theferret.scot/global-anti-woke-petition-campaigns-glasgow-statues/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:26:44.000Z A global, right-wing petition site, set up by an anti-LGBT Spanish lawyer, is campaigning in Scotland to “protect” statues in Glasgow’s George Square and persuade Tesco to reverse its decision to open its Stornoway store “on the Sabbath”. CitizenGO, was set up in 2013 to defend “life, family and freedom across the world” by [Ignacio Arsuaga](https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2022-09-25/unholy-alliance-the-far-right-religious-network-attacking-reproductive-and-lgbtq-rights/?ref=theferret.scot), whose conservative Catholic organisation, [HazteOir](https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/cases/chief-prosecutor-v-hazte-oir/?ref=theferret.scot), has similar aims. It claims to be formed by more than 18 million “active citizens stopping radical lobbies from imposing their agenda on society”. It says it is funded by “small online donations” made by thousands of people. But a [2021 report](https://www.epfweb.org/node/837?ref=theferret.scot) by the [European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights](https://www.epfweb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) found it also had funding from wealthy EU and Russian individuals including some of its own board members. The campaigning organisation says it is working from “a Christian perspective” with an aim of offering “all citizens and organizations a tool to participate in the improvement of our society”. But serious concerns have been raised about its [“anti-rights” stance](https://www.awid.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/Ch4%5FRightsAtRisk%5FTimeForAction%5F2021.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), particularly on LGBT and gender issues and reproductive rights. As well as Arsuaga, its board members include Brian Brown, the American activist and co-founder of the [National Organisation for Marriage](https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/national-organization-for-marriage-abandons-core-mission-promotes-anti-lgbt?ref=theferret.scot) and president of the [World Congress of Families](https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/nov/19/world-congress-of-families-anti-lgbtq-sentiment?ref=theferret.scot), which opposes abortion, same-sex marriage, birth control and divorce. Previous speakers at its annual gatherings include hard-right leaders [Viktor Orbán](https://www.theferret.scot/orban-conservative-think-tank-scotlands-culture-war/) from Hungary and Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy premier and transport minister. [For Fact’s Sake podcast: How is misinformation fuelling the anti-abortion movement?On episode 19 of For Fact’s Sake, Paul talked to freelance journalist Sian Norris about her work exposing disinformation around abortion and reproductive rights. Sian explained the growing threat to abortion rights around the world, how anti-abortion rhetoric can act as a ‘gateway drug’ into far-right and conspiracy views,![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-35.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/untitled-design-2023-10-12t102333-470.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/how-misinformation-fuelling-anti-abortion-movement/) Others include Luca Volontè, the founder of [Novae Terrae](https://www.occrp.org/en/project/the-azerbaijani-laundromat/novae-terrae-foundation?ref=theferret.scot), an Italian foundation that lobbies against abortion, assisted suicide, same-sex marriage and secularism. In 2021 the Italian Christian politician was convicted of [accepting bribes](https://www.occrp.org/en/news/italian-court-sentences-former-council-of-europe-mp-for-bribery?ref=theferret.scot) from Azerbaijan. He has denied wrongdoing. CitizenGO are also campaigning in Scotland, launching two petitions last month. ### Petitions on local issues The first petition, titled ‘Stand for Stornoway’s sacred Sabbath: keep Tesco closed on Sundays’ calls on the supermarket chain to reverse its [decision to open on a Sunday](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly695ke43lo?ref=theferret.scot), when Christian tradition dictates shops on the island of Lewis remain closed. The decision has attracted some local opposition with an earlier petition set-up by local [Alasdair MacLeod](https://premierchristian.news/us/news/article/christians-village-tesco-battle-against-sunday-trading?ref=theferret.scot) in October. The CitizenGO petition, created by its staff, was posted on 13 December last year and has been signed by 8,955 so far. CitizenGO does not publish the names or locations of signatories. The petition alleges that the decision to open “not only disregards the local culture but also reflects a broader trend of eroding Christian customs across Scotland” adding, “accepting cultural erasure inevitably leads to its decline”. It calls on signatories to “stand with us to preserve Stornoway’s Sabbath” claiming “these customs are at the heart of our community and culture”. Another CitizenGO petition opposes Glasgow City Council’s decision to remove statues from George Square. The council [claims](https://glasgow.gov.uk/article/9044/Call-out-for-statue-specialists-as-part-of-George-Square-transformation?ref=theferret.scot) this is part of a planned refurbishment of the public square and says it intends for all the statues to return. However the petition repeats [suspicions](https://www.gbnews.com/news/glasgow-george-square-statues-cancelled?ref=theferret.scot) raised that this is “cover” for the local authority to permanently remove statues of [military figures](https://www.glasgowworld.com/best-in/george-square-statues-the-story-behind-11-of-george-squares-statues-as-specialists-sought-to-dismantle-and-conserve-4605360?ref=theferret.scot) such as Colin Campbell, who led the British army against the so-called Indian mutiny of 1857 – a rebellion against the British East India Company which saw hundreds of thousands of casualties. > It would be useful if they could spell out who is initiating their campaigns – local people or CitizenGo staff – and publish detailed accounts. > > Tom Brake, Unlock Democracy A council [working group](https://glasgow.communitychoices.scot/legislation/processes/4/proposals?ref=theferret.scot) looking at the city’s slavery and colonial legacy also identified a statue of John Moore,who is linked to the slave trade, having suppressed the 1796 slave revolt on the Caribbean island of St Lucia. The CitizenGO petition accuses Glasgow City Council of “cancel culture” and says its plans involve a “deliberate agenda of cultural erasure”. The text states: “Removing such statues sets an alarming precedent. Judging historical figures solely by modern standards ignores the realities of their time. Such statues are not endorsements of perfection but reflections of history. Removing them risks cultural amnesia, leaving a blank canvas vulnerable to manipulation.” SNP councillor Graham Campbell, who led the [working group](https://glasgow.communitychoices.scot/legislation/processes/4/proposals?ref=theferret.scot), insisted the council has “formal processes to consult the public on these historical issues through the proper channels”. He added: “Anyone funded by right-wing US resources doesn’t count as legitimate community engagement partners,” and claimed he would not “be entertaining any input from any such ‘anti-woke’ lobbyists”. Other petitions on the UK version of the petition site – which operates globally – call for “woke gender indoctrination” to be “kept out” of the Scouts. Others aim to “stop the UN’s push to decriminalize\[sic\] pedophilia” or prevent Labour’s ‘conversion therapy’ ban, which it says will “harm children, criminalise parents and place restrictions on talking and [praying](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-law-bans-praying-silently-at-home-is-false/)”. A previous petition from last January called on then-First Minister Humza Yousaf to reconsider the proposed ban on [conversion therapy](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/scottish-government-scottish-nicola-sturgeon-humza-yousaf-scottish-parliament-b1180125.html?ref=theferret.scot). The majority are posted by CitizenGO staff. One on the Spanish version of the site is posted by founder Ignacio Arsuaga. But others have been posted by conservative campaign groups including anti-abortion charity the [Society for the Protection of Unborn Children](https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/15329/html/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Society%20for%20the%20Protection%20of%20Unborn%20Children%20%28SPUC%29%20is,of%20conception%20until%20natural%20death.), or the [Family Education Trust](https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-family-education-trust/?ref=theferret.scot), which campaigns against transgender rights. [How Scotland became a ‘culture war’ lightning rodThe so-called ‘culture war’ has impacted politics across the globe. Populist outsider candidates and traditional political parties are, more than ever, using ideological wedge issues to appeal to voters and criticise the values of their opponents. In recent years, Scotland has been the focus of such debates, becoming something of![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-36.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1024px-conectividade_e_protecao_da_amazonia_com_elon_musk.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/how-scotland-became-a-culture-war-lightning-rod/) Tom Brake, of Unlock Democracy, stressed that he was in favour of campaigning. But he claimed the site could “benefit from more transparency and clarity”. While basic [financial statements](https://help.citizengo.org/article/892-financial-statement?ref=theferret.scot) are made public, its accounts are not as the organisation is [no longer registered](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10585955?ref=theferret.scot) in the UK. “It would be useful if they could spell out who is initiating their campaigns – local people or CitizenGo staff – and publish detailed accounts,” he said. “This is best practice amongst campaign organisations.” Critics warned that though many of the petitions posed as “local issues” they were in fact being used to garner support for CitizenGO’s wider agenda. Scottish Greens spokesperson for equality [Maggie Chapman MSP](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/green-msp-maggie-chapman-faces-31143358?ref=theferret.scot) told The Ferret that the organisation seemed to be “willingly exploiting people’s day to day concerns in their local communities.” “They are using local and relatively harmless ‘wedge issues’ to open the door to some very cynical and bad faith political actors,” she added, claiming that the CitizenGO’s ideology was “extreme” and “far-right”. Liz Thomson, Scotland advocacy manager for [Amnesty UK](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/amnesty-international-uk/), said that it was time to “lift the veil on groups who seek to divide and conquer, and remind people that democracy itself is at risk, as well as the wonderful diverse space that Scotland is”. She added: “Groups trying to roll back and undermine human rights are on the rise world-wide and can count on huge funding flows. They often focus on issues linked to the rights of women and minority groups and build alliances across regions to increase their impact and campaign at all levels – from the International to the local.” The Ferret contacted CitizenGO for comment. Caroline Farrow, global campaigns manager, referred The Ferret to the organisation’s website which “[details our core values](https://help.citizengo.org/article/906-about?%5Fgl=1%2Aqtyn87%2A%5Fgcl%5Fau%2AMTE1NjQ5MjI1OS4xNzI5Njg1OTI0%2A%5Fga%2AMjE0MTE0MzA5LjE3Mjk2ODU5MjQ.%2A%5Fga%5FS646JFT204%2AMTczNjk0NDc4My44NS4xLjE3MzY5NDU1NjYuNjAuMC4w&ref=theferret.scot) and is also where our [financial statements](https://help.citizengo.org/article/892-financial-statement?ref=theferret.scot) can be found”. *Cover image thanks to Tomas Sereda* •This story was updated on 17/01/25 to correct the claim that this is the first time CitizenGO has campaigned on Scottish topics. | | | | ### Are conspiracy groups trying to hijack farmers’ protests? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/are-conspiracy-groups-hijack-farmers-protests/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T17:03:34.000Z After major protests across the UK at the end of last year, anger from farmers at tax changes shows no sign of abating. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has planned a nationwide [day of action](https://www.nfus.org.uk/news/news/nationwide-day-of-action-planned-for-25-january-as-fight-to-stopthefamilyfarmtax-goes-on?ref=theferret.scot) for 25 January. In Scotland this is set to include “coordinated tractor rallies” across the country. While the protests have [focused](https://theconversation.com/protesting-farmers-are-having-to-fight-off-the-radical-right-conspiracy-theorists-and-climate-sceptics-245725?ref=theferret.scot) on tax and other pressures faced by the farming industry, there are [concerns](https://www.desmog.com/2024/11/21/climate-science-deniers-use-farmers-protests-to-attack-net-zero/?ref=theferret.scot) that some groups are attempting to capitalise on the farmers’ cause to peddle conspiracy theories and misinformation. Ferret Fact Service explains. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-6.png) ### **Why are farmers protesting?** Farmers are angry at [changes](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief?ref=theferret.scot) to inheritance tax announced by the Labour government in October. Thousands marched on London in November 2024 to protest the policy, which some view as the “[last straw](https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/11/19/uk-farmers-go-full-french-in-protest-over-government-tax-hike?ref=theferret.scot)” after a series of decisions by governments which have been unpopular with farmers. From April 2026, farms will no longer be eligible for full relief from inheritance tax. Instead, full relief will only apply to the first £1m of assets passed down. Anything over £1m will be charged inheritance tax at 20 per cent – half the usual inheritance tax – although some additional relief could be available, particularly for married couples. Many farmers [claim](https://www.nfuonline.com/updates-and-information/agricultural-property-relief-what-you-need-to-know/?ref=theferret.scot) that their businesses do not generate enough money to pay inheritance tax bills due to a range of factors including [rising costs](https://ahdb.org.uk/news/farm-input-costs-have-risen-sharply-over-past-five-years?ref=theferret.scot) and [cuts](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/14/farm-income-england-2023-extreme-weather-subsidy-cuts?ref=theferret.scot) to subsidies. The NFU [argues](https://www.nfus.org.uk/news/news/nfu-scotland-joins-mass-westminster-lobby-to-reverse-damaging-family-farming-tax?ref=theferret.scot) the only option for many farmers would be to sell their farms to afford tax bills which could, [it claims](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/17/farmers-in-england-and-wales-feel-betrayed-by-inheritance-tax-changes-says-nfu?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=NFU%20members%20are%20due%20to,harming%20long%2Dterm%20food%20security.), impact the amount of food the UK produces. The government has countered that most farms won’t pay inheritance tax – a claim the NFU [rejects](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/04/nfu-rejects-treasury-claim-that-72-of-farms-wont-pay-inheritance-tax?ref=theferret.scot) – and that money raised by the changes is needed to pay for public services. The policy has also been [described](https://ifs.org.uk/articles/inheritance-tax-and-farms-0?ref=theferret.scot) by some experts as an attempt to stop wealthy people from buying up farmland to avoid paying inheritance tax. ### **‘No Farmers, No Food’** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-14-170255.png) One group which has gained traction in farming debates in the last year is [No Farmers, No Food](https://twitter.com/NoFarmsNoFoods?ref=theferret.scot). It has garnered over 130,000 followers on social media, more than the NFU itself, and its yellow logo is increasingly spotted both online and at protests. Scottish politicians have shared No Farmers, No Food posts on social media and the Tories’ agriculture spokesperson, Jamie Halcro Johnston, has [appeared](https://bsky.app/profile/jhalcrojohnston.bsky.social/post/3lbzdnycky22z?ref=theferret.scot) wearing one of its badges outside the Scottish Parliament. No Farmers, No Food was founded by PR expert and GB News regular, James Melville. Melville – who has over half a million [followers](https://twitter.com/JamesMelville?ref=theferret.scot) on X – says he grew up on a family farm in Fife and started the group to provide a “unified and non-partisan campaign” for farmers. Yet on his personal accounts he has posted and shared misinformation including around conspiracy topics like [15 minute cities](https://x.com/JamesMelville/status/1696962596040057148?ref=theferret.scot), the [World Economic Forum](https://x.com/JamesMelville/status/1814544084016545821?ref=theferret.scot) (WEF) and the [‘Great Reset’](https://x.com/rustyrockets/status/1615030286965936131?ref=theferret.scot), as well as the [extent](https://fullfact.org/online/james-melville-covid-cancer-twitter/?ref=theferret.scot) of deaths from Covid-19. [What are 15 minute cities and why are they controversial?Conservative MP Nick Fletcher used a speech in the House of Commons to promote a conspiracy theory about “15 minute cities”, which he called an “international socialist concept”. The concept of “15 minute cities” or “20 minute neighbourhoods” has been regularly cited by conspiracy theorists in recent months, but this![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-1.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-585301598.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/15-minute-cities-why-are-they-controversial/) Melville has [called](https://x.com/JamesMelville/status/1814637372606140480?ref=theferret.scot) net zero policies to limit climate change a “con” aimed at making money for corporations. While No Farmers, No Food has largely focused on the impacts of the inheritance tax in recent months, its [mission statement](https://x.com/NoFarmsNoFoods/status/1759683455930016243?ref=theferret.scot) published in February 2024 took aim at net zero. “The government’s obsession with net zero is having a devastating impact on British farming,” the group claimed in a statement that said one of its objectives was to “push back against unrealistic net zero policies”. The campaign has also [argued](https://x.com/NoFarmsNoFoods/status/1751905586407465383?ref=theferret.scot) that farming is being “sacrificed on the altar of net zero”. Posts by the group on social media also attract comments from conspiracy theorists. One farmer has [described](https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/lives/65317/farming-life-how-conspiracists-have-co-opted-a-farming-movement?ref=theferret.scot) being added to a campaign WhatsApp chat after an invite by Melville. He claimed the group was “toxic” with members “fighting amongst each other” about Covid-19 vaccines and discussing “uprisings” against the WEF. Despite outlining plans for one nearly a year ago, No Farmers, No Food has no website. A [limited company](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15616096?ref=theferret.scot) which names Melville and two others as directors was set up in April last year but is yet to file any accounts. Melville says the group receives no outside funding and has no political agenda. But it has been [accused](https://www.desmog.com/2024/02/08/revealed-the-climate-denial-network-behind-classic-astroturf-farmers-campaign/?ref=theferret.scot) of being an ‘astroturfing’ group – a type of campaign that appears to be grassroots but is actually a front for commercial or political interests. No Farmers, No Food does have a [steering group](https://x.com/NoFarmsNoFoods/status/1870275916510732536?ref=theferret.scot) of farmers that help run the campaign, but there is no publicly available list of who is involved. ### **Together** Melville also sits on the ‘cabinet’ of another contentious organisation, Together. [Together](https://togetherdeclaration.org/?ref=theferret.scot) was launched in 2021 by businessman Alan D Miller initially to oppose a number of Covid-19 measures including [lockdowns](https://togetherdeclaration.org/?ref=theferret.scot) and [vaccinations for children](https://togetherdeclaration.org/campaigns/no-covid-jabs-for-children/?ref=theferret.scot). In January 2024, the group [criticised](https://x.com/Togetherdec/status/1752697812368986307?ref=theferret.scot) then prime minister Rishi Sunak for “mindlessly” claiming Covid-19 vaccines are safe. The group is also [vocally](https://notonetzero.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) against net zero policies which it says are based on “wildly exaggerated” fears about the future. Together’s opposition to net zero has seen it be heavily involved in a campaign against what it describes as “[crackpot](https://notonetzero.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)” low emissions zones and low traffic neighbourhoods, both policies aimed at reducing air pollution. The group produced a [report](https://x.com/Togetherdec/status/1727382927892463930?ref=theferret.scot) in 2023 alleging that clean air policies such as low emissions zones were “not based on science and not democratic”. Together [says](https://togetherdeclaration.org/donate/?ref=theferret.scot) it is run “carefully on very limited resources”. The most recent company [accounts](https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/D7YzLHWWBizx%5FOd%5FV8TTNlWnNz%5FXtmhWoGsgfhBty6k/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3JNSAFCMF%2F20250114%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4%5Frequest&X-Amz-Date=20250114T133015Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEBsaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJGMEQCICRHkHHu1B04hVPBg840Mfj6fQi2HXfwuSmgC8Bg5a9HAiACFBiy5n8OJ0uy2hy%2FmdT1adRUw5NDhgj7Upwj%2BzGszCq7BQgUEAUaDDQ0OTIyOTAzMjgyMiIM4Gsy%2Fps1WVMJofluKpgFD91AZGtaNaKZaq1350YjBJDY1RMAcEwJWzb3aKG6TNXrZwygau1637WWFfs4uVFE1H35uAqNGegyNDNWRUUXe31Q7K54Hi8j6w8NA0E6Da5Mw%2BTJUyfnQqkv5If0mKWWh0Mb649TPrqr8kYayHgk851gIskRBNRJmPESlhkdJ%2Bfg9zMq27uh0Vv7tKaIiO6UuYvhufiNiJbv0QQNpODDMKgkFKbc8C9Z3HN2oBpiQ1hbZPD0L4c7SrFDtpd9aIYvR35Y0LaAd6ha9z20O1mqFC3poT6hTDdNDGyN9M54UzPxgH9Pv6yQYDsXbh5iacdLnjgpDemhO2XlV%2BnuNo52FM7sP2JLhM0FcHCrjUm%2FVks4a2Rl2saXrLOg6zW1cw6rVXtiXoR5RWQqmPpnVLOQjHo8y3Mzact6Y0OZ3MA%2Bf3%2BCHceKMnUbbACdwL%2BzR0v8NZV7OifQhZwm7YIgfbmFNsja14JjTN9Wec5kOtwuRkYog1VYTY6qXeGOeF1nusWBzwxduCnKVmjWKWD%2FuOCzzMOhvZrWmh4cOJl%2B3DvcSy3Oyeso5gJWERLLk1lEFdz0uUU2IMp3cenKL63mm5u6hgcls3DcuVQLdFConhbgB7wpL5UcZl5lmfKGdH6yUeAYQCdzZ3pAFqjC%2BrI6MG83eR0NbrdmLResbbelTIIX%2BKM9hD%2B1r1qKz9NkQufJ0DJZ0fdiRLQL%2BAtbG9AVQxQMLllBWCzEEtmS8u%2Fg10%2FwlYLtZvC0pHsqbuDLmsjlWRqSRYWR39H0yI1SBDlrLcjZ0BC01ZWnpTfEmCYstR8WKKGN%2FeCHFtiikiQq%2F4b8reP7LuiWrLsHYNr763H4NDZXSVazJkSaVmZt2MsFBtNSeDjKMPwI7aEp%2BDDi%2FZi8BjqyAfHlktZmyzgnI2bnx5959Rd0StQGBaVCNZfoUYHbCgViZDKTNu1i9yFV16Sl4ADt3EPZYtSPpLli1wr9U6%2BO8Smy2kDdkWfRj2H0kTNQObV0QfJuHC%2BtPBQF2kGOwZzo8FEQz8h40cEKN83lUiCX6y9rYQFRLlMP2ZSDXTyOYhVjg%2BJDJKuOZyK%2FA%2FmqCMXcbAdc15F794qjN78iNKEGQXifKrrsBkzwtVuvIhSvb3J03Lk%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%2214279629%5Faa%5F2024-05-03.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=0cede00f5d045b585132e14bb693a2be8ef13b25bb936165d2ae0f2964d5729f&ref=theferret.scot) show it had nearly £300,000 in the bank in August 2023. Prior to the inheritance tax changes, Together only sporadically posted about farming but it has become a clear focus of its online activity in recent months. Figures [including](https://togetherdeclaration.org/campaigns/with-our-farmers-together/?ref=theferret.scot) Jeremy Clarkson, Love Island stars and Nigel Farage were seen holding placards bearing the group’s logo at the London rally in November. Clarkson himself has suggested that the inheritance tax changes are part of a “sinister plan” by Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves to “carpet bomb our farmland with new towns for immigrants and net zero windfarms”. “But before they can do that, they have to ethnically cleanse the countryside of farmers,” the former Top Gear host [wrote](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/31603540/labour-government-destroy-farmers-cant-fight-back-reeves/?ref=theferret.scot) in The Sun. Together has repeatedly shared posts from another online group called [Farmers to Action](https://twitter.com/FarmersToAction?ref=theferret.scot) which was launched in November 2024\. Alan D Miller has [appeared](https://twitter.com/FarmersToAction/status/1877751534483591634?ref=theferret.scot) in videos posted by Farmers to Action and The Ferret contacted Together to confirm whether the two groups are linked but received no response. ### **How have conspiracies impacted protests in Europe?** The farmers’ protests in the UK follow closely on the heels of wider discontent [across Europe](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/02/why-are-farmers-protesting-across-the-eu-and-what-can-the-bloc-do-about-it?ref=theferret.scot) in recent years. High profile [protests](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/dutch-farmers-emissions-global-right-wing-culture-war-rcna60269?ref=theferret.scot) in the Netherlands, for example, have focused on government measures to reduce nitrogen emissions from livestock. Those protests were [seized](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/dutch-farmers-emissions-global-right-wing-culture-war-rcna60269?ref=theferret.scot) upon by conspiracy theorists including those who claimed the government measures were an effort to shut down Dutch farms to make space for asylum seekers. This echoes the so-called ‘[great replacement theory](https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-great-replacement-theory-a-scholar-of-race-relations-explains-224835?ref=theferret.scot)’, a debunked far-right conspiracy theory that claims elites are trying to replace Europe’s white populations with non-white immigrants – particularly those from Muslim-majority countries. Experts have [warned](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/04/climate-crisis-europe-farmers-vulnerable-far-right?ref=theferret.scot) that farmers are being targeted by conspiracy theorists and far-right narratives because they often feel hardest hit by efforts to limit climate change, particularly after the pandemic and energy crisis left many in financial difficulties. A [study](https://www.eunews.it/en/2024/06/03/farmers-protests-exploited-to-spread-fake-news-about-eu-climate-policy-study-nails-european-far-right/?ref=theferret.scot) last year found that over 80 per cent of those using EU farmers’ protests to spread misinformation belonged to far-right groups. *Main image: Tractors parked and road traffic at a standstill in the European Quarter in Brussels. Credit: European Commission (Christophe Licoppe)* ### Claim list shows MPs who voted against deporting foreign rapists is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-list-mps-vote-deporting-foreign-rapists-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T03:38:50.000Z **There has been renewed controversy over the UK Government’s handling of grooming gangs in recent weeks.** X owner Elon Musk made several posts about the issue, including a claim that UK politicians had shown reluctance to deal with foreign offenders. In one [related post](https://archive.is/ZkGFx?ref=theferret.scot), he shared an image that claimed to name MPs and Lords who had voted against deporting foreigners living in the UK convicted of rape. Musk told readers to “remember these names next election”. [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it **False**. ### **Evidence** The [scandal](https://news.sky.com/story/grooming-gangs-scandal-timeline-what-happened-what-inquiries-there-were-and-how-starmer-was-involved-after-elon-musks-accusations-13285021?ref=theferret.scot) around the UK state’s response to grooming gangs has been ongoing for a decade, and there have been a series of inquiries into how gangs were able to exploit vulnerable children. It has been claimed that authorities including the police were reluctant to look into exploitation allegations committed by British Asians to avoid [inflaming community tensions](https://news.sky.com/story/grooming-gangs-scandal-timeline-what-happened-what-inquiries-there-were-and-how-starmer-was-involved-after-elon-musks-accusations-13285021?ref=theferret.scot). Musk has made a number of interventions into UK politics since he took over the X platform, and has focussed recent criticism on Keir Starmer and other politicians for their handling of the grooming gangs scandal. His posts have sparked new interest in the issue. Analysis from [Sky News](https://news.sky.com/story/right-wing-accounts-on-x-prompted-elon-musk-to-find-interest-in-grooming-gangs-scandal-sky-news-analysis-finds-13285622?ref=theferret.scot) found Musk’s interest was sparked by a handful of right-wing accounts on the X platform, and posts about the issue significantly increased after he began to post about it. This has led to calls for a fresh inquiry into the issue, which the Conservative Party attempted to [add as an amendment](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/grooming-gang-amendment-mp-votes-map-b2675895.html?ref=theferret.scot) to Labour’s child welfare bill in the House of Commons this week. The proposed amendment was voted down. The [image](https://archive.is/ZkGFx?ref=theferret.scot) alleged MPs had voted down a bill aimed at deporting foreign-born people in the UK convicted of rape. It included a number of Scottish MPs. The UK Government already has the power to deport foreign nationals sentenced to a year or more in prison. [Section 32(5)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2007/30/section/32?ref=theferret.scot) of the UK Borders Act 2007 mandates that the home secretary must make a deportation order against a “foreign criminal”. This is defined in act as a person who has been convicted and sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for an offence. There are [certain exceptions](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2007/30/section/33?ref=theferret.scot) to this, where the deportation would breach international human rights legislation or the UK’s obligations on rights for refugees. British citizens cannot be deported, although [citizenship can be revoked](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06820/?ref=theferret.scot) if it is considered to be conducive to the public good, or if the citizenship was obtained by fraud. The list of MPs circulated by Musk actually showed more than 170 members who signed a [letter in 2020](https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Letter-to-PM-09022020-Nadia-Whittome.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) opposing plans to deport dozens of people convicted of crimes to Jamaica, after it emerged people on the flight had come to the UK as children as part of the Windrush generation. The letter, organised by [Labour MP Nadia Whittome](https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Letter-to-PM-09022020-Nadia-Whittome.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), urged the flight to be delayed until a then-anticipated [review](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-lessons-learned-review?ref=theferret.scot) of the scandal around the Windrush was completed. The review was [published](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-lessons-learned-review?ref=theferret.scot) in March of that year. The [Windrush generation](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/windrush-scandal-and-compensation-scheme/?ref=theferret.scot) were invited to come to the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971 as part of a bid to rebuild post-war Britain. An estimated 500,000 people arrived during this time, and were later granted leave to remain in the UK. In 2012, changes to immigration law meant many people who had arrived as children without their own documents were now unable to prove their status, and several were detained and removed from the country despite having lived as settled citizens for decades. The flight in 2020 that prompted the letter eventually did fly containing [17 people](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-02-12/HL1613?ref=theferret.scot) and the UK Government said two had been convicted of rape. Those who signed the letter were not voting against deporting people convicted of rape, but expressing concerns over the flight and issues surrounding the Windrush in general. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** The claim that the listed MPs had all voted against deporting foreign rapists is inaccurate. In fact, the list contained signatories to a letter expressing concern at the removal of people to Jamaica, many of whom were children when they came to the UK as part of the Windrush generation. ![This claim is false](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_5false-3.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Cover image thanks to [Daniel Oberhaus](https://www.flickr.com/photos/163370954@N08/?ref=theferret.scot), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)* *.* ### ‘Alarming’ environmental breaches spark calls for tougher action URL: https://www.theferret.scot/environmental-breaches-spark-calls-tougher-action/ Last updated: 2025-11-17T18:57:51.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-5.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Nuclear sites, King Charles’ childhood school and a famous battlefield were among nearly 1,000 sites across Scotland which broke environmental rules in the past two years.** The [Dounreay](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/dounreay/) nuclear facility in Caithness was found to be in breach of rules on eleven occasions in recent years, making it one of the most frequent offenders in Scotland. Dounreay – which houses radioactive waste – was a [hub](https://www.onr.org.uk/our-work/what-we-regulate/sellafield-decommissioning-fuel-and-waste/sites/dounreay/?ref=theferret.scot) of nuclear research between the 1950s and 1990s but is now the site of the largest nuclear clean up in Scotland. There was also a breach at the [Faslane](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/faslane/) naval base, although this did not involve radioactivity. Gordonstoun School in Moray – which the King attended between 1962 and 1967 – the visitor centre at the Culloden battlefield, and a host of whisky distilleries have also been rapped. The findings come from data released to The Ferret by the Scottish Government’s green watchdog, the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) (Sepa). The agency kept a further 25 sites which had broken rules secret. The Ferret understands this is because they house radioactive materials which governments fear could be targeted by terrorists aiming to build a dirty bomb. > That’s twice a day that companies are disregarding the environment, at the expense of all of us. > > Kim Pratt, Friends of the Earth Scotland Campaigners described it as “alarming” that environmental rule breaking was being uncovered “every 12 hours in Scotland”. One opposition politician questioned why “repeat offenders are continuing to get away with non-compliance” and suggested Sepa may need to “pursue more cases through to prosecution”. Sepa said compliance with Scotland’s environmental laws is “non-negotiable” and that it is taking “effective action against those who have failed to comply” with rules. ### **‘New approach’** Sepa issues [authorisations](https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/authorisations-and-permits/?ref=theferret.scot) to businesses to carry out activities which could cause pollution to the environment. Sepa determines whether companies are complying with the rules laid out in these authorisations by carrying out inspections and sampling at business and industry sites across the country. Companies also report breaches to Sepa themselves. The agency used to publish [annual reports](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/compliance/?ref=theferret.scot) on its website which ranked over 5,000 sites’ environmental performance on a scale from ‘very poor’ to ‘excellent’. Previous sites to be [damned](https://www.theferret.scot/trump-gordonstoun-gleneagles-poor/) for their performance included Gordonstoun, Donald Trump’s golf courses, and the luxury five-star Gleneagles hotel. But the last of these reports was for 2019 and information about environmental rule breaking has not been available in recent years, which Sepa blames on the Covid-19 pandemic and a [criminal cyber attack](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-cyber-attack-costs-double/) in late 2020\. The attack caused the body to [lose](https://www.thenational.scot/news/19902913.ferret-disaster-warning-sepa-admits-15-months-data-lost-cyber-attack/?ref=theferret.scot) a host of information on environmental checks and pollution breaches. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-10-164301.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-cyber-attack-costs-double/) In the aftermath of these issues, Sepa said it was developing a “[new approach](https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/authorisations-and-permits/environmental-performance-assessment-scheme/?ref=theferret.scot)” to compliance. As The Ferret reported in 2023, campaigners and a former Sepa boss [feared](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-may-stop-naming-rule-breaking-polluters/) that this would impact transparency and mean the body stopped publicly naming and shaming businesses who flout rules. Compliance information for 2023 and 2024 was only released following a [freedom of information](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/freedom-of-information/) request by The Ferret. Detailed information about the reasons for breaches was not provided. Sepa says the new compliance information is not comparable to the assessments prior to 2020 because it includes “different parameters”. Sites are considered either ‘compliant’, ‘non-compliant’, or ‘major non-compliant’ at different times but are not given an overall rating. In total, 966 sites were found to be breaking rules at least once in the last two years and there were 1,616 instances of non-compliance overall, although some of these might be minor administrative issues. Over 600 of the breaches were in the more serious ‘major non-compliant’ category. Many facilities that Sepa regulates were not assessed in that period, meaning the extent of rule breaking could be even higher. “The number of authorisations which remain to be assessed is approximately 184,000,” Sepa says. ![Image description: The image shows the Tobermory Distillery on the Isle of Mull. The distillery features traditional stone and whitewashed buildings, with a prominent sign reading "Tobermory Est. 1798 Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky." The entrance to the distillery is marked by an archway with "Tobermory Distillery" written above it, leading to a courtyard.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/tobermory_distillery_isle_of_mull.jpg) The Tobermory whisky distillery on Mull (pictured) faced multiple violations in 2023 and 2024, breaking regulations seven times, including five major breaches. Image: [Alastair Maw](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tobermory%5FDistillery,%5FIsle%5Fof%5FMull.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Nuclear and whisky** All eleven of the breaches at Dounreay were in the less serious ‘non-compliant’ category and three took place before 2023\. Sepa said they were due to failures with “process and procedures” for dealing with radioactive materials rather than releases of pollution to the environment. A spokesperson for Dounreay claimed the “overriding priority” at the site is to “protect people and the environment from harm”. They added that Dounreay operates an “open and transparent” approach which means regulators are told directly about non-compliance, but did not provide any further information about any of the breaches. Faslane – home to the UK’s nuclear weapons – was rapped for breaking rules in July 2024\. The [Ministry of Defence](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/ministry-of-defence/) said this was due to an issue with the sewage treatment works at the base which has now been resolved and was not related to any nuclear material. The Tobermory whisky distillery on Mull was also a repeat offender in 2023 and 2024, and was found to have broken rules on seven occasions, with five instances considered to be major. It was one of dozens of whisky sites that broke rules. In total, distilleries were responsible for 60 breaches in the last two years with 40 of these considered major. The trade body for the whisky industry claimed “the vast majority of Scotch whisky sites are “consistently compliant with Sepa regulations”. “The industry continues to work with Sepa and others to go above and beyond compliance requirements to ensure minimal environmental impact,” a spokesperson for the Scotch Whisky Association claimed. > We need to see the Scottish Government finally treating environment protection as the priority it should be. > > Liam McArthur MSP, Scottish Liberal Democrats A fish processing facility in the north east town of Boddam, owned by Thistle Seafoods, had the most instances of major non-compliance. It had nine of this more serious type of breach. Sepa said these were a result of high levels of suspended solids – particles which can damage the health of aquatic life – in waste water coming from the site. Sepa is working with Thistle Seafoods to return the facility to compliance and is satisfied that the company is taking necessary steps to fix the issue, it said. The Kinneil terminal, owned by oil and gas giant [Ineos](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/ineos/), had four breaches, two of which were major. Kinneil’s environmental performance was consistently [ranked](https://www.theferret.scot/ineos-damned-poor-pollution-grangemouth/) as either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ between 2014 and 2019 as a result of gas flaring at the site, which processes oil from the North Sea. Gordonstoun – which [costs](https://www.gordonstoun.org.uk/fees?ref=theferret.scot) over £20,000 a term to attend as a boarder – said its breach was the result of an “accidental leak from a heating oil tank which was immediately reported to Sepa” and was “thoroughly” cleaned up. “This was the only occasion in the last five years where we were not compliant,” a spokesperson added. The visitor centre at the Culloden battlefield – where the Jacobite Rising of 1745 came to a bloody end – was considered to have committed a major breach in September 2024. Some of the ultraviolet lights (UV) in the sewage plant at the Culloden site were found to be broken, the National Trust for Scotland said. These UV lights, which are used to disinfect wastewater, were fixed eight days after the issue was raised, the Trust added. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/1024px-visitor_centre_at_culloden_battlefield_-_geograph-org_-uk_-_4601455.jpg) The Culloden battlefield visitor centre (pictured) was found to have committed a major breach in September 2024 due to broken UV lights in its sewage plant, fixed eight days after the issue was raised. Image: [Alpin Stewart](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Visitor%5FCentre%5Fat%5FCulloden%5FBattlefield%5F-%5Fgeograph.org.uk%5F-%5F4601455.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) ### **‘Twice a day’** The extent of rule breaking by firms across Scotland has prompted concerns from campaigners and politicians. Kim Pratt, who campaigns with [Friends of the Earth Scotland](https://foe.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed the “alarming” figures released by Sepa suggested environmental rule breaking was being uncovered “every 12 hours in Scotland”. “That’s twice a day that companies are disregarding the environment, at the expense of all of us,” Pratt claimed. “Environmental regulation is an essential part of protecting Scotland from pollution and as environmental crises deepen, such regulation has never been more needed. But to be effective, it needs to be enforced.” The Scottish Greens’ environment spokesperson, Mark Ruskell MSP, also raised concerns about enforcement and that sites seemed to be able to repeatedly “flaunt the law”. Ruskell argued: “We need to ask why repeat offenders are continuing to get away with non-compliance. It may need a change in the law to increase penalties or Sepa to pursue more cases through to prosecution.” In October, The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/environmental-prosecutions-plummet-sepa/) that successful prosecutions of rulebreakers after referrals by Sepa had declined from 18 to zero over the last ten years. Liam McArthur MSP, the climate crisis spokesperson for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said it was “troubling to see so many breaches across the country”. “Sepa should explain how it is dealing with these breaches and what wider steps it is taking to prevent them from happening again, especially in cases of repeat offenders,” McArthur said. “We need to see the Scottish Government finally treating environment protection as the priority it should be.” Sepa said it aims to “ensure that all businesses reach environmental compliance at a minimum and go beyond it where possible”. “We are clear that compliance with Scotland’s environmental laws is non-negotiable,” a spokesperson said. The spokesperson noted that tools at Sepa’s disposal to ensure compliance include fines and reports to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal. But “identifying and preventing potential non-compliances before they occur” was also a “fundamental” part of the agency’s work, they added. The companies and organisations which own all of the sites named in this story were contacted for comment. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: iStock/deemac1* *This story was updated at 11:13 on 13/01/2025 to correct the claim that the Kinneil Terminal is in West Lothian.* ### Scotland’s first safer consumption space opens its doors URL: https://www.theferret.scot/uk-first-safer-consumption-space-opens-doors/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T04:39:56.000Z With its coarse leaves, jaggy spikes and purple blooms – the thistle is known as Scotland’s national flower. Now it is also the name of the UK’s first safer drug consumption facility, opening in Glasgow’s east-end on Monday, 13 January. Like its jaggy botanical namesake this drug injection centre – almost [a decade in the planning](https://glasgowcity.hscp.scot/sites/default/files/publications/Item%20No%2007%20-%20Implementation%20of%20a%20Safer%20Drug%20Consumption%20Facility.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) – has been a thorny issue. It’s considered bold and beautiful by many though met with more ambivalence by others. But now, managers claim, it’s time to prove that this approach can work and save lives. They reject criticisms of £2.3m costs, pointing out that specialist services for other health conditions – from cancer to kidney failure – would not be held up to the same level of scrutiny. And they claim that its trauma informed approach will help marginalised people traditionally excluded from services access the support they need. The service, which will open daily from 9am to 9pm, is designed to reduce overdoses by providing a safe and clean place for an estimated [400 people](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-first-safer-injection-site-drugs-crisis/) who inject drugs such as heroin and cocaine in Glasgow’s city centre. It will not provide facilities for people to smoke drugs at this stage, although work is ongoing to develop this service. Neither will [drug testing](https://www.crew.scot/the-scottish-drug-checking-project/?ref=theferret.scot) be available when it opens on Monday, though this is also due to be made available at Glasgow’s Hunter Street complex, where both the Thistle and the [assisted heroin treatment ](https://www.theferret.scot/nhs-tayside-heroin-assisted-treatment-glasgow-pilot/)service are also based. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/the-thistlej45800.jpg) Injecting equipment is provided at the site. Picture by Angela Catlin While on the premises drug users will not be prosecuted for possession. Those attending can also ask for help to reduce their drug use or access treatment services including drug rehab as well as being able to access support with housing or health services. #### Promoting safer drug use Early this week The Ferret was given a pre-opening tour of the Thistle, with its muted colour palette, sleek reception area and “chat rooms” – a more informal name for consultation rooms suggested by an advisory panel with experience of drug use. The same panel gave the Thistle its name, advised on its layout and helped recruit staff. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/the-thistlej45808-2.jpg) Dr. Saket Priyadarshi, clinical director of the service, admits it is not “a silver bullet”. Inside the injecting space, eight brightly lit mirrored booths dominate behind a nursing station where injecting equipment will be provided to drug users, who bring their own drugs with them. Initially they might pass for vanity tables. But the large floor space behind them – where staff can give revive someone if they collapse due to overdose, along with oxygen tanks and access to an ambulance bay, are a reminder of the serious purpose of this facility. Through the doors from the recovery area is a lounge with comfy chairs, a bookcase and kitchenette where people can make tea and coffee. The aim is to offer some respite from complicated and often harrowing lives after using the injection space and support from harm reduction workers, some of whom have experience of drug addiction. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/the-thistlej45805-4.jpg) Health care rooms are available for medical treatment. In this still empty room there is a feeling of calm that belies the political battle it took to get to this stage. First proposed officially in 2016, in response to [Glasgow’s HIV epidemic](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-48914110?ref=theferret.scot) affecting injecting drug users, permission was initially [blocked by the Home Office](https://www.scotsman.com/news/crime/home-office-criticised-for-refusing-drug-consumption-room-in-glasgow-1419762?ref=theferret.scot) under the then Conservative government. In August 2023 [Westminster’s Home Affairs Committee](https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6534/drugs/?ref=theferret.scot) recommended pilots of safe consumption facilities in areas across the UK where local government and others deem there is a need. A month later Scotland’s [Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/about-copfs/news/lord-advocate-s-statement-on-pilot-safer-drug-consumption-facility/?ref=theferret.scot) confirmed that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute and the safe consumption room was[ given the green light ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66929385?ref=theferret.scot)by Glasgow City Council with the backing of the Scottish government. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-09-at-20-45-35.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-first-safer-injection-site-drugs-crisis/) “Politically, all eyes are now on Glasgow,” explains [councillor Allan Casey](https://onlineservices.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/member.asp?id=2425&t=Councillor+Allan+Casey&ref=theferret.scot), city convenor for workforce, homelessness and addiction services. “Some people are watching with skepticism. Some people are watching with interest because they want to do the same thing as we’re doing. “So there will be a huge amount of pressure on the service to make sure we get it right, not just for the service as a whole, but for the individuals who will be using it. We know across the world that the safe consumption rooms do work. But we need to demonstrate that this works within the context of the UK.” Similar overdose prevention sites and consumption facilities have opened at more than 100 sites in 11 countries over the last 30 years. Ahead of the new Glasgow service opening, The Ferret visited one such project, the [Mosspark Consumption and Treatment Service](https://www.srchc.ca/programs/community-health/consumption-and-treatment-service-moss-park/?ref=theferret.scot) in Toronto, to find out what difference its community-focussed approach can make. Our [podcast](https://www.theferret.scot/heal-saving-lives-toronto-toxic-drug-crisis/) follows drug users and staff through a day-in-the-life of this service, exploring its roots in civil disobedience and its ongoing fight for recognition. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-09-at-20-46-08.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/heal-saving-lives-toronto-toxic-drug-crisis/) Yet even managers here claim that in the midst of both [drug death](https://sdf.org.uk/scotlands-public-health-emergency-continues/?ref=theferret.scot) and [housing emergencies ](https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/11508/Glasgow-s-housing-emergency?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Glasgow%20City%20Council%20declared%20a,are%20legally%20entitled%20to%20support.)in the city it is “important that we don’t think that this, on its own, is a silver bullet for the drug related death crisis in Glasgow”. “It’s another part of a system of care, another piece of the jigsaw, responding to a very complex problem,” Dr. Saket Priyadarshi, clinical director of the service claims. In 2023, there were [1,172 drug related deaths](https://publichealthscotland.scot/news/2024/august/drug-related-deaths-increase-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) registered in Scotland, an increase of 12 percent (121 deaths) compared with the previous year. Meanwhile about 30 people are [sleeping on the streets](https://www.theferret.scot/homeless-agencies-warn-of-rise-in-rough-sleeping/) of Glasgow every night, with thousands waiting for homes in often unsuitable temporary accommodation. While nurses and other staff will work hard to ensure that everyone here can be housed, there is also recognition that occasions will arise when all the city’s emergency accommodation is full. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/the-thistlej45811.jpg) Managers admit some people may leave the centre homeless due to the housing emergency in the city. “The fact of the matter is, there’ll be people leaving here who will be rough sleeping that night,” admits Dr Priyadarshi. “We will be working very hard to get them into places. But undoubtedly there will be situations where that happens.” It’s a situation councillor Casey says he wants to “avoid at all costs” but he admits that housing pressures on the city are at critical levels. Some are doubtful this is the approach that will make the difference. [Annie Wells MSP, Scottish Conservative](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/annie-wells?ref=theferret.scot) drugs spokesperson told The Ferret: “The SNP cannot continue to pin all their hopes on this new drug consumption room.” She claims the government should be looking at a wider range of solutions, including backing the Conservative’s [Right to Recovery bill](https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/s6/right-to-addiction-recovery-scotland-bill?ref=theferret.scot), which would give drug users legal right to treatment including access to rehab. “While we cautiously welcome this pilot, we have serious reservations about how effective it will be,” she added. Others claim that the service does not go far enough. [Paul Sweeney](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/paul-sweeney?ref=theferret.scot), the Labour MSP for Glasgow who volunteered with activist Peter Krykant on [an unsanctioned overdose prevention van](https://www.theferret.scot/illegal-injection-van-hundreds-lives/) in Glasgow, prior to being elected to the Scottish Parliament, says he has “witnessed first-hand its life-saving potential”. The unsanctioned overdose prevention van supervised around 1,000 injections and saved eight lives that would have been otherwise lost to an overdose according to an [independent evaluation](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360373956%5FThe%5FUnited%5FKingdom's%5Ffirst%5Funsanctioned%5Foverdose%5Fprevention%5Fsite%5FA%5Fproof-of-concept%5Fevaluation?ref=theferret.scot). Sweeney has since been involved in the long-running campaign to see an official site open. “The state has finally caught up,” he added. “But the official pilot on Hunter Street is by no means the panacea to Scotland’s drug crisis. “To reach its full potential, the site must be expanded to 24-hour operation’. He claimed more “pastoral support” and recovery focussed services should be integrated into the service. There has been criticism too of the [costs](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-40232433?ref=theferret.scot), given the relatively small number of city centre users this is likely to serve. But Dr Priyadarshi says he no longer feels the need to justify the expense. “I’m the clinical lead for a service for a group of people that I know have some of the highest mortality rates of any population in Scotland,” he says. “They die prematurely. They cause a huge amount of impact on the Scottish burden of disease \[a study of population health\]. The effect that they have on their families, their communities, is massive. “So I don’t see why we should not be spending money on reducing the mortality rates of even a small group of people with the levels of problems they have. If I was the clinical lead for an oncology service or a renal dialysis service or a neurosurgical unit, you wouldn’t be asking those questions. “For me, it would be harder to justify why we’re not doing this than justifying why we’re doing this.” Images by Angela Catlin ### How Scotland became a ‘culture war’ lightning rod URL: https://www.theferret.scot/how-scotland-became-a-culture-war-lightning-rod/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T04:41:02.000Z **The so-called ‘culture war’ has impacted politics across the globe. Populist outsider candidates and traditional political parties are, more than ever, using ideological wedge issues to appeal to voters and criticise the values of their opponents.** [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-24.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) In recent years, Scotland has been the focus of such debates, becoming something of a lightning rod for several right-wing and libertarian culture warriors who have criticised the Scottish Government for pursuing what they feel are radical ‘woke’ policies and curbing liberties. But what are the issues that have made Scotland part of the global culture war? Ferret Fact Service explains. Significant battles of the ‘culture war’ have been largely fought online, with the globalised nature of the internet allowing for debates and disinformation around issues such as reproductive rights, race and civil liberties to reach around the world. ### **Humza Yousaf’s racism speech** Former first minister and SNP politician Humza Yousaf faced criticism in Scotland and across the UK during his time as first minister , but it was a relatively low-profile speech made three years before that catapulted Yousaf into the global online culture war. While justice secretary in 2020, Yousaf [made a speech](https://youtu.be/M%5FFubSPZNSs?t=7141&ref=theferret.scot) in a Scottish Parliament debate entitled ‘Showing solidarity with anti-racism’. It took place in June that year, just weeks after the murder of Black American George Floyd [by a police officer](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-57618356?ref=theferret.scot) in Minneapolis. Floyd’s death sparked a series of protests across the US and the rest of the world, and brought the Black Lives Matter protest movement to global attention. In his speech, Yousaf described his anger that racism still persists across the world, and referred to experiences of racial abuse he had faced as a Scottish Asian, since becoming an MSP. He argued then that Scotland was not “immune” to racism, and referenced the “unconscious, the subtle, the overt, the institutional and the structural racism”. To underline his point, he went on to list senior positions across Scottish public life that were then held by white people. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-08-160747.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-humza-yousaf-made-anti-white-speech-is-false/) He said: “Some people have been surprised or taken aback by my mention on my social media that at 99 per cent of the meetings that I go to, I am the only non-white person in the room. “Why are we so surprised when the most senior positions in Scotland are filled almost exclusively by people who are white? Take my portfolio, for example. The lord president? White, the lord justice clerk? White, every high court judge? White, the lord advocate? White, the solicitor general? White, the chief constable? White, every deputy chief constable? White, every assistant chief constable? White, the head of the Law Society? White, the head of the Faculty of Advocates? White, every prison governor? White. “And not just \[in\] justice. The chief medical officer? White, the chief nursing officer? White, the chief veterinary officer? White, the chief social work adviser? White, almost every trade union in the country, headed by people who are white. In the Scottish Government every director general is white. Every chair of every public body is white. That is not good enough.” This section of his speech has been clipped up and posted numerous times on social media, often accompanied by the suggestion that Yousaf is being an anti-white racist. It formed part of a lengthy speech which ended with the Glasgow Pollok MSP repeating the final words said by George Floyd as he died, ending with “I can’t breathe”. This phrase became a rallying call for protests against police brutality following Floyd’s murder. The debate in its entirety was posted on the Scottish Parliament’s [YouTube channel](https://youtu.be/M%5FFubSPZNSs?t=7141&ref=theferret.scot) on 10 June 2023, and [Yousaf used a portion](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=185423522849403) of the speech, including the list of senior positions, on his social media channels two days later. This speech began to get traction in Scotland and the UK a few weeks after it was posted online. It was featured in a number of YouTube clips and on social platforms, including a YouTube video, [posted by](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o38MtcvRFPg&ref=theferret.scot) the [Scottish Family Party](https://scottishfamily.org/?ref=theferret.scot) on 18 June that year, called ‘Humza Yousaf, racism and Islam. The truth’. But it really began to take off online outside of Scotland when Scottish Government plans for hate crime legislation were criticised. It was used on [August 11 2020 as part of a video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF%5Fr-CVvaIc&ref=theferret.scot) by [Rebel News](https://www.rebelnews.com/?ref=theferret.scot), a Canadian right-wing news commentary brand, with nearly 1.7m subscribers on YouTube. The video, fronted by Rebel News founder Ezra Levant, uses a portion of the speech and then describes Yousaf as “pretty racist”. Yousaf’s ultimately successful bid to become the leader of the SNP and first minister in 2023 led to a resurgence of the video among right-wing influencers in the US and Canada. Videos of the speech posted on X gained millions of views; shared by US-based accounts of right-wing influencers like [Laura Witzke](https://x.com/LaurenWitzkeDE?ref=theferret.scot) and far-right channels such as [Red Ice TV](https://x.com/redicetv?ref=theferret.scot), as well as videos boosted by Canadian psychologist and right-wing ‘anti-woke’ [campaigner, Jordan Peterson](https://x.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1640360016409509889?ref=theferret.scot). But it was when the clip caught the [attention of](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1821912761078632747?ref=theferret.scot) billionaire X owner Elon Musk, that it became a truly global phenomenon. Responding to the speech posted by a popular far-right account called End Wokeness in 2023 – the video now has more than eight million views on the platform – Musk called the former first minister “blatantly racist”. Musk has [continued to describe](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-67241312?ref=theferret.scot) Yousaf as racist, and has dared the former first minister to sue him. Yousaf has [called Musk](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-67241312?ref=theferret.scot) a “dangerous race baiter who must be held to account for his actions”. ### **Misgendering and the hate crime bill** Renewed controversy around Yousaf’s speech is closely linked to the controversial implementation of Scotland’s hate crime bill. The [Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14?ref=theferret.scot) came into force on 1 April 2024, after years of disagreement about the language and scope of the legislation. Criticism of the law came from [artists including](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scottish-law-jail-misgendering-false/) Rowan Atkinson, Elaine C Smith and novelist Chris Brookmyre, alongside campaigners, who argued the legislation could impact freedom of speech in Scotland. The inclusion of transgender identity as one of the characteristics protected under the new law was perhaps most contentious, and brought criticism from many, such as novelist JK Rowling. Transgender rights have become a major ideological battle in the UK and US. Videos and articles on the proposed laws were posted by US and Canadian right-wing creators and channels across social media, including the influential Rebel News. Elon Musk [shared](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1832449422724309271?ref=theferret.scot) a video from former Fox News anchor [John Stossel](https://x.com/JohnStossel/status/1832422067658223759?ref=theferret.scot) claiming Scotland had “banned misgendering” and people could face “seven years in jail if \[they\] misgender someone”. This is [not included in the law](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scottish-law-jail-misgendering-false/), and the bar for an offence linked to someone’s transgender identity requires a person to be considered “threatening or abusive”, rather than just insulting. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-08-161005.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scottish-law-jail-misgendering-false/) ### **Abortion, buffer zones and the right to pray** Scotland’s recent law placing so-called buffer zones around abortion facilities in Scotland led to significant criticism from anti-abortion campaigners across the world, and again placed Scottish politics in the crosshairs of global culture warriors focussed on one of the world’s most contentious issues. The legislation was featured in a number of videos and [articles](https://www.christianpost.com/news/praying-at-home-may-be-criminal-offense-in-scotland-under-new-law.html?ref=theferret.scot) across US right-wing and Christian media. Much of the criticism focussed around false claims that the law would make prayer illegal. One such video was produced by [Isabel Brown](https://www.tiktok.com/@theisabelbrown/video/7430856090671287598?lang=en&ref=theferret.scot), an American TikTok creator with more than 500,000 followers and 15.4m likes on her videos. She posts content that has a pro-Christian, pro-Donald Trump and anti-abortion stance. In a video posted on TikTok, she claimed “So theoretically praying silently inside of your own house is now illegal in Scotland”. Her video, posted before Donald Trump’s victory in the US Presidential election, warned “the exact same legislation is coming to the United States”. Using a familiar trope, Brown then states that she is becoming less surprised by “how far the elites are willing to go to silence and suppress freedom of expression”. A fellow Christian YouTube creator called Cliff Buell, who has more than 500,000 followers, also posted similar thoughts on the law, saying the legislation would be coming to America if Christians don’t “stand up, speak out and vote”. His [YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6FX%5FrKjY6eI?ref=theferret.scot) has more than 12,000 likes. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-08-161547.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-law-bans-praying-silently-at-home-is-false/) ### **Personal freedoms and owning chickens** Even poultry has been drawn into the international debate around personal freedom and government overreach. An AI-generated image of a man surrounded by chickens being arrested by body armour-clad police was widely-shared by a number of popular accounts on X this year. The image’s text misleadingly claimed that owning a single chicken without properly registering it would lead to a £5,000 fine or even jail time. This came from reports in the UK media that Scotland had implemented a registration for chickens, amid outbreaks of bird flu. This register is real, but according to the Scottish Government, it is extremely unlikely that someone [who fails to register one chicken](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-jail-time-unregistered-chickens-half-true/) will receive close to a £5,000 fine or any jail sentence. However, reports of this new policy [made their way](https://x.com/HSENETWORK/status/1801110453969412342?ref=theferret.scot) around the world, cited by websites sharing [American libertarian](https://americanmilitarynews.com/2024/04/chicken-owners-required-to-register-with-uk-govt/?ref=theferret.scot) and ‘pro-liberty’ views. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-08-161751.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-jail-time-unregistered-chickens-half-true/) The image and attached claim was shared by prominent X accounts including [Wall Street Silver](https://x.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1800754904018894861?ref=theferret.scot), a user with 1.5m followers who has made posts associated with conspiracy theories around the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Covid-19 vaccine. This led to numerous articles in [UK newspapers](https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/comment/snp-government-really-planning-jail-33061341?ref=theferret.scot) and forced denials from the Scottish Government and the UK’s department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra). [They stated](https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.363A9J9?ref=theferret.scot) that the highest penalties would be for people who were deliberately endangering public health, not those who did not register a chicken. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Main image: [Ministério Das Comunicações](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Conectividade%5Fe%5FProte%C3%A7%C3%A3o%5Fda%5FAmaz%C3%B4nia%5Fcom%5FElon%5FMusk.png?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Become a director of The Ferret URL: https://www.theferret.scot/become-a-director-of-the-ferret/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T04:41:02.000Z **Are you interested in supporting independent, investigative journalism in Scotland and the UK?** Are you already a fan of The Ferret and want to help it grow? Would you like to be part of deciding our future direction as an organisation, as we head into our tenth year? The Ferret is an award-winning Scottish not-for-profit, non-partisan investigative journalism cooperative, owned by our journalists and our readers. We strive to reflect the diverse population we serve in both our journalism and on our board and are currently looking to expand the experience and expertise on our board. You can find out more about our current directors [on our website](https://www.theferret.scot/about-us/). If you’d like to discuss or have any questions, please get in touch with our current chair [Rachel Hamada](mailto:rachel@theferret.scot) or our board secretary [Jamie Mann](mailto:jamie@theferret.scot). ### **Overview** The board of directors is responsible for the oversight and governance of The Ferret. It is elected at a yearly Annual General Meeting (AGM) by Ferret members – the next one is on 21 March 2025\. The Ferret is a registered society regulated by the [Financial Conduct Authority](https://www.fca.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), and our journalism is independently regulated by [Impress.](https://www.impress.press/?ref=theferret.scot) You can view our governing document [here](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/rules.pdf). We have three types of directors. You can become an independent director, a reader director if you are a Ferret member, or a journalist director if you are a working journalist. ### **What to expect** The board of directors meets roughly eight times per year – including the AGM – and meetings are usually held online, although sometimes can take place in Edinburgh or Glasgow. The Ferret relies on a suite of digital tools to manage day-to-day coordination and decision-making without swamping everyone with emails. If you are thinking of becoming a director, some familiarity with Google Docs and Slack would be helpful. Don’t worry if you don’t know these tools, we can provide training. As a cooperative, we use consensus decision-making and working groups to get things done. You may be invited to form or participate in additional groups that meet independently of the board, or to collaborate on project work. The time commitment for the role should not exceed 2-3 hours per month, though there may on occasion be a busy period. None of our directors are paid for their role – The Ferret is a not-for-profit outlet that ploughs any profit back into the work of the organisation. However, if a director is asked to get involved in a more substantial administrative or operational task, they will be paid at The Ferret’s day rate (currently £145). Reasonable expenses, such as travel costs or accessibility adaptations, incurred by directors in the course of carrying out their role, will be reimbursed. ### **What are the benefits of getting involved?** The Ferret punches above its weight in terms of political, social and environmental impact through its investigative journalism. By joining us, you will: – Become part of a genuinely innovative and different media platform that is accountable solely to its workers and members. – Learn new skills. – Come along to Ferret events and socials for free. – Have access to extremely cool Ferret merch… ### **The Ferret’s Chair** We also welcome any interest in applying as chair or co-chair – our current chair will soon be stepping back to director level. Being a chair involves additional responsibilities, such as planning and chairing board meetings and other key meetings, ensuring legal and financial oversight, and line managing senior staff. The chair or co-chair will be paid a stipend (£145/month on the basis of one day’s work per month) for the additional responsibilities involved. Our current chair can talk you through what is involved and a new chair or co-chairs would receive training as a matter of priority. ### **Creating an inclusive board** In order to promote gender balance on the board, the appointment process for journalist director posts will ensure at minimum three places for women and/or anyone identifying outside the gender binary. The same principle shall not be applied to the reader director elections as there are only three places. However, the board will consider gender balance when appointing independent directors. The recruitment process is designed to be inclusive, and we are particularly keen to hear from people who haven’t previously been on a board – if you have doubts or questions but think you might be interested, please do get in touch with us for a chat. We encourage applications from people from oppressed or marginalised backgrounds. We also strive to ensure there are no barriers to application and to carrying out the role. If you do come across any barriers that we should address, please let us know. ### **What kind of role should I apply for?** ![Ferret-BW.png](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXf1nhWOPcs-LNCXhJHWOHvU8JQS-gfWtbKhQkINo3UA-L4x_e43f_-ikkp5lpp9siPRki3kKlOiuc5w6LdVOkNC95VdOKmL6H-xoVL0jxSqSHlAu1KMrehOh_nK2-3hpCZvdcee8w?key=94ATCl2mBe5zQDuHwCzkm7Zy) ### **Reader Directors** A maximum of three reader directors are elected to the board each year by reader members. Reader directors take part in board decisions, may participate in committees and working groups, and, importantly, independently assess any formal complaints as part of our complaints policy. Reader directors are restricted from membership of the Editorial Committee and do not take part in editorial decision-making. ### **Independent Directors** Independent directors are appointed by other directors each year, after the AGM. There can be a maximum of three independent directors. This allows us to ensure that a broader range of experience and skills are represented on the board. Independent directors do not need to be paying members of the cooperative to apply, but would be expected to join if they were appointed. To apply to be either a Reader Director or an Independent Director, you can use [this form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJOaBUm9XEHKUfwjoTzLfgO3Xgn7mn0s2sh5bG8bHHrxOy4g/viewform?usp=sf%5Flink&ref=theferret.scot). If you would prefer to answer the questions by using audio or video, please send your recordings to [info@theferret.scot](mailto:info@theferret.scot) with the subject line Board Application. Should there be more candidates than places available on the board, an election will be held. If there is an election, we will not circulate your CV, but we will share a candidate statement to all members eligible to vote. The results will be announced as soon as possible following the completion of both online and offline votes. All Independent Director candidates will be invited to an informal half hour conversation with existing directors ahead of the AGM. Thanks for your interest! ### For Fact’s Sake podcast LIVE: How do we tackle online misogyny? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/for-facts-sake-podcast-how-tackle-online-misogyny/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T04:41:03.000Z **Misogyny has existed throughout history, but in recent years a newly-packaged form has taken hold online, promoted by influencers and online communities with thousands of young, male followers including in Scotland.** The Ferret hosted a panel discussion to discuss the issues, chaired by equality campaigner and researcher [Talat Yaqoob](https://linktr.ee/talatyaqoob?ref=theferret.scot), which we recorded for a special live For Fact’s Sake podcast. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-25.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) On the panel were: **Lisa Sugiura**: Associate Professor in Cybercrime and Gender at the University of Portsmouth, and author of The Incel Rebellion: The Rise of the Manosphere and the Virtual War Against Women **Clare Duffy**: Playwright and founder of Civic Digits Theatre Company. Their new project, Many Good Men, examines the impact of incel culture and how young men can fight against it. **Iain Corbett**: Youth worker and participation advisor for Strathclyde University’s Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice. He has been leading “positive masculinity” workshops inside Polmont Young Offenders Institute, looking at what it means to be a 21st century man, so-called toxic masculinity, and online misogyny. **Katie Horsburgh**: Policy and Practice Office for Children and Young People at Scottish charity Zero Tolerance, which works to end men’s violence against women through tackling gender inequality [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2025-01-08-131646.png)](https://player.captivate.fm/episode/964ccd2c-91b2-4333-8005-4f3038d82ec5?ref=theferret.scot) **Show notes:** - We [investigated solutions](https://www.theferret.scot/toxic-how-tackle-rise-misogyny-online-hate/) in Scotland to online misogynistic radicalisation. - Read our explainer on t[he rise of online misogyny](https://www.theferret.scot/explained-the-rise-of-online-misogyny/). - Lisa Sugiura’s book is [available here](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Incel-Rebellion-Manosphere-Virtual-Technology/dp/1839822570?ref=theferret.scot). - Read more about Civic Digits’ ‘Many Good Men’ [project here](https://www.zerotolerance.org.uk/resources/Many-Good-Men.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Image: a snapshot of the event* ### NatureScot axes free service for people needing advice on bats URL: https://www.theferret.scot/bats-service-scotland-axed/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T04:41:03.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-7.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **The Scottish Government’s nature agency is to axe a free service for people needing advice on bats in a move critics fear could result in “desperate householders” illegally destroying bat roosts.** From next April people will have to pay for guidance on how to manage bats roosting in their roofs following a decision by NatureScot to scrap its free [Bats in Houses](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/licensing/species-licensing-z-guide/bats/bats-advice-homeowners?ref=theferret.scot) service. The move will involve the redundancy of 27 bat workers, employed on zero hour contracts, for a saving of around £30,000 from NatureScot’s annual budget of £68.2m. Under the Bats In Houses scheme householders with concerns about bats were able call a helpline and, if necessary, organise a visit from an experienced bat worker to agree a suitable course of action. Bats are a protected species and the service has been in operation since 2003. > We all see this as an ill-chosen backward step that is going to ultimately lead to a lot of bad publicity for bats, desperate householders and potentially to many illegally destroyed bat roosts. > > John Haddow Despite the apparent need for savings, NatureScot has not announced any plans to cut or freeze the salaries of the eight members of its senior management team which added up to £679,000 in [2022/23](https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/2024-02/naturescot-annual-report-january-2023-accessible.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). Pay rates at the body for [the last financial yea](https://www.nature.scot/doc/senior-leadership-team-pay-bands?ref=theferret.scot)r ranged from a minimum of £73,446 for deputy directors to £119,574 for the chief executive. One critic of the move said NatureScot’s decision was “an ill-chosen backward step” that could lead to “desperate householders” illegally destroying bat roosts. The Bat Conservation Trust said it was not consulted as part of the review and “did not agree” with the decision to scrap the scheme. In reply NatureScot said that its “aim is that a well-managed helpline staffed by skilled and knowledgeable individuals” will be offered as a service next year. As endangered species, bats are fully protected under UK and European law. It is an offence to kill them or damage their roosts. Species regularly recorded in houses include soprano pipistrelles, which prefer to roost in crevices above wall heads and under loose slates, and brown long eared bats, which favour large open roof voids. Maternity colonies, where female bats gather to give birth to their young in the summer months, and hibernating bats in the winter are particularly vulnerable to disturbance. A reply by NatureScot to a freedom of information (FOI) request shows that – as a result of advice from Bats In Houses last year – 33 roosts including three different bat species and 1976 individual bats were saved from being evicted from their roosts. By the end of November 2024, the helpline had received 409 calls, 219 of which were dealt with on the phone – and 90 of those resulted in follow-up home visits. > Bat protection remains a high priority and we will continue to ensure that appropriate advice and guidance is available. > > NatureScot spokesperson The FOI request also revealed that BCT’s chief executive wrote to NatureScot as early as April 2024 expressing concerns about ending the scheme, and warning about the subsequent negative impact on bat conservation including the potential for direct loss of bat roosts from illegal blocking. The NatureScot FOI response included the combined minutes of three Bats In House meetings attended by observers from BCT, where bat workers were described as being “exasperated” by service being scrapped as it delivered such “very good value for money”. John Haddow is one of the UK’s most experienced bat workers and has been part of the Bats In House team since it began two decades ago. He said: “We all see this as an ill-chosen backward step that is going to ultimately lead to a lot of bad publicity for bats, desperate householders and potentially to many illegally destroyed bat roosts.” Haddow said the team were employed on a zero hours basis and were not in the job for financial reasons, but because they are passionate about bat conservation. “I do not believe that the senior management at NatureScot fully appreciates what will be lost if they discard the system currently working for the conservation of our bat species,” he added. According to Haddow, the NatureScot head of licensing admitted to him at a meeting of bat workers in February 2024 that the reason for axing the service was not one of budgetary constraints, but in anticipation of an increase in work for NatureScot as a result of the recently passed Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill which includes a new licensing framework for grouse moors. “It therefore appears that conservation of our native bat fauna is being axed in favour of grouse shooting. Is that really NatureScot working for nature conservation in Scotland?” he said. A NatureScot spokesperson said: “NatureScot has reviewed the Bats in Houses service and we are currently exploring a new model for it after the current contract ends in 2025\. In consultation with bat workers and other interested parties on the way forward, our aim is that a well-managed helpline staffed by skilled and knowledgeable individuals will remain at the heart of this service. Bat protection remains a high priority and we will continue to ensure that appropriate advice and guidance is available.” #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: Stuart Spray* ### How an Orban backed populist think tank is stoking Scotland’s culture war URL: https://www.theferret.scot/orban-conservative-think-tank-scotlands-culture-war/ Last updated: 2026-04-14T07:43:10.000Z ****Owned by readers. Built for accountability.** The Ferret is member-owned journalism. That means we can follow leads that matter even when they’re uncomfortable for the powerful. [Join as a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) When [MCC Brussels](https://brussels.mcc.hu/about-mcc-brussels?ref=theferret.scot) – a soft power outpost of right wing Hungarian president [Viktor Orbán](https://www.politico.eu/list/politico-28-class-of-2025/viktor-orban/?ref=theferret.scot)’s privately run “pet” University, Mathias Corvinus Collegium – launched in November 2022, its aims were clear. From farming to migration and from “family values” to net zero, the topics that have increasingly polarised conservatives and progressives – as well as attracting conspiracy theories and misinformation from some quarters – were firmly in its sights. The Brussels unit, led by director [Frank Furedi](https://brussels.mcc.hu/person/professor-frank-furedi?ref=theferret.scot), says it aims to win the ‘culture war’ “being waged on the values and aspirations of ordinary Europeans”, “unshackling Europe from environmentalism” and promoting sovereignty, “strong borders” and individualism. In the last two years it has produced reports and events criticising the “takeover” of Europe by the “LGBT lobby”, the “perils” of net zero and Europe’s “attack” on free speech. Many of them involved UK academics and campaigners – including those calling for Scottish policy reform or working for Scottish Universities. Now concerns are being raised about its influence on Scottish discourse on topics from sex education in schools to farming and net zero targets. A perception that Scotland was pursuing liberal policies and rhetoric on issues from migration to trans rights has made the country a [target of criticism](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/28/how-scotland-became-wokest-country-world/?ref=theferret.scot) from conservative and populist movements in recent years. #### ‘Significant concern’ for Scotland The Brussels-based think tank says that while it works across the EU, it considers that “countering the challenges posed by woke extremism” has “rightly become a significant concern for Scottish people,” and supports Scottish academics and campaigners “with the courage to fight back” against progressive policies and rhetoric. MCC Brussels claims it is independent and told The Ferret it was “no-one’s mouthpiece”. But much of its work is in line with the politics of self-proclaimed [“illiberal democrat”](https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/03/hungary-orban-fidesz-christian-democracy-right/?ref=theferret.scot) Orban and his Fidesz party, which has pitched itself as the “anti-woke” conservative voice of Europe, and taken a hard line on policies that impact minority groups from asylum seekers to the LGBT community. MCC Brussels is funded through a grant of an undisclosed amount by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), which in turn has been given assets worth billions of euros from Vikor Orbán’s government. In 2020 it received £1.3bn, about one per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, which was slammed as “[legal theft of public funds](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/28/world/europe/hungary-orban-university.html?ref=theferret.scot)”, involving the transfer of publicly owned shares to the foundation. The Hungarian government has been accused of spreading misinformation on culture war topics and leaning into conspiracy theories such as [the Great Reset](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-57532368?ref=theferret.scot), a theory that claims the world is run by an authoritarian socialist global government of powerful capitalists and politicians. Some critiques revolve around poster campaigns run by the Hungarian government criticising Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros, [a familiar target of anti-semitic conspiracies in Hungary](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/22/hungary-viktor-orban-george-soros?ref=theferret.scot). One poster showed EU commission president [Ursula von der Leyen](https://commission.europa.eu/about/organisation/president%5Fen?ref=theferret.scot) with Soros’ son Alex, who chairs the family’s [Open Society Foundations](https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which funds progressive causes, with the slogan: “Let’s not dance to their tune”. Critics say the posters pushed the idea of EU politicians as part of a “shadowy cabal” of global elites. In a 2022 speech, Orbán warned of “the great European population replacement program, which seeks to replace the missing European Christian children with migrants, with adults arriving from other civilizations.” It has been interpreted as a direct reference to the [Great Replacement Theory](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/08/a-deadly-ideology-how-the-great-replacement-theory-went-mainstream?ref=theferret.scot). The theory alleges that migrant-friendly policies, combined with the promotion of trans rights and pro-choice abortion laws, are aimed at ensuring white people become a minority in Europe and other western countries. While not accusing MCC Brussels of spreading misinformation directly, critics claim the MCC network helps spread Orbán’s ideas, to bolster and legitimise hard right thinking. NGO researchers claimed Hungary’s conservative policies, such as that banning the promotion of LGBT issues in schools and crackdowns on the media had a “chilling effect”. It was ironic, they said, that MCC Brussels supported such policies while claiming to be in favour of free speech. [Nearly half of Scots constituencies have candidates promoting extreme viewsNearly half of Scottish constituencies include at least one general election candidate who has expressed or shared a view branded as hateful, a conspiracy theory, or misinformation, a Ferret analysis has found. We identified examples of 32 candidates expressing what critics claim are extreme views, including falsehoods about subjects including![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-42.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/168aef03-96aa-413a-840a-f8753a2c6fec.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-constituencies-candidates-extreme-election/) However MCC and its supporters insist it provides an essential platform for free speech and academic discourse and a healthy counter balance to EU and UK “cancel culture”. MCC Brussels has taken on topics including migration – one report titled [Multiculturalism in Flames](https://brussels.mcc.hu/news/new-report-on-multiculturalism-in-flames-swedens-rude-awakening?ref=theferret.scot) links migration to crime. Critiques of the European Commission have also featured – its [Silent Coup](https://brussels.mcc.hu/publication/the-silent-coup-the-european-commissions-power-grab-1?ref=theferret.scot) report asserts that the under von der Leyen the EU Commission “used the Covid-19 and Ukraine crises to enact a creeping transfer of competences from the national to the supranational level through a series of “silent coups”. Other reports have looked at farming, and it has profiled organisations such as [No Farmers, No Food](https://www.facebook.com/groups/263099203489067/), which has been at the forefront of campaigns by UK farmers against inheritance tax changes by the Labour Government. It is coordinated by James Melville, a PR consultant from a Fife farming background, who campaigned against Covid lockdowns, has boosted [false claims](https://archive.ph/Z6Hw1?ref=theferret.scot) about people being forced by the World Economic Forum to “eat bugs” and expressed scepticism around [net zero](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/net-zero/) climate targets. Melville did not respond to a request for comment. Many of MCC Brussels fellows, report authors, experts and speakers have links to its executive director Furedi – a Hungarian-born professor emeritus at [Kent University](https://www.kent.ac.uk/school-of-social-sciences/people/1988/furedi-frank?ref=theferret.scot). A revolutionary communist turned self-proclaimed populist, he once wrote for [Living Marxism ](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/jul/08/davidpallister.johnvidal1?ref=theferret.scot)and is a regular contributor to its libertarian successor, [Spiked online](https://www.spiked-online.com/?ref=theferret.scot). He is a trustee of UK think-tank [Ideas Matter](https://ideasmatter.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which organises the Battle of Ideas festival, an annual UK festival promoting “no-holds barred discussion of all the big issues of our time”. It is organised by the Institute of Ideas, founded by Claire Fox, former co-publisher of Living Marxism. Many of Fuerdi’s team have links to the festival. They include chief of staff Tony Gilland, who formerly headed up the Battle of Ideas. Jacob Reynolds, now head of policy for MCC Brussels, was previously the partnerships manager at the Battle of Ideas. He continues to support its sixth form competition Debating Matters as well as helping to convene [Living Freedom](https://livingfreedom.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), a summer school “for young people interested in the philosophy of freedom”. MCC Brussels figures with links to Scotland include Ashley Frawley, whose PhD at Kent University was supervised by Furedi. Now a visiting lecturer at the University she is also a paid research fellow of MCC Brussels. In 2020 she [campaigned](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IexKOmdY5pM&ref=theferret.scot) against the smacking ban in Scotland as a spokesperson for campaigning group Be Reasonable and appeared regularly on videos released by the [Christian Institute](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in5XMkoMDaA&ref=theferret.scot), which [part-funded](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15626142.revealed-pro-smacking-lobbyists-funded-christian-fundamentalists/?ref=theferret.scot) the campaign. She also campaigned against the proposed [assisted dying bill in Scotland in 2022](https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/s6/assisted-dying-for-terminally-ill-adults-scotland-bill?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=It%20will%20allow%20terminally%20ill,to%20end%20their%20own%20life.&text=This%20Bill%20is%20at%20Stage,it%20should%20become%20an%20Act.) and is a spokesperson for [Better Way](https://www.betterwaycampaign.co.uk/canada/?ref=theferret.scot), which uses the Canadian increase in numbers opting to end their own lives as a cautionary tale. MCC Brussels staff including [Furedi ](https://x.com/MCC%5FBrussels/status/1860678901766246774?ref=theferret.scot)and [Reynolds](https://www.spiked-online.com/podcast-episode/the-horror-of-assisted-dying/?ref=theferret.scot) have raised the need to hear dissenting voices on assisted dying proposals. Frawley did not comment. Other Scottish-based academics commissioned by MCC Brussels include Carlton Brick, who wrote MCC Brussels report: [How did the LGBT lobby take over the EU](https://brussels.mcc.hu/uploads/default/0001/01/0f3ff0568b33c7e422ea7c4a80374cc17f7c7b1b.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), in which he argues that “Europe’s LGBT NGOs” have become “a vehicle…by which global elites problematise the necessarily national foundation of democratic sovereignty”. The debate over LGBT rights has become a prominent “culture war” topic in the EU. In 2021 Hungary passed a law to prevent “[promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/15/hungary-passes-law-banning-lbgt-content-in-schools?ref=theferret.scot)” of LGBT content in schools, which have in turn been challenged in the [European courts](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/orban-says-hungary-will-not-let-lgbtq-activists-into-schools-2021-07-08/?ref=theferret.scot). > Organisations such as MCC Brussels provide a much-needed bulwark against the cancel culture that is enveloping academic institutions within and without the EU. > > Carlton Brick, University of the West of Scotland A University of the West of Scotland lecturer in sociology, Carlton Brick claimed that the issue had become increasingly “embedded” in Scotland, and has been critical of Scottish Government guidance about the balance of the rights of the young person to change their gender identity at school without teachers consulting families and the right of the parent to know. Dr Brick told The Ferret that his work offered balance to “the hypocrisy of so-called gender advocacy groups” who he said threatened free speech. He claimed Scotland’s Hate Crime bill, for example, was “amongst the most authoritarian in Europe, claiming it “openly criminalises gender critical viewpoints”. “Organisations such as MCC Brussels provide a much-needed bulwark against the cancel culture that is enveloping academic institutions within and without the EU,” he added. He said he supported its “commitment to open enquiry and non-ideological, evidence-based research” when academic expression was being “comprehensively compromised”. [Dr Diego Muro](https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/international-relations/people/dm248?ref=theferret.scot), a senior lecturer in international relations at St Andrews University, was also a visiting fellow at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium between April and June 2022 and has attended conferences as a guest speaker since that date. Some of his work looks at the link between terrorism and migration, a link that has also [been made](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231026-hungary-s-orban-says-link-between-terrorist-acts-and-migration?ref=theferret.scot) by the Orbángovernment. [Dr Paul Gilfillan](https://www.qmu.ac.uk/schools-and-divisions/psychology-sociology-and-education/psychology-sociology-and-education-staff/dr-paul-gilfillan?ref=theferret.scot) a sociology lecturer at Queen Margaret’s University, was a paid visiting fellow at MCC’s Budapest campus between September 2021 and February 2022\. Gilfillan has written for the European Conservative, presented research into family life at a Scottish Family Party conference and is interested in “working class nationalism” and its role in the rise of populism. He met Furedi in Budapest in 2021 and has stayed in touch since, he said. [What does Scotland’s new hate crime change?Scotland’s new hate crime bill has been extremely controversial, with critics lambasting the law for perceived restrictions on freedom of speech and expression. But what is actually changing and how will Scotland differ to the rest of the UK? Ferret Fact Service explains. What is the new legislation? Scotland’![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-43.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/44803970161_0ded70623d_k.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/what-does-scotlands-new-hate-crime-change/) Furedi has also had an influence on several of the academics behind the [Scottish Union for Education (SUE)](https://scottishunionforeducation.substack.com/about), including Abertay University lecturer Stuart Waiton, a former Brexit Party MEP candidate. SUE, set-up by a group of academics and parents in 2023, claims young people are being subjected to harmful messages about “critical race theory” and “transgender indoctrination”. Recently the group gave out leaflets outside one primary school claiming that “lobby groups” like charity [LGBT Youth Scotland](https://lgbtyouth.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) had been allowed to import “transgender ideology into the curriculum and even into the ‘ethos’ of the school”. Though Waiton does not work for MCC he has previously attended MCC’s Education summit in Budapest and in May this year hosted [Furedi ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isXSXCsfAVA&ref=theferret.scot)at a SUE event, in which he claimed that he had been reading “everything Frank has written over three decades” and uses it in his teaching at Abertay. Waiton was also a member of the [Be Reasonable Scotland](https://www.bereasonablescotland.org/?ref=theferret.scot) the anti-smacking ban campaign group. He claimed SUE’s interest in the work of MCC Brussels “relates solely to the belief in the need for an education system that focuses on education” rather than politics which “results in schools increasingly becoming places of indoctrination rather than liberal and focused on knowledge”. He argued that “we don’t need to look to Hungary” to find limits being placed on free speech.”. “Just open your eyes and you can see people being cancelled.In Scotland, the hate crime legislation for example means that anyone could be arrested for saying something ‘hateful’ in the comfort of their own home.” The Ferret recently [looked](https://www.theferret.scot/what-does-scotlands-new-hate-crime-change/) at Scotland’s newHate Crime legislation and found behaviour would need to be reasonably considered “threatening or abusive” for a crime to be committed, rather than simply insulting. The bar for prosecutions under the new law is high. Waiton’s fellow SUE member, Penny Lewis, a lecturer in Architecture and Urban Planning at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, has also attended two [MCC Brussels events](https://brussels.mcc.hu/event/education-not-indoctrination-education-standards-in-crisis?ref=theferret.scot) as a speaker invited to discuss standards in education. [One](https://brussels.mcc.hu/event/education-not-indoctrination-education-standards-in-crisis?ref=theferret.scot) featured panel members from the [Heritage Foundation](https://www.heritage.org/?ref=theferret.scot), the right wing think tank responsible for pushing [Project 2025](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c977njnvq2do?ref=theferret.scot), a 900-page policy “wish list” of proposals published ahead of the US election that aimed to expand Donald Trump’s presidential power and impose an ultra-conservative social vision. The Heritage Foundation has other links to Hungary including an agreement with the [Danube Institute](https://danubeinstitute.hu/?ref=theferret.scot), of which [Furedi](https://danubeinstitute.hu/en/videos/frank-furedi-danube-institute?ref=theferret.scot) has been a regular speaker. It was established by the [Lajos Batthyány Foundation](https://www.devex.com/organizations/batthyany-lajos-alapitvany-bla-18536?ref=theferret.scot), a lobbying and network-building organisation funded directly by Orbán’s government. Lewis said she spoke “about falling standards in Scottish education and parents’ concerns about the teaching of transgender ideology in schools” at one and on the “curriculum content and classical education” at another. “The event was attended by left-wing and right-wing educators and campaigners and a wide range of ideas were discussed,” she told The Ferret. “In Scotland we have fallen out of the habit of holding this kind of open discussion. And we have sunken into the habit of smearing people we don’t agree with particularly on contentious issues. It’s very unhealthy, undemocratic and is undermining political life. “Suggesting that my ideas are somehow imported from Hungary, or that I am a hypocrite because I argue for free-speech in Scotland but not in Hungary – is not really convincing.” [US ‘hate group’ linked to Trump to debate free speech in EdinburghA Christian organisation branded as an anti-LGBT hate group has been invited to Edinburgh for a debate on whether Christians should support the criminalisation of hate speech. Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADFI) is the global wing of a fundamentalist Christian group from America which opposes euthanasia, abortion rights and same-sex![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-44.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/geograph-3529543-by-Alan-Murray-Rust-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/hate-group-christian-lgbt-edinburgh/) The Scottish Government has a stated commitment to anti-racist education and LGBT inclusive education. The [EIS](https://www.eis.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) teaching union told The Ferret it was supportive of its approach. “Despite making significant progress towards a more inclusive and fair society, we still have a long way to go to ensure every child and young person growing up in Scotland will live their lives free from discrimination and inequality,” a spokesperson said. Critics insisted that MCC Brussels has a clear agenda. Oliver Hoedeman, coordinator of the research and campaign organisation [Corporate Europe Observatory](https://corporateeurope.org/en?ref=theferret.scot), said MCC Brussels was organising events “very clearly on all the topics that are the key issues in Orbán’s propaganda war, and very much also designed to back up the claims that he and his and his allies are making about the nature of the European Union.” He added: “This culture war claims that the Brussels bubble is controlled by woke lobbyists, and that the EU institutions are fully captured by proponents of the woke agenda. They are establishing a stronger foothold in Brussels, in the EU quarter, with their messages and nurturing networks of like minded people.” In recent years there has been a surge of right wing populism across Europe. Many EU member states – including the Czechia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and Slovakia – now have far-right parties in government. Parties such as [Marine le Pen’s RN in France](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/world/europe/france-elections-pecresse-great-replacement.html?ref=theferret.scot), the [Brothers of Italy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65324319?ref=theferret.scot) – now the ruling party – and Germany’s far right [Alternative für Deutschland (AfD)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37274201?ref=theferret.scot) have all adopted skeptical policies on climate action and immigration. Like Orbán they have faced accusations of leaning into populist conspiracy theories including the Great Replacement Theory.Some have also been accused of promoting conspiracy theories around the idea that climate change is exaggerated and the push for net zero a form of control. [Armin Seimel](https://seimel.io/?ref=theferret.scot), a political attitudes researcher at the University of Amsterdam, said the network supported by MCC Brussels helped to bolster populist tropes across borders. “Investment in academia appears to be part of a broader strategy to normalize issues such as strong anti-migration narratives, which sometimes escalate to invoking culture war rhetoric,” he said. “Research has demonstrated that the electoral success of far-right parties not only legitimises but also [normalizes their narratives](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0010414021997159?ref=theferret.scot).” Key in these narratives is the issue of LGBT rights, which populist movements have branded as an attack on family values and, in an EU context, national sovereignty. [Phillip Ayoub](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/political-science/people/academic-teaching-and-research-staff/professor-phillip-ayoub?ref=theferret.scot), professor of international relations at University College London argues that the pushback against LGBT rights is a global phenomenon, “based on a set of claims that stir emotion and polarise public debate. He added: “They aim to create suspicion and fear and to convince the people that liberal democracy, with its respect for individual human rights, is a less attractive political option than majoritarianism and authoritarian rule, which will keep in place the majority’s core values.” Demeter Áron, head of research at [Amnesty International Hungary](https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/europe-and-central-asia/western-central-and-south-eastern-europe/hungary/?ref=theferret.scot) is not convinced about the effectiveness of MCC Brussels so far. But he is concerned by the way academics associated with it have fallen back on arguments about free speech in order to close down criticism. “It’s ironic of course that so many of these academics think of Hungary as a beacon for free speech and it has very possibly become a haven for people who are fed up of progressive ideas,” he argues. “In other places people might be critical of these ideas and I’m sure they feel under attack. “But it is absurd to praise Orbán’s Hungary as the land of free speech when his government is shutting down newspapers and harassing journalists and NGOs and banning public discourse around LGBT issues,” he added. “The Hungarian government has trampled on every vulnerable group it can find using all the usual autocratic tools.” However John O’Brien, head of communications for MCC Brussels, said: “We do not speak for the Hungarian government or to specific laws they enact or promote. We do think indoctrinating kids in dangerous gender ideology against the wishes and without the knowledge of parents is wicked and wrong. “We strongly support national sovereignty and are deeply concerned about groups masquerading as “human rights” groups while actively working to undermine family and national values.” He claimed that it was misleading to claim that “paid, agenda driven woke lobbyists are in some way arbiters of rights”. He also suggested The Ferret was funded by organisations “advocating for the woke agenda and opposed to the sort of MCC Brussels standpoint on many issues”. #### Responses from academics in full [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25468984-right-to-replies-in-full](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25468984-right-to-replies-in-full?ref=theferret.scot) *Cover image thanks to iStock/artJazz* *This Ferret story was also published with the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.* [ *Join us*](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) *to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.* ### NHS contraceptive pills funding Orban ‘propaganda’ as Hungary restricts abortion URL: https://www.theferret.scot/nhs-pills-orban-propaganda-hungary-abortion/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:24:17.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-6.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Profits from contraceptive pills used by the NHS are funding an organisation with close ties to Hungary’s hard right government which has restricted access to abortion.** Gedeon Richter – a pharmaceutical firm based in Budapest – sells hundreds of millions of pounds worth of contraceptive pills globally [each year](https://www.gedeonrichter.com/-/media/sites/hq/documents/investors/earnings/2023/q4/rch240229qr01e.pdf?rev=17ac5286ede543fe889b3148ea8f83af&hash=A1676364B2ED4839BFD7B3909F4DA930&ref=theferret.scot) and has [rights](https://pf-media.co.uk/news/gedeon-richter-acquires-oral-contraceptive-range-from-consilient-health/?ref=theferret.scot) to provide some commonly prescribed types of the pill to the NHS. Analysis of financial documents shows that a ten per cent stake in Gedeon Richter is owned by the [Mathias Corvinus Collegium](https://mcc.hu/en/?ref=theferret.scot) (MCC) – which has been described as the “[pet university](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/11/viktor-orban-university-propaganda-london?ref=theferret.scot)” and “[propa](https://x.com/panyiszabolcs/status/1750814387139478004?ref=theferret.scot)[g](https://x.com/panyiszabolcs/status/1750814387139478004?ref=theferret.scot)[anda institution](https://x.com/panyiszabolcs/status/1750814387139478004?ref=theferret.scot)” of Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán. Under Orbán’s charge, the Hungarian government has tightened access to abortion. In 2022, it introduced a [law](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62892596?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Hungary's%20government%20has%20tightened%20its,heartbeat%20before%20having%20an%20abortion.) requiring people seeking an abortion to “listen to the foetal heartbeat” before the procedure can be performed. Women have [reportedly](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/08/16/dozens-of-hungarian-women-travel-to-austria-for-abortions-every-week-amid-tightening-laws?ref=theferret.scot) been forced to travel to Austria to access abortion treatment due to long waiting lists for treatment and the “degrading” nature of services in Hungary. MCC has recently [opened](https://hungarytoday.hu/mcc-launches-new-think-tank-in-brussels/?ref=theferret.scot) a think tank in Brussels which critics [say](https://cz.boell.org/en/2024/08/08/whitewashing-orbans-image-and-ideas-brussels?ref=theferret.scot) is aimed at “whitewashing Orbán’s image and ideas” to EU policymakers. As The Ferret has revealed today, MCC Brussels has links to some academics in Scotland. Experts told The Ferret that MCC has become “one of the most important tools” for Hungary to promote an “archaic, unrealistic and traditionalist view of women in society” across Europe. One campaigner said it was “beyond cynical” that profits from a company marketing products for women’s health should be “used to undermine women’s rights and women’s access to healthcare”. MCC declined to comment when approached by The Ferret. Gedeon Richter said MCC is only one of a number of shareholders and has no direct control over the company. Management makes decisions “independently of any investor or government influence”, the pharmaceutical firm added. > By using products from this company, women are unknowingly contributing to their own oppression. > > Neil Datta, European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights ### **Financial injection** MCC was founded in the 1990s but was given a big financial injection by the Hungarian government in 2020 when it was [handed](https://archive.ph/3gej0?ref=theferret.scot) shares in Gedeon Richter and oil firm, MOL. These are two of Hungary’s [most valuable](https://www.tradingview.com/markets/stocks-hungary/market-movers-large-cap/?ref=theferret.scot) companies. Gedeon Richter’s business in the UK is [growing](https://www.gedeonrichter.com/-/media/sites/hq/documents/investors/earnings/2024/q2/rch240806qr01e.pdf?rev=65669dd320764721b0a54f1fefc6e0db&hash=9D62F512EC6DBA687C73C833DDBDE31F&ref=theferret.scot). Last June, it bought the rights to sell a [range](https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/search?q=gedeon+richter&ref=theferret.scot) of oral contraceptives here, including common brands of the pill like [Rigevidon](https://onlinedoctor.superdrug.com/rigevidon.html?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Rigevidon%20is%20a%20prescription%2Donly%20combined%20oral%20contraceptive%20pill%20for,as%20guided%20by%20your%20doctor.) and [Cerelle](https://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/uk/contraception/cerelle?ref=theferret.scot#can-i-buy-cerelle-online). The company has a particular [focus](https://www.gedeonrichter.com/en/areas-of-expertise/womens-healthcare?ref=theferret.scot) on women’s healthcare. MCC’s ten per cent [stake](https://www.gedeonrichter.com/-/media/sites/hq/documents/investors/presentations/hu/2024/richterirpresentation.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in Gedeon Richter is worth around £400m and the university will have received [dividend](https://www.gedeonrichter.com/en/investors/announcements/20240531%5Fdividend?ref=theferret.scot) payments worth £16m from the company in 2023 alone, our analysis of financial filings found. First elected in 2010, Orbán and his Fidesz party have been [accused](https://crd.org/vorban/?ref=theferret.scot) of trying to undermine the rule of law and democracy in Hungary. Orbán has cast himself as a [defender](https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/03/hungary-orban-fidesz-christian-democracy-right/?ref=theferret.scot) of “traditional Christian values” and his government has [undermined](https://www.politico.eu/article/hungary-once-held-lgbtq-promise-then-viktor-orban-won/?ref=theferret.scot) LGBT rights and characterised migration to Europe as an “[invasion](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/15/hungarian-leader-says-europe-is-now-under-invasion-by-migrants?ref=theferret.scot)”. The country has also adopted family policies which have been [criticised](https://rm.coe.int/report-on-the-visit-to-hungary-from-4-to-8-february-2019-by-dunja-mija/1680942f0d?ref=theferret.scot) for reinforcing traditional gender roles. For example, mothers who have four or more children were made [exempt](https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=22505&langId=en&ref=theferret.scot) from income tax for life while interest-free loans were [extended](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47192612?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Hungary's%20population%20is%20falling%20by,once%20they%20have%20three%20children.) to heterosexual couples who commit to having multiple children. The policies are [aimed](https://apnews.com/article/279dfc17b13340e0bc272717cf75b768?ref=theferret.scot) at boosting Hungary’s ailing birth rate without the need for increased immigration. MCC has been described as a [key vehicle](https://www.ftm.eu/articles/brussels-think-tank-victor-orban?ref=theferret.scot) for these “[illiberal](https://www.cidob.org/en/publications/illiberal-democracy-hungary-social-background-and-practical-steps-building-illiberal?ref=theferret.scot)” views to be spread beyond Hungary’s borders. [Speakers](https://mcc.hu/en/organisation/visiting-fellows?ref=theferret.scot) at its events in Hungary have included prominent anglosphere right-wingers including ex-Fox News host, Tucker Carlson, Spectator columnist, Douglas Murray, and Canadian author and media personality, Jordan Peterson. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-12-20-142904.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/hundreds-women-travelled-scotland-england-abortions/) The chair of the board of trustees at MCC is Orbán’s [political director](https://budapestsummit.mcc.hu/en/node/133?ref=theferret.scot) and the university has been [described](https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/05/19/hungary-american-conservative-right-wing-intellectuals-orban/?ref=theferret.scot) by one supporter as part of an effort to create an Orbán-friendly “deep state” to keep the prime minister’s ideas alive when he is no longer in power. One Hungarian opposition politician has [claimed](https://www.politico.eu/article/trotsky-brexit-viktor-orban-attack-dog-frank-furedi-hungary-fightback-eu/?ref=theferret.scot) the establishment of MCC’s Brussels office is an attempt to “create an alliance in Europe around Orbán’s ideas”. Some MCC publications and affiliates have suggested support for anti-abortion views. A [podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsFsAqMd-CI&ref=theferret.scot) the university published last year was entitled “Defending life in Hungary” and featured discussion about “what the pro-life movement is doing to change minds and save lives”. In 2022, a then-fellow at the university [described](https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/abortions-bed-of-lies?ref=theferret.scot) abortion as “legal infanticide” and other visiting fellows are [supporters](https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2023/08/inside-viktor-orbans-ideas-factory?ref=theferret.scot) of the US anti-abortion movement. Meanwhile, since it opened its doors two years ago, MCC Brussels has produced articles on the “[survival of the family](https://brussels.mcc.hu/article/the-survival-of-the-family-depends-on-the-restoration-of-adult-authority?ref=theferret.scot)” and the EU’s “[anti-family](https://brussels.mcc.hu/news/the-eu-doesnt-have-a-family-policy-it-has-an-anti-family-policy-new-report-from-mcc-brussels?ref=theferret.scot)” policy. However, some key staff of MCC Brussels are supporters of women’s right to choose an abortion. John O’Brien, the head of communications at MCC Brussels, was previously the president of [Catholics for Choice](https://www.catholicsforchoice.org/?ref=theferret.scot) which advocates for the legalisation of abortion. The executive director of MCC Brussels, Frank Furedi, is married to Ann Furedi, a [prominent](https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/978-1-137-41119-8?ref=theferret.scot#overview) pro-choice campaigner who used to [run](https://www.bristol.ac.uk/law/abortion-act-conference/presenters/ann-furedi/?ref=theferret.scot) the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), a [charity](https://www.bpas.org/?ref=theferret.scot) which provides abortions to thousands of women in the UK. Frank [shared](https://x.com/Furedibyte/status/1540443106411159552?ref=theferret.scot) one of her articles arguing that you can “ban abortion, but you cannot stop abortion”. MCC Brussels says it is an independent group which sets its own “program, agenda and goals”, although it is associated with MCC in Hungary and receives a grant from it. ### **‘Archaic and unrealistic’** According to [Neil Datta](https://www.epfweb.org/node/73?ref=theferret.scot), the executive director of the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, women should know about Gedeon Richter’s “involvement with illiberal actors working to undermine their rights to healthcare”. “MCC has become one of the most important tools for Hungarian soft diplomacy against women’s rights across Europe promoting an archaic, unrealistic and traditionalist view of women in society,” Datta claimed to The Ferret. “That part of this anti-women, anti-abortion effort could be fuelled by profits from a women’s health company like Gedeon Richter adds insult to injury. By using products from this company, women are unknowingly contributing to their own oppression.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-12-20-142959.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/anti-abortion-lobbyists-met-msps-over-100-times/) [Baroness Elizabeth Barker](https://members.parliament.uk/member/2501/contact?ref=theferret.scot), a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords, said it is evident that “religious nationalists” are trying to “demonise people working for equality for women, LGBT people and minority communities”. “But using the proceeds of reproductive medicine to campaign against reproductive rights shows the hypocrisy and cynicism of this extremist campaign,” Barker said. “Politicians, in the UK or abroad who promulgate this “anti-woke” agenda need to be called out for the risk they pose to all women.” [Chiara Capraro](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/blogs/chiara-capraro?ref=theferret.scot), who researches women’s human rights at Amnesty International UK, said there should be more “transparency and due diligence” from the NHS on its suppliers. Capraro added: “Anti-abortion actors are on the rise across the world and under a new Trump term they will receive injections of cash, as was the case during his first term. The threat they pose to human rights protections is very real and the government must not be complacent.” A spokesperson for Gedeon Richter said the company was “proud to specialise in the women’s healthcare field” and is committed to developing “therapies for the unmet needs of women worldwide”. They added: “Gedeon Richter is listed on the Budapest stock exchange. The majority of its shares (63.16 per cent) are owned by institutional investors \[such as banks and pension funds\]. “The Hungarian Government transferred its shares to the foundations of three Hungarian educational institutions in 2020\. The foundations hold 25 per cent of Gedeon Richter’s shares which do not constitute a controlling majority.” “The company has been operating independently since its foundation, and to this day, its management makes its strategic and operative decisions – including those concerning its portfolio – independently of any investor or government influence. “It is part of Gedeon Richter’s strategy to always stay politically neutral and transparent, and not engage in any forms of political activities.” Both the NHS and UK Government department for health and social care were asked to comment. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Cover image thanks to European People’s Party/towfiqu barbhuiya* ### Fighting for their culture: Govan’s Showpeople launch court of session eviction appeal URL: https://www.theferret.scot/govan-showpeople-court-appeal-against-eviction/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:53:04.000Z **When Glasgow showman Jimmy Stringfellow feels weary, he calls to mind his ancestors of centuries past. Traditionally, he says, as we stand in the family’s fairground yard where their chalet homes share space with old fairground rides, Showpeople would sometimes physically fight to secure their pitch at the fair. “And,” he says laughing, “they’ve been fighting ever since.”** This time he and his family are fighting not for their place at the fair, but their right for somewhere to call home. In 2023 a proposed development on the site of their yard – part of the [£25m regeneration](https://glasgowcityregion.co.uk/1-6-million-city-deal-boost-completes-funding-for-first-phase-of-water-row-masterplan/?ref=theferret.scot) plans of the city’s traditional [shipbuilding](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-24820573?ref=theferret.scot) neighbourhood of Govan – saw them facing eviction by Glasgow City Council. Now they are taking their case to the [Court of Session](https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/courts-and-tribunals/the-supreme-courts/the-court-of-session/?ref=theferret.scot) claiming the council’s eviction decision is discriminatory and in breach of human rights legislation. The family says it undermines their cultural heritage. “We should have the same protections as everyone else,” Stringfellow says. “Our entire way of life is under threat.” Glasgow City Council, meanwhile, claims the family “occupying the site have no legal right to do so and do not pay rent”. Despite failing to find a suitable replacement yard for the family, they claim the eviction is being made “as a last resort”. In days gone by families like this one – many with [cultural roots](https://fairglasgow.wordpress.com/2019/01/07/the-travelling-times-the-history-of-showpeople-and-transport/?ref=theferret.scot) stretching back centuries – travelled the country with their fairground rides in spring, summer and autumn and “wintered” in their showyard. In more recent years this way of life has come under [increasing threat](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18701372.historic-culture-scotlands-showpeople-threat-experts-warn/?ref=theferret.scot), with Covid-19, the cost-of-living crisis and increased regulation putting many out of business. Most of Scotland’s remaining fairground yards are in Greater [Glasgow](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16030517.fun-fair-stops-showpeople-call-fair-deal-govan/?ref=theferret.scot) and many of these families can trace their heritage back hundreds of years. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/stringfellowsj45786-copy-2.jpg) The Stringfellow family are Showpeople and they have had their yard since the eighties. Almost immediately they have had eviction notices from the council and had to constantly re-negotiate the lease. Pictured: Jimmy Stringfellow The Stringfellow family have lived in Govan’s [Water Row](https://www.govanha.org.uk/find-a-home/new-developments/?ref=theferret.scot), in a well-hidden yard that borders the River Clyde, for more than four decades. Before they moved their trailer homes and show rides onto the site, Stringfellow says they cleaned up the unused industrial land, removing asbestos and other waste. They no longer travel but are based here permanently, They are an integral part of the community and the trailers have become chalets. But insecurity has always been part and parcel of life. There were leases. But there were also eviction letters which continue to dog them. Stringfellow, now in his seventies and still dapper in a jacket flecked with the same bright blue as his feathered fedora, has batted them all off. The latest one arrived in April 2023, four years after [plans](https://publicaccess.glasgow.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=PNN2Z3EXKXT00&ref=theferret.scot) for a mix-use housing and retail development, which takes in the Stringfellow’s yard, had been lodged by Glasgow firm [Collective Architecture](https://www.collectivearchitecture.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) on behalf of [Govan Housing Association](https://www.govanha.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). They are part of the city’s development vision for the [River Clyde “corridor”](https://getintogovan.com/opportunities/water-row-masterplan/?ref=theferret.scot), aimed at making the districts alongside it “vibrant, inclusive, livable and well-connected”. Last month a [foot and cycle bridge](https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/10119/Formal-opening-date-of-the-Govan-Partick-Bridge?ref=theferret.scot) between Partick and Govan opened to great fanfare, joining the two neighbourhoods for the first time. The council sees no place for the Showpeople in these plans, says Stringfellow. But the family and its legal team – JustRight Scotland – insist the eviction would be discriminatory because of the family’s status as Showpeople for whom living on a show yard is part of their way of life. Lawyers also claim that it is a breach of the family’s right to a home under the [European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)](https://www.echr.coe.int/documents/d/echr/convention%5FENG?ref=theferret.scot). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/stringfellowsj45796.jpg) The youngest Stringfellow waters the flowers at her playhouse. Photo by Angela Catlin They claim the family’s rights have been overlooked in the regeneration process and the eviction order should be refused. Development of additional housing can be achieved without removing this Showpeople family from their home, JustRight argues. Landscaped greenspace is [planned](https://getintogovan.com/opportunities/water-row-masterplan/?ref=theferret.scot) at the site of the yard. If the plans are not modified, they point out, three generations of the Stringfellow family will be made homeless, likely resulting in separation and the loss of their ability to live according to their cultural heritage. Jimmy Stringfellow’s daughter Chanel, now in her forties and living on the site with her own four-year-old daughter, can’t remember life before eviction notices. But this latest one has taken its toll, she says, impacting the family’s physical and mental health and testing their resilience. Growing up she had family and friends all around her. “You’d go out \[of your own trailer\] in the morning, go to your aunties, play with your cousins – people would feed you as you went,” she explains. “My mum always knew I was on the yard and well taken care of. But most importantly the yard is my home and always has been.” “It’s just heart-breaking,” says her mother, Diane. “For a while ago I was really bad. I couldn’t stop crying. I wasn’t getting dressed, and I felt like I was falling into a big black hole. We just don’t know what you’re going to do. A while ago we were frightened to go out, because we didn’t know if we’d come back and this would be here, or if they would take it away. “She was ready to jump in the Clyde,” says Stringellow. “There’s no sense of security at all. And there’s no help from the authorities. They’ve never helped us and they are still not helping to this day. I’m a pensioner, I’m on pension credit, I’ve got asbestos in my lungs, thrombosis and they want to remove me and my family from my home.” This battle is a historic one. The family’s legal team is also making the first use of Scotland’s [United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child](https://www.gov.scot/policies/human-rights/childrens-rights/?ref=theferret.scot) act in a civil case, arguing that the rights of the child living here have not been taken into account and that eviction would breach her right to a secure home. The act came into force in July this year. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/stringfellowsj45787.jpg) JustRight Scotland is also planning to ask the court to rethink Scottish laws, arguing they fail to protect Showpeople and other travelling communities to the same level as residential tenants living in flats or houses. The yard is subject to [commercial property](https://brodies.com/insights/real-estate-litigation/five-steps-to-evict-a-commercial-tenant-at-the-end-of-a-lease/?ref=theferret.scot) laws which allow evictions to be made without the protections usually offered to tenants under [Scottish housing law](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/professional%5Fresources/legal?ref=theferret.scot). The family understands that there is a complicated balance to be struck here. They want the best for Govan and welcome new housing and development. But they don’t understand why they can’t remain part of the community. On the day the [Govan-Partick bridge](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c24pm9zjq20o?ref=theferret.scot) opened Diane Stringfellow took her daughter out to hear the music. “It was a good day,” she says. “But…it was a complicated day. We have been here so long and they’re moving us as if we were something on the bottom of your shoe.” To Chanel Stringfellow the bridge celebrations made her feel “like we were invisible.” She and the rest of her family claim they have not been kept informed on development – they claim there was no official notification and they were not kept updated or invited to consultation events about the plans. Supportive neighbours kept them updated, she says. The council says “extensive community and stakeholder consultation” was carried out on the Water Row development. But Chanel alleges the council has made life deliberately difficult on the yard. They have not provided pest control for issues with rats which, Chanel claims, has been caused by the work being done on the bridge. At one point, she says, bins were not picked up for three months by the council. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/stringfellowsj45788.jpg) Diane and her granddaughter have both been impacted by the uncertainty. Photo by Angela Catlin In response to these allegations the council provided contact details for pest control and refuse services. “This case highlights a significant gap in Scots law, whereby those who reside in caravans or moveable chalets do not have the same protection against eviction as other residential local authority tenants,” Barbara Bolton, solicitor and partner at [JustRight Scotland](https://www.justrightscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), says. “Scottish Government purported policy is to [improve the lives of Showpeople](https://www.gov.scot/news/improving-the-lives-of-scotlands-gypsy-travellers/?ref=theferret.scot) and other traveller communities, and yet they are denied the most fundamental of rights, security in their homes. “Swift action ought to be taken to ensure that all local authority residential tenants have the same security of tenure in their homes, whether that be a bricks and mortar house or a chalet or caravan. To fail to do so is to discriminate against these communities on the basis of their cultural heritage and way of life.” Andrew McAvoy, an architect and founder of [Retool Architecture](https://www.retoolarchitecture.com/?ref=theferret.scot), who has advocated for the family since getting working with Stringfellow on [Govan Fair](https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00758&ref=theferret.scot) heritage project in 2015, said he was “shocked” that Glasgow seemed unwilling to “uphold equally the rights of all members of society to reside at the heart of the community that raised them and to which they contribute everyday.” “Who needs or wants a shiny new city if that city displaces its own people?” he asks. They are also being supported by [Fair Scotland](https://fairglasgow.wordpress.com/?ref=theferret.scot), a charity for Showpeople and their heritage, who claim the precarity that Showpeople across Scotland face is “unacceptable”. “These yards are often brownsites that would be considered unsuitable for other types of housing,” says a spokesperson for the organisation. “Showpeople bring these back to life, providing homes and communities in areas that often need it the most. And yet this not only goes unrecognised, but is effectively scrubbed away when new development and infrastructure is finally secured for those areas.” They are not asking for special treatment for Showpeople, they insist but that “a community that already faces significant barriers towards the continuation of their culture and way of life, and significant discrimination in many areas, be treated fairly, and transparently”. “The woman or man sitting in a paybox of a ride or inviting you to hook a duck on any given fair has lion tamers and acrobats and jugglers in their family history,” they added. “The Scottish fairground is a culture, a knowledge base, a lifestyle, and a witness to how Scotland likes to play and unwind over the centuries. Though you might not always notice us, you’d miss us.” But this fight looks likely to be lengthy. A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: “The people occupying the site have no legal right to do so and do not pay rent. “The council has – over a number of years – made exhaustive attempts to engage with them, without success. As a result, this action has been raised as a last resort. Given the matter is currently pending before the Court, it would be inappropriate to comment further. JustRight Scotland said the family had paid rent in full for decades, “which the Council acknowledges in the court case” adding the Stringfellows claim the council no longer accepts payment because it wants to remove them from the land. *All pictures by* [*Angela Catlin*](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot) **This story was updated on 7 Jan to clarify the Stringfellow family’s position on paying rent.** ### Ghost fishing: How marine litter is choking Scotland’s seas URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ghost-fishing-in-shetland/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T15:24:37.000Z **It’s been some years since the minke whale washed up on a Shetland beach.** The distressed mammal had been caught up in plastic at sea and came ashore at Scalloway Harbour. Pete Bevington remembers that day well. He’s at his home in the village of Hillswick with his dog, Sedna, a Great Dane named after an Inuit sea goddess, and after brewing tea he continues with his story and explains the perils of so-called ‘ghost fishing’. “The whale died on the beach in a big pile of rubbish,” he says, grimly, adding that there’s a photograph of the stunning sleek creature lying dead. Eerily-named, ghost fishing is when abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear – such as nets, pots, rope, traps and lines – continues to catch marine life. Bevington has witnessed the horrors of ghost fishing for decades. A lean man with a scraggly beard, he runs a [wildlife sanctuary](https://www.hillswickwildlifesanctuary.org/?ref=theferret.scot) here at Hillswick, north-west Shetland, where sick, injured and abandoned seals and otters are looked after until they can return to the wild. It was established in 1987 by his late wife, Jan – known locally as “Selkiewife” – who passed away in November. Bevington has been saving the lives of sea animals here since 1995\. Nearly 30 years on he says that, in his experience, more marine mammals than ever are getting entangled in plastic netting at sea. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/hillswickwildlife-sanctuaryj45697-1.jpg) Pete Bevington, who runs Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary. Photo by Angela Catlin. “It’s horrendous. It’s become a big problem,” Bevington says. In most cases he claims little can be done as the vast majority of seals seen with netting or plastic around them are either in the sea, or at the edge of the water. As soon as someone approaches them, he explains, they head towards the ocean. “Regularly we hear about seals that have got something \[plastic\] around their neck – and it digs deeper and deeper and deeper \[into the skin\] and embeds itself,” he adds. The Ferret is in Shetland to investigate [ghost fishing](https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-aotearoa-stateless/2019/11/b97726c9-ghost%5Ffishing%5Fgear%5Freport%5Fen%5Fsingle-page%5F051119.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) as part of our special series, [Scotland’s Seas in Danger](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot), which for the past year has spotlighted problems affecting our marine environment. Ghost fishing kills untold numbers each year including seals, seabirds, sharks – and whales. On one occasion, Bevington managed to creep up on a sleeping seal caught in plastic but most times he’s been unable to catch them. Generally speaking, he says, they can’t be caught and helped until at “death’s door”, lying on a beach, when they haven’t got much time left, or are just plain exhausted. He recalls there was one seal on the island of Noss, which was monitored by locals for six months until it finally came ashore. “It was really knackered and covered in netting which meant it could be caught,” says Bevington who is alarmed by plastic pollution. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/070610-minke-whale-1.jpg) A minke whale washed up at Scalloway Harbour, Shetland, after being caught at sea in plastic strapping. Photo by Pete Bevington. Aside from trapping and killing wildlife, ghost fishing can also have [dire consequences](https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-aotearoa-stateless/2019/11/b97726c9-ghost%5Ffishing%5Fgear%5Freport%5Fen%5Fsingle-page%5F051119.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for the marine environment. [According to Greenpeace](https://oceanographicmagazine.com/news/ghost-gear-greenpeace/?ref=theferret.scot), an estimated 640,000 tonnes of ghost gear enters the ocean every year, equivalent in weight to more than 50,000 double decker buses. Wildlife pays a high premium for this plastic pollution which can also cause exhaustion, suffocation, starvation, and amputations. Shetland fishers share Bevington’s concerns. They include Ryan Mouat, a bulky engineer on a whitefish trawler called the Alison Kay which lands its catch at Lerwick harbour. He has graphic photographic evidence revealing the impact of ghost fishing which he sends to me via Whatsapp: huge piles of green nets full of fish, crabs and starfish, piles of discarded nets being lifted by cranes, dead seals on beaches entangled in ropes, a decapitated seal, trapped sea birds. Mouat has thousands of photos, some of which he has sent to Greenpeace. A major problem, he says, is the use of gillnets and longlines by foreign trawlers, mostly French and Spanish. A [gillnet](https://www.iss-foundation.org/tuna-stocks-and-management/tuna-fishing/fishing-methods/gillnet/?ref=theferret.scot) is a single wall of netting anchored on the seabed to catch fish that swim into it. [Longline fishing](https://www.msc.org/what-we-are-doing/our-approach/fishing-methods-and-gear-types/longlines?ref=theferret.scot) is a method that uses a line with baited hooks to catch fish. Worn-out gillnets and longlines should be returned to port for disposal but Mouat claims some boats discard them at sea instead of bringing them ashore. “It’s huge volumes of gear that we pull up off the seabed with our trawl gear,” he says. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ryan-moaut-shetland-fishermanj45713.jpg) Ryan Moaut, Shetland fisherman, Lerwick. Gillnets – typically made of [monofilament](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1907/made?ref=theferret.scot) (nylon) – have been banned from some waters because of their high rates of bycatch. In Scotland they are prohibited within six miles of the coast but beyond 12 miles foreign vessels that use them are not monitored, according to Mouat, who describes gillnetting as a “destructive and intensive form of fisheries”. He says that Shetland fishermen have watched foreign vessels land at Lerwick and not bring ashore any waste. They should have discarded gillnets and long lines to put into skips, he argues, adding: “We’ve discussed this with Marine Scotland until we’re blue in the face and they’re adamant it’s a sustainable form of fishery.” Mouat’s claims are backed by the [Shetland Fishermen’s Association](https://www.shetlandfishermen.com/about/sfa?ref=theferret.scot). Its spokesman, Daniel Lawson, says that although gillnetting is a legitimate fishing method, the “scale and intensity of non-UK gillnetters” operating around Shetland has caused problems for years. “Traditional fishing grounds are blocked, gillnet gear is dumped and becomes an entanglement risk – both to wildlife and other vessels – and there are several well-documented incidents of these boats attempting to foul the local fleet,” he adds. In response the Scottish Government says that any form of dumping is “completely unacceptable” and that gillnetters must comply with all rules and regulations when fishing. Landings into all Scottish ports, including foreign vessels consigning catches back to the continent, are “inspected and monitored on a risk-based basis”, a spokesperson tells the Ferret, adding that anyone with intelligence on “suspicious activities” by vessels can report information via the government’s website. There are likely national rivalries at play here post-Brexit between Scots fishing boats and their foreign counterparts, but regardless of the politics ghost fishing is a veritable blight that has impacted Shetland for many years. According to [Robina Barton, executive secretary at](https://www.kimointernational.org/about-us/people/?ref=theferret.scot) Kommunernes International Miljøorganisation (KIMO), an international organisation that works with Shetland Islands Council to tackle marine litter, around 83 tonnes has been collected since 2005\. This year alone nearly seven tonnes have been collected in Shetland, and across Scotland 2,500 tonnes have been disposed of since 2005. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/robina-bartonj45712.jpg) Robina Barton, international executive secretary of KIMO International. KIMO’s project is called [Fishing for Litter](https://www.kimointernational.org/fishing-for-litter/?ref=theferret.scot) and Barton explains it works closely with the fishing industry. Participating boats are given large bags to collect litter that’s caught in their nets while fishing, which they bring back to port, to be collected and disposed of free of charge. The initiative started in Shetland in 2005 and next year marks its 20th anniversary. The scheme is expanding. There are now 71 harbours in the UK involved including 36 in Scotland. Barton, based in Lerwick, says KIMO works with the fishing industry rather than telling them what to do. “Ultimately it benefits everyone if the sea is clean,” she adds. Shetland has also welcomed external help to deal with ghost fishing.Last year, the charity [Ghost Fishing UK](https://www.ghostfishing.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) visited for the second time to clear debris from the seabed. The trip followed reports of lost gear and net, and a team of 12 scuba divers spent five and a half days diving in depths up to 30 metres. Rope and bits of net were sent to the mainland to be recycled, and any usable fishing pots recovered were returned to fishers. “We were collecting mainly lobster pots, which local fishermen had lost,” says Fred Nunn, one of Ghost Fishing UK’s divers. He explains that once pots are lost they don’t stop catching sea life. Creatures enter pots for habitat but can’t come out. “They die and become bait – so the next creature comes in for a free meal then dies, and the vicious cycle continues,” Nunn says. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/fraoch_ban-17-jpeg.jpg) There’s a coordinated approach within Shetland to tackle marine litter, and Fishing for Litter has proven to be a success story, but ghost fishing will continue to kill and maim sea life because of the vast amounts of plastic going into our seas. Last week, The Ferret revealed that scientists had found the highest ever level of microplastics in Scottish waters this year. Microplastics are tiny plastic litter measuring less than five millimetres but they come from larger pieces of plastic which have broken down over time, such as fishing gear – and there is growing concern globally over the serious consequences for wildlife and human health. For its part, KIMO would like to see “every fisher in every harbour” bringing in marine litter, and more resources to tackle disposal in an environmentally friendly way through recycling to avoid landfill. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ghost-fishing-gearj45706.jpg) Ghost fishing gear at Scalloway Harbour, Shetland. Photo by Angela Catlin. Back at Hillswick, Pete Bevington echoes the concerns raised by Mouat and rails at the use of gillnets. “They (European fishing boats) discard by chucking stuff over the sides, and local boats are hauling them up. Local boats don’t use these nets and yet now we’re seeing more seals than ever with netting around them,” he tells me. We finish our cups of tea and – accompanied by Sedna the Great Dane – Bevington takes us to meet three seals in his care at Hillswick. They include Smudge who was rescued recently. Bevington, along with volunteers Brian and Lindsay, are trying to teach Smudge to eat fish otherwise he won’t survive back in the wild. It’s a risky procedure involving Bevington prising open Smudge’s mouth and putting fish inside until he swallows it. Smudge doesn’t know how to eat fish and Bevington worries that his difficulties could be the result of plastic pollution. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/hillswickwildlife-sanctuaryj45701.jpg) Pete Bevington, who runs Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary, feeding a rescued seal called Smudge. Photo by Angela Catlin. “What we have witnessed over the last 35 years is that the seals coming in, are coming in smaller,” he says. “They’re coming in weaker, and they’re coming in less resilient so they are more prone to infection. They’re harder to keep alive. We’re tube feeding them for longer until they are able to take fish. They are taking longer to learn to eat independently.” Bevington has had grey seals with behavioural problems. This is a new phenomenon, he adds, possibly linked to ghost fishing and plastic pollution – something he would like to see scientists investigating. He often has intense relationships with seals which means these changes have been noted over time. “It’s real, we see it every year,” he says. “The only thing I can think of is heavy metals and PCBs going up the food chain. These heavy metals and PCBs adhere to plastic and if they’re being ingested \[by sea life\] through microplastics. It’s all very connected.” At time of writing, Smudge is still alive and more receptive to eating fish but Bevington posted on Hillswick’s website to say that three pups rescued from Orkney recently had died. They weren’t caught up in plastic like the minke whale found at Scalloway beach – but undoubtedly ghost fishing will continue to haunt Shetland. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe and in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-1.jpg) ##### If you like our independent journalism and want to help us do more, support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Photography by Angela Catlin, Pete Bevington, and Rich Walker, courtesy of Ghost Fishing UK.* ### What have The Ferrets been up to in 2024? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-has-the-ferret-been-up-to-in-2024/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T04:43:16.000Z **As 2024 draws to an end, we wish to offer a heartfelt thanks for your support this year because without our members The Ferret simply wouldn’t exist. We can only pursue investigative journalism with your help and that’s been the case since we launched The Ferret in 2015.** I’m Billy Briggs, co-founder of The Ferret, and recall that ahead of the launch we used to sit for hours in Rob Edwards’ kitchen discussing our ideas and ambitions, while eating pizza. The big question in 2015 was ‘would people pay for investigative journalism?’ — and here we are, nearly ten years on, firmly established as Scotland’s only media organisation dedicated to investigative journalism. Next year marks our 10th anniversary, a monumental achievement, I think, given the increasing financial pressures that the media have faced over that period. While other news organisations have cut jobs, we’ve grown thanks to your help, and our aim is to keep expanding and producing high quality journalism in the public interest. In 2025, we have major plans to celebrate our 10th anniversary and our members will play an important part, so please read our newsletters for more information. As for 2024, The Ferret stayed true to its mission: digging into the issues that matter to you, amplifying voices that need to be heard, and holding those in power to account. Thanks to your support — including an incredible response to our crowdfunder — we were able to keep independent journalism alive and thriving. ### **Shining a light on hidden issues** In 2024, we published a raft of impactful stories that hopefully informed debates. We [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/us-war-plane-base-scotland/) plans for the US military’s first site in Scotland in decades, sparking public discussions about transparency and decision-making. At Coulport, we [reported concerns](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-tritium-coulport-cancer/) about radioactive pollution, pushing environmental safety back into focus. We also [highlighted](https://www.theferret.scot/highest-ever-level-microplastics-scotland-waters/) record levels of microplastics in Scotland’s waters, showing just how urgent the fight against plastic pollution has become. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/arrochar02.jpg) Our stories resonated far and wide, gaining follow-ups in countless media outlets, including The National, The Telegraph, The Times, and The Sun. Together, we sparked important conversations and pushed for accountability where it matters most. ### **Supporting local communities** Our reporting gave voices to local communities. We [covered](https://www.theferret.scot/row-erupts-island-of-ulva-after-community-buy-out/) the tough conditions faced by tenants on Ulva, helping to bring their struggles to the [attention of policymakers](https://www.theferret.scot/what-has-the-ferret-been-up-to-in-september/). Our Open House meetings allowed readers to guide our journalism, ensuring we focus on the issues that matter most to you. We also continued our partnership with Stirling University, which involves mentoring five students. One student, Jennifer Alexander-Jones, [investigated](https://www.theferret.scot/women-left-scarred-after-dermal-filler-scotland/) the dark side of the cosmetics industry and its devastating impact on young women. Another, Kai Ford, [followed](https://www.theferret.scot/ukraine-scots-rugby-star-aid-father-village/) former Scotland international rugby union player Iwan Tukalo’s journey to Ukraine. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-series-cover-series.jpg) ### **Tackling environmental challenges** Scotland’s natural world was at the heart of many of our stories. We [dug](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) into the environmental impacts of fish farming and corporate pollution, looking at both problems and solutions. By highlighting these challenges, we contributed to the growing conversation about protecting our environment and holding industries accountable. ### **Fighting misinformation** With disinformation on the rise, our Ferret Fact Service worked hard to separate fact from fiction. We fact-checked claims, corrected misleading narratives, and gave readers reliable, clear information they could trust. Your feedback and questions were key in helping us tackle the topics that matter most. ### **Holding power to account** We kept a close eye on those in charge. Our reporting exposed gaps in the Scottish Government’s transparency, including failures to record key meetings. Our investigation into Reform UK exposed hateful comments by two Scottish general election candidates, leading to their [suspension](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-suspends-scots-candidates-remarks/) and a party investigation. This story, published with the Daily Record, gained attention from national outlets, underscoring the importance of accountability in politics. ![the ferret](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/1730988337926-jpeg.jpg) ### **Your support made it possible** This year, we launched a crowdfunder to support our work, and your response was incredible. It’s a powerful reminder that independent journalism only works when people believe in it and stand behind it. Your support means we can keep investigating, reporting, and making a difference. We’re now gearing up to release Who Runs Scotland? in 2025 — a new series that will shine a spotlight on the individuals and entities shaping the country’s decisions. ### **What’s next?** As The Ferret approaches its 10th anniversary, we’re looking ahead to another year of impactful stories. With your continued support, we’ll keep asking tough questions, amplifying unheard voices, and tackling the issues that matter most. Thank you for being part of our community. Together, we’re proving that independent journalism has the power to make a difference. Join us today — [become a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot), [make a one-off donation](https://www.theferret.scot/donate/), or [subscribe to our free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). ### Revealed: landowner backing for anti-national park campaign URL: https://www.theferret.scot/landowner-backing-national-park-campaign/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:39:00.000Z **Private landowners related to the former Conservative Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack, have been accused of covertly backing a campaign to block plans for a new national park in Galloway.** The Ferret can reveal that the website for the No Galloway National Park campaign gave the email of [Jack’s](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/alister-jack/) brother James, who owns seven estates, for queries about privacy policy. But the email address was altered after we started making inquiries earlier this month. The campaign website was also made by an IT company run by Jack’s daughter, Emily, and her husband, Baron Sweerts De Landas Wyborgh, who owns an estate in Galloway. Pro-national park campaigners claimed that support from Jack’s family had been “concealed”. They demanded to know who was funding the no campaign, including the hiring of a hard-hitting PR company. The Scottish Greens argued that a park could bring £10m a year into the area. It would be “very disappointing” if this was stopped by a campaign that “appears to be anything but grassroots”, they said. [No Galloway National Park](https://nogallowaynationalpark.org/?ref=theferret.scot), however, insisted that it was “a grassroots movement which is funded by private donations”. It had attracted support from “all parts” of Dumfries and Galloway, a spokesperson said. Scotland’s first two national parks were established at [Loch Lomond and The Trossachs](https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2002 and [the Cairngorms](https://cairngorms.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2003\. In July 2024 the Scottish Government [proposed](https://www.gov.scot/news/new-national-park-is-proposed-in-galloway/?ref=theferret.scot) Galloway as the nation’s third, and a [public consultation](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/national-designations/national-parks/proposed-new-national-park-scotland-have-your?ref=theferret.scot) is now underway and due to end on 14 February 2025. The park’s aim would be “to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area”. The government’s wildlife agency, [NatureScot](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/naturescot/), has [suggested](https://www.nature.scot/doc/consultation-paper-proposed-national-park-galloway?ref=theferret.scot) it could cover three different areas across Galloway and South Ayrshire, ranging from 1,559 to 4,177 square kilometres. ### PR firm hired to attack national park plan A park was initially proposed in 2017 by the [Galloway National Park Association](https://www.gallowaynationalpark.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which was set up by local people. But it is opposed by the [National Farmers Union in Scotland](https://www.nfus.org.uk/news/news/nfu-scotland-to-oppose-galloway-national-park-proposal?ref=theferret.scot) and [Scottish Land and Estates](https://www.scottishlandandestates.co.uk/news/rural-businesses-voice-opposition-unsound-galloway-national-park-proposals?ref=theferret.scot), which represents landowners. The No Galloway National Park (NGNP) campaign was [launched](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ced11z2g8xvo?ref=theferret.scot) at a public meeting in Gatehouse of Fleet on 6 August 2024\. Fronted by two local people, Denise Brownlee and Liz Hitschmann, it hired the Glasgow and London-based PR agency, [Media House International](https://mediahouseinternational.com/?ref=theferret.scot), headed by former Scottish Sun editor, [Jack Irvine](https://mediahouseinternational.com/about/our-people/jack-irvine/?ref=theferret.scot). Media House has since issued a series of high-profile [news releases](https://nogallowaynationalpark.org/news/?ref=theferret.scot) on behalf of NGNP attacking the proposed park. One, on 3 October 2024, [accused](https://mediahouseinternational.com/campaigners-against-scottish-governments-galloway-national-park-plan-condemn-dirty-tricks-by-opposition-activists/?ref=theferret.scot) pro-park campaigners of “dirty tricks” by tearing down banners and blocking social media messages. According to the [NGNP website](https://nogallowaynationalpark.org/about/?ref=theferret.scot), the group is composed of “passionate locals who care about Galloway and understand our community’s needs”. It does not say where its funding comes from. It adds: “We do not believe a national park is the way to support sustainable development. We are from different backgrounds, but we are not political activists and have never campaigned on an issue like this before.” Until December 2024, the NGNP website’s [privacy policy page](https://nogallowaynationalpark.org/privacy-policy/?ref=theferret.scot) referred any queries to “james@dornells.com”. This is the email address of James Pringle Jack, the brother of Alister Jack. The email address was deleted from the website after The Ferret first asked about the hiring of Media House. It was replaced by the campaign’s generic address, [info@nogallowaynationalpark.org](mailto:info@nogallowaynationalpark.org). According to [Who Owns Scotland](https://whoownsscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), James Jack is the owner of three large estates near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway: the 734-hectare Dornells estate, the 916-hectare [Hensol estate](https://www.hensolestateholidays.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and 273-hectare Overlaggan Farm. He owns four other commercial forestry and farming estates in Ayrshire, Kintyre and Skye. He is also a member of the limited liability partnership which owns the 4,567-hectare Annandale Estate, near Moffat. The Ferret [reported in January 2024](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) that the estate had breached the rules for rural subsidies 17 times between 2018 and 2022. [Billionaire lairds and Tory donors broke rules around rural subsidiesBillionaire lairds, sporting estates and Conservative Party donors in receipt of millions of pounds of public grants are among the owners of businesses which broke the rules around rural subsidies, The Ferret can reveal. Scotland’s rural payments schemes are largely designed to help farmers and land managers make a![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-47.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/18012117982_b919687164_o-scaled-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) The NGNP website also says that it was built by [Corona IT](https://www.corona-it.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), a digital support company based in Dumfries and Carlisle. [According to Companies House](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/12802696/officers?ref=theferret.scot), the company’s directors are Alister Jack’s daughter, Emily Ann Jack, and her husband, Dutch aristocrat, Arthur Andre Adolphe, Baron Sweerts De Landas Wyborgh, who owns [Auchenbrack estate](https://bqahotel.com/auchenbrack-estate/?ref=theferret.scot) in Galloway. [Action to Protect Rural Scotland](https://aprs.scot/about/?ref=theferret.scot) said it was “concerning” to learn that NGNP was backed by landowners related to Alister Jack. “This support appears to be concealed, and not made clear on the website or by the no campaign,” said the group’s director, Dr Kat Jones. “To find that this campaign, which bills itself as grassroots, is being backed by major landowning interests, puts the whole campaign in a new context and begs the question of where it is finding the money to employ a major PR company who are evidently doing a huge amount of work on their behalf.” Jones [demanded more transparency](https://aprs.scot/news/environmental-campaigning-in-the-age-of-misinformation/?ref=theferret.scot). “The owners of estates in the south of Scotland or, indeed, anywhere else, are entitled to make their views on a national park for Galloway known,” she told The Ferret. “However the public deserve that this is done in a transparent way, and, where messaging and campaigning is funded by major landowning interests, this should be made clear.” ### Campaign against national park ‘anything but grassroots’ According to the [Galloway National Park Association](https://www.gallowaynationalpark.org/?ref=theferret.scot), there was “no hint” of a campaign against a national park for the first seven years the issue was being discussed in Galloway. “Then, within days of the minister’s announcement, a fully fledged no campaign emerged, complete with social media then professionally designed website, brand management and abundant resources,” said the association’s chair, Rob Lucas. He also suspected that “much of the drive and funding for the no campaign is from outside the potential national park area.” The NGNP [Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/groups/851015406971953) includes messages from opponents of national parks in Loch Lomond, the Cairngorms and elsewhere. According to the Scottish Greens, a national park would bring £10m a year into Galloway, creating jobs and developing infrastructure for locals and tourists. “The campaign to bring a national park to Galloway was led by volunteers in the area,” said party co-leader and former minister, [Lorna Slater MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/lorna-slater?ref=theferret.scot). “It would be very disappointing if this opportunity for the future of Galloway was missed, because of the work of a no campaign that hasn’t been clear about its funding and appears to be anything but grassroots.” [Media House](https://mediahouseinternational.com/?ref=theferret.scot) provided The Ferret with a statement from [No Galloway National Park](https://nogallowaynationalpark.org/?ref=theferret.scot). “The No Galloway National Park campaign is a grassroots movement which is funded by private donation and has attracted a wide range of support from all parts of Dumfries and Galloway,” said a spokesperson. It declined to say more. James Jack, Emily Jack, Baron Sweerts De Landas Wyborgh and Alister Jack did not respond to requests to comment. *Cover image thanks to iStock/*[*creativenaturemedia*](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/creativenaturemedia?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)*.* ### Surge in potent form of climate pollution at oil site URL: https://www.theferret.scot/surge-form-climate-pollution-shetland-oil-site/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:28:23.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-8.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) ****Faults at a Shetland oil site caused its emissions of a potent greenhouse gas to nearly double last year, The Ferret has found.** The [Sullom Voe](https://www.britannica.com/place/Sullom-Voe?ref=theferret.scot) oil terminal on the island released 422 tonnes of methane in 2023, more than it has in any year since 2015, analysis of [figures](https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/environmental-data/spri/?ref=theferret.scot) from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) shows. In 2022 the site emitted 226 tonnes of the gas. Methane is a powerful climate pollutant and emissions of it have the potential to heat the climate [80 times faster](https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/methane-and-climate-change-0?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=While%20carbon%20dioxide%20is%20more,of%20warming%20the%20climate%20system.) than carbon dioxide, although it lasts for a shorter period of time in the atmosphere. Short term reductions in methane are [viewed](https://www.ft.com/content/374e78dc-69ae-419e-a583-0842b3833d9d?ref=theferret.scot) by the UN as “the fastest way we have to avoid the worst effects of climate change”. Sepa told The Ferret that the increase in methane emissions at Sullom Voe was a result of two issues with the flare which burns off excess gas at the site. “We were notified of both issues at the time they occurred and worked closely with the operator to explore options to minimise the impact and seek a resolution to the problems identified,” a spokesperson for the watchdog told The Ferret. “We can confirm that both issues have been resolved.” > Methane releases are an Achilles’ heel for the oil and gas industry. > > Richard Dixon, former director of Friends of the Earth Scotland But one veteran environmental campaigner described two incidents in one year as a “particular embarrassment” for the company that runs the terminal, [Enquest](https://www.enquest.com/?ref=theferret.scot). “Methane releases are an Achilles’ heel for the oil and gas industry,” former Sepa board member and Friends of the Earth Scotland director, Richard Dixon, told The Ferret. “That means Enquest should have been extra vigilant when it comes to possible sources of methane releases, and extra responsive when any such releases started happening”. Enquest declined to comment. Fast action to reduce the amount of methane entering the atmosphere is seen as “[essential](https://healthpolicy-watch.news/rapid-methane-cuts-essential-to-meet-climate-targets/?ref=theferret.scot)” to slowing global warming and keeping climate targets within reach. Limiting methane pollution was a key part of [discussions](https://energy.ec.europa.eu/news/eu-steps-efforts-abate-methane-emissions-partners-cop29-2024-11-12%5Fen?ref=theferret.scot) at the COP29 climate summit held in Azerbaijan last month. The oil and gas industry has been [accused](https://www.ft.com/content/374e78dc-69ae-419e-a583-0842b3833d9d?ref=theferret.scot) of disguising the [extent](https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/esg-watch-new-satellites-mean-oil-gas-companies-will-have-no-place-hide-methane-2024-03-21/?ref=theferret.scot) of its methane pollution and emissions of methane from the energy sector have reached [record highs](https://www.iea.org/news/after-slight-rise-in-2023-methane-emissions-from-fossil-fuels-are-set-to-go-into-decline-soon?ref=theferret.scot) in recent years. Other than landfill sites – which produce methane when organic waste [breaks down](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/12/revealed-the-1200-big-methane-leaks-from-waste-dumps-trashing-the-planet?ref=theferret.scot) – the Sullom Voe refinery was the second largest producer of the gas in Scotland last year. Shell’s St Fergus gas plant near Peterhead emitted more methane than Sullom Voe, but its emissions decreased between 2022 and 2023. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: [john bateson](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/40314?ref=theferret.scot)* *This story was updated at 10:02 on 18/12/2024 to note that Richard Dixon is the former director of Friends of the Earth Scotland.* ### Can a Norwegian seafood giant allay locals’ fears over a Highland fish farm? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/norwegian-multinational-fears-highland-fish-farm/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T04:43:23.000Z **It’s an unseasonably warm November evening and at a packed public meeting in Ullapool, a Norwegian multinational is being quizzed over its plans for a fish farm.** Hosting the discussion is Ben Hadfield – chief operating officer of Mowi Scotland – who is seated beside colleagues from a subsidiary called Wester Ross Fisheries, who’ve just given a presentation on their proposal following a reception with tea, coffee and canapés. The hall is full, the floor now open for questions. “Could you agree to trial it first?” “What’s this new system going to be like compared to what we have now?” Lesley Spencely, concerned over microplastic pollution, asks if Mowi has conducted the necessary tests on plastic pipes it plans to use. She wants the company to share its data to reassure the concerned audience that there’s no need for alarm. “We can commit to doing that and come back to you with the numbers,” Hadfield says, nodding his head. Spencely offers her thanks. Tonight’s discussion is cordial, measured. It’s a stark contrast with a public meeting in May when Wester Ross Fisheries faced the wrath of irate locals who claimed they’d been lied to, [as revealed by The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-firm-withdraws-feed-barge-application-for-loch-broom/). It was an allegation the firm denied, arguing there had simply been miscommunication, leading to a misunderstanding. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/residnts-meetj45626.jpg) Wester Ross Fisheries’ meeting at Ullapool Community Hall. The stooshie was over plans for an industrial feeding system at a salmon farm on Loch Broom, a stunning spot which is part of the Wester Ross[ marine protected area](https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/10421?ref=theferret.scot). This zone was designated ten years ago by the Scottish Government to protect fragile seabed habitats and species like maerl – a pink seaweed – and flame shell beds, which are vital to the health of the local marine ecosystem. The loch supports local fisheries such as scallops, cod and herring. The[ initial proposal](https://wam.highland.gov.uk/wam/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=neighbourComments&keyVal=S0LYQJIH0JG00&ref=theferret.scot), if it had been sanctioned by Highland Council, would have seen a large vessel called a feed barge allowed onto the loch to feed thousands of salmon at the Corry fish farm, which is run by Wester Ross Fisheries. But dozens of locals objected to the[ planning application](https://wam.highland.gov.uk/wam/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=neighbourComments&keyVal=S0LYQJIH0JG00&ref=theferret.scot) which had been submitted in September 2023, including residents living close to the farm who feared more noise and environmental pollution. Many objectors claimed the loch would be polluted by microplastics, which can damage marine ecosystems. They pointed out that the feed barge would use plastic pipes to deliver pellet food to the fish, which are held in pens on Corry farm. Abrasion of the pipes over time, they argued, would result in microplastics washing into the loch and entering the food chain. Feelings ran high and following the community pushback Wester Ross Fisheries withdrew its planning application – and tonight the company is trying to sell a revised plan to locals while seeking their blessing. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/corry-farm-ullapoolj45623.jpg) Corry fish farm, Loch Broom. In some respects, the Loch Broom row provides a microcosm of the problems facing the fish farm industry in Scotland. Scottish farmed salmon is the UK’s biggest food export, sold to 50 countries across the world. In 2022, it was worth[ £578m ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3617d8gdw6o?ref=theferret.scot)to the economy. The total number of staff directly employed in salmon production last year was [1,480](https://www.gov.scot/news/scottish-fish-farm-production-survey-2023/?ref=theferret.scot), and the[ industry claims](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) another 10,000 jobs are supported by the sector. It’s a very large fish, so to speak. But while the industry is hugely important for Scotland’s economy, it has faced fierce criticism over environmental pollution and animal welfare, among other issues. In 2021, for example, The Ferret reported that fish farmers are permitted to use [16 chemicals](https://www.theferret.scot/16-toxic-chemicals-scottish-fish-farmers/) to kill parasites and fungi, control infections and anaesthetise fish, prompting concerns about the “toxic effects” of the chemicals on wildlife. We also revealed that at least [nine million fish](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-deaths-farms-nine-million/) had been killed by diseases, botched treatments, poor handling and other problems at salmon farms around Scotland since 2016, according to official data. High profile critics include television presenter Chris Packham who called for a halt to the [“catastrophic“](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/11/chris-packham-calls-for-halt-to-catastrophic-expansion-of-scottish-salmon-farms?ref=theferret.scot) expansion of the Scottish salmon farming at the end of last year, when fish mortality in farms hit record levels. Last month, a [coalition of 54 Scottish businesses](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24719909.halt-salmon-industry-growth-cost-benefit-analysis/?ref=theferret.scot), charities, community groups and individuals – including restaurants, vets, scientists, and angling associations – called on the government to commission an independent cost-benefit analysis of the industry. They argued there was a “growing body of evidence demonstrating that the industry causes multiple environmental, welfare and sustainability problems”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-12-13-110934.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-fish-farm-scottish-highlands-misleading/) Salmon companies insist that they farm fish sustainably in line with legislation, while creating jobs and wealth for coastal communities. But what exactly is the industry doing to address environmental and animal welfare issues? Are companies listening to people’s concerns? Can lessons be learned from elsewhere? As part of The Ferret’s [Scotland’s Seas in Danger](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) series, we’ve been following the Loch Broom row all year while speaking to fish farmers, critics of the industry and academics researching solutions to problems. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) Regardless of which side of the debate you swim on, fish health is a critical issue that can’t be ignored. Last year there were [17.4 million deaths ](https://www.parliament.scot/api/sitecore/CustomMedia/OfficialReport?meetingId=16039&ref=theferret.scot)on fish farms, according to the Fish Health Inspectorate, surpassing the previous record of 17.2 million in 2022\. Videos taken at fish farms have shown deformed and diseased fish. Last year [footage obtained](https://www.theferret.scot/footage-deformed-salmon-rspca-assured-fish-farm/) by the charity Wildfish at a farm run by Mowi at Invasion Bay, Ardgour, exposed salmon with damaged or missing eyes, and chunks of flesh missing. Mowi countered that “physical abnormalities” were “very rare” and unrepresentative of its wider fish stocks. Other salmon firms have been in the crosshairs of activists who film covertly at farms to expose problems. A major blight is sea lice – lepeophtheirus salmonis – which feed on salmon’s skin. They are potentially lethal to the fish. An outbreak affects the growth and welfare of farmed salmon, and threatens the health of wild fish species, while impacting the environment. This year, all these issues have been under scrutiny by the Scottish Parliament’s [Rural Affairs and Islands Committee ](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-rural-affairs-and-islands-committee/meetings?ref=theferret.scot)(RAI) which has been holding an inquiry into salmon farming. Mowi – the country’s largest salmon producer – gave evidence to the RAI recently, along with other firms, and the industry’s trade body, Scottish Salmon.[ At the hearing](https://www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/rural-affairs-and-islands-committee-october-2-2024?ref=theferret.scot), Mowi’s Hadfield and others defended the industry, pointing out the benefits it brings to communities including steady employment in islands suffering depopulation. Hadfield was also questioned over the row at Loch Broom and ahead of the public meeting in Ullapool, The Ferret visited Corry fish farm and a £20m Mowi site under construction on the shore of Loch Broom called Ardessie. Hadfield insists that Mowi takes people’s concerns seriously, and he rails against anti-fish farm activists, accusing them of exaggerating problems with selective filming which, he claims, misrepresents fish farming. The campaigners argue that they are providing the public with important information about the reality of the industry. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/fish-farming-ullapoolj45601.jpg) Ben Hadfield, Mowi MD at the Ardessie site, on the shore of Loch Broom. Hadfield says that fish mortality is the fault of climate change, claiming that deaths are due to an unprecedented rise in sea temperatures and jellyfish blooms (substantial growths in population of a species). Jellyfish sting salmons’ eyes, skin and gills, resulting in health problems and death. Warming seas, Hadfield says, mean jellyfish and algae – only previously seen in places such as the English Channel, Bay of Biscay, and the north coast of Portugal – are making their way to more northerly climes which presents challenges for farmed salmon’s gills. Harmful algal blooms can have devastating effects on aquaculture sites and be fatal to fish. “The mortality that salmon farmers are experiencing is not because of poor production or overstocking – it really is due to environmental conditions in the sea having changed so drastically over the last few years,” he says. “What we’ve seen over the last couple of decades – which is not a long period of time – is that winter temperatures, which used to go down to five or six degrees, now really only go down to eight and nine degrees,” Hadfield adds. “So that’s a two to three degree change in winter temperature on the Scottish west coast which is massive. It’s difficult to explain to people how significant that is for species in that environment.” His response then, is to find solutions to that issue. Mowi is now working with Glasgow University academics who are researching the impact of climate change on the sector. In June, the university announced it had been awarded £3m for aquaculture projects including one looking at gill disease in farmed salmon. Leading the research is Professor Martin Llewellyn, of Glasgow University’. “With the gill disease project, we’re essentially trying to improve early warning signals to help people treat \[fish\] earlier and more effectively. We’re basically using environmental DNA which allows us to detect problems nice and early so we can mitigate,” says Llewellyn who stresses he retains academic independence when working with the fish farm industry. Regarding sea lice, his team is using DNA to detect louse intensity in water columns. “They are very hard to find but DNA can detect them,” Llewellyn explains. “Plankton under a microscope is pretty amazing.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/sea-louse.jpg) Ben Hadfield with a sea louse found on a salmon at Corry fish farm, Loch Broom. Stirling University is also researching gill health in salmon. Its project is led by Professor Simon MacKenzie, head of the Institute of Aquaculture, who’s collaborating with a firm called PatoGen and Bakkafrost, a salmon company operating in Scotland but headquartered in the Faroe Islands. This year [The Ferret revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-pressure-toxic-pesticide/) that Bakkafrost was one of three firms who lobbied the Scottish Government to oppose a new safety limit on a pesticide that kills marine wildlife. MacKenzie says that climate change is impacting ocean environments, and his research is about understanding how animals respond to these conditions. The aim is to improve animal welfare. MacKenzie uses “non-lethal methodology” to get the numbers he needs. “We’re not killing any animals to get the data,” he says. “Essentially it’s just a gill swab. You take the animals out of the water for a moment and take a swab.” The swab, he explains, shows bacteria on gills, providing insight into fish health. This allows farmers to make more informed decisions to protect them. From the data, fish farmers can “tailor management interventions” for their fish populations, he explains. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/simon-mackenziej45672.jpg) Professor Simon MacKenzie, Head of the Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling University. MacKenzie and colleagues are working with Bakkafrost Scotland’s sampling teams, training its staff how to do non-lethal sampling and sharing experiences. “Essentially they’re doing a lot of sampling for us at the same time. It’s actually very integrated (the partnership) – that’s a very positive aspect,” he adds. Bakkafrost Scotland says partnering with academics is “key” and that it is “committed to developing long-term solutions for emerging challenges resulting from working in a natural environment”. At a sunny Loch Broom, Hadfield tells me it’s the “right thing to bring in academia and to work hand in hand” with institutes to get mortality levels down. Mowi not only provides money for academic research, he explains, but also gives an “in-kind contribution” to universities in terms of man hours, samples, equipment, boats, and access to farms. In return they get scientific advice. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/fish-farming-ullapoolj45617.jpg) Corry fish farm worker on Loch Broom. The Mowi-Glasgow University project will run for five years. New ideas to deal with jellyfish and algae, Hadfield says, include mobile curtains to prevent algae entering farms, identification of blooms using drones, and artificial intelligence to monitor and predict the development of both algae and jellyfish. Less dead fish means less environmental pollution – one of the main concerns aired by locals over the feed barge for Corry fish farm. That’s a plan now dead in the water, so to speak, following the furore earlier this year. But Hadfield has a new proposal – which is presented at the Ullapool public meeting. It involves feed silos being mounted on pens holding fish at the farm. Hoses attached to the silos spread pellets of food underwater, therefore reducing noise. They are lined with polyester polyurethane, a plastic designed to “resist abrasion” and already used in subsea engineering. This system, Hadfield tells the audience, would see a 92 per cent reduction in the amount of plastic used in comparison to using a feed barge, and it will cost Mowi around double the price of the feed barge which was purchased for £400,000. If it’s implemented successfully, feed barges could be removed elsewhere in Scotland. The newly proposed feeding system is already operational in Norway, Hadfield explains. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/residnts-meetj45628.jpg) Ben Hadfield and colleagues at the public meeting in Ullapool Community Hall. There are more questions, and then a man asks if Mowi would fund a delegation of locals to travel to Norway to see the proposed silo feeding system in action. Hadfield smiles at the audacious request and jokes about the cost of Norwegian beer, and although not committing, he doesn’t rule out such a trip. He encourages people to give feedback and says the firm plans to submit a planning application to Highland Council for the silo system in early 2025\. Later, Hadfield says in an email that replacing plastic pipe with stainless steel is now under consideration “to reduce or perhaps eliminate the micro-plastic concerns”. At time of writing the Loch Broom jury is out. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe and in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-2.jpg) ##### If you like our independent journalism and want to help us do more, support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *All images by [Angela Catlin](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Explainer: Scottish fish farming URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-fish-farming-explained/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T04:44:29.000Z **Scotland’s fish farming industry is worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the economy and has been lauded for bringing jobs to coastal communities.** However, the industry has faced criticism over its welfare standards and environmental impacts. Ferret Fact Service explains the impact of the industry on Scotland, and why it has become a lightning rod for controversy. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-2.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **How does fish farming work?** Fish farms dot the west coast and north west coast of Scotland, as well as several islands, with [more than 200 facilities](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-fish-farm-production-survey-2023/?ref=theferret.scot) in operation. The majority are salmon farms. Most salmon [begin life onshore](https://globalsalmoninitiative.org/en/about-salmon-farming/?ref=theferret.scot), where fish are reared in freshwater until they grow to size. They are then brought to offshore farms where they grow to adult size while kept in netted pens in Scotland’s seas. These pens allow for the constant recycling of seawater. The salmon’s life cycle takes [around three years](https://globalsalmoninitiative.org/en/about-salmon-farming/?ref=theferret.scot). Once they are fully grown, they are slaughtered and taken to processing plants to be prepared for sale. ### **How important is the industry to Scotland’s economy?** Scotland’s [aquaculture](https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/water/aquaculture/?ref=theferret.scot) industry both fish farms and shellfish farming. [Salmon farming makes up the majority](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-marine-economic-statistics-2021/pages/5/?ref=theferret.scot) of the industry, providing 96 per cent of its value in 2021, according to Scottish Government figures. Scotland is the third largest global provider of Atlantic salmon. Scottish salmon is the [UK’s biggest food export](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/facts/business-economy/how-much-scottish-salmon-is-exported?ref=theferret.scot), with sales worth £578m in 2022\. The industry employs about [2,300 people](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-marine-economic-statistics-2021/pages/5/?ref=theferret.scot). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-12-13-103029.png)](https://www.datawrapper.de/%5F/nFlk0?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Why is salmon farming so controversial?** #### **Fish welfare** Critics of the industry have long argued that the farmed fish are kept in poor conditions, leading to disease and a high number of fish mortalities. Research [has found](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68502267?ref=theferret.scot) that the number of mass die-offs of fish have increased, and they are happening at a larger scale in recent years. They argue that warmer seas and greater reliance on technology are contributing to the rise in deaths. [Scottish Government statistics](https://www.gov.scot/publications/fish-health-inspectorate-mortality-information/?ref=theferret.scot) showed that more than 17 million salmon died in Scotland last year. This was the highest figure recorded. Some of this mortality is [caused by sea lice](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-deaths-farms-nine-million/). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-12-13-103140.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-deaths-farms-nine-million/) Sea lice are a serious issue in salmon farms, causing significant harm to fish. The lice feed on the skin of salmon, and can be lethal to the animals. The high density of salmon in fish farms makes it very easy for parasites like sea lice to transmit disease between fish. Salmon are also [regularly killed](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-deaths-farms-nine-million/) by chemicals used to kill off diseases and sea lice, as well as rough handling, algal blooms, jellyfish, seals, poor water quality and oxygen shortages. Animal welfare charities have pointed out that fish are sentient animals that can feel pain, and criticise the conditions in which they have to live, comparing the practice to battery farming. The salmon farming industry says many [fish mortalities are linked](https://www.fishfarmingexpert.com/artificial-intelligence-harmful-algal-blooms-scottish-association-for-marine-science/fighting-the-phytoplankton-with-technology/1796832?ref=theferret.scot) to climate change, rather than poor conditions. Increases in sea temperature have [increased algae and brought large numbers of jellyfish](https://www.fishfarmingexpert.com/artificial-intelligence-harmful-algal-blooms-scottish-association-for-marine-science/fighting-the-phytoplankton-with-technology/1796832?ref=theferret.scot), which sting salmons’ eyes, skin and gills, and can result in death. Phytoplankton algae can reproduce or ‘bloom’ to harmful levels, which can be fatal to farmed fish. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-12-13-103237.png)](https://www.datawrapper.de/%5F/kmjeK?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Sustainability** The salmon farming industry has been considered a more sustainable way to provide fish for consumption, because it avoids overfishing of wild species and fish can be reproduced in a controlled way. The industry body, Salmon Scotland, argues it is a low-carbon source of protein, compared to meats like chicken, pork and beef. Environmentalists have suggested claims of sustainability from the industry are not accurate, due to the polluting impacts of farms on the seas, as well as the outbreaks of disease. A leading Scottish salmon farming company, Loch Duart, [was asked to stop branding](https://www.theferret.scot/loch-duart-sustainable-advertising/) its business as “sustainable” by the UK’s advertising watchdog after complaints. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-12-13-103330.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/loch-duart-sustainable-advertising/) ### **Impact on other animals** There have been concerns that the sea lice which afflict farmed salmon could risk spreading to wild fish. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), [named 19 fish](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farms-high-risk-wild-salmon/) farms that were at high risk of contaminating wild salmon and trout. Wild Atlantic salmon were internationally classified as endangered in 2023, after global populations fell by 23 per cent between 2006 and 2020\. Lice from fish farms has been identified as one of the causes of the decline, along with invasive species, river barriers, and climate change. Seals have also come into contact with fish farms in Scotland. Salmon make up a part of the diets of certain seals living in our seas, so they are [naturally attracted to fish farms](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-animal-welfare-commission-proximity-of-seals-to-farmed-fish-response-to-marine-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot). Significant numbers of fish are lost each year to seals. It has been reported that [1.4 million fish](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-animal-welfare-commission-proximity-of-seals-to-farmed-fish-response-to-marine-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) were lost to seals over a 10-year period. Fish farms have used various methods to deter seals, including controversial [acoustic deterrent devices](https://www.gov.scot/publications/acoustic-deterrent-device-add-use-aquaculture-sector-parliamentary-report/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot), which transmit loud sounds into sea water surrounding farms. These can have an impact on other marine species including dolphins, porpoises and whales. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe and in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-3.jpg) ##### If you like our independent journalism and want to help us do more, support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Main image: richard johnson/iStock* ### Photo essay: the blight of plastic pollution URL: https://www.theferret.scot/photo-essay-the-blight-of-plastic-pollution/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T04:44:32.000Z **As part of The Ferret’s Scotland’s Seas in Danger series, our co-editor Billy Briggs, and photographer Angela Catlin, have been travelling across Scotland to document pressing problems impacting our marine environment, as well as potential solutions.** The final part of our year-long investigation was launched this week and it focuses on the blight of plastic pollution. Yesterday, we revealed that scientists have found the [highest ever](https://www.theferret.scot/highest-ever-level-microplastics-scotland-waters/) level of microplastics in Scottish waters. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-3.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) Microplastics are tiny plastic litter measuring less than five millimetres. They have been found in the world’s oceans, lakes, waterways, soil, air, food, and even the human bloodstream. In Scotland, there is increasing concern over plastic in our seas, an issue one campaigner described as being part of a “[global scale chemical pollution](https://www.theferret.scot/highest-ever-level-microplastics-scotland-waters/)” problem. But there are many communities taking positive action, including beach clean-ups near to their homes. Briggs and Catlin chronicled projects in Argyll, Fife and Shetland. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/arrochar02-1.jpg) Arrochar beach clean. Theo McAllen, aged three, helps grandparents, Diane and Michael Rafter , during the clean-up. Plastic items are the most common type of litter. Plastic breaks into increasingly smaller pieces and it is thought that it never fully biodegrades. In 1993, the Grab Trust was formed to deal with waste and recycling issues in Argyll and Bute and to preserve the natural environment. We visited Arrochar, an Argyll village near the head of Loch Long, on the Cowal Peninsula, where locals regularly clean beaches. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/arrochar-beach-cleanj45516.jpg) Arrochar beach clean. A 2022 report by Grab Trust revealed that Argyll and Bute suffers slightly higher levels of litter on its beaches than the national average. There were 434 beach surveys conducted between September 1994 and December 2022. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/arrochar-beach-cleanj45524.jpg) Arrochar beach clean. Samantha and Connor Alden from the nearby Stuckgowan Estate. During these surveys more than [3,008 bags](https://grab.org.uk/docs/Argyll%5FBute%5FBeach%5FLitter%5FReport%5F1994-2022.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of litter – weighing over 14,135 kg – were collected and recorded. Some blackspots are far worse, Grab Trust said, including Arrochar where during one survey volunteers recorded a total of 7,023 pieces of litter were recorded in one square metre. On average in Argyll, there were 412 pieces of plastic litter per 100 metres of beach – triple the amount found on beaches in 1994. Key types of litter include snack packets, plastic bottles, drinks cans, plastic bags, cigarette butts, menstrual and medical litter, and waste from aquaculture. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/jacqui-willisj45683.jpg) Arrochar beach clean. Jacqui Willis, Beaches and Marine Litter Project Education Officer at GRAB Trust, logs finds with volunteers. Jacqui Willis is the beaches and marine litter project education officer at Grab Trust. She told The Ferret: “Litter from Glasgow and the Irish Sea is ending up on Arrochar beach and it’s a huge problem. Local people are incredibly frustrated. “There were 220 to 250 tonnes cleaned up each year between 2017 and 2021 at a total cost of £184,000\. One problem though is seaweed getting taken to landfill alongside the plastic because all organic material generates methane \[a powerful greenhouse gas\] in landfill. So we need to develop techology to separate seaweed from plastic. Arrochar needs big solutions.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/arrochar-beach-cleanj45534.jpg) Arrochar beach clean. A picture showing a small sample of micro-plastics, which is being swept to the top of Loch Long. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/arrochar-beach-cleanj45528.jpg) Arrochar beach clean. The Scottish Government passed the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 this year and ministers say they are trying to address major pollution sources such as plastic pellets, as well as supporting the removal of rubbish from our seas and beaches. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/arrochar-beach-cleanj45535.jpg) Arrochar beach clean. A picture showing a small sample of microplastics, marine litter that is swept to the top of Loch Long. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/arrochar-beach-cleanj45536.jpg) Arrochar beach clean. Half way through and the bags of debris are building. An October report by [Environmental Standards Scotland](https://environmentalstandards.scot/keep-up-to-date/source-to-sea-approach-needed-to-clean-up-scotlands-marine-litter/?ref=theferret.scot) said Scottish beaches are the dirtiest in the UK. The public body called on the Scottish Government to urgently tackle marine litter polluting Scotland’s beaches and seas. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/limekilns01j45675.jpg) Limekilns plastic pellet pollution. Image shows a Pied Wagtail amongst plastic nurdles on the shore. Nurdles are the raw materials for the plastics industry. Millions of nurdles find their way into the sea every year and are consumed by wildlife. At Limekilns Pier Beach, Fife, The Ferret met Joanna McFarlane, volunteer director of the CLP (Charlestown, Limekilns, Pattiesmuir) branch of Nature Action. This group was founded in 2018 after nature lovers upset by pollution met in a village pub to discuss how they could do more for nature collectively – both for wildlife and the local community. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/limekilns02.jpg) Limekilns plastic pellet pollution. Plastic nurdles on the shore. CLP Nature Action recently won a “Community Initiative Award” at the 2024 Nature of Scotland Awards. It is a member of Coastal Communities Network, a Scotland-wide initiative comprising many local groups committed to looking after Scotland’s coastal and marine environments ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/limekilns03.jpg) Limekilns plastic pellet pollution. Maggie shows the nurdles she has picked up in less than two minutes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/limekilns05.jpg) Limekilns plastic pellet pollution. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/joanna-mcfarlane.jpg) Limekilns plastic pellet pollution. Joanna McFarlane, volunteers with CLP Nature Conservation, a community group based in the Firth of Forth area working on plastic pellet pollution. McFarlane told the Ferret: “We clean eight beaches locally. They are covered in nurdles \[small pellets which are the building blocks of all plastic production\], sewage-related plastic, microplastics, food packaging, bottles, stuff off boats – every type of plastic you could imagine.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/limekilns06.jpg) Limekilns plastic pellet pollution. The Ferret also visited Shetland to document a project called Fishing for Litter, which deals with abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear that continues to catch and kill marine life. Mostly made up of durable plastics, this waste kills untold numbers of animals each year including seals, seabirds, sea turtles, whales and sharks. Fishers involved with the project bring back discarded fishing gear found at sea and put the waste in skips at local harbours. The waste is recycled or disposed of at no cost to people. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ross-maclennanj45692.jpg) Ross Maclennan, small ports supervisor at Scalloway Harbour, Shetland. Ross MacLennan, small ports supervisor at Scalloway Harbour, said: “Shetland Islands Council operate several ports and harbours around Shetland, with Scalloway Harbour being the main management hub for most of these facilities across the isles. “Collection bags are available at Scalloway Fish Market for vessels of all sizes, and collected waste is placed into a dedicated skip for safe disposal or recycling.” ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe and in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-4.jpg) ##### If you like our independent journalism and want to help us do more, support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Photography by Angela Catlin, words by Billy Briggs.* ### Scientists find highest ever level of microplastics in Scotland’s waters URL: https://www.theferret.scot/highest-ever-level-microplastics-scotland-waters/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T05:45:39.000Z **Scientists have found the highest ever level of microplastics in Scottish waters, The Ferret can reveal.** [Microplastics](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01143-3?ref=theferret.scot) are tiny plastic litter measuring less than five millimetres. They [come from](https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Microplastics%20can%20come%20from%20a,in%20health%20and%20beauty%20products.) larger pieces of plastic which have broken down over time, or from pellets used in industry and tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as exfoliants to health and beauty products, such as some cleansers and toothpastes. Microplastics [have been found](https://sustainability.yale.edu/explainers/yale-experts-explain-microplastics?ref=theferret.scot) in the world’s oceans, lakes, waterways, soil, air, food, and [even the human bloodstream](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/24/microplastics-found-in-human-blood-for-first-time?ref=theferret.scot). Globally, there is growing concern as they [contaminate the food chain](https://www.earth.com/news/study-confirms-microplastics-have-entered-our-food-chain/?ref=theferret.scot), with potentially serious consequences for wildlife and human health. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-4.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) Data released to The Ferret under freedom of information law by Marine Scotland reveal that the highest concentration of microplastics found in Scotland was in a sample taken from the Solway Firth, where surface water was estimated to contain 210,891 microplastics per square kilometre. This was nearly two and a half times higher than the largest sample taken previously in 2016, also from the Solway Firth. Large concentrations of microplastics in waters were found at a location off the south of Tiree, where 106,453 microplastics per square kilometre were found in January this year, and off the East Lothian coast near Dunbar[,](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/region/forth-and-tay-smr?ref=theferret.scot) where a sample found 81,982\. In Long Forties – an area home to many of the North Sea’s oil and gas fields – there were 36,304 microplastics in a sample. The Ferret’s findings on microplastics pollution are part of a year-long investigation called [Scotland’s Seas in Danger](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) which has highlighted pressing issues impacting the marine environment. Green campaigners described the findings as “alarming” and urged the Scottish Government to “enforce the single use plastics ban, improve recycling services, and make companies clean up the products they are making.” In response, the Scottish Government said it had banned a number of the “most problematic single-use plastic products, including plastic-stemmed cotton buds, microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, single-use plastic plates, cutlery and straws”. It added that “litter in our waters is a shared global challenge and it is clear that more needs to be done”. > There’s a plastic crisis going on and more must be done to protect people and the planet > > Kim Pratt, Friends of the Earth Scotland Marine Scotland’s data shows that of the 77 offshore sites tested since 2022, 64 contained microplastics. The figures also provide a breakdown of the types of microplastic litter which were found. These include polystyrene, fragments and fibres from larger waste which has degraded, nurdles – small pellets which are the [building blocks of all plastic production](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/29/nurdles-plastic-pellets-environmental-ocean-spills-toxic-waste-not-classified-hazardous?ref=theferret.scot) – and paint flakes. When microplastics are absorbed by animals through the food they eat, they can cause [potentially fatal health problems](https://www.clientearth.org/latest/latest-updates/news/microplastics-what-are-they-and-why-are-they-a-problem/?ref=theferret.scot). Other [dangerous pollutants in water](https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/12/1349/pdf?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Microplastics%20with%20adsorbed%20pollutants%20can,the%20surrounding%20water%20%5B30%5D.) also gather on the surface of microplastics meaning that they can be passed up the food chain. Since 1950, more than eight billion tonnes of plastic have been produced globally but less than 10 per cent has been recycled, [estimates the United Nations](https://www.unep.org/topics/ocean-seas-and-coasts/ecosystem-degradation-pollution/plastic-pollution-marine-litter?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Plastics%20make%20up%20a%20significant,severe%20threat%20to%20our%20ecosystems.). Plastic is also produced from fossil fuels, so efforts to restrict it could help with efforts to tackle climate change. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-12-11-164112.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/microplastics-80-per-cent-scottish-coastal-waters/) The Ferret’s report follows the [collapse of global talks](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c785l1nrpd1o?ref=theferret.scot) in South Korea earlier this month when countries failed to reach a landmark agreement on tackling plastic pollution. The failure to secure an agreement prompted environmental charities and scientists to express dismay and [raise concerns](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/02/countries-call-for-binding-targets-to-cut-plastic-production-busan-talks?ref=theferret.scot) about the influence of oil states. Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said that while microplastics might be difficult to see, that does not mean they are harmless. Because they are so small, they can “infiltrate environments easily”, and cause damage to ecosystems, wildlife and even human health, she stressed. “There’s a plastic crisis going on and more must be done to protect people and the planet,” Pratt continued. “Ending microplastic pollution requires a reduction in plastic production overall, which means moving away from throwaway products.” Laura Burley, plastics campaign lead at Greenpeace UK, said that “discoveries like this really demonstrate just how “shockingly deep plastic pollution has infiltrated” the world around us. She said too much plastic is being produced and waste systems cannot cope so “vast amounts” end up polluting our environment. “It is everywhere and the harmful impacts this is having on our health and the health of our natural world are only becoming clearer,” she told The Ferret. Mark Ruskell, the Scottish Greens’ spokesperson for the environment, said microplastics are “often [downplayed online](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/microplastics?ref=theferret.scot)” by memes “jesting” about the harm they cause – even though they pose a “serious threat” to our environment, wildlife and our waters. “These are found in our water supplies; which we are using to wash our bodies with or ingesting,” he added. “We know that plastics and microfibres like this are wrecking our sea-life and shores. What sort of damage are they doing to our own bodies?” Ruskell argued that we “urgently” need to reduce our relianceon products which create harmful plastic pollution to begin with, and “look towards more sustainable, durable and environmentally conscious options”. Dr Julien Moreau, co-founder of Plastic@Bay which recycles plastic waste found on Scottish beaches, argued that people should stop calling ocean plastic “litter” as in his view this is a “global scale chemical pollution”. He added: “Plastic – and its additives – is not inert, it reacts with our organisms and transports extremely dangerous chemicals right inside our bodies –and the \[bodies\] of all organisms. It is a pollution and a very dangerous one.” Moreau pointed out that test results are “highly dependent on the weather/oceanic regime at the time of sampling” and argued that it is problematic to “compare occasional observations” between two years. “Our continuous monitoring of macroplastics (buoyant plastic materials greater than [0.5 centimetres](https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/macroplastics-in-ocean?ref=theferret.scot) in diameter) between 2017 and 2022 have shown a large variability in the plastic amounts from day to day,” he explained. > We know that plastics and microfibres like this are wrecking our sea-life and shores. What sort of damage are they doing to our own bodies? > > Mark Ruskell, Scottish Greens Gillian Martin MSP, the acting cabinet secretary for net zero and energy, claimed that the Scottish Government is delivering new policy and legislation to target the most problematic sources of litter. “This includes action to manage end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear, and forthcoming legislation to ban the sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic,” she added. Martin also said that the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 “increases the powers available” to the government to take action on waste in Scotland. “We are also progressing with international efforts to address major pollution sources such as plastic pellets, and with our delivery partners to focus on litter pathways from source to sea, as well as supporting the removal of rubbish from our seas and beaches,” she told The Ferret. The conference on plastic pollution in Busan, South Korea, earlier this month was meant to be a final round of negotiations for countries to resolve differences. More than 100 countries supported a proposal that included legally binding global reductions in plastic production and phasing out certain chemicals and single-use plastic products. In response to the failure of the talks, countries pushing for production cuts [continued to call ](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/02/countries-call-for-binding-targets-to-cut-plastic-production-busan-talks?ref=theferret.scot)for legally binding reductions. Eighty-five countries and political blocs including the UK, the EU and Mexico signed a declaration committing to the treaty. In 2022 [The Ferret revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/microplastics-80-per-cent-scottish-coastal-waters/) that scientists had found microplastics on the surface of 80 per cent of the waters they tested off the Scottish coast in 2021 and 2022. The highest concentration at the sites tested then was off the north west coast of Skye, where surface water was estimated to contain 28,566 microplastics per square kilometre. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency declined to comment. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe and in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-5.jpg) ##### If you like our independent journalism and want to help us do more, support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Main image: [Angela Catlin](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Scotland’s Seas in Danger – part three URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-seas-in-danger-part-three/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T05:45:42.000Z **As 2024 draws to an end The Ferret is pleased to announce we’re publishing the final series of reports as part of a year-long investigation**. [Scotland’s Seas in Danger](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/page/2/?ref=theferret.scot) has been highlighting issues surrounding Scotland’s marine environment – in collaboration with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpimedia.irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI). Oceans produce more than half the world’s oxygen and hold most of the planet’s biodiversity. They account for nearly half the global population’s livelihoods, providing crucial food, jobs and energy. But the marine environment is under threat from overfishing, dredging, fish farming, coastal urbanisation, energy infrastructure, mining activities, invasive species, pollution and climate change. Our team has been digging deep into the issues affecting Scotland and we’ve already published 14 exclusive reports. Our investigations included revelations there have been more than [2,000 oil spills in](https://www.theferret.scot/north-sea-oil-spills-threat-marine-protected-areas/) the North Sea since 2011, including 215 in marine protection areas. We also reported that formaldehyde was used by fish farms [nearly 200 times](https://www.theferret.scot/formaldehyde-used-200-times-fish-farm-industry/) over a three-year period, despite fears it could harm the marine environment. Potential solutions to problems have also been highlighted, including [underwater seagrass meadow restoration](https://www.theferret.scot/seagrass-underwater-weed-climate-change/) projects in Scotland, which have been hailed as a pioneering way to help mitigate the climate crisis. Over the next week we’ll focus on plastic pollution, the impact of ghost fishing in Shetland, and how fish farmers and Scots academics are working together to solve welfare and disease problems. We’ll also compare the problems both Scotland and Italy face over a lack of government action regarding marine protected areas. Our project is funded by Journalismfund Europe, an independent, non-profit organisation based in Belgium that supports cross-border investigative journalism. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe and in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-6.jpg) ##### If you like our independent journalism and want to help us do more, support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Main image: Alan Morris/iStock* ### Fish farming companies under fire for information breaches URL: https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farming-companies-information-breaches/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T06:46:45.000Z **Seven fish farming companies have been accused by the Scottish Government’s green watchdog of breaking the law by failing to provide information on fish numbers.** The [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) told The Ferret that it is “actively considering the appropriate action in response to this failure”. Sepa has a range of enforcement powers, including fines and initiating prosecutions. Companies were asked to give numbers of salmon and trout, and the sea lice that can infest them, across Scotland. Sepa said it needed the information in order to introduce [new controls](https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/regulatory-services/detailed-proposals-for-protecting-wild-salmon/user%5Fuploads/sepa%5Fresponse%5Fto%5Fconsultation%5Ffeedback%5Fdecember%5F2023-2.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in March 2025 to try and stop lice spreading to wild salmon and killing them. Companies have argued that detailed information on fish numbers at individual farms before they are harvested is “commercially confidential”. They suggested that Sepa’s request could breach competition law. Campaigners, however, described the situation as “deeply concerning”, and accused [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) firms of trying to “browbeat” Sepa. They called for tougher regulation and greater transparency. The refusal of companies to provide the information was revealed by Sepa in response to a freedom of information request by The Ferret. Some files had to be kept secret, [Sepa said](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/sepa-foi-response-on-fish-farm-correspondence.pdf), because they were “related to a current investigation into non-compliances with information notices we have served.” In response to further questioning, Sepa explained that it had served legal notices in January 2024 requiring nine salmon and trout farming companies to provide numbers of fish and lice. Initially, none of them “fully complied”, though one has now provided the information and Sepa was assessing whether a second had also done so. “Seven operators have not submitted the information requested”, said a Sepa spokesperson. “Action taken in response to the failure to provide the required information will be in accordance with Sepa’s [enforcement policy and guidance.](https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/enforcement/?ref=theferret.scot)” Sepa has declined to name any of the companies. Most of them are multinationals which rear salmon at [over 200 farms](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/reports/scottish-salmon-economic-quarterly-spring-2024?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Over%20%C2%A3370%20million%20is,producer%20of%20Atlantic%20salmon%20globally.) scattered along Scotland’s west coast and around its islands. “We required information to be provided on the weekly average number of adult female sea lice per fish and the weekly estimated number of fish at each fish farm for weeks 12 to 44 from 2018-2023,” said Sepa’s head of ecology, Peter Pollard. “This information was needed to improve assessments of risk from sea lice from fish farms to wild salmon under the regulatory framework and the setting of permit conditions that will bring existing farms into regulation under the framework from March 2025.” Pollard added: “Though required to comply with these notices by law, no operator fully complied with the information notices. Information was typically not provided for the week 23 to 44 period and for estimated numbers of fish at farms where that cohort of fish had not yet been harvested. “Sepa is actively considering the appropriate action in response to this failure.” [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) accepted that the farmed fish numbers provided in response to the notices were “commercially sensitive”. It had therefore decided not to publish the information on its [public register](https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/authorisations-and-permits/public-register/?ref=theferret.scot). ### Number of fish to be harvested ‘highly sensitive’ Publication on the register was one of the reasons why salmon companies were concerned about providing the information. Their concerns were detailed in a [three page letter on 15 March 2024](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/06-0-1-letter-to-sepa-section-36-data-request-15-03-24%5Frr.pdf) from [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which represents [seven salmon farming companies](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/members?ref=theferret.scot). The letter, which was released by Sepa under freedom of information law, said that companies had “serious concerns around the scope of the information notices and their compatibility with Sepa’s legal obligations”. It was signed by Salmon Scotland’s chief executive and former Liberal Democrat minister, [Tavish Scott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavish%5FScott?ref=theferret.scot). “In particular, it is not at all clear why the provision of data outside of the salmon migratory period is relevant or otherwise has a causal link to the objectives of monitoring the impact on wild fish activity,” Scott argued. Disclosure of real time information on salmon numbers at individual farms “would risk facilitating (tacitly or otherwise) coordination amongst producers – a potential breach of chapter one of the [Competition Act 1998](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/41/contents?ref=theferret.scot),” he continued. The information could enable access to the number and size of the fish to be harvested at each farm. This was “highly sensitive and strategic information, disclosure of which would prejudice to an unreasonable degree our members’ commercial interests”, Scott wrote. “It is imperative that Sepa does not act in a way, nor compels our members to act in a way, which jeopardises our members’ compliance with law…Our members take compliance with their legal obligations seriously and continue to have material concerns around Sepa’s purported approach to handling this information.” Scott added: “We would urge Sepa to take its legal obligations seriously. Our members will of course evaluate this point in considering any response they make to the information notices.” ### Industry concern over ‘negative optics’ Other correspondence in 74 files released by Sepa show a series of clashes with Scott in 2023 and 2024 over the new sea lice controls. The files have all been published on Sepa’s [freedom of information disclosure log](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/?ref=theferret.scot). Over a weekend in May 2023 Scott had [an email exchange](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/83--re%5F-slrf1%5Frr.pdf) with Sepa’s chief executive, [Nicole Paterson](https://beta.sepa.scot/about-sepa/who-we-are/leadership-team/nicole-paterson/?ref=theferret.scot). He said he was “extremely disappointed” about the way in which Sepa had briefed the BBC about the forthcoming publication of lice control measures. On 23 November 2023 Scott [wrote to Sepa](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/15--letter-to-redacted-following-17th-november-meeting-23-11-23-rr.pdf) saying he was “very disappointed” at the way a joint meeting about the lice controls had been conducted earlier that month. Sepa treated the letter as [a formal complaint](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/37-1-0-salmon-scotland-response-29th-nov-rr.pdf), which prompted Scott [to say](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/35--re%5F-letter-from-salmon-scotland-following-meeting-on-17th-november-2023-rr.pdf) that he was “really disappointed” at such “Sepa handling”. He pointed out that it “conveniently” prevented his letter being referred to Sepa’s governing board. On 19 February 2024 Scott [emailed](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/66--re%5F-sepa-engagement-on-slrf%5Frr.pdf) Paterson and others, again saying he was “very disappointed”. This time the problem was that Sepa had treated a letter from Salmon Scotland asking questions about lice controls as a freedom of information request, and delayed responding. This was “highly frustrating”, Scott said. He was concerned that, coupled with his November 2023 letter being treated as a formal complaint, the industry’s approach could be “misunderstood” by campaigners. He wrote: “Sepa’s actions in these two examples are not helpful to developing a positive relationship. I hope you can appreciate the potential negative optics of these situations to external stakeholders.” The Ferret [reported in April 2024](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-lobbying-regulation/) that Salmon Scotland also privately lobbied Scottish ministers to block or delay plans for the lice controls during 2023\. We [disclosed in September 2024](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-pressure-sepa/) that Salmon Scotland was still concerned about a formal complaint it made about Sepa’s regulation in 2019. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-12-05-223202.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-pressure-sepa/) The campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), accused the salmon industry of refusing to comply with the law. “This is a deeply concerning situation whereby a highly polluting and damaging industry operating in Scottish waters seems to believe it is above the law,” said the group’s Scotland director, Rachel Mulrenan “It’s yet another example of how a decade of unconditional Scottish Government support for the Scottish salmon farming industry has fostered an environment in which the industry feels it can browbeat the regulator into submission.” Mulrenan also questioned Sepa’s ability to properly regulate “environmentally damaging” industries. “Why has no enforcement action been taken against the salmon farmers?” she asked. According to the [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), consumers deserved transparency about how food is farmed. There were “serious concerns” about animal welfare in the salmon industry, said the party’s spokesperson for rural affairs, [Ariane Burgess MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot). “There must be more oversight and transparency of the industry to ensure that the highest standards are being upheld and that nobody is operating outside of the laws.” A spokesperson for [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said: “A trade body is responsible for making the case of member businesses to regulators and that is what we do. It is not news that we engage with Sepa. It is our job.” #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Cover image thanks to iStock/[sugar0607](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/sugar0607?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)* ### What has The Ferret been up to in November? Online misogyny, conferences, and more URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-has-the-ferret-been-up-to-in-november-2024/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T06:46:46.000Z **This week, we officially closed our reader survey, and we’re thrilled to share that 209 of you took the time to share your thoughts and ideas about The Ferret. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed!** Our team is now ferreting through your responses, and we’ll share the results early next year, along with the actions we’ll take based on your feedback. But while we look ahead, let’s reflect on the impact we’ve had over the past month. ### **We sparked debate** ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcrk2SqP1T3FH3JiqcC7HMB54jm48ZcnOPS7n4_egxCnD_3RD0OwIJJTFiY2bY0IsUS6gbsSDJNOAhbCSmYcBDcSn15PVYiXVhxYju4LdoQB8d3JfOSzjW88kf-hejfnfheARig?key=WQSxb0wdGysOObtG97dStA) On Thursday, The Ferret hosted a panel discussion on the rise of online misogyny, chaired by equality campaigner and researcher Talat Yaqoob. The discussion explored how harmful attitudes are spreading through digital platforms, their impact on young men and women in Scotland, and how these issues can be tackled. The panel featured: - **Lisa Sugiura**, Associate professor in cybercrime and gender at the University of Portsmouth. - **Clare Duffy**, playwright and founder of Civic Digits Theatre Company. - **Iain Corbett**, youth worker and participation advisor at Strathclyde University’s Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice. - **Katie Horsburgh**, policy and practice officer for children and young people at Zero Tolerance. If you missed it, don’t worry — we’ll release the discussion as a [podcast episode](https://www.theferret.scot/the-ferret-investigates-podcast/) soon. To learn more about the topic, you can also read [this article](https://www.theferret.scot/toxic-how-tackle-rise-misogyny-online-hate/) we published in October. ### **We inspired other media professionals** ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfEySK2_KYvMUL6yDGv7iJkBrQE2R4IIwOnrgAETw7C4INlPZAsHmX1NHiqNxgQZ46vw1vqIcm9X9OuUhFL70J1-tjXsQ5xg_JW7SRFXhKoAMyCRb0ncQRJy6IzGIYb4Cd2RECuew?key=WQSxb0wdGysOObtG97dStA) In November, Ferret co-editor Karin Goodwin and journalist Paul Dobson represented us at the Media van Morgen conference in the Netherlands. They shared how we engage audiences in innovative ways — through our community newsroom and reader-inclusive board structure — capturing attention from international media professionals. Karin also featured in an InPublishing article (pictured below), exploring how independent journalism like ours is driving change and fostering resilience in the media landscape. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcrN2w_sg42MJsX1_xXkYEPWtuFcxuhQ0rPz9Cxz-UZddhNHHHKpvmBeLnFNk4iZv6BpOaTKts6TVBRfP2BMf0qVMukoSaxBfimwTqLJhoWtlmvvXvRGoLyJkiNRWpt3cuXDstP8g?key=WQSxb0wdGysOObtG97dStA) ### **Our stories made some noise** Last month, Ferret co-founder Rob Edwards [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/us-war-plane-base-scotland/) that the United States government has established its first military site in Scotland since the 1990s, raising questions about its geopolitical implications. The investigation, featured in [The Times](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/us-spy-planes-to-be-based-in-scotland-for-first-time-since-cold-war-ncz6dxg73?ref=theferret.scot) and [The Scottish Sun](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/13863625/usa-poseidon-spy-planes-raf-lossiemouth-russia/?ref=theferret.scot), explored potential risks under a future Trump administration. Meanwhile, Rob’s [story](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-tritium-coulport-cancer/) on radioactive pollution at Coulport [was followed up](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24699107.cancer-fears-rising-emissions-clyde-nuclear-base/?ref=theferret.scot) by The National, amplifying awareness of the issue. ### **Shaping the conversation** ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXc6rSY9ZjyzrlhFzBYliEMEJaNgraYWapmxIa1FesxCFuq_8I0xz_JQNGTR5M2H86si6_nAJ44Gn8CiB2VDzureJnV3J8sgIA8mt0Kuu3M3qH1XhbLi2AegIWTVKLAb6buHWXiu?key=WQSxb0wdGysOObtG97dStA) Rob also participated in a panel at the annual Holyrood Events conference, discussing the future of Freedom of Information (FOI). The discussion emphasised the importance of transparency and the challenges FOI faces in a changing political and media environment. ### **Thank you for supporting The Ferret** Everything we accomplish — every investigation, panel discussion, and impactful story — is powered by you, our members and supporters. If you have any questions about our work or would like to help shape future investigations, get in touch at **contact@theferret.scot**. Here at The Ferret, we pride ourselves on producing journalism that drives change. You can help us do even more by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot), [making a one-off donation](https://www.theferret.scot/donate/), or [subscribing to our free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). ### Millions of gamebirds imported during record bird flu outbreak URL: https://www.theferret.scot/millions-gamebirds-imported-bird-flu-outbreak/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T14:46:30.000Z **More than three million pheasants and partridges were imported into Scotland throughout the most severe bird flu outbreak in history – a move critics say risked endangering native birds.** The most recent global strain of the highly contagious avian disease [killed](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-wild-bird-sampling-project-to-improve-understanding-of-bird-flu-infections?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Between%202021%2D2023%20the%20emergence,for%20agriculture%20and%20the%20environment.) nearly four million birds in the UK, ranging from farmed poultry to wild and endangered species. Between March 2022 and March 2024, during which bird flu was present in Scotland, around 3,040,000 gamebirds were imported from abroad, according to data The Ferret obtained from the UK’s [Animal and Plant Health Agency](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency?ref=theferret.scot). Most gamebirds, which are typically released into the countryside to be shot for sport, originated from countries which were also suffering bird flu outbreaks at the time. [Rare capercaillie under threat from gamebirdsGamebirds such as pheasants and partridges could be threatening the capercaillie which is a rare bird potentially facing extinction in the UK, The Ferret can reveal. In the UK, capercaillie – an iconic woodland bird – are only found in Scotland. But they could be extinct within 30 years and an emergency![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-16.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-177556414-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/gamebirds-threatening-tcapercaillie-extinction/) An MSP claimed the imports risked “exacerbating” the avian influenza in Scotland and endangering native bird species, while RSPB argued that the animal health regulator should test animals for bird flu before they are imported. The Scottish Government said all gamebirds were imported within “well-established rules and restrictions”, and stressed there were no recorded cases of bird flu in the UK due to imports. Poultry and poultry products can be imported into the UK from countries that are experiencing disease outbreaks. But imports are prohibited from zones within those countries that have been put under restrictions. During the outbreak, most gamebirds were imported from France, where many of the battery farms that rear the birds are located. The country [reportedly](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/bird-flu-spreading-fast-among-eu-poultry-2024-10-31/?ref=theferret.scot) suffered the highest bird flu death toll in the European Union (EU) in 2022-23. Some 19,320 birds came from the United States while the remainder originated from European countries which were also hit by the avian influenza. Although shoots were [scaled back](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/09/pheasant-shoots-scaled-back-across-uk-after-bird-flu-import-bans?ref=theferret.scot) in the UK due to import restrictions, the number of gamebirds brought in appears to have surged compared to previous years. In 2022, [we reported](https://www.theferret.scot/millions-gamebird-chicks-imported-scotland-overseas/) that 2.8 million gamebirds arrived into Scotland between January 2018 and April 2022, an average of just over 650,000 per year. Yet three million were imported over the following two years. [Revealed: Millions of gamebirds imported into Scotland from overseasNearly three million pheasant and partridge chicks have been imported into Scotland from overseas battery farms to be shot at sporting estates in recent years, The Ferret can reveal. Imported gamebirds and hatching eggs are sourced from European factory farms with cramped battery cage conditions, before being sent on long![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-17.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/bird-farm-wildlife-young-fluffy-livestock-1260305-pxhere-com_.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/millions-gamebird-chicks-imported-scotland-overseas/) An estimated [35 to 48 million](https://www.gwct.org.uk/media/1251254/Gamebird-Releasing-Report-2021.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) pheasants and [five to 10 million](https://www.gov.scot/publications/call-evidence-phasing-out-use-cages-gamebird-quail-sectors-april/?ref=theferret.scot) partridges are reportedly released into the UK each year to be shot for sport. A [2022 report](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/639b2679e90e0721839ea643/Risk%5FAssessment%5Fon%5Fthe%5Fspread%5Fof%5FHigh%5FPathogenicity%5FAvian%5FInfluenza%5F%5FHPAI%5F%5FH5N1%5Fto%5Fwild%5Fbirds%5Ffrom%5Freleased%5F%5Fformerly%5Fcaptive%5Fgamebirds%5Fin%5FGreat%5FBritain%5FPheasants.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) concluded that amidst the outbreak, releasing pheasants en masse resulted in “a very high likelihood” of infecting wild birds with the disease. However, it was uncertain about this due to a lack of data. Unlike domestic chickens, pheasants reared in captivity are [deemed](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/17/bird-flu-pheasants-england-sparks-concern-lax-rearing-rules?ref=theferret.scot) to be wild by the Animal and Plant Health Agency once they are released, even if they continue to be fed, and are not subject to the same [biosecurity measures](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63652c3fe90e0734627b9cc1/avian-influenza-aipz-leaflet%5F%5F1%5F.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to prevent their contact with wild birds. Last year the Scottish Government [admitted](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers/question?ref=S6W-22252) to MSPs that all enclosures in Scotland where gamebirds are held before being released were open to direct or indirect contact with wild birds, either through unroofed release pens, or holes in the netting or walls. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/langholm-bird-pensj45595-1.jpg) Game Red-legged partridges in pens in Langholm, Dumfriesshire. Image credit: Angela Catlin. Answering a question from a Labour MSP in October 2023, the Scottish Government said bird flu was [confirmed](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers/question?ref=S6W-22250) at six gamebird rearing and release facilities in Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway, and Angus in August that year. The disease was also [found](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-in-wild-birds?ref=theferret.scot) in pheasants in Moray and Aberdeenshire in the following months. It is now mandatory for keepers of birds [to register](https://www.gov.scot/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu/pages/register-your-birds/?ref=theferret.scot) with the Scottish Government. Official data obtained by The Ferret shows that 643 companies or individuals in Scotland usually keep 50 or more gamebirds. The totals amount to more than 3.5 million pheasants and more than a million partridges, with the numbers reaching as high as 40,000 birds per farm. In April, the Scottish Government [launched](https://www.gov.scot/publications/call-evidence-phasing-out-use-cages-gamebird-quail-sectors-april/pages/1/?ref=theferret.scot) a consultation on the phasing out of cages for gamebirds, which are not subject to the same welfare standards as farmed poultry. ![Gamebird](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/lauder-bird-pensj45578-1.jpg) Pheasant breeding pens near Lauder, Berwickshire. Image credit: Angela Catlin. Cases of avian influenza continue to be confirmed across Britain, with new strains discovered in England for the first time in recent weeks. [Recent cases](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-in-wild-birds?ref=theferret.scot) include pheasants in Gloucestershire, a white-tailed eagle in the Highlands, and endangered great black-backed gulls in Fife and Na h-Eileanan an Iar. In the EU, bird flu is [reportedly](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/bird-flu-spreading-fast-among-eu-poultry-2024-10-31/?ref=theferret.scot) spreading faster than it did in 2023. ### **Do gamebird imports boost the risk of bird flu?** Critics claim that importing gamebirds boosts the risk of spreading bird flu to other animals in Scotland, and called for more stringent testing. But the Scottish Government pointed to a lack of evidence. Scottish Greens spokesperson for rural affairs Ariane Burgess MSP said: “The importing of three million so-called gamebirds during an avian flu outbreak is not only exacerbating the issue but totally ignorant to the dangers native bird species in Scotland are facing during these outbreaks. Our wild birds are victims of this activity. “When bird flu is diagnosed there is no treatment. Quarantine is not something done as standard and the majority of birds suffering will be killed or live in severe distress and pain until they die. “By importing swathes of gamebirds like pheasants and partridges, who once released are considered wild and cannot be kept again, it increases the risk to all other species of bird.” Duncan Orr-Ewing, head of species and land management at RSPB Scotland, said: “The large-scale releases of non-native gamebirds into our countryside each year should be regulated by a licensing system as in other similar countries across Europe. “We are extremely concerned about bird flu and disease transmission, as well the impacts such large-scale gamebird releases may have on sensitive habitats and species. We believe all imported pheasants should be tested by (the animal health regulator) for bird flu at the point of import.” The Animal and Plant Health Agency pointed out that disease control is devolved to Scotland and declined to comment. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “All imports of gamebirds to Scotland are carried out in accordance with well-established rules and restrictions laid out in EU and Scottish and English disease control legislation, as well as in internationally agreed standards, to minimise the risk of cross contamination and disease. “Confirmed cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) – bird flu – have been overwhelmingly caused by direct or indirect contact by captive birds with wild birds and there have been no recorded cases of HPAI in the UK due to imported birds.” Scotland director for the British Association For Shooting and Conservation, Peter Clark, echoed the government’s points. He added: “There are no confirmed cases of wild birds being infected with (bird flu) due to contact with infected gamebirds and there is no evidence that infected gamebirds are being released in the first place.” *Header image thanks to Pixabay. Licence:* [*Creative Commons – CC0*](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=theferret.scot) ### Baillie Gifford investment sparks AI weapons debate URL: https://www.theferret.scot/baillie-gifford-investment-sparks-ai-weapons-debate/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:28:34.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ferret-the-halls-underground-1024-x-350-px-3.jpg)](https://shop.theferret.scot/ferret-the-halls-bundle?ref=theferret.scot) **A Scottish firm has given financial backing to an AI weapons start-up founded by a US tech billionaire who has links to Donald Trump.** Edinburgh-based investment firm, Baillie Gifford, was one of a group of new investors who took part in a [fundraising round](https://www.anduril.com/article/anduril-raises-usd1-5-billion-to-rebuild-the-arsenal-of-democracy/?ref=theferret.scot) for Anduril Industries over the summer which brought in around £1.2bn for the company. Anduril has [pledged](https://www.anduril.com/article/anduril-raises-usd1-5-billion-to-rebuild-the-arsenal-of-democracy/?ref=theferret.scot) to use the money to “hyperscale” its manufacturing to produce “tens of thousands of autonomous weapons systems”. The company’s [products](https://www.anduril.com/?ref=theferret.scot) [include](https://www.anduril.com/article/anduril-unveils-bolt-and-bolt-m/?ref=theferret.scot) unmanned drones which can be loaded with explosives and are equipped with technology which allows them to [identify](https://www.twz.com/air/our-first-look-at-the-altius-700m-loitering-munition-obliterating-a-target?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=As%20far%20as%20the%20warhead,even%20more%20heavy%20armored%20vehicles.) targets on their own and a single person to control numerous drones at once. Anduril is the brainchild of American entrepreneur [Palmer Luckey](https://fortune.com/2024/11/20/palmer-luckey-oculus-anduril-meta-trump/?ref=theferret.scot), who made his [fortune](https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-palmer-luckey?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Palmer%20Luckey%20was%2020%20years,changing%20the%20future%20of%20war.) in virtual reality headsets and has been [dubbed](https://www.ft.com/content/ce6f96f8-6ab8-4089-b7db-f99db22c2071?ref=theferret.scot) Silicon Valley’s answer to Robert Oppenheimer – the physicist who led efforts to develop the atomic bomb. Luckey, who founded Anduril in 2017, is a [vocal](https://x.com/PalmerLuckey/status/1791264464135942354?lang=en-GB&ref=theferret.scot) supporter of Donald Trump and says he has been “[in touch](https://archive.ph/zB5Ji?ref=theferret.scot)” with Trump’s transition team. He [reportedly](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/virtual-reality-palmer-luckey-trump-inauguration/?ref=theferret.scot) [donated](https://archive.ph/4HqVE?ref=theferret.scot) $100,000 to the president elect’s inauguration for his first term and his brother-in-law is Trump ally, Matt Gaetz. The 31-year-old entrepreneur has [said](https://gizmodo.com/im-a-propagandist-palmer-luckey-on-the-future-of-warfare-2000506276?ref=theferret.scot) that societies need a “warrior class” that is “enthused and excited about enacting violence on others in pursuit of good aims”. “You need people like me who are sick in that way and who don’t lose any sleep making tools of violence” in order to preserve freedom, Luckey has [claimed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az81MHug0Nw&ref=theferret.scot). > The wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Lebanon have shown the horrors which automated weapons are bringing to warfare. > > Peter Burt, Drone Wars Campaigners have criticised Baillie Gifford’s investment and said Anduril’s links to the US right could have “frightening implications”. New technology has the potential to “make it even easier for states to become involved in conflict and commit even greater atrocities with even less accountability”, one activist opposed to the arms trade argued to The Ferret. However Anduril has [said](https://www.anduril.com/article/ai-insight-forum-national-security/?ref=theferret.scot) that weaponry equipped with AI and other technology “can make warfare more proportional, more precise, and less indiscriminate than it has ever been before”. It [claims](https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/120089/pdf/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Lattice%2C%20Anduril's%20AI%2Dpowered%20operating,into%20the%20same%20digital%20environment.) its weapons are “engineered to the highest ethical and legal standards” and that the West’s adversaries are “not likely to stop building” similar technologies. Baillie Gifford declined to comment or confirm how much its investment in Anduril is worth. The Scottish firm – which [manages](https://www.ftadviser.com/investments/2024/05/22/baillie-gifford-s-aum-drops-122bn-in-3-years-but-headcount-rises/?ref=theferret.scot) £230bn of money for clients – has a [policy](https://www.bailliegifford.com/en/uk/individual-investors/literature-library/corporate-governance/exclusion-policy-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) in place that excludes any investments in other controversial arms including anti-personnel landmines, biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, and cluster munitions. Baillie Gifford has previously [defended](https://www.theferret.scot/drones-baillie-gifford-pension-funds/) investment in another US company that manufactures unmanned drones, AeroVironment, claiming that while the impacts of war are “devastating”, there is a “technological upgrade cycle at play as governments look to upgrade their military inventories”. In a [leaked report](https://www.theferret.scot/drones-baillie-gifford-pension-funds/) sent to local authority pension funds about the Aerovironment investment, seen by The Ferret, Baillie Gifford said it had discussed the ethics of these weapons “at length internally”. “Whilst we absolutely recognise that the impact of war and conflict on a human level is devastating, we also feel that it is important to recognise the moral responsibility incumbent upon governments to invest sufficiently in defence to protect their own people,” the company wrote. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-11-29-145753.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/drones-baillie-gifford-pension-funds/) ### **Drones, towers and submarines** Baillie Gifford was one of a [number](https://news.crunchbase.com/ai/defense-tech-anduril-industries-series-f/?ref=theferret.scot) of new investors in Anduril which also included some US financial heavyweights. The success of Anduril’s fundraising has been [viewed](https://www.ft.com/content/0288e293-84a1-4098-b860-43888d673084?ref=theferret.scot) as proof that the wider venture capital industry is [reversing](https://sifted.eu/articles/vc-investments-in-defence-startups?ref=theferret.scot) its previous well-documented [opposition](https://insights.project-a.com/should-vcs-stop-shunning-investments-in-defensetech/?ref=theferret.scot) to financing the weapons sector in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Anduril has [signed](https://www.anduril.com/article/anduril-industries-awarded-usd200-million-contract-to-develop-counter-unmanned-aerial-system/?ref=theferret.scot) [deals](https://www.anduril.com/article/anduril-industries-awarded-air-defense-production-contract-with-department-of-defense/?ref=theferret.scot) worth hundreds of millions of pounds to deliver its technologies to the US military and has also [worked](https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/13/18677690/palmer-luckey-anduril-united-kingdom-royal-marines-navy-military-modernization-navyx?ref=theferret.scot) with UK [forces](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/17million-contract-awarded-for-force-protection-technology?ref=theferret.scot). Sentry towers built by the company and equipped with AI technology are also [located](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/16/anduril-towers-surveillance-us-mexico-border-migrants?ref=theferret.scot) along the US-Mexico border to detect attempted [migrant crossings](https://www.anduril.com/article/anduril-deploys-300th-autonomous-surveillance-tower-ast-advancing-capability-for-border-security/?ref=theferret.scot) into the US. Anduril’s [Altius](https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon%5Fand%5Ftech/ukraines%5Famerican%5Fdrone%5Fsupplier%5Fanduril%5Fshowed%5Faltius%5F700m%5Fin%5Faction%5Fattack%5Frange%5Frevealed%5Fvideo-9840.html?ref=theferret.scot) autonomous drones have been [used](https://www.australiandefence.com.au/defence/unmanned/anduril-autonomous-drones-to-aid-ukraine?ref=theferret.scot) by Ukraine in the war with Russia. These unmanned drones can carry out both reconnaissance missions and be configured as a kamikaze munition to attack high value targets. One operator can [control](https://www.anduril.com/hardware/altius/?ref=theferret.scot) numerous drones at a single time and they are capable of identifying targets on their own, although a human still makes the decision about whether to strike. Taiwan has also reportedly [signed](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2024/10/29/2003826061?ref=theferret.scot) a deal with the US Government to buy hundreds of the Altius drones. Other products Anduril produces or is developing include the [Roadrunner](https://www.anduril.com/roadrunner/?ref=theferret.scot), which is designed to intercept enemy drones and missiles, and the [Ghost Shark](https://www.anduril.com/article/anduril-australia-to-build-ghost-shark-factory/?ref=theferret.scot), an autonomous submarine. Luckey [said](https://www.wsj.com/video/events/the-modern-battlefield/8DDAFDBB-0F9E-4EEC-AA67-E9421BC2599F?ref=theferret.scot) in October 2023, in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on 7 October, that Israel had his “unqualified support” and the backing of Anduril in a “moral sense”. There is no evidence that Anduril weapons are currently being used by Israel’s military. Luckey [told](https://www.wsj.com/video/events/the-modern-battlefield/8DDAFDBB-0F9E-4EEC-AA67-E9421BC2599F?page=6&ref=theferret.scot) the Wall Street Journal on October 17 2023: “I obviously can’t talk about what we’re doing over there specifically, that would be a question for a different day and a different group of people.” Luckey has described himself as a “[big league](https://x.com/PalmerLuckey/status/1791264464135942354?lang=en-GB&ref=theferret.scot)” supporter of Donald Trump and [bankrolled](https://archive.ph/6jfH2?ref=theferret.scot) a group of pro-Trump “[shitposting](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/shitpost?ref=theferret.scot)” internet trolls in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election – a practice of posting deliberately provocative comments to upset or distract. His sister, Ginger, is [married](https://www.businessinsider.com/palmer-luckey-anduril-attorney-general-brother-in-law-matt-gaetz-2024-11?ref=theferret.scot) to former US Republican representative Matt Gaetz, who was nominated for the powerful role of Attorney General in the new administration before [withdrawing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gxy2qxxpzo?ref=theferret.scot) with allegations of sexual misconduct hanging over him. > You need people like me who are sick in that way and who don’t lose any sleep making tools of violence. > > [Palmer Luckey](https://fortune.com/2024/11/20/palmer-luckey-oculus-anduril-meta-trump/?ref=theferret.scot) One of Anduril’s high profile financial [backers](https://archive.ph/BgZq1?ref=theferret.scot) is Peter Thiel, a right-wing donor who has given money to both [Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/nov/10/peter-thiel-2024-election-trump-fund?ref=theferret.scot) and his vice-president elect, [JD Vance](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/peter-thiel-jd-vance-billionaire-leaving-b2597842.html?ref=theferret.scot). Thiel’s company, Founders Fund, was one of the organisers of the fundraising round that Baillie Gifford invested in. A partner at Founders Fund and Anduril co-founder, [Trae Stephens](https://www.anduril.com/profile/trae-stephens?ref=theferret.scot), is [reportedly](https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-considers-defense-financiers-for-a-top-spot-at-pentagon-12a77084?ref=theferret.scot) being considered for a senior position at the US defense department. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-11-29-153119.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/book-festival-sponsor-investments-fossil-fuel-firms/) ### **‘Flame of the West’** Anduril is named after a mythical sword in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy of books and translates to “Flame of the West” in the fictional elvish language. The name is a nod to the company’s proclaimed [mission](https://www.anduril.com/article/anduril-raises-usd1-5-billion-to-rebuild-the-arsenal-of-democracy/?ref=theferret.scot) to “rebuild the arsenal of democracy” and the US military industry which, Anduril [says](https://www.anduril.com/?ref=theferret.scot), has “helped to deter war and maintain peace for decades” but is now being left behind by new technology. That is not a view shared by the campaign group, [Drone Wars](https://dronewars.net/role-and-aims/?ref=theferret.scot), which opposes the use of armed drones and other new lethal military technology. “The wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Lebanon [have shown](https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/?ref=theferret.scot) the horrors which automated weapons are bringing to warfare”, Drone Wars’ Peter Burt told The Ferret. He continued: “There’s no question that Anduril is a scary company run by a bunch of hard line right wing warmongers. It’s hard to see how anyone can even pretend that investment in such a company is ethical. “The hard right have always taken the view that use of force is the only way to maintain peace, by which they mean their own position. It’s childishly naïve to believe that the way to peace is by arming yourself to the teeth. The only thing violence begets is violence.” Emily Apple, an activist with the [Campaign Against Arms Trade](https://caat.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (CAAT), said Baillie Gifford’s investment in Anduril was “deeply disturbing and grotesquely unethical with frightening implications given the links to Trump and the far right”. “New technology has the potential of making it even easier for states to become involved in conflict and commit even greater atrocities with even less accountability”, Apple argued. “The notion that weapons can ‘deter war and maintain peace for decades’ is ludicrous. Arms companies have no interest in peace. War is good business for these merchants of death, pushing up share prices and increasing profits.” Anduril was approached for comment but did not respond. > Where’s the moral high ground in a landmine that can’t tell the difference between a school bus full of kids and a Russian tank? > > Palmer Luckey Palmer Luckey has previously defended the use of AI in weapons systems. “What is the moral victory in being forced to use larger bombs with more collateral damage because we are not allowed to use systems that can penetrate past Russian or Chinese jamming systems and strike precisely,” he [said](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az81MHug0Nw&ref=theferret.scot) during a conversation at Pepperdine University last month. Luckey added: “Where’s the moral high ground in a landmine that can’t tell the difference between a school bus full of kids and a Russian tank?” In [written evidence](https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/120089/pdf/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Lattice%2C%20Anduril's%20AI%2Dpowered%20operating,into%20the%20same%20digital%20environment.) to the UK parliament Anduril director, David Allen, said in April 2023 that its products are “engineered to the highest ethical and legal standards”. Allen wrote: “It speaks volumes that Western societies put so much careful thought into these important ethical debates, and we should challenge states like China and Russia to be as transparent as we are on such questions. “But our adversaries are not likely to stop building such technologies. “There is no moral high ground when the most moral nations have the least effective weaponry. And so, we build weapons not because we want to, but because we believe we have to – in order to secure a future that is safe, prosperous and free.” Last month, author Richard Flanagan [declined](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/nov/19/richard-flanagan-baillie-gifford-nonfiction-prize-question-7?CMP=Share%5FiOSApp%5FOther&ref=theferret.scot) to accept his £50,000 prize for winning the prestigious Baillie Gifford prize for nonfiction until the firm sold its shares in fossil fuel companies. Flanagan’s move followed Baillie Gifford’s sponsorship of a number of UK literary festivals ending following protests over its holdings in [fossil fuels](https://www.theferret.scot/baillie-gifford-invested-670m-drill-oil-near-amazon/). Baillie Gifford has [pointed out](https://www.theferret.scot/baillie-gifford-invested-670m-drill-oil-near-amazon/) that its total shares in fossil fuel companies are lower than most of its competitors and says it has [provided](https://www.bailliegifford.com/en/uk/individual-investors/insights/ic-article/2023-q3-fossil-fuels-an-answer-to-concerns-10035889/?ref=theferret.scot) significant support to companies “at the vanguard of the energy transition”. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: A U.S. Marine with Black Sea Rotational Force 17.1 launches an unmanned aerial vehicle during exercise Sea Breeze 2017 in Mykolayivka.* ### Revealed: Labour donor’s hedge fund invests in private healthcare URL: https://www.theferret.scot/labour-donors-hedge-fund-invests-private-healthcare/ Last updated: 2026-04-30T13:43:04.000Z **A top Labour donor who has given the party millions under Keir Starmer’s leadership runs a hedge fund with shares in a private healthcare giant – which critics claim is profiting from the NHS crisis.** Martin Taylor, who founded London-based [Crake Asset Management](https://crakeam.com/?ref=theferret.scot), has given more than [£5.5m to Labour](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=5&rows=10&query=martin%20taylor&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&open=filter&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&date=Reported&from=2020-04-04&to=2024-11-22&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=Register&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot), its politicians and a Labour think tank since April 2020, when Starmer won the party’s leadership contest. His donations include tens of thousands of pounds individually to both [Starmer](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Donations/C0495821?ref=theferret.scot) and deputy prime minister, [Angela Rayner](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Donations/C0495841?ref=theferret.scot). Taylor has also bankrolled [Labour Together](https://www.labourtogether.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), the think tank credited with changing the face of the party following the departure of [Jeremy Corbyn](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/sep/14/corbyn-had-flown-too-close-to-the-sun-how-labour-insiders-battled-the-left-and-plotted-the-partys-path-back-to-power?ref=theferret.scot) as leader. Labour Together itself has donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to individual Labour MPs. Now quarterly [US filings](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1789082/000178908224000005/xslForm13F%5FX02/Q32024Crake13F.xml?ref=theferret.scot), released this month, reveal that Crake Asset Management has bought shares worth more than £8m in HCA Healthcare since July. HCA Healthcare claims to be the [largest](https://www.hcahealthcare.co.uk/about-us?ref=theferret.scot) private healthcare provider in the world and “one of the leading private healthcare providers in the UK”. Critics of Taylor’s donations said Labour must make clear whether they are on the side of NHS patients or their donors, and that the party should not be accepting money from those who “see the NHS as a financial asset instead of a social one”. They claimed that despite politicians protestations to the contrary “big donations buy influence and access” and it was time for them to be capped at £5,000 to stop anyone paying to “secure privileged access”. However a spokesman for Taylor, a [lifelong](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/martin-taylor-some-hedge-fund-managers-do-support-the-labour-party-a125626.html?ref=theferret.scot) Labour supporter, said that he was “keen to pay higher taxes in order to help fund the NHS” and insisted his political views had no influence on Crake’s investment decisions. HCA’s UK arm is a “microscopic part” of its global business, they added, and any “involvement HCA may have in the NHS is entirely irrelevant” to its share price. ### ‘Lifelong Labour supporter’ HCA’s only Scottish clinic, in Glasgow, charges £90 for a 15-minute appointment with a private GP according to its [website](https://portal.hcaprimarycare.co.uk/booking-portal/index.html?ref=theferret.scot). Other services are available either through medical insurance or “self-pay”, where patients meet upfront costs in full, including health screenings, mental health services and physiotherapy. Most of its other hospitals and clinics are in London, with surgery [often costing thousands ](https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/hcahealthcare.co.uk?ref=theferret.scot)according to online reviews. There are two further clinics in Birmingham and Manchester. Last year [The Ferret ](https://www.theferret.scot/private-health-firms-charging-scots-gp-appointments/)highlighted the company as one of several private firms accused by critics of taking advantage of the UK-wide health crisis, which has left many people struggling to access GPs or on waiting lists for treatments. The company has [received criticism](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/hca-healthcare-must-face-antitrust-case-over-health-costs-us-judge-says-2024-02-22/?ref=theferret.scot) in the US, where it faced a class action law suit earlier this year after being accused of “scheming to restrict competition” in order to drive up the cost of health plans. HCA has called the allegations “baseless” and said the suit will drive up hospitals’ “cost of doing business in the form of high litigation expenses”. In the UK it was accused of “[a raid](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/mar/17/nhs-doctors-recruit-colleagues-private-hospitals-hca-healthcare?ref=theferret.scot)” on the NHS last year after it was revealed to be spending tens of thousands of pounds in [“golden hellos](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/mar/17/nhs-doctors-recruit-colleagues-private-hospitals-hca-healthcare?ref=theferret.scot)” aimed at recruiting NHS-trained doctors. HCA said the benefits given to those it recruited were “standard practice” across the healthcare sector. Labour has insisted that it is committed to ensuring the NHS will [“always be publicly owned and funded”](https://labour.org.uk/change/build-an-nhs-fit-for-the-future/?ref=theferret.scot) and says it will end “two-tier healthcare” where the rich can pay for better services denied to the less affluent. But it urged the use of the private sector to help [clear the backlog](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/12/wes-streeting-defends-labour-plan-private-sector-cut-nhs-backlog?ref=theferret.scot) and also [claimed](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/our-ambition-to-reform-the-nhs?ref=theferret.scot) that building “an NHS fit for the future” will require “fundamental reform”, which some fear [could involve](https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/04/nhs-leader-calls-for-partnership-with-private-sector-to-build-new-hospitals?ref=theferret.scot) the use of [private companies](https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/04/could-labour-use-public-private-projects-to-fix-englands-hospitals?ref=theferret.scot). [Revealed: A quarter of Scots MPs own multiple homesMore than one in four Scottish MPs own second homes or rake in tens of thousands of pounds in rent as landlords, The Ferret has found. Westminster’s newly published register of interests shows that 15 of Scotland’s 56 MPs said they own additional properties in towns and cities![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/edinburgh_tenement_with_decorative_lintel_1880.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-a-quarter-of-scots-mps-own-multiple-homes/) Tom Brake, the former Liberal Democrat MP and director of campaign group [Unlock Democracy](https://unlockdemocracy.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed that “voters worry that they are the last to be listened to” and that instead, “it’s big donors who have the ear of government”. “There is a simple way to reassure them,” he added. “Put a strict cap on company and individual donations. A cap of £5,000 per year would mean nobody could use money as a lever to secure privileged access.” Crake also has shares in Amazon, worth over £140m according to its most recent US filing. Amazon is facing a [legal challenge](https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/amazon-faces-legal-challenge-over-workers-rights-revelations?ref=theferret.scot) from the GMB Union alleging that it has tried to coerce staff into cancelling their trade union membership. Amazon has denied the allegation. The asset management firm has a history of investments in the private healthcare industry. Crake previously had holdings in [UnitedHealthcare](https://www.uhc.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which reduced from £110m at the end of[ December 2023](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1789082/000178908224000001/xslForm13F%5FX02/Q42023Crake13F.xml?ref=theferret.scot) to £10m at the end of [June 2024](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1789082/000178908224000004/xslForm13F%5FX02/Q22024Crake13F.xml?ref=theferret.scot) before being sold. Crake also sold its stake in another US healthcare giant, Elevance Health, over that period. Cat Hobbs, director of [We Own It](https://weownit.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which campaigns for public services, claimed the NHS was being undermined by “dodgy” private companies “who are trying to worm their way in. “We don’t want profit-driven companies like HCA Healthcare in our NHS, or lobbying our government behind closed doors,” she added. “We call on \[health secretary\] Wes Streeting and the new government to stand up for Labour values and end outsourcing in our NHS as part of their 10-year plan. The money wasted on profits could build a new NHS operating theatre every week. “Keir Starmer should not be accepting donations from people like Martin Taylor who see our NHS as a financial asset instead of a social one which gives us all peace of mind when we get ill.” > Sir Keir Starmer must come clean and provide full transparency on all of these donations because voters will rightly wonder what exactly these donors expected in return for their millions. > > SNP MP Kirsty Blackman Labour has faced [questions](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/02/labour-plans-britain-private-finance-blackrock?ref=theferret.scot) over its proximity to the financial sector in recent months as part of a wider [furore](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/sep/07/furore-over-labour-cronies-no-worse-than-tories-in-government-allies-say?ref=theferret.scot) over its relationship with donors. In September, [OpenDemocracy](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/keir-starmer-labour-party-quadrature-donation-arms-companies-israel-war-gaza/?ref=theferret.scot) reported that Labour had received £4m from a hedge fund called Quadrature Capital which is based in the tax haven of the Cayman Islands and has investments in fossil fuels, private healthcare and arms manufacturers. Quadrature argued that its investment decisions are “fully automated” and that most pension holders would also have exposure to these kinds of stocks. The party [received](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=Stuart%20Roden&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=Register&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot) £1.5m from Stuart Roden, another financier and former hedge fund manager [known](https://www.ft.com/content/407922ea-e7da-44da-bdb9-1128e9a92b5f?ref=theferret.scot) for betting against doomed bank Northern Rock during the 2007-08 financial crisis. The SNP MP Kirsty Blackman said Taylor’s donations “reek of the same old Westminster story”. “Sir Keir Starmer must come clean and provide full transparency on all of these donations because voters will rightly wonder what exactly these donors expected in return for their millions,” Blackman said. “The SNP has [called](https://news.sky.com/story/politics-keir-starmer-gifts-westminster-accounts-labour-tory-party-conference-sky-news-live-12593360?postid=3968317&ref=theferret.scot) for a full investigation into the Labour Party’s donations scandal and it appears inevitable that these stories will keep coming until that happens.” > Martin has supported the Labour Party and its values, including defending the NHS, all his life. > > Spokesperson for Martin Taylor, Crake Asset Management A spokesman for Martin Taylor told The Ferret: “Martin has supported the Labour Party and its values, including defending the NHS, all his life. \[He\] remains as keen now to pay higher taxes as he was in 2015 – when he publicly stated that those with higher means, such as himself, should pay higher taxes in order to help fund the NHS. “This issue has become ever more important, because the health of the NHS has distressingly deteriorated even further over the past nine years due to chronic underfunding.” He claimed the shares were bought due to the outlook for HCA’s US business, where it is the largest operator of hospitals across the country, with the UK business making up just 2.3 per cent of revenue and 0.2 per cent of profits. “It is therefore obviously wrong to suggest Crake bought HCA shares on either the basis of the outlook for its UK business or its involvement with the NHS,” he added. “His personal political views have no influence whatsoever on the investment decisions of Crake Asset Management or any other fund he has previously been involved with,” he added. Both the Labour Party and HCA Healthcare were approached for comment. Read Martin Taylor’s statement [in full](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25400214-martin-taylor%5F-statement-in-full?ref=theferret.scot). *This Ferret story was co-published by fellow independent outlet* [*Democracy for Sale*](https://democracyforsale.substack.com/)*.* Cover image thanks to iStock/gorodenkoff ### Rare capercaillie under threat from gamebirds URL: https://www.theferret.scot/gamebirds-threatening-tcapercaillie-extinction/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T14:47:24.000Z **Gamebirds such as pheasants and partridges could be threatening the capercaillie which is a rare bird potentially facing extinction in the UK, The Ferret can reveal.** In the UK, capercaillie – an iconic woodland bird – are only found in Scotland. But they could be [extinct within 30 years](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdje2kj9r82o?ref=theferret.scot) and an emergency plan was launched last month to save them. Male capercaillies are the size of a turkey, with glossy black bodies, green chests, and brown wings. Females are smaller and have brown mottled plumage. While there were 20,000 capercaillies in the 1970s, just [532](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdje2kj9r82o?ref=theferret.scot) of the large grouse are estimated to remain in Scotland’s pine forests and conifer tree plantations where they feed on berries, shoots, and buds. Now, a freedom of information request by The Ferret has found that experts are “increasingly concerned” about the rearing of gamebirds close to areas where the extinction-threatened capercaillie is under protection, including a national park. Millions of gamebirds are reared in Scotland or imported from overseas battery farms to sporting estates to be shot by paying clients. But when released into the wild they can pass on disease, parasites and attract predators such as foxes and badgers, which in turn prey on native species. RSPB Scotland is urging NatureScot to take action around the release of gamebirds on, or adjacent to, capercaillie special protection areas (SPAs). NatureScot said in reply it would be “very interested” to receive evidence of negative impacts from gamebirds on capercaillie. > We would like to see more proactive action from NatureScot around release of gamebirds on, or adjacent to, capercaillie special protection areas using existing powers and applying the precautionary principle. > > Claire Smith, senior conservation officer at RSPB Scotland. The Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association questioned whether RSPB Scotland’s position reflects its “opposition to gamebird releasing”. Britain’s native capercaillie were extinct by the 1780s and today’s population is descended from birds reintroduced from Sweden since the 19th Century. Factors behind the decline include habitat loss, predators, disturbance by visitors to areas where capercaillie breed and fatal collisions with deer fences. [An emergency plan ](https://cairngorms.co.uk/emergency-plan-launched-to-boost-capercaillie-numbers-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot)was launched last month to save the capercaillie which could lead to birds being introduced from continental Europe to help boost numbers. The five year plan, announced by Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) and NatureScot, aims to increase the birds’ woodland habitat and will include a study into the potential for “reinforcing” the population with birds from outside the UK. Other aims include reducing the impact of predators such as pine martens and badgers by using food to divert them away from capercaillie nests. Ahead of that plan, The Ferret submitted a freedom of information request to NatureScot asking the government body to provide internal communications over the last year on the impacts of releasing gamebirds into the environment. Its response revealed that fears about the practice were expressed earlier this year. On 9 May, RSPB told NatureScot it was “increasingly concerned about pheasant releases and game bird rearing near to capercaillie SPAs,” adding it knew of plans to increase releases near to where there was a male capercaillie cock and a brood recorded last year. Querying whether there any controls regarding gamebird releases near to the special protection areas, RSPB said: “There are a range of potential impacts on \[capercaillie\] including competition, increase in parasite burden, import of disease, increase in generalist predators and of course both pheasants and their predators are mobile so these impacts are not restricted to the release sites.” NatureScot replied on 13 May and admitted little was currently known about the negative impact of pheasants on areas inhabited by capercaillie in Scotland. But evidence of negative impacts of pheasants on the wider environment has been found in England, the email said. “To my knowledge no research has been done specifically related to caper-occupied areas, or in Scotland generally (yet),” NatureScot added. “The potential concerns that might be most important here in my view would include the potential attraction of a concentration of pheasants to predators, and the potential for disease transmission – including ticks.” On 15 May, RSPB suggested gamebird releases should go through the habitats regulations appraisal (HRA) process, “especially as we have observed capercaillie declines in the areas closest to gamebird releases”. The [process](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/planning-and-development/environmental-assessment/habitats-regulations-appraisal-hra?ref=theferret.scot#Introduction+to+Habitats+Regulations+Appraisal+%28HRA%29) means authorities must consider whether any plan or project affects an SPA. Regarding a capercaillie special protection area within the Cairngorms National Park, NatureScot said there had been gamebird releases close to the park and that they should require an HRA. Its email said: “In my view, we also need the matter of pheasant releases in or adjacent to capercaillie SPAs to be addressed as part of the capercaillie emergency plan due to be published very shortly”. An email from NatureScot revealed its limited powers. The agency said “we don’t have any remit to require land managers to apply for consent for any activities outside these sites (SPAs)” and legal advice would be required to ensure the government agency was “not overstepping the mark”. “In the meantime, we can contact the estates concerned to ask whether they would moderate their plans on a voluntary basis,” the email added. Commenting on the email exchange, Claire Smith, senior conservation officer at RSPB Scotland, explained that because capercaillie are closely related to pheasants and red-legged partridges they are susceptible to the same parasites and diseases. “As part of consultation on the capercaillie emergency plan we highlighted the need for specific action and funding for further research and work to reduce parasite pressure,” Smith added. “We are pleased to see this has been included in the final plan, however we would like to see more proactive action from NatureScot around release of gamebirds on, or adjacent to, capercaillie special protection areas using existing powers and applying the precautionary principle.” > This focus on pheasant release as a major issue lacks supporting evidence and may divert attention from the more significant challenges faced by capercaillie, such as predation and habitat loss. Addressing these fundamental issues is much more complex than simply blaming gamebird releases. > > > Rufus Sage, head of lowland game bird research at the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. Scottish Green MSP Arianne Burgess said: “We have been urging the Scottish Government to take action to tackle the decline of the iconic capercaillie for many years now. When I first lodged a motion to target action for increasing capercaillies in Scotland, we only had around 700 of these iconic birds. But with numbers down to 532, the species face a critical risk of extinction for a second time. “The climate and nature emergencies can’t be separated. The loss of our nature and iconic species is a threat to all of us and our environments.” NatureScot said it has no legal authority to require land managers to apply for consent to release gamebirds outside of protected areas. A spokeswoman added: “In this case (the email exchange) we provided advice to the RSPB and are awaiting their response before taking any further steps.” A spokesperson for the Cairngorms National Park Authority said the body is aware of concerns around the impact of gamebird releases on capercaillie, and is “keen to ensure that all releases are sustainable and do not negatively impact on native biodiversity”. Monitoring capercaillie mortality is part of the Capercaillie Emergency Plan which includes looking into the potential impact of parasites from other birds in capercaillie areas, the spokesperson explained. They added: “The park authority are also partners in a project led by Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust which seeks to identify the extent of gamebird releases – where and how many are released across the National Park – and identify some of the impacts gamebirds may have on native species.” A spokesman for the Scottish Gamekeepers Association said that where pheasants are released, predators are generally controlled legally by gamekeepers and that “increased predation should not, therefore, be a major issue”. He added: “What is curious here is that RSPB and others have had many years to focus on known predator impacts on capercaillie but have chosen, as policy, to do nothing. Concerns over predation of Capercaillie, now, seems curious in terms of timing and somewhat hollow. > What is curious here is that RSPB and others have had many years to focus on known predator impacts on capercaillie but have chosen, as policy, to do nothing. Concerns over predation of Capercaillie, now, seems curious in terms of timing and somewhat hollow. > > A spokesperson for the Scottish Gamekeepers Assocation. “Until that time, there are far bigger, known problems facing Capercaillie that need to be focused on if we are to save the bird from extinction. NatureScot’s \[[Scientific Advisory Committee](https://www.nature.scot/about-naturescot/board-directors-and-committees/scientific-advisory-committee?ref=theferret.scot)\] report of 2022 laid these out very clearly, on the basis of all existing evidence. Pheasants did not feature.” Rufus Sage, head of lowland game bird research at the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, said NatureScot is right when it “highlights the lack of evidence of the negative impacts of released pheasants on capercaillie woodland habitats away from release sites”. Moreover, he claimed, there is “little evidence” of any wider negative effects of releasing in other woodland habitats elsewhere in Britain. The trust agrees with NatureScot that the spread of disease and increased predator activity, that might be associated with releasing, are causes of concern, he added. “Issues related to possible disease transmission between gamebirds involving ticks or other pathways are not clear, but a precautionary approach might be argued,” Sage said. “There is always a concern about the risk of unintended and negative effects when wildlife management is not evidence-led,” Sage added. “This focus on pheasant release as a major issue lacks supporting evidence and may divert attention from the more significant challenges faced by capercaillie, such as predation and habitat loss. Addressing these fundamental issues is much more complex than simply blaming gamebird releases.” *Featured photo credit: iStock and ClawsAndPaws* ### FFS explains: How well is Scotland doing on reducing climate emissions? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/how-well-scotland-reducing-emissions/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T06:47:53.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ferret-the-halls-underground-1024-x-350-px.jpg)](https://shop.theferret.scot/ferret-the-halls-bundle?ref=theferret.scot) **Scotland’s approach to tackling climate change has come under criticism in recent years.** A [key target](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68847434?ref=theferret.scot) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 per cent by 2030 was scrapped in April, prompting [climate campaigners](https://foe.scot/why-is-scotland-scrapping-its-climate-targets/?ref=theferret.scot) to argue the Scottish Government had “failed to act strongly enough” to tackle carbon pollution. But with [Cop29 taking place](https://unfccc.int/cop29?ref=theferret.scot) in Azerbaijan this week, three years on from Glasgow hosting the UN climate summit, [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/fact-check/) looked at how Scotland is currently performing in tackling climate change. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-26.png) #### **What are the Scottish Government’s climate targets now?** Scotland’s targets were set out in 2019, with a commitment to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, alongside interim targets of a 75 per cent reduction by 2030, and 90 per cent by 2040. These interim targets were [scrapped this year](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68847434?ref=theferret.scot), with energy secretary Mairi McAllan admitting that the 2030 interim target of cutting emissions by 75 per cent was no longer achievable. [New legislation](https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/s5/climate-change-emissions-reduction-target-scotland-bill?ref=theferret.scot) removing the targets was passed by the Scottish Parliament in November. The new law will see the Scottish Government using a five-year cycle of carbon budgeting, instead of reducing gradually through annual targets. A carbon budget puts a limit on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted over a five-year period, rather than annual targets, which are more prone to fluctuation. #### **How are they doing on getting to net zero?** The Scottish Government [insists it remains committed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68847434?ref=theferret.scot) to the 2045 net zero target. Progress on greenhouse gas emissions is tracked in annual monitoring reports as set out in the 2019 legislation. The [latest statistics cover 2022](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-greenhouse-gas-statistics-2022/?ref=theferret.scot), when Scottish emissions of greenhouse gases were estimated to be 40.6 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e). This was down 50.1 per cent from the baseline year of 1990, and down 0.1 per cent from 2021. For Scotland to be on track to meet its net zero target, emissions should have reduced by 53.8 per cent from 1990 by 2020\. So the Scottish Government is currently behind where it needs to be.To meet the target for emissions reduced for 2022, there would have had to be a 53.8 per cent reduction since 1990, so this target was missed. #### **What about in different sectors?** As well as overall greenhouse gas emissions, the Scottish Government monitors pollution from the [different sectors of the Scottish economy](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-greenhouse-gas-statistics-2022/pages/section-b--results/?ref=theferret.scot). Each year, there is a [non-binding target](https://www.gov.scot/publications/securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero-update-climate-change-plan-20182032/pages/17/?ref=theferret.scot) for the emissions from each sector on the way to achieving ‘net zero’. These provide useful context on which sectors are the most problematic for the government when it comes to meeting its overall target. The data is published in an [annual report](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-greenhouse-gas-statistics-2022/pages/section-b--results/?ref=theferret.scot). **Agriculture** The agriculture sector emitted 7.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2022, missing its target of 6.5\. It has seen an 11.9 per cent fall between 1990 and 2022.There was a 0.3 MtCO2e fall between 2021 and 2022. **Buildings** Emissions from the building sector have reduced significantly since 1990, with 32.7 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions in 2022\. This is mainly down to the switch away from more polluting fuels, and improvements in energy efficiency. There was a 13.8 per cent reduction between 2021 and 2022\. This has been attributed to higher fuel prices and relatively warmer winter months, resulting in less fuel being used in heating. In 2022, it emitted 7.5 MtCO2e, missing its target of 7.1. **Electricity supply** Historically, our electricity supply was responsible for more emissions than any other Scottish sector. However there’s been an 88.1 per cent reduction in emissions since 1990, as a result of the end of coal power being used for electricity generation in Scotland, and the general reduction in fossil fuel use. Between 2021 and 2022 there was a 0.2 MtCO2e increase in emissions, due to more gas generation. The sector emitted 1.7 MtCO2e in 2022,with a target of 1.6. **Transport** Domestic transport is another big historical emitter. The Covid-19 lockdown led to a significant reduction in emissions, but since then emissions increased consecutively in 2021 and 2022. In 2022, the total emissions from the sector was 11.5 MtCO2e, missing its target of 9.4. **Fuel supply** These are emissions created by the production and supply of fossil fuels like oil and gas, and other energy. Fuel supply emissions have halved since 1990, and contributed 3.3 MtCO2e in 2022. **Industry** Reductions in emissions from Scotland’s iron and steel industry in the 1990s led to a 56.8 per cent fall in emissions between 1990 and 2022 to 5.5 MtCO2e. The target of 11.1 MtCO2e or below was comfortably met. **International aviation and shipping** Scotland’s [share](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2010/218/contents/made?ref=theferret.scot) of the UK’s emissions in aviation, and to a lesser extent shipping, was impacted by Covid-19 restrictions. However, between 1990 and 2022, the sector’s contribution to emissions has increased by 0.2 MtCO2e to 1.5. **Land Use and Forestry** [Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry](https://www.theferret.scot/glossary-scotland-and-the-climate-crisis/), orLULUCF is an important part of the ScottishGovernment’s climate policies. It refers to the impact of human-caused changes to how land and forestry can help to absorb carbon. Things like maintaining and increasing tree cover and the restoration of peat can help to reduce greenhouse gases, and increase the amount of carbon dioxide that is absorbed. LULUCF can be both a [carbon ‘sink’](https://www.theferret.scot/glossary-scotland-and-the-climate-crisis/) – a process or activity that removes greenhouse gas from the atmosphere – or it can be a net emitter of greenhouse gases, depending on how it is managed. Currently, LULUCF is a net emitter of greenhouse gases rather than a ‘sink’. In 2022, the sector emitted 0.2 MtCO2e of net emissions, beating its 0.4 target. In 1990 net emissions were 6.0 MtCO2e. However, between 2009 and 2017, LULUCF was a carbon sink, removing greenhouse gases in Scotland, with carbon captured through forestry playing a significant role. **Waste** Emissions from waste management in Scotland have been static in recent years at 1.6 MtCO2e, but reduced 75.4 per cent between 1990 and 2021.The sector failed to meet its target of 1.3 MtCO2e in 2022. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ### Claim Scottish abortion law bans praying silently in your own home is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-law-bans-praying-silently-at-home-is-false/ Last updated: 2026-05-06T15:19:32.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### ‘Disturbing’: pollution from rubbish burning surged last year URL: https://www.theferret.scot/disturbing-pollution-from-rubbish-burning-surged-last-year/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:28:55.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ferret-the-halls-underground-1024-x-350-px-2.jpg)](https://shop.theferret.scot/ferret-the-halls-bundle?ref=theferret.scot) **Sites across Scotland which burn rubbish caused more climate pollution than ever before last year with some spewing out toxic chemicals such as mercury and arsenic, The Ferret has found.** Six facilities which burn household waste produced nearly 900,000 tonnes of climate-polluting carbon dioxide in 2023\. This is a record high and a fifty per cent increase in emissions over the last five years. The findings come as more incinerators are set to [come online](https://www.theferret.scot/slater-urged-to-block-three-new-waste-incinerators/) across Scotland over the next few years, despite a [ban](https://www.gov.scot/news/putting-limits-on-incineration-capacity/?ref=theferret.scot) introduced by the Scottish Government in 2022. Supporters of incineration [say](https://esauk.org/2024/10/15/esa-statement-on-energy-from-waste/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20vital%20role%20of%20energy,fleet%20of%20around%2060%20facilities.) it reduces overall emissions because waste burned at the sites is used to produce electricity or heat. They argue it would otherwise go to landfill where much of it would still decompose and produce greenhouse gases, but no energy. But analysis has [found](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3wxgje5pwo?ref=theferret.scot) that producing energy from waste burning is now the most polluting way that the UK generates power. Critics [fear](https://ukwin.org.uk/facts/?ref=theferret.scot#recyclability) rubbish that could be [recycled](https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/household-waste-composition-analysis?ref=theferret.scot) – particularly plastic which is itself made from fossil fuels – is instead going up in smoke. They told The Ferret that levels of pollution from incinerators were “disturbing” and the sites were coming “at a cost to our recycling rates, our climate targets, and our air quality”. One activist pointed out that some incinerators are near schools and hospitals, potentially exposing vulnerable people to toxic chemicals. [The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) said incineration was only one way that waste is managed, and overall emissions from the management of household rubbish are declining. ### **Climate and health impact** Data on pollution from waste incinerators, which was gathered by Sepa, was [published](https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/environmental-data/spri/?ref=theferret.scot) in October. Most of the climate pollution comes from four sites; at Dunbar in East Lothian, Polmadie in Glasgow, Baldovie in Dundee and Millerhill near Edinburgh. The biggest polluter was Dunbar, which produced well over 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) last year, around 50,000 tonnes more than in 2019. Baldovie saw the biggest emissions increase, with CO2 levels more than doubling at the site after German company [MVV](https://www.mvv.de/en/about-us/group-of-companies/mvv-umwelt/subsidiaries/mvv-environment-ltd?ref=theferret.scot) brought a second incinerator online there in 2022. The Dunbar and Polmadie incinerators are both owned by the waste company, [Viridor](https://www.kkr.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which itself is owned by New York financial giant, [KKR](https://www.kkr.com/?ref=theferret.scot). As well as CO2, the Dunbar plant also reported releases of mercury and dioxins and furans – a family of chemicals which are byproducts of industrial processes – to the environment in 2023. Exposure to dioxins and furans has been [linked](https://archive.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/wastemin/web/pdf/dioxfura.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to cancer, changes in hormone levels and skin conditions. Inhalation of mercury can [cause](https://www.epa.gov/mercury/health-effects-exposures-mercury?ref=theferret.scot) neurological issues and increased levels of autism have been [observed](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0946672X16300931?ref=theferret.scot#sec0085) near sites that emit mercury. Polmadie emitted twice as much mercury as Dunbar, despite processing less waste, and also released arsenic, another chemical [linked](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/arsenic-properties-incident-management-and-toxicology/arsenic-general-information?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Long%2Dterm%20exposure%20to%20arsenic%20may%20cause%20lung%2C%20skin%20and,minimise%20possible%20risks%20to%20health.) to serious health issues if people are exposed to it for prolonged periods. Levels of dioxins and furans produced at Baldovie were 26 times higher than the threshold at which a company needs to report emissions of the chemical to Sepa, and the site also produced mercury. Baldovie’s emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – produced when organic materials are burned – also rose in 2023. When humans come into contact with PAHs it can [increase](https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289056533?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Human%20exposure%20to%20PAHs%20may,exposure%20should%20be%20further%20explored.) the risk of cancer and exacerbate breathing problems like asthma. The Millerhill incinerator has seen its CO2 emissions remain relatively stable since 2020, although they increased slightly between 2022 and 2023. But it also produced mercury last year. Millerhill released over a tonne of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can [cause](https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/indoors/air/pmq%5Fa.htm?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Particle%20pollution%20from%20fine%20particulates,the%20air%20to%20appear%20hazy.) respiratory issues particularly in children and the elderly. Two new incinerators came online in 2023, in Grangemouth and Aberdeen, meaning that emissions from the sites are expected to increase again when figures are released for 2024. ### **Waste ‘hierarchy’** A 2022 independent review for the Scottish Government emphasised the need to reduce and recycle waste to stop it going to landfill or incinerators. Titled “[Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury](https://www.gov.scot/publications/stop-sort-burn-bury-independent-review-role-incineration-waste-hierarchy-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot)”, the review concluded that incinerators are currently “less climate damaging” than landfills but recommended avoiding burning plastics to reduce carbon emissions. While food waste emits fewer greenhouse gases when burned than in landfills, burning waste plastic is worse for the climate than burying it. The incineration review warned Scotland was at risk of having too many incinerators. This could lead to a situation where waste is unnecessarily directed to new incinerators in order to justify the fact they were built. Following the review, the Scottish Government introduced a moratorium on new sites although a number of projects which had already received planning permission could still go ahead. This “loophole” allowed the Aberdeen and Grangemouth incinerators to start operating since the ban, with more sites under construction. Waste burned in Scotland [rose](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/scottish-government-has-lost-control-33994641?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=New%20figures%2C%20published%20by%20eco,43.5%20per%20cent%20in%202022.) by 15 per cent last year, while recycling increased only by 0.2 per cent. > The pollution from burning our waste is toxic and becoming increasingly harmful to those who live near incinerators. > > Kim Pratt, Friend of the Earth Scotland [Friends of the Earth Scotland](https://foe.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) has claimed that these figures show the Scottish Government has “lost control” of incineration. Kim Pratt, who campaigns with the environmental group, argued the Scottish Government is “failing to protect the people of Scotland from the impacts of burning our waste”. Pratt claimed: “Not only is incineration limiting recycling efforts and contributing to climate breakdown, but the pollution from burning our waste is toxic too and becoming increasingly harmful to those who live near incinerators. “Incinerators have been allowed to be built near schools and hospitals which is really concerning.” She called for the Scottish Government to use its powers to close the “loophole” in its incineration ban and prevent more of the sites coming online. Shlomo Dowen, national coordinator of the [UK Without Incineration Network](https://ukwin.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), echoed Pratt’s call for the “dangerous loopholes” in the ban to be closed. “These disturbing findings should act as a wake up call,” Dowen claimed. “Incineration comes at a cost to our recycling rates, our climate targets, and our air quality.” [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) argued that the climate impacts of incineration “should not be viewed in isolation” and pointed to [statistics](https://beta.sepa.scot/news/2024/scotland-s-generated-household-waste-drops-to-record-low/?ref=theferret.scot) which show the “overall carbon impact of household waste management” reduced in 2023 to its “lowest recorded level”. A spokesperson for the regulator said it was clear that to reduce the need for incineration, “we all must strive to reduce the waste we produce as much as possible”. They added that Sepa ensures incineration facilities are “designed and operated to high technical standards and meet strict emissions limits to protect the environment and human health”. Gillian Martin MSP, acting cabinet secretary for net zero and energy, told The Ferret the Scottish Government was developing a cap on incineration capacity. She added: “Our reuse and recycling rates continue to increase, but we still need to manage our unavoidable and unrecyclable waste.” “This approach of limiting and reducing the amount of waste we burn ensures that our current and future plans for waste management matches our carbon reduction ambitions.” A spokesperson for MVV, the German company which owns the Baldovie incinerator near Dundee, said waste treated at energy from waste sites was “moving up the waste hierarchy, away from landfill or export”. “Therefore, carbon dioxide equivalent emissions are reduced in comparison to other residual waste management options such as landfill.” They added that emissions from the Baldovie site had grown because it has increased the amount of waste it treats since the second incinerator came online. “We do not receive waste that is meant to be recycled. Recycling levels could be further increased through changes in packaging design, simpler recycling systems, and better education of households,” the spokesperson added. The owners of all the incinerators named were contacted for comment. *Cover image thanks to iStock/MaZiKab*. ### Alarm over new US military ‘presence’ in Scotland URL: https://www.theferret.scot/us-war-plane-base-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:01:39.000Z The United States government has established its first military site in Scotland since the 1990s, prompting fears of a “catastrophic” situation under an incoming Donald Trump administration. The new base in [Lossiemouth](https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/stations/raf-lossiemouth/?ref=theferret.scot), Moray, opened in May. It marks the return of the US military to Scotland since it left after the end of the Cold War three decades ago. The US navy helped fund the construction of facilities for its [Poseidon P8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing%5FP-8%5FPoseidon?ref=theferret.scot) anti-submarine spy and war planes at the site, working alongside UK aircraft. According to one expert, the new US facilities were “profoundly concerning” given Trump’s return to the White House in January. Campaigners criticised Scotland’s renewed “incorporation into the US [nuclear](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/nuclear-weapons/) war fighting capacity”. The Ferret can also reveal that the Scottish Government was not consulted about stationing US war planes at Lossiemouth. The UK Ministry of Defence insisted that it was “false” to suggest that there was a new US military “base” in Scotland. There was a US “presence” at Lossiemouth, with a “US naval detachment”, it said. Accommodation and a large plant to wash the Poseidon aircraft were built for the US navy as part of a [£350m upgrade of Lossiemouth](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/350-million-programme-to-upgrade-raf-lossiemouth-completed?ref=theferret.scot), which is the main operating base for the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) in Scotland. The upgrade also included resurfacing a runway, refurbishing a hangar and building new fire-fighting facilities. The RAF has been operating nine Poseidons from Lossiemouth since 2020. They have now been joined by a US squadron of the aircraft, to work together monitoring the seas between Greenland, Ireland and Norway for Russian submarines. [According to the US navy](https://www.navair.navy.mil/product/P-8A-Poseidon?ref=theferret.scot), Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft are armed with non-nuclear torpedoes and cruise missiles for attacking submarines underwater. They also carry a range of sophisticated surveillance equipment designed to track submarines. ### US presence a ‘strategic enhancement’ The US Sixth Fleet, which covers Europe and Africa, [described](https://www.dvidshub.net/news/470137/nas-sigonella-uk-raf-unveil-new-facility-lossiemouth?ref=theferret.scot) stationing the planes at Lossiemouth as a “significant development”. It was a “strategic enhancement” which would “bolster the operational interoperability” with the RAF. US naval commanding officer, captain Aaron Shoemaker, said: “These new facilities will play a crucial role in enhancing the collective readiness, responsiveness, deployability, integration, and interoperability of Poseidon forces and our ability to maintain aircraft and support operations in the north Atlantic.” From the 1960s Scotland was home to a string of US military bases, including nuclear armed submarines at the [Holy Loch](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19140712.60-years-day-us-navy-came-armed-nuclear-missiles/?ref=theferret.scot) on the Clyde, nuclear mines at [Machrihanish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF%5FMachrihanish?ref=theferret.scot) on the Mull of Kintyre, and an extensive signals intelligence network including [Edzell](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/past-times/1586551/raf-edzell-remembering-the-lost-cold-war-spy-base-in-north-angus/?ref=theferret.scot) in Aberdeenshire. After the Cold War ended, US forces [left](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmhansrd/vo040223/text/40223w14.htm?ref=theferret.scot#40223w14.html%5Fsbhd3) Holy Loch in 1992, Machrihanish in 1995 and Edzell in 1997. [Over 100 security incidents at MoD nuclear weapons bodyAn arm of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) which oversees the UK’s nuclear weapons programme has refused to release details of over 100 security incidents it logged over the last five years, prompting accusations of a “cover up”. According to new figures – released to The Ferret after a freedom![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-32.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/sda-2023-0013-0578-ice04ojymwataa-lhvqquy2j1-jpg.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/over-100-incidents-body-oversees-nuclear-weapons/) The return of the US military at Lossiemouth has been greeted with consternation in the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election as US president. “The US Navy’s return to running military facilities in Scotland for the first time since the end of the Cold War is profoundly concerning,” said [Duncan Campbell](https://www.duncancampbell.org/?ref=theferret.scot), a defence expert and author of [a seminal book](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unsinkable-Aircraft-Carrier-Duncan-Campbell/dp/1326506153?ref=theferret.scot) about US military bases in the UK in the 1980s. The plan to use Lossiemouth to support the US navy’s anti-submarine warfare had been hatched years ago, he told The Ferret. “It appears to anticipate renewed naval or anti-submarine activity against Russia in the north east Atlantic.” The RAF was now working together with the US navy at Lossiemouth and “relying massively on US defence systems of every type” with “extremely integrated” intelligence, Campbell added. “After this month’s US elections, the situation appears catastrophic both for opponents and supporters of a new US presence in Scotland. Both must fear whose side or sides Trump will take, after [openly encouraging](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68266447?ref=theferret.scot) Putin to attack NATO states.” Campbell, a veteran investigative journalist, is currently working on a new edition of his 1983 book, [War Plan UK](https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Plan-UK-Duncan-Campbell/dp/1326506129?ref=theferret.scot), which revealed the UK’s secret network of nuclear civil defence bunkers. There would be “major revelations” about Scotland, he promised. [Radioactive pollution from bomb plant sparks cancer fearsRadioactive air pollution from the nuclear weapons plant at Coulport, on the Clyde, has more than doubled over the last six years, prompting cancer warnings from campaigners. Emissions of the radioactive gas, tritium, from the Royal Naval Armaments Depot on Loch Long, have risen steadily between 2018 and 2023 from![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-33.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/rnad_coulport-2-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-tritium-coulport-cancer/) The [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) argued that the US presence at Lossiemouth was “a new twist in Scotland’s incorporation into the US nuclear-war-fighting capacity”. The campaign’s chair, Lynn Jamieson, said: “It puts yet another target on our backs without any say-so from Scotland’s citizens. Scottish and British people’s real security needs are compromised by entanglement with US military strategy.” She highlighted [reports](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-68217519?ref=theferret.scot) that the US was also planning to bring nuclear weapons back to [Lakenheath](https://www.lakenheath.af.mil/?ref=theferret.scot) in Suffolk, 15 years after they had been taken away. Westminster allowed the US to use UK bases as part of the [“special relationship”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special%5FRelationship?ref=theferret.scot) between the two countries. “People should demand the end of this special relationship now, before any of Trump’s next outrageous acts involve US ‘assets’ at Lossiemouth or Lakenheath,” Jamieson added. “The UK remains complicit in extending the US war fighting capacity – a capacity which always includes the possibility of launching nuclear war. A US president can do that without consulting anyone.” The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) argued that Trump posed “a threat to global security”. A close military relationship with his presidency would mean “instability and chaos”, the party claimed. “A lot of people will be rightly concerned to see parts of our country being used as a US outpost. The US has a long history of hypocritical relationships with human rights abusing regimes and tyrants and the projection of power through immoral and outdated nuclear weapons,” said Greens co-leader and former minister, [Patrick Harvie MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/patrick-harvie?ref=theferret.scot). “Now it also threatens to reward Vladimir Putin for his war of aggression against Ukraine, which will leave other European countries asking who is next in its sights.” ### Scottish Government not consulted on US presence The Scottish Government pointed out that UK defence policy was not its responsibility and was reserved to Westminster. “The Scottish Government was not consulted on the upgrade of Ministry of Defence facilities at RAF Lossiemouth,” it told The Ferret. The Ministry of Defence referred to the new US facilities when it [outlined](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/350-million-programme-to-upgrade-raf-lossiemouth-completed?ref=theferret.scot) the completion of a major six-year upgrade of RAF Lossiemouth in July 2024\. “As [NATO](https://www.nato.int/?ref=theferret.scot) allies of the UK, the US navy presence – with their own maritime patrol aircraft – provides a boost to the defence of the UK and Europe,” it said. “Their new facilities were funded by the US navy and the [Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-infrastructure-organisation?ref=theferret.scot), and the RAF worked closely with them to ensure the plans fit their needs.” The Ministry of Defence dismissed claims that the US had a new military “base” at Lossiemouth as “false”. It said there was a “US navy detachment” based there. “We [recently completed](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/350-million-programme-to-upgrade-raf-lossiemouth-completed?ref=theferret.scot) a six-year, £350 million project to modernise and upgrade RAF Lossiemouth,” said a ministry spokesperson. “As one of our closest NATO allies, we continually operate alongside US forces. The US navy maritime patrol aircraft presence at RAF Lossiemouth enables our forces to seamlessly deliver maritime security, improving the defence of the UK and NATO.” *Cover image of US Poseidon P8 thanks to iStock/*[*mjf795*](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/mjf795?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)*.* *Note: The first paragraph was slightly changed at 14.05 on 14 November 2024 to more accurately reflect what was said.* ### UK approves carbon storage drilling in nature sanctuaries URL: https://www.theferret.scot/uk-carbon-storage-drilling-in-nature-sanctuaries/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T15:26:35.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ferret-the-halls-underground-1024-x-350-px-1.jpg) **The UK government has sold licences to oil giants to drill on the seabed in marine protected areas to store carbon dioxide, which will impact whales, dolphins and endangered birds, a Ferret investigation has found.** Licences – sold by the government’s oil regulator to companies including Shell and BP – allow carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by industrial sites to be injected into rock formations, acting as storage areas under the North Sea. The government [views](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/the-move-to-net-zero/carbon-capture-and-storage/?ref=theferret.scot) carbon storage as crucial to tackling the climate crisis, arguing that it will prevent “unavoidable” industrial pollution from entering the atmosphere and causing global warming. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects [involve seabed drilling](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64652ad4d3231e000c32dbac/CS%5FRound%5FMCZ%5FMPA%5FAssessment%5FReport.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) which could [risk the survival](https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/marine-activities-and-pressures-evidence/?ref=theferret.scot) of the plants and animals living there and the biodiversity of the whole protection area. Our analysis found that some storage sites auctioned off overlap with marine protected areas (MPAs) in the North Sea, which are supposed to shield fragile habitats and endangered animals, including seabirds, whales, dolphins and porpoises. These areas also [absorb and store](https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/UK%20assessment%20-%20scientific%20report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) carbon themselves. Government advisers have warned that seabed drilling could [damage fragile habitats](https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/marine-habitats-and-offshore-industries/?ref=theferret.scot) or smother them in sediment. The projects will also[ create](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64652ad4d3231e000c32dbac/CS%5FRound%5FMCZ%5FMPA%5FAssessment%5FReport.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) industrial levels of noise and disruption, which could [threaten ](https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/marine-activities-and-pressures-evidence/?ref=theferret.scot)some species directly and drive away other fish, seabirds and marine animals. Seabirds that feed at the sites include puffins, kittiwakes and the great skua, which are all on the UK’s [red list](https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/peer-reviewed-papers/status-uk%E2%80%99s-breeding-seabirds-addendum-fifth-birds?ref=theferret.scot) of the most endangered birds. Wildlife conservation experts reacted with despair to our findings, pointing out that marine life in the North Sea has already [suffered](https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2023/09/12/oil-spill-uk-marine-protected-areas-mpas/?ref=theferret.scot) from decades of the oil and gas industry and [destructive fishing](https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/resources/all-at-sea-report/?ref=theferret.scot), and that the protection areas were introduced to restore nature. Emma Eastcott, from Whale and Dolphin Conservation told the Ferret: “Offshore CO2 storage activities, which involve seismic surveys, drilling, and increased industrial noise will likely pose significant risks to harbour porpoises and other cetaceans in the North Sea.” She added: “These species are highly sensitive to underwater noise and disturbance, which can disrupt their communication, feeding, and breeding patterns”. The government [plans](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carbon-capture-usage-and-storage-ccus-december-2023-statement?ref=theferret.scot) to grow the carbon storage industry and offer more than 100 sites under the North Sea on the [global market](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carbon-capture-usage-and-storage-ccus-december-2023-statement?ref=theferret.scot). Shell was awarded carbon storage licence 28 which is an area off the east coast of England, from Bridlington, Yorkshire, past the Humber estuary and the Wash, to Brancaster Sands in Norfolk. The Ferret compared the North Sea regulator’s licence areas with maps of MPAs. We found that Shell’s licence area overlaps with the Holderness Offshore MPA and borders a second reserve – Holderness Inshore – which covers 309 km2 of inshore reefs. We also found that licence 17 – owned by the oil firm, Perenco – overlaps with Holderness offshore zone. ![carbon](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/shell-licence-28-v2-0.jpg) *Data source: North Sea Transition Authority/Joint Nature Conservation Committee* The zones are intended to protect nationally important plant and animal life in the ocean and seabirds above. The seabed at Holderness Offshore is a [fragile landscape](https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/holderness-offshore-mpa/?ref=theferret.scot) of sands and sediment, supporting sponges, starfish, shrimp and crabs. It is a spawning ground for fish, including lemon sole, plaice and European sprat. It is also home to the protected ocean quahog – a rare mollusc which dates back to the Jurassic period. This large, black clam takes up to six years to reach maturity and can live for over 500 years. The ocean quahog, along with other molluscs and sponges, starfish, jellyfish and shellfish found at the site, is a so-called “filter feeder”, which means it [feeds](https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1519?ref=theferret.scot) on microscopic plant or animal matter suspended in the water. These creatures naturally store carbon, playing a [critical role](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28508058/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20biological%20pump%20drives%20the%20transport%20of%20carbon,effective%20and%20abundant%20midwater%20grazers%20are%20filter-feeding%20invertebrates.) in the “ocean carbon pump” – a complex natural process which absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and eventually results in carbon becoming sediment, stored for thousands of years on the ocean floor. The [Holderness Inshore](https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/inner-dowsing-race-bank-and-north-ridge/?ref=theferret.scot) zone is a shallow site with a seabed of sandbanks and reefs. The reefs are built up by tubeworms and mussels over many decades, and provide a habitat for different species including sponges, anemones, “moss animals”, shrimps, crabs and lobsters. Threats to the reef undermine its biodiversity and the natural carbon storage process. A[ recent report](https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/UK%20assessment%20-%20scientific%20report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) found that marine protection areas play a particularly important role in this process. > Our marine protected areas are meant to be havens for ocean wildlife yet are full of destructive activities such as bottom-trawl fishing and chronic spills from oil rigs. > > Hugo Tagholm, Oceana UK It estimated that the UK’s oceans capture 13.5 million tonnes of carbon as sediment every year, adding to the 244 million tonnes already stored in the top layer of the seabed. Endangered seabirds also depend on the inshore sandbanks and reefs, while Holderness offshore is part of the wintering area for the harbour porpoise – an endangered species which has returned to UK waters. Carbon storage projects will [involve](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64652ad4d3231e000c32dbac/CS%5FRound%5FMCZ%5FMPA%5FAssessment%5FReport.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) many seismic surveys, drilling, installation of new rigs and new pipelines, followed by injection at multiple points, before the sites are finally capped at the end of their lifetime. The government expects the initial “exploration and appraisal” stage of each project to take four to eight years. It has no estimate for the operational (injection) stage, disturbance will continue until the project ends. A Shell spokesperson told the Ferret: “The North Sea Transition Authority awarded 21 licences in the first carbon storage licensing round. Shell follows the terms and conditions of the licences.” 27 carbon storage licences have been[ issued](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/data-and-insights/data/themes/licences/?ref=theferret.scot) to firms including Shell, BP, Neptune, Perenco and Chrysaor. Some of the firms are partnering with new CCS project developers covering pipeline development. The Ferret found that all the licences issued in the southern part of the North Sea fall within s[pecial areas of conservation (SAC](https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/sacs-with-marine-components/?ref=theferret.scot)). SACs are MPAs set up to protect habitats and species most in need of conservation and listed in the [European Habitats directive](https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/habitats-directive%5Fen?ref=theferret.scot). The SACs in the southern North Sea were drawn up to protect threatened habitats – sandbanks and reefs, and species – the harbour porpoise. Danny Groves, from the charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation, told the Ferret, *“*a healthy ocean is fundamental to fighting climate breakdown.” He noted the recent UN conference [COP16](https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop16-countries-miss-un-deadline-to-submit-nature-pledges/?ref=theferret.scot), where countries met to agree their goals to protect biodiversity and tackle nature loss. At COP 15 in 2022, the UK campaigned for an ambitious agreement on oceans, this year the UK [missed the deadline for delivering its plans.](https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop16-countries-miss-un-deadline-to-submit-nature-pledges/?ref=theferret.scot) “The UK is way off reaching its targets,” said Groves. A spokesperson for the oil and gas regulator North Sea Transition Authority (NTSTA) told The Ferret: “We work closely with other bodies to ensure the seabed is managed in a sustainable way to deliver the UK’s carbon storage targets in support of net zero, whilst aligning with government targets and ambitions for nature recovery and biodiversity.” They added that another regulator, the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED), conducts habitat screening for each licensing round, including assessments on overlaps, and that the secretary of state, or in Scotland, the Scottish minister has to give assent. OPRED performed an environmental [assessment](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64652ad4d3231e000c32dbac/CS%5FRound%5FMCZ%5FMPA%5FAssessment%5FReport.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on the southern North Sea storage sites and found the same overlaps that we identified. It said that Holderness offshore was already in an “unfavourable” condition due to the impacts of oil and gas activities and industrial fishing. At Holderness inshore, it found that key measures of health were “uncertain”. However, after noting the existing damage at both sites, OPRED assessed the impacts of approving the four to eight year exploration and appraisal stage as “not significant” or “temporary”, and approved all of the licences. Although the government and the oil and gas industry strongly support CCS as a solution to the climate crisis, experts have [raised concerns](https://www.campaigncc.org/sites/data/files/sites/data/files/Docs/follow%5Fup%5Fletter%5Fto%5Fsos%5Fon%5Fccus%5F18%5F10%5F24.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and urgently requested a pause. They question the viability of the technologies, pointing to previous failures, and argue that CCS will keep the UK dependent on fossil fuels. They have challenged the government’s assumptions about the emissions reductions. Noting the high cost of CCS to the public, they also argue that this money would be better spent on insulating homes and clean, renewable energy. Hugo Tagholm, executive director of Oceana UK, told the Ferret: “Our marine protected areas are meant to be havens for ocean wildlife yet are full of destructive activities such as bottom-trawl fishing and chronic spills from oil rigs. Carbon capture and storage are risky and unproven technologies used to greenwash fossil fuels. The true answer to tackling the climate crisis is a rapid and just transition to clean, green energy.” DESNZ and Perenco did not respond to our request for comment. *Cover image thanks to iStock/grafxart888* ### Celebrate this holiday season with a gift that digs deeper URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-the-halls-holiday-gift/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T07:48:58.000Z As the year winds down, we’re thrilled to share something extra-special with you: [our limited edition *Ferret the Halls* holiday bundle](https://shop.theferret.scot/ferret-the-halls-bundle?ref=theferret.scot)! Packed with unique goodies, impactful journalism, and a bit of festive flair, this bundle is designed for any independent journalism fan in your life — maybe even yourself. Here’s what makes this bundle one-of-a-kind. ### **What’s inside the *Ferret the Halls* bundle?** Each bundle has been thoughtfully curated to offer something meaningful for our community, blending in the perfect mix of insightful content and holiday cheer: - **Gold membership** (valued at £120): Receive a full year of unlimited access to our investigative stories. This membership isn’t just about staying informed; it’s about engaging deeply with the issues that matter, supporting independent journalism, and becoming part of a community that seeks the truth. - **Limited edition zine — “Sleigh the Misinformation”**: Our holiday-themed zine is a one-of-a-kind collection of seasonal fact-checks and articles, tackling misinformation with a sense of humour and holiday spirit. It’s festive reading that also packs a punch, making it a great addition to anyone’s seasonal reading list. - **Exclusive Ferret merchandise**: From a custom Ferret bookmark to other charming surprises, these goodies make the perfect holiday gift for anyone who loves a good story. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ferret-the-halls-4.jpg)](https://shop.theferret.scot/ferret-the-halls-bundle?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Why grab one?** This bundle is not only filled with items we’ve created just for the season, but it also lets you give a gift that matters. Every purchase supports independent journalism, helping us dig deeper into the stories that impact our community. Plus, if you’re a Ferret member, you’re eligible for a special discount by logging into our shop with your account email. [Get yours here](https://shop.theferret.scot/ferret-the-halls-bundle?ref=theferret.scot) ### **When, where, and how** The *Ferret the Halls* bundle is available for **£150** until **December 1st** — but don’t wait too long! With only 50 bundles in stock, they’re likely to go quickly. [To order, simply head over to our shop and explore the bundle details. ](https://shop.theferret.scot/ferret-the-halls-bundle?ref=theferret.scot)Whether you’re gifting it or keeping it for yourself, you’re investing in journalism that makes a difference. **All bundles will be shipped at the beginning of December.** ### **Happy holidays from The Ferret Team** As we look ahead to another year, we’re grateful for everyone who’s joined us on our journey, from our loyal members to new readers. Together, we’ll continue uncovering stories and sparking conversations that make a difference. Thank you for your support, and happy holidays from The Ferret team! ### Families on the front line: How a pioneering drug service helps communities heal URL: https://www.theferret.scot/drug-crisis-dublin-rialto-families-approach/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T17:08:58.000Z **It’s more than 30 years since Phyllis Corish – who had just lost her 29-year-old brother and 34-year-old sister to drugs within weeks of each other – walked into the newly opened** [**Rialto Community Drug Team**](https://rialtocommunitydrugteam.org/?ref=theferret.scot) **in Dublin looking for help.** Heroin flooded the Irish capital back in the eighties. Hotspots including the housing schemes of Fatima Mansions, where Phyllis lived, and nearby Dolphin House, were both served by Rialto’s community team. The kingpin behind the flow of drugs, [Larry Dunne](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/larry-dunne-the-life-and-death-of-a-notorious-dublin-drug-dealer-1.4257568?ref=theferret.scot) was brought up less than a ten-minute walk away. Spiralling inflation and [high unemployment](https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0525/790895-young-unemployed-in-ireland/?ref=theferret.scot) across the city made people susceptible to heroin’s dark draw. By the time tragedy struck Phyllis’s family, people had been dying for years, while others contracted [HIV](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6992419/?ref=theferret.scot) from infected needles. Dealers had set up shop in the area’s housing estates. Mothers were burying their children. Authorities seemed absent and angry, and [desperate parents](https://www.reportdigital.co.uk/reportage-photo-parents-and-children-protest-against-drugs-crumlin-estate---29-feb-image00136864.html?ref=theferret.scot) turned [vigilante](https://www.rte.ie/news/1999/1101/4041-dwyer/?ref=theferret.scot). They started trying to physically march dealers out of the community. “We lost a whole generation,” says Corish. It was into this crisis that the Rialto Community Drug Team – the first of its kind – opened its doors. It was the centre’s founder Tony MacCarthaigh that first examined the needs of local people, and highlighted what was wanted. The aim of the neighbourhood-based service that emerged was simple – to support the whole community on a journey to wellness. That meant supporting the whole family, including parents, children and siblings, as well as the person struggling with drug use. That is not the case in many services either in Ireland or Scotland, where the person in drug treatment is the primary focus, their family excluded. Yet according to charities and support organisations, [the evidence](https://thepromise.scot/resources/2020/keepthepromise-family-support.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) shows involving the family not only helps support their wellbeing and breaks cycles of trauma from being imposed on children, it can also help the person in drug treatment to recover. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marchingforrialtopicture_kg.jpg) In Ireland that family-inclusive approach is now written into drug strategies. The “[Whole Family approach](https://www.gov.scot/publications/improving-holistic-family-support-towards-whole-family-approach-family-inclusive-practice-drug-alcohol-services/pages/9/?ref=theferret.scot)” is also Scottish Government policy, along with a commitment to improve holistic family support, with a budget of £3.5m for alcohol and drug partnerships and a further £3m provided from the Children and Families fund. Several charities run family programmes. The aim of this strategy is to tackle the ripples of harm to families and loved ones caused by Scotland’s well-documented drug crisis. Between January 2019 and the end of 2023 more than 6,000 people have died, an average of almost 24 people every week. But families too are impacted, not just by grief but by the struggle to support their loved ones. [Research from 2018](https://www.gov.scot/publications/improving-holistic-family-support-towards-whole-family-approach-family-inclusive-practice-drug-alcohol-services/pages/9/?ref=theferret.scot) suggested 35 per cent of people who died from drug overdoses were the mothers and fathers of children under 16\. In 2021, [parental substance use](https://thepromise.scot/resources/2020/keepthepromise-alcohol-and-drugs.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was identified as a concern for 15 per cent of children on the child protection register, though figures are not clear about how many were taken into care as a result. The impact of drug deaths on parents and other family members is not measured, according to Sandra Holmes. She has supported her own family through addiction and runs the [Midlothian Family support group](https://www.facebook.com/midlothianfsg/) to help parents and other relatives deal with the trauma involved. And despite current policies, strategies and funding, not enough is changing, she insists. The charity [Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs](https://www.sfad.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) agrees, claiming there is a “patchwork picture of provision, of which many family members are left out”. In response Holmes set up [Families Campaign for Change](https://x.com/change%5Ffamilies?ref=theferret.scot). The group is mostly made up of mothers calling for drug reform, better treatment options for their loved ones, and for families to be included in support services. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/outsidedail-eireann_onekg.jpg) Holmes is adamant that integrated services that include families are the answer. “Families are very often on the front line,” she explains. “We’ve been through it all from seeing our loved ones going through psychosis, to dealing with their drug debts and sitting up all night waiting for a knock at the door. But yet families are all too often rejected from services or we see our family members turned away and are powerless to do anything about it.” So when group member Stephanie Morrison reported back from a visit to Dublin about a community-led service that put families at its heart, she wanted to hear more. Walking into the Rialto Community Drug Team felt different to the many other services she has been in, says Morrison, who supported her adult son through his struggles with substance use. She knows there are plenty of challenges here too. But as she heard about its family support workers, the collaborative working with the drug workers, and the therapeutic family service on offer, she wondered if a similar approach could work in Scotland. “I was kept at arm’s length by services in Scotland for a long time,” says Morrison. “We’ve got to the stage where I try to step back. But I’ll always remember the resistance and the devastating impact it had on all of us. I feel sure there’s a better way.” Now she and Holmes have brought members of their campaign group to Dublin to find out more. They are joined by Caroline Butler, who lost her son to drugs in 2001 and Agnes Donnachie, who runs the [Families in the Know](https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news/24532827.familes-know-drugs-alcohol-action-group-set/?ref=theferret.scot) support group in Inverclyde. Also here from Scotland are former homeless support worker Susan Grant, whose own friends and family have been affected by drugs, and Elizabeth – as we’ve agreed to call her to protect her identity – a former heroin user with a family member in the group. The Ferret has joined them to see what they’ll find. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/familibase_kg.jpg) We’re met in the drop-in area by workers and support staff, including Phyllis Corish, who is preparing to take waiting clients through for an acupuncture session. When Corish pushed open the door of the red brick church-turned-community centre three decades before, it was a very different place from it is now. “It was one room filled with smoke, half the people were off their heads and ambulances were being called for people all the time,” she says. She was drawn toward a group of mothers, sewing a quilt commemorating their dead. One had lost five of her children to drugs. As a machinist, she saw her calling. “I could help with that,” she told them. She didn’t manage to see founder Tony MacCarthaigh but she found a different kind of support – other women who recognised her pain and wrapped themselves around each other. Before long she had quit her well-paid job and started working with the drug team . “I thought, well, maybe I can’t help my brother and sister but maybe I can help someone here,” she says. “Watching the transformations in people has been amazing.” There are 13 programmes now running here including drug counselling, but families are still at the heart of this service. Rialto Drug Team manager Alan Cleere warns against the illusion that things are perfect. “It’s far from that,” he says. Ireland is also struggling with the impacts of drugs in its communities, particularly cocaine and crack, with drug violence and intimidation hitting headlines. The nearby [Dolphin’s House](https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2024/0613/1454575-flats-dublin-regeneration/?ref=theferret.scot) is rundown – its mouldy damp and boarded up, vacant flats have attracted drug dealers and violence. Conditions are so bad that a residents group has written to the [Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission](https://www.ihrec.ie/?ref=theferret.scot) to initiate an enquiry under the Human Rights Act. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/dolphinsbarn_kg-1.jpg) Dolphin’s Barn The drug death rate is [the highest in the EU](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066573/drug-induced-deaths-europe/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20Ireland%20had%20the,deaths%20per%20million%20in%20Norway.), with more than one person dying every day. It’s lower than Scotland’s however, despite a comparable population of just over five million. [Community drugs teams](https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/php/community-websites.php?ref=theferret.scot) are still funded by the government, but only on an annual basis, and, says Cleere, can feel marginalised. He is clear too about the strengths of the community-based approach: “It came from the grassroots up, from a community coming together saying: ‘This is what we need’. There was a recognition that addiction shouldn’t be a criminal issue as it was considered in the day – but that a service needs to look at employment, at housing and at family support.” The community-led approach in Ireland was a public health one, aimed at [tackling HIV](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/a280099?ref=theferret.scot). A report by Irish Labour Party MP [Pat Rabb](https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/5058/1/309-3090251.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)itte led to the foundation of local drug task forces, which supported the work of the community-based teams. The need for action focussed political attention after investigative journalist [Veronica Geurin](https://cpj.org/data/people/veronica-guerin/?ref=theferret.scot) was murdered in a contract killing believed to have been ordered by a South Dublin-based drug cartel. Family support worker Anne Walsh, first joined the Rialto team in 2007, is also well aware of the challenges facing it. But she can also attest to the importance of the all-family approach. From the start there was practical family support offered to people struggling with their drug use, helping them at home or getting children to school. There was a “granny minders group” for grandparents acting as replacement parents to their grandchildren, and, of course, the quilt group. The family support service Anne now runs is more formalised than it once was, offering one-to-one support for family members – very often parents – while their sons and daughters use the team’s other services and see one of the drug workers. “We’re working together to help the whole family,” she says. Problems faced by the families she supports can be brutal, with some facing threats and violence due to drug debts. “The crisis that’s happening for family members, and how families are torn apart, is not being captured by the Irish government,” she explains. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/motherswithlynnruan_kg.jpg) “Families have left the country because of [drug intimidation](https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/organised-serious-crime/garda-national-drugs-and-organised-crime-bureau/drug-related-intimidation/?ref=theferret.scot), had their flats petrol bombed, \[have been\] shot at through windows because of drug debts that started small but have quadrupled with interest.” Others are struggling to maintain relationships, keep kids in the family home, or set down agreements needed to help everyone in the household stay safe and sane. She helps parents set boundaries that make supporting an adult child struggling with addiction feel possible, and advocates at meetings with lawyers, housing departments or supports them at court. But there is one thing that all the people she sees have in common. “I can guarantee that the first thing they say is: ‘I had nowhere else to go’,” she explains. The extent of the challenge is clear when we meet with some of the women being supported, who’ve asked that we change their names to protect their adult children. Patricia’s now 28-year-old son, her youngest, was “the model child” growing up, she tells the group. “He was very soft, very sensitive.” When he developed a drug problem as an adult Patricia initially went into complete denial. “I didn’t want to see it,” she admits. > Often other people don’t get it. But they do here. > > Anne But after he was hospitalised she called the helpline in Ireland and begged for someone to speak to. The stigma was too great to raise it with friends and family, she explains. The Scottish mothers nod knowingly. She’s been seeing Anne ever since as well as coming for regular complementary therapies including acupuncture and massage. Her son sees the service’s drug worker. It’s given her a different perspective. “I was running around trying to know where he was all the time so I could protect him,” she explains. “He was owing money for drugs and he would give the dealers my number and I was repaying these loans.” Anne asked her to reflect. What would she say to a friend if she heard what they were doing to help and the toll it was taking on them? It helped her protect her own wellbeing and provide stronger support for her son. “Often other people don’t get it,” she says. “But they do here.” Others chime in, sharing stories of both the hardships and the strides they have taken to regain control over their lives. “I started to come back to life,” shares one, who admits she’s also started dating someone new. The other women cheer and whoop. Holmes speaks on behalf of the Scottish contingent listening. “It’s so good that you’re being supported, you know, loved, instead of being shunned by services as an interfering mother. Because that’s how we can feel at home. The system is not set up like this.” But it’s the Rialto Community Drug team’s services for families with children under 18 that really makes the Families for Change campaign sit up. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/quiltofhope_kg.jpg) [FamilyWorks](https://rialtocommunitydrugteam.org/familyworks/?ref=theferret.scot) is a therapeutic approach, pioneered by former primary school teachers-cum-family therapists Joy Winterbotham and Nicola Crocker, which looks to work with the whole family at the same time. “Addiction is just a symptom of pain and hurt and ache, but it’s one that’s forgotten,” Winterbotham says. Ireland, she stresses, has not been good at recognising the issue at a systemic level, she says. But she’s trying to change things. “I was seeing families as a therapist in a very disadvantaged area in Dublin,” she explains. “And a parent would say: ‘I’ve got a problem with my child’. My response was: ‘Sorry, if you want to see me the whole family has to be involved, and please bring as many members of your family as you can.’ That’s how I work.” She brought in fellow therapist Crocker to work with her simultaneously and took the proposal to work differently to Alan Cleere at the Rialto Community Drug team. Anne Walsh identified six families to start the process and can attest to the benefits. Its results can be dramatic. We meet Barbara, a former alcoholic, who Walsh supported through her court battle to have her child returned to her care. “My daughter was really traumatised,” says Barbara. She’s been with three different families in care, and had changed social workers countless times. The two took part in FamilyWorks for a year and a half. “They never missed a week,” says Walsh quietly from the sidelines. Sometimes they were together, sometimes separate with one therapist working with Barbara on parenting, the other doing play therapy with her daughter. “I start to feel like a normal person again, a normal mother again,” Barbara says. “I feel like my life is just a miracle.” Sometimes it’s just about helping families hold on. When Deirdre’s oldest son got involved with drugs she had a new baby. By the time that baby was seven years old things were untenable. FamilyWorks, which she attends with her younger child and once reluctant husband, has been transformative. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/familibase_kitchen_kg.jpg) At the moment her oldest son is not well enough to come. “He’s been in and out of hospital, he lost the power in his legs from doing \[nitrous oxide, known as ‘laughing gas’\] balloons. There’s been suicidal thoughts, mad psychosis and the like. But the family therapy… I feel like it has saved my life,” she says. The way Sandra Holmes sees it, that new lease of life will positively impact Deirdre’s son too. Though it’s not always available she managed to get support when her family member was in rehab. Holmes said that though it took her loved one many years to find a way to recover, it meant she was able to support them throughout in a way she says would otherwise not have been possible. “When we do manage to get family support there’s that relief – you can be honest about what’s going on and you are understood,” she says. She believes that’s pivotal. “In my experience it becomes a parallel path to recovery – from you and for the family member who’s in addiction.” Families Campaign for Change has so far presented its findings to Scottish Drug Forum and intends to use their learning to push politicians to commit to improvements. But back at the Rialto Drug Team, Phyllis Corish is preparing a new quilt for the family support group’s 30th anniversary memorial this month – it’s the longest running group of its kind in Ireland. The list of those that the families have lost is too long to read out in full now. They will instead read a list of 31 names lost by members of the group this year. Everyone here knows that there’s so much more needed to tackle this crisis. But here families are a critical part of that. “And that,” says Corish, “Will continue.” ### FFS Explains: Scotland’s drug crisis URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-drug-crisis-explained/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T07:49:00.000Z **Scotland’s drugs crisis is often in the news, as the government grapples with high rates of drug deaths and enduring poverty-linked drug misuse.** Ferret Fact Service looked at the data behind the headline figures, and how Scotland is impacted by drug misuse today. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-27.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **How many people die from drug-related deaths in Scotland?** This is the headline figure that garners press attention when it is released by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) [each year](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland/2023?ref=theferret.scot). Scotland has the [worst rate](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland/2023?ref=theferret.scot) of drug-related deaths in Europe, and has made limited progress in reducing the numbers of people who die each year. Last year there were 1,172 drug-related deaths in Scotland, an increase of 12 per cent from the previous year. Generally, the number of deaths relating to drug misuse has been increasing over the last two decades, but has reduced from a record high of 1,339 in 2020\. In 1996, only 244 drug deaths were recorded. ### **How does it compare to the rest of Europe?** Comparisons between Scotland and Europe should be treated with caution, as different countries have different methods of collecting and classifying data on drug deaths. However, Scotland’s crisis with drugs remains unique in Europe. NRS produces [comparative data](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland/2023?ref=theferret.scot) looking at the rate of drug deaths per million people. Scotland’s rate is more than double that of the second highest, Ireland, and has more than ten times the average rate across European Union countries. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-11-08-164509.png)](https://www.datawrapper.de/%5F/FundX/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Who is most impacted by drug deaths?** Men are [twice as likely](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/drug-related-deaths/23/drug-related-deaths-23-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to die from drug misuse than women, and the age of those dying has increased. In 2000, people under 35 were most likely to die, whereas the latest figures show those aged 35 to 54 have the highest rates of drug-related deaths. The average age for someone to die from drug misuse is now 45. Deprivation has a much bigger impact on drug-related deaths than other causes of death. Those from Scotland’s most deprived areas are 15 times more likely to die than those in the least deprived areas. Glasgow and Dundee have the [highest rates of death](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/drug-related-deaths/23/drug-related-deaths-23-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), while East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire have the lowest. ### **How else are drugs impacting Scotland?** Scotland’s NHS is also impacted by the drugs crisis. The most [recent statistics](https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/estimated-prevalence-of-opioid-dependence-in-scotland/estimated-prevalence-of-opioid-dependence-in-scotland-201415-to-201920/?ref=theferret.scot) from Public Health Scotland estimated that there were 47,100 who were dependent on opioids (heroin and other drugs such as oxycodone). In 2022-23 there were [9,663 hospital stays](https://www.scotpho.org.uk/risk-factors/drugs/data/health-harm/?ref=theferret.scot) related to drugs, which is 182 stays per 100,000 people. About half of these stays were people who lived in the most deprived areas in Scotland. Drug overdoses accounted for 21 of these hospital stays per 100,000 people. Scotland provides clean injecting equipment at 330 pharmacies and other sites across the country. [Approximately](https://www.scotpho.org.uk/risk-factors/drugs/data/health-harm/?ref=theferret.scot) 2.3 million needles and syringes were handed out in 2022-23. There has been a gradual decrease in the uptake of free injecting equipment in recent years. In 2015-16, about 4.7 million were handed out. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-11-08-164237.png)](https://www.datawrapper.de/%5F/SpMV7?ref=theferret.scot) ### **How are loved ones impacted by drug use?** Research has found that on average for every person who has issues of substance abuse, 1[1 friends and family are impacted](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2021/12/improving-holistic-family-support-towards-whole-family-approach-family-inclusive-practice-drug-alcohol-services/documents/families-affected-drug-alcohol-use-scotland-framework-holistic-whole-family-approaches-family-inclusive-practice/families-affected-drug-alcohol-use-scotland-framework-holistic-whole-family-approaches-family-inclusive-practice/govscot%3Adocument/families-affected-drug-alcohol-use-scotland-framework-holistic-whole-family-approaches-family-inclusive-practice.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). In 2021-22, [drug use was recorded](https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-mission-drugs-annual-report-2021-2022/pages/9/?ref=theferret.scot) in 766 (1.7 per cent) pregnancies in Scotland, while 35 per cent of people who died due to drug use were the parents of children aged under 16. More than [500 children](https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-mission-drugs-annual-report-2021-2022/pages/9/?ref=theferret.scot) lost a parent or parental figure as a result of a drug misuse death in 2018, and of these children, 18 per cent were living in the same house as the parent at the time of their death. ### **What does drug treatment look like in Scotland?** There are a range of treatment options available in Scotland, run by NHS boards, councils and charities. There are more than 30 [alcohol and drug partnerships (ADPs)](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2022/03/scotlands-alcohol-drugs-workforce-compendium-mixed-methods-research/documents/survey-services/survey-services/govscot%3Adocument/survey-services.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) which are responsible for developing local strategies for tackling problem alcohol and drug use, and assisting people’s recovery. [The Scottish Government](https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-mission-drugs-annual-report-2022-23/pages/8/?ref=theferret.scot) has also stressed the importance of “community-based drug outreach programmes” as part of its drugs strategy, as well as rapid response teams for overdose prevention. 16,936 people were referred for specialist alcohol and drug treatment in Scotland last year. During the quarter ending 1 June 2024, 10,688 referrals were made for community-based specialist drug and alcohol treatment, with 7,361 referrals starting treatment. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Main image: Mark\_Hubskyi/iStock* ### Radioactive pollution from bomb plant sparks cancer fears URL: https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-tritium-coulport-cancer/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T07:49:03.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/reader-survey-promo-1200-x-256-px-1-1.png)](https://forms.gle/S6epVKvyVuocsWEv9?ref=theferret.scot) **Radioactive air pollution from the nuclear weapons plant at Coulport, on the Clyde, has more than doubled over the last six years, prompting cancer warnings from campaigners.** Emissions of the radioactive gas, tritium, from the [Royal Naval Armaments Depot](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coulport/) on Loch Long, have risen steadily between 2018 and 2023 from 1.7 billion to 4.2 billion units of radioactivity, according to the latest official figures. Campaigners say that tritium is “very hazardous” when it is breathed in, and can [increase the risk of cancers](https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12984-tritium-hazard-rating-should-be-doubled/?ref=theferret.scot). But according to the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/), the emissions are well within safety limits. The [Ministry of Defence (MoD)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/ministry-of-defence/) has declined to say what has caused the increased pollution. [Tritium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium?ref=theferret.scot) is known to leak from ageing nuclear submarine reactors, and is also an essential component of nuclear bombs. [Coulport](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot), eight miles from the nuclear submarine base at Faslane on the Gareloch, is where Trident missiles and nuclear warheads are stored. They are loaded on and off [Vanguard nuclear-powered submarines](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/equipment/submarine/vanguard-class?ref=theferret.scot) at an [explosives handling jetty](https://navylookout.com/why-relocating-trident-away-from-scotland-is-virtually-impossible/?ref=theferret.scot). The rising tritium emissions from Coulport have been revealed in Sepa’s [Scottish Pollution Release Inventory](https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/SPRI/?ref=theferret.scot). The inventory was updated in October 2024 to include figures for 2023. ### **Rising tritium pollution from Coulport** | **Year** | **Tritium emitted to air (MBq)** | | -------- | -------------------------------- | | 2018 | 1,770 | | 2019 | 2,046 | | 2020 | 2,298 | | 2021 | 3,038 | | 2022 | 3,472 | | 2023 | 4,224 | | Total | 16,848 | (*Source:* [*Scottish Pollution Release Inventory*](https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/SPRI/?ref=theferret.scot).) The inventory also disclosed that Faslane has discharged liquids contaminated with tritium into the Gareloch, amounting to a total of over 50 billion units of radioactivity from 2018 to 2023\. The discharges peaked at 16.6 billion units in 2020. ### **Tritium discharges into the Clyde from Faslane** | **Year** | **Tritium discharged to water (MBq)** | | -------- | ------------------------------------- | | 2018 | 5,817 | | 2019 | 6,510 | | 2020 | 16,609 | | 2021 | 13,416 | | 2022 | 1,582 | | 2023 | 6,946 | | Total | 50,880 | (*Source:* [*Scottish Pollution Release Inventory*](https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/SPRI/?ref=theferret.scot).) A [report released by Sepa](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/14-0r-rr.pdf) under freedom of information law revealed that in 2019 it changed the rules to allow certain tritium-contaminated effluents from nuclear submarines at Faslane to be discharged into the Gareloch. “Low levels” of tritium had been discovered in waste, sewage and ballast water from submarines. Sepa agreed a “minor variation” to radioactive waste regulations to allow the continued treatment and disposal of the effluents. The Ferret [reported in December 2022](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-trident-patrols/) that nuclear-armed Vanguard submarines were overstretched, having to spend increasingly long periods on patrol at sea. [According to The Sun](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/31295918/nuclear-submarine-food-low-sweets/?ref=theferret.scot), one was recently on patrol for more than six months and ran so low on food that sailors were ordered to share their rations. The four [Vanguard submarines](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/equipment/submarine/vanguard-class?ref=theferret.scot) that carry Trident missiles armed with nuclear warheads are around 30 years old. They were [launched](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard-class%5Fsubmarine?ref=theferret.scot#cite%5Fnote-14) from 1992-98 and are [due to be replaced](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dreadnought-submarine-programme-the-facts?ref=theferret.scot) by new Dreadnought submarines “in the early 2030s”, according to the MoD. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-10-30-102458.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-trident-patrols/) Increasing tritium air pollution from Coulport was described as “worrying” by [Dr Ian Fairlie](https://www.ianfairlie.org/?ref=theferret.scot), an expert on radioactivity in the environment and a former UK government advisor. He is now vice-president of the UK [Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://cnduk.org/?ref=theferret.scot). “First, they are large, more than four billion becquerels per year; second, they are steadily increasing; and third, they are of tritium – which is very hazardous when it’s inhaled or ingested,” he told The Ferret. The discharges from Faslane into the Gareloch were also of concern, he said. “Any dose of radiation is hazardous to some degree, so that these discharges – especially of tritium – are disquieting.” The [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) agreed that any increase in radioactive pollution was dangerous. “Governments use the idea of ‘safe levels’ and ‘acceptable risk’ but scientists agree that any exposure to ionising radiation poses some health risk,” said the campaign’s chair, Lynn Jamieson. She added: “Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable and the risk of cancers increases as exposure increases. No human-made increase in ionising radioactivity in our environment is good for human health and all increases should be challenged.” ### Radioactive emissions ‘must be kept low’ The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) described the doubling of radioactive pollution from Coulport as a “cause for concern” that required “serious scrutiny”. They urged action to “reduce harm and protect lives” by heeding calls for cleaner air and waters. “It is preposterous that Sepa and MoD claim that the emissions are within safe, permitted limits when they themselves are changing the goalposts to further contribute to the toxic, moral failing that has plagued Scotland’s shores since the 1980s,” said the party’s co-leader and former minister, [Patrick Harvie MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/patrick-harvie?ref=theferret.scot). The 26-strong [nuclear-free-group of local authorities](https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/about/about-nfla/?ref=theferret.scot) is planning on writing to the MoD urging it to tackle the pollution. “Given that Trident submarines are getting older, this is a problem which is likely to get worse,” said the group’s policy advisor, [Pete Roche](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). The [Nuclear Information Service](https://www.nuclearinfo.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which researches and criticises nuclear weapons, highlighted the official aim of keeping radioactive emissions to the environment [“as low as reasonably practicable”](https://www.hse.gov.uk/enforce/expert/alarpglance.htm?ref=theferret.scot). This did not appear to be what had happened with tritium-contaminated effluents at Faslane, argued the group’s director, David Cullen. “When tritium was found to be leaking into waste effluent, that should have set alarm bells ringing, and Sepa should have been demanding that the MoD track down the source and prevent it,” he said. “Instead, they appear to have shrugged their shoulders and given the green light for it to be dumped in the Clyde.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-10-30-102731.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-waste-faslane-clyde/) According to [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), “letters of agreement” with the MoD governed pollution from Coulport and Faslane, and included annual discharge limits. “All discharges have been within the limits set,” said a Sepa spokesperson. “Variation in annual discharges is to be expected and relates to operational programmes.” Operational matters were “for the MoD”, Sepa added. It pointed out that the environment around Coulport and Faslane was regularly monitored for radioactivity, with marine and land sample results [openly reported](https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/radioactive-substances/environmental-monitoring-and-assessment/reports/?ref=theferret.scot). In 2022 the estimated radiation dose was less than one per cent of the annual safety limit for members of the public, it said. An [MoD](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot) spokesperson said: “All waste discharges, including gaseous elements from [His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot) and Coulport, are in compliance with the conditions agreed between the MoD and Sepa.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-10-30-103056.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-pollution-clyde-nuclear-bases/) The Ferret [reported on 22 October 2024](https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-pollution-clyde-nuclear-bases/) that the MoD had blocked Sepa from releasing unspecified information about “environmental issues with radioactivity” from Coulport and Faslane since 2016\. We have appealed to the [Scottish Information Commissioner](https://www.foi.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), David Hamilton. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *[Cover image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RNAD%5FCoulport.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) of the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport thanks to [Ofog direktaktion för fred](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RNAD%5FCoulport.jpg?ref=theferret.scot), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0?ref=theferret.scot), via Wikimedia Commons.* ### ‘Ethical’ firms invest £250m in oil and Israeli arms URL: https://www.theferret.scot/b-corp-250m-shares-oil-giants-israel-military/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T07:49:04.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/reader-survey-promo-1200-x-256-px-1-2.png)](https://forms.gle/S6epVKvyVuocsWEv9?ref=theferret.scot) **Investment companies certified as ethical by the prestigious B Corp scheme hold £250m shares in oil giants and weapons firms supplying the Israeli military, a Ferret investigation has found.** The B Corporation (B Corp) status is granted to companies seen as having met the ‘gold standard’ for business ethics in areas such as protecting the environment and the treatment of staff and the communities they operate in. It is a respected accolade and the B Corp logo adorns the shopfronts of some of the UK’s biggest brands. For the past three years, more B Corps have been registered in the UK than anywhere else in the world. But our investigation found B Corp certified financial firms have investments in oil companies such as BP, Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron, which are all listed among the [top ten most carbon polluting companies](https://cdn.cdp.net/cdp-production/cms/reports/documents/000/001/800/original/Carbon-Majors-Dataset-1.0.pdf?1489055836&ref=theferret.scot) in the world. Investment [B Corps](https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/?ref=theferret.scot) also hold shares in weapons manufacturers including Lockheed Martin and RTX, formerly known as Raytheon. Stakes in these publicly traded arms companies [surged](https://jacobin.com/2024/03/gaza-profits-bds-weapons-corporations?ref=theferret.scot) following the start of the war in Gaza. Campaigners said our findings highlighted a “cynical exploitation” of consumers and called on B Lab, the organisation awarding the B Corp credential, to “tighten rules around investing”. > This cynical exploitation of customers’ genuinely held belief that they are making investment decisions that benefit the planet is a disgrace. > > Nick Haines, Ekō [Ekō](https://www.eko.org/?ref=theferret.scot), a US-based consumer group, said investment companies “may not be making the bombs that are raining down on Gaza, or building the coal mines that will choke our planet, but they are profiting from them”. “And if that accords with B Corp’s values, then the scheme is worth very little indeed,” it claimed. B Lab Global, the body which awards B Corp certifications, said it was “vital that businesses transition away from fossil fuels”. It acknowledged its current rules “do not fully account for the nuances” of the certified investment firms. B Lab [revoked](https://www.desmog.com/2024/07/18/havas-agencies-lose-b-corp-status-over-work-with-oil-companies/?ref=theferret.scot) the certification of four agencies owned by Havas in July, after it was revealed last year that the French advertising company signed a multi-million-dollar public relations contract with Shell. In recent years, B Lab has had to fight off calls that its credentials are used for [greenwashing](https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20240202-has-b-corp-certification-turned-into-corporate-greenwashing?ref=theferret.scot). Ekō previously [filed a complaint](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-climate-partner-investments/) against one B Corp investment advisor, Swiss bank Lombard Odier, after The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/partner-government-climate-scheme-shares-big-oil/) its fossil fuel holdings. After The Ferret approached B Lab for comment in May, it announced it was hiring a consultant to review certification standards and advise on new investment regulations for financial firms. “Our goal is to create a standard that is both more tailored and more comprehensive in how it applies to financial services companies, including investment advisors,” B Lab Global said of the shift. It is also planning to require financial firms to screen their investment portfolios for human rights and environmental impact and to “take necessary mitigation actions” from next year. More than 350 UK companies have so far received the acclaimed title in 2024\. Since 2007, nearly 9,000 companies from dozens of countries and industries have been certified. Notable certified brands include the clothing company Patagonia, Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream and The Body Shop. The Scots beer giant BrewDog brewery lost its B Corp status in 2022. ### **‘Exploiting customers’ beliefs’** B Corps are lauded as “forces for good”. The ethical accreditation recognises high standards in five areas of business, including environmental and community impact. B Lab’s own surveys in the [UK](https://bcorporation.uk/reinventing-business/by-b-lab-uk/exploring-awareness-of-b-corp-certification-in-the-uk/?ref=theferret.scot), the [US and Canada](https://usca.bcorporation.net/zblvz-5-key-takeaways-about-b-corp-brand-awareness-2023/?ref=theferret.scot) found that most people who were aware of the scheme associated it with environmental benefits. If website visitors type “fossil free” into the [Find a B Corp](https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/?ref=theferret.scot) search box, on B Corp’s website, they might expect to find firms with investment policies that exclude oil, gas or coal extraction. For example, Genus Capital Management, which has B Corp accreditation, describes itself as Canada’s “first fossil free mutual fund”, allowing “Canadians to invest in a sustainable future”. But Genus’ corporate filings with the US watchdog for the period between June and August 2024 show it held investments in major oil and gas corporations including ExxonMobil and Phillips 66, worth £11m. Genus’s total shareholdings were £579m for the same period. Among the 217 investment advisors certified as B Corporations in September 2024, The Ferret found 48 companies that disclosed their investment portfolios to the [US market regulator](https://www.sec.gov/divisions/investment/13ffaq?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Q%3A%20What%20is%20Form%2013F,Securities%20Exchange%20Act%20of%201934.) and examined their latest available quarterly filings. Only companies managing assets of more than £77m are required to make their portfolios public. 20 companies, mostly US-based, were found to hold investments in fossil fuels, worth £148m at the end of 2023. B Corps have invested nearly £92m in the defence sector, and at least £48m in companies manufacturing weapons and parts [used in the Israel-Hamas war](https://afsc.org/companies-2023-attack-gaza?ref=theferret.scot). These include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and RTX, formerly Raytheon. Among the investors in companies supplying arms and weapon parts are firms that come up as [search results](https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/?ref=theferret.scot) for terms “social justice” and “socially responsible investing” on the B Corp website. B Corps invested £9m in Altria, one of the largest producers of tobacco products in the world. ## **Tighten rules on dirty investments, say campaigners** B Corp companies are not breaking the rules if they fail to demonstrate high standards in environmental performance or a positive community impact. This is because certification criteria assess performance across five areas: environment, community, governance, workers and customers, and the scores are added together. “The large number of metrics may lead companies with low performance in certain areas… to be certified,” claimed Vincent Vandeloise, senior research officer at [Finance Watch](https://www.finance-watch.org/?ref=theferret.scot), a Brussels-based organisation advocating for financial transparency and regulation. US advisory firm B Corp DeDora Capital’s [score breakdown](https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/dedora-capital/?ref=theferret.scot) shows it received the lowest score for its environmental performance, while its highest score was achieved in the workers section, for paying fair wages and implementing equity and diversity policies in the workplace. DeDora has ten full-time employees. Its financial filings show it held £2m worth of holdings in Chevron, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil in the period June to August 2024. Analysis of the average scores of the B Corps’ industries shows investment advisors perform best in the customer category, and worst in the environment section. DeDora’s does not hide its investment in oil and gas – its website says that “fossil-free” investing is [just one investment strategy](https://www.dedoracapital.com/investing?ref=theferret.scot), alongside conventional, “socially responsible strategies, and fossil-fuel divestment” options for clients wishing to align investments with their “personal values”. B Lab excludes weapons and tobacco companies from certification and limits the eligibility of energy companies to those producing less than 50 per cent of energy from fossil fuels. But it currently places no constraints on companies investing in these sectors, despite referring to them as “controversial”. Ekō’s senior campaign manager, Nick Haines, said: “This cynical exploitation of customers’ genuinely held belief that they are making investment decisions that benefit the planet is a disgrace.” Haines claimed that B Lab needs to “tighten their rules for investors” and “start taking these issues seriously”. B Lab Global’s director of standards, Judy Rodrigues, said: “The financial services industry is a unique and diverse sector with a distinctive business model and approach to managing its impacts on society and the planet.” “During the development process for B Lab’s new standards, we recognised that we would need to develop tailored standards for the financial services industry,” she added. “Following the engagement of a consultant announced in May, B Lab will be adding more specificity to the new standards as they relate to the financial services industry.” Changes planned for 2025 include a requirement for financial firms to assess the negative environmental and human rights impact of their investment. Until it launches new standards, B Lab is using an internal policy by which it [may decline to certify](https://assets.ctfassets.net/l575jm7617lt/10mLGJrUpTNSd9ZvvtGFXg/c9d64d374a576fa80e0cd7ac70c0ece3/Oct%5F2023%5F-%5FControversial%5Fissues%5Fwebsite%5Fupdate%5F-%5FPDF.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) companies with investments in tobacco, firearms and other industries, when this stake exceeds five per cent of the company’s annual revenue. B Lab first announced a plan to change its standards for finance firms in 2022. ### **Certification an ‘ethical sheen’** Haines said that investment managers recognised the growing demand for ethical investment products, “but rather than actually meet this demand with tightly screened products, they rely on loose certification schemes like B Corp to put an ethical sheen on their dirty investments.” David Tong, campaign manager at [Oil Change International](https://priceofoil.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which campaigns for fossil fuel transition, said that B Lab claims its certification is “rigorous” and requires showing “​​’high social and environmental performance’, but then helps to greenwash fossil fuel financiers and enablers by certifying them.” B Lab Global said that while investment advisors were in a “unique position” to influence the economy by recommending responsible investments, their “clients often make the final decision”. Details of how it will restrict this industry are not yet known. The organisation said the latest draft of B Corp standards already includes requirements for services, media and consulting companies to assess their clients’ negative human rights and environmental impacts. In 2023, the French marketing giant Havas signed a multi-million-dollar public relations contract with Shell. After it concluded its investigation in July, B Lab decided to [revoke](https://www.desmog.com/2024/07/18/havas-agencies-lose-b-corp-status-over-work-with-oil-companies/?ref=theferret.scot) the certification of its subsidiaries. BrewDog was [stripped of its status](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/dec/01/brewdog-loses-its-ethical-b-corp-certificate?ref=theferret.scot) in 2022 after allegations of workplace bullying were revealed in a BBC documentary. The Scots firm said the decision to “step aside” from B Corp certification was made by its board of directors. It said B Lab had requested additional measures, which BrewDog decided it could not not adhere to. While it remained “committed to the values upheld by B Lab”, it was focusing on its blueprint. Awarding the ethical certification to Nespresso caused a [backlash](https://www.worldcoffeeportal.com/Latest/News/2022/June/B-Corp-standards-at-risk-following-Nespresso-certi?ref=theferret.scot) in 2022 when a group of B Corp coffee brands alleged human rights violations on farms run by Nespresso’s parent, Nestle. All companies named in this article were approached for comment. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. ### Help us chart the next steps for The Ferret with our reader survey URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-has-the-ferret-been-up-to-in-october/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T07:49:05.000Z **Plus, a snapshot of the impact our journalism has had over the past month.** It’s been a month since [our reader survey](https://forms.gle/rygVUZn9MEo1ic6b9?ref=theferret.scot) was launched and we’re thrilled to share that over 110 readers have already responded! This valuable feedback is helping us chart the next steps for The Ferret, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who’s taken the time to share their thoughts with us. With one month left, we’re only halfway there — which means there’s still time for you to add your view and join us in shaping the next decade for Scotland’s leading investigative journalism outlet. Whether you’ve been with us for years or just discovered The Ferret, [this is your chance to influence the stories and issues we tackle next](https://forms.gle/rygVUZn9MEo1ic6b9?ref=theferret.scot). As a thank you, everyone who completes the full survey will receive a special discount on a current or new subscription. Our commitment remains strong: we’re here to tell stories that drive change, amplify marginalised communities’ voices, and uncover truths across Scotland. [This survey](https://forms.gle/rygVUZn9MEo1ic6b9?ref=theferret.scot) gives you a unique opportunity to guide us as we prepare for The Ferret’s next chapter. While we wait for more of your thoughts, here’s a quick look at some of the impact we’ve made just this past month. ### **Our investigations inspired political action** ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcAJFElthe9pEE64U2-C1W72s0ZWnCOOHGs7XRL9uQf8-_6sTJyHSSyKBMDj0ZPY8aNOqexpf_3Ze80VT9NuZGMoUY9woxc3AIow2PMd1NEsF-RTDP4WI6SZrIqVSONgVfJlKggf5x972tDJhpvsMk09s0R?key=WQSxb0wdGysOObtG97dStA) Earlier last month, Mowi Scotland COO Ben Hadfield was [questioned](https://www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/rural-affairs-and-islands-committee-october-2-2024?ref=theferret.scot) by the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee regarding a row in Loch Broom about a feed barge, as we [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-firm-withdraws-feed-barge-application-for-loch-broom/) this summer. The company was accused of misleading the public over plans for a fish farm in a protected area, but following our investigation it withdrew its controversial application for an industrial feeding system. Mowi denied misleading people and said there had been a misunderstanding. And it wasn’t the only story making waves this month. ### **Our stories made some noise** Our [investigation](https://www.theferret.scot/high-levels-of-faeces-wild-swimming-spots/) revealing that nearly 60 percent of Scotland’s most popular wild swimming spots were polluted with high levels of faecal contamination at least once this summer was followed up by [The Times](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/human-waste-polluting-scotlands-most-popular-bathing-spots-sz9v0q2fh?ref=theferret.scot). Meanwhile, [Mail Online](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13910581/Inside-Britains-secret-far-right-army.html?ref=theferret.scot) referenced our [report](https://www.theferret.scot/supporters-of-scots-far-right-group-possess-weapons/) on a far-right activist posing with weapons and performing the Nazi salute. And [The National](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24684218.scottish-community-councillor-accused-abhorrent-racism/?ref=theferret.scot) covered our [story](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-councillor-condemned-comments-black-brits/) on an Angus community councillor and Homeland Party member accused of “abhorrent racism” after claiming that Black politicians and footballers are “clearly not” British. Our fact-checking also gained attention, with the Scottish Daily Express quoting two of our recent fact checks: [one](https://www.theferret.scot/half-crimes-went-unsolved-last-year-mostly-true/)​ on the claim that nearly half of crimes went unsolved last year, rated Mostly True, and [another](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-levels-of-crime-40-year-low-mostly-false/) on claims that crime levels are currently at 40-year lows, rated Mostly False. ### **Our journalism reached policymakers** According to a [Freedom of Information (FOI) request](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2024/10-b/foi-202400431722/documents/eir-202400431722---information-released---index-of-enclosures/eir-202400431722---information-released---index-of-enclosures/govscot%3Adocument/EIR%2B202400431722%2B-%2BInformation%2Breleased%2B-%2BIndex%2Bof%2Benclosures.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon was briefed with two Ferret articles ahead of her visit to a Chilean fish farming facility known for its high animal welfare standards. The producer is an example of what the Scottish Government expects from its own fish farming sector, Gougeon said. #### **That’s all for this month!** If you have any questions about our work, or would like to help us shape our future investigations, you can get in touch with the team at contact@theferret.scot. #### As you know, here at The Ferret we pride ourselves in making *good journalism that changes things*. And you can help us do more of it. #### It’s easy: you can contribute by becoming a member today or with a one-off donation . If these options are not for you, you can always subscribe to our free newsletter to support our work. ### Anti-war protests: a year in pictures URL: https://www.theferret.scot/anti-war-palestine-protests-a-year-in-pictures/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T07:49:05.000Z **In October 2023, pro-Palestinian and anti-war protests began to take place in Edinburgh and Glasgow, in response to Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza following the 7 October attacks by Hamas.** Photojournalist Rayna Carruthers began documenting these protests, and has continued to capture demonstrations on Scotland’s streets this year. “It was hard to imagine at the time that the bombardment and genocide in Gaza would have continued until now and expanded into Lebanon,” she told The Ferret. Israel denies accusations of genocide, and says it is fighting to destroy Hamas after the attack on 7 October which killed 1,200 people. There were also 250 people kidnapped and taken to Gaza. The health ministry in Gaza says more than 43,000 people have been killed since the Israeli attack began. There are, of course, opposing views on this decades-long conflict, but The Ferret is a non-partisan platform and does not endorse any political position. This is Carruthers’ photo essay, which provides a snapshot of how some people in Scotland have responded to a seismic political event. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/raynacarruthers_5.jpg) During a national demonstration for Palestine in Edinburgh on December 2, 2023, protesters carry a string displaying the names, stories, and pictures of Palestinians killed during Israel’s siege on Gaza. By the end of November and the beginning of December, the Palestinian death toll in Gaza had reached nearly 15,000. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/raynacarruthers_4.jpg) A woman holds a sign reading “If not now, when?” as she participates in the national march for Palestine in Glasgow on November 18, 2023\. Thousands of protesters joined the march, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/raynacarruthers_3.jpg) At a pro-Palestinian march in Glasgow Green on November 18, 2023, Saroush and Nabil pose for a portrait. Saroush stated: “We are all human, and we often take our human rights for granted. If they are being denied in one part of the world, it is our obligation to stand up and fight for those rights everywhere else.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/raynacarruthers_7-1.jpg) Activists engage with passersby at the Glasgow Friends of Israel stall on Buchanan Street on October 26, 2024\. “Most people give us a thumbs up; we have the silent majority,” says Sammy, chairman of Glasgow Friends of Israel. “Most people know that the only solution is peace. They just talk about hate,” he claims, regarding pro-Palestinian protesters. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/raynacarruthers_2-1.jpg) Hundreds of protesters occupied Waverley Station in Edinburgh on November 4, 2023, as part of a larger demonstration that included a similar protest in Glasgow Central. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/raynacarruthers_12.jpg) Protesters sit on the Clyde Arc, known locally as the Squinty Bridge, in Glasgow during a pro-Palestinian march on October 26, 2024, holding a red cloth symbolizing the blood of those killed in Gaza. As of October 31, the estimated death toll in Gaza stands at more than 43,000. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/raynacarruthers_11.jpg) Dr Ibrahim Khadra, chair of the Scottish Palestinian Community, addresses a pro-Palestinian crowd outside the BBC building in Glasgow on October 26, 2024\. Emphasising the impact of ongoing global demonstrations, Khadra claimed: “The tide is turning because of the millions of people taking to the streets.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/raynacarruthers_10.jpg) Zahara, a young Lebanese activist, leads a chant during a pro-Palestinian march toward the BBC building in Glasgow on October 26, 2024\. Reflecting on the recent escalation in Lebanon in September, Zahara remarked: “We had a feeling it was coming but seeing my family affected has been so hard.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/raynacarruthers_9.jpg) A protester carries a sign reading, “When will it be enough?” during a pro-Palestinian march in Glasgow on October 26, 2024. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/raynacarruthers_8.jpg) At a pro-Palestinian march outside the BBC building in Glasgow on October 26, 2024, a protester poses for a portrait. He was carrying a sign featuring a press jacket, calling attention to what activists claim are “blatant omissions, false framing, and gross bias” in British media coverage, according to a Glasgow Genocide Emergency Committee statement. The protest highlighted concerns for journalist safety, as at least 131 journalists have been reported killed in Gaza, per the Committee to Protect Journalists. The protester sought to obscure his identity. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/raynacarruthers_1.jpg) On October 21, 2023, a protester climbs atop the Donald Dewar statue at the bottom of Buchanan Steps in Glasgow, where thousands have gathered for a pro-Palestinian demonstration. *Words: Rayna Carruthers and Billy Briggs.* #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *All photography by [Rayna Carruthers](https://raynacarruthers.com/portfolio?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Hedgehogs under threat in Scotland as population falls by more than 100,000 in 20 years URL: https://www.theferret.scot/hedgehogs-near-threatened-population-scotland-down-50-per-cent/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T07:49:06.000Z **Hedgehogs have been listed as “near threatened” by a global wildlife organisation with the population in Scotland estimated to have fallen by as much as 50 per cent over the past two decades.** Intensive farming, vehicle collisions, bonfires, slug pellets, urban development, the use of pesticides and over-tidy gardens, are pushing the animal towards extinction, experts fear. The hedgehog, once common throughout Scotland, has been updated from “least concern to near threatened” in the latest International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) [Red List](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/29650/213411773?ref=theferret.scot) of threatened species published this week. IUCN’s Red List was established in 1964 and is the world’s most comprehensive source of information on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/hedgehog-by-david-gibbon-1.jpg) In 1995 the UK hedgehog population was estimated to [be 1.55 million](https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/a-review-of-british-mammals-population-estimates-and-conservation?ref=theferret.scot), with 310,000 remaining in Scotland. In 2020 the first official Red List for British mammals reported that the number of hedgehogs in the UK had fallen to [around 500,000](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/654a3265fcbd755384b0552f/t/655c9c8653f1d335b96804f4/1700568199615/MS%5FRL20%5FScotland.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), a decline of more than 46 per cent over the previous 13 years, with the best estimate for the Scottish population at just [196,000](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/654a3265fcbd755384b0552f/t/66b5d103b691545b312ae9c5/1723191557728/RedList%5F30June2021.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). The Mammal Society said that a national hedgehog census is required as a “matter of urgency” to gather data with a view to developing an action plan to reverse the decline of hedgehogs in Scotland. According to Britain’s first [National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy](https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/National-Hedgehog-Conservation-Strategy.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), published earlier this year by People’s Trust for Endangered Species and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society, population numbers may be stabilising in urban areas. But hedgehogs are still struggling in rural areas where declines have ranged from between [35 per cent and 75 per cent](https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/a-review-of-british-mammals-population-estimates-and-conservation?ref=theferret.scot) since the turn of the century – a serious cause for concern in Scotland where [98 per cent of land mass is categorised as rural.](https://www.gov.scot/publications/rural-scotland-key-facts-2021/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot) Data collated as part of the[ National Gamebag Census](https://www.gwct.org.uk/media/1245072/NGC%5FHedgehog%5FReport%5Fto%5FPTES%5F2021.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), conducted annually by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, appears to confirm the decline, indicating that the Scottish rural hedgehog population could have reduced by as much as 50 per cent between 1994 and 2019. > A national hedgehog census is required as a matter of urgency to gather baseline data with a view to developing an action plan to reverse the decline of hedgehogs in Scotland. > > Hope Nothhelfer, of the Mammal Society. The cause of the crash in hedgehog numbers in rural areas is not fully understood, but high on the list of culprits is habitat loss due to intensive agriculture. Scotland lost half of its hedgerows in the twentieth century when the UK [government provided grants](https://www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-we-do/influence-government-and-business/farming/farm-hedges/hedge-history?ref=theferret.scot) to remove them in the name of farm efficiency. The remaining hedges are often poorly managed and offer little cover to escape from predators such as foxes and badgers. Farm fields are also sprayed with pesticides removing insects from the food chain, leaving little for hedgehogs to eat. Other potential threats outlined in the Hedgehog Conservation Strategy include an increase in road traffic collisions, death from garden machinery and bonfires, toxin accumulation from poison put out for rats and habitat fragmentation. However, due to a lack of reliable data, the decline of hedgehogs in Scotland is still unclear and could be even worse than current estimates suggest. Many mammal experts are calling for more research and funds to find out exactly how many hedgehogs remain and how declines can be reversed. Dr Emma Cartledge, a research fellow at Nottingham Trent University and a member of the team coordinating the recently launched [National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme](https://ptes.org/campaigns/hedgehogs/nhmp/?ref=theferret.scot) (NHMP),told The Ferret: “To better understand hedgehog conservation status, we need robust population estimates that can tell us how hedgehogs are faring in different areas and habitats. “Wildlife charities PTES and BHPS alongside project partners, including Nottingham Trent University, are trialling the new hedgehog monitoring programme to provide this insight. With four monitoring sites in Scotland as part of this trial, the NHMP will provide the tools we need to assess hedgehog declines and implement appropriate conservation action.” The Mammal Society’s Hope Nothhelfer said: “A national hedgehog census is required as a matter of urgency to gather baseline data with a view to developing an action plan to reverse the decline of hedgehogs in Scotland. “The National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy and the new monitoring programme are important first steps that are UK-wide. Volunteer effort and/or government funding will be needed to gather sufficient data in Scotland.” Although Scotland does not have its own action plan for reversing the loss of hedgehogs, NatureScot’s mammal adviser, Robert Raynor, contributed directly to the development of the new National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy which he hopes will “provide the catalyst for driving forward the necessary actions to reverse the decline across Britain.” He also highlighted NatureScot’s seasonal [Make Space for Nature](https://www.nature.scot/scotlands-biodiversity/make-space-nature?ref=theferret.scot) campaign, which provides practical tips to help wildlife at different times of the year. Raynor suggested allowing vegetation to dieback naturally in the autumn for insects to shelter and hedgehogs to forage and seek refuge in. He also recommended planting bulbs and hedgerow starters, ready for insects and mammals coming out of hibernation in spring, and cutting small access holes in the base of garden fences to allow hedgehogs in and out of gardens. “Housing developers can also move away from surrounding new build gardens with impenetrable wooden fences and instead put in more permeable wildlife-friendly structures,” Raynor added. *Photo credits: the Mammal Society – Alick Simmons and David Gibbon.* ### Claim just under half of crimes went unsolved last year is Mostly True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/half-crimes-went-unsolved-last-year-mostly-true/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T07:50:08.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/reader-survey-promo-1200-x-256-px-1-3.png)](https://forms.gle/S6epVKvyVuocsWEv9?ref=theferret.scot) **The Scottish Government continues to be criticised by opposition parties over its record on crime and justice.** On social media, the Scottish Conservatives [suggested new crime statistics](https://x.com/ScotTories/status/1849008453013872954?ref=theferret.scot) showed criminals were “reaping the rewards of the SNP’s soft touch on justice”. > Just less than half of all crimes were unsolved last year. > > The Scottish Conservatives Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Mostly True**. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-28.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Evidence** The claim refers to the latest data released by [Police Scotland](https://www.scotland.police.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) and the Scottish Government on so-called ‘clear up rates’. A crime is [considered ‘cleared up’](https://www.gov.scot/publications/user-guide-recorded-crime-statistics-scotland-4/pages/18/?ref=theferret.scot) when there is enough evidence to consider criminal proceedings against the person accused. However, while the public might only consider a crime solved if someone is successfully convicted, there does not need to be a successful criminal prosecution for a crime to be ‘cleared up’. The number of crimes that result in successful convictions is in fact significantly lower than the ‘clear up’ rate. Some crimes are ‘cleared up’ very quickly because the offender is caught in the act, such as motoring offences when the act is spotted by a police officer. Others can take years, including murder or financial crimes. To find out the clear up rate, statisticians take the total [number of crimes](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/pages/15/?ref=theferret.scot) that are considered to be ‘cleared up’ in a certain year, and compare that to the number of crimes committed in that year. This is expressed as a percentage, which gives us the annual clear up rate. However, it is not accurate to say that clear up rates show the percentage of crimes committed that year that were solved. For example, a murder committed in 2018 might only be cleared up in 2021, which means it would count towards the 2021 ‘clear up rate’. While a crime committed in 2021 that remained unsolved by the end of that year would not be included. ### **How have clear up rates changed over time?** In [2023-24](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2023-24/?ref=theferret.scot), the clear up rate was 54.1 per cent, up 0.8 percentage points from 2022-23\. Since 2014-15, the overall rate has stayed fairly steady, aside from 2020-21 when it peaked at 59.3 per cent during the Covid-19 lockdown period. The Scottish Conservatives claim is accompanied by [an image of the front page](https://x.com/ScotTories/status/1849008453013872954?ref=theferret.scot) of the Scottish Daily Mail newspaper with the headline “SNP’s pitiful record on crime exposed: Nationalists savaged over police cuts as clear-up rates plummet”. Clear up rates [have reduced for some types of crime but increased for others](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2024/06/recorded-crime-scotland-2023-24/documents/recorded-crime-scotland-2023-24/recorded-crime-scotland-2023-24/govscot%3Adocument/recorded-crime-scotland-2023-24.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). In 2014-15, the clear up rate for non-sexual violent crimes was 77 per cent, whereas the latest figures showed a 68 per cent rate. For sexual crimes, the clear up rate has reduced from 76.5 per cent in 2014-15 to 57.2 per cent last year. Housebreaking has seen a slight increase over the same period, from 25 to 27 per cent, while clear up of crimes under the category of damage and reckless behaviour have also increased from 22.8 to 29.6 per cent. Across the categories, there have been small increases in the last year. The clear up rate for non-sexual crimes of violence increased from 67.3 to 68 per cent, while for sexual crimes the increase over the last year was from 53.4 per cent to 57.2 per cent. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** The Scottish Conservatives claim that “just less than half of all crimes” were unsolved last year is accurate, but needs context. While the clear up rate in 2023-24 was 54 per cent, this does not mean that 46 per cent of crimes committed last year went unsolved. This figure comes from the number of crimes cleared up in 2023-24 compared to the total number of crimes in that year. Some of the crimes cleared up were from previous years. A crime being ‘cleared up’ does not mean someone has been convicted of the crime, but that there is enough evidence to justify criminal proceedings. ![Mostly True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_2mostlytrue-3.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: BrianAJackson/iStock* ### Far right community councillor condemned for comments about black Britons URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-councillor-condemned-comments-black-brits/ Last updated: 2026-01-29T14:20:44.000Z **An Angus community councillor and member of the far right Homeland Party has been accused of “abhorrent racism” for arguing that black politicians and footballers are “clearly not” British.** David Gardner, the treasurer of Forfar Community Council, made the comments in videos posted on Homeland’s social media channels in October, prompting a local MSP to call for his dismissal as a councillor. In his video, Gardner took aim at UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, Conservative Party leadership candidate, Kemi Badenoch, and England footballers Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka, all of whom were born in Britain. An accompanying post also named the former first minister, Humza Yousaf, and former prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who are also UK-born. This is not the first time that Gardner’s comments have attracted criticism, however. His community council last year said it was “shocked” by Gardner’s association with a far right group, and promised an internal probe. Local MP Dave Doogan wrote to the head of Angus Council after [an exposé](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-homeland-scottish-community-councils/) by The Ferret, calling for an investigation. Gardner has remained a councillor, however. In light of Gardner’s latest comments, a Scottish Labour MSP accused the Homeland member of “abhorrent racism”. It was “hard to see” why the community council had allowed the far right activist to remain a member, he argued, and urged it to take “swift, decisive action”. Gardner claimed his comments were “not about race, but ethnicity and in-group preference”. He accused Labour of “anti-democratic extremism” and attempting to “shut down any debate from anyone daring to voice an opinion in support of the ethnic English, Scots, and Welsh and their right to a homeland”. ### **‘Clearly not British’** In one video, Gardner said: “…we have to pretend that David Lammy and Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke \[Badenoch\] – that these people are both British, or English, and both the Tories and Labour will tell you that these people are just as British as you, bro. They’re not. They’re clearly not.” Both politicians “can represent their ethnic group’s interests, much like Rishi Sunak and Humza Yousaf did, and yet establishment parties, MPs, media talking heads and their supporters will tell you they’re as British, English or Scottish as you,” text accompanying the video added. ![Far Right](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-10-28-at-12-44-32.jpg) David Gardner of the far right Homeland Party was accused of “abhorrent racism” after his comments. In another, he referenced complaints made by some, including Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, that German football manager, Thomas Tuchel, had been appointed England manager. “Interestingly, none of these people say the same thing about Bukayo Saka, who’s played for us or Eddie Nketiah, or any number of the Africans that are playing for the England team,” Gardner continued. “This is ridiculous. Football needs to be, in its current form, resigned to the bin. It saps patriotism and tribalism out of men, and it makes them forget what’s actually going on in the world. They’ll choose not to believe certain things. They’ll choose to go down certain routes because X sports ball player plays for their team.” ### **Gardner’s previous comments** In a blog post last year, Gardner referenced the then-UK Government’s plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, writing: “So a nation with statistically zero whites is too dangerous to send people to. I think we could be on to something here.” A Forfar Community Council spokesperson last year said they were “shocked by the allegation that one of its new members has been associated with a far right organisation”, and promised to investigate. Angus [MP Dave Doogan](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4736/contact?ref=theferret.scot) branded previous [allegations about Gardner](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-homeland-scottish-community-councils/) “deeply concerning”. He wrote to the chief executive of Angus Council calling for a probe, and claimed membership of a far right group was “incompatible with the aims and ambitions of any community council”. Homeland claims it is focussed on community politics and one of its key tactics has been to see members appointed to community councils. Gardner is one of three of the far right party’s members known to have served on Scottish community councils in recent years, all of whom have attracted controversy. One member [chaired](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2024/03/12/jamie-brown-dundee-community-councillors-fascist-politics-exposed/?ref=theferret.scot) Invergowrie and Kingoodie Community Council. Another [sat on](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-homeland-scottish-community-councils/) East Calder and District Community Council, and was an executive member of the West Lothian Joint Forum of Community Councils. ### **‘Abhorrent racism’** North East Scotland Labour MSP Michael Marra said: “This abhorrent racism has no place in our society. Extreme views vented online can also spill into the streets. We must be ever more vigilant at a time when our public debate is polarised and too often driven by hatred and suspicion. “Following previous controversies, it is hard to see why this individual has been allowed to remain a councillor. The public rightly expect those representing them to be held to high standards. “Forfar Community Council should take swift, decisive action and send a clear message that racism will not be tolerated in our communities.” David Gardner said: “This is not about race, but ethnicity and in-group preference. Yet again, we see the R-word \[racism\] used vaguely to try to shut down any debate from anyone daring to voice an opinion in support of the ethnic English, Scots, and Welsh and their right to a homeland. “While the politicians mentioned might be British citizens, that is something they can change on paper at any point. It is not racist to note that Badenoch, Lammy, Sunak, and Yousaf all have origins in ethnic groups that are not native to these isles, and that they have ALL worked in the interests of those ethnic groups. “We have elected them to represent us and our interests, not the interests of people half a world away at our expense. Time and again, we have seen politicians weaponising their ethnic minority status to play the victim or unite a common ethnic group into a voting bloc to help win elections, while simultaneously using institutional power to deny the very existence of our ethnicity.” Gardner argued that international football competitions were aimed to establish “which nation produces the best players”. He claimed he had been subjected to attempts to “deny my people an ethnic identity and a special place in the world, in a way that would never happen to anyone from an African nation, for example.” He added that community councillors “are not required to hold a certain set of political views” and accused Labour of “anti-democratic extremism” for “trying to remove their opposition for holding a contrary opinion”. Gardner’s response can be read in full, [here](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25251988-response-from-david-gardner?responsive=1&title=1&ref=theferret.scot). Forfar Community Council did not respond to a request to comment. Header image credit: Homeland Party ### ‘Licence to pollute’? Prosecutions of environmental rule-breakers plummet URL: https://www.theferret.scot/environmental-prosecutions-plummet-sepa/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T18:10:20.000Z **Complaints about pollution in Scotland leapt over the last ten years while successful prosecutions of polluters have fallen from 18 to zero, The Ferret can reveal.** The [Scottish Environment Protection Agency](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) (Sepa) received 9,201 complaints about pollution from the public in 2023\. This was a 60 per cent increase on the 5,768 complaints received in 2014. But the high level of concern about the state of Scotland’s environment has not prompted the Scottish Government’s regulator to seek more prosecutions of rule-breaking polluters. In 2014-15, Sepa referred 36 alleged pollution breaches to the [Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/copfs/) (COPFS), Scotland’s public prosecutor. There were 18 prosecutions based on reports by Sepa that year. In 2023, despite a much higher number of complaints, just three cases were reported to COPFS and there were no prosecutions. In the five years since 2019 there have only been seven convictions for environmental crimes initiated by Sepa. There has also been a 15 per cent decrease in the number of frontline staff employed by Sepa to deal directly with pollution complaints since 2017. Opposition politicians described The Ferret’s findings from freedom of information requests as “troubling”. They expressed concern that polluters could be “flouting the law” and have a “licence to pollute”. Campaigners pointed the finger at the Scottish Government for sustained real-terms [budget cuts](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-funding-sepa-slashed/) which were “contributing to Sepa’s failure to carry out its regulatory duties”. > You get what you pay for and, by repeatedly cutting funding for environmental organisations, the Scottish Government is clearly ignoring these very public concerns. > > James Curran, Sepa’s former chief executive Sepa claimed it is focussed on “disrupting illegal activity” and that recommending prosecution was only one tool it could use to tackle environmental crimes. Over recent years the increasing use of other penalties, such as fines, may have “partly” contributed to the reduction in cases reported to COPFS, it said. The increase in pollution complaints could be due to the introduction of an [online complaint form](https://beta.sepa.scot/about-sepa/contact-us/report-an-environmental-event?ref=theferret.scot) in 2021-22 which meant members of the public no longer have to report incidents over the phone, Sepa claimed. The Scottish Government said it believes Sepa is “adequately resourced” to carry out its regulatory duties. ### ‘**Blind eye’** Sepa only referred seven cases to COPFS between the start of 2022 and October 2024 despite receiving over 22,000 pollution complaints. There was one [prosecution](https://beta.sepa.scot/news/2024/ayrshire-waste-management-licence-holder-handed-215-000-confiscation-order-for-unlawful-waste-activity/?ref=theferret.scot) during that period, of an individual whose Ayrshire skip hire and waste collection business breached its licence. He was ordered to repay over £200,000 he made illegally from waste offences between 2016 and 2019. The findings come from six [freedom of information](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/foi/) (FoI) requests submitted by The Ferret to Sepa after insiders raised concerns about its performance and priorities. We [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-polluters-legal-action/) last year that Sepa had slashed its legal enforcement actions – including fines and warnings – against polluters in the previous seven years. That revelation sparked fears that it was turning a “blind eye” to pollution. [Polluters let off as Sepa cuts legal action threefoldThe Scottish Government’s environment watchdog has slashed its legal enforcement actions almost threefold over the last seven years, prompting accusations that it has turned a “blind eye” to pollution. Official figures obtained by The Ferret reveal that the number of prosecutions, statutory notices, warning letters and other penalties initiated![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-13.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/sepa_staff_member-4.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-polluters-legal-action/) The FoI responses revealed that the number of frontline staff employed by Sepa to deal directly with pollution complaints has decreased from 551 in 2017 to 470 in 2024. Meanwhile, the number of water samples taken by the agency across the country to check for pollution has plummeted by 65 per cent since 2019\. These samples look for contamination in rivers, lochs, and coastal waters. There were over 16,000 of these samples taken in 2019 compared with just under 6,000 in 2023\. Even fewer were taken in in 2021 and 2022 and no samples were taken in 2020. Sepa blamed the decline in samples on the Covid-19 pandemic and disruptions to its computer systems caused by the criminal [cyber attack](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-cyber-attack-costs-double/) it was subjected to in December 2020. But it accepted that “adjusting working practices” had reduced sampling. Sepa also said levels of environmental monitoring were “almost back to pre-2020 levels” and that in the meantime it had been targeting water samples to areas that “are most at risk”. ### **Budget cuts** Polling in August [suggested](https://www.scotlink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Report-v2.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) that more than three quarters of Scots at least occasionally worry about the state of the natural environment. Despite this, Sepa – Scotland’s key environmental regulator – has [seen](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-funding-sepa-slashed/) its budget decrease by around a quarter in real terms since 2010\. The wildlife agency, [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), has also had its budget cut. According to Kim Pratt, a campaigner at [Friends of the Earth Scotland](https://foe.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), environmental regulation is “essential”, but these cuts mean Sepa is “being asked to do even more with less and our environment is ultimately paying the price”. Pratt told The Ferret: “Mounting pressure and funding cuts are contributing to Sepa’s failure to carry out its regulatory duties. “Ministers must put their money where their mouth is and pay for proper protection of our environment.” [James Curran](https://www.scotlink.org/people/james-curran-mbe/?ref=theferret.scot), who was Sepa’s chief executive between 2012 and 2015, echoed Pratt’s view. “You get what you pay for and, by repeatedly cutting funding for environmental organisations, the Scottish Government is clearly ignoring these very public concerns", Curran claimed. The Scottish Greens’ environment spokesperson, [Mark Ruskell MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/mark-ruskell?ref=theferret.scot), said the figures raised “serious concerns and questions for Sepa” and environmental rule-breakers could be “flouting the law”. “If polluters are not being held accountable for the destruction they are causing, they will only continue to pollute,” Ruskell argued. “We need to ensure that Sepa has the powers and resources it needs to follow-up on reports and take the action that is needed.” > It's troubling that the number of prosecutions has fallen to next to nothing, even as the number of complaints has skyrocketed. > > Liam McArthur MSP, Scottish Liberal Democrats The Scottish Liberal Democrats’ justice and climate spokesperson, [Liam McArthur MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/liam-mcarthur?ref=theferret.scot), claimed that even when the Greens were in coalition with the SNP, the Scottish Government has “not treated environmental protection as a priority in recent years”. McArthur expressed concern that environmental offenders would come to believe that the law “has no teeth and take this as a licence to pollute”. He added: “It's troubling that the number of prosecutions has fallen to next to nothing, even as the number of complaints has skyrocketed. "Sepa will need to have a compelling explanation for why they thought so few of these cases were worth pursuing.” Sandra Tough, Sepa’s head of permitting, said the regulator works with a range of other partners to “intervene and disrupt” environmental crime “before further harm is caused”. Sepa was “focussed on disrupting illegal activity and taking robust action against those who fail to comply”, she added. Tough told The Ferret: “Submitting reports to COPFS recommending prosecution is only one tool in a package of measures Sepa can deploy in response to environmental offences. “Over recent years we have increased the use of these different tools, which include issuing civil penalties, and this may be partly responsible for the reduction in the number of reports submitted to COPFS in the five years since 2019.” According to Sepa’s [website](https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/enforcement/penalties-imposed-and-undertakings-accepted/?ref=theferret.scot), it has issued 98 civil penalties since 2019 with operators fined a total of £58,600\. Only two have been handed out so far in 2024. Tough continued: “While recognising the reality of the current financial environment, we will continue to prioritise our work where it will have the biggest impact on the environment and be the best value for money for the public purse.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said it was “content that Sepa is adequately resourced to discharge its statutory duties”. They added: “The settlement for 2024-25 provided a five per cent uplift to Sepa’s core funding, bringing its core budget to £52.6m.” Even with the uplift to Sepa funding this year, its budget has decreased by 23 per cent in real terms since 2010-11\. Sepa’s budget was £45m in 2010-11 and would now have to be over £67m to have kept up with inflation, according to the Bank of England’s [inflation calculator](https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator?ref=theferret.scot). The spokesperson also pointed out that Sepa would this year make £51m from [charges](https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/authorisations-and-permits/charging-schemes/?ref=theferret.scot) it levies on businesses who are allowed to pollute Scotland’s environment. ### Sepa FOI response: *Main image:* Alan Morris/iStock ### Secrecy over radioactive pollution from nuclear bases URL: https://www.theferret.scot/radioactive-pollution-clyde-nuclear-bases/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T14:50:31.000Z The Ministry of Defence has blocked the Scottish Government’s environmental watchdog from releasing information about radioactive pollution from the Clyde nuclear bomb bases for the last nine years. Emails released under [freedom of information (FoI)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/freedom-of-information/) law reveal that the [Ministry of Defence (MoD)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/ministry-of-defence/) asked the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) not to publish information about “environmental issues with radioactivity” at [Faslane and Coulport](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot) near Helensburgh to protect “national security”. In response to FoI requests from The Ferret, Sepa has refused to release more than 20 files about radioactive problems at the bases since 2016, and redacted others. We have appealed to the [Scottish Information Commissioner](https://www.foi.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), David Hamilton. The secrecy has been condemned as “unacceptable” by a former Sepa chief executive, who previously clashed with the MoD over the nuclear bases. In the past the MoD had repeatedly “applied pressure” on Sepa to keep radioactive issues confidential to avoid “embarrassment” about its failures, he said. Campaigners also accused the MoD of covering up information that could damage its image. National security was being used as “ a fig leaf” by an “obstructive” MoD, they said. Sepa defended consulting the MoD about the release of information on the nuclear bases, and insisted it was “Sepa alone” that decided. The MoD stressed it had “robust” arrangements with Sepa, and claimed that previously reported events at the Clyde bases had “no impact on the environment”. Sepa has previously released extensive details of radioactive problems at the nuclear bases under FoI law. In 2009 the Guardian [reported](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/apr/27/nuclear-mod-clyde-saftey-breaches?ref=theferret.scot) that there had been leaks of radioactive coolant into the Firth of Clyde from nuclear submarines in 2004, 2007 and 2008. But in recent years the MoD has clamped down on releasing information about the UK nuclear weapons programme, citing national security. The Ferret [reported in 2017](https://www.theferret.scot/trident-nuclear-suppressed-ministry-defence/) that the MoD had censored its annual nuclear safety assessments. [Trident nuclear safety reports suppressed by the Ministry of DefenceThe Ministry of Defence (MoD) has censored official warnings about the safety of the Trident nuclear weapons system based on the Clyde. Annual reports from the MoD’s internal watchdog, the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR), have been abruptly classified as secret. Published for the last ten years, the reports![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-20.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/45159449.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/trident-nuclear-suppressed-ministry-defence/) In October 2019 The Ferret made an FoI request to Sepa for information on “any environmental issues with radioactivity” at Faslane and Coulport since 2016\. But this request, along with almost a thousand others, was [abandoned by Sepa](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-quietly-scrapped-1000-information-requests/) following a criminal [cyber attack](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/cyber-attack/) in 2020. We resubmitted our request in July 2023\. Sepa released a number of files covering 2016-19, but withheld 18, five explicitly because of “national security concerns” and two because they could prejudice Sepa’s ability to conduct “inquiries of a criminal or disciplinary nature”. We submitted another FoI request to Sepa in May 2024 asking for updated information on radioactive issues at the nuclear bases since 2019\. In response Sepa released two files, but withheld a further four on the grounds that they “could jeopardise site security, public safety, nation defence security”. Sepa’s refusal to release the files is under investigation by the [Scottish Information Commissioner](https://www.foi.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), following two appeals by The Ferret in August and September 2024. ### ‘Difficult’ to withhold information about radioactive pollution Now, in response to another FoI request, Sepa has released [email correspondence](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/219649-emails-between-the-scottish-environment-protection-agency-and-the-ministry-of-defence/?ref=theferret.scot) with the MoD about The Ferret’s FoI requests on [Faslane](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/faslane/) and [Coulport](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coulport/). These show that the MoD asked Sepa not to publish certain files. Sepa emailed the MoD in [October](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25244675/06-sepa-environmental-information-query-third-party-consultation-sepa-ref%5F-f0195732-rr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and [November 2023](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25244672/01-fw%5F-20231115-sepa-environmental-information-query-third-party-consultation-sepa-ref%5F-f0195732-1-rr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) with files it proposed to release asking whether they “should be disclosed”. The MoD [replied](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25244672/01-fw%5F-20231115-sepa-environmental-information-query-third-party-consultation-sepa-ref%5F-f0195732-1-rr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on 27 November saying that “HQ colleagues” wanted information withheld, though exactly how much or what has been redacted. [Other emails](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25244673/020102-fw-20231115-sepa-environmental-information-query-third-party-consultation-sepa-ref-f0195732-rr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in November 2023 show internal discussions between MoD officials about what Sepa should and should not release. An MoD radiation team had requested that information be withheld, though again it is unclear how much or what. According to the MoD, the information should be kept secret under [section 10(5)(a) of the Environmental Information (Scotland Regulations) 2004](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2004/520/regulation/10?ref=theferret.scot). This says that information can be withheld if “its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially, international relations, defence, national security or public safety.” Sepa said that it would conduct a public interest test, as required under the environment information regulations. “Can you please provide a bit more information around why this should be redacted?” [it asked](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25244672/01-fw%5F-20231115-sepa-environmental-information-query-third-party-consultation-sepa-ref%5F-f0195732-1-rr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the MoD. On 11 April 2024 Sepa [again emailed](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25244674/03-re%5F-20231115-sepa-environmental-information-query-third-party-consultation-sepa-ref%5F-f0195732-1-rr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the MoD asking why some information should be kept secret. “It is extremely difficult to withhold information related to emissions to the environment,” Sepa said. “Therefore, we require further details to understand why this should be withheld to enable us to consider if there are any relevant exceptions.” No reply from the MoD has been released. Sepa emailed the MoD again in [May](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25244678/09-foi-request-rr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and [June 2024](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25244676/07-sepa-environmental-information-query-third-party-consultation-sepa-ref%5F-f0197127-rr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) asking for their approval to release further information. ### Secrecy over radioactive pollution ‘unacceptable’ Professor [Campbell Gemmell](https://www.linkedin.com/in/campbell-gemmell-64370451/details/experience/?ref=theferret.scot) was Sepa’s chief executive between 2003 and 2012 when it [released more than 400 pages](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/apr/27/nuclear-waste-scotland?ref=theferret.scot) about safety at Faslane and Coulport. The MoD were “very challenging to deal with”, he recalled. He said: “The UK ministry applied pressure repeatedly on radioactive waste issues seeking to keep relevant environmental information out of the public domain. Putting similar effort into remedy would be better.” Gemmell described the secrecy over radioactive pollution as “unacceptable”, arguing that freedom of information law “should not be used as a fig leaf to cover MoD’s embarrassment at their failures”. He added: “These continued, longstanding failures should be exposed and MoD should be held accountable. If Sepa wants to be a respected and responsible regulator, accountable in Scotland, I’d urge it to treat the MoD as any other potential or actual polluter.” The Scottish Greens criticised the MoD’s approach as “very concerning and obstructive”. It was “clearly in the public interest” to know about pollution of the Clyde, said the party’s co-leader and former minister, [Patrick Harvie](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/patrick-harvie?ref=theferret.scot). “All too often, national security is used as a go-to excuse for covering up things that could be difficult or embarrassing for people in power, and this looks a lot like it is one of those cases,” he added. “Nuclear weapons are a moral and costly abomination that have no place in modern Scotland.” The [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) pointed out that it was well known that the four nuclear-armed Vanguard-class submarines based on the Clyde were [ageing and overstretched](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-trident-patrols/). They were more likely to leak, argued the group’s co-vice chair, [David Kelly](https://www.banthebomb.org/who-we-are/people/?ref=theferret.scot). “This information is not a threat to national security. But it is a threat to the image of a responsible Ministry of Defence, that pollutes our environment with ever-increasing amounts of radioactive isotopes in the name of keeping us safe.” ### Events at nuclear bases had ‘no impact on the environment’ [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) emphasised that it took its obligations under freedom of information law seriously and had invested in strengthening its access to information service. “Where Sepa holds information provided by a third party, we may consult with the third party for their views to help inform our release decision, which is for Sepa alone to make,” said a spokesperson. “[The Scottish Information Commissioner](https://www.foi.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) will investigate Sepa’s handling of the relevant requests through his appeal process. It would not be appropriate for Sepa to make further comment at this time.” An [MoD](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot) spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities for the safety and security of radioactive materials very seriously and have robust arrangements for compliance with environmental legislation under clear agreements with Sepa. “The events at [HMNB Clyde and Coulport](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot) previously reported by Sepa had no impact on the environment and demonstrate we have a strong and transparent safety culture that learns from experience and takes action to prevent recurrence.” ### Emails from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Ministry of Defence *Cover image thanks to Ministry of Defence*. ### Wealthy Cairngorm landowner linked to £800m tax haven scam URL: https://www.theferret.scot/cairngorm-landowner-jeeves-800m-tax-haven-scam/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:34:32.000Z **A wealthy Cairngorm landowner was caught up in an alleged £800m money laundering and fraud scam that allegedly “cheated” investors out of their money, The Ferret can reveal.** Liechtenstein businessman [Alexander Bryan Jeeves](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/jRqmhWbIbHbb4FG1VyqlcOwh5SQ/appointments?ref=theferret.scot) and his financial services firm, Jeeves Group, [were listed](https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/8723006/dmitry-bouriak-vision-international-civ-cmgdigital?ref=theferret.scot) among defendants in a series of US civil court cases spanning from 2007 to 2016. They were accused among many other defendants of being part of “fraudulent enterprise” which duped investors out of “hundreds of millions of dollars”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) The allegations in the court action were that some of the defendants set up an alleged “ponzi” scheme – a type of fraud that pays existing investors with funds collected from new investors until it collapses. Much of the funds were funnelled into shell firms based in offshore tax havens, a [2007 court document](https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/8723006/dmitry-bouriak-vision-international-civ-cmgdigital?ref=theferret.scot) claimed. Jeeves told The Ferret that clients managing the scheme in the US “decided to allegedly misuse the funds”, which were “never managed” by his company. He and other defendants paid an agreed settlement of around £78,430 in 2012. He confirmed that the judgement was lifted and also said that they informed all regulatory bodies and banks, all of whom were satisfied with the outcome. The businessman, who still heads Jeeves Group, was listed as the true, ‘beneficial’ owner of a firm which owns land near Grantown-On-Spey in light of new transparency laws introduced last year. ### **Jeeves’ Highland estate** The Ferret examined the foreign owners of property listed in Registers of Scotland’s 2023 [country of origin company report](https://www.ros.gov.uk/data-and-statistics/country-of-origin/country-of-origin-company-report?ref=theferret.scot), which was published in March. Among the owners was [Umena Management Limited](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE030852?ref=theferret.scot), which is registered in [St Vincent and the Grenadines](https://taxjustice.net/country-profiles/st-vincent-and-the-grenadines/?ref=theferret.scot), a Caribbean tax haven. Jeeves was last year listed as a beneficial owner of Umena on UK business registry, Companies House – a requirement of new transparency laws brought in by the UK Government. The company owns property including farms, homes and Claggernich Wood near Grantown-On-Spey. It also has rights to hold shooting and sporting activities on nearly 1,000 hectares of land. Umena benefited from £871,765 of public money from the Scottish Government’s scheme to support rural businesses, according to a freedom of information response. > People who own huge tracts of land in Scotland should have to live and work on that land. > > Rhoda Grant MSP, Scottish Labour’s land reform spokesperson There is no suggestion that Umena, an offshore company, has avoided tax in Scotland. But Scotland’s top land reform expert, [Andy Wightman](https://andywightman.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), argued that it should not have received taxpayer money. The ownership revelations exemplify that “important reforms” are needed, he claimed. “Firstly, it is disappointing that proposals to restrict land ownership to EU entities were not included in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, having been consulted on last year,” said Wightman. “Secondly, companies registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines should not be eligible for public funds.” Umena is also the former owner of Glenlochy Estate. Title deeds show that in 2009, Jeeves’ firm acquired land including the 2,500-hectare for “certain good causes and considerations”, meaning no money exchanged hands. In December 2022, Umena sold the estate to London spirits firm, [Elixir Distillers Ltd](https://elixirdistillers.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which renamed the property Tormore Estate. The ‘consideration’ – the price or terms of the sale – was not revealed in official documents. Wightman, however, said it is “a legal requirement” that the ‘consideration’ for which land is transferred is revealed in the land register. But sale prices are “now routinely being concealed,” he added. “All of these matters \[could be\] dealt with if land reform was being taken seriously.” ### **Scotland’s ‘unhealthy ownership pattern’** [Community Land Scotland](https://www.communitylandscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) called for prospective landowners to face a “meaningful public interest test”. Dr Josh Doble, policy manager, claimed that “too often, \[landowners’\] reasons for ownership are for investment, tax purposes or prestige rather than delivering wider social and economic benefits”. He added: “This unhealthy ownership pattern is only exacerbated when landowners are based in tax havens and there are question marks over how their wealth has been accumulated and managed”. Scottish Labour’s land reform spokesperson and Highland MSP, [Rhoda Grant](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/rhoda-grant?ref=theferret.scot), said: “People who own huge tracts of land in Scotland should have to live and work on that land. “We desperately need land reform to ensure that we know who the beneficial owners of land are and that they do not hide their financial transactions in tax havens. People who receive public funding should have to show that they also pay their taxes.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “All applications for rural support payments are fully verified to ensure all scheme requirements have been met before any payment issues to the business that is applying.” The [Agriculture and Rural Communities Bill](https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/agriculture-and-rural-communities-scotland-bill/overview?ref=theferret.scot), which was passed in the Scottish Parliament in June, “contains provisions to allow ministers to refuse or recover agricultural support from applicants when in the public interest,” they added. Jeeves said that all his “property transactions, reporting and tax returns are being dealt with by reputable law firms and accountants in the UK”. ### **Jeeves ‘never managed’ ponzi fund** He stressed that the ponzi scheme court case was a civil, rather than a criminal one, and related to a former US client of his company. It was handled by a US law firm which “set up a relatively comprehensive structure for those clients”, Jeeves told The Ferret. Jeeves Group acted on behalf of a company which held shares in a regulated Isle of Man firm, of which the funds were managed in the US by clients who “decided to allegedly misuse the funds there,” he said. “In fact we never managed any funds at all. What followed was a relatively complicated lawsuit in various states in the US where plaintiffs filed complaints.” Jeeves, his father, and their companies, were only named among the approximately 75 defendants because the man at the centre of the scandal claimed Jeeves Group owned the structure, Jeeves said. “Obviously this was not true at all but it was enough to put us on the defendants list…Our US lawyers advised us to deny jurisdiction which we instructed them to do. In late 2010 there was a default judgement \[of £126m\] against ourselves and many others”. > Too often, reasons for ownership are for investment, tax purposes or prestige rather than delivering wider social and economic benefits. > > Dr Josh Doble, Community Land Scotland Jeeves claimed he and his US lawyers were not served court documents and were only made aware by a [media report](https://www.smh.com.au/business/flader-link-to-father-and-son-in-1b-scam-20110124-1a2v0.html?ref=theferret.scot) in January 2011\. ”We then subsequently instructed our US lawyers to investigate and verify the situation,” he said. His lawyers advised him to offer a settlement, which was made “on the basis of a mutual release without any admission of liability”, meaning “we could also not sue the claimants anymore and vice versa”. A 2012 court order Jeeves passed to The Ferret shows that he, his father and their companies paid out £78,430 ($100,000) – a settlement he said was “indicative of the substance of the claims”. “The case may still be ongoing against the main defendants we believe, but are not sure as we have not been involved since,” Jeeves said. All banks used by Jeeves Group, and regulatory bodies in jurisdictions it has been active in, were informed of the case and were satisfied with the outcome, he claimed. Jeeves’ response can be read in full, [here](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24698079-gmail-media-comment-request%5F-umena-management?responsive=1&title=1&ref=theferret.scot). *Image: Simeon Mirkov/Pexels* ### Claim of patients waiting years for NHS treatment is Mostly True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-patients-waiting-years-nhs-mostly-true/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:51:21.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/reader-survey-promo-1200-x-256-px-1-7.png)](https://forms.gle/S6epVKvyVuocsWEv9?ref=theferret.scot) **Scottish Labour has attacked the Scottish Government’s record on NHS waiting times repeatedly in recent years.** During first minister’s questions on 10 October, party leader Anas Sarwar [claimed](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2024-10-10.1.15&ref=theferret.scot) some people had been waiting years for treatment as targets were missed. > Some people have been waiting since 2017 for urology treatment, which is a seven-year wait; some have been waiting for general surgery since 2018, which is more than six years; and some have waited more than five years for ophthalmology, gynaecology or orthopaedic treatment. Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Mostly True**. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-29.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Evidence** Waiting times data is published regularly by [Public Health Scotland](https://publichealthscotland.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). The statistics cited by Scottish Labour come from a freedom of information (FOI) request it sent.. The [data shows](https://publichealthscotland.scot/contact-us/freedom-of-information-foi-and-environmental-information-regulation-eir-requests/freedom-of-information-request-log/phs-foi-2024-001914/?ref=theferret.scot) the maximum waiting times that patients were experiencing as of 30 June 2024. Statistics are broken down by the type of treatment, showing both the total number of “waits” for each category. Scottish NHS data uses the term “waits” rather than patients because sometimes people waiting for treatment can be on more than one waiting list, so the data does not “reflect the actual number of individuals involved”. Sarwar [referenced](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2024-10-10.1.15&ref=theferret.scot) [urology](https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/surgery/urology?ref=theferret.scot) treatment, general surgery, [ophthalmology](https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/ophthalmology?ref=theferret.scot), [gynaecology](https://www.nhsggc.scot/hospitals-services/services-a-to-z/gynaecology/gynaecology-outpatients/?ref=theferret.scot) and [orthopaedics](https://www.nhsggc.scot/hospitals-services/services-a-to-z/orthopaedics/?ref=theferret.scot). He claimed there was an ongoing wait for urology treatment for over seven years. According to NHS data, the longest wait was 2,692 days, which works out at seven years and four months. He also stated there was a wait for general surgery from 2018, which is over six years. This is also correct, according to the data. The figures for ophthalmology, gynaecology and orthopaedics also show waits of more than five years, as Sarwar claimed. In the [FOI release](https://publichealthscotland.scot/contact-us/freedom-of-information-foi-and-environmental-information-regulation-eir-requests/freedom-of-information-request-log/phs-foi-2024-001914/?ref=theferret.scot), Public Health Scotland warned that information on the longest waits, cited by Sarwar, should be treated with caution. This is because of a risk that potential “inaccuracies in the information recorded” could mean the longest waits might be “erroneously long”. The Scottish Government planned to [eradicate long waits](https://www.gov.scot/news/new-national-targets-to-tackle-long-waits-for-planned-care/?ref=theferret.scot) in the NHS after new targets were introduced in 2022. For outpatients in most specialties, two-year waits were to be ended by August 2022, with 18-month waits eradicated by December 2022 and one-year waits stopped by the end of March 2023. According to Public Health Scotland, [none of these targets have been achieved](https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/29137/2024-08-27-wt-ipdcop-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and “for waits over 52 weeks and waits over 78 weeks, the position has worsened since the original announcement”. The latest data shows 1,324 waits of [more than three](https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/29137/2024-08-27-wt-ipdcop-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) years in Scotland. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** ![This claim is half true.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_3halftrue-3.png) Scottish Labour is right in its claim that the longest recorded waits in the NHS are up to seven years long. Public Health Scotland have warned that some of these wait times may be erroneous and due to incorrect coding. According to the latest figures, more than 1,300 waits are more than three years long. ### Millionaire MP who branded wind farms ‘eco scam’ owns wind turbine firm URL: https://www.theferret.scot/millionaire-mp-wind-farms-scam-owns-turbine-firm/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:34:40.000Z **A multimillionaire Highland MP co-owns a wind turbine firm despite branding wind power an “eco scam” and helping set up an anti-wind farm group, The Ferret can reveal.** [Angus MacDonald](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5362/contact?ref=theferret.scot), who won the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire seat for the Liberal Democrats in July, co-owns and directs a company that makes and repairs turbine parts, despite rubbishing the green technology years earlier. MacDonald told The Ferret he was “somewhat of a convert” to wind power, and said he was proud of his turbine firm’s impact though he had yet to make money from the business. But critics argued he had displayed a “blatant and cynical conflict between stated political beliefs and personal financial interest”, or “undergone a Damascene conversion”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) MacDonald helped establish the Scottish “Anti-Wind Farm Fighting Fund”, according to a 2007 Spectator [profile](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/riches-from-oily-rags/?ref=theferret.scot). “[Wind farms](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/wind-farms/) are an eco-scam, only 25 per cent efficient and unattractive,” he told the magazine. “Tidal energy is far more appealing.” ![Wind](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/geograph-6812489-by-mary-and-angus-hogg.jpg) Angus MacDonald branded wind farms an “eco scam” before becoming a director and co-owner of a turbine firm. Image: © [Mary and Angus Hogg](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/7257?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) He also wrote off the potential of wind power in a 2011 [interview](https://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/angus-macdonald-i-would-hate-to-ever-retire-at-85-i-still-want-to-be-doing-this-2333101.html?ref=theferret.scot) with the Independent. Promoting his now-defunct biomass firm, which he [set up with](https://www.heraldscotland.com/business%5Fhq/13210562.helius-shares-trading-final-time/?ref=theferret.scot) one of Scotland’s richest people, Ann Gloag, he said: “Biomass is particularly attractive as it’s deliverable – not like wind or solar.” But Companies House [records](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC396682/officers?ref=theferret.scot) show that less than two years later, in 2013, MacDonald became a director of the Renfrew-registered Renewable Parts Limited, which supplies turbine components. He bought a plurality of the firm’s shares [in 2017](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC396682/filing-history?page=2&ref=theferret.scot) and currently remains the only major shareholder, while his son, Archibald, was appointed as a director in 2021\. The MP [lists](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5362/registeredinterests?ref=theferret.scot) the shareholding in his register of interests. During his [maiden speech](https://www.libdemvoice.org/maiden-speech-angus-macdonald-mp-for-inverness-skye-and-west-rossshire-75962.html?ref=theferret.scot) as an MP in the House of Commons, MacDonald championed wind power’s potential in the Highlands, whilst acknowledging the visual impacts. “We have the most fantastic land to benefit from the move to renewables,” he said. But he added: “What was a beautiful view of the mountains is now rows of 200-metre-high whirling turbines.” With renewables firms and workers coming from overseas, and Highlanders paying far higher energy costs than other parts of the UK, locals were losing out, the MP argued. He reiterated calls he [first made](https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-oban-times/20221208/282200834954734?ref=theferret.scot) as a Highland councillor for five per cent of revenue from all future renewables projects to be paid to community benefit funds. #### ‘Damascene conversion’ to wind power proponent Entrepreneur MacDonald [reportedly](https://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/angus-macdonald-i-would-hate-to-ever-retire-at-85-i-still-want-to-be-doing-this-2333101.html?ref=theferret.scot) made around £20m from selling a financial firm to Dow Jones, and previously lived off the profits he made from buying up Sitka spruce forests in southwest Scotland – a staple of the timber industry. But his apparent u-turn on onshore wind power has drawn the ire of critics. “Either Mr MacDonald is a cynical hypocrite or he has undergone a Damascene conversion from staunch critic and opponent of wind farms to someone who is not only enthusiastic about all things renewable but is making money from the industry as well,” said [Dr Richard Dixon](https://www.rdixon.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), a researcher and board member of [Environmental Standards Scotland](https://environmentalstandards.scot/about-us/who-we-are/?ref=theferret.scot). He noted: “His conversion is not quite complete since he couldn’t stop himself from complaining about turbines spoiling the view.” SNP Highlands and Islands MSP, [Emma Roddick](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/emma-roddick?ref=theferret.scot), said: “This is a really blatant and cynical conflict between stated political beliefs and personal financial interest, and it – understandably – harms trust in politicians.” [Edward Mountain](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/edward-mountain?ref=theferret.scot), Conservative MSP for the same region, said: “Angus in his maiden speech said Highland communities and Highlanders should benefit from wind farms and whilst they don’t, it is clear he does.” He added: “Most Highlanders don’t want ‘one off’ bribes from companies developing wind farms or those building pylon lines. What they want is to be consulted and to see and feel long-term benefits to offset the environmental cost of the industrialisation of the Highlands.” MacDonald told The Ferret: “I was an early outspoken critic of wind farms, and yes it is fair to say that I am somewhat of a convert. They are not as obtrusive as I and many others thought they would be and as other forms of energy have or are becoming redundant, \[such as\] coal and nuclear, wind plays an important part of the energy mix.” His involvement in Renewable Parts began when he was “approached by a local from Lochgilphead”, and the business, he claimed, employs around 50 people worldwide, including 20 in the Argyll town. “I am proud to be a part of this successful Scottish company that has won many awards for its environmental impact,” MacDonald added. “As for making money from the business, no money has been paid to shareholders – the company is very much in growth stage.” ***Main image credit: Pixabay (***[***CC0 1.0***](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) ***) and UK Parliament (***[***CC BY 3.0***](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0?ref=theferret.scot)***)*** ### Claim that Humza Yousaf knew of Hamas attacks before the public is Unsupported URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-humza-yousaf-hamas-attack-unsupported/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:52:26.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/reader-survey-promo-1200-x-256-px-1-8.png)](https://forms.gle/S6epVKvyVuocsWEv9?ref=theferret.scot) **Humza Yousaf was the subject of a video on YouTube which claimed the former first minister had found out before the general public about the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023.** The 16-minute video, which was [posted to YouTube on 29 September](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5FntqGY4N1j8&ref=theferret.scot), was produced by podcast host [Craig Houston](https://x.com/ch%5Ftalks%5Fto?ref=theferret.scot) who regularly posts videos discussing and analysing Scottish politics. Houston regularly posts “10-minute rant” videos which he says are often focused on the SNP government. It has more than 150,000 views on YouTube, as well as 1,000 shares on X. It was titled “Explosive Emails Humza Yousaf knew of Hamas 7th Oct incident before rest of world. How did he know?”. Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Unsupported**. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-30.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Evidence** The video states that Humza Yousaf and his advisors in the Scottish Government knew that the attack had taken place before it was known by the wider public. As evidence of this theory, Houston shows [an email](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2024/07-a/foi-202300385695/documents/foi-202300385695--information-released---annex/foi-202300385695--information-released---annex/govscot%3Adocument/FOI%2B202300385695-%2BInformation%2BReleased%2B-%2BAnnex.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), which became publicly available through [a freedom of information request](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2024/07-a/foi-202300385695/documents/foi-202300385695--information-released---annex/foi-202300385695--information-released---annex/govscot%3Adocument/FOI%2B202300385695-%2BInformation%2BReleased%2B-%2BAnnex.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). The first email is dated 7 October at 8.25am UK time. It came from Chris Mackie, Humza Yousaf’s principal private secretary as first minister. The email thanks the recipient for taking an earlier phone call, and states that Yousaf has informed him that his wife’s parents were in Gaza and “concerned for their safety given the proceedings overnight”. Houston reads the email while providing his own context. He says: “The first email I want to show you is dated, and this is very important this first part, the 7 October 2023, which is the day of the attacks in Israel by Hamas. The time of this email is 8.25 in the morning. That’s 8.25am UK time. If we look at the timeline of what was happening in Israel that day, the Supernova music festival was attacked at 7am Israeli time, which is 5am our time.” Houston goes on to say that he searched online “to find out the first time this \[the music festival attack\] was covered anywhere, and was about lunchtime”. He then says the music festival attack was “seen as the start” of the attacks . Footage of the attack on the Nova music festival actually emerged [before 10am](https://twitter.com/Jerusalem%5FPost/status/1710579813046448326?ref=theferret.scot), but after the email sent by the Scottish Government. However, reports of a major attack on Israel by Hamas surfaced before it was clear that it was the Nova music festival that had been targeted. Early reports of the attack in Israel by Hamas appeared online in the early hours of the morning. The incident was acknowledged on social media by the Israeli foreign ministry at [5.44am](https://x.com/IsraelMFA/status/1710516446466351404?ref=theferret.scot) UK time on 7 October. The IDF posted a similar message [at 5.46am](https://x.com/IDF/status/1710516833269301714?ref=theferret.scot). At 6.19am, the Israeli foreign ministry posted again on X, saying: “About an hour ago, the Hamas terrorist organisation carried out a combined attack, including the firing of rockets and terrorist infiltrations into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip”. [Videos](https://x.com/manniefabian/status/1710513643584983508?ref=theferret.scot) began to spread [across](https://x.com/manniefabian/status/1710516125778198724?ref=theferret.scot) social media reportedly showing Hamas fighters who had entered Israel, as well as fighting on the streets of Israeli towns. The attack by Hamas was being widely reported by media organisations by about 7am UK time. News agencies such as [Reuters](https://web.archive.org/web/20231007065437/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/sirens-warning-incoming-rockets-sound-around-gaza-near-tel-aviv-2023-10-07/) and [AFP](https://x.com/AFP/status/1710518943189025172?ref=theferret.scot), as well as the [BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67037895?post=asset%3A6b920654-d359-4f5e-b2e7-36821dd553a2&ref=theferret.scot#post) reported that militants had crossed into Israel. The Israel Defence Force (IDF) released a statement which was [published by The Times of Israel newspaper at 8am](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog%5Fentry/idf-says-hamas-will-pay-a-very-heavy-price-for-its-surprise-attack/?ref=theferret.scot), confirming there had been a “terrorist infiltration into the territory of the State of Israel” and that Hamas would “pay a very heavy price”. Houston then goes on to question whether Yousaf had knowledge of the attacks before the general public, saying: “What happened overnight that Humza Yousaf knew about but the rest of the world didn’t, because the rest of the world found out about lunchtime on the Saturday”. This is not accurate. While the reporting of the specific attack on Nova music festival was only widely reported later in the day, the attacks on Israel had featured in mainstream media since at least 7am UK time, having begun in the early hours of Saturday morning. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Unsupported** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/unsupported-verdict-white.png) This YouTube video does not provide evidence that Humza Yousaf had knowledge of the attacks in Israel by Hamas before the general public. The attacks were widely reported in the media before the email was sent by Yousaf’s chief of staff at 8.25am, with earliest reports of Hamas militants entering Israel appearing online before 6am UK time. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Header image: Members of Scotland’s Jewish community met First Minister Humza Yousaf to discuss antisemitism and concerns about rising tensions in their communities and other faith groups to strengthen community cohesion. Credit: [Scottish Government](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First%5FMinister%5Fmet%5Fwith%5Fmembers%5Fof%5FScotland%27s%5FJewish%5FCommunity%5F%2853337676644%29.jpg?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Explained: The rise of online misogyny URL: https://www.theferret.scot/explained-the-rise-of-online-misogyny/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:52:26.000Z **Misogynistic attitudes have existed throughout history, but some young men are being caught up in a newly-packaged version of misogyny, driven by online communities and influencers.** The effect of figures online such as Andrew Tate and communities linked to the so-called ‘manosphere’ has become an [issue](https://womensaid.scot/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/The-Rise-Report-Final.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) impacting young men in Scotland. But how did this new form of misogyny emerge, who is behind it, and what is Scotland doing to protect women and girls affected by it, as well as men swayed by this ideology? [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/fact-check/) explains how we got here. #### **What is the ‘manosphere’?** The [manosphere is an umbrella term](https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/news-blogs/what-is-the-manosphere-and-why-is-it-a-concern/?ref=theferret.scot) covering a series of connected online communities and influencers which often promote misogyny and anti-feminism. People within the manosphere often focus on masculine identity, and revere what they consider to be traditional western gender roles. Often, there is also a sense that men are being [unfairly characterised](https://counterhate.com/blog/inside-the-manosphere-understanding-extreme-misogyny-online/?ref=theferret.scot) and that society is biased towards women. People who promote this view are called men’s rights activists (MRAs). [Andrew Tate](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/06/andrew-tate-violent-misogynistic-world-of-tiktok-new-star?ref=theferret.scot) is perhaps the most prominent manosphere influencer, having been [catapulted](https://theconversation.com/the-draw-of-the-manosphere-understanding-andrew-tates-appeal-to-lost-men-199179?ref=theferret.scot) into the global spotlight in recent years through videos on TikTok. In his videos, [he pushes an anti-feminist position](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/06/andrew-tate-violent-misogynistic-world-of-tiktok-new-star?ref=theferret.scot), saying women belong in the home, and are a man’s property. He also regularly criticises the perceived influence of ‘woke’ ideology. Tate, who reportedly moved to Romania in 2017, is [facing allegations](https://news.sky.com/story/andrew-tate-released-from-jail-and-placed-under-house-arrest-his-spokesperson-says-12846734?ref=theferret.scot) there of human trafficking, rape and of forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. There are also ties to [right-wing extremism](https://www.isdglobal.org/explainers/the-manosphere-explainer/?ref=theferret.scot) within the manosphere. Far-right talking points and memes are regularly promoted on linked websites, and influencers within the community have promoted racist conspiracy theories. Several communities which are part of the manosphere have been linked to violence against women, such as the so-called ‘incel’ or involuntary celebate movement, whose adherents have been unable to find a romantic partner and blame this on women and the influence of feminism. Self-identified ‘incels’ include 22-year-old [Elliot Rodger](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43892189?ref=theferret.scot), who killed six people and then himself in a 2014 attack near the campus of the University of California injures fourteen and kills seven, including himself. In a series of YouTube videos he spoke of his desire to take revenge against women for his lack of relationship success. His actions were later celebrated in online spaces dedicated to ‘incel’ ideology. Jake Davison, a Plymouth man who [killed five people](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/18/plymouth-shooter-jake-davison-fascinated-by-mass-shootings-and-incel-culture-inquest-hears?ref=theferret.scot) in 2021 including his mother and a three-year-old child, was also inspired by ‘incel’ ideology and mentioned Rodger in videos. #### **How are these views spread to young men?** Manosphere influencers and associated content has been boosted through social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Influencers and groups have [successfully used marketing](https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/news-blogs/what-is-the-manosphere-and-why-is-it-a-concern/?ref=theferret.scot) and social media manipulation tools to spread their messages widely, exposing them to audiences who are not necessarily looking for related content. [Short videos of Andrew Tate](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64125045?ref=theferret.scot) were used to boost his profile significantly in 2022\. Despite his official account being banned from the platforms, videos promoting him racked up billions of views, posted by supportive accounts and members of his online business academy, Hustler’s University. Terminology and memes linked to the manosphere are also commonly found online on X, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. #### **What do young people think about misogyny?** There have been a few recent polls done to find out the views of young men in the UK around misogyny and feminism. One survey, by [King's College London in partnership with Ipsos UK](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/masculinity-and-womens-equality-study-finds-emerging-gender-divide-in-young-peoples-attitudes?ref=theferret.scot), showed significant divides in attitudes between young men and women. For example, 68 per cent of women aged 16 to 29 said it is harder to be a woman than a man, just 35 per cent of men of the same age agreed. There were also diverging views on the impact of feminism. Among those aged 16 to 29, 46 per cent of women thought feminism has done more good to society than harm, while only 36 per cent of men thought the same. Andrew Tate’s influence on society was broadly thought by those polled to be negative, although one in five men aged 16 to 29 who had heard of Tate said they had a favourable view of him. **Data vis: Do young people in Britain think feminism has been good for society?** #### **Is misogyny a crime in Scotland?** There are several laws in place in Scotland relating to violence against women. These include legislation on domestic abuse, including coercive control, and sexual offences. However, rates of conviction for sexual offences [remain low](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2023/10/criminal-proceedings-scotland-2021-22/documents/criminal-proceedings-scotland-2021-22/criminal-proceedings-scotland-2021-22/govscot%3Adocument/criminal-proceedings-scotland-2021-22.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), and Scottish Government statistics from 2018 to 2020 showed only [22 per cent](https://www.zerotolerance.org.uk/vaw-facts/?ref=theferret.scot) of people who were raped reported their attack to police. In 2024, Scotland’s new hate crime law came into force, but there was significant criticism of the decision not to to include women as a specific protected group. The report [which formed the basis of the new law](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/progress-report/2018/05/independent-review-hate-crime-legislation-scotland-final-report/documents/00535892-pdf/00535892-pdf/govscot%3Adocument/00535892.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was authored by senior judge, Lord Bracadale. In his review of hate crime laws, Bracadale recommended there should be protections for women in the new legislation. However, this was not included in the final law. Instead, the Scottish Government [planned](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7200756wz7o?ref=theferret.scot) to put forward a separate misogyny law, which it described as “the first of its kind in the world”. A spokesperson for the government said the new law would “create a new focus on protecting women and girls to address criminal behaviour motivated purely by misogyny.” A [consultation was opened](https://www.gov.scot/publications/reforming-criminal-law-address-misogyny-scottish-government-consultation/?ref=theferret.scot) regarding the misogyny offence in March 2023, proposing five new laws. - Misogynistic harassment, when directed at a woman or girl or group of women and girls. - General misogynistic behaviour causing a woman or girl to experience fear, alarm, degradation, humiliation or distress. - a new statutory aggravation concerning misogyny, which would be used where an offence had a misogynistic motive or someone demonstrated misogyny whilst committing a crime. - An offence of threatening or abusive communications to women or girls that reference rape, sexual assault or disfigurement. - An offence of stirring up hatred against women and girls. This would mean women were protected in the same way as other protected characteristics are in the existing hate crime law. The Scottish Government [plans to introduce](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2024/09/programme-government-2024-25-serving-scotland/documents/programme-government-2024-25-serving-scotland/programme-government-2024-25-serving-scotland/govscot%3Adocument/programme-government-2024-25-serving-scotland.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the new misogyny law during the current parliamentary year, after it was included in first minister John Swinney’s programme for government. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Main image: iStock/Liudmila Chernetska* ### Toxic? How do we tackle the rise of misogyny fuelled by online hate URL: https://www.theferret.scot/toxic-how-tackle-rise-misogyny-online-hate/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:52:26.000Z On the way to the activity wing of [Polmont Young Offenders Institute](https://www.sps.gov.uk/prisons/polmont?ref=theferret.scot) – through locked doors and up and down stairs – there is a long corridor with full length windows on which single words are etched onto the glass. Hope, says one. Believe. Inspire. Today’s prison workshop on masculinity and attitudes to rising rates of online-fuelled misogyny, attended today by five young men serving time here, hopes to inspire real and lasting change. This “positive masculinity” package was developed by the prison’s community safety team and Iain Corbett, youth worker and participation advisor for Strathclyde University’s [Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice](https://www.cycj.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), has been delivering it for several months. Forty-eight young men have taken part so far. Over the next hour inmates will explore what it means to be a 21st century man, so-called toxic masculinity and the part they play in the sharp rise in online fuelled misogyny. The Ferret has been allowed to sit in on the stipulation that we don’t identify the prisoners attending. Across western societies there is growing concern about how to counter rising levels of hostility to women, turbo-charged by the so-called [manosphere](https://theconversation.com/the-draw-of-the-manosphere-understanding-andrew-tates-appeal-to-lost-men-199179?ref=theferret.scot), a network of interconnected misogynistic websites and online communities who use social media algorithms to target young men. Scotland is no different. So could this approach make a difference? #### Deadly consequences The consequences of this culture war-fuelled increase can be deadly. [Jake Davison](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-64616215?ref=theferret.scot), 22, from Plymouth who killed five people in a mass shooting including his own mother in 2021, was revealed to have deeply misogynistic views and fascination with incel culture, an online movement of “involuntarily celibate” young men who blame women for their problems. According to [Shout Out UK](https://www.shoutoutuk.org/2021/09/03/are-incels-terrorists-or-traumatised-men/?ref=theferret.scot), that was one of an estimated eight mass murders globally in the last ten years by men either identifying as incels or posting related ideas online, which caused 61 deaths. In August this year UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper promised extreme misogyny would be treated as a [form of extremism](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15gn0lq7p5o?ref=theferret.scot) under new government plans. But Corbett, who had experience of gangs and the criminal justice system as a teenager, is not interested in hectoring men about toxic traits. Instead he takes a community development approach – opening up discussion and allowing participants to reach their own conclusions. He starts by getting the young men, some of whom he’s known for years from youth work in the community, on their feet for a mental warm-up. He’ll give two options, ask participants to pick a side and argue the toss. Cats or dogs? Pizza or pasta? “Ooo that’s a hard one,” someone groans. But they amaze Corbett by all opting for pasta. Rangers or Celtic? Boxing or wrestling? Mohammad Ali or Mike Tyson? Biggie or Tupac? Both Tyson and Tupac have sexual assault convictions. The boys begin to sense where this is going but Corbett doesn’t linger…yet. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/polmont-young-offenders-workshop.jpg) Iain Corbett facilitates the positive masculinity session at Polmont Young Offenders. Credit: Angela Catlin “Mums or dads,” he says. All of the young men chose team mum. “What’s the dads done wrong?” asks Corbett. “Mums and sons just have a bond,” suggests one. There’s a pause. “My da fucked off on us,” says another quietly. “Solid reason,” concedes Iain softly. They know the next one is a set-up. Men or women? “I feel like this is a trap,” one laughs. “Ok – you’re right,” says Corbett. He invites them to take a seat and opens up the discussion about misogyny. These young men don’t struggle with the definition. “It means to hate women,” says one. “Do you think you’re part of the problem?” asks Corbett. Most scoff but one young man thinks there’s something in it. “You’ve got to ask yourself if you are actually being part of the change,” he offers. It’s not long before the infamous social media influencer and self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate, who is facing charges of rape and sex trafficking, comes up. Most are critical but one insists he’s worth listening to. According to polling by [Kings College](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/masculinity-and-womens-equality-study-finds-emerging-gender-divide-in-young-peoples-attitudes?ref=theferret.scot) in February this year, that’s as expected. Researchers found one in five men between 18 and 29 approves of Tate. Corbett returns to some of the examples of celebrity abusers from the warm-up game. Though the boys had acknowledged some of the stars had convictions for sexual assault, they’d also defended their prowess in the boxing ring or on the mic. So what makes the boys forgive them, Corbett asks, when they would shun anyone in jail accused of sexual violence? Then he takes it up a notch. “Any of you know who [Sarah Everard](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sarah-everard-what-happened-wayne-couzens-report-b2504551.html?ref=theferret.scot) was?” he asks them. They remember she was abducted, raped and killed by a police man. The room has a different tone now, more serious and attentive. Corbett passes around a front page of the [Northern Echo](https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/19618877.sarah-everard-80-uk-women-killed-men-since-murder/?ref=theferret.scot) from September 21\. It is covered in small square images of some of the 80 women allegedly killed by men in the six months following Everard’s death. “Do you know how many women were killed by women in that same period?” he asks them. “Five?” offers one. Corbett makes a circle with his thumb and forefinger. “Zilch.” In a [three-year period](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2023?ref=theferret.scot#suspects-in-homicide-cases) between March 2021 and March 2023 almost all homicide suspects – 92 per cent – were men. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/polmont-young-offendersnewspape-jpg.jpg) The front page of the Northern Echo, highlighting murders of women following Sarah Everard’s death. Credit: Angela Catlin He puts some of this together for them. “We know that men can be violent and the police are meant to protect women against that. But we have cases where police are the perpetrators of violence. We say we don’t ever forgive rapists. But when sports stars or rappers are rapists we still celebrate them. What do you think that’s like for women?” he asks. “I can dig what you’re saying”, says one young man. “You know how there’s, like, groups for women? What about the men setting up a group to support women? Like you know, standing up?” Corbett wants to know: “Would you go to something like that? They are sceptical. “Only if it had affected someone that you love,” says one. “What if I told you,” continues Corbett. “That every woman you know has been affected – your mums, your grans, your sisters, your friends and girlfriends… “It’s not nice to hear,” says one. He persists. “Do you believe me?” “I know it’s true.” “So what do we do?” “We need to get to the drawing board,” someone says. “And find a solution.” Many would argue that with that solution still elusive, the burden has fallen instead on women and girls to do the work, and protect themselves. As Dame Helena Kennedy – echoing feminists before her – wrote in her introduction to the [Scottish Government working group on misogyny](https://www.gov.scot/publications/misogyny-and-criminal-justice-working-group-recommendations-scottish-government-response/?ref=theferret.scot) that she chaired in 2022: “Girls are warned from childhood that they must avoid putting themselves in harm’s way, that it is THEY who must learn behaviours that might afford them protection from predatory or violent men.” Corbett aims to make sure young men feel the responsibility to help change things and hopes that preventing men like this from being radicalised might be an important part of the solution. Part of that, he says, is giving them tools to work out the real root of their anger and who is really benefiting from their disaffection. Many he works with have been raised in deprived communities surrounded by violence, or even in care, so, he explains, they might have reasons to be angry. But they need to understand that vulnerability can be manipulated. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/iain-corbettoutsidepolmontj45574.jpg) Iain Corbett, of the [Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice](https://www.cycj.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) outside Polmont Young Offenders’ Institute. Credit: Angela Catlin There are high-profile people who are still pushing the myth that men are being wrongly blamed, Corbett says. “And when that’s the only narrative being heard then young men are at risk of buying into that. “Who is the counter influencer to that type of masculinity? Until we start offering something else up, then you can understand why men are buying into something seductive that’s presented to them.” This is not just about young offenders. “I do think so much of this is a problem caused by men not being able to talk,” he says. “Men’s mental health issues are spiralling because men can’t process their emotions. Men’s suicides rates are soaring. A product of not being able to open up is that it leaks out into other facets of life and they try to hold on to power through control and dominance.” Misogyny dates back to ancient times. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that the term was popularised by [second wave feminism](https://www.vox.com/2018/3/20/16955588/feminism-waves-explained-first-second-third-fourth?ref=theferret.scot), which arose in the context of anti-war and civil rights movements in the US and spread to other western countries. [Lisa Sugiura](https://www.port.ac.uk/about-us/structure-and-governance/our-people/our-staff/lisa-sugiura?ref=theferret.scot), an associate professor in cybercrime and gender at Portsmouth University, says that you can date the so-called manosphere back to then too. “The early [men’s liberation movement](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/from-mens-liberation-to-mens-rights-angry-white-men-in-us/?ref=theferret.scot) was an ally of second wave feminism, recognising that the patriarchy was damaging to everyone,” she says. “It was a splinter group – the men’s rights movement – that took umbrage with that. That mentality and defensiveness has just grown and grown. And what technology has done is allowed the mobilisation of those ideas to grow and be presented as something new, as if it’s a contemporary issue.” > Those influencers are really taking advantage of socio-political issues.It involves a misogynistic re-framing of feminism as the root cause of what’s gone wrong for men and boys. > > Lisa Sugiura, Plymouth University The term “manosphere”, though, dates back to about 2009\. It still includes men’s rights activists who share the belief that feminism has stripped men of their rights and privileges, transferring them to women. But there are also [pick-up artists](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/05/pickup-artists-teaching-men-approach-women-industry-street-harassment?ref=theferret.scot) (PUAs) often offering men expensive “structured teachings” on how to coerce women into having sex with them. Tate is one of them though he’s best known as a manosphere influencer. According to the [Centre for Countering Digital Hate](https://counterhate.com/?ref=theferret.scot) he has “manipulated algorithms to flood his followers with misogynistic videos”. In November 2022, the organisation’s [analysis identified](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/nov/06/tiktok-still-hosting-toxic-posts-of-banned-influencer-andrew-tate?ref=theferret.scot) more than 100 accounts that frequently promote content featuring Tate on TikTok, with a total of 250 million video views and 5.7 million followers. Other factions include the fatalistic incel movement which blames women for their lack of sexual relationships and promotes content that crosses with far right ideology and “men going their own way” (MGTOW) which claims Western society is [rigged against men](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/26/men-going-their-own-way-the-toxic-male-separatist-movement-that-is-now-mainstream?ref=theferret.scot). “Those influencers are really taking advantage of socio-political issues,” explains Sugiura. “It involves a misogynistic re-framing of feminism as the root cause of what’s gone wrong for men and boys.” Boys and young men are the demographic target of this misinformation campaign, adds Sugiura. She also sees the sharp rise in misogyny as “a backlash to progression”, part of the culture wars played out online but with real world consequences, like the 2022 overturning of the landmark [Roe v Wade](https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1102305878/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn?ref=theferret.scot) ruling, protecting the right to abortion, and the rise of the far right. Many of the forums also push white supremacist conspiracy theories like the [Great Replacement Theory](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/08/a-deadly-ideology-how-the-great-replacement-theory-went-mainstream?ref=theferret.scot) – the false idea that shadowy elites are deliberately replacing white communities with immigrants – which can further radicalise young men, along with other misinfo. “If you push back then the claim is that it’s wokeness, or political correctness gone mad to even have these conversations – a war on [freedom of speech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lchWriufJD8&ref=theferret.scot),” adds Sugiura. She backs the need for far better regulation of online spaces, and the need for the “ambitious” [online safety bill](https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3137?ref=theferret.scot), which became law in October 2023 and, after [ferocious campaigning](https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/campaign-win-new-online-safety-bill-guidance-to-tackle-abuse-of-women-and-girls/?ref=theferret.scot), includes guidance for tech companies to reduce harm to women and girls to be developed by the regulator, [Ofcom](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/how-the-online-safety-act-will-help-to-protect-women-and-girls/?ref=theferret.scot). But she adds: “The response has to be an all societal approach.” Increasingly, says Dr Rebecca Mason, research and policy for charity the [Young Women’s Movement](https://www.youngwomenscot.org/?ref=theferret.scot), young men are being “captured and groomed by men online, often much older than them, to blame and harm women and girls for the wrongs that exist in their life”. > Young men are being captured and groomed by men online, often much older than them, to blame and harm women and girls for the wrongs that exist in their life. > > Dr Rebecca Mason, the Young Women’s Movement “For years, parents, youth workers and teachers have been reporting that young men and boys are increasingly at risk of being radicalised,” she explains. Young women are experiencing the normalisation of violence and coercion, she says from having intimate images of them circulated to being abusively shut down in online spaces. In a joint research project with [Scottish Women’s Aid](https://womensaid.scot/project/young-women-rise/?ref=theferret.scot) they found over a third aged 16 to 25 had been in an intimate relationship with someone who was abusive. But she is aware too, of the harm on stereotypical “masculine” traits – such as violence and shutting down emotions – on boys and young men. In 2023, there were [590 male suicide deaths](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/news/2024/increase-in-deaths-by-suicide?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Comparable%20suicide%20statistics%20for%20the,14.0%20deaths%20per%20100%2C000%20people.), up six per cent on the previous year. The rate for men has been [consistently](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths/suicides?ref=theferret.scot) between 2.6 and 3.6 times higher than women since records began in 1994. “We believe that work with young men needs to and can, if framed and delivered appropriately, strengthen and advance progress on gender equality policy and practice in Scotland,” she says. “We must remember, however, that young women are still further prejudiced and discriminated against within the patriarchal system, and that engaging on this issue should not detract or take any resource away from that.” It’s a view backed by their 30-strong advisory collective of women under 30, who prefer the term “healthy” masculinity over what they consider to be an overly binary push for positivity. In recent years projects looking to foster that have been emerging. Last May [YouthLink Scotland](https://www.youthlink.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), working with community safety programme [No Knives Better Lives](https://www.noknivesbetterlives.com/?ref=theferret.scot), launched its [Imagine a Man](https://www.youthlink.scot/policy-influence/research/youth-led-research/imagine-a-man/?ref=theferret.scot) programme, including a research report and tool kit, aimed at supporting youth workers to promote more positive visions of masculinity. Earlier this year [Civic Digits](https://civicdigits.com/?ref=theferret.scot), a theatre company where digital technology meets performance, founded by playwright Clare Duffy and ethical hacker Rupert Goodwins, created Many Good Men. The project was developed in response to the growing concerns they were hearing from parents, women’s support organisations, teachers and youth workers alike. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-10-12-at-19-18-57.jpg) Civic Digits have been working with young people to develop a performance about radicalisation. The performance, which has been workshopped with young people, tells the story of two young footballers who witness an imagined incel shooting in Edinburgh, and become radicalised by the manosphere. It will be broadcast live from Bucharest on 15 November with online tools allowing audiences to interact. The project also produced a piece of research for anti-violence against women organisation [Zero Tolerance](https://www.zerotolerance.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), published next month, which examined young people’s experiences of incel culture and misogynistic grooming. “The research shows we absolutely have to be creating fun, non-judgemental environments for young people to talk about experiences of masculinity,” explains Rachel Adamson, Zero Tolerance co-director. Without those, she warns, young men are “disappearing into online forums” that start with “banter” but get “very dark, very quickly”. But attitudinal work can only take us so far, she concedes. “We also need to continue the structural and systemic work – on laws and on policies and implementing those on the ground. It’s all connected.” Davy Thompson, director of the [White Ribbon Campaign](https://www.whiteribbonscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which encourages men to take a stand against male violence, is sure that with a combination of approaches – change is possible. Forty years ago, he notes, you’d never go out for the night with a designated driver who was going to stay sober. “The change that led to people stopping drink driving was underpinned by a [change in the law](https://www.drinkdriving.org/drink%5Fdriving%5Finformation%5Fuklawhistory.php?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Year%20of%201991&text=The%20Road%20Traffic%20Act%20of%201991%20introduced%20a%20new%20offence,of%20up%20to%20five%20years.),” he says. “But the change in attitudes was also important.” The same, he says, can be true of misogyny. > The change that led to people stopping drink driving was underpinned by a change in the law. But the change in attitudes was also important.” > > Davy Thompson, the White Ribbon campaign “What’s really important is women and men working together,” he says. “And this being led by communities.” But that needs resources and in the current climate it’s hard to see where these might come from. Back at Polmont, Iain Corbett is bringing the session to a close. “How do we start making change then?”, he asks. “Everyone has to get involved with it,” says one young man. Another leans forward. “The way men see women now is different from the 1920, than the 1950s or even the seventies,” he says. “So it takes time, but I think it’s possible.” The prison officer’s earpiece crackles into life. “Time to move,” she says, and they are taken back to their cells, back to their current reality. Corbett stands up too. “The reality is happy young men, well-rounded, regulated and emotionally literate aren’t going out doing bad things,” he says. “What we are trying to do here is help these young men to work on being the best version of themselves.” **Images by [Angela Catlin](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot)** *This piece is published with the Sunday National as part of our Solutions for Scotland series. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op. [ Join us](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.* *Please [support](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) independent journalism and become a member of The Ferret today.* ### ‘Sickening’: Grangemouth owners set for £6m closure windfall URL: https://www.theferret.scot/grangemouth-owners-set-for-6m-closure-windfall/ Last updated: 2025-12-21T21:37:03.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/reader-survey-promo-1200-x-256-px-1-9.png)](https://forms.gle/S6epVKvyVuocsWEv9?ref=theferret.scot) **The owners of the Grangemouth oil refinery are set to earn a multimillion pound windfall when the plant closes next year due to a loophole in a key climate scheme.** The closure of the refinery will cost 400 jobs and has been described as a “[hammer blow](https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/petroineos-grangemouth-oil-refinery-closure-scottish-government-4779202?ref=theferret.scot)” to workers and the local community. But it could prove lucrative for [Petroineos](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/petroineos/) — the joint venture between Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s petrochemical giant Ineos and Chinese state oil company Petrochina — which owns Grangemouth. An investigation by The Ferret and the [Democracy for Sale](https://democracyforsale.substack.com/) newsletter has found Petroineos could earn around £6m from the sale of thousands of free pollution permits it will be given by the UK Government in 2025. Because the plant is [expected](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/sep/12/grangemouth-oil-refinery-close-by-end-of-june-500-jobs-at-risk-petroineos-scotland?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Britain's%20oldest%20refinery%20will%20close,British%20billionaire%20Sir%20Jim%20Ratcliffe.) to shut down between April and June next year many of these permits will never be used and can be sold on to other polluting companies for a profit. Critics said it was “sickening” to learn that Petroineos could pocket the money while Grangemouth staff are being “forgotten”. Ineos said it had “fully complied with the rules and reporting requirements” of the permit scheme. > It is workers who need to see the benefit of any windfall rather than it being used to line the pockets of a greedy billionaire who has done enough damage. > > Gillian Mackay MSP, Scottish Greens Petroineos was granted the permits under the UK Government’s [Emissions Trading Scheme](https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/climate-change/uk-emissions-trading-scheme/?ref=theferret.scot) (ETS), considered the “[cornerstone](https://www.ft.com/content/dfa3b6dc-e00c-4d9a-b155-a419845a39e4?ref=theferret.scot)” of the country’s decarbonisation efforts. Under the ETS, major polluters must [buy](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-emissions-trading-scheme-for-installations-how-to-comply/uk-emissions-trading-scheme-for-installations-how-to-comply?ref=theferret.scot#allowances) a government permit for each tonne of polluting carbon dioxide they produce. The policy is [aimed](https://energyadvicehub.org/the-uk-emissions-trading-scheme-frequently-asked-questions/?ref=theferret.scot) at putting a price on climate pollution to incentivise companies to bring their emissions down over time. Some companies are given a batch of the permits for free, however, to protect them from competition from firms in other countries with weaker climate laws. Grangemouth will receive a full year’s worth of these free permits in 2025, which could leave Petroineos with a surplus of around 180,000 unused permits when the plant closes, according to experts. Each permit is currently worth around £37 so these permits could be sold for around £6m at today’s prices. Tata Steel was [in line](https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/tata-steel-closure-millions-government-giveaway) to receive a similar windfall after it closed its Port Talbot steelworks in Wales at the start of this month, leaving it with a surplus of unused permits. Since the ETS launched in 2021, companies across the UK which are part of the wider Ineos Group have received nearly seven million free pollution permits calculated to be worth a combined £350m based on average prices over the past four years. Some of these were never used because emissions at some sites were lower than expected. These could also be sold on for a profit. Among the Ineos businesses which received more permits than they needed was its Forties pipeline which brings oil onshore from the North Sea. It received 50,000 excess permits in 2021 and had a surplus of 17,500 in 2023. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-10-11-144145.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ineos-claims-grangemouth-grant-despite-closure/) The company’s Grangemouth chemicals plant – which is separate to its refinery – was allocated 25,000 unused permits in 2023. Last year an [investigation](https://www.ft.com/content/50229b7c-e937-482d-9923-dea25dea6fc7?ref=theferret.scot) by the Financial Times found that Jim Ratcliffe’s firm was allocated 148,000 permits for a chemicals plant in the north east of England that it had already started to decommission. The Scottish Greens MSP, Gillian Mackay, who grew up near the refinery, said Grangemouth’s closure will be “devastating for the workers who will lose their livelihoods and the community”. “Ineos should not be allowed to profiteer from any free permits, and the UK Government must do everything it can to stop this from happening,” Mackay said. “To hear that Ineos could potentially pocket £6m profit while its talented, skilled hard-working staff are forgotten is sickening. “It is workers who need to see the benefit of any windfall rather than it being used to line the pockets of a greedy billionaire who has done enough damage.” The former leader of Scottish Labour, Richard Leonard MSP, said there was a “history of Ineos and Jim Ratcliffe” taking public money to “help generate vast profits at the expense of the workers and their communities”. Leonard called for the loophole in the ETS to be closed. Grangemouth will receive its free permits for 2025 at the end of February next year. The UK Government department for energy security and net zero is considering a move to prevent windfalls from free permits for companies who close their industrial sites. But these changes are yet to be confirmed and there is no public timeline for their implementation. The department spokesperson said: “While we cannot comment on the credits of individual operators, the UK Emission Trading Scheme is helping us deliver our mission for clean power by 2030\. We are reviewing free allocation rules to make the system as robust as it can be, while continuing to support UK businesses through the transition to net zero.” A spokesperson for Ineos said: “Ineos fully complied with the rules of and reporting requirements of the UK ETS scheme.” #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: iStock/munro1* ### Eco-billionaire’s private jets took over 1,000 flights in four years URL: https://www.theferret.scot/private-jets-took-over-1000-flights-in-four-years/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:29:41.000Z **Private jets owned by Scotland’s richest man and environmental champion, Anders Holch Povlsen, have made over 1,000 flights in the last four years.** The private planes – operated by Povlsen’s commercial airline Blackbird Air – have flown at least 1,115 trips since 2020 according to an [investigation](https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/viden/klima/dansk-milliardaers-privatfly-paa-vingerne-over-1000-gange-forklarer-sig-med?ref=theferret.scot) by DR, the public broadcaster in his native Denmark. They included flights to the holiday island of Mallorca and cities including Paris, Stockholm and Oslo. Blackbird mostly leases the private jets out to other companies and individuals both in Denmark and abroad so Povlsen will only have been on a small number of these flights. But there were 42 flights to Inverness airport, close to the sprawling Highland [estates](https://wildland.scot/our-estates?ref=theferret.scot) owned by Povlsen and his company confirmed he was on board some of these. A series of flights were made back and forth between Denmark and Inverness in June 2023, shortly before Povlsen [celebrated](https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands-islands/5859886/polvsen-birthday-bash/?ref=theferret.scot) his 50th birthday at Aldourie Castle on the banks of Loch Ness. Popstar Lionel Richie was [reportedly](https://www.northern-scot.co.uk/news/lionel-richie-flies-into-inverness-airport-317762/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Richie%20performed%20his%20many%20hits,for%20his%20late%2Dnight%20departure.) flown in via Inverness to perform at the bash. Povlsen is Scotland’s [largest private landowner](https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/anders-holch-povlsen-richest-man-scotland-4633415?ref=theferret.scot) and has received plaudits from environmentalists for the rewilding projects he undertakes on his land. His company has [said](https://wildland.scot/restoration?ref=theferret.scot) it wants to restore parts of the Highlands it owns to their “former natural splendour” and create a landscape “varied enough to mitigate the effects of climate change”. However, the head of Oxfam Scotland, Jamie Livingstone, told The Ferret that private jets are the “ultimate symbol of carbon inequality” and a form of “egregious climate vandalism”. Private flights are [considered](https://www.airport-technology.com/features/how-bad-are-private-jets-for-the-environment/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=A%202021%20report%20from%20the,H3%20Dynamics%20on%20new%20vessel) to be five to 14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial flights, and 50 times worse for the climate than trains. Oxfam has [called](https://oxfamapps.org/scotland/2024/09/18/scottish-private-jet-tax-could-help-pay-for-peak-rail-fares-removal/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Oxfam%20Scotland%20says%20the%20Air,Higher%20rate%20under%20the%20UK%2D) for the introduction of a tax on private jets which it has [claimed](https://oxfamapps.org/scotland/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Cleared-for-Take-Off-Oxfam-Scotland-Discussion-Paper-1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) could have raised over £20m last year. Livingstone added: “As climate disasters wreak havoc on communities across the world, the wealthiest people and corporations continue to pollute with impunity. “Our analysis shows there were nearly 13,000 recorded private jet flights involving Scotland’s airports last year.” The introduction of a private jet tax could raise “crucial new revenue to invest in green initiatives that would benefit us all”, Livingstone argued. The Scottish Greens are also [campaigning](https://greens.scot/news/scottish-greens-call-for-super-tax-on-private-jet-users?ref=theferret.scot) for the introduction of a tax on private jets. Green MSP, Mark Ruskell, said private jets were “incredibly damaging and destructive” and incompatible with attempts to reach net zero. “It is long past time for us to properly tax private jet travel in a way that recognises their huge environmental impact and deters the wealthy few from using them.” Povlsen made his fortune as the boss of clothes retailer Bestseller and was [ranked](https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/money/scotlands-rich-list-here-are-the-10-wealthiest-people-in-scotland-and-their-net-worth-3701327?ref=theferret.scot) as Scotland’s richest man in 2024\. He is also the biggest [shareholder](https://www.forbes.com/sites/markfaithfull/2023/06/06/the-billion-dollar-asos-question-as-shareholders-hope-bid-lifts-stock/?ref=theferret.scot) in the fast-fashion brand, Asos, and has a [reported](https://www.scottishfinancialnews.com/articles/anders-holch-povlsen-remains-richest-in-scotland-as-country-sees-fewer-billionaires?ref=theferret.scot) net worth of £6.7bn. Kristian Tvergaard, chief executive of Blackbird Air, said the company was “very conscious of the emissions associated with air travel and the travel industry”. “Therefore we strive to have new, fuel efficient aircraft, and we are working hard to secure even more SAF fuel for our flights. This type of fuel can contribute to a reduced overall emission and be a better alternative to the fuel typically used in aircraft,” he added. The company argued it often works with global firms who have complex transportation needs, such as flying to locations with no direct flights or where specific security needs have to be considered. In a response to The Ferret the company was keen to point out that Blackbird does not fly exclusively for Povlsen or staff of any of his companies and that the 1,115 private flights were spread out between Danish and international clients. Bestseller told DR that Povlsen’s use of private jets was from a desire for discretion and due to security considerations. The vast majority of the flights to Inverness had a “business purpose”, it added. *Cover image thanks to iStock/Franco Ercolino* ### Baillie Gifford under fire over killer drones URL: https://www.theferret.scot/drones-baillie-gifford-pension-funds/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:53:31.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-11.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) The controversial Edinburgh investment firm, Baillie Gifford, has asked Scottish council pension funds whether they have “concerns” about investing in killer drones. A confidential report leaked to The Ferret reveals that [Baillie Gifford (BG)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/baillie-gifford/) has taken the unusual step of canvassing local authority pension funds it helps manage about a £17m holding in [AeroVironment](https://www.avinc.com/?ref=theferret.scot), a US company that makes drones loaded with explosives to destroy ground targets. In the report BG accepted that the impact of war was “devastating”, but argued that governments needed to protect their people. Investing in AeroEnviroment would provide a good financial return because “the floodgates in demand” for its drones could open, it said. But campaigners accused BG and pension funds of profiting from wars that were killing thousands of civilians. The assumption that the drones would only be used for defence was “childishly naïve”, they said. The Ferret [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/book-festival-sponsor-investments-fossil-fuel-firms/) in 2023 that BG had billions of pounds invested in fossil fuels. This prompted the climate campaigner, Greta Thunberg, [to pull out](https://www.theferret.scot/greta-thunberg-pulls-out-of-book-festival-event-after-ferret-revelations/) of an event organised by the [Edinburgh International Book Festival](https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which was sponsored by BG. In May 2024 the Edinburgh book festival [announced](https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/news/an-update-on-our-partnership-with-baillie-gifford?ref=theferret.scot) the end of its 20-year sponsorship by BG. This was followed by book festivals in Wigtown, Melrose, Hay-on-Wye, Cheltenham, Cambridge, Henley, Stratford and Wimbledon [all ending](https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jun/06/baillie-gifford-cancels-all-remaining-sponsorships-of-literary-festivals?ref=theferret.scot) their BG sponsorship deals. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-10-09-094921.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/book-festival-sponsor-investments-fossil-fuel-firms/) According to the leaked local authority report, in the last few months BG has approached council pension funds to “flag” a new purchase of defence stock by BG’s “global alpha” portfolio. As a fund manager, it was considering investing pension funds in the portfolio. BG acts as a fund manager for all of Scotland’s [11 local government pension schemes](https://pensions.gov.scot/local-government/your-local-government-pension-scheme/local-government-pension-funds?ref=theferret.scot) covering 32 local authorities and other public bodies such as the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). It also manages the [Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/scottish-parliamentary-pension-scheme?ref=theferret.scot). The report didn’t name the defence company involved, but did mention that it made [switchblade drones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AeroVironment%5FSwitchblade?ref=theferret.scot). Known as “loitering munitions” – or sometimes “kamikaze drones” – they are produced by AeroVironment, an arms manufacturer in Arlington, Virginia, and have warheads [designed](https://www.avinc.com/lms/switchblade-600?ref=theferret.scot) to crash into targets “with precision lethal effects”. Switchblade drones have been used since 2011 by US armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and sold to Ukraine and used against Russian targets since 2022\. The US news website, DefenseScoop, [reported in 2023](https://defensescoop.com/2023/11/07/us-considers-israeli-request-for-hundreds-of-switchblade-600-attack-drones/?ref=theferret.scot) that Israel had bid for 200 of the latest design, though it is not known whether the bid has been successful. In June 2024 BG [anticipated](https://www.bailliegifford.com/en/uk/intermediaries/literature-library/funds/oeics/global-alpha-growth-fund/global-alpha-growth-fund-quarterly-update/?ref=theferret.scot) “significant sales growth” in AeroVironment’s loitering munitions, from £413m in 2023 to potentially £1.3bn by 2028\. This was driven by US and international demand “with negotiations underway in over 20 countries”, it said. According to BG’s latest quarterly reports, one of its global alpha funds held [about £13.6m](https://www.bailliegifford.com/en/uk/intermediaries/literature-library/funds/oeics/global-alpha-growth-fund/global-alpha-growth-fund-quarterly-update/?ref=theferret.scot) of AeroVironment stock, and another held [about £3.9m](https://www.bailliegifford.com/en/usa/professional-investor/literature-library/funds/mutual-funds/investor-reports/baillie-gifford-global-alpha-equities-fund-investor-report-q2-2024/?ref=theferret.scot), making £17.5m to which council pension funds could contribute. BG’s [latest filings to the US Securities and Exchange Commission](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1088875/000108887524000084/0001088875-24-000084-index.htm?ref=theferret.scot) in June 2024 put the total holdings from all BG funds in AeroVironment at £210m. ### Firm discussed ethics of drones ‘at length’ The leaked report reveals that investing in killer drones had passed BG’s own governance and ethics tests. “We have discussed the ethics of loitering munitions at length internally,” BG was quoted as saying. “Whilst we absolutely recognise that the impact of war and conflict on a human level is devastating, we also feel that it is also important to recognise the moral responsibility incumbent upon governments to invest sufficiently in defence to protect their own people.” BG continued: “Our decision to invest is on this basis (defence) and is neither predicting, nor reliant on, war, or further escalation of existing conflicts. It is built on our view that defence budgets are structurally increasing and that there is a technological upgrade cycle at play as governments look to upgrade their military inventories.” BG pointed out that AeroVironment’s drones were used by more than 50 “US-allied and friendly militaries”. It also argued that they minimised “collateral damage” and reduced civilian casualties with “improved precision and targeting”, including the ability to abort attacks at the last minute. Investing in AeroVironment promised good financial growth, BG told local authority pension funds. “The majority of sales will likely be to the US and [NATO](https://www.nato.int/?ref=theferret.scot) allies. NATO spending is growing at record rates (around 11 per cent in 2023) whilst US defence spending is growing steadily,” it said. Switchblade drones were “at the front of the queue” and their performance had been “proven” in Ukraine, BG argued. There was the prospect of a contract for an “indefinite” number which “could open the floodgates in demand for the product”. According to the leaked local authority report, it was not “normal practice” for a fund manager such as BG to approach clients about investment in a specific company. But BG thought it was “appropriate” to flag the purchase of AeroVironment stock to give council pension funds “the opportunity to raise any additional concerns”. The report suggested, however, that no Scottish local authority pension scheme had blocked BG’s investment, in line with legal advice and the duty of pension funds to maximise financial returns. Council pension funds could not exclude specific investments based on “personal, ethical or moral judgements”, the report said. ![drones](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/switchblade600_launch-thanks-to-aerovironment.jpg) Launch of the Switchblade 600\. Image: AeroVironment ### Drones leading us to a ‘frightening future’ A group campaigning against military drones, [Drone Wars UK](https://dronewars.net/?ref=theferret.scot), argued that AeroVironment were part of the drift towards “killer robots” which were “leading us towards a frightening future where machines will be able to take a human life without any human control or oversight.” “Baillie Gifford is apparently keen to invest and profit from the development of such weapons,” said the group’s Peter Burt. “Baillie Gifford’s justification for funding AeroVironment is based around the childishly naïve assumptions that their weapons will only be used for defensive purposes by the US armed forces and their allies, and that these weapons are precision weapons,” he added. “As the civilian death toll from Israel’s invasion of Gaza [shows](https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/?ref=theferret.scot), artificial intelligence-driven target identification systems are anything but precise and they have led to large numbers of unnecessary civilian deaths. Local authority pension fund trustees should not be fooled by this propaganda.” The Green MSP, [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot), called on local authorities to reject BG’s investments in AeroVironment. “Claims that funding killer drones will be good for civilians and the environment are transparently absurd”, she said. “For far too long we’ve seen local authority pension funds investing in arms dealers. We know the public doesn’t support it – and with the ongoing genocide in Gaza it has never been more important to ensure we’re not acting as its financiers.” The [Highland Palestine](https://highland-palestine.com/?ref=theferret.scot) campaign group attacked Scottish local authority pension funds as “particularly craven” for failing to express any opinions. “Do local authorities really want to be seen to be profiting from wars in which tens of thousands of children are being killed and severely maimed?” said the group’s Derek Newton. The potential for growth highlighted by BG could only come from the widening conflicts we are witnessing, he argued. “BG’s ethical position might be summed up as ‘the end of the world is nigh, how can we make money out of it?’” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-10-09-095234.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/baillie-gifford-invested-670m-drill-oil-near-amazon/) [Baillie Gifford](https://www.bailliegifford.com/?ref=theferret.scot) declined to expand on its comments in the leaked report. “We’ve nothing further to add to the comments you already possess,” a spokesperson told The Ferret. [AeroEnvironment](https://www.avinc.com/?ref=theferret.scot) did not respond to requests to comment. The government’s [Scottish Public Pensions Agency](https://pensions.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) and the [Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla)](https://www.cosla.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) pointed out that investment decisions were taken by the 11 council pension schemes. “We know that administering authorities and pension funds take their responsibilities seriously and must operate within both their legal and fiduciary duties,” said a Cosla spokesperson. “Investment decisions are a matter for the pension funds in line with their duties and this includes taking proportionate and considered action on investment decisions as appropriate.” *The Ferret usually makes the documents on which its stories are based available to readers to aid their understanding. In this case, however, we have agreed not to share the leaked report in order to protect our sources.* #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Cover image thanks to U.S. Marine Corps/Cpl. Jennessa Davey* ### Far right European politicians join Homeland UK conference URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-european-politicians-join-homeland-uk/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:22:43.000Z **A far right party in the UK hosted controversial European political parties including one designated as “extremist” and whose regional leader was fined for using a Nazi slogan.** Homeland, which is led by a Scot and has been [approved](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-terrorist-racist-rules-election-watchdog/) as a UK political party, hosted figureheads from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and Poland’s Konfederacja far right alliance at its Derbyshire conference on 28 September. Manuel Schreiber from the AfD’s youth wing and Konfederacja’s international relations officer, [Robert Grajny](https://www.wnp.pl/parlamentarny/osoba/robert-grajny,9613.html?ref=theferret.scot), spoke as representatives of their parties. In September, the AfD won [almost a third](https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/02/afd-leaders-demand-inclusion-in-state-coalition-talks-germany-thuringia-saxony-elections?ref=theferret.scot) of the vote in two states and nearly [a quarter](https://www.dw.com/en/germany-afd-adds-to-string-of-successes-in-brandenburg/a-70308737?ref=theferret.scot) of the vote in a third. The party is designated as a “proven right-wing extremist” group and [monitored](https://www.dw.com/en/germany-afd-adds-to-string-of-successes-in-brandenburg/a-70308737?ref=theferret.scot) by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency in some states. In May, its leader in the state of Thuringia was [found guilty](https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/14/german-court-fines-afd-bjorn-hocke-using-banned-nazi-phrase?ref=theferret.scot) of knowingly using a banned Nazi slogan, “everything for Germany”, in a speech, while AfD’s lead candidate in the recent European elections [said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx88nwy934go?ref=theferret.scot) members of the SS – the Nazi party’s paramilitary wing – were not automatically “criminals”. Homeland, which promotes a nationalism based on ancestry, land and the “law of blood”, is led by self-described “racial nationalist”, Kenny Smith, from Lewis. His party wants a referendum on immigration. Last year, AfD politicians, alleged neo-Nazis and others attended a secret meeting, later [uncovered](https://correctiv.org/en/top-stories/2024/01/15/secret-plan-against-germany/?ref=theferret.scot) by investigative outfit Correctiv, in which plans to deport millions of residents were discussed. > We say there is nothing inevitable about Britain going down the same road as France and other countries. > > Héctor Sierra, Stand up to Racism Scotland The deportation of “asylum seekers”, “non-assimilated people”, and those with “non-German backgrounds”, including those with German citizenship and residency rights, were explored. Poland’s Konfederacja – or the Confederation – has seen more modest electoral success compared to the AfD, winning seven per cent of the vote in the 2023 parliamentary election. Its co-leader reportedly [said](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/tax-adviser-turned-political-firebrand-emerges-possible-polish-kingmaker-2023-07-07/?ref=theferret.scot) his supporters stood against “Jews, homosexuals, abortion, taxation and the European Union”, and runs a brewery with a beer called “White IPA matters”. Leading party figures have [denied](https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/661762-szok-jedynka-konfederacji-w-czestochowie-neguje-holokaust?ref=theferret.scot) the holocaust, said disabled people should not appear on television, and that [women](https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/kraj/news-korwin-mikke-kobiety-przed-55-rokiem-zycia-nie-powinny-gloso,nId,5840444?ref=theferret.scot) under the age of 55 should not be allowed to vote, according to reports. On 29 September, Homeland posted on social media congratulating the recent electoral victory of Austria’s FPÖ party, which was founded by former Nazis in the 1950s. Héctor Sierra, an organiser for [Stand up to Racism](https://standuptoracism.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) Scotland, said: “Fascists in Britain follow with interest the breakthroughs their co-thinkers have had, from Italy to Austria. “They hope they can replicate these successes here by building on the racist climate encouraged by… mainstream politicians.” He added: “We say there is nothing inevitable about Britain going down the same road as France and other countries”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/manuel-conf-2024.jpg) Manuel Schreiber, a member of AfD’s youth wing. Credit: Homeland Party John Lawson, Homeland’s enquiries secretary, said: “We believe politics is all about working with others, whether with opposite numbers here or friends abroad.” “What is sensible nationalism and how do we sell it?” was a key theme at the conference, he said. The AfD are not extremists, he argued, but “victims of the state oppressing legitimate opposition”. The Nazi-era phrase used by Höcke was “entirely reasonable” and “just because it was used over 70 years ago, 9the AfD) are attacked by the state,” he claimed. Lawson said attendees of the secret deportation meeting involving AfD members had been inaccurately described as neo-Nazis. “Remigration will be the biggest talking point for the next decade; it is perfectly reasonable for political figures abroad to meet and discuss how it can be done legally, responsibly, and ethically,” he argued. He claimed Homeland’s use of “law of blood” referred to a belief that “rights are inherited”, and dismissed SUTR as “a far left group” which “oppose legitimate political parties meeting to discuss policy”. Lawson added: “There is nothing ‘racist’ about wanting to maintain a homeland for your people to thrive in, or discussing how to address mass immigration, which the majority oppose. We hope the UK catches up with the rest of Europe on this subject.” The AfD and Konfederacja did not respond to requests to comment. Homeland’s full response can be read [here](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25190601-homeland-conference-response?responsive=1&title=1&ref=theferret.scot). ***Main image credit: Homeland Party*** ### Billionaire family linked to trade unionist blacklisting scandal are Tory donors URL: https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-trade-unionist-blacklisting-tory-donors/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:35:31.000Z **A billionaire family once headed by a key player in an operation which blacklisted trade unionists and others from employment is bankrolling the Conservative Party, The Ferret can reveal.** The Cayzer family – a late member of which was vice president of the Economic League – have given £844,500 to the Tory party since 2001. The League [secretly gathered](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmscotaf/1071/1071.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) information about individuals on behalf of [hundreds](https://libcom.org/library/13-appendix-1-companies-supporting-league?ref=theferret.scot) of employers who helped fund the group. But details held on some workers, some of whom lost their livelihoods, were exposed as [false](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/06/trade-unionist-refused-job-after-police-passed-details-to-blacklist?ref=theferret.scot) or [inaccurate](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2000/sep/09/emu.theeuro?ref=theferret.scot) by campaigners and journalists, which led to the League being disbanded in 1993\. A successor outfit that [illegally monitored](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/may/27/construction-worker-blacklist-database1?ref=theferret.scot) workers was shut down in 2009. Recent recipients of donations from the Cayzer family and their companies include the Dumfries and Galloway Tory party and MP [David Mundell](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/david-mundell/). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) A Labour MSP accused the Tories of being “devoid of ethics” for accepting the donations. A trade union claimed the league had “sinister motives” and that those involved must not be allowed to “slip back into obscurity”. #### **The Cayzer family** The Cayzers are made up of relatives and close descendants of London-born [Charles William Cayzer](https://cayzer.com/cayzer-family/the-people/sir-charles-william-cayzer-1st-bart-of-gartmore-1843-1916/?ref=theferret.scot), who founded the Glasgow shipping firm, Clan Line, in 1878 before becoming a Dunbartonshire councillor and Tory MP for Barrow-in-Furness. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/charles_cayzer_vanity_fair_9_june_1904.jpg) Charles Willaim Cayzer as caricatured by Spy ([Leslie Ward](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie%5FWard?ref=theferret.scot)) in [Vanity Fair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity%5FFair%5F%28British%5Fmagazine%29?ref=theferret.scot), June 1904 [{{PD-US-expired}}](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-US-expired?ref=theferret.scot) He [reportedly](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/finance-obituaries/9111766/Sir-James-Cayzer-Bt.html?ref=theferret.scot) bought a Scottish estate for each of his six sons, and was given the title of Baronet of Gartmore, named after his Stirlingshire estate. But it was his grandson, Ayrshire-born [William Nicholas Cayzer](https://members.parliament.uk/member/2459/career?ref=theferret.scot), who was involved in the League, serving as [vice-president](https://libcom.org/library/9-chapter-8-wilson-years?ref=theferret.scot). William was [reportedly](https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/apr/21/guardianobituaries3?ref=theferret.scot) made a life peer by Margaret Thatcher after he gave £95,000 to her party. In 1988, a Scottish Labour MP, who [branded](https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1988-02-11/debates/6370c2b7-6c29-4985-92c4-2fcee0d5b2d4/BusinessOfTheHouse?ref=theferret.scot) the League a “private enterprise secret police force”, claimed William was one of its “leading lights” and his companies were the Tory party’s “leading financiers”. The peer died in 1999, and the current patriarch, Charles, who was not directly linked to the League, [chairs](https://www.caledonia.com/who-we-are/meet-the-board/?ref=theferret.scot) The Cayzer Trust Company, which has given £642,500 to the Tories. The Cayzer Trust Company was a member of the League. A notable landowning family [valued](https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list?ref=theferret.scot) at £1.2bn, the Cayzer’s Scottish estates have included [Ralston](https://cayzer.com/archive-page/stories/cayzers-at-home/?ref=theferret.scot) in Renfrewshire, [Cove](https://cayzer.com/archive-page/stories/cayzers-at-cove-1885-1917/?ref=theferret.scot) in Argyll, and [Kinpurnie](https://www.scotsman.com/news/scotlands-most-expensive-house-on-sale-for-ps29m-1561645?ref=theferret.scot) in Angus – then Scotland’s most expensive property. ![Blacklist](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/geograph-1251278-by-roger-gorman.jpg) Gartmore House. Charles William Cayzer was given the title of Baronet of Gartmore the Stirlingshire estate. Photo © [Roger Gorman](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/36300?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) According to the [Who Owns Scotland](https://whoownsscotland.org.uk/property-map/?ref=theferret.scot#searchdbInstr) land database, trustees of the current Charles Cayzer, and others, own Corrybrough and Clune estates at the edge of the Cairngorms national park. #### **History of the League** and blacklisting Originally [called](https://libcom.org/library/2-chapter-one-origins-early-days?ref=theferret.scot) National Propaganda, the League was founded after World War One to promote capitalism and deter communism, particularly in working class communities, and the factories and companies that employed them. Working with [the police](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/17/police-chief-who-spied-on-activists-went-on-to-work-for-union-blacklist-inquiry-told?ref=theferret.scot) and [MI5](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG168007?ref=theferret.scot), tens of thousands of individuals were spied on and profiled, and the information was shared with companies that helped fund the outfit. Individuals barred from employment by these firms included those considered to have extreme left-wing views, or whose past activity was troublesome to employers, such as filing complaints about health and safety, or instigating industrial action. Also included were those who [campaigned](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG168007?ref=theferret.scot) for nuclear disarmament, or [against apartheid](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11929045.forsyth-tightens-gr-ip-on-scots-party-make-no-mistake-russells-in-charge-he-runs-the-show/?ref=theferret.scot) in South Africa, including a Midlothian SNP activist. But those denied a job had no knowledge of why they were rejected, with one individual unknowingly [blacklisted](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/06/trade-unionist-refused-job-after-police-passed-details-to-blacklist?ref=theferret.scot) for being falsely linked to terrorism. The stress of unemployment [reportedly](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/17/police-chief-who-spied-on-activists-went-on-to-work-for-union-blacklist-inquiry-told?ref=theferret.scot) led to some trade unionists losing their homes, getting divorced, or having fewer children. Among those blacklisted were the actor [Ricky Tomlinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky%5FTomlinson?ref=theferret.scot), and John Mann, before he was a Labour MP. Mann [claimed](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/23/we-need-inquiry-construction-blacklisting-scandal?ref=theferret.scot) that his blacklisting in the 1980s saw him denied work while he was raising a young family, and aiming to move closer to his terminally-ill mother. The League also reportedly held files on journalists and 40 Labour MPs, including Gordon Brown. Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Raynor, last year [promised](https://www.tuc.org.uk/speeches/deputy-labour-leader-angela-rayners-speech-tuc-congress-2023?ref=theferret.scot) that in government, her party would “stamp out blacklisting once and for all”. While the League was wound up in 1993, a private investigator who worked for the outfit reportedly commandeered its records and set up the Consulting Association – another blacklisting organisation designed to monitor construction workers. The director of a construction firm founded by a Scots businessman [admitted](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmscotaf/156/156we14.htm?ref=theferret.scot) to loaning £20,000 to the association and was [believed](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmscotaf/1071/107109.htm?ref=theferret.scot) to have “acted as a non-executive chairman”. The association’s database, which breached data laws and ignored privacy rights, was seized during a raid by the Information Commissioner in 2009, and warning letters were sent to 40 companies suspected of blacklisting workers. #### **Donations** Some £43,500 of the Cayzer’s Tory donations went north of the border. Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell and his local party took money from the family via the Cayzer Trust, their investment arm, Caledonia Investments, and two individuals – the [nephew](https://www.thetimes.com/article/business-big-shot-peter-buckley-of-caledonia-investments-0q330nhb7lj?ref=theferret.scot) of the League’s Nicholas Cayzer, [Peter Buckley](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/3815138/Peter-Buckley.html?ref=theferret.scot), and his wife, Mary. The Buckleys have no direct links to the League, however. The latest donation, of £8,500, was given to the Dumfries and Galloway Tories in May by the family trust, while Mary Buckley gifted £7,500 to Mundell in March – both just months ahead of the July general election, in which the former Scottish secretary was reelected. Buckley, a reported Cayzer [trust representative](https://www.eladvertiser.co.uk/dream-kitchen-for-day-centre-mary-buckley-of-westerhall-officially-opens-the-new-extension/?ref=theferret.scot) who owns Westerhall Estate north of Langholm in Dumfriesshire, has continued to fund Mundell and his local party since her husband died in 2008. A Cayzer charitable arm has also [funded](https://www.eladvertiser.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/EL%5FAdvertiser%5F180124.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) a local newspaper in Mundell’s constituency. Peter Buckley was chief executive of investment group Caledonia, a former League member and [shareholder](https://portfolio-adviser.com/caledonia-exits-ag-barr-after-45-years/?ref=theferret.scot) of Irn Bru’s owner, AG Barr. The group funded the Tories to the tune of £188,000 between 2008 and 2010, before pressure from independent shareholders [forced it](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/key-conservative-benefactor-caledonia-investments-forced-by-shareholders-to-cut-links-to-party-9585647.html?ref=theferret.scot) to abandon the party. Between 2001 and 2009, the former family patriarch, [James Cayzer](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/finance-obituaries/9111766/Sir-James-Cayzer-Bt.html?ref=theferret.scot), donated £11,000 to the North Tayside and Angus Tory branches, where his residence of Kinpurnie Castle was located. James, a major Cayzer trust shareholder who died in 2012, had no known involvement with the League. The Cayzers also gave £50,000 to MP Lee Anderson before he defected from the Tories to Reform UK, and backed others, including former vice chair of the Tory party, Ben Bradley. #### **‘Devoid of ethics’** Labour MSP [Richard Leonard](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/richard-leonard?ref=theferret.scot) said: “That the Tories are still accepting donations from super-rich aristocratic families associated with the blacklisting scandal is shocking.” He added: “It shows how desperate and devoid of ethics they are.” Gary Cook, a senior organiser for the [GMB Scotland](https://www.gmb.org.uk/gmb-regions/gmb-scotland?ref=theferret.scot) union, said the extent of workers losing their livelihoods due to the League’s “entirely sinister motives” was unknown. “The covert collection and distribution of information on union members to ensure they would not be hired continues to stain this country’s industrial history,” he argued. “We should not allow those responsible, who hid in the shadows for so long, to slip back into obscurity. What they did cannot be forgotten or whitewashed from the history books.” Cook added: “Anyone continuing to accept support from those implicated in compiling those lists or their families should consider the widespread revulsion and whether that is something they want to be associated with.” The Cayzers, Caledonia Investments, the Conservative Party and David Mundell did not respond to The Ferret’s requests to comment. ***Main image credit: Nick Efford (CC BY-SA 3.0)*** ### Claim levels of crime are currently at 40-year lows is Mostly False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-levels-of-crime-40-year-low-mostly-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:53:34.000Z **John Swinney defended the Scottish Government’s record on justice during first minister’s questions (FMQs) on October 26, claiming crime was at an all-time low.** During questioning from Douglas Ross, appearing at his last FMQs as leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Swinney [said he must](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2024-09-26.1.9&ref=theferret.scot) “put on the record” that “levels of crime in Scotland are currently at 40-year lows”. CLAIM: “Levels of crime in Scotland are currently at 40-year lows”. > Levels of crime in Scotland are currently at 40-year lows. > > John Swinney [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it **Mostly False**. #### **Evidence** Swinney’s claim came after [criticism from Douglas Ross](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2024-09-26.1.1&ref=theferret.scot#g1.8) about the level of support the Scottish Government has given Police Scotland and the number of officers in post. Swinney accepted that police numbers [have fallen](https://www.gov.scot/publications/police-officer-quarterly-strength-statistics-30-june-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) – the latest figures show full-time equivalent roles have decreased by 392 in the last 12 months – but said crime levels were at 40-year lows. When people talk about crime levels in Scotland, they usually refer to [recorded crime](https://www.gov.scot/collections/recorded-crime-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot). This covers [all crimes recorded by the police](https://www.gov.scot/collections/recorded-crime-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot), not the number of convictions or sentences for crimes. It also will not cover all the crimes committed as many are never reported to the police. In [2023-24](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2023-24/pages/1/?ref=theferret.scot), 299,780 crimes were recorded in Scotland. This is higher than the previous year, 2022-23, when police recorded 289,362 crimes, and in 2021-22, when there were 286,464 crimes recorded. This final figure was the lowest number recorded since 1974\. Back then 256,498 were documented. ![Chart showing Scotland's recorded crime numbers reducing over time](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-10-03-122101.png) Total recorded crime gives you an indication of overall levels of crime, but to compare the level of crime to the relative population, we can look at crime rates per 100,000 population in Scotland. The latest [crime rate for 2023-24](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2023-24/pages/1/?ref=theferret.scot) was 550 per 100,000 people. This was higher than the previous three years but less than half the rate when it peaked in the early 1990s. #### **What’s behind the recent increase?** Overall levels of recorded crime have reduced gradually in recent decades, after reaching a peak of 613,943 in 1991. There was a consistent year-on-year reduction between 2006-07 and 2016-17, then a small increase until the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 which correlated with a drop of more than 5,000\. Since 2021-22 rates have gradually begun to increase again. There have been increases in [non-sexual crimes of violence](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/pages/5/?ref=theferret.scot), which include crimes such as assault and robbery. They are at their highest rate since 2011-12\. However, serious assaults and attempted murders have reduced to their lowest level since 2014-15. [Sexual crimes](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/pages/6/?ref=theferret.scot) have reduced over the past two years, after reaching a high in 2021-22 of 15,049\. Changes to legislation and procedure have impacted trends in recorded sexual crime, as well as improvements in historical reporting of crime. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly False** It is misleading to say that levels of crime in Scotland are currently at 40-year lows. While levels of overall recorded crime and the crime rate per 100,000 are lower than 40 years ago, both have increased over the last few years. ![This claim is Mostly False](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_4mostlyfalse-6.png) Photo credit: [Scottish Government](https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottishgovernment/54022389517/?ref=theferret.scot), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot) ### UK overseas territories are world’s worst corporate tax havens, says report URL: https://www.theferret.scot/uk-overseas-territories-world-worst-tax-havens/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:37:15.000Z **UK overseas territories including the British Virgin Islands make up the world’s worst tax havens and are responsible for an estimated £63bn in global tax avoidance, according to a new study.** The Tax Justice Network’s latest [corporate tax haven index](http://https/cthi.taxjustice.net?ref=theferret.scot), released today, ranks countries on their complicity in helping multinational corporations underpay income tax in other countries. The British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Bermuda – all UK overseas territories, which the Westminster government has legal and constitutional responsibility for – make up the top three. The UK is responsible for a third of corporate tax abuse risks, and remains the biggest barrier to stop corporate tax avoidance, the Tax Justice Network claims. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) Countries are estimated to lose £63bn in corporate tax each year due to multinational corporations using the UK and its overseas tax havens, it estimates. When tax evasion from wealthy individuals is included, the amount rises to £126bn. “Corporate tax abuse robs governments of public money and robs people of a better future,” the campaign group argued. “We urge all governments to use the index to tackle corporate tax abuse at home and abroad.” HMRC claimed it had brought in almost £700m via international anti-tax avoidance initiatives, adding that British overseas territories share information with UK authorities on request. > Corporate tax abuse robs governments of public money and robs people of a better future. The Tax Justice Network said the UK has helped deter tax abuse at home by increasing the corporate income tax rate and introducing reporting measures that help HMRC better audit multinational corporations’ accounts. It accused previous Westminster governments of having a “rules for me, not for thee” attitude after [opposing](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/22/push-to-give-un-more-say-on-global-tax-rules-likely-to-stumble-at-vote?ref=theferret.scot) a bid to give the UN more say on global tax rules. The new Labour government must back future UN efforts, the advocacy group urged, arguing such a move would offer the best chance in a century to end global corporate tax abuse, and prevent the loss of an estimated [£3.6bn](https://taxjustice.net/reports/the-state-of-tax-justice-2023/?ref=theferret.scot) to global tax havens over the next decade. Requiring British overseas territories to install the same transparency measures as the UK would prove the country is a “responsible player when it comes to international tax reform,” it said. Citing the previous edition of the corporate tax haven index, David Lammy, the UK foreign minister, said in [a speech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixi3IIE8Doo&feature=youtu.be&ref=theferret.scot) the month before entering government that the high tax haven ranking of UK overseas territories was “a contradiction that cuts into our credibility”. “Britain’s regime are giving with one hand but turning a blind eye to theft with the other”, he added. “We must be honest about this and we must solve it together.” Liz Nelson, the Tax Justice Network’s director of advocacy and research, said: “The UK’s ‘rules for me, not for thee’ attitude is exactly why countries must press on with plans to agree global tax rules democratically at the UN. > The UK is protecting its economy with better tax rules, while sabotaging countries at the UN from getting out from under the thumb of British tax havens. > > Liz Nelson, Tax Justice Network “The UK is protecting its economy with better tax rules, while sabotaging countries at the UN from getting out from under the thumb of British tax havens. Tax havenry is a lose-lose game and this is made painfully clear by the UK trailing behind its peers on so many benchmarks.” She added: “The UK’s new government now faces a crucial decision. Will it stay in the diplomatic corner that the previous government has backed it into, and continue to reject the overwhelming global momentum for an inclusive and effective global tax body at the UN? “Or will the new government deliver on its commitment to principles of honesty and fairness, and become a champion instead?”. HMRC said all UK crown dependencies, such as Jersey and Guernsey, and overseas territories had committed to recording the true owners of companies and sharing this information on request with UK authorities. The UK had brought in almost £700m via international anti-tax avoidance initiatives, including the common reporting standard – a worldwide information-gathering and reporting requirement for financial institutions, it claimed. By the end of 2022 more than 100 countries shared information with HMRC, with over 9.2 million accounts reported, it added. This compared to the first exchange in 2016, where 1.6 million accounts were reported from 47 jurisdictions. *Main image: Wendy Gunderson/iStock* ### Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry – Patterns and power URL: https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry-patterns-and-power/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T17:09:46.000Z Episode nine: Patterns and power ***“Families want the truth about what’s happened and they want people held to account. But most of all they want it to stop happening to somebody else. And one of the things that I don’t think is understood is the added trauma for families who’ve looked to these processes for change to then hear about another death in similar circumstances.”*** ***Deborah Coles, Inquest*** [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-09-30-at-21-52-10.png)](https://player.captivate.fm/episode/b7f37115-0cac-434b-84cc-54bb0a52490a/?ref=theferret.scot) In episode nine of our [Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry podcast](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/) we are looking at the patterns that can be seen in deaths in custody, and the power dynamics at play. In this hearing the Inquiry takes evidence from Marcia Rigg, whose brother [Sean](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66749972?ref=theferret.scot) died in a police cell in 2008, after having a mental health crisis, as it looks to understand the role race may have played in Sheku Bayoh’s death. Sean was from Brixton – home to the [1981 riots](https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/50035769?ref=theferret.scot) in response to the policing of the Black community by the Metropolitan Police. Sheku was from the small former mining town of Kirkcaldy in Fife. So why are there so many similarities – from the way officers involved were allowed to remain together before being questioned, to the ways the families were treated following the deaths of their loved ones. As we hear from Deborah Coles of [Inquest](https://www.inquest.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), families tell her charity repeatedly that they want to know the truth, and they want accountability – but more than that they want lessons to be learned to stop this happening to anyone else. This episode also covers shocking allegations of racism within the police against Black and ethnic minority officers. It is alleged one Black probationer was forced to sit in the corner wearing a dunce cap as recently as 2023\. In other cases, it is claimed, officers lied about their Black or ethnic minority colleagues to get them into trouble or prevent them getting a promotion. > I think racism is racism and it hasn’t changed. It has gone a bit covert, but people who have issues with people’s identity, they never change. > > Sanda Deslandes-Clark, Semper Scotland In 2023 Police Scotland’s outgoing chief constable [Iain Livingstone](https://www.scotland.police.uk/what-s-happening/news/2023/may/chief-constable-statement-on-institutional-discrimination/?ref=theferret.scot) gave a statement in which he claimed the force was institutionally racist and discriminatory. He gave evidence that while he stood by this statement he did not consider institutional racism to mean that overt racism was a reality in the force. He insisted “enormous progress” had been made. Some giving evidence claim racism in the police has been left in the past. But Sanda Deslandes-Clark, former general secretary of [Semper ](https://www.semperscotland.org/?ref=theferret.scot)[Scotland](https://www.semperscotland.org/?ref=theferret.scot) – Police Scotland’s staff association for Black and ethnic minority officers – says she has evidence that racism still exists in the force. She told the inquiry: “I think racism is racism and it hasn’t changed. It has gone a bit covert, but people who have issues with people’s identity, they never change, and when the spotlight is taken away, when this Inquiry is gone, and the spotlight on race has changed, those people who have issued will revert to their default position.” Her view that those who are “not fit to be police officers in the 21st century” must be weeded out was backed by [Dame Elish Angolini](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/deaths-and-serious-incidents-in-police-custody?ref=theferret.scot), who gave evidence on her past work on deaths in police custody. Following the murder of [Sarah Everard](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sarah-everard-what-happened-wayne-couzens-report-b2504551.html?ref=theferret.scot) by Wayne Couzens, Dame Angiolini has been investigating the culture in the Metropolitan Police. She says there is an “urgent need” to rid the police of those abusing their power. “There are so many really good police officers, very good men and women out there and utterly dedicated to public safety,” she told the Inquiry. “\[But\] there really is an urgent need to rid policing of a significant number of people who are in there for their own purposes and not the public interest and who use the power that they have acquired to abuse members of the public and sometimes their own colleagues.” For Marcia Rigg though, simply getting rid of the “bad apples” is not enough. She tells the Inquiry that reform is needed to ensure that the UK has “a police service not a police force”. “For Sean or perhaps Sheku,” she says, “we can’t do anything now but we need to do it for Sheku’s sons and for Sean’s sons.“ ***Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry was a finalist for the British Journalist Awards, the Amnesty Media Awards and won runner-up for Podcast of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards 2024.*** ***Credits:*** ***This podcast is devised by Karin Goodwin, Halina Rifai and Tomiwa Folorunso*** ***Presenters: Tomiwa Folorunso and Karin Goodwin*** ***Writing: Karin Goodwin*** ***Sound production, recording, editing and sound design: Halina Rifai*** ***Original music by Alan Bryden*** ***Listen to all the evidence from the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry, or find out how to get a ticket to attend in person at*** [***www.shekubayohinquiry.scot***](http://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) *Read* [*the script*](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25178706-sheku-bayoh%5F-episode-nine-patterns-and-power?ref=theferret.scot) *in full.* *Main image: Angela Catlin* ### High levels of faeces found at nearly 60 per cent of wild swimming spots URL: https://www.theferret.scot/high-levels-of-faeces-wild-swimming-spots/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:31:33.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-11.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Nearly sixty per cent of Scotland’s most popular spots for wild swimming were polluted with high levels of faeces at least once this summer, analysis by The Ferret has found.** Since the start of May, 51 of Scotland’s 89 most visited bathing waters contained unsafe levels of faecal bacteria on at least one occasion when [tested](https://bathingwaters.sepa.scot/locations-and-results/?ref=theferret.scot) by regulators. Outdoor – or wild – swimming has surged in popularity in recent years and [studies](https://www.brighton.ac.uk/news/2023/is-open-water-swimming-good-for-you?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Wild%20swimming%20or%20cold%20water,wellbeing%20for%20Blue%20Planet%20Society.) show it has benefits for both mental and physical health. It has even been prescribed by some Scottish doctors to patients as a [natural](https://www.theferret.scot/could-prescribing-nature-support-healthy-lives/) way of helping to alleviate mental health problems. But bathing waters can become contaminated, particularly after heavy rain, which causes sewers to overflow and washes animal faeces into them. Swimming in water polluted by sewage [can cause](https://www.sas.org.uk/water-quality/water-quality-facts-and-figures/the-risks-of-mixing-with-sewage/?ref=theferret.scot) stomach upsets, infections to the eyes, ears, chest and skin, and exposure to the Hepatitis A virus. The highest levels of faecal pollution this summer were found in samples at [Ayr’s South Beach](https://bathingwaters.sepa.scot/locations-and-results/results/?location=124725&ref=theferret.scot), [Fisherrow Sands](https://bathingwaters.sepa.scot/locations-and-results/results/?location=4592&ref=theferret.scot) in East Lothian, and at [Irvine](https://bathingwaters.sepa.scot/locations-and-results/results/?location=124688&ref=theferret.scot) beach. Each had one sample where E.Coli was found at more than twenty times the level at which water quality is considered to be low. Water at Lower Largo beach in Fife contained unsafe levels of the bacteria on seven occasions it was tested this summer, more than any other bathing water. Lower Largo also had [very high](https://www.theferret.scot/half-of-scotland-most-popular-beaches-sewage/) levels of pollution last year. > The increasing number of bathing waters polluted by faecal bacteria is bad news for swimmers, pet owners and everyone else who loves our coasts and waterways. > > Alex Cole Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrats Opposition politicians and campaigners blamed Scotland’s “Victorian sewage system” and called for it to be updated. Bathing waters polluted with sewage were “bad news for swimmers, pet owners and everyone who loves our coasts”, one claimed. However the Scottish Government argued that 85 per cent of Scotland’s bathing waters are currently rated as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ and that half a billion pounds was being invested to improve water quality. Scottish Water said all of the sewer overflows it inspected at bathing waters this year were “working as they should with no issues”. It pointed out that sewage was only one source of the faecal pollution which could also come from farming, as well as dog and bird poo being washed into water. [Concerns](https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/uk-bathing-locations-pollution-sewage-b2503750.html?ref=theferret.scot) about pollution at wild swimming spots are widespread across the UK with raw sewage spills into England’s rivers and seas [doubling](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68665335?ref=theferret.scot) last year. Some swimmers and surfers have [claimed](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cxrrzkwl70ko?ref=theferret.scot) they are afraid to get into the sea over concerns about sewage discharges. ### **Overflows** Scotland’s green watchdog the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) (Sepa) carried out testing at 89 bathing waters between the start of May and 15 September. They all have ‘[designated](https://www.gov.scot/publications/designated-bathing-waters/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=A%20list%20of%20bathing%20waters,June%20to%2015%20September%202024.)’ status, which [means](https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/scotlands-beach-awards/information-for-visitors/bathing-waters/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Any%20organisation%20or%20individual%20can,water%2C%20throughout%20the%20bathing%20season.) they have more than 150 daily visitors and are monitored for sewage pollution to prevent health risks to water users. Swimming spots with fewer than 150 daily visitors are [not monitored](https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/01mpamft/water%5Fsafety%5Fbathing%5Fwaters.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) regularly for pollution, an approach which has previously been branded “[unlawful](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-unlawful-bathing-water-environmental-right/)”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-09-27-122446.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/half-of-scotland-most-popular-beaches-sewage/) Sepa’s sampling checks for two types of bacteria- E.Coli and intestinal enterococci (IE). Both [indicate](https://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/help-glossary.html?ref=theferret.scot) the presence of faeces in water which can come from a number of sources including sewage, livestock, wildlife and pets. Across Scotland, 108 samples were collected this summer where concentrations of the bacteria exceeded the level at which water quality is considered low and [more likely](https://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/help-understanding-data.html?ref=theferret.scot) to pose health risks to swimmers. There were 93 samples which found poor water quality in 2023. Levels of E.Coli were more than 20 times higher than the safe level at Fisherrow Sands in Musselburgh on 3 July. It only [regained](https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/23559153.musselburgh-fisherrow-sands-earns-back-water-bathing-status/?ref=theferret.scot) its bathing water status in 2023 after losing it in 2019 due to the poor quality of water over a long period of time. Similarly high concentrations were found at Ayr’s South Beach and nearby Irvine beach on 20 August. One of the main causes of pollution at all three is sewer overflows during heavy rain. Each is currently considered to have ‘good’ water quality overall, a classification calculated by analysing all the samples Sepa takes over a four year period. Seven samples exceeded the safe threshold at [Lower Largo](https://bathingwaters.sepa.scot/locations-and-results/results/?location=301920&ref=theferret.scot) beach, Fife, where very high concentrations of faecal bacteria were also found in 2023. Lower Largo was only given bathing water status in 2022 and water quality there has been ranked as ‘poor’ overall by Sepa in the last two years. The regulator issued a [warning](https://bathingwaters.sepa.scot/locations-and-results/results/?location=301920&ref=theferret.scot) that water quality at Lower Largo is particularly bad at low tide and when the tide is incoming and bathing then carries a “higher risk to human health”. As well as Lower Largo, 25 other bathing waters had more than one sample which contained unsafe amounts of the bacteria. Thirteen bathing waters currently ranked as ‘excellent’ contained elevated levels of faeces at least once this year. \[table id=479 /\] They included [Prestwick](https://bathingwaters.sepa.scot/locations-and-results/results/?location=124714&ref=theferret.scot) beach in Ayrshire, where E.Coli was more than six times safe levels on 4 September. The south beach in [Troon](https://bathingwaters.sepa.scot/locations-and-results/results/?location=124706&ref=theferret.scot) had two samples where levels of the bacteria were five times higher, on 7 August and 4 September respectively. The ‘excellent’ [West Sands](https://bathingwaters.sepa.scot/locations-and-results/results/?location=9316&ref=theferret.scot) in St Andrews exceeded the threshold for IE on three occasions between 3 July and 21 August. All three of these beaches are at risk of pollution from sewer overflows after heavy rainfall. Scotland has experienced [particularly](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5n7nn289do?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Summer%202024%20has%20been%20so,called%20Achnagart%20crowned%20the%20list.) wet weather over the summer. Scottish Water claimed that the vast majority of water that overflows is not from toilets but is run-off from roads and household appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. Nearly £3bn has been spent on maintaining and upgrading the drainage system over the last decade, it has [said](https://inews.co.uk/news/scottish-water-sewage-doorsteps-party-leaders-3125943?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Scottish%20Water%20said%20it%20had,by%20the%20end%20of%202024.). Scottish Water told The Ferret that overflows are an important part of the sewer system and are designed as a valve during times of heavy rain to prevent homes and businesses from flooding when sewers are at capacity. But the environmental watchdog, Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS), [said](https://environmentalstandards.scot/our-work/our-analytical-work/storm-overflows-an-assessment-of-spills-their-impact-on-the-water-environment-and-the-effectiveness-of-legislation-and-policy/?ref=theferret.scot) earlier this month that nearly half of the country’s storm overflows released sewage more than 50 times last year. ESS [argued](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/sep/04/sewage-in-scotlands-rivers-and-beaches-far-more-widespread-than-realised?ref=theferret.scot) that some sites spilled “much more frequently than should be expected” and there was a “lack of transparent information about the operation and impact of storm overflows in Scotland”. The campaign group, Surfers Against Sewage, has previously [claimed](https://www.sas.org.uk/water-quality/water-companies-shocking-stats/scottish-water/?ref=theferret.scot) that very low levels of monitoring of sewer overflows in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK means people are left “in the dark” about their performance. ### **‘Shocking’** The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole Hamilton, called on ministers to “stop their excuses and toughen up on sewage dumping across Scotland”. He told The Ferret: “I am extremely concerned that Scotland’s bathing waters risk being ruined by shocking levels of sewage dumping. “The increasing number of bathing waters polluted by faecal bacteria is bad news for swimmers, pet owners and everyone else who loves our coasts and waterways.” His concerns were echoed by the Scottish Greens MSP, Mark Ruskell, who said Scots could not enjoy the “chance to relax and swim in safe, clean water and get closer to nature” while they are polluted by agricultural run-off and sewage overflows. Ruskell added: “Scottish Water need to double down on investments to modernise our Victorian sewage system, but we can’t ignore the impact that livestock farming also has on water pollution. “Farming subsidies must trigger action to protect waterways with tougher regulation and incentives. Restoring riverbank habitats such as woodland can help protect our burns and rivers from livestock pollution which is finding its way into rivers and beaches.” Scottish Water said Sepa had informed it of 57 “high results” for faecal bacteria at bathing waters. A spokesperson said: “We carried out root cause analysis, as per our agreed process, and all our assets were working as they should with no issues. Since 2015, we have carried out 226 root cause analyses and only two have shown that our asset contributed to high results.” > Scottish Water need to double down on investments to modernise our Victorian sewage system, but we can’t ignore the impact that livestock farming also has on water pollution. > > Mark Ruskell MSP, Scottish Greens Scottish Water has “robust processes” to maintain and monitor overflow sites that discharge into bathing waters “to ensure they perform”, it claimed. The body is “committed to protecting and improving” the condition of Scotland’s rivers, coastal waters and beaches and to improve sewage infrastructure, the spokesperson continued. They added: “There are many factors which can impact bathing waters, including issues such as diffuse pollution from agricultural land, birds and dog waste such as at Portobello beach in Edinburgh in July.” Sepa pointed out that 85 per cent of designated bathing waters across Scotland are classified as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ and 98 per cent were ‘sufficient’. A spokesperson for the regulator said: “Major improvements in water quality have been achieved at bathing water sites that had long-term issues, such as Irvine and Ayr, following projects to upgrade sewage systems, install new treatment and investigate misconnections. “Two bathing waters, Kinghorn (Harbour) and the recently designated Lower Largo, currently have a ‘poor’ classification and we are targeting improvement measures at these locations. “Scottish Water has also committed to installing monitors and publishing real-time data on every combined sewer overflow discharging to a bathing or shellfish water. Sepa will ensure this commitment is delivered.” The Scottish Government pointed out that bathing water quality can be “impacted by a range of bacterial sources following heavy rain and not just sewage, including agricultural land and urban runoff, as well as dog and seagull faeces”. It pointed out that Scottish Water was committed to installing at least 1000 new monitors on its network by the end of this year. It added: “We encourage everyone to make use of Sepa’s [resources](https://bathingwaters.sepa.scot/locations-and-results/?ref=theferret.scot) and information to help make an informed decision about where and when to bathe.” #### Read the full comment from Scottish Water below: **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: Lower Largo. Credit: Wirestock/iStock* ### What has The Ferret been up to in September? People-powered storytelling, and our new reader survey URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-has-the-ferret-been-up-to-in-september/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:54:38.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-12.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) Can you believe it? Next year, The Ferret turns 10! As we prepare to celebrate this significant milestone, we’re reflecting on our journey as Scotland’s leading independent journalism website — and we want you to be part of it. To mark this special occasion, [we’re launching our most ambitious reader survey to date](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGWpocJO4e7JPFqp0y6ewVWMTa2qO8zD1SZ7QjPHpud75ktA/viewform?usp=sf%5Flink&ref=theferret.scot). Whether you’ve been following us for years or just discovered The Ferret, this is your opportunity to help shape our future. You can skip any questions you prefer, but if you complete the entire survey, you’ll receive a special discount on your current or new subscription as a thank you! [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-jpeg.jpg)](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGWpocJO4e7JPFqp0y6ewVWMTa2qO8zD1SZ7QjPHpud75ktA/viewform?usp=sf%5Flink&ref=theferret.scot) In the meantime, here’s a snapshot of the impact our journalism has had over the past month. ### **Our investigations inspired political action** Our [recent investigation](https://www.theferret.scot/row-erupts-island-of-ulva-after-community-buy-out/) into a row between tenants and management over living conditions on the island of Ulva following one of the largest community land buyouts in recent years resulted in Highlands and Islands MSP, Tim Eagle, reaching out to residents to address their concerns. This story gained further traction when The Times followed up with both [an article](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/filthy-water-turns-ulvas-community-buyout-dream-sour-8vsmx0xjp?ref=theferret.scot) and [a column](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/ministers-should-own-up-scottish-community-buyouts-may-be-a-poor-deal-d985l65dv?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=What%20is%20more%20disturbing%20is,just%20a%20political%20scoring%20point.) on the issue. ### **People-powered storytelling** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-4.jpg) We recently took part in [People-Powered Storytelling](https://www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/people-powered-storytelling?ref=theferret.scot), a new collaborative series hosted by the Public Interest News Foundation (PINF), showcasing the transformative impact of grassroots, community-centred media across the UK. This project brings together ten media organisations, each driven by the power of lived experiences to reshape journalism. Alongside Greater Govanhill, [we shared our experiences with the Open House editorial meetings](https://www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/post/our-community-newsroom-how-holding-open-editorial-meetings-helps-rebuild-trust?ref=theferret.scot). These sessions at our community newsroom bring together journalists, people with lived experience, and campaigners to talk on equal footing. The feedback has been honest and clear — people want us to stick with the stories that matter, even when they’re not ‘headline-grabbing’. They’ve asked us to go beyond the surface, to challenge stereotypes and report on real solutions. That’s what we’re committed to, and these conversations are shaping how we tell those stories. ### **Our Fringe session is now live** Following our June event on sharing your lived experience of trauma on the public stage, Ferret co-editor Karin Goodwin joined writer, commentator, and performer Darren McGarvey, along with documentary filmmaker Stephen Bennett and journalist Stephen Stewart, in a conversation about the ethics of reporting trauma at this year’s Fringe. The event recording is now available; you can listen wherever you get your podcasts. ### **Our stories made some noise** Earlier this month, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-angus-robertson-israel-meeting/) that the Scottish Government has refused to release minutes of Angus Robertson’s ‘secretive’ meeting with an Israeli diplomat, prompting accusations it is ‘hiding’ from scrutiny of the discussions. Our investigation was covered by the [Scottish Daily Express](https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-government-redacts-entire-minutes-33663070?ref=theferret.scot), [the Telegraph](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/13/snp-israel-palestine-gaza-meeting-international-relations/?ref=theferret.scot), the [National](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24583065.snp-government-hide-minutes-angus-robertson-israel-meeting/?ref=theferret.scot) and [the Herald](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24582819.government-wont-share-israel-meeting-relations-risk/?ref=theferret.scot). #### **That’s all for this month!** If you have any questions about our work, or would like to help us shape our future investigations, you can get in touch with the team at contact@theferret.scot. #### As you know, here at The Ferret we pride ourselves in making *good journalism that changes things*. And you can help us do more of it. #### It’s easy: you can contribute by becoming a member today or with a one-off donation . If these options are not for you, you can always subscribe to our free newsletter to support our work. ### Rangers fan who displayed Nazi flag at Ibrox is drummer with a flute band URL: https://www.theferret.scot/rangers-fan-who-displayed-nazi-flag-at-ibrox-is-drummer-with-a-flute-band/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:12:01.000Z **A Rangers fan who displayed a Nazi flag at Ibrox stadium, and who has been convicted for violence and disorder, is a drummer with a Glasgow flute band, The Ferret can reveal.** Jordan McArthur held a flag which featured a white skull associated with the SS – the Nazis’ paramilitary wing – when Rangers played Aberdeen in Glasgow last September. He unfurled the SS banner from the upper tier of Ibrox’s Broomloan Road stand, prompting outrage on social media. Now The Ferret has seen evidence that McArthur drums with a flute band called Blackskull Corps of Fife and Drum which has attended wreath laying services to honour British soldiers killed in action. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-44-2-e1727356897474.jpg) During World War Two, the Waffen-SS murdered around 100 British and French prisoners of war in the Wormhoudt massacre on 28 May 1940\. They were captured by German SS troops as they made their way to Dunkirk. McArthur [pled guilty](https://news.stv.tv/west-central/rangers-fan-caught-with-nazi-banner-at-ibrox-match?ref=theferret.scot) to committing breach of the peace as well as a separate charge of culpable and reckless conduct at Glasgow Sheriff Court earlier this month. The band has not responded to a request to comment. We were unable to contact McArthur directly. In 2020 McArthur was given a [community payback order](https://news.stv.tv/west-central/rangers-fan-caught-with-nazi-banner-at-ibrox-match?ref=theferret.scot) after he admitted a breach of the peace related to disorder at an asylum rights protest in the city’s George Square. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/9b41bda3-add5-43bc-817d-f5556dfb2fbe-1.jpg) He was convicted of three charges of [disorder and violence](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/castlemilk-man-attacked-rival-football-9363439?ref=theferret.scot) in 2016 after Rangers were defeated by Hibernian in the Scottish Cup Final. After invading the pitch at Hampden Park, he kicked a man on the head as he lay on the ground. Sentence was deferred on McArthur for his latest offence pending background reports until next month. He was granted bail and ordered not to enter regulated football matches. ### Row erupts on island of Ulva after community buyout URL: https://www.theferret.scot/row-erupts-island-of-ulva-after-community-buy-out/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:54:41.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-13.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **A row has erupted between tenants and management over living conditions on the island of Ulva following the biggest community land buyout of recent years.** Some residents of the island, off the west coast of the island of Mull, have been left with filthy brown water. They also claim island assets such as a Thomas Telford-designed church have been neglected and communications with the ownership company have broken down. The 5,000-acre island, which has 16 residents, was bought from its private landlord in 2018, with a grant of £4.4m from the Scottish Government’s [Land Fund](https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/scottish-land-fund?ref=theferret.scot). At that time, rented houses were rotting and the population had almost disappeared. The island is now run by [North West Mull Community Woodland Company](https://nwmullwoodland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (CWC) but a new report by t[he Development Trusts Association of Scotland](https://dtascot.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (DTAS) said relationships between the CWC’s board and some community members had “soured” to the point of “low morale”. Resident Rebecca Munro, who was an enthusiastic campaigner for the deal, still believes in the buyout but has become disillusioned with the CWC. She told The Ferret: “At times it feels a little bit like we still are just tenants of another landowner.” Board member John Addy defended the CWC’s record, however, but agreed change was needed. He suggested the company could hand over the island to a new group. The [buyout](https://www.thenational.scot/news/16306958.ribbon-cutting-marks-completion-islanders-ulva-community-buyout/?ref=theferret.scot) happened after years of complaints by tenants on the 5,000-acre island over management by the former owner. The population then was Munro, her husband Rhuri and their two children, and bus driver, Barry George. The deal needed an organisation to take on the ownership, and the CWC, set up in 2006 to take over former state forestry land for community benefit, shouldered the task. > At times it feels a little bit like we still are just tenants of another landowner. > > Rebecca Munro, resident Uniquely, the Scottish Government allowed the Scottish Land Fund to carry over a £3m underspend from the year before to make the huge grant for the buyout, breaking its normal limit of £1m for individual grants. Since the buyout the island’s homes have been renovated, and the population has grown. The island is being farmed once again, and there have been improvements to piers. Soon after the buyout, however, Munro began to feel there were problems ahead. “Once the dust settles and all the cameras have left, it’s very hard work in reality,” she said. She believes the organisation, with a volunteer board, two part-time staff, and no office, simply does not have the capacity to handle the development of an entire community. “I think especially with the position we started from with a very tiny population… there were issues around capacity. Being that island apart from the rest of Mull has presented some challenges… it’s not that kind of community-ownership Utopia that you maybe think it will be.” Barry George had doubts about the organisation from the start and now claims it has been a “disaster.” The current water problem is seen by both George and Munro as an example of alleged mismanagement. They explained that with a growing population, thanks to housing renovations, the spring-water supply was inadequate. An old reservoir was brought back into action, but the water comes out of the taps a deep peaty brown. Residents began boiling their water to prevent upset stomachs in May 2022, and an expert report commissioned by the CWC prior to that, said both the spring and reservoir sources posed a “high risk to human health.” Some residents now fetch their water from the mainland. Munro says fixing it has taken far too long: “It doesn’t look great if you try and have a bath. You get an instant tan,” she said. “If you were a tenant elsewhere, you would report it, you would hope it would be rectified. By the nature of where we live on the islands, things take longer to fix. But I think here they’re taking longer than they need to.” She feels that because residents are part of the community that owns the island, the company fails to treat them as tenants who are paying for services – including a £35-a-month water levy. She added: “It adds unnecessary pressure to the relationship between residents and the board. Clean water doesn’t seem like that much of a deal when it’s something you’re paying for.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/1024px-sheilas_cottage_ulva_-_geograph-org_-uk_-_6178994.jpg)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sheila%27s%5FCottage,%5FUlva%5F-%5Fgeograph.org.uk%5F-%5F6178994.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) Sheila’s Cottage, Ulva. Image: M J Richardson/geograph.org.uk George and Munro say there are concerns over the state of the island museum building, Sheila’s Cottage; the 200-year-old [church](https://mull-historical-society.co.uk/churches/churches-2/ulva/?ref=theferret.scot), designed by Thomas Telford; and [Ulva House](https://www.ulva.scot/storas-ulbha-project-2?ref=theferret.scot), the former landlord’s mansion. George said: “\[Ulva House\] has been brought to absolute ruin. It’s rotten, it’s been stood empty for six years, and anybody who lives on the west coast knows you can’t leave a property empty, you’ve got to get it heated. It’s now got to be completely gutted, which is going to be a huge expense.” DTAS – the independent umbrella group for organisations such as the CWC – organised a meeting between the board and residents last month to find a new way forward. It reported after the meeting: “There is recognition that relationships have soured to the point of personal damage to ongoing wellbeing and low morale in the CWC board and in the community. For the trust to continue to be meaningful as a community anchor organisation, being led fully by the members, a reset is needed.” Munro and George say members of the old board, which they blamed for many of the problems, promised to stand down at the CWC AGM on September 9\. New island resident Nicholas Waller, a language teacher and former lawyer, was one of six new candidates who stood for election as directors. But his directorship was rejected. The other five candidates were elected. Four of the five former directors were also re-elected, and the fifth stayed on the board as his term of office was not over. Munro said: “If they had a legitimate reason for blocking Nicholas from joining the board, I think it would have been better to be open and transparent about it ahead of the vote.” Waller himself said: “I was disappointed by the vote to exclude me, but not surprised. The water quality issue is one of a number of betrayals of the company’s tenants.” Director John Addy, who has been involved with the group since it was set up, said the water problem had been intermittent since 2022, and that a new treatment system – being installed “any day now” with an £80,000 grant from Argyll and Bute Council – would ensure a proper supply. The island church was already in serious disrepair when CWC took over, and repair has not been a priority due to limited funds, Addy said. He also explained that Sheila’s Cottage was re-thatched after the buyout but the thatch failed and a new contractor was lined up to fix the problem. Addy also said Ulva House was already in poor condition in 2018, and has deteriorated since, but the basic structure “is sound”. Plans to develop it as a heritage centre failed after construction costs soared, he continued, while detailed discussions are ongoing with a prospective tenant who would repair it and turn it into a boutique hotel. Addy added that existing board members had suggested – not promised – they would stand down prior to the AGM, but had changed their minds in order to “provide continuity”. He also said there had been no efforts by the previous board to stop Waller being elected at the AGM: “We all have strong opinions about the guy but I didn’t campaign, no,” he said. He said it is for the new board, which has met just once, to plot a way forward, but agreed with the idea that a lack of capacity – in a community of just 400 people – was part of the problem. He believes the woodland company could split, with a new group taking on Ulva alone, or it could merge with the larger [Mull and Iona Community Trust](https://www.mict.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which already runs houses and other assets on Mull. “We know that Ulva needs sorting one way or another and I agree that it doesn’t make sense to keep it under the woodland company forever,” he said. Munro said a change of ownership organisation could be the way forward: “We need to get rid of that ‘us and them’ mentality,” she said. “At the end of the day, we all still want the same thing, which is for the island to thrive.” **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: Tom Parnell/Flickr* ### Allegations of illegal scallop dredging in Orkney under investigation URL: https://www.theferret.scot/allegations-illegal-scallop-dredging-orkney-investigation/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:55:44.000Z **Allegations of illegal scallop dredging in Orkney are under investigation by the Scottish Government, The Ferret can reveal.** Angry locals claim that rogue fishermen are wrecking the seabed, undermining sustainable fishing and “risking local jobs”. They have called for a ban on scallop dredging within three miles of the shore. Scallop dredging is a controversial fishing method that damages seabed habitats. Dredging involves fishermen using heavy-duty metal framed nets – dredges – which are pulled over the seabed by boats. It is favoured by some fishermen because it increases their catch. But dredges [severely damage ](https://www.theferret.scot/scallop-dredging-jura-illegal-video/)marine life and the ecosystem. The fishing method can impact creeling for crab, prawns and lobsters – and the hand-dived scallop industry, which is important to the archipelago. The seas around most of Orkney were designated as a marine protected area (MPA) in 2014 to safeguard the feeding grounds of black guillemots, and they are home to vulnerable species like spurdog sharks. However, [The Ferret revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/evidence-of-scallop-dredging-found-inside-orkney-marine-protected-area/) last year that evidence of scallop dredging had been found inside an Orkney MPA. The latest alleged incident took place on 30 July 2024 when a scallop dredge vessel – which we cannot name for legal reasons – operated inside a closed area called Bring Deeps where dredging is seasonally prohibited. A photograph seen by The Ferret shows scallop dredges being hauled by a boat, which indicates fishing. [The law says](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2004/276/schedule/1/made?ref=theferret.scot) that boats must have their gear “lashed and stowed” when transiting a closed area. The Ferret understands the owner of the fishing vessel was previously found guilty of illegal fishing. The Scottish Government introduced a new enforcement regime for scallop dredgers recently which requires all vessels to carry [remote electronic monitoring ](https://www.gov.scot/publications/remote-electronic-scallop-guidance/?ref=theferret.scot)equipment. In theory, this means that the government should be able to monitor all scallop dredging and prevent illegal activity. > Our islands are increasingly famed for high quality, sustainable seafood, so we cannot allow this reputation to be damaged by an increase in reckless scallop dredging around our islands. > > Fred Brown, owner of scallop dive business in Orkney Orkney is one of the few areas in Scotland where there is a significant hand-dived fishery for scallops. Nick Nourse, a commercial scallop diver in Orkney, told The Ferret that “clear evidence of illegal scallop dredging” was given to Kirkwall Fishery Office several weeks ago. He added: “In the meantime, scallop dredging activity is now continuing to wreck areas of healthy and productive seabed, undermining more sustainable fishing and risking local jobs. “We are making a good living from scallop diving, and the sustainable nature of our fishery has allowed us to manage our dive grounds well, which is why scallop dredge vessels want to access these areas. It seems absurd that the greed of one dredger could be allowed to destroy the livelihoods of more than 30 divers and countless creel fishermen. This is a completely untenable situation and we need our politicians to help resolve it urgently.” Fred Brown, owner of a local scallop dive business, said Orkney has a “thriving dive fishery and it makes no sense to dredge where you can dive for scallops”. He added: “Our islands are increasingly famed for high quality, sustainable seafood, so we cannot allow this reputation to be damaged by an increase in reckless scallop dredging around our islands. I would like to see a ban on scallop dredging within three miles of the shore, to protect more sustainable and profitable inshore fishing here.” Nick Underdown, of the campaign group Open Seas, said that despite the new laws requiring scallop dredge vessels to be monitored, “dredging is still permitted in 95 per cent of Scotland’s inshore zone, including in many areas where vulnerable habitats are known to exist”. He added: “Government should be encouraging and incentivising sustainable fishing by supporting those fishing businesses with the best environmental credentials and which bring the most socio-economic value. Instead the current climate of weak regulation seems to be allowing unsustainable scallop dredging operators to bully other more sustainable fishermen off their fishing grounds.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “This is a live investigation and therefore we are unable to comment further.” *Featuted photo credit: iStock and Pictureview* ### Claim that new Scottish law will jail people for misgendering is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scottish-law-jail-misgendering-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:55:44.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-12.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **A video claiming Scots could face seven years in jail if they misgender someone has gone viral across social media, even being shared by tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk.** A post [including the clip](https://x.com/JohnStossel/status/1832422067658223759?ref=theferret.scot), produced and presented by American former TV presenter and political commentator John Stossel, received 35.6 million views on the X platform. Musk [shared it on his account](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1832449422724309271?ref=theferret.scot), adding “This is crazy”. His post was seen more than 35 million times. > A new law in Scotland threatens you with seven years in jail if you misgender someone. Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **False**. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-31.png) ### **Evidence** Stossel’s [video features](https://x.com/JohnStossel/status/1832422067658223759?ref=theferret.scot) several laws and policies around the world that he claims restrict free speech, including in the US, Canada, Brazil and Scotland. He [states](https://x.com/JohnStossel/status/1832422067658223759?ref=theferret.scot) “Scotland recently banned misgendering” and claims that calling a trans woman “a man could get you seven years in jail”. The [social media post](https://x.com/JohnStossel/status/1832422067658223759?ref=theferret.scot) on his account promoting the video states: “A new law in Scotland threatens you with seven years in jail if you misgender someone”. ### **What is Scotland’s new hate crime law?** The [Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14?ref=theferret.scot) came into force on 1 April 2024\. It was the result of a review of Scotland’s previous hate crime legislation by a senior Scottish judge, Lord Bracadale. Various bits of [existing legislation](https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/24198760.hate-crime-act-might-yet-success-focus-means/?ref=theferret.scot) were brought together under the new law, which also extended protections for vulnerable groups, including transgender people. Under the bill someone can be prosecuted for offences called “[aggravations](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14/notes/division/2/2?ref=theferret.scot)”. This is when an offence is committed where the perpetrator either demonstrates or is motivated by prejudice towards one of the protected groups. In the [legislation](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14/notes/division/2/2?ref=theferret.scot) this is described as “demonstrated malice and ill-will”. [Protected groups](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14/notes/division/2/4/1?ref=theferret.scot) under this legislation are race, colour, nationality, or ethnic or national origins, age, disability, religious group, sexual orientation, transgender identity, or being intersex. ### **Is misgendering a crime under the law?** The most controversial part of the act has been the offence of “stirring up hatred”, which is the part referred to in Stossel’s video. In the clip, he states that you can be prosecuted if “a ‘reasonable person’ views the speech as ‘insulting’ and ‘likely to result in hatred’”. This is misleading. There is an offence in Scotland called “[stirring up hatred](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14/notes/division/2/3?ref=theferret.scot)”. The new act extended existing protections on race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins and disability to include transgender identity, being intersex, age, religion and sexual orientation. Under this [part of the act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14/notes/division/2/3?ref=theferret.scot), there are different thresholds for when an offence is committed. For stirring up hatred based on race, colour, nationality or ethnic or national origins, a crime would be committed if a person shared material or behaved in a way that “a reasonable person would consider to be threatening, abusive or insulting”. This would need to be intended to or be considered by a reasonable person to “result in hatred being stirred up against such a group” This is the definition mentioned in the Stossel video. However, for a crime to be committed linked to hatred against [transgender identity](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14/part/3/crossheading/offences-of-stirring-up-hatred?ref=theferret.scot) along with age, disability, sexual orientation, or being intersex the bar is higher. A person’s behaviour would need to be reasonably considered “[threatening or abusive](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14/part/3/crossheading/offences-of-stirring-up-hatred?ref=theferret.scot)” for a crime to be committed, rather than simply insulting. Misgendering would only be considered a hate crime if it was done in a way that a “reasonable person would consider to be threatening or abusive” and was “intended to stir up hatred against a group of persons”. According to [Adam Tompkins](https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/24198760.hate-crime-act-might-yet-success-focus-means/?ref=theferret.scot), a law professor and former Conservative MSP, “asserting that sex is a biological fact or that it is not changed just by virtue of the gender by which someone chooses to identify is not and never can be a hate crime under this legislation”. The maximum sentence for an offence under the act is seven years, which would only be used for the most serious breaches of the legislation. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** ![This claim is false](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_5false-5.png) The new hate crime law in Scotland does not threaten people with seven years in prison for misgendering someone. The video produced by John Stossel claims you can be prosecuted for stirring up hatred if “a ‘reasonable person’ views the speech as ‘insulting’ and ‘likely to result in hatred’”. But the bar for an offence related to transgender identity requires a person to be considered “threatening or abusive”, not just insulting. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: Elon Musk speaks with Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, during the Ira C. Colorado, 2022\. Credit: Trevor Cokley* ### Trafficked young people left to sleep on Scottish streets after ‘flawed’ age assessments deem them adults URL: https://www.theferret.scot/trafficked-young-scottish-people-homeless/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:55:45.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-14.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) When Jenny first met Home Office officials it had been a long time since she had enough to eat or drink, or slept. Brought from Vietnam to Europe by traffickers on a plane, she had been forced to trek for days before being put on a small boat across the channel. The journey was frightening and made her sick. On arrival in England, still reeling from what was happening, she told officials she was 16 years old. But having been first trafficked at just 12, she had no documentation to prove it. Officials probed further – asking her date of birth, her nationality, and the details of her journey. There were 25 questions, according to documentation seen by The Ferret, most with a one word answer. They looked at the bags under her eyes, her thinning hair and decided that she was lying. Then the Home Office gave her a new date of birth, making her 22 years old and processed her as an adult asylum seeker. It’s a decision that Jenny – as we are calling her to protect her identity – is still fighting. But she is far from alone and the consequences are far reaching. A growing number of trafficked and vulnerable asylum-seeking children are being “unlawfully” denied appropriate support – and even left street homeless – by Scottish local authorities after being wrongly assessed as adults by the Home Office, according to a new report. Legal firm [Just Right Scotland](https://www.justrightscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which examined the experiences of migrant young people in Scotland without their parents, also found dozens were accommodated in adult [asylum hotels](https://www.theferret.scot/asylum-hotels-explained/), putting them at risk of being exploited or re-trafficked. Its report – and accompanying legal judgement – due to be published on Monday, 16 September, found that [age disputes](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/665099698f90ef31c23eba98/Assessing+age.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) raised by the Home Office have increased by 450 per cent from 853 in 2020 to 4,698 in 2023. Research shows that assessments – based on “[appearance and demeanour](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/assessing-age-instruction/assessing-age-accessible?ref=theferret.scot)” and often taking less than 15 minutes – are “flawed” with [one report](https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Forced-Adulthood-joint-report-on-age-disputes-January-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from January 2024 finding over 1,300 young people had been wrongly assessed in an 18 month period. > Most, if not all, young people that we work with have experienced abuse trauma, possibly during conflict in their home country but also during the journey to the UK when there can be sexual or criminal exploitation as well. > > Francesca Sella, Just Right Scotland Freedom of information requests by Just Right found that out of 253 migrant children and young people in contact with Scottish local authorities, 104 (41 per cent) were refused support. Decisions are often influenced by the Home Office assessment. When children are deemed to be adults they will often be placed in an asylum hotel, sharing a room with an adult stranger. They will have no-one to look after them and will not be in education. The report details stories of children like Jenny, including those claiming to be as young as 15 years old, housed in asylum hotels with adults. Some were survivors of sexual exploitation. Several others, including one girl claiming to be 16 years old who ran away from the hotel she was staying in after being sexually assaulted there, ended up sleeping on the streets but were refused local authority help. Where the age of a young person is disputed, local authorities should legally carry out a full age assessment, but researchers documented routine “gate-keeping” by local authorities in ways they claim were not legally compliant. The report raised concerns that “overburdened” and “under-resourced” local authorities were more likely to find young migrants to be over 18, where they were under increased pressure due to a higher number of referrals. Young people are often being left without support – and in potentially dangerous adult accommodation – for months or even years while fighting age assessment decisions, researchers found. This is true for Jenny, who was taken from her Home Office accommodation in England by the Vietnamese traffickers and forced to work in a cannabis cultivation farm in Scotland. When she escaped, police – using her Home Office records – also treated her as an adult. Despite support from Just Right Scotland and several charities, she has been unable to access support from the local authority. Francesca Sella, a solicitor for Just Right Scotland and author of the report, said: “Most, if not all, young people that we work with have experienced abuse trauma, possibly during conflict in their home country but also during the journey to the UK when there can be sexual or criminal exploitation as well. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-09-13-170906.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/podcast-uk-government-puts-torture-survivors-risk/) This has left people “vulnerable” when they arrived at the border, she explained, which can affect their “physical presentation, their behaviour, and their ability to disclose some things about their past to authorities”. “It’s probably the worst possible time to be carrying out age assessments,” she added. Scottish local authorities were often slow or unwilling to do further age assessment processes, she claimed, with some even asking young people to go to the police first and get their fingerprints taken before meeting with social workers. “This is in breach of legislation,” Sella said. Glasgow City Council, one of the authorities named in the report as doing so, told The Ferret this was a case of “crossed wires” and insisted it followed Just Right Scotland’s own guidance on age assessment. It said the process can take six weeks, with initial assessments by two social workers lasting 30 minutes. In cases where they considered the young person a child, they would be taken into care while a fuller assessment process was completed. However Sella said asylum seeking young people across Scotland too often remained in adult accommodation during this process, which she claimed, had “serious impacts” on their physical and mental health, as well as raising child protection and re-trafficking concerns. She called for authorities across the UK and Scotland to urgently address the issue. The Just Right findings were backed up by other organisations. Phil Arnold, head of refugee support at the [British Red Cross](https://www.redcross.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), told a [Scottish Parliamentary committee](https://x.com/RedCrossScot/status/1763216580257743089?ref=theferret.scot) in February that the charity had supported 32 young people who had been accommodated in Scotland by the Home Office following so-called “glance” age assessments – where age is assessed on appearance only. The charity, which worked with children forced to sleep rough, told Just Right that only nine per cent of the young people judged to be children it supported in 2023 were taken into care. > The root of this issue lies with the Home Office, but this report sheds light on unlawful and unacceptable practice by Scottish local authorities. > > Nicola Killean, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Arnold claimed it took three months on average for local authorities to agree to age assess young people supported by the charity. More than eighty per cent of those were later found to be children. “We support the recommendations made in the Just Right Scotland report,” he told The Ferret. “Where there is a reasonable doubt over someone’s age, young people should be treated as children and not adults. [Children and Young People’s Commissioner](https://www.cypcs.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), Nicola Killean, said the report described “the dangerous reality many unaccompanied asylum seeking children face”. “The root of this issue lies with the Home Office, but this report sheds light on unlawful and unacceptable practice by Scottish local authorities,” she added. “Local authorities have their own legal duties to children that must be complied with. Any failure to do so is a violation of children’s rights.” A Home Office spokesperson said that when someone arrived in the UK “without documentary evidence” of their identity and where there was doubt about someone’s age, “there is a need to assess it”. “We have robust processes in place to verify and assess an individual’s age where there is doubt,” they added. A Scottish Government spokesperson said it planned to “revise and update its age assessment guidance,” and had “previously expressed concerns regarding the UK Government’s policies and approach to age assessment”. More than a year after arriving in the UK, Jenny’s fight for support is far from over. “I hope that the Home Office and social workers never treat others the way that they have treated me,” she said. “All I can do is to keep fighting to get my identity back.” ### ‘Let me live as the person I am’: Jenny’s story Jenny was only 12 years old and still in Vietnam when her grandmother, who raised her, died of cancer. It was not her first experience of loss. Every year on Jenny’s birthday, they would light incense and her grandma would tell her stories about her mother, who died in childbirth. “My date of birth was impossible to forget,” says Jenny. After her grandmother’s death Jenny’s life became controlled by gangs. She was forced to sell lottery tickets to work off alleged debts. When she ran away, she ended up with yet another trafficker and faced brutal treatment alongside other children. At 16 years old she was put on a plane for Europe and, after trekking for days, forced on a small boat across the channel. Traffickers did not tell her where she was going. “I hadn’t had enough food or water for a long time,” she remembers. “On the boat I passed out.” On the English south coast she was processed by Home Office officials who, based on her “appearance and demeanour”, said she was six years older than she claimed to be. “I was so tired, so exhausted that I didn’t understand what was happening,” says Jenny. Eventually she was taken to a hotel. The next morning she says she was accosted by a man in the street who had a photo of her, taken by her traffickers back in Vietnam. He put her in a car, threatening her with a knife, and she was driven to Scotland. There she was forced to work in a house growing cannabis and told she would be killed if she did not obey. Finally, she says, she was able to escape, running for hours until she encountered police. Officers took a statement and called social work. But when they realised her official UK date of birth, they told her she was an adult and hotel accommodation was arranged. “I felt scared in the hotel so I didn’t really come out of my room,” she explains. “Staff would bring food to me but I didn’t want to eat it.” Support workers report she cuddles a stuffed animal at night. She told them she wished she was with other young people, or a foster family. Staff called the council to reassess her age. It took more than a month and the intervention of lawyers before two social workers arrived. After just one encounter they also decided she was an adult. But her lawyer, Farida Elfallah from Just Right Scotland, told The Ferret that she found Jenny’s testimony completely credible. “She has always been consistent about who she is and what has happened to her,” said Elfallah. “Everyone who works with her, who knows her, believes her.” The law firm challenged the council, which then carried out a full age assessment. Again, Jenny’s age was rejected. But an independent age assessment has since been commissioned by Elfallah, which found in Jenny’s favour. The lawyer is now looking to have the findings re-examined by the courts. Meanwhile Jenny still feels at risk. “I feel so stressed and cry all the time,” she says. “I just want them to accept my age and let me live as the person I am.” **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Photo thanks to Oleksandra Kharkova/iStock* ### Photo essay: Glasgow’s anti-immigration protest URL: https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-anti-immigration-protest-far-right/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T08:55:45.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-13.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Last Saturday in Glasgow, far right activists were among an estimated 350 protestors who descended on George Square for an anti-immigration protest.** The “pro-UK rally” followed widespread disorder in England and Northern Ireland this summer, after false reports that an asylum seeker was behind knife attacks which led to the deaths of three young girls in Southport. ![Anti immigration protest, George Square Glasgow. Copyright: Angela Catlin.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/anti-migrant-protestj45497.jpg) Anti migrant protest, George Square Glasgow. Copyright: Angela Catlin. The “pro-UK rally” in Glasgow had been organised by a social media activist called Stef Shaw, who goes by the name, “Glasgow cabbie”. It was promoted by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who uses the pseudonym, Tommy Robinson. His intervention prompted a counter-demonstration by an estimated 2500 to 3,000 anti-racism protestors. Neither Yaxley-Lennon nor Shaw attended the event. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/dsc_0023-1.jpg) Anti racism protestors, George Square, Glasgow. Copyright: Billy Briggs. Anti-immigration speakers included Niall Fraser, a right-wing political activist formerly with the Scottish Family Party, and Alistair McConnachie, another right-wing activist and regular election candidate. He was accused of Holocaust denial after [claiming](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/feb/27/uk.race?ref=theferret.scot) that gas chambers were not used by Nazis to murder millions of Jews during World War Two. McConnachie denies the allegation. ![Anti immigration protest, George Square Glasgow.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/anti-migrant-protestj45501.jpg) Anti migrant protest, George Square Glasgow. Copyright: Angela Catlin. Around 300 to 400 people attended the anti-immigration protest and it was largely peaceful. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/dsc_0037.jpg) Anti migrant protest, George Square, Glasgow. Copyright, Billy Briggs. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/anti-migrant-protestj45503.jpg) Anti migrant protest, George Square, Glasgow. Copyright: Angela Catlin. But far right activists were in attendance, including some from fascist group, Patriotic Alternative. Members of the Union Bears, a Rangers football club ‘ultras’ fan group known for links to violence, also took part. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/anti-migrant-protestj45500.jpg) Anti migrant protest, George Square Glasgow. Copyright: Angela Catlin. Some of the anti-immigration protestors wore masks to conceal their identities. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/anti-migrant-protestj45493.jpg) Anti migrant protest, George Square Glasgow. Copyright: Angela Catlin. The Green Brigade, supporters of Celtic football club linked to violent disorder, were also masked to hide their identities. They tried to join the anti-racism protest but anti-immigration protestors surged towards them and scuffles broke out as they entered George Square under police escort. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/anti-migrant-protestj45494.jpg) Anti migrant protest, George Square Glasgow. Copyright: Angela Catlin. The Green Brigade and Union Bears are bitter rivals and sectarian chants were heard. Police formed lines in an attempt to prevent violence and horses were used to separate protestors. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/dsc_0063.jpg) Anti migrant protest, George Square, Glasgow. 9 Sept 2024\. Copyright, Billy Briggs. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/anti-migrant-protestj45496.jpg) Anti migrant protest, George Square, Glasgow. Copyright: Angela Catlin. The Green Brigade were kettled by police and prevented from joining the anti-racism protest as a measure to prevent further disorder. Police Scotland said in advance of the protests that a “proportionate policing plan” was in place to balance public safety with the right to peacefully demonstrate. Before the rally, Glasgow city council’s leader, Susan Aitken, said that “far right ringleaders” like Tommy Robinson were “not welcome in Glasgow”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/20240907_133042.jpg) Copyright: Billy Briggs. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Words and photos by Billy Briggs.* *Photos by Angela Catlin.* *This article was corrected at 09.37 on 16 September 2024 to state that Niall Fraser is no longer with the Scottish Family Party.* ### Scottish Government refuses to release minutes of ‘secretive’ Israel meeting URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-angus-robertson-israel-meeting/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T16:28:29.000Z **The Scottish Government has refused to release minutes of Angus Robertson’s** ‘secretive’ **meeting with an Israeli diplomat, prompting accusations it is ‘hiding’ from scrutiny of the discussions.** In a freedom of information (FOI) [response](https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202400426411/?ref=theferret.scot) the Scottish Government said it was withholding both the minutes and agenda of Robertson’s meeting with Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky, on 7 August. The Scottish Government argued releasing details of the meeting could damage “good and honest relations with states they choose to engage with”. A spokesperson told The Ferret it is a “requirement of international relations that confidentiality is not breached” and said the Scottish Government remained “unwavering” in its support of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. But critics said there was no “legitimate reason” to keep the information from the public and questioned the transparency “surrounding all of Scotland’s international work”. Grudsky [claimed](https://x.com/DanielaGrudsky/status/1823035827779506485?ref=theferret.scot) on social media that she had discussed “unique commonalities” between Scotland and Israel with Robertson as well as “cooperating” on areas including culture and renewable energy. Robertson – the Scottish Government’s culture and external affairs minister – later [apologised](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,angus-robertson-apologises-over-meeting-with-israels-deputy-ambassador?ref=theferret.scot) that the meeting did not solely focus on the war in Gaza following criticism from human rights groups and colleagues within the SNP. One senior SNP MSP branded Robertson a “[liability](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24525486.angus-robertson-liability-warns-snp-msp/?ref=theferret.scot)” over the affair and he faced [calls to resign](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24555167.angus-robertson-responds-gaza-protesters-call-resignation/?ref=theferret.scot) from his ministerial post. However, first minister John Swinney said the meeting took place with his blessing and the “best of intentions”. He [said](https://news.stv.tv/politics/first-minister-john-swinney-sorry-that-meeting-gave-impression-of-normalised-relations-between-scotland-and-israel?ref=theferret.scot) it was arranged to put “to the Israeli government the opposition we feel to their activities in Gaza”. > Minutes should be published to evidence the government’s claims that human rights concerns were raised. > > Neil Cowan, Amnesty International UK Swinney’s predecessor as first minister, Humza Yousaf, was [very critical](https://news.sky.com/story/first-minister-humza-yousaf-brands-israels-actions-in-gaza-tantamount-to-ethnic-cleansing-13042644?ref=theferret.scot) of Israel’s actions in the Gaza war describing them as “tantamount to ethnic cleansing” in January. Over 40,000 people have [reportedly](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn49v0nzv3ko?ref=theferret.scot) been killed in Gaza since Israel began its assault in retaliation for the Hamas attacks on 7 October, when the group [killed](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231215-israel-social-security-data-reveals-true-picture-of-oct-7-deaths?ref=theferret.scot) nearly 1,200 people, many of them Israeli civilians. The Scottish Government [suspended](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ydg5lqgwxo?ref=theferret.scot) meetings with Israel in the aftermath of the Robertson controversy until the country makes “real progress” on peace talks in Gaza. Under FOI law, public bodies can withhold information about meetings with foreign officials if releasing it would “substantially” impact diplomatic relations. However, this exemption does not apply if it is outweighed by the [public interest](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/foi/freedom-of-information-and-environmental-information-regulations/the-public-interest-test/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Then%20you%20must%20carry%20out,or%20by%20disclosing%20the%20information.) in releasing the information. The Scottish Greens co-leader, [Patrick Harvie](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/patrick-harvie?ref=theferret.scot) – a former minister – called for the Scottish Government to “come clean, publish the agenda and allow scrutiny” of the “secretive meeting”. He said: “It’s astonishing that the Scottish Government thought a meeting with a senior representative for a government that is inflicting genocide would be appropriate, and I can see no legitimate reason for refusing to publish details of it.” Harvie added that while Robertson had claimed the meeting was arranged to discuss the assault on Gaza, “by hiding the agenda from public scrutiny, there is no way to tell what was said or where on the agenda it fell”. [Scottish Government agency still giving grants to arms firms supplying IsraelA Scottish Government agency has given hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayer money to arms companies supplying Israel since it began its bombardment of Gaza. The Ferret has learned that Raytheon, BAE Systems and Leonardo have all received six-figure grants from business agency Scottish Enterprise since Israel began bombing![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-74.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/1024px-alenia_aermacchi_m346_3_4827151876-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-grants-arms-firms-israel/) Amnesty International’s programme director in Scotland, [Neil Cowan](https://twitter.com/%5Fneilcowan?lang=en&ref=theferret.scot), said the public “deserves to know more” about the meeting and “minutes should be published to evidence the government’s claim that human rights concerns were raised”. Cowan added: “We’ve repeatedly raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding all of Scotland’s international work. “I wrote to the first minister following this meeting to underline the need for transparency and urge him to undertake a full review of Scotland’s diplomatic, political and economic ties with Israel. “As long as Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, its illegal occupation and its overarching system of racist apartheid continue, the Scottish government must confirm it has no intention of strengthening its ties with Israel.” Carole Ewart, director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland said the case provided “further evidence” of why Scotland’s FOI law is “outdated and needs to be reformed”. She added that given the anger around the war in Gaza, the meeting with Grudsky should have been “transparent by design”. Ewart said: “Secrecy breeds suspicion so the Scottish Government’s interpretation of the public interest test to justify withholding information should be challenged.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The meeting request from the Israeli UK Deputy Ambassador was accepted on the basis it would provide an opportunity to convey the Scottish Government’s consistent and unwavering position on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. This position was made clear by the Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs during the meeting. “The Scottish Government remains committed to an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, an end to UK arms sales to Israel and will continue to press the UK Government to recognise a sovereign Palestinian state, as part of a two-state solution to secure lasting peace in the region. “It is a requirement of international relations that confidentiality is not breached. That is why the Freedom of Information legislation includes provisions to exempt material that would prejudice substantially relations between the UK and any other State. This is the case in relation to this minute.” *Featured image thanks to Scottish Government/Flickr* *This story was updated at 10:15 on 13/09/24 to add a quote from the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland.* *This story was updated at 15:23 on 13/09/24 to clarify that the meeting was not first revealed by a social media post by Daniela Grudsky. It was also amended to clarify that the Scottish Government did not say the meeting was exempt from FOI law.* ### Revealed: Canadian government owns Scots property via tax haven URL: https://www.theferret.scot/canadian-government-scotland-property-via-tax-haven/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:36:57.000Z **The investment arm of a Canadian provincial government with an alleged history of tax avoidance is the owner of a tax haven firm that holds nearly £20m of Scottish property, The Ferret can reveal.** [Marlin Glasgow Sàrl](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/OE004830?ref=theferret.scot), a company registered in Luxembourg, bought multiple properties on Glasgow’s Watt Street, Houston Street and Houston Place in 2021 for a collective £19.1m, according to official data. But the true ‘beneficial’ owner of the company is the Alberta Investment Management Corporation ([Aimco](https://www.aimco.ca/?ref=theferret.scot)), a Canadian public body in the province of Alberta. Aimco has previously come under fire [at home](https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-pension-plans-offshore-tax-haven-investments-1.4454514?ref=theferret.scot) and abroad for its use of tax havens and a UK “[tax avoidance scheme](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/25/bbc-sold-television-centre-to-group-that-was-clearly-a-tax-avoidance-scheme?ref=theferret.scot)”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) There is no suggestion it has avoided tax in Scotland. But Labour MSP Paul Sweeney accused Aimco of “parasitic” ownership and benefitting from “unearned” rents. A tax expert and economist warned that offshore firms can avoid paying “proportionate” tax to fund public services, create “grossly unfair competition” for Scots businesses, and risk unemployment as a result. The extent of Scots property owned offshore and by foreign governments is “striking”, he added. In 2020, we found that [60 per cent](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-property-billions-tax-haven/) of foreign-owned properties belonged to companies based in tax havens. > As this income is syphoned from Glasgow to Alberta, our city’s local services are in a state of collapse, with half a billion pounds of cuts over the last decade. > > Paul Sweeney MSP, Scottish Labour Last year, we revealed that the governments of China, Qatar, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates owned [nearly £250m](https://www.theferret.scot/foreign-states-bought-millions-scottish-property/) worth of property including Highland estates, office blocks, student accommodation and industrial estates. Aimco owns industrial units via Marlin Glasgow, including [Kingston Bridge trading estate](https://www.canmoor.com/portfolio/view/glasgow-kingston-bridge-industrial-estate?ref=theferret.scot), which it rents out to hardware firms, and other companies. Aimco was revealed as the true ‘beneficial’ owner of the company in light of the UK’s [Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-crime-and-corporate-transparency-act-2023-factsheets?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20ECTE%20Act%3A,better%20support%20law%20enforcement%20investigations). The law requires overseas firms who want to buy, sell or transfer property or land in the UK [to register](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/register-of-overseas-entities?ref=theferret.scot) with Companies House and reveal their beneficial owners – those who ultimately reap the financial rewards of ownership. Aimco’s listed owner – and the co-owner of Marlin Glasgow – is “His Majesty The King In Right Of Alberta”. The monarch’s title is used to designate Alberta’s [crown land](https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/crown-land?ref=theferret.scot) – ultimately [public land](https://web.archive.org/web/20130325231856/http://srd.alberta.ca/FormsOnlineServices/documents/PublicLands-Sep-1997.pdf). [Revealed: Scottish property worth billions owned by tax haven firmsForeign companies own £4.4 billion worth of Scottish property, The Ferret can reveal, leading to calls for greater transparency to stop Scotland losing out on tax revenue. Concerns have also been raised about the need for urgent action to stop criminals using opaque foreign companies to invest in Scottish![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-11.png)The FerretJoe Lo![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Palms.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-property-billions-tax-haven/) ### **‘Tax avoidance scheme’** Aimco “invests globally on behalf of pension, endowment, insurance and government fund clients in Alberta” and [manages](https://www.aimco.ca/who-we-are/at-a-glance?ref=theferret.scot) £90bn in assets. It [generated](https://www.aimco.ca/insights/aimco-achieves-8-0-return-in-2023?ref=theferret.scot) £36bn between 2013 and 2023, according to its website. In 2012, the Canadian public body was among a controversial consortium of investors and developers that [bought](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jul/16/bbc-sells-television-centre?ref=theferret.scot) the BBC’s former TV Centre in London for about £200m. The sale was [branded](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/25/bbc-sold-television-centre-to-group-that-was-clearly-a-tax-avoidance-scheme?ref=theferret.scot) “shocking” by the chair of the UK parliamentary public spending watchdog, Margaret Hodge, who slammed the BBC for “selling knowingly to a consortium that deliberately sets up a very, very complex structure… the purpose of which is to avoid tax”. Aimco and other provincial crown corporations are accountable to the relevant provincial government – in this case Alberta. But there has been [debate in Canada](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/what-are-crown-corporations-and-why-do-they-exist-1.1135699?ref=theferret.scot) about whether they should exist at all. A 2017 [investigation](https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-pension-plans-offshore-tax-haven-investments-1.4454514?ref=theferret.scot) based on the Paradise Papers leak of offshore investment records revealed that millions of Canadians unknowingly had an interest in money stored in tax havens via eight large pension funds, including Aimco. Some Canadian pension funds reportedly acknowledged that offshore investment structures helped them legally minimise tax paid abroad, and some claimed it was part of their duty to maximise savings available for retirees. [Unmasked: The foreign states who bought up Scots property worth millionsThe governments of China, Qatar, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates have extensive property portfolios in Scotland collectively worth nearly £250m. Among the properties owned by these states – often purchased using money from their national investment funds – are warehouses, office buildings, student accommodation, Highland estates, and a private island. These![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-12.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/header.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/foreign-states-bought-millions-scottish-property/) ### **Aimco’s ‘parasitic rentierism’** Glasgow Labour MSP [Paul Sweeney](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/paul-sweeney?ref=theferret.scot) said: “This important research by The Ferret shines a light on the obscure reality of how vast tracts of Scotland’s asset wealth is owned overseas by opaque entities that extract rents through tax havens”. Such entities are “contributing nothing of value in the way of any productive investments or innovations that grow the economy, increase tax revenue and improve living standards in our country,” he argued. “It is a fine example of parasitic rentierism that we in Scotland must take greater action to address by taxing land value as well as building up municipal and state ownership of domestic assets, instead of this grotesque situation where the Canadian province of Alberta benefits from unearned… rents from its property portfolio in Glasgow. “As this income is syphoned from Glasgow to Alberta, our city’s local services are in a state of collapse, with half a billion pounds of cuts over the last decade.” Alex Cobham, chief executive of the [Tax Justice Network](https://taxjustice.net/?ref=theferret.scot), said: “This investigation clearly demonstrates the importance of the public having access to information on the true owners of companies and other legal vehicles. “The extent of ownership of Scottish property not only through offshore vehicles but by foreign governments is striking. “And where that ownership is channelled through opaque offshore structures, it has the potential to facilitate the extraction of profits generated in Scotland without proportionate payment of tax to support Scottish public services, and also to expose tax-paying Scottish businesses to grossly unfair competition – leaving needlessly high unemployment in its wake. “Policymakers should insist on full transparency and much closer scrutiny by HMRC.” Aimco and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta did not respond to requests to comment. *Main image: Dean Zielinski/iStock* ### Salmon industry under fire for ‘pressure’ on green watchdog URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-pressure-sepa/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T09:56:52.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-15.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **The salmon farming industry has been accused of trying to “pressure” Scotland’s environment watchdog by persisting with complaints about how it is regulated.** [Salmon Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon-scotland/), which represents multinational [fish farming](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/fish-farming/) companies, is to meet with the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) because it still has concerns about a formal complaint it lodged in 2019. [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) investigated the complaint about its allegedly “poor” regulation and in 2020 upheld, or partially upheld, 10 of the 14 issues raised. But Salmon Scotland has now told [MSPs investigating salmon farming](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-rural-affairs-and-islands-committee/business-items/salmon-farming-in-scotland?ref=theferret.scot) that it remains “concerned” about Sepa’s response to its complaint. Campaigners say that salmon companies are putting pressure on Sepa to influence policy and save money. The industry “feels it is above regulation”, claimed one. They also criticised Sepa for “going out of its way to please Salmon Scotland”. The Scottish Government came under fire for allowing the salmon industry to “run riot”. Salmon Scotland said that its industry was one of the most heavily regulated in the world. It wanted Sepa to adopt a “risk-based approach” to environmental compliance and to help deliver “sustainable economic growth”. Sepa stressed that it sought “appropriately positive relationships” with the companies it regulated. It said it would keep liaising with the industry to understand any issues. The Scottish Government said it was right that there was “ongoing discussion” between the industry and Sepa about regulation. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-08-23-102110.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-pressure-toxic-pesticide/) On 30 July 2024 in response to a freedom of information request, Sepa released details of a formal complaint by [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which used to be known as the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation. [A letter](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/uploads/f0197449%5Fdocc6a8a50be8%5Fsepa%5Fformal%5Fcomplaint%5F270919%5Frr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) copied to ministers on 3 October 2019 alleged that Sepa’s “regulatory practices, standards and behaviours” impacted “detrimentally” on Scottish salmon farmers. Salmon Scotland said that since 1 June 2019 there had been a “marked decline” in determining permit applications and “an increase in poor regulatory practices”. It cited a series of delays and “inconsistent and incorrect” interpretations of Sepa guidance. A lack of “appropriate consultation” had resulted in “delays, confusion, inconsistency and errors in decision making,” it claimed. Sepa had failed to provide reports, replies and pesticide authorisations “timeously”, it said. Salmon Scotland also alleged a “continued lack of engagement” on revising a salmon farm licensing framework and “insufficient regard to the consequences and impacts” of an environmental safety limit review. “The wide range and scale of the issues experienced by our members points to a long-term failure of Sepa to discharge its duties in accordance with the [Scottish Regulators’ Strategic Code of Practice](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-regulators-strategic-code-of-practice/?ref=theferret.scot),” Salmon Scotland concluded. In response Sepa launched an investigation, and formally [responded on 18 May 2020](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/disclosurelog/uploads/f0197449%5Fdoc0e286c66f2%5F20200518%5Ffinal%5Fsspolt%5Frr.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). Sepa officials met four times with Salmon Scotland staff, including the industry body’s then sustainability director, [Anne Anderson](https://scottishseafarms.com/news/scottish-sea-farms-appoints-new-head-of-sustainability-development/?ref=theferret.scot), who was [previously head of compliance at Sepa](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farm-watchdog-joins-industry/). Among the ten issues on which Sepa fully or partly upheld Salmon Scotland’s complaint were delays to permit applications and incorrect interpretations of guidance. Sepa also accepted that there had been inadequate consultation, delays in providing reports, and a lack of engagement. In one instance it had failed to correct an error in an inspection report, it said. But Sepa rejected the claim that it had paid insufficient regard to the impact of a safety limit review. It also insisted that it had not delayed pesticide authorisations. Sepa did not accept that it had failed to discharge its duties under the regulators’ code of practice. But it added that there were “a small number of areas where Sepa has fallen short of fully delivering the good practice set out within the code”. Sepa promised a series of reforms aimed at improving its regulation of the salmon farming industry. It said there had been “significant frustrations building between the industry and Sepa for some time” and urged better communication in the future. Sepa told The Ferret that its complaint response plan was completed and shared with Salmon Scotland in April 2022\. But the industry body has now told the Scottish Parliament’s [Rural Affairs and Islands Committee](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-rural-affairs-and-islands-committee?ref=theferret.scot) that it still has concerns. ### Salmon industry ‘concerned about progress’ In [a submission on 13 June 2024](https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/rural-affairs-and-islands-committee/correspondence/2024/salmon-scotland.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) it said: “We remain concerned about progress against some of the points raised in our complaint and there is ongoing dialogue with Sepa to better understand service levels and to drive improvements.” Salmon Scotland acknowledged that there had been “a significant improvement in engagement with Sepa”. But it added that there were continued “challenges and frustration” with some important regulatory activities, which it didn’t specify. The industry body raised the issue at a quarterly liaison meeting with Sepa on 24 June 2024\. Sepa agreed to another meeting to discuss Salmon Scotland’s continuing concerns, the arrangements for which are still being finalised. The Green MSP for Highlands and Islands, [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot), described multinational salmon companies as “some of the most lucrative” that operate in Scotland. “Farmed salmon businesses can well afford to drive up standards and reduce their impact on the environment. Instead, they are choosing to pressure the environmental regulator and to influence policy –the very policies designed to regulate their activities,” she said. Burgess pointed out that one of Sepa’s roles was to prevent businesses from damaging the environment. “So it is very concerning that Sepa appears to be going out of its way to please Salmon Scotland,” she told The Ferret. The campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), criticised the salmon industry – and the Scottish Government. “This is a typical response from an industry that feels it is above regulation and should be allowed to do what it likes,” said the group’s solicitor, Guy Linley-Adams. He laid the blame on “well over a decade of unthinking and unconditional political support” from the Scottish Government. “If you invite an industry to run riot, don’t be surprised when it does,” he added. The [Coastal Communities Network](https://www.communitiesforseas.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which brings together 30 groups in Scotland concerned about the marine environment, urged Sepa not to bow to industry pressure. “Sepa‘s primary task is to protect and enhance Scotland’s environment,” said the network’s John Aitchison. “It would be better able to do so if it had not been given the extra duty of promoting economic growth.” [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) argued that its sector was one of the most heavily regulated in the world. “We want Sepa to adopt a risk-based approach to environmental compliance that acknowledges the excellent work being undertaken by the sector to safeguard our precious marine environment and our iconic wild Atlantic salmon, while providing the best care for farm-raised salmon,” said the body’s technical head, Dr Iain Berrill. “If we get this balance right we can deliver the sustainable economic growth that both the Scottish Government and Sepa say they want to see.” ### Sepa agreed to meet Salmon Scotland [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) highlighted the salmon industry’s important role in Scotland’s environmental, economic and social success. “Following a formal complaint from Salmon Scotland in 2019, Sepa worked to address the number of elements of our regulatory services that we agreed had fallen short of the standards we strive to deliver,” said the agency’s head of ecology, Peter Pollard. “We seek appropriately positive relationships with those we regulate, and we welcome Salmon Scotland’s acknowledgment of a significant improvement in engagement.” Pollard added: “Sepa agreed to a request from Salmon Scotland to meet to discuss how it now views our regulatory services with reference to its 2019 complaint. This meeting is currently in the process of being arranged. “We will continue to regularly liaise with the sector to understand any service issues and address these through normal continual improvement processes.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scottish salmon is the UK’s largest food export and is a significant contributor to the Scottish economy, providing well paid and highly skilled jobs, particularly in rural and island communities. “It is right that designing effective legislation involves ongoing discussion between regulators and industry representatives, as well as other key stakeholders, to ensure the regulatory framework is fit for purpose to balance these important priorities effectively.” #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Cover image thanks to iStock/[richard johnson](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/richardjohnson?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot).* ### Explained: Scotland’s carbon storage URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-how-scotlands-carbon-storage-works/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T09:56:55.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-17.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **The climate crisis is already impacting Scotland, with more rainfall and higher temperatures being** [**recorded**](https://www.theferret.scot/how-is-climate-change-impacting-scotland/) **in recent years.** Storing CO2 to prevent it from entering the atmosphere is central to the fight against climate change. The [Scottish Government is backing](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2020/12/securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero-update-climate-change-plan-20182032/documents/update-climate-change-plan-2018-2032-securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero/update-climate-change-plan-2018-2032-securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero/govscot%3Adocument/update-climate-change-plan-2018-2032-securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) technological projects to capture and store carbon from industrial sites. However, there are also several ways that CO2 can be stored through natural processes. As part of our Solutions for Scotland project, Ferret Fact Service looked at the different ways to store carbon. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-32.png) ### **Trees** Woodlands are [important](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/carbon-management/managing-nature-carbon-capture?ref=theferret.scot) for carbon storage, also known as sequestration. As trees grow, they ‘[trap](https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/kew-carbon-trees-draw-down?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Trees%20accumulate%20carbon%20within%20their,build%20a%20house%2C%20for%20example.)’ carbon to form wood, leaves and roots. This prevents it from entering the atmosphere and contributing to the climate crisis. There is an estimated [two billion tonnes](https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/forestry-statistics-2020/4-carbon/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Around%20one%20half%20%2851%25%29,carbon%20dioxide%20over%20their%20lifetime.) of carbon stored in Scotland’s woodland and forests. Tree cover in Scotland has [increased in the last 100 years](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/managing-land/forests-and-woodlands/woodland-expansion-across-scotland?ref=theferret.scot), but it still lags behind many other European countries. About [16 per cent](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/carbon-management/managing-nature-carbon-capture?ref=theferret.scot) of Scotland is covered by trees, with an average of between 700 to 800 tonnes of carbon sequestered per hectare. The Scottish Government aims to [increase this to 21 per cent](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2020/12/securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero-update-climate-change-plan-20182032/documents/update-climate-change-plan-2018-2032-securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero/update-climate-change-plan-2018-2032-securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero/govscot%3Adocument/update-climate-change-plan-2018-2032-securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by 2032\. It has consistently [missed its targets](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/progress-report/2023/05/climate-change-monitoring-report-2023/documents/climate-change-plan-monitoring-reports-2023/climate-change-plan-monitoring-reports-2023/govscot%3Adocument/climate-change-plan-monitoring-reports-2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for new woodland planting in recent years, meeting only 90 per cent of the 16,500 hectares planned to be planted last year. There has been [criticism](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) of the tree planting approach in Scotland, with fast-growing and carbon-absorbing non-native species like Sitka Spruce favoured over native species and restoration of diverse woodlands. Analysis by The Ferret of official forestry data has shown [Sitka spruce makes up 43 per cent](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) of woodlands in Scotland. This “invasive” species can negatively impact protected bogland and heathland, and damage biodiversity, according to experts. ### **Soils** According to NatureScot, there are more than [three billion tonnes](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/carbon-management/managing-nature-carbon-capture?ref=theferret.scot) of carbon in Scotland’s soils in bogs, peat and swamps making up the largest source of sequestered CO2. Twenty per cent of Scotland is [covered by peatlands](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/carbon-management/managing-nature-carbon-capture?ref=theferret.scot), which hold more than half of the land-based carbon storage. When in good condition, peat soil is what’s known as a ‘[carbon sink](https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/carbon-sources-and-sinks/?ref=theferret.scot)’, which absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, damaged peatlands can become an emitter of greenhouse gases. According to the [International Union for Conservation](https://iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/peatlands-and-climate-change.?ref=theferret.scot), damaged peatlands are responsible for almost five per cent of human-caused CO2 emissions across the world. In Scotland degraded peatlands [account](https://www.gov.scot/news/record-high-peatland-restoration/?ref=theferret.scot) for 15 per cent of all carbon pollution. It was estimated in 2020 that [ab](https://www.gov.scot/publications/securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero-update-climate-change-plan-20182032/pages/12/?ref=theferret.scot)[o](https://www.gov.scot/publications/securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero-update-climate-change-plan-20182032/pages/12/?ref=theferret.scot)[ut 80 per cent](https://www.gov.scot/publications/securing-green-recovery-path-net-zero-update-climate-change-plan-20182032/pages/12/?ref=theferret.scot) of Scotland’s peatlands were degraded. The Scottish Government has set annual targets of at least [20,000 hectares](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/progress-report/2023/05/climate-change-monitoring-report-2023/documents/climate-change-plan-monitoring-reports-2023/climate-change-plan-monitoring-reports-2023/govscot%3Adocument/climate-change-plan-monitoring-reports-2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of peatland restoration every year. These have been repeatedly missed. Currently, restoration rates are around just [6,000 hectares](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/progress-report/2023/05/climate-change-monitoring-report-2023/documents/climate-change-plan-monitoring-reports-2023/climate-change-plan-monitoring-reports-2023/govscot%3Adocument/climate-change-plan-monitoring-reports-2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) annually. ![Carbon storage and emissions in Scotland](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/k4syd-carbon-storage-and-emissions-in-scotland.png) ### **Seas** The ocean, sea lochs and coasts in and around Scotland are a [key source of carbon storage](https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefings/Report/2021/3/23/e8e93b3e-08b5-4209-8160-0b146bafec9d?ref=theferret.scot), known as ‘blue carbon’. About 25 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions in the world are absorbed by seas. While [living species](https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefings/Report/2021/3/23/e8e93b3e-08b5-4209-8160-0b146bafec9d?ref=theferret.scot), such as those found in saltmarshes and sand dunes, as well as seagrass, kelp beds and coral reefs can store carbon, the vast majority of the ‘blue carbon’ is stored in the seafloor and sediments found in sea lochs. According to the [Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe](https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefings/Report/2021/3/23/e8e93b3e-08b5-4209-8160-0b146bafec9d?ref=theferret.scot)), over 9 billion tonnes of carbon is stored in Scotland’s surrounding seas. There are several [threats](https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefings/Report/2021/3/23/e8e93b3e-08b5-4209-8160-0b146bafec9d?ref=theferret.scot#808374d9-88d2-4ad1-af18-499590f7055b.dita) to Scotland’s ‘blue carbon’ storage such as the impact of climate change, fishing practices, and pollution. Degraded carbon storage habitats could release their CO2 and become sources of carbon emissions in future. ### **Carbon capture and storage** The Scottish Government’s [plans for reducing carbon emissions](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2023/08/02/update-blog-on-the-scottish-carbon-capture-and-storage-cluster/?ref=theferret.scot) heavily focus on the use of technology to capture CO2 from industrial processes. This is known as carbon capture and storage (CCS). It works by [capturing carbon](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-carbon-capture-storage/) from processes which usually pump it into the atmosphere — like oil refineries and cement plants — then transporting it to a safe location where it can be stored, usually deep underground. CCS can have a significant impact on the carbon emitted from industry and aims to capture more than 90 per cent of carbon dioxide where it is used. Scotland’s long-term goal of reducing net emissions to zero by 2045 emissions is reliant on the use of CCS. However, it has yet to be deployed at scale in Scotland. The [Acorn project](https://www.theacornproject.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), a CCS facility that is planned for Aberdeenshire, has received funding from the Scottish Government but has faced delays in approval from the UK Government. Scotland’s climate change plan update from 2020 suggested the plant had the potential to capture as much as 10 megatonnes of C02 per year by 2030, but [climate campaigners](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-carbon-capture-climate-change/) have called these targets “speculative” and “unreliable”. ### **Scotland’s carbon storage in numbers** ## **Peat** **80 per cent** \- The proportion of Scotland’s peatlands that are degraded. **15 per cent** \- How much of Scotland’s total emissions are produced by degraded peatlands. #### **Trees** **16 per cent** \- How much of Scotland is covered by forests and woodlands #### **Seas** **25 per cent** \- Proportion of global carbon dioxide emissions absorbed by oceans. #### **Seagrass** **92 per cent** \- How much of the UK’s seagrass may have been lost, according to research. **11.5 million** \- How many tonnes of carbon it has been estimated the UK’s seagrass meadows once stored, the same as the emissions of 7.7 million cars. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Photo credit: iStock/Rini Kools* ### Lungs of the ocean: The underwater ‘weed’ that could help Scotland tackle climate change URL: https://www.theferret.scot/seagrass-underwater-weed-climate-change/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T09:56:54.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-16.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **“Watch out for orange crabs, and jellyfish…they can give a sore sting,” warns Philip Price. “Pour hot water on it as quickly as you can.” It’s just after 9am on a dreich day in August and he’s in a boatshed on the shore of Loch Craignish, in Argyll.** Price – who describes himself as a ’seawilder’ – is giving a safety talk to a team of volunteers about to snorkel in the loch and harvest seagrass underwater. “Use this barrier cream for protection,” he adds, referring to the perils of jellyfish while holding up a plastic bottle. ”Put it on your face, hands and lips.” The six volunteers, who hail from as far afield as Cambridge, London and Sardinia, listen intently and all heed Price’s advice. They have donned wetsuits and after the protective cream is applied, face masks and flippers are adjusted as the team prepares for the cold water plunge. The temperature of the loch, Price says, will be less than 15 degrees but he stresses that no-one is expected to stay in the water if they get too cold. For four years now, Loch Craignish – which lies between Oban and the Crinan Canal, and opens to the Isle of Jura sound – has been home to a seagrass meadow restoration project hailed as a pioneering way to help mitigate the climate crisis. ![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-5.png) Seagrass meadows are naturally occurring ecosystems of flowering plants in shallow waters. They are an essential species which retain carbon while providing a habitat and spawning ground for fish and other marine life. The meadows have been dubbed “the lungs of the ocean” and some are capable of absorbing carbon dioxide [35 times faster](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zfxqjsg?ref=theferret.scot#zbst6g8) than tropical rainforests.​ They also improve water quality, reduce contamination in seafood, and offer protection from flooding and storms. Seagrass meadows have been declining globally since the 1930s, however, with ​estimates that seven per cent are being lost each year. The UK’s meadows have shrunk [by up to 92 per cent](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230725-seawilding-the-scottish-community-reviving-a-loch?ref=theferret.scot), with roughly half this loss occurring in the past 90 years. Pollution from agricultural runoff and destructive coastal development are to blame, as well as destructive fishing and dredging which damages seagrass meadows directly. Extreme weather, rising temperatures and the acidification of the ocean, caused by carbon dioxide emissions, also endanger these habitats. Now, in the fight against climate change, restoring seagrass is viewed as increasingly important for carbon storage globally. Seagrass is part of a [UN project called Decade on Ecosystem Restoration](https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/stories/world-seagrass-day-what-it-all-about?ref=theferret.scot) while £2m has been allocated to restore meadows in Scottish waters​. This initiative​ – a public/private ​project – will see at least 14 hectares of seagrass planted over the next few years, to add to projects already underway, including Loch Craignish, where Price and colleagues at a charity called Seawilding have been at the vanguard of trialling restoration methods. ![seagrass climate change](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ardfernj45439-e1725462422210.jpg) “Seagrass was just this weed that grew in the sea for a long time then scientists realised what an incredible species it is – what it does for the ecosystem,” Price told The Ferret. “Seagrass was just this weed that grew in the sea for a long time then suddenly somebody looked at it and studied it for a bit,” Price tells The Ferret. “Then scientists realised what an incredible species seagrass is – what it does for the ecosystem.” “It’s probably taken a while for that science to infiltrate into the wider consciousness, and we’ve just hit the point where people say: ‘Wow! Seagrass is incredible, it does this, this, this, and this. Oh no! We haven’t got very much of it left – and we used to have loads’.” Price says we should think about restoration as like planting woodlands – you start by planting a few small saplings and, after several years, there will hopefully be a large forest. But what evidence is there that restoring seagrass meadows is viable over the long term for carbon storage? How effective have Scottish trials been so far? What challenges exist, and can Scotland learn from international projects? As part of The Ferret’s solutions journalism project, Fixing Scotland, in collaboration with the Sunday National, we wanted to look in-depth at both its potential and limitations for addressing climate change locally and improving our waters. Due to climate change, Scottish winters were nine per cent wetter [between 2010 and 2019](https://www.theferret.scot/how-is-climate-change-impacting-scotland/) than they were between 1961 and 1990\. With winters getting warmer, there is projected to be less snowfall in future, and summers are expected to become drier as well as hotter in future. Scotland aims to reach net zero by 2045 and carbon storage is a vital part of the plan. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ardfernj45457.jpg) Volunteer Viola Madau seagrass seed harvesting in Loch Craignish, Ardfern. Loch Craignish has been an experimental site since 2021 when [Seawilding was formed](https://www.seawilding.org/?ref=theferret.scot), the UK’s first community-led native oyster and seagrass restoration project. It aims to restore lost biodiversity, sequester carbon, create green jobs and mentor other community groups to do the same. So far, 350,000 native oysters have been restored to Loch Craignish and 300,000 seagrass seeds have been planted, and Price and colleagues are trying to work out the best way to restore seagrass at the lowest possible cost, and at scale. Seawilding’s research has helped inform what it calls the “infant science of seagrass restoration” and its results have been shared with other projects worldwide, community groups in Scotland, as well as the Scottish Government. Loch Craignish currently has ten small seagrass meadows totalling approximately five hectares, but surveys suggest there are around 80 hectares of seabed ripe for restoration. It’s labour-intensive work and volunteers are welcomed by Seawilding to help. Depending on the tide today, we will be in the water harvesting seeds for around 30 minutes to an hour, chaperoned by Price and other Seawilding staff. The seeds are harvested underwater by hand, with seed pods carefully snapped off and bagged. They are stored, processed and later planted underwater. Like plants on land, seagrass starts growing in the spring, producing its seed in the summer. After watching a short film on seagrass harvesting, we navigate a slippery, stony shore to the lochside, ready to start snorkelling and gathering seeds. Masks are donned and heads are lowered into the water to practice breathing, and the group sets off. It’s a pleasant, meditative experience and any jellyfish that appear are easily swerved. No-one gets stung. Seawilding has made considerable progress since 2021 but there are challenges. Price stresses there needs to be a long-term commitment to seagrass restoration – instant success isn’t feasible. The charity’s germination success rate is between five and 10 per cent. That means from 100,000 seeds planted only 5,000 to 10,000 turn into plants. This rate is much higher than what occurs naturally though. “The actual germination rate of seeds in the wild is usually down at 0.1 per cent,” Price explains. “But before humans destroyed a lot of the seagrass, there would have been vast meadows with billions of seeds, so 0.1 per cent would be possibly another million plants in a meadow, so it worked really well at that level.” “With small transplantations we need it to be a lot better than that,” he adds. “All our efforts are channelled into how you get seagrass meadows to expand. “We’re trying all the different methodologies so we can say this is the one that is maybe going to work.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ardfernj45461.jpg) “It’s very important to have a diverse coastline because it offers so many other benefits, as well as carbon storage,” volunteer and marine consultant Jenny Black (pictured) told The Ferret. It’s a learning curve, a case of trial and error. One of today’s volunteers is Jenny Black, a marine consultant with an organisation based in Oban called SAMS-Enterprise. She’s involved in mapping coastal areas to try and work out the best places for seagrass restoration. “We’re helping Seawilding with some of the monitoring and analysis of soil,” Black says. “One thing which \[Seawilding is\] finding is that the microbiome of seagrass meadows is extremely important”. The microbiome is made up of “microscopic organisms in the soil, potentially key to the success of a restoration project because this helps the environment to grow,” she explains. “The soil health is very very important for restoration.” Black points out that seagrass species in Scotland are not as good at storing carbon as some others. “The Mediterranean species, [posidonia oceanica](https://www.nature.com/articles/srep12505?ref=theferret.scot), often skews the statistics around seagrass carbon storage potential, which includes some of the statistics that we see in news headlines — like [seagrass can store](https://www.projectseagrass.org/?ref=theferret.scot) 10 times the amount of carbon as a terrestrial forest can. This isn’t to say that the species we have around the UK — zostera marina and nanozostera noltei — don’t store carbon, it just doesn’t store as much as this species.” In terms of the health of our ecosystems, seagrass is extremely important, Black adds, as it creates habitat and ensures we have clean water. “I think that’s something that is sometimes overlooked when there’s a conversation about climate change,” she says. “It’s very important to have a diverse coastline because it offers so many other benefits, as well as carbon storage.” Seeds from one place can be moved to another location to aid restoration, Black points out. One example is a project in the Firth of Forth called [Restoration Forth](https://www.projectseagrass.org/restoration-forth/?ref=theferret.scot), launched in 2022, which is trying to regenerate seagrass meadows with 25,000 seeds harvested in Orkney. The meadows in Orkney and the Firth of Forth are genetically similar, researchers found, in contrast to seagrass from the west coast, which are quite different. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/restoration-forth-projectj45479.jpg) Lyle Boyle uses GPS to locate seagrass plugs for Restoration Forth. Lyle Boyle, a seagrass officer with [The Ecology Centre](https://www.theecologycentre.org/?ref=theferret.scot), is working on the multi-partner project. He says the Orkney seeds have produced encouraging results at two sites where there are existing seagrass meadows, Drumsands and Burntisland. “We’ve done a lot of investigating and trials but large-scale restoration hasn’t been pursued yet,” says Boyle. Germination rates were good at Drum Sands (10 to 12 per cent) and Burntisland (five to six per cent) but for another seagrass bed, at Belhaven Bay, were “inconclusive”. “It looks really promising but we had easterly storms last year which undid a lot of our good work on the seabed,” adds Boyle. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/restoration-forth-projectj45470.jpg) The Restoration Forth Project, is endeavouring to re-establish seagrass habitats within the Firth of Forth. Drumsands near Cramond. Adverse weather is just one challenge in Scotland. Another hurdle is how to scale up seagrass restoration and reduce costs because harvesting seeds and transplanting them by hand is a time-consuming process. InEdinburgh, Niall McGrath has a plan. He is the co-founder and CEO of green-tech firm, Robocean, and his aim is to build a subsea robot to place seagrass seeds on the seabed, faster and cheaper than currently available methods – a method he describes as a “minimum viable product for commercial markets” globally. McGrath, who studied mechanical engineering and renewable energy at the University of Edinburgh, says it can take 2,000 volunteers six months to plant just one hectare of seagrass – the equivalent of 1.5 football pitches – at a cost of between £200,000 and £500,000. “If we can have an autonomous system that can deliver multi-hectares of seagrass restoration in a single day then we can bring those costs down,” he says. “Also, the restoration process is slow to start up and you need a lot of resources. It’s very volunteer-driven in the UK and on the east coast of America, and the Mediterranean – that’s quite a common approach. “You need a large workforce to make it viable. Volunteers bring your costs down. You’ve got to have the resources to collect seeds at scale and store them, process them and plant them afterwards, which is a massive process. We want to deliver restoration for anyone, using the same processes anywhere in the world, and make it affordable and scaleable.” In June, McGrath attended an [international seagrass conference](https://www.isbw15.it/?ref=theferret.scot) in Naples, Italy. It was three times the size of previous events, he says, indicative of the increased global interest in seagrass restoration. Elsewhere, seagrass meadows have been planted at scale. In the US, researchers from the University of Virginia planted seeds from Chesapeake Bay into smaller bays. Some [72 million seeds](https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/virginia/stories-in-virginia/vcr-marine-restoration/?ref=theferret.scot) were used and nearly 10,000 acres of seagrass now sway underwater. With the seagrass restored, the marine ecosystem has flourished with anchovies, silversides, pinfish, and blue crabs all returning. In Scotland, there is now £2m of funding available to restore Scottish seagrass meadows. The project, [announced in March by NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/largest-ever-scottish-seagrass-planting-programme-launched-unique-partnership?ref=theferret.scot), is a partnership between the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Distribution. According to NatureScot, this “is the largest-ever single donation to marine enhancement in Scotland” and the fund will be open for applications later this year. The wildlife agency’s chief executive Francesca Osowska described it as a “unique project” and said: “Nature and climate are intrinsically linked; if one is suffering, the other will be as well. So we need to take care of our seas and our seagrass.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/niall-mcgrath-director-ceo-robocean-ltdj45401.jpg) Niall McGrath Director & CEO Robocean Ltd pictured at the Royal observatory, Edinburgh. Price cautions that funders shouldn’t expect instant success. He says restoration is a “difficult sell to a funder” as the pitch is “we’re probably going to fail for a couple of years but then we’ll succeed”. He adds: “If you look at any restoration project globally there are 10 years of things not quite working before it takes off and that’s one of the challenges we have as a charity. We’re talking five to 10-year timescales. You want to see success. But unfortunately for ecosystems, success takes a bit of a punt. We just need to have more time to see how these successes roll and scale up – and that’s a long-term process.” But Price is optimistic. He says Seawilding is doing a “really interesting experiment this year” by using plants from an existing meadow and transplanting some to its edges to make the meadow expand outwards. This worked “very well in Canada” he says. They are also trying different sediment types to see if that affects the viability of this technique. “So that’s been fantastic and it looks amazing at the moment. We just finished our trial and did about 10,000 plants. And it looks incredible so fingers crossed it survives the winter.” ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-7.jpg) ##### This project is was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Words: Billy Briggs* *Images: [Angela Catlin](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Claim Scottish child payment already lifted more than 100,000 kids out of poverty is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scottish-child-payment-poverty-is-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T09:56:55.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-16.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **The Scottish Government has announced its policy plans for 2024-25, with first minister John Swinney saying the eradication of child poverty was “first and foremost” in his government’s priorities.** In a post to its [official Facebook account](https://i.imgur.com/2YnCwdO.png?ref=theferret.scot) on 2 September, the SNP promoted the government’s [achievements](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2024/09/programme-government-2024-25-serving-scotland/documents/programme-government-2024-25-serving-scotland/programme-government-2024-25-serving-scotland/govscot%3Adocument/programme-government-2024-25-serving-scotland.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in reducing child poverty, including a claim about the impact of an existing policy, the Scottish child payment. > The SNP introduced the Scottish child payment – which has already lifted more than 100,000 kids out of poverty. CLAIM: “The SNP introduced the Scottish child payment – which has already lifted more than 100,000 kids out of poverty.” – SNP Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **False**. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-33.png) ### **Evidence** The [Scottish child payment](https://www.mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment?ref=theferret.scot) is a benefit paid by the Scottish Government to families with children under 16 who are receiving certain other benefits or payments. It was introduced in 2021 as part of the Scottish Government’s plans [to reduce child poverty](https://www.trusselltrust.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Impact-of-the-Scottish-Child-Payment-on-the-Need-for-Food-Banks-The-Trussell-Trust-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and has [been increased](https://www.gov.scot/policies/social-security/scottish-child-payment/?ref=theferret.scot) to [£26.70 per week](https://www.mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment?ref=theferret.scot) for every child in a qualifying household. The SNP’s claim that the policy had “already lifted” or “taken” more than 100,000 kids out of poverty has been made [several](https://x.com/theSNP/status/1830296936597098792?ref=theferret.scot) [times](https://i.imgur.com/2tgiQcS.png?ref=theferret.scot) [by](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-04-06-2024?meeting=15909&iob=135783&ref=theferret.scot#orscontributions%5FM3750E441P777C2595961) the [party](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2024-05-23b.1093.0&ref=theferret.scot#g1097.0) and its representatives on social media and in the UK parliament The figure of 100,000 children actually comes from modelling published by the Scottish Government in February. It looked at the potential impact of various government policies in reducing child poverty in the future, not the level of success the policies have already achieved. The [modelling report](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2024/02/child-poverty-cumulative-impact-assessment-update/documents/child-poverty-cumulative-impact-assessment-update/child-poverty-cumulative-impact-assessment-update/govscot%3Adocument/child-poverty-cumulative-impact-assessment-update.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) states “Scottish Government policies will keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty and 70,000 children out of absolute poverty in 2024-25, with the respective child poverty rates 10 percentage points and seven percentage points lower than they would have been without these policies.” Relative poverty is the most commonly used way to define poverty in the UK and refers to children in households who earn less than 60 per cent of the [middle](https://www.dictionary.com/e/average-vs-mean-vs-median-vs-mode/?ref=theferret.scot) income each year. A household is in absolute poverty when its income is below 60 per cent of the UK’s [middle](https://www.dictionary.com/e/average-vs-mean-vs-median-vs-mode/?ref=theferret.scot) income in 2010-11, adjusted for inflation. The prediction of 100,000 children being kept out of relative poverty refers to a [selection of policies](https://www.gov.scot/publications/child-poverty-cumulative-impact-assessment-update/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot), including the child payment alongside other changes such as an uplift in Universal Credit for families. The [modelling](https://www.gov.scot/publications/child-poverty-cumulative-impact-assessment-update/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot) compares the projected difference between all of these government policies being in place and a scenario where none of the changes were made. The report also states that the child payment alone was projected to impact the relative child poverty rate by six percentage points in 2024-25, which would keep an [estimated 60,000](https://www.gov.scot/publications/child-poverty-cumulative-impact-assessment-update/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot) out of relative poverty, not 100,000\. It goes on to say that the modelling in the report “particularly projections” of annual poverty rates should be treated with caution. In response to a request for evidence, the SNP told Ferret Fact Service the claim in the Facebook post was an error, and noted the modelling of 60,000 children projected to be kept out of poverty in 2024-25\. The SNP has now deleted the Facebook post and a similar recent X post but has [kept up a post](https://archive.is/cCxlc?ref=theferret.scot) making the same claim from August. The [latest statistics available](https://data.gov.scot/poverty/download.html?ref=theferret.scot) for child poverty in Scotland showed an estimated 24 per cent of children (240,000 children each year) were living in relative poverty between 2020 to 2023\. In the previous period covering 2019 to 2022, 250,000 children were in relative poverty. This is a decrease of approximately 10,000\. Relative child poverty rates have remained fairly stable since the SNP entered power in 2007. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** ![This claim is false](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_5false-6.png) The Scottish child payment has not “already lifted more than 100,000 kids out of poverty” as claimed by the SNP. The statistics relate to predictions of what could happen in 2024-25 due to a range of Scottish Government measures including the child payment. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: Scottish Government* ### ‘Indefensible’: firm linked to North Sea oil giant renews IDF contract URL: https://www.theferret.scot/firm-linked-north-sea-oil-giant-renews-idf-contract/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:33:28.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-17.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **An Israeli company with close financial links to a Scottish oil firm has renewed a contract to provide fuel to the IDF since the start of the war in Gaza.** Aberdeen-based Ithaca Energy was [handed](https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/nsta-north-sea-gas-licences/?ref=theferret.scot) oil exploration licences by the last UK Government and has a stake in [Rosebank](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/rosebank/), the biggest untapped oil field in the North Sea. Ithaca is majority-owned by Israeli conglomerate Delek Group and has [channelled](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/press-releases/full-year-2023-results?ref=theferret.scot) hundreds of millions of pounds to it in recent years. In April, The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/government-gave-oil-licences-to-idf-linked-firm/) that Delek also owns a stake in Delek Israel, a petrol station chain which held a multi-million-pound contract to provide refuelling services to Israeli military vehicles. Now it has [emerged](https://klassekampen.no/artikkel/2024-08-20/fyller-pa-tanken-til-netanyahu?ref=theferret.scot) that the contract has been renewed and increased in value by a further £130m in 2024, despite [widespread condemnation](https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15767.doc.htm?ref=theferret.scot) of the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza, which have [claimed](https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/15/middleeast/gaza-death-toll-40000-israel-war-intl/index.html?ref=theferret.scot) over 40,000 lives according to Palestinian officials. Campaigners have described the risk that profits from UK oil could flow to a company “linked to human rights violations against Palestinians” as “indefensible”. Amnesty International claimed granting oil licences to a company linked to “logistical support for war crimes in Gaza” violates the UK’s responsibilities under international law. Ithaca described Delek as a “shareholder” and emphasised it is a UK-listed company which “holds itself to the highest standards of UK corporate governance”. > The risk that some of the profits from this huge UK oil field may flow towards a company that is linked to human rights violations against Palestinians… is indefensible. > > Tessa Khan, Uplift In 2020, Delek Israel [won](https://www.israeldefense.co.il/node/43659?ref=theferret.scot) a tender from Israel’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) which allows IDF and MoD vehicles to refuel at its petrol stations. At the time of the tender, Delek Israel was fully owned by Delek Group. Delek now owns 25 per cent of Delek Israel shares. The refuelling contract was [initially](https://ir.delek-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Delek-Group-2020-Annual-Report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for three years from 2020 to 2023 but had an option to extend. According to an Israeli [budget document](https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/reports/budget-execution-reports-2023/he/files%5Fbudget-execution-reports%5Fbudget-execution-reports-2023-file.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) that option has been taken up, with the order increased by £130m in 2024. The findings come as Norwegian activists and politicians are stepping up pressure on the country’s government-owned energy company, Equinor, to end its partnership with Ithaca on the controversial Rosebank development off Shetland. Rosebank was [approved](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/news-publications/consent-granted-for-rosebank-project/?ref=theferret.scot) in September 2023 by the previous UK government despite fierce opposition from environmental groups. However, the new Labour government has said it will [not challenge](https://www.ft.com/content/3ea38cbc-62cb-41b6-8c8f-0489073d60f7?ref=theferret.scot) a legal bid by green campaigners to block drilling at the field. Ithaca [holds](https://www.equinor.com/energy/rosebank?ref=theferret.scot) a 20 per cent stake in Rosebank while Equinor owns 80 per cent. Equinor’s involvement with Ithaca has been [criticised](https://klassekampen.no/artikkel/2024-08-21/forventer-at-myrseth-rydder-opp?ref=theferret.scot) by members of left-wing and [green](https://www.stortinget.no/no/Saker-og-publikasjoner/Sporsmal/Skriftlige-sporsmal-og-svar/Skriftlig-sporsmal/?qid=99654&ref=theferret.scot) parties in Norway. Activists [argue](https://www.greenpeace.org/norway/vaer-med/sign-tell-equinor-to-end-the-partnership-with-ithaca-energy/?ref=theferret.scot) the partnership undermines Norway’s “strong and principled position” on issues relating to Israel and Palestine. Norway [recognised](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cl77drw22qjo?ref=theferret.scot) the state of Palestine in May this year and its prime minister has [said](https://www.politico.eu/article/norway-prime-minister-jonas-gahr-store-recognize-state-palestine/?ref=theferret.scot) there can be no peace in the Middle East without a two-state solution to the conflict. Norway’s massive [wealth fund](https://www.upstreamonline.com/politics/norway-wealth-fund-to-sell-stake-in-israeli-player-after-violations-of-ethical-norms-in-contested-territory/2-1-1573658?ref=theferret.scot) and [largest pension fund](https://www.klp.no/en/press-room/why-klp-is-excluding-16-companies-following-un-report?ref=theferret.scot) have also ruled out investing in Delek due to human rights concerns. Over 14,000 people in the Scandinavian country have signed a [petition](https://www.greenpeace.org/norway/vaer-med/sign-tell-equinor-to-end-the-partnership-with-ithaca-energy/?ref=theferret.scot) asking for Equinor to end the partnership to stop “profits flowing to a company that operates in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land”. As The Ferret first [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/cambo-owner-blacklist-business-west-bank/) in 2022, Delek has [repeatedly](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session31/database-hrc3136/23-06-30-Update-israeli-settlement-opt-database-hrc3136.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) been named on a UN blacklist of firms whose business activities in the West Bank “raise particular human rights concerns”. There are nearly 150 Israeli [settlements](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-69052857?ref=theferret.scot) in the West Bank. They are considered to be [illegal](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/icj-united-nations-israel-settlement-violate-international-law-rcna162667?ref=theferret.scot) under international law and are a [continual source](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/education/2024/03/understanding-the-long-roots-of-violence-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territories-and-israel/?ref=theferret.scot) of violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians. Violence in the West Bank has [inte](https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/july/escalating-violence-and-human-rights-violations-in-the-west-bank/?ref=theferret.scot)[n](https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/july/escalating-violence-and-human-rights-violations-in-the-west-bank/?ref=theferret.scot)[sified](https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/july/escalating-violence-and-human-rights-violations-in-the-west-bank/?ref=theferret.scot) since the escalation of the war in Gaza last year. That escalation came after Hamas [killed](https://www.ft.com/content/0230b1c0-9ee5-479c-836c-0becf8a17e15?ref=theferret.scot) 1,200 people – many Israeli civilians – in attacks on October 7\. Israel’s retaliation to that attack has [killed](https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/15/middleeast/gaza-death-toll-40000-israel-war-intl/index.html?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=More%20than%2040%2C000%20Palestinians%20have%20been%20killed%20in%20Gaza%20since,10%2Dmonth%2Dold%20conflict.) more than 40,000 people in Gaza. In May, the International Criminal Court [issued](https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-aa-khan-kc-applications-arrest-warrants-situation-state?ref=theferret.scot) arrest warrants for war crimes for both Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, and Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in relation to the conflict. The UK Government recently [suspended](https://www.ft.com/content/bac169fb-4d28-4729-85e8-a13a197b0368?ref=theferret.scot) a small number of arms export licences to Israel after a review found there was a risk of some items being used in serious violations of international law. Neil Cowan, the director of [Amnesty International Scotland](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/scotland?ref=theferret.scot), said no North Sea oil firm should have “business links” to Israeli settlements or firms providing “logistical support” for Israel’s war in Gaza. Cowan said: “It totally flies in the face of the UK’s international legal responsibilities for the UK to be granting concessions or contracting with any company that reportedly provides logistical support for war crimes in Gaza.” He added that if Delek had been “supplying services to Russian-occupied Crimea rather than illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territory” it would have been subject to sanctions. Tessa Khan, director of climate campaign group [Uplift](https://www.upliftuk.org/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed the Rosebank oil field should be stopped purely because of the “enormous harm it will inflict on our climate”. “But the risk that some of the profits from this huge UK oil field may flow towards a company that is linked to human rights violations against Palestinians, and which has a contract to provide fuel to the IDF, is indefensible,” she added. Meanwhile, Frode Pleym, the head of [Greenpeace in Norway](https://www.greenpeace.org/norway/?ref=theferret.scot), said it was “shameful” to see Equinor “pressing on with the Rosebank oil field knowing this will fuel the illegal and brutal occupation of Palestine”. The political opposition in the country was “demanding that the government intervene” to stop Equinor partnering with Ithaca on the field, he said. An Ithaca Energy spokesperson said: “Ithaca Energy is a listed UK plc that holds itself to the highest standards of UK corporate governance. Delek Group is a shareholder of Ithaca Energy.” Equinor said Ithaca was one of the UK’s largest “independent” oil and gas companies and its listing on the London Stock Exchange meant it had “obligations to comply with UK sanctions, rules and regulations”. The UK Government and Delek Group have been asked to comment. *Cover image thanks to iStock/Wirestock* ### Suicide and self harm causing deaths of young people in care URL: https://www.theferret.scot/suicide-self-harm-cause-death-young-people-care/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T09:57:57.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-18.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **At least 16 children and young people have died of suicide or drug overdoses while in the care system since 2021, the youngest of whom took their own life at just 11 years old, The Ferret has found.** Their deaths – which have prompted “outrage” – were among 38 of young people in care [reported](https://www.gov.scot/publications/death-looked-child/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot) to the Scottish Government by local authorities. The young people were aged between three months and 21 years old. They died between Jan 2021 and June 2024 while in foster placements, care homes, or government after-care programmes. Eleven took their own lives, the leading cause of death in this group. Others who died by suicide were teenagers, with one just 15\. Another six were under-18 at the time. There were five drug related deaths. One 16-year-old was murdered and one nine-year died following a tragic accident on a swing, according to information released to The Ferret under freedom of information law. The chair of Scotland [independent care review](https://www.carereview.scot/who-we-are/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Care%20Review%20team,the%20Care%20Review%20transition%20team.) claimed the preventable deaths of children and young people in care were “morally reprehensible” and [Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People](https://www.cypcs.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) has also raised concerns. Both said lessons must be learned from past tragedies. The Scottish Government said it was committed to keeping young people in care safe and claimed they were a focus of suicide prevention work. In 2012 an inquiry found that a care home failed to protect vulnerable teenagers [Niamh Lafferty and Georgia Rowe](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/may/01/erskine-bridge-suicides-care-home?ref=theferret.scot), who took their own lives by jumping into the River Clyde. Both girls had been placed in the [Good Shepherd Centre](https://gsc.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) for vulnerable young people in Bishopton, Renfrewshire after going through difficult life circumstances. > When that child or young person dies in Scotland’s ‘care system’, we should all be concerned. > > Fiona Duncan, The Promise Scotland In 2021,16-year-old [William Lindsay](https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/dani-garavelli-report-makes-clear-polmont-was-no-place-for-william-lindsay-1416723?ref=theferret.scot) took his own life in Polmont Young Offenders Institute, where he was placed on remand only because a place in a secure children’s home could not be found. Earlier this year a fatal accident inquiry found he had been taken off the prison’s suicide prevention programme just hours before he took his own life. Scotland has a [higher mortality rate](https://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/news/6331-reviewing-and-learning-from-the-deaths-of-children-and-young-people-in-scotland?ref=theferret.scot) for under 18s than any other western European country, with over 300 children and young people dying every year, around a quarter of which are judged to have been preventable. But research has shown that children and young people in state care are up to [five times more likely to die](https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2021/september/headline%5F811017%5Fen.html?ref=theferret.scot) than those who grow-up cared for by their families. According to [Care Inspectorate](https://www.careinspectorate.com/?ref=theferret.scot) reports 65 children and young people in care from April 2020 and March 2023\. No detail about ages or cause of death from this data is publicly available. Figures and details released to The Ferret, which were lower for comparable years, were provided to the Scottish Government by local authorities. In February 2020 the Scottish Government launched its flagship [“Promise”](https://thepromise.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) to children and young people in care, stating that they should grow up loved, safe, respected and able to meet their full potential. The government acknowledged that the current care system was not working and produced [recommendations for change](https://thepromise.scot/what-is-the-promise/independent-care-review?ref=theferret.scot). But concerns have been raised that progress on the promised reform is [not fast enough](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-promise/). Fiona Duncan, independent strategic advisor of The Promise Scotland – the Scottish Government funded organisation charged with overseeing reforms to the childcare system – said children’s lives depended on urgent changes being made. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-08-30-132510.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/questions-raised-2m-spent-quango-care-system-reform/) “When that child or young person dies in Scotland’s ‘care system’, we should all be concerned,” she said. “When their death could have been prevented, we should all be outraged at the morally reprehensible loss of a young life. This includes children and young people who took their own lives, or their deaths were related to drug use, who’ll never grow up to become adults. “Cherishing and loving every single child and young person, making sure they get the support they need, when they need it, is the straightforward answer to stop this from being part of Scotland’s story. “When talking about the death of children and young people, it can sound trite to say that there are lessons behind this data that must be learned,” added Duncan. “But they must be.” About 12,000 children and young people are [in care](https://www.gov.scot/publications/childrens-social-work-statistics-2022-23-looked-after-children/pages/looked-after-children/?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland and just over 4,000 in continuing care programmes which provide some support until 25. Children and young people may be taken into care because of abuse or neglect, due to disabilities needing special care, because they have been trafficked or are involved in the criminal justice system. Nicola Killean, [Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland](https://www.cypcs.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said the figures were deeply concerning, adding that “every loss of a child leaves a profound and lasting impact on family, friends, and all who care for them”. “We know that nothing can bring a child back to their loved ones. However, the Scottish Government has a duty to fully and properly investigate each child’s case which should be an essential part of addressing preventable deaths.” > The Scottish Government has a duty to fully and properly investigate each child’s case which should be an essential part of addressing preventable deaths. > > Nicola Killean, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland Kenny Murray, deputy chief executive of [Who Cares? Scotland](https://www.whocaresscotland.org/?ref=theferret.scot) claimed change had been promised “for too long”. “Every year brings more news like this,” he added. “Each of these people belong to a community, will have family and will carry their own story, which is too often cut short.” Since 2021, at the request of the Scottish Government, [Healthcare Improvement Scotland](https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) and [the Care Inspectorate](https://www.careinspectorate.com/?ref=theferret.scot) have been working together to review and monitor the deaths of children and young people in Scotland. In March this year it published its first [“National Hub data report”](https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/National-Hub-Data-Report-March-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) which summarises national child death data from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023\. It found that the highest categories of death were those of premature babies and the “sudden, unexpected and unexplained” deaths of children under one year old. [“](https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/National-Hub-Data-Report-March-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)Encouragingly, the death rate among older children and young people aged between 15-17 years has been falling over the past five years. However, it was a concern that suicide and self-harm was recorded as the leading cause of death,” they told The Ferret. Its [report](https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/National-Hub-Data-Report-March-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) recommends NHS boards, children’s services and other relevant national organisations “work together to identify any improvements” and prevent deaths. A Scottish Government spokesperson said it was “committed to Keeping The Promise, by ensuring that all care experienced children and young people grow up safe, loved and respected”. They added: “Through our ongoing work on suicide prevention there is a concerted focus on understanding and meeting the needs of the care experienced community, who we know face higher risk of suicide, so we can build more effective suicide prevention responses.” *If you need help or support contact The Samaritans for free on 116 123 or go to: [www.samaritans.org/](https://www.samaritans.org/?ref=theferret.scot)* #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: Farknot\_Architect/iStock* ### Care home moved to spare view from billionaire’s hotel URL: https://www.theferret.scot/care-home-moved-to-spare-view-billionaires-hotel/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:06:25.000Z **Plans for a vital new care home on the north coast were changed after Scotland’s richest man complained it would ruin the view from his luxury hotel.** Anders Povlsen’s company Wildland Limited [argued](https://www.highland.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/82155/64%5Fwildland%5Flimited%5F2206112ful?ref=theferret.scot) that building a care home next to its “boutique” [Lundies House](https://lundies.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) hotel in the village of Tongue would harm “panoramic” views guests enjoy of nearby beauty spots. The firm has since struck a deal with Highland Council and the local NHS to pay for the building of a larger care ‘hub’ on a different plot it owns in the village. Wildland would own this new facility and [lease it back](https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/14070/new%5Fcare%5Ffacility%5Ffor%5Fthe%5Fnorth%5Fcoast%5Fagreed?ref=theferret.scot) to the council and health service to run it. A key part of the deal is that Wildland will take ownership of the original site next to Lundies House from the council, a move that has been [criticised](https://www.northern-times.co.uk/news/tongue-community-council-warned-that-land-sale-opposition-co-299263/?ref=theferret.scot) by Tongue locals who [fear](https://archive.ph/sJGdU?ref=theferret.scot) they will lose access to an important piece of public green space in the village. The project on Wildland’s site was [given](https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/green-light-for-ps10m-social-care-hub-in-tongue?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=In%20a%20meeting%20of%20the,The%20committee%20approved%20the%20application.) planning permission in 2023 and has been hailed as “transformational” for the area by the council. But a former leader of Highland Council told The Ferret it could be seen as the latest in a long line of examples of “very rich people buying up land to impose their own vision on a place”. One land campaigner argued the development of Scotland’s communities “should not be reliant on the benevolence of individual landowners” and warned that deals like this could be used to consolidate landowner power and help them amass more land. > The development of Scotland’s communities should not be reliant on the benevolence of individual landowners, this is not sustainable or equitable. > > Josh Doble, Community Land Scotland Danish tycoon Povlsen, who made his fortune as the boss of clothes retailer Bestseller, was [ranked](https://news.stv.tv/scotland/rich-list-2024-who-are-the-richest-people-in-scotland?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Finance-,Scotland's%20wealthiest%20people%20have%20been%20revealed%2C%20according%20to%20the%20latest,richest%20person%20in%20the%20country.) as Scotland’s richest man in 2024 with a net worth of £6.3bn. He is also Scotland’s [largest private landowner](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17589266.anders-povlsen-scotlands-biggest-landowner/?ref=theferret.scot), with over 220,000 acres across 13 estates. Wildland was set up in 2007 to manage Povlsen’s Scottish estates and has been praised by some environmentalists for the rewilding activities it undertakes on its land. The company [says](https://wildland.scot/mission-and-vision?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Wildland%20is%20an%20organisation%20dedicated,rehabilitation%20in%20the%20Scottish%20Highlands.) it has a 200-year vision of “ecological rehabilitation in the Scottish Highlands” and wants to make an “active and meaningful contribution to the rebirth of Scotland’s living landscapes”. Povlsen’s involvement in major projects on the north coast, where Wildland [owns](https://wildland.scot/wildland-sutherland?ref=theferret.scot) large tracts of land, has [led to controversy](https://www.northern-times.co.uk/news/povlsen-accused-of-hypocrisy-over-shetland-spaceport-investment-220277/?ref=theferret.scot) In 2021, the magnate was branded “manipulative” and “undemocratic” after The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/landowner-lobbied-minister-on-spaceport/) he had lobbied against a spaceport in Sutherland which [is viewed](https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/promise-of-250-highland-jobs-as-first-turf-cut-at-sutherland-312622/?ref=theferret.scot) as an important employment opportunity in the area. The care home project in Tongue has been in the works for a number of years and will replace an ageing residential care home in nearby Melvich and another in Talmine which [closed](https://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/news/2023/04/update-on-caladh-sona-care-home/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2023\. Both had been at threat of closure as far back as 2008. Wildland became involved after it was proposed that the new facility be built on land owned by the council in front of Lundies House. That site was chosen partly because it is close to the existing GP surgery in the village which would help “consolidate” health and care services. According to [planning documents](https://www.highland.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/82155/64%5Fwildland%5Flimited%5F2206112ful?ref=theferret.scot) Wildland raised “significant concerns” that guests at Lundies would have been able to see the back of the care facility and its car park. This would “diminish” the setting of the hotel and the “panoramic view to Castle Varrich and the Kyle of Tongue from the principal rooms”, the firm argued. [Revealed: how landowner lobbied minister on spaceportScotland’s biggest private landowner has been attacked as “manipulative” and “undemocratic” after The Ferret revealed that his company secretly lobbied the Scottish Government to stymie plans for a spaceport in Sutherland. A letter released under freedom of information law shows that Wildland Limited — which runs three large estates across![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-39.png)The FerretKarin Goodwin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/iStock-946348240.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/landowner-lobbied-minister-on-spaceport/) B-listed Lundies House was [formerly](https://www.remodelista.com/posts/lundies-house-scandi-scot-guesthouse-wildland-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) a church manse before it was restored by Wildland and lies on the route of the North Coast 500\. A one-night stay for two can cost up to £650 and the hotel’s [website](https://lundies.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) describes it as a “place to feel the rhythms of nature and find a deep connection with a raw and unspoilt landscape”. A deal was struck between the council, NHS and Wildland to build a larger facility on another site owned by Wildland in Tongue. This “enhanced” care “hub” will also include a new GP surgery on site. Planning permission was [granted](https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/green-light-for-ps10m-social-care-hub-in-tongue?ref=theferret.scot) for the redesigned project in 2023\. That was despite an objection from Highland Council’s historic environment team who warned that the “incongruous nature of the design and siting” could itself impact views of the category A-listed St Andrews church in the village, which it described as a heritage asset of “national significance”. In 2021, Highland Council announced it would provide £5m of the total £10.5m budget for Wildland’s project. But the local authority told The Ferret it will now “carry no capital implications” for the council. The facility will be owned by Wildland and [leased back](https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/14070/new%5Fcare%5Ffacility%5Ffor%5Fthe%5Fnorth%5Fcoast%5Fagreed?ref=theferret.scot) to the council to run the care home and the NHS to run the GP surgery. A controversial aspect of the deal between the council and Wildland has been the future of the land in front of Lundies House which was initially earmarked for the care home. A “[key basis](https://archive.ph/SfEGF?ref=theferret.scot)” of the deal was that ownership of this passed from the council to the firm once construction of the new hub was complete. Locals have expressed [concern](https://archive.ph/sJGdU?ref=theferret.scot) that the community will have no green space of its own in Tongue, and would have to go “cap in hand” to Wildland if it wanted to host future events on the site. Josh Doble, policy manager at the land reform campaign group [Community Land Scotland](https://www.communitylandscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), said the group had concerns about Wildland’s activities in Tongue. He told The Ferret they should be a “wake up call” to policymakers on how “power operates in communities dominated by wealthy, monopoly landowners”. Doble said that while landowners stepping in to provide essential infrastructure could help secure “much needed services” for communities, it could also lead to “consolidation of their power” and help them “amass further land and assets” such as the land near Lundies House. “The development of Scotland’s communities should not be reliant on the benevolence of individual landowners, this is not sustainable or equitable,” he concluded. Doble’s view was echoed by [Peter Peacock](https://www.landrightsnow.org/about/advisory-board/peter-peacock-2/?ref=theferret.scot), the former leader of Highland Council. > There are not many landowners in Scotland who would be prepared to work with a local authority to find a solution. > > Nick Kempe, land expert and author of the popular Parkswatch blog Peacock, who has also worked with Community Land Scotland in the past, told The Ferret the Highlands has “had generation after generation of very rich people buying up land to impose their own vision on a place”. Peacock added: “I’m sure Highland Council will have taken a pragmatic view of the circumstances that presented themselves and the villagers in Tongue and surrounding settlements will welcome new facilities. But in all circumstances it seems to me infinitely preferable that local people make choices for their communities unfettered by the influence of ‘big money’.” Nick Kempe, land expert and author of the popular [Parkswatch](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) blog, argued Povlsen’s involvement with the Tongue care home was a “complex” issue. Kempe noted: “There are not many landowners in Scotland who would be prepared to work with a local authority to find a solution.” However he did express serious concerns about a “lack of transparency” on the financial aspects of the deal and said whether it was in the public interest would depend on the terms of the lease agreed with Wildland. NHS Highland and Highland Council issued a joint statement to The Ferret which confirmed the council was no longer providing any funding towards the project and would pay rent to Wildland. Neither body responded to questions about why the deal included the transfer of the land next to Lundies House to Wildland or how much it would pay Wildland in rent for the facility. Wildland was asked to comment but did not respond. Its chief executive, Tim Kirkwood, [said](https://wildland.scot/journal/capital-funding-agreed-tongue-care-home?ref=theferret.scot) in 2021: “We have worked positively with both NHS Highland and Highland Council to bring forward a proposal for a care home that everyone can be proud of. “We look forward to playing our part in realising the healthcare hub ambition as soon as possible, our aim is to make it the best it can possibly be”. *Main image: Ridofranz/iStock* ### From Moscow to Glasgow: Twenty years of tracking far right hate URL: https://www.theferret.scot/twenty-years-of-tracking-far-right-hate/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T16:36:52.000Z **It was 2009 when I met the far right activist Tommy Robinson. After several weeks of negotiations, Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had agreed to meet with his English Defence League (EDL) acolytes and the rendezvous was a derelict building near Luton town centre.** Eleven men turned up. All wore balaclavas to conceal their identities, although Robinson removed his outside later. Most sported black EDL hoodies with ‘Luton Division’ written on the back and they’d made placards bearing slogans such as ‘Ban the Burka!’ and ‘No more Sharia law!’. Robinson did most of the talking. He explained that the spark for him to help start the EDL had been the sight of Muslims demonstrating when soldiers paraded through Luton on their regiment’s return from Afghanistan in May that year. “We have nothing against Muslims, only those who preach hatred,” said Robinson. “They are traitors who should be hanged and we’ll keep taking to the streets until the government kicks them out.” The rise of the EDL had been rapid that summer and protests quickly spread from Luton. In a matter of weeks, the group had organised nearly 20 rallies in cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Swansea – and Glasgow. Dozens of EDL divisions – mostly football hooligan firms – had been set up and the EDL was becoming efficient and, worryingly, a potential catch-all for far right organisations in Britain. Former British National Party member Robinson claimed the EDL was a peaceful, non-racist organisation but [violence had erupted](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/arrests-at-english-defence-league-edl-demonstrations--2?ref=theferret.scot) at some of its demonstrations. Dozens of EDL supporters had been arrested and an array of weapons had been seized, including knuckle dusters, a hammer, a chisel and a bottle of bleach. Muslims were targeted in unprovoked attacks in 2009\. In [one incident,](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/nov/09/racist-attacks-students-city-university?ref=theferret.scot) a mob of 30 people surrounded Asian students near City University in central London and attacked them with metal poles, bricks and sticks while shouting racist abuse. Three people were stabbed. I witnessed violence firsthand. Following the Luton meeting we were allowed to join the EDL at a protest in Manchester where [48 people were arrested](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8301317.stm?ref=theferret.scot) during the disorder. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/edlj45485.jpg) English Defence League. En route to Manchester for protest march. Image: Angela Catlin Next weekend the far right will likely be in Glasgow once again. Although the EDL is defunct now, a “Pro-UK” rally (advertised as a peaceful protest) is due to take place, an event promoted by Robinson in the wake of recent riots in England and Northern Ireland. It is likely to be the first significant anti-immigration gathering in Scotland since events down south descended into violent scenes – protests fuelled by false information over the person accused of the murder of three young girls in Southport. As crowds rampaged through towns and cities in recent weeks they chanted [Tommy Robinson’s name](https://news.sky.com/video/pro-tommy-robinson-and-nazi-scum-chants-heard-in-blackpool-protests-13190132?ref=theferret.scot) and “Who the fuck is Allah”. These are tense times in the UK and the sight of howling mobs attacking mosques and trying to burn down hotels housing asylum seekers prompted me to reflect on decades of investigating the far right. How did we get here? It is often said that Scotland is inherently more welcoming to migrants than England. But is this really true, or does Scotland too have a far right problem? My interest in far right extremism dates back decades. In 2004, I visited Russia to investigate a spate of neo-Nazi murders. A new wave of [nationalism](https://www.icct.nl/sites/default/files/2024-04/Russia%20and%20the%20Far-Right%20Insights%20from%20Ten%20European%20Countries%20-%20A4%20e-book%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was sweeping through Russian society as living standards fell after the collapse of the USSR in 1991\. Democratic reforms were failing and it appeared that latent xenophobia was developing into a more radical, sinister form with young people coming under the sway of neo-Nazi ideology, largely as a response to terrorism and immigration from the former Soviet republics. I went to Moscow with photographer Angela Catlin and interviewed victims of racist attacks, far right politicians, human rights groups, unions, and academics, among others. The violence was chilling. The Moscow-based newspaper [Izvestia](https://iz-ru.translate.goog/?%5Fx%5Ftr%5Fsl=ru&%5Fx%5Ftr%5Ftl=en&%5Fx%5Ftr%5Fhl=en&%5Fx%5Ftr%5Fpto=sc&ref=theferret.scot) said neo-Nazis had assaulted 15,000 people in the seven years before 2004, and the [Moscow Bureau of Human Rights](https://www.developmentaid.org/organizations/view/408573/moscow-bureau-for-human-rights?ref=theferret.scot) estimated that up to 30 people a year had been killed. During an attack in 2002, a group of 25 people murdered [Mamed Mamedov](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12410272.the-iron-fist-of-hate-an-insidious-new-breed-of-nazism-is-sweeping-across-russia-uniting-violent-bovver-boys-and-the-establishment-and-its-cost-is-written-in-blood/?ref=theferret.scot), a 53-year-old Azerbaijani fruit-seller and father of eight, beating him and stabbing him to death with metal bars at his stall in the Primorsky district in the east of Russia. They even filmed the murder. We also interviewed neo-Nazis. They included a skinhead bodybuilder called Maxim Martsinkevich who used the pseudonym “Tesak” – which translates as “big knife”. Tesak was a leading member of neo-Nazi groups Russian Goal and Format 18 and while flashing a flick knife in a cafe he told us he wanted his country to be rid of “ni\*\*ers, Jews, and people from the Caucasus – any fucker who is not white and not Russian.” Most of all, Tesak wanted to kill Chechens, the vast majority of whom are Muslims. He said his girlfriend Natasha had been killed in a bomb attack in 1999 in Moscow, perpetrated by Chechen rebels. The bomb killed 105 people and injured 900 – and it led Tesak to join Russian Goal. “I watched the news on television. As soon as I heard Natasha was dead I got hold of the biggest fucking knife I could and went looking for Chechens,” said Tesak who claimed to have stabbed an Azerbaijani man “12 times in the ass” in a random attack. He later received three prison sentences for inciting racial hatred. In 2020 he was found dead in a prison cell. Russia was fascinating but disconcerting. The nation’s neo-Nazi problem felt remote in comparison to the UK’s far right back then – the likes of the British National Party and National Front – were on the dark fringes of society, largely rejected by most people and de-platformed by the mainstream media. They were still active and dangerous but they were outcasts. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/moscow-04-ac.jpg) Maxim Tesak with policeman friend on metro, Moscow. Image: Angela Catlin Five years after the Russian experience I visited Austria. The trip followed the 2008 general election when far right parties won [29 per cent of the vote](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/sep/30/austria?ref=theferret.scot). Drumming up hatred of foreigners and campaigning against the “Islamisation” of Austria, the Freedom Party, along with another right wing party, Alliance for the Future, jointly secured a result viewed as a horrifying development by many people across Europe. Both parties ran xenophobic campaigns, particularly the Freedom Party who pledged to set up a ministry to deport foreigners and whose leader, Heinz Christian Strache, described women in Islamic dress as [“female ninjas”](https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2085728%5F2085727%5F2085702,00.html?ref=theferret.scot). More sinisterly, the FPO wanted to revoke the Verbotsgesetz, an Austrian law enacted in 1947 that bans the promotion of neo-Nazi ideology. Emboldened by this, right wing extremists were becoming more arrogant. Violent clashes had taken place on Austria’s streets between anti-fascists and neo-Nazis. Muslim graves were desecrated and left wing meetings and demonstrations had been targeted. Me and Angela documented fighting on campus at the University of Vienna between anti-fascists and nationalist students called Burschenschaften. The Freedom Party has long been accused of having links to neo-Nazis but it has always tried to distance itself from extremism. However, the party was co-founded by two former SS officers, Anton Reinthaller and Herbert Schweiger. Schweiger, now dead, was still politically active in 2008 when I met him at his Austrian home a few weeks before he was due in court after being charged with promoting neo-Nazi ideology for the fifth time. Still remarkably sharp-minded at 85 years old, Schweiger was a lieutenant in the Waffen SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, an elite unit originally formed before the second world war to act as the führer’s personal bodyguards. He was captured by the allies but escaped back to Austria and post-war he spent his time involved in far right politics. He considered himself an intellectual and claimed to have travelled widely in Austria and Germany to teach “the fundamentals of Nazism” to underground cells of hardcore neo-Nazis who, over the past three years, he added, had started to infiltrate political parties such as the FPO. He had stood trial in Austria for breaking the Verbotsgesetz law four times. He was found guilty twice and acquitted twice and it was apparent that little had changed in his mindset since his SS days. “The Jew on Wall Street is responsible for the world’s current economic crisis,” he told me. “It is the same now as in 1929 when 90 per cent of money was in the hands of the Jew. Hitler had the right solutions then.” Schweiger also talked about training a terrorist movement fighting for the reunification of Austria and [South Tyrol ](https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20633126?ref=theferret.scot)in 1961\. He was arrested again after my report was published but died before standing trial. > It is often said that Scotland is inherently more welcoming to migrants than England. But is this really true, or does Scotland too have a far right problem? As Austria’s recession deepened in 2009 there was growing concern over where the country could be heading. The Freedom Party has since been in a [coalition government](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/15/austria-shifts-to-the-right-as-new-coalition-deal-is-struck?ref=theferret.scot) and it currently polls at around 30 per cent. The far right feeds off economic downturns and Greece is a prime example of how ultra-nationalist groups can quickly build public support in hard times. Five years ago I went to Athens to cover the trial of [Golden Dawn](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/golden-dawn/), a neo-fascist political party facing charges of acting like the mafia. Golden Dawn first arrived on the scene in 1980\. Initially a fringe group of far right nationalists, it grew its support by exploiting people’s concerns over immigration and Islam after the Greek economy nosedived as a result of the 2009 economic crisis. By 2012, 18 members had been [elected as MPs](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/golden-dawn/), despite appalling levels of street violence by its supporters. Golden Dawn, the third largest in parliament, was behind hundreds of attacks on Muslims, Jews, immigrants, trade unionists, anarchists and political opponents. I interviewed farm workers on the outskirts of Athens who told of attacks carried out by far right groups. Hooded men armed with sticks would arrive in trucks and chase migrant workers across fields, several recalled. Those not quick enough suffered vicious beatings and dreadful injuries. By April 2015, 69 members of Golden Dawn – including its MPs – were on trial accused of orchestrating murder, arson, assault and weapons possession. They were all found guilty in October 2020 – a verdict met with jubilation internationally after judges ruled that Golden Dawn was a criminal organisation in disguise. But while Golden Dawn’s leaders remain in jail, the Greek far right hasn’t retreated. At the 2023 [general election](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/26/greek-voters-propel-new-far-right-spartans-group-into-parliament?ref=theferret.scot) three ultranationalist parties – Greek Solution, Spartans and Niki – garnered together [13 percent](https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240410-greek-solution-greece-far-right-gathers-steam-before-eu-elections?ref=theferret.scot) of the vote. Spartans is backed by Ilias Kasidiaris who is serving a 13-year jail sentence for membership of Golden Dawn. He was the right-hand man of the party’s self-styled “Führer”, Nikos Michaloliakos, and led the extremist party’s infamous hit squads and trained its members in martial arts. Kasidiaris regularly broadcasts from jail and attracts tens of thousands of views on his YouTube channel. A lesson from Greece: the far right reinvents itself. Scotland too has witnessed this. A case in point is Scottish Dawn – a neo-Nazi group that chose its moniker as a nod to Golden Dawn. Scottish Dawn emerged shortly after the proscription of fascist group National Action by the UK Government in 2016\. National Action had praised the man who murdered Labour MP Jo Cox in a street by shooting and stabbing her to death, and one of its members – Jack Renshaw – was later jailed for life for plotting to murder Rosie Cooper MP. Renshaw [visited Scotland in 2016](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-defence-league-facebook/) for a Scottish Defence League protest on the royal mile in Edinburgh. [Facebook bans Scots far right group linked to neo-Nazis and terrorismReporting by Billy Briggs, Joshua Martin and Liam Turbett A far right group with links to neo-Nazis, a convicted paedophile and a jailed bomb-maker has been banned from Facebook for hate speech, The Ferret can reveal. The Scottish Defence League opposes Islam and refugees and is an offshoot of the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-83.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/SDL-protest-thanks-to-Liam-Turbett.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-defence-league-facebook/) By that time I was trying to infiltrate National Action for The Ferret, prompted by its decision to set-up a “whites-only” food bank in Glasgow. But after the group was banned in December 2016 the contact stopped. A few months later attention turned to a new outfit that had emerged called Scottish Dawn, whose activists started turning up at anti-asylum seeker protests. I suspected neo-Nazis were involved with Scottish Dawn but had to prove it. In July 2017, my Ferret colleague Jamie Mann covertly filmed two recruiters admitting former National Action members were involved and two months later Scottish Dawn was proscribed. The then-home secretary Amber Rudd said: “National Action is a vile, racist, homophobic and antisemitic group, which glorifies violence and stirs up hatred while promoting their poisonous ideology – and I will not allow them to masquerade under different names.” At The Ferret we’ve documented that Scotland retains a far right problem. Other groups we’ve investigated include the Scottish Defence League, National Defence League, Generation Identity, System Resistance Network, New British Union, Patriotic Alternative, and Homeland, a blood and soil nationalist group which is now registered as a political party. Homeland, formed by activists who left Patriotic Alternative last year, says it rejects violence. Patriotic Alternative, which organised anti-asylum seeker protests in Erskine last year, has links to six people in prison for race hate or terror-related offences including supporters who travelled to Scotland for demos. In 2011 we revealed its supporters included neo-Nazis and former members of the British National Party and Scottish Defence League. They had posted racist and anti-Semitic comments and disturbing images in a private group on messaging app Telegram. Other Scots far right activists have posed with weapons, shared a bomb-making manual, quoted a mass murderer, and said members should kill “for the greater good”. Several people have been [jailed for terrorism offences](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/about-copfs/news/man-shared-instructions-on-building-3d-printed-firearms/?ref=theferret.scot). Connor Ward, from Banff, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018 after being found guilty of preparing to commit acts of terrorism. In 2021 a Fife man who hated Muslims and idolised right wing mass murderers was convicted of terrorism charges. Sam Imrie was arrested after he posted messages on social media saying he was planning to set fire to the Fife Islamic Centre. Last year James Farrell, from Glasgow, was sentenced to two years eight months imprisonment. The former security guard’s communications with neo-Nazi extremists were uncovered after an online chat group was infiltrated by an undercover counter-terrorism officer. Farrell shared a video with detailed instructions on how to construct a 3D-printed, homemade, automatic weapon. And this summer, right wing extremist Axl Scott was jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to terrorism charges. Police found he had documents on how to construct explosive devices. Next week the far right will gather in Glasgow for a protest. It is unlikely Tommy Robinson will attend – he now resides in Spain and a UK judge issued a warrant for his arrest in July. But the EDL founder – who has a history of violence and multiple criminal convictions – had posted about the “pro-UK” rally in George Square and wrote “the British are rising”. In response, Glasgow City Council [leader Susan Aitken said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c06k0m52p24o?ref=theferret.scot) he is “not welcome in Glasgow and neither is anyone who chooses to align with his poisonous rhetoric.” Whatever comes next we’ll continue to document. ### What has The Ferret been up to in August? Championing independent media, and fishy business URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-has-the-ferret-been-up-to-in-august/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T09:58:02.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-19.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) Something fishy is happening in Edinburgh — and it’s not what you might think! Our environmental reporter and co-founder, Rob Edwards, will be speaking on a panel as part of [Something Fishy](https://www.takeoneaction.org.uk/film/until-the-end-of-the-world/?ref=theferret.scot), an event hosted by Take One Action. The event will feature a screening of *Until the End of the World*, a documentary by Francesco De Augustinis, who has [contributed to The Ferret](https://theferret.scot/writer/francesco-de-augustinis/?ref=theferret.scot) in the past. This film dives deep into the global fish farming industry, revealing how local communities around the world are fighting against the expansion of fish farms, which stand accused of polluting pristine waters, grabbing natural resources, and even fostering hunger and food insecurity. [Book your tickets here.](https://www.takeoneaction.org.uk/film/until-the-end-of-the-world/?ref=theferret.scot) Our team has been busy with more than just fishy business this month, however. Read on to find out how our journalism continues to make waves across Scotland and beyond. ### **Championing independent media** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-1-jpeg.jpg) Our co-editor, Karin Goodwin, recently appeared on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show to discuss the importance of The Ferret’s media co-op model. She shared insights into how our community newsroom, launched with Greater Govanhill magazine, is transforming local journalism and why independent media deserves your support. [Tune in from the 40-minute mark to catch her thoughts.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002244d?ref=theferret.scot) > People want good news. They want to have in-depth, proper constructive journalism – and that’s what we are providing. > > Karin Goodwin, co-editor of The Ferret Building on our commitment to independent journalism, co-editor Billy Briggs recently shared The Ferret’s approach with an international audience. In [an interview](https://www.svdj.nl/nieuws/groeten-uit-schotland-waar-de-journalisten-van-the-ferret-samenwerken-met-hun-lezers/?ref=theferret.scot) with Stimuleringsfonds voor de Journalistiek, a Dutch journalism fund, he discussed how we foster engagement with our audience and members. Billy highlighted our unique governance structure, which includes a board composed of both journalists and reader directors, and emphasised the crucial role of our community newsroom. ### **Our stories made some noise** A [recent Guardian article](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/23/stand-up-to-racism-plans-counter-protest-to-glasgow-anti-immigrant-rally?ref=theferret.scot) on a planned far-right rally in Glasgow referenced [our story](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-groups-riots-scotland-recruit-members/), which exposed how far-right groups in Scotland are using recent riots elsewhere in the UK to recruit new members. Meanwhile, this week we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-a-quarter-of-scots-mps-own-multiple-homes/) that more than one in four Scottish MPs own second homes or rake in tens of thousands of pounds in rent as landlords. Our investigation was covered in [The Times](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/a-quarter-of-scottish-mps-own-more-than-one-property-0rk20fg6s?ref=theferret.scot), [The Express](https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/castle-owning-snp-mp-chris-33553861?ref=theferret.scot) and [The National](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24547046.one-four-scottish-mps-second-homes---see/?ref=theferret.scot). ### **That’s all for this month!** If you have any questions about our work, or would like to help us shape our future investigations, you can get in touch with the team at contact@theferret.scot. As you know, here at The Ferret we pride ourselves in making good journalism that changes things. And you can help us do more of it. It’s easy: you can contribute by [becoming a member today](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) or [with a one-off donation](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot). If these options are not for you, you can always subscribe to our free newsletter to support our work. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: iStock/richard johnson* ### Far right figure who posed with weapons is Scots party activist URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-figure-weapons-scots-party-activist/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T09:58:06.000Z **A member of a white supremacist fight club who posed with weapons and performed the Nazi salute is an activist with a fringe political party whose leader has spoken at Scottish independence rallies, The Ferret can reveal.** Stirling-based Shaun Caldwell, also known as Shaun McAlonan, was [pictured](https://x.com/VoteSovereignty/status/1808947611732410493/photo/1?ref=theferret.scot) campaigning alongside the leader of Sovereignty, a small pro-independence, anti-European Union party, during the 2024 general election. In 2022, The Ferret [exposed](https://www.theferret.scot/supporters-of-scots-far-right-group-possess-weapons/) Caldwell’s racist, anti-semitic and anti-LGBT+ views, along with images of his weapons collection, which included a sword, a hunting knife, a club and a bow. The man also claimed to have a “militia” in the Forth Valley. Caldwell has past links to far right extremist groups, [including](https://hopenothate.org.uk/state-of-hate-2024-fight-clubs/?ref=theferret.scot) Patriotic Alternative. Earlier this year, research group Hope Not Hate [identified him](https://hopenothate.org.uk/state-of-hate-2024-fight-clubs/?ref=theferret.scot) as a member of Active Club Scotland (ACS). The white supremacist fight club has met in a Stirling gym to work out and used the recent riots in England and Northern Ireland to [try and recruit](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-groups-riots-scotland-recruit-members/) new members. But the far right activist campaigned for Sovereignty this year, plugs the party on his X account bio, and urges others to join. A Liberal Democrat MP condemned Caldwell’s “violent and intolerant behaviour” and “extremist” views. There is no suggestion that Sovereignty was aware of Caldwell’s history. The party said Caldwell regretted his involvement with Patriotic Alternative, denied having white supremacist beliefs, and said he was “a victim of slander”. Sovereignty is led by David McHutchon, who has been a speaker at multiple [All Under One Banner](https://www.facebook.com/AllUnderOneBanner/) (AUOB) pro-independence rallies alongside representatives from mainstream parties such as the SNP, including at the most recent march in Bannockburn in June. Later that month, he shared [a post](https://x.com/DavidMcHutchon/status/1817625391642677410?ref=theferret.scot) on X from Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a far right activist who uses the name Tommy Robinson. When approached by The Ferret, AOUB said it had not been aware of McHutchon’s “show of support for the far right”, adding that he would be barred from speaking at future events. It urged independence supporters to attend a rally in Glasgow on 7 September opposing a “pro-UK” demo promoted by Robinson and other figures on the far right. McHutchon stood by his post, which claimed Robinson was subjected to “psychological torture” by being kept in solitary confinement whilst [in jail](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-ross-kemp-prison-welcome-to-belmarsh-itv-a9277731.html?ref=theferret.scot). The party leader said he had defended the rights of prisoners, and shared examples of other posts he made in support of the welfare of inmates. #### **Sovereignty’s origins** Sovereignty was founded as Restore Scotland in 2020 on the 700th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath, in which Scottish nobles asked the Pope to acknowledge Scottish independence. The party [relaunched](https://www.thenational.scot/news/20040952.sovereignty-brexit-backing-yes-party-relaunches-election/?ref=theferret.scot) with a new name ahead of the 2022 Scottish council elections, in which it did not win any seats. McHutchon’s party “stands for the independence of Scotland from the UK and EU; the liberty of the individual; the value and the autonomy of the family; the sanctity of human life; and, the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland,” according to the Sovereignty website. Caldwell and McHutchon were pictured campaigning in July for the party’s Arbroath and Broughty Ferry general election candidate. #### **Caldwell’s far right background** In 2021, [we disclosed](https://www.theferret.scot/exposed-inside-far-right-patriotic-alternative/) that supporters of a far right group called Patriotic Alternative (PA) posted racist and anti-Semitic comments and disturbing images in a private chat group. Among them was Caldwell, who The Ferret identified as an army reserve applicant. In 2022, [we revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/supporters-of-scots-far-right-group-possess-weapons/) that Caldwell was among members of another far right chat group where users shared a bomb-making manual, quoted a mass murderer, and said members should kill “for the greater good”. He performed the Nazi salute whilst wearing military uniforms, said he was ready for “guerilla warfare” and claimed to have a Forth Valley “militia” consisting of “ex forces” men. He showcased a large knife he said was “for skinning game”, a sword, a bow and a club, which he said was for “when the riots come to Stirling and some commies (communists) are needing removed”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/photo_289-28-09-2020_19-29-17.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/photo_2020-07-31_20-01-18.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/photo_2020-12-11_13-35-57.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/photo_425-19-10-2020_13-07-39.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/photo_2020-12-01_21-45-29.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2022-05-05-at-12-59-38.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/c8bb7d0a-4f6b-43e1-a8a1-6bc2d38a1c60.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/e6ae2814-6d1e-45ce-b0f7-7c2e192aa123.jpg) The bow was the “next best thing to a gun”, said Caldwell, who shared an image of himself holding the weapon with the caption “oot hunting commies”. He told fellow chat group users he was “active” in the far right group, Patriotic Alternative Scotland. When approached by The Ferret at the time, Caldwell claimed he no longer had any involvement with the military. #### **‘Violent and intolerant behaviour’** Liberal Democrat Scottish affairs spokesperson [Christine Jardine MP](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4634/contact?ref=theferret.scot) said: “This kind of hateful and extremist content is appalling and should be condemned full stop. “It represents violent and intolerant behaviour that has absolutely no place in our politics or anywhere else in our society.” Scottish Conservative [MSP Murdo Fraser](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/murdo-fraser?ref=theferret.scot) said: “It is deeply concerning that an individual holding these extremist views has been campaigning in the region. “It is equally concerning that he has close connections to the leader of Sovereignty, who has participated in AUOB \[All Under One Banner\] events. “AUOB marches and rallies regularly feature speakers and participants from the SNP, up to senior levels. They need to consider very carefully the company they are keeping.” An All Under One Banner spokesperson said: “AUOB must clarify that we were unaware of McHutchon’s show of support for the far right, and now it has been brought to our attention we wish to confirm that he will not speak again at any future AUOB events. “We thank The Ferret for bringing this matter to our attention, and we urge independence supporters to unite against fascism and stand up to racism on Saturday 7 September in Glasgow’s George Square at 12 noon.” Sovereignty’s McHutchon said: “Sovereignty has received a comment from Shaun Caldwell in which he expresses regret over his previous association with Patriotic Alternative, repudiates the accusation that he holds white supremacist beliefs, and says he has been the victim of slander.” McHutchon also stood by his post in defence of the treatment of Tommy Robinson. “Solitary confinement has rightly been described as a form of psychological torture,” he said. “Except in the rare instance of an inmate who continuously resorts to violence, I find its use by the British state against prisoners to be abhorrent. “As a civil libertarian, I have consistently spoken out about the need for the avoidance of selective prosecution, and for the UK and its allies to respect prisoners’ rights”. McHutchon added: That the UK appears incapable of applying the law consistently and respecting detainees’ inherent human dignity only contributes to the case for Scottish independence.” Patriotic Alternative did not respond to a request to comment. ***Header images of Caldwell performing the Nazi salute and posing with a sword/club thanks to Hope Not Hate.*** ### Revealed: A quarter of Scots MPs own multiple homes URL: https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-a-quarter-of-scots-mps-own-multiple-homes/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:39:17.000Z **More than one in four Scottish MPs own second homes or rake in tens of thousands of pounds in rent as landlords, The Ferret has found.** Westminster’s newly published [register of interests](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/240804/240804.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) shows that 15 of Scotland’s 56 MPs said they own additional properties in towns and cities across the UK and abroad, with seven declaring that they receive rental income of more than £10,000 per year. They include ten Scottish Labour MPs, three Scottish Liberal Democrats, and two representing the SNP. Eleven of them are new MPs elected in July. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) Critics said Scotland’s landlord lobby “already has a disproportionately loud voice” which would be amplified by having landlords in parliament. One claimed the figures were a “damning indictment” of our political system and showed “how detached from the lived experience of their constituents many MPs are”. MPs have to [register](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmcode/1083/1083.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) any properties they own or co-own but do not live in. They must also say if these properties earn them more than £10,000 per year in rent. #### MPs with multiple homes Labour’s landlord MPs include [Imogen Walker](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5136/contact?ref=theferret.scot), the new member for Hamilton and Clyde Valley, who receives rental income from two properties in Edinburgh. Walker is married to [Morgan McSweeney](https://www.ft.com/content/9b8e07b2-ff88-4fc0-a82e-4ddc99623560?ref=theferret.scot) who was Labour’s campaign manager during the election and has been described as Keir Starmer’s [closest aide](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/16/morgan-mcsweeney-labour-election-guru-profile?ref=theferret.scot). The Scottish secretary and Labour’s longest-serving Scottish MP, [Ian Murray](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3966/contact?ref=theferret.scot), also rents out a property in the capital, which has brought in more than £10,000 per year since June 2024\. Murray [reportedly](https://archive.ph/ASp0y?ref=theferret.scot) advertises his flat in the affluent Bruntsfield area on Airbnb when he is working in London, although he describes the property as his home. Fellow Labour MP [Richard Baker](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5253/contact?ref=theferret.scot), who was elected in Glenrothes and Mid Fife in July, owns four properties. Baker clarified that he owns two rental properties – one in Edinburgh and one in Aberdeen, along with two other residential properties that are not rented out. The new Labour member for East Kilbride and Strathaven, [Joani Reid](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5079/contact?ref=theferret.scot), owns a property in London that is rented out. Reid is the granddaughter of the renowned Glasgow socialist, [Jimmy Reid](https://reidfoundation.scot/about-us/about-jimmy-reid/?ref=theferret.scot). Her office told The Ferret that Reid lived in the London property before she met her husband and moved back to Scotland. The property is currently rented to an Afghan refugee family through the [Refugee Council](https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). They claimed that although Reid brings in £10,000 from the property, she has never made a profit from it and is currently making a loss. Blair-era cabinet minister, [Douglas Alexander](https://members.parliament.uk/member/632/career?ref=theferret.scot), who returned to Westminster as an MP for the first time since 2015 is now minister of state for the department for business and trade. He co-owns a property in his East Lothian constituency with his wife and another in Argyll with a sibling. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/official_portrait_of_douglas_alexander_mp_crop_2_2024.jpg) Labour MP and minister Douglas Alexander co-owns properties in East Lothian and Argyll. Image: Laurie Noble. Licensed under the [Creative Commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative%5FCommons?ref=theferret.scot) [Attribution 3.0 Unported](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) license. Glasgow South West MP, [Zubir Ahmed](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5213/contact?ref=theferret.scot), owns a residential property in London while former journalist and now Western Isles MP, [Torcuil Crichton](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5246/contact?ref=theferret.scot), owns a flat in Glasgow. Crichton used to be the Westminster editor of the Glasgow-based Daily Record newspaper. Alexander, Ahmed and Crichton did not register any rental income from their properties. Three new Labour MPs – [Kenneth Stevenson](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5200/contact?ref=theferret.scot), [Kirsteen Sullivan](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5179/career?ref=theferret.scot) and [Alison Taylor](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5093/contact?ref=theferret.scot) – either own or co-own property in Spain. Airdrie and Shotts MP Stevenson also co-owns properties in Shotts and Glasgow with his wife, while Paisley and Renfrewshire North MP [Alison Taylor](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5093/contact?ref=theferret.scot) co-owns a cottage in Arran. Taylor also has shareholdings in property management companies including one valued at more than £70,000. Long-serving Lib Dem MP for Orkney and Shetland, [Alistair Carmichael](https://members.parliament.uk/member/1442/contact?ref=theferret.scot), owns a holiday rental on Islay, although he reports paying the income to his father. Fellow party member, [Angus MacDonald](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5362/contact?ref=theferret.scot) – who now represents Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire – owns commercial property in Stirling which he rents out. Their Lib Dem colleague [Jamie Stone](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4612/contact?ref=theferret.scot), the MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, rents out a property in Edinburgh. [Castle-dwelling](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/snp-mps-castle-shame-over-21257217?ref=theferret.scot) Dundee Central SNP MP, [Chris Law](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4403/contact?ref=theferret.scot), owns flats in both Dundee and Aberdeen, while the party’s Westminster leader, [Stephen Flynn](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4735/contact?ref=theferret.scot), co-owns an additional property in his home city of Aberdeen. ![Homes](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/inverquharity_castle.jpg) SNP MP Chris Law owns Inverquharity Castle in Angus. Image: [Stephencdickson](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Stephencdickson?ref=theferret.scot). [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0?ref=theferret.scot) #### Landlords’ voices ‘disproportionately’ loud The Scottish Greens’ co-leader [Patrick Harvie](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/patrick-harvie/), who served as tenants’ rights minister when his party was in government at Holyrood with the SNP, said more landlords in power was “the last thing” Scotland needed. He added: “Scotland is experiencing a housing emergency, and we need to ensure that we use every power we have to support households and families on the frontline of the crisis. That means putting the voices and experiences of tenants at the heart of the steps we are taking. “Scotland’s landlord lobby has enjoyed a disproportionately loud voice in our politics and the last thing we need is for that voice to be amplified in our political parties and in parliament.” Aditi Jehangir, chair of tenants’ union [Living Rent](https://www.livingrent.org/?ref=theferret.scot) said the makeup of MPs “highlights the up-hill battle tenants face in fighting for the change we need to our housing”, and “shows how detached from the lived experience of their constituents many MPs are”. “Right now, in Scotland and the UK, landlords are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds lobbying politicians to try and get the housing bill in Scotland and the [renters reform bill](https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/legislative-consent-memorandums/renters-reform-bill?ref=theferret.scot) watered down and key details gutted,” she claimed. “When landlords are MPs and MSPs, their work is made so much easier.” All the MPs named in this story were contacted for comment with some clarifying the details of their properties. Scottish Labour said that all declarations had been made in “accordance with parliamentary and [Electoral Commission](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) rules”. In total [across the UK](https://www.ft.com/content/6a317b97-8f76-46a1-af4a-ee48f5d32224?ref=theferret.scot), there are 85 landlord MPs, each earning over £10,000 from their properties and 158 members who own second homes or land. *Main image credit: Dazigster. Licensed under the* [*Creative Commons*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative%5FCommons?ref=theferret.scot)[*Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) *license.* ### Patriotic Alternative defends Scandinavian neo-Nazi group designated as terrorists URL: https://www.theferret.scot/patriotic-alternative-defends-neo-nazis-terrorists/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T10:59:14.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-20.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **A far right organisation that targets hotels housing asylum seekers in Scotland praised a murderous Scandinavian neo-Nazi group recently designated as terrorists by the US government.** The US imposed sanctions on the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) in June in a bid to combat violent white supremacy. NRM is the largest neo-Nazi group in Sweden and has branches in Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland, where it has been banned since 2020. The US State Department said NRM has carried out violent attacks against political opponents, protesters, journalists and others. The move by the US prompted the deputy leader of Patriotic Alternative, Laura Towler, to defend NRM on the messaging app Telegram. In a message seen by The Ferret she described the terrorist group as “measured, thoughtful, intelligent, committed and family-oriented”. In response, an anti-racism group claimed PA’s “friendly links with violent neo-Nazi organisations abroad show that fascist ideas remain crucial to their core project”. PA did not reply to our requests for a comment. > Fascist groups like Patriotic Alternative try to conceal their fascist ideology and present themselves as a legitimate part of the political spectrum. > > Talat Ahmed, SUTR Scotland Founded in 1997 in Sweden as the Swedish Resistance Movement, the group saw sister organisations spring up in other Nordic countries until they were united in 2016 under NMR. The group promotes Nazism and seeks a united “ethnic Nordic” nation. It has been involved in violence. In 2016, [a 28-year-old man died](https://www.reuters.com/article/world/finnish-neo-nazi-jailed-after-death-of-man-he-attacked-idUSKBN14J1N3/?ref=theferret.scot) after being assaulted by NRM members in Helsinki, Finland. Several members were convicted of [a series of bombings](https://www.timesofisrael.com/swedish-neo-nazis-jailed-over-bomb-attacks-on-refugee-shelters/?ref=theferret.scot) at refugee centres in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2016 and 2017. Finland’s supreme court banned the group in 2020. The [US State Department](https://www.state.gov/terrorist-designations-of-nordic-resistance-movement-and-three-leaders/?ref=theferret.scot) said in June it was “deeply concerned” about the worldwide threat from violent, racist extremists and that NRM was a “specially designated global terrorist”. A spokesperson said: “NRM members have also taken steps to collect and prepare weapons and explosive materials, including on behalf of the group and in furtherance of its goals. In addition, NRM has organised training in violent tactics, including hand-to-hand combat and knife fighting.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-08-23-171636.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/patriotic-alternative-assessed-uk-government-definition-extremism-neo-nazi-ideology/) Commenting at the time, PA’s Laura Towler – whose husband[ Sam Melia](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sam-melia/) is in prison for inciting racial hatred – wrote on Telegram: “Just woke up to the news that the US State Department have designated the Nordic Resistance Movement a terrorist organisation. “I have known of the\[sic\] NRM for about a decade. Every time I have engaged with their members, whether on social media, on a stream or in person, I have found them to be measured, thoughtful, intelligent, committed and family-oriented. They are disciplined like no other organisation I can think of.” Talat Ahmed, SUTR Scotland convenor and from the STUC [Black workers’ committee](https://www.stuc.org.uk/equalities-black-workers/?ref=theferret.scot), said that “fascist groups like Patriotic Alternative try to conceal their fascist ideology and present themselves as a legitimate part of the political spectrum”. She added: “This includes abhorrent antisemitism expressed in the so-called great replacement theory that says ‘Jewish global elites’ conspire to flood western countries with Muslim migrants, showing how intertwined Islamophobia and antisemitism is in their ideology.” Ahmed also said that groups like PA present a threat to “minorities, trade unionists, the left and basic democratic rights”, adding: “This is why we must deny them any space to organise in society and build a following using the racist climate created by mainstream politicians.” In July, Patriotic Alternative held a “national camp” in Derbyshire. “Nationalists attended from the top of Scotland to the south coast of England”, it claimed on Telegram. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Image: Members of the Nordic Resistance Movement demonstrate in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 30 September 2017\. Credit: Carl Ridderstråle* ### Danger of lead pollution after company wins court battle URL: https://www.theferret.scot/lead-pollution-company-court-battle/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T12:00:17.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-20.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Toxic lead pollution from a chipboard factory near Stirling could increase sharply after its operators won a five-year legal battle, the Scottish Government’s green watchdog has warned.** The Canadian forestry company, [West Fraser](https://uk.westfraser.com/?ref=theferret.scot), went to court to force the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) (Sepa) to allow a contaminated by-product to be burnt in an energy plant at Cowie in Stirlingshire. But Sepa has now [told The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/sepa-statement-on-cowie-site.pdf) that lead emissions from the plant could rise by 47 per cent as a result – and put public health and the environment at increased risk. The Cowie site is already by far the biggest lead polluter in Scotland, discharging over a tonne into the air in 2022. The risks are “profoundly disturbing” because lead in the environment is a “serious hazard for people and nature”, experts said. They questioned whether judges were better equipped to assess pollution risks than Sepa. [According to the Scottish Government](https://www.scottishairquality.scot/air-quality/pollutants?ref=theferret.scot#metals), small amounts of lead can be harmful, particularly to children. Exposure has been linked to brain damage, including impaired mental function, memory loss and motor performance. In July 2019, [Norbord](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norbord?ref=theferret.scot), the company which ran the Cowie site at the time, applied to Sepa to vary its pollution permit. It wanted to be able to burn a contaminated byproduct in an energy plant which provides heat for wood processing. Sepa refused permission for the change because of the additional pollution it would cause. In 2020 Norbord [appealed](https://www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk/CaseDetails.aspx?ID=121212&ref=theferret.scot) to Scottish ministers, who upheld Sepa’s decision. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-08-23-102110-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/pollution-rising-toxic-investigation/) In January 2021 Norbord was [bought](https://uk.westfraser.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/January-22-2021-WFT-and-Norbord-Joint-News-Release-regarding-Final-Order-and-Conditional-NYSE-Listing-Approval.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by West Fraser, which appealed to the sheriff court in Edinburgh in November 2021\. On 29 January 2024 the court ruled in the company’s favour, though the written decision has still to be published. Sepa considered appealing but decided not to, following legal advice. On 12 April 2024, it amended West Fraser’s permit to allow the byproduct, known as “crumb”, to be burnt at Cowie, and imposed a limit on lead emissions. Crumb is a woody residue from filters used to clean emissions from wood drying and board pressing processes. It is heavily contaminated and, according to Sepa, contains concentrations of heavy metals 109 times higher than fuels usually burnt in energy plants. “This results in a 47 per cent increase in emissions of lead compared to current emissions, leading Sepa to conclude that there is an overall adverse environmental or human health impact compared to the use of the currently permitted fuels,” said a [statement from Sepa](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/sepa-statement-on-cowie-site-1.pdf). The Cowie site has been by far the biggest lead polluter in Scotland, emitting more than 10 tonnes into the air since 2007\. According to Sepa’s [Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory](https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/SPRI/?ref=theferret.scot), emissions topped a tonne in 2022, more than twice as much as in 2018 and the highest since 2011. \[table id=478 /\] In 2022, Cowie was the only industrial site in Scotland listed on the pollutant inventory as a lead polluter. Emissions for 2023 are not yet available. [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) defended its actions, saying that all UK environment agencies adopted the same approach to assessing new emissions. “Our expert staff made the decision to refuse the requested variation after careful consideration of environmental legislation,” a spokesperson [said](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/sepa-statement-on-cowie-site.pdf). “This was done to protect the environment and local community from the significant increase in lead emissions.” The Sepa spokesperson added: “While we continue to believe our approach is correct, we have accepted the judgement and completed the variation to allow the burning of crumb as directed. “We have included further requirements in the permit to set an emission limit value for lead and monitoring and will enforce compliance against them.” ### Lead is ‘serious hazard’ Sepa’s stance was backed by the environmental campaigner and former Sepa board member, [Dr Richard Dixon](https://www.rdixon.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). “Lead in the environment is a serious hazard for people and nature,” he said. Dixon pointed out that [lead](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a814f14ed915d74e62318bb/lead%5Fgeneral%5Finformation.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) had long been banned in petrol and paint, and that lead shot and fishing weights were facing bans. “This decision is at odds with all these efforts to stop lead reaching the environment,” he argued. “It is the environment that could be the loser when you look at the bigger picture. Sepa has done its best to apply conditions which will reduce the amount of lead that is emitted into the air.” Professor [Andrew Watterson](https://www.stir.ac.uk/expert/name/andrew-watterson-584?ref=theferret.scot), an environmental health expert from the University of Stirling, described the prospect of increased lead pollution as “profoundly disturbing” because of the dangers to public health and the environment. “The circular economy was never designed to operate processes resulting in increased lead pollution under the guise of creating energy from waste, yet this seems to be what is happening,” he said. “Many will be worried to find judges are viewed as better equipped to assess potential environmental pollution risks from waste products than the Scottish environmental regulator.” The independent councillor who represents the village of Cowie, [Alasdair MacPherson](https://www.stirling.gov.uk/council-and-committees/politicians-and-elections/councillors/alasdair-macpherson/?ref=theferret.scot), highlighted the multiple risks posed by lead pollution, particularly to young children. There is a [primary school](https://sites.google.com/stirlingschools.net/stmargcowie/home?ref=theferret.scot) in the village. “It really concerns me that Sepa refused this to protect the local community from significant increase in lead emissions,” he said. “I will now need to speak to Stirling Council’s environmental health officials to see what they can do to monitor this activity going forward.” ### Firm ‘minimises’ environmental effects [West Fraser](https://uk.westfraser.com/?ref=theferret.scot) did not respond to requests to comment. “We know that our operations have the potential to impact upon the environment,” said its [website](https://uk.westfraser.com/responsibility/environment/?ref=theferret.scot). “Which is why we do our very best to negate or minimise these possible effects with our sustainable wood panels. We always work to ensure that we meet and, if possible, exceed environmental legislative criteria.” West Fraser added: “As one of the largest producers of panel products in the UK we feel it is our responsibility to be at the forefront of our industry with regards to relevant environmental challenges.” The company [pointed out](https://uk.westfraser.com/responsibility/environment/?ref=theferret.scot) that it was the largest generator of heat energy from renewable sources in the UK because of its investments in biomass technology. “Our biomass plant burns wood that would otherwise go to landfill,” it said. “The heat from this powers the production process. Our £2.5m investment in biomass at our Cowie site has saved 2,400 skips being sent to landfill.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-08-23-102254.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/wood-firm-investigated-toxic-pollution-lobbied-msps/) In 2022 The Ferret [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/pollution-rising-toxic-investigation/) increased emissions from the Cowie site of other toxins that can threaten health and wildlife. They included dioxins, which can cause cancer and damage the immune system, as well as arsenic, mercury, and formaldehyde. The site’s emissions of carbon dioxide, which causes climate change, also increased by 30 per cent between 2020 and 2021\. Emissions of the gas dropped back again by 12 per cent in 2022. Under Norbord, the Cowie site [was rated](https://www.theferret.scot/trump-polluters-poor-government-watchdog/) as “poor” for pollution by Sepa in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017\. The site was also [issued](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/norbord-given-final-warning-over-12760248?ref=theferret.scot) with a “final warning letter” following dust pollution incidents in 2018. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *The full statement on the Cowie site by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is [here](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/sepa-statement-on-cowie-site.pdf). Cover image thanks to iStock/[RMU-FOTO](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/Rmu-Foto?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot).* ### Fact check: Scottish drug deaths claims URL: https://www.theferret.scot/fact-check-scottish-drug-deaths-claims/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T12:00:18.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-21.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **The latest statistics on the number of drug deaths in Scotland were released this week, leading to significant media coverage and comment.** The figures [showed a 12 per cent](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland/2023?ref=theferret.scot) increase in deaths, with the Scottish Government calling the numbers “hugely concerning”. When the statistics were published, various claims were made on social media. Ferret Fact Service looked at four of them. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-34.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) #### “**Drug deaths in Scotland are not reported the same way as they are in England & Wales**. We record all deaths where drugs are involved as drug deaths even if the cause of death isn’t due to an overdose.” This [claim](https://x.com/rainie1410/status/1825814601881042967?ref=theferret.scot) is regularly made when Scottish drug death statistics are released, and Ferret Fact Service has written about [similar](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scots-drug-deaths-not-comparable-uk-europe/) claims [before](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scots-drug-deaths-not-comparable-uk-europe/). There are some [small differences](https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2023/08/22/what-actually-counts-as-a-drug-death/?ref=theferret.scot) between Scotland and the rest of the UK in reporting and categorising drug deaths, but the figures are directly comparable. Scotland’s drug death statistics [only count people](https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2023/08/22/what-actually-counts-as-a-drug-death/?ref=theferret.scot) who have died as a direct result of drug overdose and do not include those who die from other causes with drugs in their system, as several social [media posts](https://ez9mxwef6ut.exactdn.com/storage/2020/12/drug-deaths.jpg?strip=all&lossy=0&ssl=1&ref=theferret.scot) have claimed. The headline figure for Scottish drug deaths comes from a category known as “drug misuse deaths”. This includes deaths from so-called ‘controlled drugs’ listed in the [Misuse of Drugs Act 1971](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/38/contents?ref=theferret.scot). For accurate comparisons in the UK, a [slightly different figure](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/drug-related-deaths/23/drug-related-deaths-23-annex-G.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) is used by Scottish statisticians, from a broader category called ‘drug poisoning deaths’. Under this definition, drug deaths are included from substances which are not controlled, such as some pain medication available on prescription. According to [National Records of Scotland](https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2023/08/22/what-actually-counts-as-a-drug-death/?ref=theferret.scot), which collects and publishes the data, this wider definition is used because Scotland collects more information on the different drugs that are involved in drug deaths so its data is more accurate than the rest of the UK. In a [blog explaining](https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2023/08/22/what-actually-counts-as-a-drug-death/?ref=theferret.scot) the differences, NRS laid out some examples of what would or would not be included under each definition. If someone took an overdose of cocaine and this was found to have caused a deadly heart attack this would be counted under the drug misuse and drug poisoning categories. However, if someone’s long-term drug use led to a heart attack due to weakening of the heart, this would be in the drug poisoning death figures but not in the drug misuse statistics. This is because only deaths directly caused by drugs are included in misuse stats. If someone dies from a virus which they contracted through using a non-sterile needle to inject drugs, this would not be included in either category. Nor would the death of someone killed in a car crash while under the influence of drugs. On either measure, Scotland’s level of drug-related deaths is [far higher](https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2023/08/22/what-actually-counts-as-a-drug-death/?ref=theferret.scot) than the rest of the UK. ### **Verdict: Mostly False** ![This claim is Mostly False](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_4mostlyfalse-7.png) #### **“Nine years ago, with rates rising and records already mounting, Nicola Sturgeon slashed funding for drug and alcohol services**“ ‌The Scottish Government’s funding for drug and alcohol services has been criticised in the debate around the figures. It was claimed by the [Scottish Liberal Democrats](https://x.com/scotlibdems/status/1825826801379082698?ref=theferret.scot) that money was cut in [2015-16 during Nicola Sturgeon’s time as first minister](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14241634.health-boards-told-fill-15-million-cut-funding-drug-alcohol-care/?ref=theferret.scot). This is accurate. In [2016-17 the Scottish Government’s annual core funding](https://audit.scot/uploads/docs/report/2022/briefing%5F220308%5Fdrugs%5Falcohol.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for local services, known as [alcohol and drugs partnerships (ADPs)](https://www.gov.scot/publications/partnership-delivery-framework-reduce-use-harm-alcohol-drugs/?ref=theferret.scot), was reduced by more than 20 per cent in cash terms compared to the previous year, from £69.2m to £53.8m. ADPs funding began to [increase again](https://audit.scot/uploads/docs/report/2022/briefing%5F220308%5Fdrugs%5Falcohol.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from 2018-19 and stood at £76.9m in 2020-21\. In 2023-24, the total funding for alcohol and drug services was £113m. ### **Verdict: Mostly True** ![Mostly True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_2mostlytrue-4.png) #### “**Scotland really is the drug death capital of Europe**“ ‌When the statistics were published, it was [widely](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y5ll3ler7o?ref=theferret.scot) [reported](https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/neil-gray-left-speechless-train-33510669?ref=theferret.scot) that Scotland was the “drug death capital” of Europe, meaning it has the highest rate of drug deaths across the continent. Comparing [drug deaths across Europe is more difficult](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/drug-related-deaths/23/drug-related-deaths-23-annex-G.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), as there are [differences](https://www.euda.europa.eu/data/stats2019/methods/drd%5Fen?ref=theferret.scot) in the way countries categorise deaths and how regularly they publish data. NRS looks at Scotland’s rate of drug deaths and countries across Europe, using data from the [European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)](https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/institutions-and-bodies/search-all-eu-institutions-and-bodies/european-monitoring-centre-drugs-and-drug-addiction-emcdda%5Fen?ref=theferret.scot), but says such comparisons [should be made with caution](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/drug-related-deaths/23/drug-related-deaths-23-annex-G.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). It is [possible](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/drug-related-deaths/23/drug-related-deaths-23-annex-G.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) that better recording and identification of such deaths in the UK and Scotland might be a reason for the drug death rate appearing to be much higher in the UK than in some other countries. It is not possible to say with confidence that Scotland has a drug death rate ‘X’ times higher than the rest of Europe, or any specific country. However, the [NRS report](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/drug-related-deaths/23/drug-related-deaths-23-annex-G.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) states: “It appears certain that Scotland’s rate is well above the level of most (if not all) of the European countries for which figures are available from the EMCDDA report. #### **Verdict: Mostly True** ![Mostly True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_2mostlytrue-5.png) #### **“The UK Government is in** [**control**](https://x.com/JanetBryden4/status/1825816934807462164?ref=theferret.scot) **of legislation, preventing Scotland setting up consumption rooms**“ [Legislation over drugs](https://www.scotpho.org.uk/risk-factors/drugs/policy-context/?ref=theferret.scot) is split between the UK and Scottish governments. Control of drugs is reserved to the UK under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971\. This covers things like which drugs are made illegal and what the punishments are for possession or supply. The Scottish Government [can legislate](https://www.scotpho.org.uk/risk-factors/drugs/policy-context/?ref=theferret.scot) on health care including drug treatment and work aimed at the prevention of drug problems. They are unable to pursue formalised decriminalisation or legalisation policies, covered by reserved drug laws. [Sentencing and prosecution](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/about-copfs/news/lord-advocate-statement-on-diversion-from-prosecution/?ref=theferret.scot) guidelines are one way in which Scotland’s approach to drug use can differ from the rest of the UK. It is not accurate that the UK Government is currently blocking Scotland from creating drug consumption rooms. However, when the Westminster [Home Affairs Committee](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66775122?ref=theferret.scot) recommended the Misuse of Drugs Act should be amended to allow a pilot project to run in Scotland, this was [rejected by](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66775122?ref=theferret.scot) the Home Office. A drug consumption facility was given the [go-ahead](https://news.sky.com/story/no-prosecution-plan-for-possession-in-drug-consumption-rooms-in-scotland-12959104?ref=theferret.scot) in Glasgow after Scotland’s Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC [stated in September 2023 that it would](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/about-copfs/news/lord-advocate-s-statement-on-pilot-safer-drug-consumption-facility/?ref=theferret.scot) “not be in the public interest” to prosecute people for drug possession when they are attending the safe drug consumption space. The facility is [due to open in October 2024](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg4n8g331do?ref=theferret.scot) and is anticipated to act as a pilot project for other spaces in Scotland. Edinburgh City Council has done a [feasibility study](https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/34561/edinburgh-sdcf-needs-assessment-and-feasibility-study-executive-summary?ref=theferret.scot) on plans for a similar room in the city. An intervention by the Scottish Lord Advocate [in 2021 also means](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/about-copfs/news/lord-advocate-statement-on-diversion-from-prosecution/?ref=theferret.scot) people caught in Scotland with Class A drugs for personal use can be given police warnings rather than prosecution “for simple possession offences for all classes of drugs”. #### **Verdict: Half True** ![This claim is half true.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_3halftrue-4.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: shironosov/iStock* ### ‘No point’ in trying: families claim drug services still failing users URL: https://www.theferret.scot/families-claim-drug-services-still-failing-users/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T12:00:20.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-22.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **People dependent on drugs are still unable to get the support and treatment they need – with some claiming there is “no point” trying – despite the Scottish Government spending tens of millions to “save and improve lives”, The Ferret has found.** Annual statistics on drug deaths in 2023, due to be published on 20 August by the [National Records of Scotland](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), are expected to show an increase in the number of people who died. There were a suspected [1,197 overdoses last year](https://www.gov.scot/publications/suspected-drug-deaths-scotland-october-december-2023/pages/3/?ref=theferret.scot), according to already-published provisional data from Police Scotland. Figures for [early 2024](https://www.gov.scot/publications/suspected-drug-deaths-scotland-january-march-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) are also higher than the previous year. There was a [small dip in 2022](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/statistics/drug-related-deaths/22/drug-related-deaths-22-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) when 1,051 confirmed drug-related deaths were registered, the lowest number since 2017. Scotland still has a [higher level of drug deaths](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-scottish-drug-deaths-compare-uk-eu/) than any other European country and there have been concerns that numbers could rise further due to the increase of super-strength synthetic opioid-based drugs being found across the UK. Meanwhile Scottish Government data has revealed that despite launching its flagship “[medication assisted treatment](https://www.gov.scot/publications/medication-assisted-treatment-mat-standards-scotland-access-choice-support/?ref=theferret.scot)” standards for drug services more than three years ago, these have still not been fully implemented. **Drug laws are reserved to Westminster.** But in Scotland an annual budget of [£50m](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2023/12/funding-letters-sent-to-integrated-joint-boards-health-and-social-care-partnership-chief-finance-officers-alcohol-and-drug-partnerships-for-alcohol-and-drug-services-2021-2022-foi-release/documents/supporting-the-delivery-of-the-national-drugs-mission---2021-22---funding-allocations-of-additional-gbp50-million-investment/supporting-the-delivery-of-the-national-drugs-mission---2021-22---funding-allocations-of-additional-gbp50-million-investment/govscot%3Adocument/Supporting%2Bthe%2Bdelivery%2Bof%2Bthe%2BNational%2BDrugs%2BMission%2B-%2B2021-22%2B-%2BFunding%2Ballocations%2Bof%2Badditional%2B%25C2%25A350%2BMillion%2Binvestment.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was allocated to improving treatment, including access to residential drug rehab, in 2021 as part of a “[national mission](https://www.gov.scot/publications/update-drugs-policy/?ref=theferret.scot)” to prevent deaths and improve people’s lives. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-08-16-at-17-39-14.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/heal-saving-lives-toronto-toxic-drug-crisis/) [Ten treatment standards](https://www.gov.scot/publications/medication-assisted-treatment-mat-standards-scotland-access-choice-support/pages/3/?ref=theferret.scot) were also introduced in April of that year, which aimed to ensure better help was available more quickly. Research shows that [deaths are prevented](https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2017/03/01/health-matters-preventing-drug-misuse-deaths/?ref=theferret.scot) by having more people in treatment. But a [report](https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/media/28214/v12%5Fnational-benchmark-report-on-mat-standards-2023-24.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) published last month revealed that despite progress they had still not been fully implemented across Scotland. Insiders said endemic workforce shortages were partly to blame, particularly in terms of mental health support, leading to huge, unmanageable caseloads. Charity [Scottish Drug Forum](https://sdf.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) claimed that some people using drugs had given up on services and told charity workers there was “no point” in attending treatment services because they were unable to offer the help they needed. Some said the problems were particularly acute for those using drugs such as cocaine or benzodiazepines – or street valium – for whom opioid replacements like methadone were not appropriate. One family told The Ferret that their son – now in his early thirties and risking his life on a daily basis by taking street valium – had been fighting for five years for a safer prescription or proper mental health support without success. Other heartbroken families said not enough had changed with families often shut out of care plans and unable to discuss the needs of their loved ones with drug workers. > Not everyone we speak to has noticed change and there are still individuals and families who do not have access to care and support on the day they ask for help. > > Christina McKelvie, drugs minister In an introduction to the Scottish Government’s report on the implementation of the treatment standards drugs minister [Christina McKelvie](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/minister-for-drugs-and-alcohol-policy/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed the progress achieved was “a demonstration of what can be achieved when we identify a key issue and bring people together to design and deliver change”. However she also admitted: “Everyone involved in the delivery of services knows that there is still a way to go – not everyone we speak to has noticed change and there are still individuals and families who do not have access to care and support on the day they ask for help.” The report found the first five treatment standards – which include same day access to methadone and harm reduction measures like clean needles – had been implemented in 90 per cent of the alcohol and drug partnerships. But [the report](https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/media/28214/v12%5Fnational-benchmark-report-on-mat-standards-2023-24.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) also found that this was not borne out on the ground with examples of people waiting two weeks for an appointment, even longer to get a prescription of methadone or other opioid replacement drugs and insufficient staff to ensure that those in crisis were proactively offered treatment. Examples of people queuing for methadone or being given consultations in public view, causing embarrassment, were also reported. The other five standards – which include mental health support, group and individual counselling and advocacy – had not been fully implemented according to the report. Provisional data suggested 91 per cent of alcohol and drug partnerships had started implementation but others had not yet begun three years in. The report found “mental health care can be difficult to access” and said care should be more trauma informed. [Research](https://lankellychase.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Hard-Edges-Scotland-full-report-June-2019.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) has linked drug dependency to adverse childhood experiences such as physical, emotional or sexual abuse, and compounded by adult trauma such as domestic violence, homelessness and time in prison. They are also associated with living in poverty. People in the most deprived areas of Scotland are almost [16 times](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/statistics/drug-related-deaths/22/drug-related-deaths-22-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) as likely to die from drug misuse compared to people in the least deprived areas according to the 2022 statistics. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-08-16-at-17-41-49.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-first-safer-injection-site-drugs-crisis/) The report findings are borne out by families who spoke to The Ferret. Iona and her son Ross – who requested we do not use their real names – have been fighting for urgent treatment from their drug and alcohol partnership service in a rural west coast town for five years. Ross, now in his early thirties, has been able to stop using heroin with the help of a methadone prescription but continues to use street valium. He also struggles with [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/?ref=theferret.scot)) as well as anxiety and depression. He previously took valium on prescription. “Then the GP changed and that prescription was stopped quite abruptly,” Iona explains. “At that point he started to source them \[street valium\] on his own. “We were absolutely terrified about the level of risk he was taking as a result. We were asking about drug checking, but it’s not available and it feels as if no-one is prepared to help.” The Home Office is currently considering licence applications for drug-checking pilots in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee but none have yet been approved. A few years ago the family discovered [Wedinos](https://www.wedinos.org/?ref=theferret.scot), a Welsh postal drug checking service and have been working with their son to send away samples to test the drugs he is taking in an attempt to keep him safe. They have been requesting an NHS prescription of benzodiazepines since 2019 and have found a pharmacist willing to oversee a taper programme – where the amount taken would be gradually reduced. But they have been unable to find a prescriber. “We have a good GP and he cares,” said Iona. “But he says he can’t prescribe without the permission of an addiction consultant and there hasn’t been one in post since 2019\. Our GP feels caught between a rock and a hard place. He’s asked for a referral to an out-of-area service and had no response.” > It’s no wonder why people are dying. It feels as if no-one is prepared to help. > > Iona, mother In correspondence shared with The Ferret the GP admits he is “stuck for options”. Mental health support has been equally hard to access. Ross has a “five minute phone consultation with a psychiatrist once a year who admits he knows little about addiction or his ADHD,” his mother said. Meanwhile her son is becoming “increasingly frustrated, anxious, angry and disillusioned”. “It’s no wonder why people are dying,” she added. “It feels as if no-one is prepared to help. I understand there are risks attached to prescriptions but no-one seems to be acknowledging the risks that we are facing as a family every day. “It’s had a huge impact, not just on my son, but on all of us. It’s affecting every single aspect of our lives. We need services that offer proper support for our loved ones.” Kirsten Horsburgh, chief executive of [Scottish Drugs Forum](https://sdf.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), said the evidence was clear that being in treatment was “a protective factor against overdose death”. “Yet we still struggle to attract and retain people in treatment so they can benefit from its protection,” she added. “Resources are still an issue and we also have to change the demands we make on treatment services to ensure a greater emphasis on building therapeutic relationships. > Some people who are using opiates as well as cocaine, benzodiazepines and other drugs tell us they see ‘no point’ in attending treatment services that they know will only focus on their opiate use. > > Kirsten Horsburgh, Scottish Drug Forum “At the moment we have people stating they might ‘take the risk’ of accessing treatment but they have little confidence that they will be provided with a service that truly meets their needs. “Some people who are using opiates as well as cocaine, benzodiazepines and other drugs tell us they see ‘no point’ in attending treatment services that they know will only focus on their opiate use. This is despite significant efforts to improve the system so we clearly have a long way to go.” She claimed the third sector should be more involved in treatment provision, as in the case in [England](https://www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/substance-misuse-treatment-the-nhs-and-the-third-sector-both-have-important-roles-to-play/?ref=theferret.scot), to provide “broader options”. Most people who die from drug overdoses are using multiple drugs, according to figures, with 82 percent of people testing positive for opioids like heroin, 57 percent for benzodiazepines and 35 percent for cocaine, which includes crack cocaine. In recent years the number of people [injecting cocaine](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-first-safer-injection-site-drugs-crisis/) has increased dramatically, due to its availability in cities like Glasgow. Louise Stewart, director of service delivery at alcohol and drug support charity [WithYou, ](https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)agreed that those using substances like benzodiazepines \[known as “benzos”\] and cocaine in a harmful way tended to avoid services because there was no treatment equivalent to methadone for those not using opioids. “We find that these clients often come directly to third sector organisations,” she said. “Across our services, our staff are very experienced in supporting people who are using cocaine and benzodiazepines, through structured one-to-one and group interventions. However, we need to be able to offer an alternative to \[drug\] use in addition to that. “More generally, drug services should not be delivered in isolation. We need a cross-cutting approach that includes preventative community measures, availability of appropriate housing, and access to health and mental health services.” #### Lack of resourcing [Catriona Matheson](https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/256492?ref=theferret.scot), a substance use professor at the University of Stirling and former chair of the Scottish Government’s [drug death task force](https://www.gov.scot/news/response-to-drug-deaths-taskforce-report/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20Drug%20Deaths%20Taskforce%20was,support%20prevention%20and%20early%20intervention.), which wound-up in 2023, said that while some “real progress” the aim to provide more trauma informed care was ongoing, with additional resources for staffing and recruitment needed. “Access to mental health has and will continue to be challenging,” she admitted. “When mental health nurses work as key workers they have huge caseloads and can’t spend the time required to do the psychological work with people.” She also claimed additional clinical research was needed so new treatments could be provided, particularly in terms of poly drug use \[using different drugs at once\]. “The Scottish Government has never invested in clinical research in this area – we need to compare it to other clinical areas like cancer, cardiovascular and dementia in terms of spend versus mortality and harm.” Labour health spokesperson [Jackie Baillie MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/jackie-baillie?ref=theferret.scot) said Scotland’s drugs death crisis was “a national scandal**”**. “Repeated SNP failure to meet increased rehab bed targets, fully implement MAT standards and open drug checking services is costing lives and holding back progress on tackling drug deaths,” she added. A Scottish Government spokesperson said it was “working hard to ensure the best care” was available for cocaine and benzodiazepine users” as well as to respond to the growing threat from “highly dangerous, super-strong synthetic opioids like nitazenes”. “Through our £250 million National Mission on drugs, we are taking a wide range of measures to reduce harm and save lives,” they added, claiming the “roll-out” of the MAT standards continues. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Cover image thanks to iStock/Abulic Monkey* ### FFS explains: Do refugees increase crime in the UK? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/explainer-do-refugees-increase-crime-uk/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T13:30:43.000Z **Protests and riots were sparked by the fatal stabbings of three young girls in Southport, after false speculation spread online that the perpetrator was a Muslim asylum seeker who had come to the UK in a small boat.** Many of the protestors and people online linked refugees and those seeking asylum to increases in crime in the UK, and stated they were demonstrating to protect women and girls from the threat of violence. But is there a link between refugees and crime? [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) explains. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB.png) #### **How is migration to the UK changing?** [Net migration to the UK](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot) – that’s the difference between the number of people who leave and arrive – was unusually high in 2023, at 685,000 people. This was [primarily](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot) due to non-EU migrants coming to the UK on work visas, and international students. This figure is expected to reduce when statistics are released for 2024, although projections are uncertain, and net migration estimates are often revised up or down. According to the [Oxford University Migration Observatory](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot), over the last two years 1.4 million people have been added to the UK population through migration. #### **Are there more refugees coming to the UK?** In 2022, there were an [estimated 387,000](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot) people in the UK who said they came here to seek asylum. This number is 0.6 per cent of the total population, and four per cent of the foreign-born population. The number of UK asylum [applications peaked](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2002, when 84,132 were made. In 2023, there were 67,337 applications for asylum. There remains a [significant backlog](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-march-2024/how-many-people-do-we-grant-protection-to?ref=theferret.scot) of people who are awaiting asylum decisions. At the end of March 2024, there were [86,460 cases](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-march-2024/how-many-people-do-we-grant-protection-to?ref=theferret.scot) who had not received an initial decision. #### **How many people are crossing in small boats?** Since 2020, [small boat crossings](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/people-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/?ref=theferret.scot) have made up the majority of “irregular” migration. This is when someone comes to the UK through a non-standard route rather than through official channels. In the last year to March 2024, [38,546 people arrived in the UK](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/people-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/?ref=theferret.scot) through irregular routes, with 81 per cent entering via small boat crossings. #### **Are crime rates in the UK increasing or decreasing?** There has been a [long term decrease in crime](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2024?ref=theferret.scot#violence-with-and-without-injury) across the UK, after reaching a high in the 1990s. Rates of [non-sexual violent crime in Scotland](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/documents/?ref=theferret.scot) peaked in 2006-07 at 180 per 10,000 population. In 2022-23, the most recent statistics available, the rate was 126\. It has [increased](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2023/06/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/documents/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/govscot%3Adocument/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) since 2014-15, aside from 2020-21 during Covid-19 restrictions. According to the [Office for National Statistics](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2024?ref=theferret.scot#trends-across-main-crime-types), there has been a “general downward trend” in violent crime in England and Wales since it [peaked in 1995](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2024?ref=theferret.scot#trends-across-main-crime-types). Recorded sexual crime rates in Scotland have increased to their highest level in 2022-23, with [27 recorded per 10,000 population](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/documents/?ref=theferret.scot). This increase has been partly attributed to increasing numbers of historical cases being brought to justice, as well as a significant rise in online sexual offending. #### **What does the research say about crime rates, refugees and migration in the UK?** There has been [little recent research](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot) on the impact of refugees specifically on crime rates in the UK. The UK and Scottish governments do not publish statistics on recorded crimes by those who are seeking asylum or have settled refugee status. There have been studies on the link between immigration and crime in the UK but there are [difficulties in linking crime](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot) rates and refugees because other issues can correlate with levels of crime in an area, such as social deprivation, poor housing, and addiction. Without robust statistics, it can be hard to determine whether levels of crime increasing or decreasing in an area are actually caused by levels of migration or refugees, or because of existing factors. The Oxford University Migration Observatory assessed the evidence in a [2013 report](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot). In England and Wales, [property crime](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot) decreased between 2002 and 2011 as the foreign-born population increased, but studies could not find evidence these were linked. A study [in 2013](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot) looked at two large groups of migrants who arrived in the UK between 2002 and 2009\. It focused on those who came to the UK as asylum seekers fleeing conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan, and people who entered the UK as migrants after the expansion of the European Union. [Researchers found](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/?ref=theferret.scot) the share of asylum seekers in an area could be related to a 1.1 per cent rise in property crime, while those from the EU expansion countries were associated with a 0.4 per cent fall in property crime. Neither group were linked with significant changes in violent crime. However a separate [2013 UK study](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/2193-9039-2-19?ref=theferret.scot#Sec16) found no evidence of causal link between immigration and criminal behaviour, and a report published in 2017 suggested there [could be](https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62927/1/Immigration%20and%20the%20Crime%20Drop.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) a link between falling crime rates and waves of immigration. A 2018 [analysis of migration](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ba26c1de5274a54d5c39be2/Final%5FEEA%5Freport.PDF?ref=theferret.scot) from the European Economic Area for the UK Government found no evidence that migration had an effect on crime rates in England and Wales. The Migration Observatory told Ferret Fact Service it was unaware of any recent data that shows a connection between migration and crime. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and* [*signatory*](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) *to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’* [*code of principles*](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot)*.* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology* [*can be viewed here*](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/)*.* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at* [*factcheck@theferret.scot*](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) *or join our* [*Facebook group*](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/)*.* *Photo credit:* [*callmonikm*](https://www.flickr.com/photos/54244487@N00/49710794976?ref=theferret.scot)*,* [*CC BY 2.0*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot) ### Revealed: ministers’ doubts over nuclear plant at Torness URL: https://www.theferret.scot/torness-nuclear-doubts-ministers/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T12:01:24.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-23.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Labour and Conservative governments secretly harboured doubts about building a nuclear power station at Torness in East Lothian in the late 1970s, according to internal documents released by the Scottish Government.** Campaigns against [Torness](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/torness/) won support within the then [Scottish Office](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scottish-office?ref=theferret.scot), and came closer to success than realised. There was a “real risk” of the treasury in London delaying the project, warned one official. But the [nuclear](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/nuclear/) industry fought a fierce behind-the-scenes battle in defence of the power station, and it ended up being built in the 1980s. Campaigners condemned past decision-making about Torness as a “total sham”. According to one former UK Government adviser, lobbying by the nuclear industry had always been “more influential” than evidence. The Ferret analysed 11 large government files on Torness in 1978 and 1979 at the [National Records of Scotland](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) in Edinburgh. One was only released in 2023 after a request under [freedom of information law](https://www.foi.scot/foi-law?ref=theferret.scot). The files reveal that ministers and officials in both [James Callaghan’s](https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/james-callaghan?ref=theferret.scot) and [Margaret Thatcher’s](https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/margaret-thatcher?ref=theferret.scot) governments privately raised concerns about the proposed nuclear station at Torness. Torness was the target for a series of anti-nuclear protests in the 1970s, initially organised by the [Scottish Campaign to Resist the Atomic Menace (SCRAM)](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/scram-archive/?ref=theferret.scot). There were demonstrations and an occupation of the site in 1978, and in May 1979 more than 10,000 people joined a weekend protest there. Despite further protests in 1980 and 1981, the nuclear station was built and [formally opened](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NabHGlrqowQ&ref=theferret.scot) by Thatcher in 1989\. It is currently scheduled to keep operating until 2028, though there are [plans to run it for longer](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-safety-warnings-as-cracks-rise/). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-08-09-092845.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-safety-warnings-as-cracks-rise/) Early in 1978 SCRAM made a submission to the Scottish Office arguing that Torness should be subject to a new public inquiry. An earlier inquiry in 1974 had been inadequate because it had not specified the type of reactors to be built, the campaign group argued. Unknown to SCRAM at the time, its case was backed by the senior legal advisor to the Scottish Office, the Lord Advocate, [Lord Murray](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald%5FKing%5FMurray,%5FLord%5FMurray?ref=theferret.scot). He [reportedly](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/memo-on-lord-advocate-in-favour-of-a-new-torness-inquiry-14-april-1978-jpeg.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) told Labour’s Scottish Secretary, [Bruce Millan](https://members.parliament.uk/member/704/career?ref=theferret.scot), that “the climate of public opinion on nuclear power has changed since 1974 to make further inquiry appropriate”. But in a [note for Millan on 14 April](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/memo-on-lord-advocate-in-favour-of-a-new-torness-inquiry-14-april-1978-jpeg.jpg?ref=theferret.scot), a senior government official accused Murray of adopting “the main plank of the case put forward by SCRAM and its supporters.” He warned that a delay in starting to build the station would have “potentially disastrous consequences”. Millan agreed, and in a [memo on 8 May 1978](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/memo-from-sos-refusing-to-re-open-torness-inquiry-8-may-1978-jpeg.jpg?ref=theferret.scot), he was minuted by an official as rejecting Murray’s advice. “I do not think another inquiry is necessary or even desirable,” he said. Three months later, when Millan was considering financial approval for Torness, he asked how much electricity was generated by all power stations in Scotland. [Calculations from officials](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/memo-with-overcapacity-figures-1-aug-1978-jpeg.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) showed that existing plants could produce 63 per cent more power than needed in 1977-78, rising to a forecast 70 per cent in 1980-81. This suggested that Torness was unnecessary. “These figures are quite horrifying,” said Millan in a [message on 2 August 1978](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/memo-from-sos-on-electricity-overcapacity-2-aug-1978-jpeg.jpg?ref=theferret.scot). “If it weren’t for the power plant industry requirements, I would certainly not be authorising Torness now.” After Thatcher’s Conservative government came to power in May 1979, the incoming Scottish minister, [Alex Fletcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander%5FFletcher%5F%28British%5Fpolitician%29?ref=theferret.scot), wanted to know why Torness was being built. A [six](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/the-case-for-torness-page-1-17-may-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot)–[page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/the-case-for-torness-page-2-17-may-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot)[ memo](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/the-case-for-torness-page-3-17-may-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot)[ from](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/the-case-for-torness-page-4-17-may-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot)[ officials](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/the-case-for-torness-page-5-17-may-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) set out the case, [hoping](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/the-case-for-torness-page-6-17-may-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) “to avoid any suggestion that Torness is ‘under review’ – a phrase which has acquired too negative a connotation”. ### Case for Torness ‘less than convincing’ However, a [covering note](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/cover-letter-for-memo-on-case-for-torness-16-may-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) from an official on 16 May 1979 admitted that the case for Torness was “less than convincing”. The absence of information in support of the plant was “worrying”, the official commented, “because I think there is a real risk in the present climate of the treasury seeking to re-examine or hold up the project”. In a [memo two days later](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ministers-response-to-the-case-for-torness-18-may-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot), Fletcher said: “I still have some doubts concerning the advisability of a nuclear station at Torness”. A handwritten note by an official added simply “Amen”. Despite his private doubts, Fletcher [told the House of Commons](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/parliamentary-answer-to-ancram-23-may-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) on 23 May 1979 there were no plans to review Torness. He omitted to add a sentence, [proposed by officials](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/memo-discussing-parliamentary-answer-to-ancram-23-may-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot), saying that “all expenditure commitments” inherited from the Labour government were “under consideration”. But concerns about authorising finance for Torness persisted because of delays in England. The company that was meant to be building the plant, along with another at [Heysham](https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/power-stations/heysham-2?ref=theferret.scot) near Lancaster, was [said to be](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/memo-about-sseb-fears-for-torness-1-june-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) in a “chaotic state”. A [memo on 1 June 1979](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/memo-about-sseb-fears-for-torness-1-june-1979.jpg?ref=theferret.scot) reported that Torness’s backer, the government-owned [South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South%5Fof%5FScotland%5FElectricity%5FBoard?ref=theferret.scot), was “most despondent” about the lack of investment approval. All the signs were that the project was “slipping out of control”, it said. In the end, though, the government documents show that the SSEB, backed by its supporters in the Scottish Office, saved Torness. They worked hard to convince the treasury and, ultimately, Thatcher, that it should go ahead because it was needed to sustain the power station industry. Work started on the station in 1980 and it began generating electricity in 1988\. Anti-nuclear campaigners at the time did not know how close Torness had been to being abandoned. ![nuclear Torness](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/img_1816-jpeg.jpg) Protest at Torness in 1978 (photo thanks to SCRAM). [Tom Burke](https://www.e3g.org/people/tom-burke/?ref=theferret.scot) was director of [Friends of the Earth](https://friendsoftheearth.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) in London from 1975 to 1979 and special advisor to UK environment ministers from 1991-97\. “I am not surprised to hear that there was more scepticism about the value of Torness inside the government than became apparent at the time,” he said. “In relation to nuclear power in general it has always been the case that political opinion rather than weight of evidence has determined the outcome. There has always been more doubt about the value of new nuclear among officials, especially the treasury, than there has been among politicians,” he added. “In other words, effective lobbying by the nuclear industry has always been more influential than the balance of evidence on the national interest. This remains true today.” ### Torness ‘a total sham’ The veteran environmental campaigner and energy author, [Walt Patterson](https://www.waltpatterson.org/aboutwaltpatterson.htm?ref=theferret.scot), testified at the Torness inquiry in 1974\. “Torness was a total sham, and the inquiry had no relevance to the official decision to build it,” he told The Ferret. “Torness was ordered just to keep the power station building industry busy, not because we could use the electricity.” [Pete Roche](http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), a nuclear consultant who worked with SCRAM in Edinburgh in the 1970s and 1980s, suggested that politicians might have been worried that cancelling Torness would “somehow legitimise protest”. He said: “We knew at the time that the case for Torness was collapsing before our very eyes, but it’s a pleasant surprise to learn that both Labour and Tory Ministers had secretly expressed doubts about the plant.” [Dr Ewan Gibbs](https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/ewangibbs/?ref=theferret.scot), a researcher from the school of social and political sciences at University of Glasgow who has [studied Torness protests](https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/311329/?ref=theferret.scot), pointed out that anti-nuclear activists had mobilised tens of thousands of people in opposition to the plant. “Thanks to these new research findings, we now know that both Scottish Labour and Tory ministers had serious doubts over the nuclear power station project in the late 1970s.” ### Aim to run Torness until end of decade [EDF Energy](https://www.edfenergy.com/about?ref=theferret.scot), the French government company which took over running [Torness nuclear power station](https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/power-stations/torness?ref=theferret.scot) in 2009, was not involved in the decision to build it. But it stressed the contribution it has made to Scotland’s economy and environment. “Since 1988 Torness has produced enough zero carbon electricity to power every Scottish home for 29 years, saved more than 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere and limited the UK’s high and ongoing reliance on gas-fired power,” said an EDF spokesperson. “The power station has also supported generations of workers in East Lothian and beyond with well-paid, highly skilled jobs. Our ambition is to generate to the end of the decade, potentially longer depending on inspections and regulatory oversight.” *Before he became a journalist, [Rob Edwards](https://robedwards.typepad.com/about.html?ref=theferret.scot) was an organiser with the Scottish Campaign to Resist the Atomic Menace in 1977-78\. Cover image of Torness thanks to iStock/versevend.* #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. ### Nine spycops snooped on anti-nuclear protests in Scotland URL: https://www.theferret.scot/spycops-torness-anti-nuclear-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T17:10:51.000Z **At least nine officers from London’s secret undercover policing unit, known as spycops, aided the infiltration and surveillance of anti-nuclear protests in Scotland between 1978 and 1983, The Ferret can reveal.** Two [spycops](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/spycops/), who had adopted the names of dead children and pretended to be anti-nuclear activists, joined attempts to occupy the site for a nuclear power station at [Torness](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/torness/) in East Lothian in 1980 and 1981\. They were both picked up, detained and then released by Lothian police. The pair, one of whom said he was nicknamed “Trotsky”, were supported by three senior officers from the Metropolitan Police’s [Special Demonstration Squad (SDS)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special%5FDemonstration%5FSquad?ref=theferret.scot), who travelled to Scotland to liaise with local police. Along with four other spycops, they produced 16 reports for the Met’s Special Branch and the UK security service, MI5, on anti-nuclear groups active in Scotland. The groups included the [Scottish Campaign to Resist the Atomic Menace (SCRAM)](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/scram-archive/?ref=theferret.scot), the [Torness Alliance](https://www.theferret.scot/spycops-infiltrated-scottish-anti-nuclear-groups/) and [Friends of the Earth](https://foe.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). The SDS reports contained minutes of meetings, mailing lists, internal briefings and funding appeals. They included details of hundreds of individuals and groups across the UK, and gave inside accounts of campaigners’ plans, problems and disagreements. The revelations come from documents and statements released by the SDS and MI5 and published by the UK government’s [Undercover Policing Inquiry](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) in London. The inquiry was launched in 2015 and is aiming to produce its final report in 2026. Activists who were spied upon have condemned the SDS’s undercover operations, with one saying he felt “sick and angry”. They claimed their campaigning had suffered “profound damage”. Anti-nuclear campaigners in Scotland have also been very critical, suggesting that spycops were “out of control” and “an affront to the very idea of democracy”. ![spycops Torness](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/img_1807-jpeg.jpg) Trying to stop a bulldozer at Torness (photo thanks to SCRAM). The Met defended undercover operations as a “vital policing tactic that continues to keep people safe”. But it apologised for officers using the names of deceased children, and stressed that undercover policing had undergone “radical reform”. MI5 accepted that spying on some groups “may appear surprising”, and said that “different judgements” would have been made if it had known then that they did not pose a threat to parliamentary democracy. It has since scaled back its surveillance of “left wing” groups. The Undercover Policing Inquiry has discovered that a total of 139 undercover officers spied on more than 1,000 mainly left-wing groups across the UK over four decades. Four officers [reportedly](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/apr/22/fourth-officer-allegedly-fathered-child-after-meeting-woman-undercover?ref=theferret.scot) fathered children with women they were spying on. The SDS was [disbanded](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/28/secrets-and-lies-untangling-the-uk-spy-cops-scandal?ref=theferret.scot) in 2008\. In July 2023 an [interim report](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Undercover-Policing-Inquiry-Tranche-1-Interim-Report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by the inquiry’s judge, Sir John Mitting, [concluded](https://www.theferret.scot/spycops-infiltration-anti-nuclear-groups-unjustified/) that the spying was not justified. The [inquiry’s remit](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/about-the-inquiry/?ref=theferret.scot), however, is only to investigate undercover policing in England and Wales. Campaigners[ have challenged](https://www.theferret.scot/judicial-review-spycops-scotland-refused/) the failure to inquire into undercover policing in Scotland, but [so far](https://www.pilc.org.uk/public-inquiries/undercover-policing-inquiry-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) without success. In 2021 The Ferret [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/spycops-infiltrated-scottish-anti-nuclear-groups/) initial evidence to the inquiry suggesting that Scottish anti-nuclear groups had been spied upon. In July 2024 the inquiry released more than 100 SDS reports on the surveillance of the anti-nuclear movement across the UK in the 1980s. [According to](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jul/15/cnd-thatcher-inquiry-anti-nuclear-protest-undercover-police?ref=theferret.scot) the Guardian, they revealed extensive spying on the [Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://cnduk.org/?ref=theferret.scot) in England, as well as on women who protested against nuclear missiles at [Greenham Common](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenham%5FCommon%5FWomen's%5FPeace%5FCamp?ref=theferret.scot) in Berkshire. Inquiry documents have also disclosed the hitherto unknown extent of spying on anti-nuclear protests in Scotland. Spycops active north of the border [have been named](https://www.theferret.scot/spycops-alias-confirmed-public-inquiry/), and some of their undercover activities exposed. One of the most prolific of the anti-nuclear spycops was [Roger Pearce](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/individuals/hn-85/?ref=theferret.scot), who went on to become head of the Met Special Branch and then joined the Foreign Office as a counter-terrorism adviser. Now retired, he is the [author of three spy thrillers](https://www.roger-pearce.com/?ref=theferret.scot). He worked as an undercover officer with the SDS from 1980 to 1984 using the cover name of a deceased child, Roger Thorley. He [told the inquiry](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/MPS-0747965-1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) that he now viewed the adoption of dead children’s identities as “a distasteful practice and a violation of privacy”. Pearce altered his appearance to go undercover, growing a beard and shoulder-length hair. “l wore red and black clothing with a denim jacket and shoes with worn-through soles,” he said. “I was called Trotsky”. He attended anti-nuclear meetings in London, joined anarchist groups, and became a member of the editorial group of [Freedom Press](https://freedompress.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). He travelled north with anarchist groups for a “week of action” at Torness from 15-17 May 1981. ### ‘I was arrested’ says spycop According to Pearce, his “anarchist associates” planned to cut through the Torness perimeter fence, trespass onto the construction site and set fire to a building. He said he “disappeared and found a phone box” to alert Lothian police. As a result, Pearce claimed, the plan was foiled. “We were arrested, detained for a short while and then released without charge. I gave my cover name upon arrest,” he said. He insisted that he was a “bystander” and had not acted as an agent provocateur, which was “completely taboo”. But he added that, if the fence had been cut, “I would have gone through the fence with them to see what happened.” In January 1981 Pearce drove from London to Edinburgh to attend a planning meeting for the Torness protests organised by the Scottish Campaign to Resist the Atomic Menace (SCRAM). “I remember spending a lot of time with a female activist when I was in Edinburgh,” [he said](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/MPS-0747965-1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). Pearce was the source for [an SDS report](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000016406.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on the meeting for the Met Special Branch in February 1981, which included the minutes. “SCRAM would like to see individuals get onto the site, but do not want violence used against people (including the police),” the report said. ![spycops, Torness](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/img_1812-jpeg.jpg) Police hold back protestors at Torness in November 1978 (photo thanks to SCRAM). According to the Undercover Policing Inquiry, Pearce was also the source for a further six SDS reports on SCRAM and other anti-nuclear groups. One gave a [detailed account](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000016189.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of a meeting in Newcastle in January 1981, providing the names of 11 people who attended, and another discussed a [meeting in London](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000016191.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the same month. Two reports were about a [Torness planning meeting](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000016527.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) organised by SCRAM in Edinburgh in February and March 1981, [including the minutes](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000016592.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). Another gave a lengthy and colourful [description of events](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000015459.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) at the Torness protests in May 1981, highlighting tactical disagreements. In May 1983, [another report](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000018809.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) passed on a SCRAM fund-raising appeal. As well as reporting to the Special Branch in London, Pearce [said](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI-090724-AMDRAFT.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) he had regular meetings with MI5\. A series of memos published by the inquiry showed that MI5 was keen to spy on anti-nuclear groups. In September 1979, [MI5 asked](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/UCPI0000028796.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) SDS for “agent coverage” of a planned meeting to form a new “militant anti-nuclear movement”, led by the then miners’ leader, [Arthur Scargill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur%5FScargill?ref=theferret.scot). A [MI5 memo from 5 May 1981](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000029200.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) asked SDS for advance information on the Torness protests later that month. Another [MI5 memo](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000026224.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in July 1981 thanked the then [Lothian and Borders Police](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lothian%5Fand%5FBorders%5FPolice?ref=theferret.scot) for their “comprehensive report” on the Torness protests. It added the names of six people “who had come to notice” during the protests, one of whom was Roger Thorley, the cover name for Pearce. Pearce defended police and MI5 interest in anti-nuclear groups at the time as “legitimate”. There was “growing concern”, [he said](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI-090724-AMDRAFT.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), about “the growing anti-nuclear movement and the possibility that propaganda and ideas could tip over into direct action.” ![spycops Torness](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/img_1814-jpeg.jpg) Protestors and police at Torness in November 1978 (photo thanks to Philip Springthorpe and SCRAM). The second spycop who came to Torness used the cover name, [Tony Williams](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/individuals/hn-20/?ref=theferret.scot), again taken from a dead child. His real name has not been released by the inquiry, and he was deployed by SDS from 1978 to 1982. Williams grew a beard and his hair, dressed in jeans and infiltrated the [London Workers Group](https://libcom.org/article/short-history-london-workers-group-1977-1985?ref=theferret.scot), a libertarian collective. He was elected as the group’s treasurer, then secretary. He said he was “authorised” to travel with the group to Torness for a demonstration from 2-5 May 1980\. “l would have looked silly if I had not been involved in trespass,” he [told the inquiry](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/MPS-0745971-Website-Version.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). “I recall that the outer wire fence was cut, which I did not do myself. I assume I went through a hole in that fence,” he said. “I was picked up by the police, but was not formally arrested. I did not give away my true identity or role.” ### Police ‘heavy-handed’ at Torness He added: “The police in Scotland in Torness were somewhat heavy handed in dealing with what was essentially non-aggressive trespass.” Williams insisted that he “never encouraged or provoked criminal activity”. He believed that his reporting “assisted with the protection of the public and assisted in managing public order”. According to the inquiry, he was the source for four SDS reports on anti-nuclear activities in Scotland. One was an [11-page report](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000014018.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on the May 1980 Torness protests, listing 27 people who were arrested, 14 others present and 17 groups represented. [Another report](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000014093.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) recounted a meeting of the Torness Alliance umbrella group in Oxford in June 1980, including a list of most of the 19 people present. A [report in June 1980](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000014104.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) listed over 200 organisations and individuals on the alliance mailing list, one of whom was Tony Williams. In November 1980 the SDS [reported](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UCPI0000015147.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on a meeting in London deciding to wind up the Torness Alliance, but warned that there could still be “activity” at the Torness site. “The Scottish Campaign to Resist the Atomic Menace are taking a keener interest in the issue and may organise an occupation next year,” it said. Other SDS reports referring to anti-nuclear groups in Scotland drew on intelligence from three other spycops, with the cover names [Graham Coates](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/individuals/hn-304/?ref=theferret.scot), [Phil Cooper](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/individuals/hn-155/?ref=theferret.scot) and [John Kerry](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/individuals/hn-65/?ref=theferret.scot). Reports were signed by senior SDS officers, whose real names were [Trevor Butler](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/individuals/hn-307/?ref=theferret.scot), [Barry Moss](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/individuals/hn-218/?ref=theferret.scot) and Nigel Short. In [a statement](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MPS%5F0747658.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to the inquiry, Butler said he went to East Lothian in May 1980 to liaise with Lothian and Borders Special Branch about the Torness protest. “I am reasonably certain that they understood that we had an officer with the activists in the camp, even if this was never stated expressly,” he said. Moss [said](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MPS%5F0747797.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) that he attended Torness twice, and that information passed to the Lothian police “was useful in preventing serious disorder and damage to property”. Another senior SDS officer, [Christopher Skey](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/individuals/hn-308/?ref=theferret.scot), also [said](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/MPS%5F0747528.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) he went to Edinburgh twice in relation to Torness. ![spycops Torness](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/img_1806-jpeg.jpg) Protestors disrupt excavation work at Torness in November 1978 (photo thanks to SCRAM). Activists who were spied upon have condemned spycops’ surveillance. “Many of the tactics employed were absolutely sickening,” said [Dave Morris](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/individuals/dave-morris/?ref=theferret.scot), who took part in Torness protests in 1980\. “It’s pathetic, and it makes me feel sick and angry.” Morris was involved with the Torness Alliance and the London Workers Group, and was reported on by Tony Williams. He also later came to fame as one of the [McLibel Two](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLibel%5Fcase?ref=theferret.scot), who fought off a ten-year legal action by the fast food company, McDonalds. Another Torness protestor, [Martyn Lowe](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/individuals/martyn-lowe/?ref=theferret.scot), said it was difficult to comprehend the full scale of spycops’ activities because many of their reports had been destroyed or withheld. “Yet one fact is very obvious to us all,” he told The Ferret. “The various spycops were acting as agent provocateurs, which resulted in profound damage to all our campaigning activities.” The spycops were also strongly criticised by anti-nuclear campaigners in Scotland. “This is the kind of stuff you expect to hear from the bad old days of Eastern Europe,” said [Dr Richard Dixon](https://www.rdixon.scot/about-me/?ref=theferret.scot), the former director of Friends of the Earth Scotland. “Spying on legitimate groups trying to promote peace and protect the environment, some of them registered charities, is an affront to the very idea of democracy. Police infiltrators taking part in illegal activities and thereby, wittingly or unwittingly, encouraging others to do so, shows just how out of control this spying activity was.” [Pete Roche](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), who worked for SCRAM and Friends of the Earth in the 1970s and 1980s, said: “So far from being a threat to democracy, we were seeking to protect it from an autocratic government system that, as we now see, was prepared to use underhand tactics to force through unpopular policies.” ### Undercover policing ‘continues to keep people safe’ The [Metropolitan Police](https://www.met.police.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) has apologised to the families of the deceased children whose names were used. Working undercover was “a vital policing tactic that continues to keep people safe,” it said, and officers “did important work, at personal risk, to gather intelligence to prevent future disorder”. Commander Jon Savel added: “Undercover policing has undergone radical reform over the years, with greater regulation, professional codes of practice, and judicial oversight. The way in which undercover policing was conducted in the 1970s bears no relation to how it is conducted today.” In evidence to the inquiry, MI5 has also defended spycops, but said that its surveillance of “left wing” groups had been scaled back to a “watching brief” in 1996. “MI5 accepts that it may appear surprising to the inquiry and to the wider public that such groups were studied by MI5, particularly when viewed through a modern lens,” said an unnamed MI5 deputy director, known as [Witness Y](https://www.ucpi.org.uk/publications/first-witness-statement-of-security-service-witness-y/?ref=theferret.scot). “MI5 acknowledges that the threat against which the counter-subversion mission was targeted (namely that parliamentary democracy would be overthrown or significantly undermined by domestic subversive activities) did not materialise,” the witness added. “Had MI5 known during the 1980s what it now knows about the course that history subsequently took, I expect that different judgments would have been made about the extent to which it was necessary to investigate many groups and individuals.” The Scottish Government [rejected](https://www.gov.scot/news/undercover-policing/?ref=theferret.scot) a separate inquiry into undercover policing in Scotland in 2018 because there was “no evidence of any systemic failings” by Scottish police. [A review](https://www.theferret.scot/spycops-police-watchdog-scops-report/) by [HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland](https://www.mygov.scot/organisations/his-majestys-inspectorate-of-constabulary-in-scotland?ref=theferret.scot) had provided “reassurance” on the use of undercover officers since 2000, it said. [Police Scotland](https://www.scotland.police.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment. [Roger Pearce](https://www.roger-pearce.com/?ref=theferret.scot) did not respond to requests to comment via his literary agents. *Before he became a journalist,* [*Rob Edwards*](https://robedwards.typepad.com/about.html?ref=theferret.scot) *was an organiser with the Scottish Campaign to Resist the Atomic Menace (SCRAM) in 1977-78\. Cover image of protest at Torness in November 1978 thanks to SCRAM.* ### Far right groups in Scotland using riots to recruit new members URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-groups-riots-scotland-recruit-members/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T16:45:16.000Z **Far right groups in Scotland are using the recent riots in England and Northern Ireland to try and recruit new members, The Ferret can reveal.** They include a white supremacist martial arts club and a political party called Homeland which promotes a nationalism based on ancestry, land and the “law of blood”. We can also reveal that loyalists are promoting “pro-UK” and anti-Islam demonstrations planned for Scotland in the wake of widespread rioting in other parts of the UK. Other social media accounts are advertising Scottish demos via videos soundtracked with a song about rioting. An MSP and a Scottish anti-racism group argued that it would be “complacent” to believe Scotland is immune from similar unrest caused by the far right, and warned against “groups looking to sow division and hatred on our streets”. Organisations trying to capitalise on the rioting include Active Club Scotland (ACS), a far right fight club which meets at gyms in central Scotland and organises outdoor trips. > We can stop the far right and the fascists hoping to grow – but only if we break their confidence before they build. This is why we have called rallies against the far right across cities in Scotland this Saturday and a major anti-fascist and anti-racist counter demonstration in Glasgow on 7 September. > > Talat Ahmed, convenor of Stand Up To Racism Scotland. According to the anti-racism group Hope not hate, ACS aims to “be the [vanguard of the fascist movement](https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-active-club-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot)”. The ACS Telegram group posted this week: “THE TIME IS NOW WHITE MAN!…NO ONE PROVOKES ME WITH IMPUNITY! JOIN THE ACTIVE CLUB TODAY!”. The political party Homeland, an offshoot of the far right group Patriotic Alternative, formed last year, is also urging people to join as members, although it has rejected violence and is calling for a “political solution”. ![far right](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/photo_2023-08-05_11-32-33.jpg) Active Club Scotland In a video on social media, one prominent member blamed the Southport murders on multiculturalism, and said rioters were “angry” and “worried” about children due to “violence towards the natives of this country”. He deemed the accused murderer, Axel Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, “a product of the immigration system”. He urged “all the fathers, and the potential fathers out there, the brothers, uncles, men of this country” to join Homeland in light of the unrest to help “fix this”. Homeland is led by former British National Party member, Kenny Smith, a [self-described](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-leader-condemned-for-racial-comment/) “racial nationalist” who was previously a PA figure in Scotland. On 1 August, after rioting in Southport and London saw mosques, businesses and police officers attacked, Smith said he had seen “more thuggery and violence” from the police than demonstrators. It is thought [around 110 police officers](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/110-police-officers-injured-uk-33416644?ref=theferret.scot) have been injured so far. His party condemned the police response to the unrest of recent days, claiming prime minister Keir Starmer “wants to set the dogs on the native people of these isles whilst giving a free pass to those that do not belong here”. [Far right group Homeland registers as political party despite objectionsA far right group described as an “extreme organisation” has been allowed to officially register as a political party despite formal objections lodged with the Electoral Commission. Homeland – which promotes a nationalism based on ancestry, land and the “law of blood” – applied to the Electoral Commission (EC) last May to![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-85.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/screenshot-2021-08-31-at-17-29-38-1200x509-1-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/homeland-registers-political-party-electoral-commission/) There is no suggestion these groups are working together and Homeland said it does not collaborate or coordinate with other far right groups. The recruitment drive comes as fears mount that violence could spread to Scotland. In Aberdeen, an anti-Islam demonstration advertised by some as “Pro-UK”, is due to be held next month. Others promoting the demo have celebrated violent attacks on asylum seekers and muslims, and expressed support for a banned terror group. The event is planned at Aberdeen’s Castle Gate on 7 September, which would coincide with another “pro-UK” demo in Glasgow, promoted by prominent far right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who uses the name Tommy Robinson. One individual who has claimed to be an organiser of the Glasgow event said the rally will be peaceful and that those seeking to label attendees as “right wing, racist, homophobic” or “fascists” are “foolish and silly”. Other demos, potentially targeting hotels housing asylum seekers in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Greenock, Paisley, East Kilbride, were also being pushed out on TikTok by an account called the Scottish Defence Group, which has now been taken down. Another demo, planned outside an asylum hotel in Bathgate on Friday 9 August, was posted by a TikTok account called Protests.Scotland. A video promoting the demo used “I Predict a Riot”, a song by English indie rock band Kaiser Chiefs, as its soundtrack. The song was also used in another video posted by a different user, which listed the locations of planned protests, including the planned “Pro-UK” rally in Glasgow. Scottish Defence Group’s posts said the exact location of the demos would remain secret until the day they are due to occur. A [digital poster](https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1661612264379148&set=a.145060106034379) of the “Pro-UK” Aberdeen rally in September features AI-generated images of crying children wearing Union Jack clothing whilst surrounded by Arabic men brandishing large knives. Among those who shared it are a Scots-Northern Irish Facebook group, called Greater Glasgow and Wide Loyalist Events. It celebrated the alleged violent assault of a man claimed to be Muslim, and an arson attack on asylum housing by far right rioters in Rotherham, Yorkshire. > The politics of hate and the far right rioters which we’ve seen mobilising across parts of England and the north of Ireland can never be welcome in Scotland. > > Maggie Chapman, Scottish Greens MSP. Other posts promoted the Ulster Volunteer Force – a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary group which murdered 500 people and is a [proscribed terrorist](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2?ref=theferret.scot) group in the UK. The account posted videos of Tommy Robinson, claimed Afghans had arrived in the UK “for our blood”, branded Islam “a hostile religion to us all” and said “the floodgates to hell \[are\] open”. #### **Scots far right figures weigh in on unrest** Following the far right riots, The Ferret gained access to a Telegram group filled with Nazi, violent and racist content. It advocated the murder of non-whites and urged rioters to make molotov cocktails and bring them to demos. The group, which has since been taken down, also called for the murder of Nick Lowles, CEO of Hope not Hate, an anti-racism research group. The post was in response to a post from Unity News Network (UNN) which criticised Lowles and his organisation. UNN, which promotes anti-immigrant content, is run by David Clews, a former Conservative and Labour councillor in Renfrewshire, who also worked for the Scotland in Union campaign group. Clews has appeared at conferences run by Patriotic Alternative. > The Homeland Party is committed to peaceful, democratic, and lawful means to pursue change in the United Kingdom. > > A spokesman for Homeland. An ultra-unionist organisation called A Force For Good which is headed by Alistair McConnachie – an alleged holocaust denier from Castle Douglas – shared comments from controversial figures following the UK riots. The X account of A Force for Good endorsed comments which blamed politicians for the Southport murders and promoted the Glasgow “Pro-UK” rally due to take place next month. The account shared numerous comments from Tommy Robinson and Andrew Tate – a self-proclaimed misogynist who is currently awaiting trial in Romania over allegations including rape and human trafficking. Tate denies the charges.” Meanwhile, the anti-fascist research group Red Flare said that a far right Telegram group shared a list of 39 immigration-related charities, advice centres and solicitors as targets for arson attacks with its 13,000 members. “The group also includes calls to murder ethnic minorities, anti-fascists and government ministers,” Red Flare claimed. It alleged that an administrator of the group is “repeatedly posting a guide on how to commit arson attacks, authored by the Russian-Ukrainian neo-Nazi group National Socialism/White Power (NS/WP) Crew”, which is designated as a terrorist organisation in Russia. Allan Jones, a spokesperson for Red Flare, told The Ferret: “British neo-Nazis are sharing a guide on how to commit arson produced by a banned Russian-Ukrainian neo-Nazi terrorist group which specialises in murders. “This appears to represent the mainstreaming of ‘Terrorgram’ content in the British far right, with neo-Nazi terrorist content being shared with a wider audience of anti-migrant rioters.” [Revealed: supporters of Scots far-right group possess weaponsA leading figure of a Scots far-right group used a private chat group to recruit neo-Nazis who posed with weapons, shared a bomb-making manual, quoted a mass murderer, and said members should kill “for the greater good”, The Ferret can reveal. Kenny Smith, Patriotic Alternative (PA) Scotland’s organiser, told![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-86.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image-1-10-2.jpg)](https://the-ferret.ghost.io//supporters-of-scots-far-right-group-possess-weapons/?ref=theferret.scot) Talat Ahmed, convenor of Stand Up To Racism Scotland, said: “The Scottish far-right are rebuilding from a very low base, but politicians and media have created a fertile climate of Islamophobia and anti-refugee sentiment for them here too. “We can stop the far right and the fascists hoping to grow – but only if we break their confidence before they build. “This is why we have called rallies against the far right across cities in Scotland this Saturday and a major anti-fascist and anti-racist counter demonstration in Glasgow on 7 September.” Scottish Greens justice spokesperson, Maggie Chapman MSP said: “The politics of hate and the far right rioters which we’ve seen mobilising across parts of England and the north of Ireland can never be welcome in Scotland. “The online misinformation being used to organise and build these racist riots must be tackled head-on.” A Homeland spokesman said: “The Homeland Party and its chairman, Kenny Smith, disavow any groups that condone incitement or acts of violence. “The Homeland Party is committed to peaceful, democratic, and lawful means to pursue change in the United Kingdom. Comparing peaceful and orderly protests to attacks on hotels housing migrants during these recent riots is irresponsible and dishonest. “The comments made in a recent video were intended to channel citizens’ anger and concerns into lawful and democratic avenues for change. They were not meant to incite division or hatred but to encourage engagement in democratic processes that strengthen our community and address the underlying issues contributing to unrest.” [Far right ‘terrorist’ and ‘racist’ posts broke rules, election watchdog staff claimedElection watchdog staff accused senior figures in the far right Homeland party of breaking their own code of conduct by sharing “terrorist literature” and “antisemitic and racist” content, The Ferret can reveal. The Electoral Commission (the commission) approved Homeland’s bid to register as a political party and field candidates![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-87.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image-7-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-terrorist-racist-rules-election-watchdog/) Alistair McConnachie from A Force for Good, who has denied being a Holocaust denier, said: “We blame politicians of all the main parties for the problems associated with mass immigration and fraudulent so-called asylum seekers. We do not blame the immigrants themselves. “In relation to the small boat invasion of young males across the English Channel, we want a three-point policy which would 1\. Stop the Boats 2\. Send them Back, and 3\. No Resettlement of any of them in Scotland, or the rest of the UK. “As far as legal mass immigration is concerned, the numbers are far too high. There were 1.2 million ‘long-term’ immigrants entering the UK in 2023 [according to](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingdecember2023?ref=theferret.scot#long-term-immigration) the Office of National Statistics. This is unsustainable and should be reduced to no more than 50,000 a year.” A spokesperson for Unity News Network said: “This is yet more pathetic guilt by association nonsense. Our position has been clear from the outset that we are utterly opposed to all violence including that from the British state against its own people. “UNN is under attack due to our consistent exposure of the corruption and lies at the heart of the British state. The Ferret is clearly a tool of the British regime and military industrial complex in running cover for Starmer.” Every group named in this article was contacted for comment. *This article was updated at 15.17 on 10 August 2024 to clarify that it was A Force for Good’s X account which endorsed comments blaming politicians for the Southport murders, and shared comments from Tommy Robinson and Andrew Tate.* ### How asylum hotels became a far right target URL: https://www.theferret.scot/asylum-hotels-explained/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T17:06:03.000Z **As riots erupted across England and Northern Ireland over the last week, so-called ‘asylum hotels’ became a target for some groups, with hotels attacked in numerous towns.** Ferret Fact Service explains how the hotels work, and why they have been a focus for attention. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-7.png) ### **What are asylum hotels?** “Asylum hotels” is a term given to hotels which are block booked to provide accommodation to asylum seekers. This accommodation is procured by Home Office contractors, from both independent hotels and well-known chains. People are legally entitled to come to the UK to claim asylum under the terms of the [1951 Refugee Convention](https://www.unhcr.org/uk/about-unhcr/who-we-are/1951-refugee-convention?ref=theferret.scot). To be granted refugee status people must prove they have a well-founded fear of being persecuted in their home country. While their claim for refugee status is assessed, asylum seekers are [not allowed to work](https://www.refugee-action.org.uk/right-to-work-there-is-no-new-scheme-for-people-seeking-asylum/?ref=theferret.scot) or claim benefits. If they would otherwise be destitute, the Home Office is obliged to provide accommodation. It currently contracts three companies – [Serco](https://www.serco.com/?ref=theferret.scot), [Clearsprings](https://www.ready-homes.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Mears](https://careers.mearsgroup.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) – to provide that housing on its behalf. The contracts, awarded in 2019 for 10 years, are worth £4bn to the companies involved. However, costs have escalated. A combination of a growing [backlog of asylum cases](https://freemovement.org.uk/briefing-the-sorry-state-of-the-uk-asylum-system/?ref=theferret.scot) and a [dramatic increase](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01403/?ref=theferret.scot) in new asylum applications from 2021 to 2023, following a dip during Covid-19 travel restrictions, means there has been unprecedented demand for asylum accommodation in recent years. This has led to the use of hotels across the UK as “[contingency accommodation](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9831/?ref=theferret.scot)” for those for whom flats cannot be found. The average stay is more than [six months](https://helenbamber.org/resources/reportsbriefings/suffering-and-squalor-impact-mental-health-living-hotel-asylum?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20current%20average%20length%20of,advice%2C%20or%20means%20of%20communication.), and charities have raised concerns about asylum seekers’ mental health, access to legal advice and healthcare. The Home Office has always claimed the use of hotels as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers was a short-term measure. The Conservative UK Government [reduced the number](https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/investigation-into-asylum-accommodation/?ref=theferret.scot) of hotels used between October 2023 and May this year. It planned to house some people in flats and others in large-scale institutional accommodation such as [Napier Barracks](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/the-use-of-napier-barracks-to-house-asylum-seekers-regret-motion/?ref=theferret.scot) in Kent and the [Bibby Stockholm](https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/83/home-affairs-committee/news/199747/questions-for-home-office-on-conditions-at-bibby-stockholm/?ref=theferret.scot) barge, moored off the Dorset coast. In July the new Labour government announced that the [barge would close](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jul/23/bibby-stockholm-barge-to-close-after-january-says-home-office?ref=theferret.scot) in January 2025\. It is also “committed” to reducing the use of hotels. ### **How were asylum seekers previously accommodated?** Under the [Immigration and Asylum Act 1999](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/33/contents?ref=theferret.scot) asylum seekers were housed by local authorities across the UK who agreed to do so. Initially housing was provided at least in part by local authorities, but by 2012 the contracts were controlled completely by large private firms. Following a 28-day period in “[initial accommodation](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/living-in-asylum-accommodation/living-in-dispersal-accommodation-english?ref=theferret.scot)” – sometimes provided in hostels or similar – people were housed in subcontracted private lets, often in working-class communities. Campaigners point out that this allowed asylum seekers to [integrate](https://maryhillintegration.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), learn English, volunteer and for others to get to know their asylum seeking neighbours. Scottish solidarity campaigns such as those aiming to prevent early morning immigration operations – or [dawn raids](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/may/14/a-special-day-how-glasgow-community-halted-immigration-raid?ref=theferret.scot) – often started in these communities. Some asylum seekers, particularly families, are still placed in flats in this way. Following a positive asylum decision people are asked to leave asylum accommodation within [28 days](https://www.nrpfnetwork.org.uk/information-and-resources/rights-and-entitlements/support-options-for-people-with-nrpf/home-office-support/when-home-office-support-ends?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Unsuccessful%20asylum%20claims&text=They%20will%20have%2021%20days,once%20an%20appeal%20is%20lodged.) and are eligible to access mainstream benefits and apply for housing. If they are refused they have 21 days before asylum support including accommodation is removed. ### **Why did this change?** Despite a previous UK Government target to make an initial decision on all asylum claims within six months – [scrapped in 2019](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/07/home-office-abandons-six-month-target-for-asylum-claim-decisions?ref=theferret.scot) – many asylum claims take years, leading to an increasing number of people in the system. By [November 2019](https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/information/resources/i-sat-watching-life-go-by-my-window-for-so-long-the-experiences-of-people-seeking-asylum-living-in-hotel-accommodation/?ref=theferret.scot) the Refugee Council in England reported concerns that people had been placed in often rundown hotels, described as “contingency accommodation”. The numbers sent to hotels continued to escalate throughout 2020. Meanwhile the number of asylum applications [rose dramatically ](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2023?ref=theferret.scot)in 2022 and 2023 following a dip during Covid-19 restrictions on travel, leading to an unprecedented demand for asylum accommodation. [Row erupts over firm’s briefings to MPs on asylum seeker housingA row has broken out between the private company responsible for housing asylum seekers in Glasgow and refugee charities and campaigners, over the accuracy of information Mears Group has provided to politicians regarding its treatment of vulnerable people since the coronavirus crisis started. Mears Group has moved around 400 asylum![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-2.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/mclays.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-asylum-seeker-mears-hotel/) ### **What is the situation in Scotland?** In March 2020, some asylum seekers were living in more expensive “[serviced apartments](https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-asylum-seeker-mears-hotel/)” – usually used as short-term tourist accommodation – due to the shortage of available flats. As Covid-19 restrictions hit these asylum seekers were also moved into contingency hotels, which were lying empty due to travel restrictions. Despite continued assurances that asylum seekers would be moved back into flats in the community, the use of the hotels across Scotland has increased. There are currently at least 15 hotels being used in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen along with towns from Falkirk to Paisley and East Kilbride, accommodating approximately 1,500 people. ### **What do asylum seekers say about the experience?** While in hotel accommodation asylum seekers are usually expected to [share a bedroom](https://www.theferret.scot/safety-concerns-asylum-seekers-share-bedrooms/) and are provided with three basic meals per day. They receive [£8.86 per week](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/19/asylum-seekers-uk-hotels-allowance-cut?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Support%20payments%20for%20those%20in,the%20Home%20Office%20last%20week.) towards essentials such as phone data, bus or train fares, clothing and non-prescription medicines. [Concerns](https://www.theferret.scot/hundreds-of-asylum-seekers-still-housed-in-hotels/) have been raised about the impact of isolation, uncertainty and extreme poverty facing those in the hotels. In June 2020 Badreddin Abdalla Adam Bosh, 28, from Sudan, stabbed six people including a police officer at the [Park Inn Hotel](https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-stabbing-hotel-asylum-seekers-inquiry/) in Glasgow city centre, while suffering a severe mental health crisis. In May 2020, 30-year-old Syrian asylum seeker [Adnan Olbeh](https://www.theferret.scot/covid-19-syrian-man-dies-asylum-seeker-hotel/) died in a rundown Glasgow guesthouse. Several [suicide attempts](https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-asylum-seekers-scottish-hotels/) have since been reported at hotels in Scotland. ### **How much does it cost?** In December 2023 alone, the Home Office paid [£274m](https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/investigation-into-asylum-accommodation/?ref=theferret.scot) for up to 64,000 beds in hotels in the UK, 45,800 of which were being used. Home secretary Yvette Cooper claimed that due to a “shocking” backlog, the potential cost could be [“an eye-watering £30bn to £40bn”](https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024-07-22/debates/FBB2B906-592F-4047-A6E1-59D6DB97573A/BorderSecurityAndAsylum?ref=theferret.scot) in the next four years unless policies changed. ### **How have they become a target for the far right?** Asylum hotels have become a flashpoint for protests over recent years. During demonstrations in [Rotherham, Aldershot and Tamworth](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/4/far-right-rioters-attack-hotel-housing-asylum-seekers-in-uk?ref=theferret.scot) last week, [hotels hosting](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/04/rioters-try-to-torch-rotherham-asylum-seeker-hotel-amid-far-right-violence?ref=theferret.scot) people claiming asylum were attacked after large groups formed outside. Protests relating to these hotels are [often organised](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/asylum-seekers-housing-coronavirus-far-right-migrant-hotels-channel-crossing-a9687811.html?ref=theferret.scot) by far right groups, and have taken place sporadically across the UK, ramping up over recent years. Opponents to the centres have complained the asylum hotels put pressure on local services, and have claimed those who are staying there have caused crime within the community. However, the [evidence](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/immigration-and-crime-evidence-for-the-uk-and-other-countries/?ref=theferret.scot) on crime rates linked to increases in asylum seekers is inconclusive, according to Oxford University. Anti-immigration activists have targeted asylum hotels in Liverpool, with [violent demonstrations](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/10/far-right-demonstrators-clash-with-police-at-liverpool-hotel-housing-asylum-seekers?ref=theferret.scot) taking place in 2023 and 2024\. These were reportedly organised by far-right groups. In Wales, demonstrators set up a [roadblock to stop asylum seekers](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12310295/Protestors-set-roadblock-outside-Welsh-luxury-hotel-240-asylum-seekers-moving-in.html?ref=theferret.scot) being housed at a hotel in Llanelli. Far right political party [Britain First organised](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/asylum-seekers-housing-coronavirus-far-right-migrant-hotels-channel-crossing-a9687811.html?ref=theferret.scot) a small protest at a hotel for people claiming asylum in Southport in 2021, as well as similar protests in Worcester and Essex. A protest was held in Cheshire in 2020, while similar demonstrations have [occurred](https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/19912/irish-rural-town-at-the-center-of-a-conflict-over-refugees?ref=theferret.scot) in Ireland in the last decade. In Scotland, there have been a few protests at asylum hotels in recent years. In 2015, a [small anti-immigration rally](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/anti-asylum-seeker-protest-scottish-6838884?ref=theferret.scot) was held near a hotel where 150 people seeking asylum had been placed in Ayr. It was called by the far right group Scottish Defence League, an offshoot of the English Defence League. The Ferret has reported on demonstrations at an asylum [hotel in Erskine](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-recruit-erskine-locals-asylum-seekers/) in 2023, which were led by a far right organisation called Patriotic Alternative (PA) Scotland, and later by Homeland, a group which splintered from PA. Homeland is now registered as a political party. The events were met with counter-protests by pro-immigration campaigners. We also revealed that a [far right activist posed](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-activist-target-scotland-asylum-hotel/) as a Home Office inspector to get information about a hotel in Dumfries hosting Ukrainian refugees. ### **What is happening in Scotland now?** Plans for a number of anti-immigration protests have circulated online in recent days, with events organised by far right groups [reportedly planned](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24502230.scottish-defence-force-protest-met-counter-demo/?ref=theferret.scot) this weekend in various Scottish towns. However, there has been no official confirmation that these will take place. Counter protests have been [organised](https://x.com/SUTRScotland/status/1820745406038315015?ref=theferret.scot) in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Paisley by the group Stand Up to Racism. Police Scotland told The Ferret there would be “enhanced patrols and direct engagement” in the coming weeks, and said it was aware of “a number of planned protests, and counter protests, over the coming weeks, which will be policed appropriately”. However, they said [there was currently](https://x.com/PSOSGreaterGlas/status/1821121427191255160?ref=theferret.scot) “no intelligence to suggest any protest is planned” in Glasgow’s George Square on Wednesday 7 August, as has been suggested. *Image: Abdullah Durmaz/iStock* ### UK far right raises money for convicted racists on US platform used by neo-Nazis URL: https://www.theferret.scot/uk-far-right-raises-money-for-convicted-racists/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T13:03:38.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-22.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **British far right activists are raising money for imprisoned white supremacists who were active in Scotland, using a controversial US Christian crowdfunding platform that allows neo-Nazis to fundraise.** GiveSendGo was founded in 2014 to fundraise “for missionary trips, medical expenses for needy families, and other charitable causes”. But the American crowdfunder has been condemned for facilitating far-right actors banned from other platforms. The Ferret analysed more than 6,000 projects listed on GiveSendGo in June and July and identified 96 UK campaigns. We found there are campaigns on the platform for white supremacists, rapists, murderers, conspiracy theorists and far-right influencers. Together these campaigns have raised around £180,000. They include campaigns for white supremacists James Costello and Sam Melia, who are both serving prison sentences for inciting racial hatred. Commenting on our findings, the Scottish Greens urged GiveSendGo to urgently “look at what its platform is being used for” while an academic claimed these campaigns “provide an opportunity for foreign supporters and sympathisers to fund extremist activities”. Costello and Melia, both from England, attended anti-asylum seeker protests in Erskine last year organised by the far right group Patriotic Alternative, as [reported by The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/patriotic-alternative-assessed-uk-government-definition-extremism-neo-nazi-ideology/). ![far right](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-08-02-094454.png) Melia – [once linked ](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2024/03/01/sam-melia-another-patriotic-alternative-racist-behind-bars/?ref=theferret.scot)to the banned neo-Nazi terror group, National Action – was jailed for two years in March after being found guilty of inciting racial hatred, with the judge branding him an “antisemite” with “Nazi sympathies”. He was the Yorkshire organiser for Patriotic Alternative, and head of the Hundred-Handers, an anonymous group responsible for posting racist stickers. The prosecution said these were key signs evidencing Melia’s ideology and highlighted his desire to spread his racist views in a deliberate manner. Following a search of Melia’s home, police discovered a book by Oswald Moseley, who founded the British Union of Fascists, a poster of Adolf Hitler and a Nazi emblem. On Telegram, where Hundred-Handers had 3,500 followers, Melia used racist slurs about black, Asian and Jewish people, the court was told. The campaign for Melia was created by “Mark Collett”, the name of Patriotic Alternative’s controversial leader. It had raised £67,308 at time of writing. James Costello is a former member of Patriotic Alternative. He called himself the “Reverend” and was a leading figure in a white supremacist group called Creativity Movement. He was [jailed last November](https://www.theferret.scot/white-supremacist-asylum-seekers-protests-erskine-jailed-five-years/) for five years for racist offences including a “call to arms against black and Jewish people”. As part of the case against Costello, the Crown Prosecution Service used evidence to show his connections with convicted terrorists, including National Action member Jack Renshaw, who was jailed for life in 2019 for planning to [murder Labour MP Rosie Cooper](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-48306380?ref=theferret.scot). Last February, [The Ferret revealed ](https://www.theferret.scot/white-supremacist-asylum-seekers-protests-erskine-jailed-five-years/)Costello had travelled to Scotland to attend protests in Erskine against asylum seekers being housed in a local hotel. We later reported he was present at a riot outside a hotel accommodating asylum seekers in Merseyside. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-08-02-100520.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/white-supremacist-asylum-seekers-protests-erskine-jailed-five-years/) At time of writing, £3,379 has been raised for Costello on GiveSendGo, where he is described as a “political prisoner”. The fundraising campaign was created by a “Samuel Melia”, who, the site says, will receive the funds for Costello. “This fundraiser is raising money for James while he’s held as a political prisoner of the tyrannical British state. Money will be sent to his commissary funds at his request while he’s inside and to help him find his feet upon his release,” a statement on the site says. “Samual Melia” is also named as the creator of a GiveSendGo page which raises money for another far right activist, James Allchurch, who used the pseudonym, Sven Longshanks. Allchurch was convicted of inciting racial hatred last year and jailed for two and half years, [as reported by The Ferret.](https://www.theferret.scot/convicte-hate-crimes-patriotic-alternative-scotland/) [Allchurch](https://www.theferret.scot/convicte-hate-crimes-patriotic-alternative-scotland/) uploaded offensive podcasts to his website. During the trial, the jury were played fifteen episodes of the podcast which included talk about hanging black and Jewish people, as well as playing a song advocating racial segregation. Another campaign is raising money for Kevin Lane, a convicted hitman who served 20 years for a murder he denies committing. Lane was jailed in 1994 for shooting a man called Robert Magill, in Chorleywood, Hertfordshire. He has always protested his innocence and published a book in 2020 called Fitted up and Fighting Back, the same year he was returned to prison in connection with a common assault, and later released. In February, he was [returned to prison](https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1869176/hitman-shared-cell-MP-Johnny-Mercer-Banged-Up-recalled-prison?ref=theferret.scot) after an unspecified breach of his licence conditions. The GiveSendGo has so far raised £10,000 for his legal fees. Other individuals on the site include someone trying to raise money for a group supporting the [QAnon conspiracy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/53498434?ref=theferret.scot) theory. QAnon is a conspiracy theory that claiming former US president Donald Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping paedophiles in government, business and the media. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-08-02-104605.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/convicte-hate-crimes-patriotic-alternative-scotland/) ### **GiveSendGo and US far right groups** In 2021 [it was reported by The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/10/proud-boys-far-right-givesendgo-christian-fundraising-site?ref=theferret.scot) that a data breach at GiveSendGo revealed millions of dollars had been raised on the site for far-right causes and groups, many of whom are banned from raising funds on other platforms. They included the Proud Boys, designated as a terrorist group in Canada, many of whose fundraising efforts were directly related to the 6 January attack on the United States Capitol. Founded in 2016, the Proud Boys is a far-right, anti-immigrant, all-male group with a history of street violence against left-wing opponents. Maggie Chapman MSP, of the Scottish Greens, said: “These companies need to take a serious and urgent look at what their platforms are being used for. If they are being used to fund hate groups, then they have to ask if that’s really what they want to be known for and what they are doing to stop it. “We know the dangers of money pouring into far-right extremism and the politics of hate, and we’re seeing the damage it’s doing around the world right now. The UK certainly isn’t insulated from that. We need to ensure the necessary safeguards are in place to prevent it from distorting our democratic processes.” > These crowdfunding campaigns are emblematic of the transnational nature of right-wing extremism. > > Professor Candyce Kelshall [Candyce Kelshall](https://theconversation.com/profiles/candyce-kelshall-1205510?ref=theferret.scot), adjunct professor at Buckingham University centre for security and intelligence studies, said: “These crowdfunding campaigns are emblematic of the transnational nature of right-wing extremism. As we saw with the Ottawa Convoy protest, crowdfunding campaigns provide an opportunity for foreign supporters and sympathisers to fund extremist activities from the planning phase all the way to incarceration. “While right-wing extremist groups previously relied on membership fees and large donations from wealthy sympathisers, this new form of fundraising provides expanded access to large pools of donors. When fundraising is no longer an issue, does the barrier for extremist activities lower? This is the question that policymakers should be asking themselves.” Patriotic Alternative and GiveSendGo did not respond to requests for a comment. The Ferret was unable to contact the above named prisoners directly. GiveSendGo is also used for a wide range of legitimate charitable purposes, such as crowdfunding medical bills, aid projects and religious missions. A statement on the site says: “At the end of the summer of 2020 during the middle of a pandemic, we watched as GiveSendGo was thrust into the political spotlight for allowing a campaign that mainstream media had shut down and was censoring. Unbeknownst to us we had stepped onto a battlefield and had to take a stand. “After much prayer, discussion, and counsel\[sic\] a decision was made. GiveSendGo was created for such a time as this. Not to take one side or another politically, but in the middle of a divided political culture, we were to be focused on the very reason we started GiveSendGo, to share the hope of Jesus through crowdfunding to everyone who comes to our platform.” #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Featured photo is of Costello standing in front of a Patriotic Alternative banner at an anti-asylum seeker protest in Erskine this year.* *This story was updated at 12.38 on 19 August 2024 to clarify that Candyce Kelshall is adjunct professor at Buckingham University centre for security and intelligence studies.* ### US pipe explosion raises fears about Scottish carbon capture plans URL: https://www.theferret.scot/us-pipe-explosion-raises-fears-carbon-capture-plans/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:33:58.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-25.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **A carbon dioxide pipeline rupture in the US which hospitalised nearly 50 people has sparked safety fears about plans for a similar pipe across Scotland.** Residents of the small Mississippi town of Satartia were [reportedly](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/gassing-satartia-mississippi-co2-pipeline%5Fn%5F60ddea9fe4b0ddef8b0ddc8f?ref=theferret.scot) left unconscious and foaming at the mouth after being exposed to a cloud of carbon dioxide (CO2) which was released when a nearby pipeline burst in February 2020. Emergency services arriving at the scene [described](https://www.desmog.com/2023/09/14/satartia-disaster-an-anomaly-james-millar-damage-control-carbon-capture-canada/?ref=theferret.scot) finding disoriented victims of the leak “wandering around like zombies”. More than 300 people in Satartia and the surrounding area had to be [evacuated](https://apnews.com/article/carbon-dioxide-spill-federal-order-b9bf4510e7538dfe9c42a2cd85143441?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Over%2040%20people%20received%20hospital%20treatment%2C%20and%20more,Mississippi.%20It%20released%20over%2031%2C000%20barrels%20of%20CO2.) and some of those affected have [claimed](https://www.npr.org/2023/05/21/1172679786/carbon-capture-carbon-dioxide-pipeline?ref=theferret.scot) to be experiencing lasting health effects, including lung problems, years later. Despite the incident and another [recent leak](https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/05/05/a-stark-warning-latest-carbon-dioxide-leak-raises-concerns-about-safety-regulation/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20the%20pipeline%20had,hospitalized%20at%20least%2045%20people.) in the US, a Scottish carbon capture and storage (CCS) project is working on plans to pipe industrial CO2 from the central belt past major towns to Aberdeenshire, where it will then be stored deep under the North Sea. Backers of the scheme – including Shell and the Scottish Government – say it is [vital](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-65122059?ref=theferret.scot) to Scotland’s industrial future and for reaching climate targets. The CCS sector maintains that CO2 pipelines have an “[excellent safety record](https://carbonactionalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/CO2-Pipeline-Safey-Factsheet%5F1%5F30%5F2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)” and advocates have previously described fears about safety as “[overblown](https://www.eenews.net/articles/are-co2-pipelines-safe/?ref=theferret.scot)” and claimed the Satartia incident was an [anomaly](https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2022/09/11/here-minute-details-2020-mississippi-co-2-pipeline-leak-rupture-denbury-gulf-coast/8015510001/?ref=theferret.scot). But campaigners argue it is proof that piping CO2 can be “extremely dangerous” and called for precautions to be put in place to make sure communities are prepared in the case of a leak. One US charity raised particular concerns over plans in Scotland to transport CO2 through an old natural gas pipeline which, it claims, could increase the chance of a rupture. However the company which owns the pipeline that could be reused told The Ferret it would “never take forward a project if there was a risk to public safety”. ### **Repurposing concerns** Both the [Scottish](https://www.theferret.scot/plans-tackling-climate-crisis-scottish-government/) and [UK](https://www.ccsassociation.org/all-news/ccsa-news/ccsa-welcomes-the-labour-partys-support-for-ccus-in-their-manifesto/?ref=theferret.scot) governments have committed to scaling up CCS to reduce the country’s contribution to the climate crisis. [CCS](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-carbon-capture-storage/) involves capturing CO2 produced from industrial processes at sites like oil refineries, cement plants and power stations. The captured CO2 is then transported to locations where it can be safely stored, usually deep underground. This stops it entering the atmosphere where it causes global warming. On a visit to the north east last week, first minister John Swinney [pledged](https://www.insider.co.uk/news/swinney-sets-out-funding-landmark-33294081?ref=theferret.scot) £2m to a study by gas transmission company, National Gas, which will assess the “feasibility” of converting one of the firm’s unused natural gas pipelines to transport CO2. The pipe could be key to Scotland’s CCS plans and would transport CO2 from pollution hotspots in the central belt like Grangemouth to the St Fergus gas plant near Peterhead, where the [Acorn Project](https://theacornproject.uk/projects?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Industry%20in%20the%20Central%20Belt,pipeline%20%E2%80%93%20the%20SCO%E2%82%82T%20Connect%20project.) is based. The Acorn Project – considered the [backbone](https://archive.is/kPHGs?ref=theferret.scot) of Scotland’s budding CCS industry – will then [transport](https://theacornproject.uk/projects?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Industry%20in%20the%20Central%20Belt,pipeline%20%E2%80%93%20the%20SCO%E2%82%82T%20Connect%20project.) the CO2 from St Fergus through offshore pipes to permanent storage in rock formations under the North Sea. The pipeline project is still at the design stage and any construction work is unlikely to happen for a number of years and is dependent on further government support. The prospect of reusing the old onshore gas pipeline – which [passes](https://oeuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/020523%5FOEUK%5FAcorn%5FFINAL-V3.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) close to Stirling, Dunblane, Perth and Forfar – has alarmed an American charity called the [Pipeline Safety Trust](https://pstrust.org/?ref=theferret.scot). It has been at the [forefront](https://pstrust.org/carbon-dioxide-pipelines-dangerous-and-under-regulated/?ref=theferret.scot) of the campaign for better regulation of CO2 pipelines in the US and said it is “very concerned” about plans to repurpose natural gas pipes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/download-2-1-jpeg.jpg) A drone photo taken from above the rupture of a carbon dioxide pipeline near Satartia. Image: PHMSA investigative report/Mississippi Emergency Management Agency [Studies](https://www.eeia.org/post/CCUS-Pipeline-Transport-Meeting-the-Dual-Challenge.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) have [suggested](https://pipelinefighters.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2010-Fracture-Control-Strategy-for-Conversion-of-OG-Pipelines-to-CO2.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) that reusing natural gas pipes for CO2 could be problematic. CO2 is [usually](https://www.hse.gov.uk/pipelines/co2conveying-full.htm?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=CO2%20is%20not%20currently,controls%20under%20Land%20Use%20Planning.) piped at high pressures and very low temperatures, which requires pipelines suited to those conditions. It can also corrode steel pipes if it is contaminated with water, increasing the risk of a rupture. “Prior to moving CO2 through a pipeline, operators and safety regulators must take into account contaminant risks and have a plan to mitigate their potential negative impacts,” the Pipeline Safety Trust’s policy manager, Amanda McKay, told The Ferret. She continued: “Pipeline failures in the US have shaken communities, decimated ecosystems, and stolen the lives of far too many people. “The CO2 pipeline failure in Satartia continues to have lasting impacts on the community with many individuals still facing ongoing health issues and trauma.” A spokesperson for National Gas said: “Safety and technical feasibility have been critical considerations throughout our joint work with our partners on this project, which aims to design a carbon dioxide transport and storage network to cut carbon emissions. “We would never take forward a project if there was a risk to public safety and this initiative will only progress after the necessary approvals from the safety and environmental regulators.” ### **Safety debate** The Satartia blowout has prompted a [growing debate](https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/who-s-afraid-carbon-capture-pipeline-co2-ccs?ref=theferret.scot) about CO2 pipeline safety in the US, where there are plans to massively expand the pipeline network to accommodate the CCS industry. In the state of South Dakota, for example, a referendum has been [called](https://apnews.com/article/carbon-dioxide-pipeline-south-dakota-midwest-079f1152b5a8720f0daffcb05cb2f6fa?ref=theferret.scot) on the same day as this year’s US presidential election on laws relating to the approval of a CO2 pipeline which will snake its way through the state. Possible safety issues with the pipe are expected to be a talking point in the campaign. That debate is not yet happening publicly in Scotland, though, despite the fact CCS is also key to climate strategy here. Carbon dioxide is an [asphyxiant](https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/are-there-risks-transporting-carbon-dioxide-pipelines?ref=theferret.scot) and in gas form is heavier than air. When large quantities of it are released all at once, CO2 can hug the ground and displace oxygen, making it difficult to breathe. Depending on the concentration of CO2 in the air – and how long a person is exposed to it – exposure can cause [symptoms](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media%5Ffile/2020-08/Carbon-Dioxide.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) ranging from coughing and dizziness to coma and even death. Exposure to CO2 also has an [intoxicating ](https://www.hse.gov.uk/carboncapture/carbondioxide.htm?ref=theferret.scot)effect which can cause confusion and make people feel as if they are drunk. Some residents in Satartia were [found](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gassing-satartia-mississippi-co2-pipeline%5Fn%5F60ddea9fe4b0ddef8b0ddc8f?ref=theferret.scot) unconscious in their cars because their engines had shut off. CO2 concentrations in the air were so high that there was not enough oxygen for the car’s internal combustion engine to ignite. This also hampered the ability of first responders to evacuate affected communities. Another obstacle to the emergency response in Satartia was the fact that emergency services did not immediately recognise that victims’ symptoms were caused by a CO2 leak. Pure CO2 is both [odourless and colourless](https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eper-chemicals-glossary/carbon-dioxide-co2?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Carbon%20dioxide%20is%20a%20colourless,in%20water%2C%20forming%20carbonic%20acid.) which makes it difficult to detect when in the air. This – allied to the fact that large amounts of pressurised CO2 can be [released](https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/confronting-myth-carbon-free-fossil-fuels-why-carbon-capture-not-climate?ref=theferret.scot) at the same time when a pipeline carrying it bursts – can “dramatically increase the size and scope of the impacted area in the case of a rupture”, according to Amanda McKay. It is “imperative” that Scottish communities near the pipeline are as “prepared as possible”, including by having specific emergency training and resources along the route of the pipe, McKay argued. Scottish environmental campaigners have long [questioned](https://scottishcommunityalliance.org.uk/2021/04/27/carbon-unicorns/?ref=theferret.scot) the role of CCS in Scotland’s transition to a cleaner future. > The experience from the USA shows that there are very real risks to piping high pressure carbon dioxide across large distances. > > Alex Lee, Friends of the Earth Scotland One of those is Alex Lee, who campaigns on climate issues at [Friends of the Earth Scotland](https://foe.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). They claimed the Scottish and UK governments are “gung-ho” for CCS despite what they branded “decades of expensive failure and abject underperformance” in reducing emissions. Lee argued the real reason for the promotion of CCS is to “greenwash” the oil industry’s plans to “keep going with fossil fuels”. The Acorn Project is a [joint venture](https://theacornproject.uk/about-acorn?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Acorn%20is%20a%20joint%20venture,and%20North%20Sea%20Midstream%20Partners.) between a number of parties including oil drilling companies Shell and Harbour Energy. As well as existing polluters in the central belt, Acorn [could](https://www.ssethermal.com/flexible-generation/development/peterhead-carbon-capture/?ref=theferret.scot) in future store CO2 shipped from elsewhere in Europe and from a proposed new gas power plant at Peterhead which will be equipped with CCS technology. The Peterhead plan has been [vigorously opposed](https://foe.scot/peterhead-power-station-explained/?ref=theferret.scot) by environmental groups who fear it will keep Scotland “locked into drilling and burning fossil fuels for decades to come” and point out that no CCS technology will capture 100 per cent of emissions produced. Lee called on the government to reject plans for the Peterhead plant and told The Ferret: “The climate and environmental risks of relying on carbon capture have been well documented but this explosion in Mississippi shows there could also be serious risks to public safety. “The experience from the USA shows that there are very real risks to piping high pressure carbon dioxide across large distances and the industry will be proceeding with a trial-and-error approach in the UK.” The Acorn Project declined to comment on this story. In a section on health and safety in a 2021 [technical report](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6219ede58fa8f549142bf3a2/A01%5FKKD7%5FD08%5FOps%5Fand%5FMaintenance.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), the project said emergency plans would be “developed prior to any construction activity” and said personnel would be “trained and competent to deal with any incidents”. The report continued: “The natural behaviour of CO2 upon release and the potential for it to stall combustion engine vehicles will require careful consideration and adjustment in emergency response. “There will need to be wider consultation with emergency services and the public to address emergency response methods in relation to CO2 events.” The Scottish Government said the cash it gave to Acorn would allow it to examine the “technical feasibility and viability” of repurposing a natural gas pipeline to carry CO2 and would “explore a range of areas including pipeline safety requirements”. Proponents of CCS have previously accused activists of scaremongering. “All an opponent has to say is ‘don’t do CCS, or you’re going to have people walking around like zombies foaming at the mouth like they did in Satartia,” one executive [claimed](https://www.desmog.com/2023/09/14/satartia-disaster-an-anomaly-james-millar-damage-control-carbon-capture-canada/?ref=theferret.scot) at an industry conference in Canada last year. “You scare people. You share this information and they’ll be against it.” The Health and Safety Executive, which is responsible for pipeline safety across the UK, said it would continue updating regulatory frameworks as the roll out of CO2 pipelines continued. It added that it was working on [two](https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/content/science-review-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)[ projects](https://www.dnv.com/article/skylark-pioneering-excellence-in-co2-pipeline-safety-250648?ref=theferret.scot) with external companies to understand and address CO2 pipeline safety issues. *Cover image credit: iStock/MikeMareen* #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. ### What has The Ferret been up to in July? Local journalism, Scottish forests, and the Fringe URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-has-the-ferret-been-up-to-in-july/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T13:03:38.000Z Fringe season is upon us, bringing its usual mix of creativity, drama, and international crowds to the Scottish capital. Speaking of the festival, did you know you can catch Ferret co-editor Karin Goodwin at the Fringe tomorrow? Following our June event on sharing your lived experience of trauma on the public stage, she will join writer, commentator, and performer Darren McGarvey, along with documentary filmmaker Stephen Bennett and journalist Stephen Stewart, in a conversation about the ethics of reporting trauma. Don’t miss out – book your tickets [here](https://www.thestand.co.uk/fringe/2036/darren-mcgarvey-trauma-industrial-complex-trauma-and-oversharing-in-the-age-of-lived-experience?ref=theferret.scot). But that’s not all! Our July has been packed with impactful journalism. Read on to find out more about our achievements this past month and how our work is making a difference in Scotland and beyond. ### **Reviving local journalism** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-jpeg-1.jpg) Last week, The Guardian published [an in-depth exploration](https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/jul/28/mill-media-joshi-herrmann-interview-local-uk-news-substack-sheffield-manchester-birmingham-liverpool?ref=theferret.scot) of the evolving landscape of local journalism, highlighting how independent ventures are driving innovation. Starting from Mill Media, they highlighted numerous examples of such innovators, including our community newsroom. Opened in partnership with Greater Govanhill, it’s the first of its kind in the UK. Have you had the chance to check it out yet? Come and say hi at 82 Bowman St in Govanhill, Glasgow. Our newsroom is also [open for desk rentals and venue hire](https://www.greatergovanhill.com/newsroom?ref=theferret.scot). ### **You helped us raise £10k** Back in June, we joined Indie News Week, a campaign designed to connect communities with their local journalists, offering a glimpse into the people behind independent publications and the dedication required to cover local stories accurately and fairly. During the campaign, anything we earned would be doubled up to £5,000\. Thanks to your incredible support, we not only met our target but exceeded it, thus raising a total of £10,000 — and we even snagged an extra £200 bonus! This will fully be reinvested in our journalism. ### **Our work sparked change** ![Salmon firm accused of misleading locals over plans for fish farm in highland beauty spot](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/img-20240418-wa0004.jpg) Last month, The Norwegian salmon farming multinational Mowi [withdrew](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-firm-withdraws-feed-barge-application-for-loch-broom/) a controversial application for an industrial feeding system for a fish farm in a marine protected area, following [a Ferret expose](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-fish-farm-scottish-highlands-misleading/) revealing the firm allegedly “lied” to locals”. The plan would have seen a large vessel allowed onto Loch Broom to feed thousands of salmon at a fish farm. But dozens of people objected to the planning application and Loch Broom residents claimed Wester Ross Fisheries misled them over its plans. ### **Our stories made some noise** In early June, we revealed that the SNP had been [accused](https://www.theferret.scot/snp-under-fire-for-exaggerated-oil-jobs-claim/) of spreading ‘misinformation’ over its key election claim that Labour’s plans for the North Sea oil industry could cost 100,000 Scottish jobs. This story not only was discussed by our journalist Paul Dobson on BBC Radio 4’s More or Less programme, but was also referenced in an article by [Full Fact](https://fullfact.org/election-2024/labour-energy-plans-100000-scottish-jobs/?ref=theferret.scot). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-5.jpg) Earlier this year, we uncovered that sitka spruce, a North American tree that kills native species and threatens protected habitats vital in the fight against climate change, now makes up nearly half of Scotland’s forests. [Our investigation](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) was followed up by The Herald, in an article about the state of Scottish forests, both [online](https://www.heraldscotland.com/business%5Fhq/24464115.the-scottish-government-stop-planting-grants/?ref=theferret.scot) and [in print](https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-herald-on-sunday/20240721/281479281655858?ref=theferret.scot). They also mentioned our investigation revealing that Scottish investment giant Abrdn increased its shares in several U.S. fossil fuel firms last year while also claiming millions of taxpayer dollars for a carbon offsetting scheme to plant trees in the Highlands. Meanwhile, the [Express](https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/chris-law-snp-mps-left-33306327?ref=theferret.scot) and [Scottish Daily Express](https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1927538/snps-hypocrisy-laid-bare-fact-checker?ref=theferret.scot) mentioned [our fact check](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-snp-has-power-to-scrap-two-child-cap-in-scotland-is-half-true/) on the two-child benefit cap. #### **That’s all for this month!** If you have any questions about our work, or would like to help us shape our future investigations, you can get in touch with the team at contact@theferret.scot. #### As you know, here at The Ferret we pride ourselves in making *good journalism that changes things*. And you can help us do more of it. #### It’s easy: you can contribute by becoming a member today or with a one-off donation . If these options are not for you, you can always subscribe to our free newsletter to support our work. ### Claim 27 per cent of pensioners are millionaires is Mostly True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/27-per-cent-pensioners-millionaires-mostly-true/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:46:51.000Z **The Labour government’s decision to scrap winter fuel payments for about 10 million pensioners in England and Wales has led to significant debate.** Multiple articles and social media posts in support of the move suggested that a significant proportion of those 65 and over were in fact millionaires, and did not need the benefit. > 27 per cent of pensioners are millionaires. > > Social media posts CLAIM: “27% of pensioners are millionaires” [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it **Mostly True**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_FactService_Logo_RGB-4.png) #### **Evidence** The policy, [announced](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c51y5pgkylqo?ref=theferret.scot) by chancellor Rachel Reeves on 29 July, means pensioners in England and Wales who do not receive means-tested benefits won’t be eligible for winter fuel payments. Reeves [claimed this was part of cost-cutting measures](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c51y5pgkylqo?ref=theferret.scot) enforced on the UK Government due to a “black hole” in public finances left by the previous Conservative government. This decision does not impact Scotland directly, as winter fuel payments are devolved to the Scottish Government. Scotland’s public finance minister [Ivan McKee said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4ngr3kndnxo?ref=theferret.scot) on Tuesday he was not sure if the Scottish Government would be able to keep universal winter fuel payments in place, as there would be a knock-on effect on Scottish funding from the UK Government decision. Some [posters](https://x.com/ianssmart/status/1818044452327346181?ref=theferret.scot) on [social](https://x.com/birtburn/status/1818572949122662412?ref=theferret.scot) [media](https://x.com/joseph%5Frohrbach/status/1818764968361443779?ref=theferret.scot) and [political columnists](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/reeves-is-right-to-cut-the-winter-fuel-bung/?ref=theferret.scot) defended the move, suggesting many pensioners did not need a payment for their fuel bills. #### **What are pensioners entitled to?** Prior to the announcement, those [born before September 1957](https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/eligibility?ref=theferret.scot) have been eligible for cash payments of between £200 and £600 each year. These were [available to everyone](https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/eligibility?ref=theferret.scot) above pensionable age. The UK Government has now [restricted this payment](https://news.sky.com/story/winter-fuel-payment-changes-are-you-still-eligible-13187277?ref=theferret.scot) to people who are receiving pension credit or some other forms of benefits. These are income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income-related employment and support allowance and universal credit. This means about 1.5 million people will be eligible for the payment, compared to 11.4 million when the payment was universal. #### **Where did the pensioner millionaires claim come from?** The data underpinning the claim that 27 per cent of pensioners are millionaires comes from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Its [latest data](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/datasets/totalwealthwealthingreatbritain?ref=theferret.scot) on wealth and equality in the UK was released in 2023, covering between 2018 and 2020. The statistics show how household wealth has grown for those aged 65 and over. Between April 2018 and March 2020, 27 per cent of people in this age bracket live in households with total wealth of more than £1m. This has increased since 2006 to 2008, when seven per cent of 65+ people lived in households worth more than £1m. #### **How do you define a millionaire?** The statistics from the ONS [measure total household wealth](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/bulletins/totalwealthingreatbritain/april2016tomarch2018?ref=theferret.scot). This is not simply a measure of how much disposable wealth people have in the bank. It also takes into account the amount of money in household pensions, as well as the value of their property. The increase in millionaire households over the past two decades is largely due to [increases in house prices and pension value](https://www.if.org.uk/2022/07/05/should-the-3-million-pensioner-millionaires-be-benefiting-from-the-pensions-triple-lock/?ref=theferret.scot). According to the [Resolution Foundation](https://www.if.org.uk/2022/07/05/should-the-3-million-pensioner-millionaires-be-benefiting-from-the-pensions-triple-lock/?ref=theferret.scot), 90 per cent of UK personal wealth is held in pensions or housing. The figures also [refer to the number of people](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/bulletins/totalwealthingreatbritain/april2016tomarch2018?ref=theferret.scot) who live in households valued at £1m or more, rather than individual millionaires. This means two people aged 65+ living in a household worth £1m would both be included in the millionaire category, despite that wealth being split between them. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** The latest statistics, from 2020, show that 27 percent of those 65 and over live in households with a total wealth of £1m or more. The data does not show whether these individuals are millionaires, and much of the wealth comes from house and pension value, rather than disposable financial wealth. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/TheFerret_FactService_Scale_MostlyTrue_RGB.png) *Mostly True – The claim is still true, but requires further information or clarification to create a full picture*. *Main image: iStock/monkeybusinessimages* ### Non-native trees dominate Galloway forest at centre of would-be national park URL: https://www.theferret.scot/non-native-trees-galloway-forest-national-park/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T13:03:42.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-24.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **At least 86 per cent of trees in Galloway forest park are non-native, The Ferret can reveal, prompting calls to diversify woodland in what could be Scotland’s third national park.** The 77,300 hectare [Galloway Forest Park](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/forest-parks/galloway-forest-park?ref=theferret.scot) makes up a large swath of the area proposed to be a new national park in south west Scotland. But data we obtained from [Forestry and Land Scotland](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which owns and manages the forest park on behalf of the public, shows that as little as 8.5 per cent of its tree cover consists of native species. \[table id=477 /\] Some 72 per cent is made up of Sitka spruce – a conifer central to the commercial forestry industry. In May, [we revealed](https://theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland?ref=theferret.scot) that the North American tree, deemed “invasive” by some, now makes up nearly half of Scotland’s forests. As well as crowding out and killing native species if left unmanaged, Sitka spruce spreads into important habitats such as peat bogs, risking the release of vast amounts of carbon the bogs have absorbed. Forestry bodies [argue](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) that Sitka absorbs carbon quickly, is key to Scotland’s woodland growth and net zero targets, supports 25,000 jobs, and contributes £1bn to the economy, however. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-31-105525.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/) But the prevalence of the conifers in Galloway has reignited debates about the future of the tree in Scotland. A forestry think tank and national park campaigners claim Sitka spruce plantations harm biodiversity, and want to see a reduction in the south west and beyond. However, Forestry and Land Scotland said Sitka, and other commercial plantations, are “fundamental” to tackling climate change, and ensuring wildlife conservation and timber supplies. ### **Galloway campaigners’ tree concerns** Galloway emerged from a shortlist of candidate areas as the preferred location of a new national park on 22 July, with NatureScot now due to conduct a public consultation and probe into the bid. Behind the proposal are the Galloway National Park Association (GNPA) and the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO biosphere. They argue the region’s varied landscape of rolling hills, coastlines, beaches, forests, moors and farmland make it a “Scotland in miniature”. [According to](https://www.gallowaynationalpark.org/our-views?ref=theferret.scot) the GNPA, 30 per cent of the local landscape is tree covered, compared to 18 per cent average Scotland-wide. But much recent planting is of Sitka spruce, and the local landscape is impacted when large plantations are felled at once, the GNPA website states. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/galloway_hills_04_by_axy_stock_d2nhwem.jpg) Clear felled trees at Black Loch in Galloway Forest Park. Image: [Axy-stock](https://www.deviantart.com/axy-stock?ref=theferret.scot). [Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/?ref=theferret.scot) It would like [broadleaf woods](https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/habitats/broadleaved-woodland/?ref=theferret.scot) to become the majority in Galloway. A national park would help in “assessing the impacts of forest and woodland policy”, and engage with industries to encourage perceived issues to be tackled, it argued. The GNPA declined to comment and referred The Ferret to its bid submission, which said the forest park “consists of significant areas of commercial conifer crops, and historic planting practices have had a negative impact on our biodiversity”. It added: “The future must lie in sustainable forest management, restoring functional peat and increased planting of broadleaf species. Ensuring a resilient forestry industry that also delivers increasing biodiversity and community benefits is a key priority.” ### **Calls for forestry overhaul** Willie McGhee, a forest owner and manager who sits on the board of the [Forest Policy Group](https://www.forestpolicygroup.org/?ref=theferret.scot) think tank, branded Sitka spruce a “great tree”, but one which is “overused”. “The industry should consider using a more diverse range of tree species – planted in mixtures – than we currently see being planted,” said McGhee. “It would be great if the existing spruce forests of Dumfries and Galloway could be more actively managed – to make them more resilient to [pests and diseases](https://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/news/24475011.ips-typographus-discovered-sitka-spruce-first-time/?ref=ebbn&nid=1626&u=694b969c2af42d7bb8e90084b3581138&date=250724) and to benefit local people through economic activity and forest produce used and processed locally. “Open the forests up and make them attractive, biodiverse and welcoming places rather than the dark, lowering and forbidding habitats they are when left unmanaged.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-31-105723.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/argyll-commercial-forests-flouting-green-rules/) The national park bid is a result of a commitment outlined in the 2021 Bute House agreement, in which the Scottish Greens entered government with the SNP. They promised to create at least one new national park in Scotland by 2026, to join Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and the Cairngorms. Lorna Slater, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens who led on the project as biodiversity minister, welcomed the selection of Galloway as the preferred next national park. Asked about the lack of native trees in Galloway forest park, she said: “Native woodland restoration is a crucial part of our response to the climate emergency. We know that it will take time to even get close to the levels of native forestry we need, but that is why it is so important that we act now. “Our national parks have an important role in leading the change and showcasing the positive impact that nature restoration can have for communities, climate and local economies. Supporting our native woodlands must play a key part in that.” A Forestry and Land Scotland spokesperson said: “Scotland’s commercial forests are fundamental to our rural economy, to Scotland’s climate emergency response and to long-term efforts to the conservation of species such as pine marten, red squirrel and raptors such as goshawks. “They also reduce our reliance on timber shipped in from overseas and lessen the vulnerability of the UK economy to any interruption to the timber supply chain.” #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Header image © [Jim Barton](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/26362?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot))* ### Claim the UK Government is ‘downgrading’ issue of migrants that are ‘breaking the law’ is Mostly False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/uk-government-migrants-breaking-law-mostly-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T13:04:46.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-26.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **The UK Government has been criticised for changing the language it uses in statements and publicity around migrants**. Messages sent out by the [Home Office on X](https://x.com/ukhomeoffice/status/1815440711539384328?ref=theferret.scot) used the term “irregular” migration instead of “illegal”, which led to complaints from politicians who suggested the party was attempting to “bury” the issue. In a [social media post](https://x.com/TiceRichard/status/1816034670858961364?ref=theferret.scot), Reform MP Richard Tice suggested this was a “downgrade”. > Labour downgrade illegal migration to irregular. It is illegal. They are breaking the law. British people fuming about the boats & will not tolerate this fudge [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it **Mostly False**. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-38.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Evidence** A post from the Home Office [account on X](https://x.com/ukhomeoffice/status/1815440711539384328?ref=theferret.scot) set out the priorities of new home secretary Yvette Cooper. It read “We are taking control of irregular migration” and listed “speeding up asylum processing”, “launching a border security command” and “working with international partners to strike new returns”. The word “irregular” was seized upon by some on social media, including Reform’s leader Nigel Farage and MP Richard Tice. ### **Irregular vs illegal?** There is not a universally agreed definition of [irregular migration](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/irregular-migration-in-the-uk/?ref=theferret.scot), but it is usually used to describe migrants coming into a country through routes that are not formalised. This could be entering a country then overstaying on a visa, for example, or using forged documents at customs. Entering via a small boat crossing the English Channel is a widely-publicised irregular route for migrants. The previous Conservative government used the term “illegal migration” regularly in public communications and in parliament, but “irregular” was used in official statistics released by the Home Office. ### **How many people come to the UK through irregular routes?** In the year up to March 2024, [38,546 people](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/irregular-migration-to-the-uk-year-ending-march-2024/irregular-migration-to-the-uk-year-ending-march-2024?ref=theferret.scot) arrived in the UK through irregular routes. This was 28 per cent lower than in the previous year. Of these arrivals, 81 per cent came in small boats crossing the channel. Such crossings have been the most common method of irregular migration since 2020. According [to the Home Office](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/irregular-migration-to-the-uk-year-ending-march-2024/irregular-migration-to-the-uk-year-ending-march-2024?ref=theferret.scot#about), this was likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic making “other methods of entry, such as air or ferry, less viable”. Other experts have suggested the increase is down to the tightening of other [methods of entry](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/people-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/?ref=theferret.scot). Small boats are more likely to be recorded as they are the most visible type of irregular entry to the UK. ### **Are irregular migrants breaking the law?** Richard Tice’s post states irregular migrants are “breaking the law”. This is true in some instances. The [Nationality and Borders Act 2022](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/36/notes/division/8/index.htm?ref=theferret.scot) states that entering the UK without valid permissions is punishable up to four years in prison. However, the rules are different if you are claiming asylum in the UK. Under laws [set out by the United Nations](https://www.unhcr.org/uk/about-unhcr/who-we-are/1951-refugee-convention?ref=theferret.scot), that the UK signed up to, refugees cannot be penalised for entering a country through an irregular route, as long as they contact the proper authorities as soon as possible and show they had good reason for entering through an unofficial route. Currently, the UK does not have regular routes for those seeking asylum, [aside from a few](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-march-2024/safe-and-legal-humanitarian-routes-to-the-uk?ref=theferret.scot) schemes covering specific countries and issues, such as Ukraine, Hong Kong and Afghanistan. Outside of these schemes, there is no way for an asylum seeker to apply for refuge from outside the UK, meaning irregular routes, including crossing the channel in small boats, are one of the only ways to get to the UK if someone intends to apply for asylum. Refugees are allowed to apply for asylum in any country which is signed up to the [UN’s 1951 refugee convention](https://www.unhcr.org/uk/about-unhcr/who-we-are/1951-refugee-convention?ref=theferret.scot). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-29-115315.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-migration-is-at-record-high-is-mostly-true/) ### **How many irregular migrants apply for refugee status?** In the year [to March 2024](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/irregular-migration-to-the-uk-year-ending-march-2024/irregular-migration-to-the-uk-year-ending-march-2024?ref=theferret.scot#asylum-claims-from-small-boat-arrivals), 99 per cent of those who arrived in small boats claimed asylum in the UK. Since 2018, 93 per cent of small boat arrivals have made an asylum claim. Between 2018 and March 2023, 72 per cent of those who had an asylum decision were granted refugee status. In the last year, asylum decisions were effectively paused due to new government rules. The [majority of those who claimed asylum](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/people-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/?ref=theferret.scot) since 2018 were still waiting for a decision in March 2024. ### The **Illegal Migration Act** Legislation intended to reduce irregular migration was brought in by the then-Conservative government, and came into force in July 2023. The [illegal migration act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/37/section/1/enacted?ref=theferret.scot) [means those](https://ukandeu.ac.uk/explainers/illegal-migration-act-2023/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=a%20British%20citizen.%E2%80%9D-,The%20Act%20prevents%20people%20who%20meet%20the%20conditions%20for%20removal,or%20after%207%20March%202023.) arriving in the UK illegally would no longer be settled in the UK and effectively unable to gain refugee status. Instead they are detained and then removed to the country they came from or a “safe” third country. The bill was criticised as breaching UN rules the UK is signed up to, and for creating a significant backlog of migrants who could not be processed through the UK’s migration system. Those who arrived in the UK after crossing in small boats since July 2023 have not been granted asylum due to the new rules. The new Labour government has [stated it plans](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2q0rvgv25xo?ref=theferret.scot) to restart processing asylum applications for people who arrived in the UK through irregular routes. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly False** It is illegal to enter the UK without the proper permissions, but under international law, those claiming asylum cannot be punished for entering through irregular routes. This accounts for nearly all people crossing the channel in small boats. While the new UK Government has used the term “irregular” instead of “illegal” in public communications, the word “irregular” has been widely used in UK official statistics for many years. ![This claim is Mostly False](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_4mostlyfalse-8.png) **Mostly False* – The claim may contain a kernel of truth but leaves out facts which lead one to a different impression.* > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Photo credit: iStock* ### Ketamine therapy for depression offered in Scottish first URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ketamine-therapy-depression-scottish-first/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T17:13:53.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-25.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) Ketamine is known as both a party drug and a horse tranquiliser. But now it is to be offered to Scots suffering severe depression for the first time at a private clinic in South Lanarkshire. The treatment, which will involve doses of ketamine, is already available through NHS trusts in both London and [Oxford](https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/ips/ketamine-trd/?ref=theferret.scot). Patients must pay for the drug and are advised not to undergo treatment unless they can afford at least £3,000 per year. It is also offered by [private clinics](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/nov/12/growing-number-of-uk-clinics-offer-ketamine-for-depression-say-experts?ref=theferret.scot) in England. Now the [Eulas Clinic](https://eulasclinics.com/team-members/john-gillen/?ref=theferret.scot) in Hamilton has become the first Scottish provider to go through the regulatory process allowing them to offer the drug for treating depression where other medication and therapies have not succeeded. Clinic directors hope it will be “life saving” for [suicidal patients](https://www.theferret.scot/soaring-suicide-harm-asylum-linked-accommodation/) who have been failed by other treatments and feel they have nowhere left to turn. The programme, which includes doses of ketamine given intravenously, alongside up to 12 psychotherapy sessions, costs £5,000. The use of ketamine as a [treatment](https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-services-failing-people-using-drugs/) for depression is also currently being considered by at least one Scottish NHS health board. Ketamine is already licenced across the UK as an [anaesthetic](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/302663?ref=theferret.scot) and for pain relief. But it is also used illicitly as a [recreational drug](https://www.timeout.com/uk/nightlife/how-ketamine-became-britains-go-to-party-drug?ref=theferret.scot) known as ket or special K, which can cause users to go into a hallucinatory and static state. In 2023 police in England seized [record amounts](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales-financial-year-ending-2023/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales-financial-year-ending-2023?ref=theferret.scot) and drug agencies claim it is increasingly popular party drug, particularly with younger users. ### Growing research on benefits of ketamine In recent years there has been [growing interest](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370%2823%2900304-8/fulltext?ref=theferret.scot) in its potential as a depression treatment. The effects can be short-lived with the impact lasting only a few days initially in some patients, though this can be extended as the treatment continues. The average length of time ketamine is beneficial is 10 days, according to the [Oxford Health](https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/ips/ketamine-trd/treatment/?ref=theferret.scot) ketamine service. Some leading psychiatrists advocating its use have claimed that because it has an [immediate impact](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ketamine-for-treatment-resistant-depression-when-and-where-is-it-safe-202208092797?ref=theferret.scot) – unlike antidepressants which can take several weeks to work – it can save lives when used under proper medical supervision. However, others have [raised concerns](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10958069/?ref=theferret.scot) about using an addictive drug like ketamine for such a vulnerable group, raised worries about side effects, and warned that very careful monitoring and regulation is needed. Eulas clinic founder John Gillen, told The Ferret he became interested in the use of ketamine and other psychedelics drugs such as [psilocybin](https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-psychedelic-drugs-may-help-depression?ref=theferret.scot) – the substance found in “magic” mushrooms – while running rehab centres as the director of the private [Rehab Clinics Group](https://rehabclinicsgroup.com/locations/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-bathgate/?ref=theferret.scot). A former alcoholic in long-term recovery, he claimed that better treatments were needed to address issues like underlying trauma which can lead to addictive use of substances. “I got into all of this because of my own experience,” Gillen told The Ferret, who was a former jockey turned race horse trainer until his “use of alcohol got out of control”. “I got help,” he added. “But in my view the treatments \[for mental health issues\] aren’t good enough. For years I’ve tried to find something else, which led me to an interest in psychedelics. “Our ketamine programme will be offered to people with depression who have had other treatments – both drug and talking therapies – that have not worked,” “It’s been shown to be really effective for that group. “This will be private health care though. We would love there to be NHS funding available but that’s not the case so far. Scotland is a sick country and the mental health support on offer is just not enough. This is the future from my point of view.” > We would love there to be NHS funding available but that’s not the case so far. Scotland is a sick country and the mental health support on offer is just not enough. > > John Gillen Other treatments at the [clinic](https://eulasclinics.com/?ref=theferret.scot) include “non drug induced psychedelic state therapy”, which “seeks to induce altered states of consciousness” deep breathing, meditation and hypnosis. Stroboscopic light therapy, which uses light frequencies “to induce altered states of consciousness similar to those experienced with psychedelic substances” will also be on offer. The Eulas team is monitoring regulatory developments on the use of psilocybin and traditional medicine [ibogaine](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/23/ibogaine-iboga-drug-addiction-psychedelic-gabon?ref=theferret.scot) – a hallucinogenic substance found in the root bark of the West African Iboga shrub –which has been used to treat heroin addiction, with the hope of introducing these if and when they can be legally used. The Ferret has also learned that [NHS Lothian](https://www.nhslothian.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) has been researching the potential of ketamine as an alternative to [electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)](https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/electroconvulsive-therapy-ect/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Electroconvulsive%20therapy%20%28ECT%20for%20short,of%20some%20mental%20health%20problems.) to treat severe depression. A spokesperson said a small number of patients had so far received treatment though “further work needs to be done to develop a full service to deliver this routinely”. There is growing evidence for its use in this way, though some experts claim both treatments have different merits. Edinburgh University lecturer [Anna Ross](https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/dr-anna-ross?ref=theferret.scot), who is currently studying the feasibility of the use of ketamine as a community-based solution for depression and addiction, with the support of the [Wellcome Trust](https://wellcome.org/?gad%5Fsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwko21BhAPEiwAwfaQCHw58bv7G1hWBLm%5FmWxlgQ0--2ikQXqoEjcu3CppJDjX4LAdhCUPSBoCx7YQAvD%5FBwE&ref=theferret.scot), has been monitoring progress at Eulas Clinic. “The benefits of ketamine seem to be quite significant,” she said. “It can be a highly effective treatment for treatment resistant depression. “However the delivery of this treatment is going to be very challenging in Scotland because it takes so long to set-up and get the registration in place so you need a company with the money to do that. That prices out anyone looking to offer this as a community-based solution. “At the moment it is very onerous. Delivery by the NHS is less onerous of course as they don’t require the same set-up costs.” But she also said she also had some “personal concerns” about the addictive nature of ketamine. Ross, who is the founder of the [Scottish Psychedelic Research Group](http://sprg.org/?ref=theferret.scot), is an advocate of “plant based medicine” such as psilocybin and claimed that ketamine was being used in its place because it was “legal” but also “cheap and generic”. ### Side effect concerns Fears about the treatment have been raised by some medical professionals who claim that monitoring is critical to ensure people don’t use private clinics without the knowledge and oversight of their NHS clinical team. Ketamine can have negative side effects and is dangerous if used recreationally on top of supervised doses. Last December an autopsy found Friends actor [Matthew Perry,](https://theconversation.com/matthew-perry-died-of-acute-effects-of-ketamine-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-drug-220032?ref=theferret.scot) who was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy, drowned when he lost consciousness in his hot tub. The levels of ketamine found in his body were far higher than could be explained by this treatment. [Professor Allan Young](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/allan-young?ref=theferret.scot), a consultant psychiatrist and leading academic researching mood disorders such as depression at King’s College London, said: “There must be adequate monitoring of its efficacy, of any side effects and regulation and governance to ensure high standards of overall patient care. “Because ketamine is provided by private clinics and not integrated into the rest of their care there are concerns that there could be doctor shopping, where patients go to one clinic and then another. “It would ideally be provided in an NHS service but there has been inertia there, I would suspect due to a conservative approach. I am certainly not against this in principle but it does need proper oversight because to be frank, ketamine can be a dangerous drug and this group of patients are very vulnerable.” A spokesperson for NHS Lothian said: “There has been recent international work that has suggested the use of IV ketamine is a cost-effective alternative to ECT. We’re considering the applicability of this evidence to our local pathways and are planning to submit formal applications through the drug governance processes. “The introduction of any new service has to be carefully considered, with patient pathways, patient safety, regulatory factors, risk management and overall costs amongst many aspects that must be both worked through and carefully managed.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said NHS services “locally determine which types of treatment would be most beneficial”. “Decisions on whether to prescribe a medicine are matter for the prescribing clinician in consultation with the patient \[and\] informed by advice and guidance about the medicine,” they added. *Cover image thanks to DragonImages/Istock* ### House of Lords: Scots peers cost taxpayer £10m over five years URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scots-peers-cost-taxpayer-house-of-lords/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:39:50.000Z **Scottish members of the House of Lords cost the taxpayer nearly £10m over the last five years, The Ferret can reveal, including tens of thousands of expenses claimed by some who rarely showed up, spoke or voted.** Some peers who claimed expenses had not voted in years and were present on fewer than one in ten working days. Critics slammed the cost of unelected “party cronies and donors”, some of whom, they claim, treat the Lords as a “gentlemen’s club”. They urged the new government to reform the house “as a matter of urgency”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) Supporters of the [House of Lords](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/house-of-lords/) argue that the independent chamber offers greater breadth and depth of experience than the House of Commons but polling has suggested the majority of the public [back reform.](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/news/2022/oct/majority-public-support-house-lords-appointments-reform?ref=theferret.scot) A spokesperson for the Lords pointed out that Scotland-based peers may incur higher travel costs than those living closer to London, and also require overnight accommodation. The Labour government set out details about [its plans to change](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-63864428?ref=theferret.scot) the House of Lords, during the King’s Speech. The [Lords](https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/?ref=theferret.scot) is the secondary chamber of the UK Parliament where members scrutinise government work and recommend changes to legislation. But rather than being elected, peers are [appointed](https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/whos-in-the-house-of-lords/members-and-their-roles/how-members-are-appointed/?ref=theferret.scot), usually for life, by the King, on the advice of the prime minister. The Ferret analysed [official data](https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/whos-in-the-house-of-lords/house-of-lords-expenses/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Members%20of%20the%20Lords%20who,day%20they%20attend%20the%20House.) spanning from the start of 2019 to the end of 2023, focusing on the activity, attendance and expense claims of 72 Scottish peers we identified. They include 15 male heirs who inherited titles as dukes, earls, viscounts and barons via their bloodline. These hereditary peers face removal from the house under new [plans from Labour](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/20/hereditary-peers-house-of-lords-end?ref=theferret.scot), however. > It’s clear that we need a democratically elected second chamber where politicians are appointed by and answer to the people. > > Maggie Chapman MSP, Scottish Greens Among those with lower attendance rates are Tory [Baroness Ruth Davidson](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4927/contact?ref=theferret.scot), who attended 17 per cent of the time – a total of 66 days out of 376 – but claimed £12,000 in expenses, mostly on travel since she was appointed in July 2021. Fellow Tory [Baroness Michelle Mone](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4544/career?ref=theferret.scot), who took leave from the Lords in December 2022 to contest a [bribery and fraud probe](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/17/how-the-michelle-mone-scandal-unfolded-200m-of-ppe-contracts-denials-and-a-government-lawsuit?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=December%202023,bribery%20in%20the%20NCA%20investigation.) into one of her companies, attended 14 per cent of the time and claimed £12,000 over five years. The [Earl of Stair](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3137/contact?ref=theferret.scot), one of Dumfries and Galloway’s largest landowners, attended 18 per cent of the time, but claimed £26,000 for travel, mostly flights. His travel expenses cost nearly as much as he was paid for attending the house. Labour peer [Lord MacKenzie](https://members.parliament.uk/member/2507/career?ref=theferret.scot) is a former trade union official who retired from the Lords on 8 July, having last voted in 2021\. He attended the house 28 per cent of the time and claimed £66,000 in expenses. [Lord Irvine](https://members.parliament.uk/member/1976/career?ref=theferret.scot), a former Labour lord chancellor who [spent £650,000](https://web.archive.org/web/20080403043418/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/02/nirvine02.xml) of taxpayer funds to redecorate his official residence in 1998, has not spoken since 2019\. He had a 13 per cent attendance rate, yet claimed £25,300 in expenses. [Lord Pe](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3153/contact?ref=theferret.scot)[a](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3153/contact?ref=theferret.scot)[rson](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3153/contact?ref=theferret.scot) represented both UKIP and the Tories, before sitting as an independent. He was present 39 per cent of the time, claimed £25,000 in expenses and has not voted since May 2023. > Whilst some Scottish peers work hard, others treat the House of Lords as a gentlemen’s club or just bask in the title of peer. > > Tom Brake, Unlock Democracy The peer faced criticism in 2018 for [inviting](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-43422416?ref=theferret.scot) far right activist Tommy Robinson to parliament, and in 2009 for legally [avoiding](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/6692856/UKIP-leader-Lord-Pearson-claimed-100000-allowances-for-3.7m-London-home.html?ref=theferret.scot) £275,000 in tax by declaring his second home in London as his main residence, rather than his 12,000-acre Perthshire estate. The average Scottish peer cost £38,000 last year alone – significantly more than the £30,470 [median Scots salary](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2023/11/16/earnings-in-scotland-2023-recent-growth-but-sluggish-longer-term/?ref=theferret.scot). Their costs were made up of a daily allowance – of up to [£361](https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/whos-in-the-house-of-lords/house-of-lords-expenses/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Members%20of%20the%20Lords%20who,day%20they%20attend%20the%20House.), as of 1 April – and expenses including nearly £1m on flights, £100,000 on taxis and parking, and £39,000 on travel for family members. Claims can be made for expenses related to attendance in the House of Lords or other parliamentary business, including travel costs for peers and their families, under the [rules](https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/lords-finance-office/2024-25/members-guide-april-2024-web-version%5Ffinal-version.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). ### **The most expensive peers** Liberal Democrat [Baroness Barker](https://members.parliament.uk/member/2501/career?ref=theferret.scot) claimed the highest allowance over the past five years – £224,500 – but claimed no expenses. Her attendance rate was also the highest – 96 per cent. Those claiming the most expenses also had high attendance rates. [Lord Campbell](https://members.parliament.uk/member/627/career?ref=theferret.scot), a former Fife Lib Dem MP and interim party leader, claimed £285,500\. Around £70,000 was on travel, including £50,000 for flights. Campbell [previously said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-34079592?ref=theferret.scot) peers should be “mostly elected”. His Lib Dem colleagues, former Borders MSP, [Lord Purvis](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4293/contact?ref=theferret.scot) and former Gordon MP, [Lord Bruce](https://members.parliament.uk/member/615/contact?ref=theferret.scot), each claimed £280,000\. Some £6,700 of Purvis’s claims were for parking fees. Former Labour minister of state for Scotland, [Lord Foulkes](https://members.parliament.uk/member/579/contact?ref=theferret.scot), and former Tory MEP [Lord Duncan](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4686/contact?ref=theferret.scot), claimed £271,000 and £238,000 respectively. At the other end of the scale, the unaffiliated [Lord Smith](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3856/career?ref=theferret.scot) did not claim any expenses. But he is currently on leave of absence, attended just seven per cent of the time over the last five years and last voted in 2021. He chaired the [Smith Commission](https://committees.parliament.uk/work/4733/the-smith-commission-proposals-for-further-devolution-to-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot), which facilitated a devolution settlement amongst Scots party representatives after voters rejected independence in 2014. Also on leave is Labour’s [Lord Leitch](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3677/experience?ref=theferret.scot), who chairs private health firm Bupa and numerous banking groups. He attended eight per cent of the time, and claimed just £51 in expenses. ### **Scots peers in numbers** Scots peers are disproportionately older, and male, and all but one – [Baron Patel](https://members.parliament.uk/member/2443/contact?ref=theferret.scot) – are white. Women make up more than [51 per cent](https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/2022-results/scotland-s-census-2022-rounded-population-estimates/?ref=theferret.scot) of Scotland’s population, but just 24 per cent of Scots peers. And while the median age in Scotland [is 43](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2022?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20median%20age%20of%20the%20population%20in%20the%20UK%20was,median%20age%20at%2043%20years.), it is 72 amongst Scots peers. At 45, former Scottish Tory leader, [Baroness Davidson](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4927/contact?ref=theferret.scot), is the youngest peer, while the [Duke of Montrose](https://members.parliament.uk/member/1922/contact?ref=theferret.scot), 89, is the oldest. Labour’s [manifesto pledge](https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Labour-Party-manifesto-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to reduce the retirement age of peers to 80 was absent from the [King’s speech](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-kings-speech-2024?ref=theferret.scot), which outlined the party’s plans for government. If implemented, the retirement rules would force the departure of 13 Scots peers, with another 16 to follow within the next five years. Some 25 Scots peers represent the Tories, 22 Labour, and eight the Lib Dems, while 14 are not affiliated to any political party. The SNP has a long-standing opposition to the Lords, which it wants to abolish. It does not nominate peers. The Scottish Greens also want to see the Lords scrapped. The longest-serving Scot is the [Earl of Caithness](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3310/contact?ref=theferret.scot). The Tory member, 75, was given a seat [in 1969](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3310/career?ref=theferret.scot), when he was 21\. First minister John Swinney was just five years-old at the time, while prime minister Keir Starmer was just seven. Five peers were appointed during the last five years, three died, two retired, and four are on leave of absence. Currently, there are 70 peers – a fifth more than the 57 elected Scots MPs. UK-wide, there are 650 MPs, but 800 peers who, over the same five years, recouped £89m in expenses. Our study includes Tory landowner, [Lord Douglas-Miller](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5006/career?ref=theferret.scot), who was elevated to the Lords under Rishi Sunak’s government in December 2023, five days before the Christmas [recess](https://www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-lords-faqs/lords-recess-dates/list-of-previous-lords-recess-dates/?ref=theferret.scot). He logged a single attendance in the house in December and claimed £190 for travel. But it does not include former Tory MSP, [Lord Donald Cameron](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5012/career?ref=theferret.scot), and broadcaster and former Labour advisor, [Baroness Ayesha Hazarika](https://members.parliament.uk/member/5024/career?ref=theferret.scot), who were appointed this year. We defined Scots peers as those who gave a Scottish address on expenses claims, those [listed](https://scottishlabour.org.uk/people/peers/?ref=theferret.scot) by Scottish Labour, those with Scots titles, such as [Lord Lamont of Lerwick](https://members.parliament.uk/member/895/contact?ref=theferret.scot), and Scots known to The Ferret who have English titles, such as [Baroness Mone](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4544/career?ref=theferret.scot) of Mayfair. Sixteen Scots peers, such as the [Earl of Caithness](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3310/contact?ref=theferret.scot) and the [Marquess of Lothian](https://members.parliament.uk/member/259/career?ref=theferret.scot), recorded an English address in their expenses claims. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ruth_davidson_parliamentary_oath_2016.jpg) Baroness Ruth Davidson, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, claimed £12,000 in expenses since July 2021\. Image: Scottish Parliament ### **Calls for urgent ‘democratic overhaul’** Tom Brake, a former Lib Dem MP and director of [Unlock Democracy](https://unlockdemocracy.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), said: “The Ferret’s latest detailed analysis confirms that whilst some Scottish peers work hard, others treat the House of Lords as a gentlemen’s club or just bask in the title of peer. “The democratic overhaul of the House of Lords is long overdue. Peers should be elected and focused on their roles as legislators.” Willie Sullivian, senior director for Scotland for the [Electoral Reform Society](https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), agreed the Lords was in need of “substantial reform”. “At around 800 members, it is the largest legislative chamber outside China’s National People’s Congress, and that is largely down to the unchecked and undemocratic way new members are continuously added,” he argued. “The new government has pledged to reform the upper chamber and we would urge it to start this process as a matter of urgency. “Ultimately, the Lords needs to be reformed into a smaller, elected chamber with a set number of members, where the people of this country – not prime ministers – decide who sits in parliament shaping our laws.” Scottish Greens MSP [Maggie Chapman](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/maggie-chapman?ref=theferret.scot) said: “This is the result of having a legislative chamber with no democratic accountability. The Lords is stuffed to the rafters with party cronies and donors who are appointed for life. Voters have no say in who sits there and no way to remove them when they don’t do their jobs. “It’s clear that we need a democratically elected second chamber where politicians are appointed by and answer to the people.” The UK Government did not respond to requests to comment. The Lords named in this piece were also contacted by The Ferret. A House of Lords spokesperson said: “Unlike MPs Members of the House of Lords are not paid a salary. Apart from reimbursing travel costs the daily allowance is the only financial support they receive for costs associated with attending the House, for Members who live in Scotland this will include paying for overnight accommodation. MPs who live outside of London can claim financial support for accommodation on top of their salary. A House of Lords spokesperson said: “The House of Lords is a busy and effective revising Chamber. The allowances system is designed to ensure Members from all parts of the UK, and a range of personal financial circumstances, can make an important contribution to improving legislation and holding the Government to account. “Members of the Lords who live in Scotland may have higher travel costs than those living closer to London and it is important that they are not prevented from contributing their knowledge and experience to the important work of the House of Lords.” ***Update: We added the above response from the House of Lords at 11:13 on 29/07/2024\. We previously stated that the House Lords did not respond to a request to comment. However, we had contacted the service set up to send enquiries peers, rather than the press office.*** *“*[*House of Lords Members debate EU Withdrawal Bill September 2019*](https://www.flickr.com/photos/25334641@N08/48704404878?ref=theferret.scot)*” by* [*UK Parliament*](https://www.flickr.com/photos/25334641@N08?ref=theferret.scot) *is licensed under* [*CC BY-NC 2.0*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/?ref=openverse) ### Claim SNP has power to scrap two-child cap in Scotland is Half True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-snp-has-power-to-scrap-two-child-cap-in-scotland-is-half-true/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T13:04:49.000Z **The new Labour government is under pressure to scrap the controversial ‘two-child cap’.** SNP [politicians, alongside many Labour MPs](https://news.sky.com/story/snp-join-push-for-starmer-to-scrap-two-child-benefit-cap-13178070?ref=theferret.scot) opposed to the policy, have called on Keir Starmer to end the benefit limit, brought in by the Conservatives in 2017. [Posts](https://x.com/tlong1950/status/1813494489798914191?ref=theferret.scot) [on](https://x.com/Scotsmistt/status/1812861245571182608?ref=theferret.scot) [social](https://x.com/moshie41/status/1813174280017883407?ref=theferret.scot) [media](https://x.com/scedis%5F/status/1806998034032579014?ref=theferret.scot) claimed the SNP had the power to scrap the policy within Scotland. > The SNP has the devolved power to scrap the two child benefit cap > > Social media posts CLAIM: The SNP has the devolved power to scrap the two child benefit cap (Social media posts) [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it Half True. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-39.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Evidence** Low-income families in the UK are entitled to [additional money](https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit?ref=theferret.scot) for each child they have through universal credit or child tax credits. This typically works out at £3,455 each year per child, paid monthly. Legislation brought in by the then-Conservative government, which [came into force](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9301/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2017, limits this extra cash to the first two children in the family. This has become known as the two-child cap. It does not apply to [child benefit](https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit?ref=theferret.scot), which is given to everyone raising a child, and is not means-tested. [High-income families](https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit-tax-charge?ref=theferret.scot) do have to pay a tax charge on their child benefit or can opt out of the payment altogether. It applies to children born from April 2017, and has some exceptions, such as twins or non-consensual conception. This has been described as the ‘rape clause’, and criticised by campaigners as it requires women to disclose and relive their abuse in order to receive the exemption. Pressure has been building on prime minister Keir Starmer over the issue of the two-child cap. On Wednesday, the SNP [tabled an amendment](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxr2g6w92zro?ref=theferret.scot) to the King’s Speech – which sets out the government’s policy priorities over the next parliament – calling for the benefit cap to end. ### **Who has power over it?** Welfare powers are [split between](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-welfare-powers-transferred-to-the-scottish-parliament?ref=theferret.scot) the UK and Scottish governments, but the UK’s department of welfare and pensions (DWP) is responsible for much of social security. This includes the administration of universal credit, which combines multiple previous payments into one monthly allowance. Low-income families are paid up to an [additional](https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit?ref=theferret.scot) £3,455 per year as part of their universal credit payment, for each of the first two children they have. This policy is reserved to Westminster, so the Scottish Government does not have the ability to scrap the policy completely. However, it could effectively end the cap in Scotland. Powers devolved in 2016 give Scotland the power to top-up benefits including universal credit. In the [Scotland Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/11/notes/division/6/index.htm?ref=theferret.scot), “discretionary top-up payments” can now be made to people in Scotland who are entitled to UK-wide benefits. These can be done on a case-by-case basis or to provide “on-going entitlement to specific or all benefit claimants”. In response to a [freedom of information request](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/scrapping%5Fof%5Fthe%5Ftwo%5Fchild%5Fcap/response/2449717/attach/4/Response%20202300379478.pdf?cookie%5Fpassthrough=1&ref=theferret.scot), the Scottish Government said it is unable to scrap the two-child cap “at source”. This is correct, but ministers could provide top-up payments to stop the cap affecting Scotland. The Scottish Government already used these powers to effectively end other UK Government policies having an impact in Scotland, such as the spare room penalty, known as the ‘bedroom tax’. This reduces universal credit housing support for those considered to have a spare room. The Scottish Government [fully funds the mitigation](https://www.gov.scot/publications/discretionary-housing-payments-in-scotland-1-april-2023-to-30-september-2023/pages/background/?ref=theferret.scot) of this, at a cost of £69.7m in 2022-23. This comes from the Scottish Government budget, which SNP politicians have argued means other services would need to be cut in order to pay for extra payment to cover those affected by the two-child limit. [Speaking in the House of Commons](https://x.com/ScotNational/status/1813615813573886234?ref=theferret.scot), SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said the Scottish Government already spends money “mitigating” Conservative policies, citing the bedroom tax, but argued money spent on mitigating the two-child cap would mean reducing spending on other services in Scotland. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** The Scottish Government has powers, under the Scotland Act, to add discretionary payments to reserved benefits. It could fund the mitigation of the two-child limit in Scotland, but would have to pay for it from the Scottish Government budget directly. ![This claim is half true.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_3halftrue-5.png) **Half True* – The claim is somewhat or partially accurate, but leaves out crucial information or is selectively taken out of context*. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Update 06/08/2024: Added additional information on child benefit.* *Photo thanks to [Number 10](https://www.flickr.com/photos/number10gov/53841391781/?ref=theferret.scot), [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Security lapses at nukes body spur calls for investigation URL: https://www.theferret.scot/security-lapses-nuclear-weapons-investigation/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:34:08.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-27.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **There was a significant rise in security lapses at the body responsible for the UK’s nuclear weapons last year, The Ferret can reveal, prompting calls for an investigation.** There were 83 security incidents at the Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO) between April 2023 and March 2024. It is the arm of the [Ministry of Defence](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/ministry-of-defence/) (MoD) responsible for all aspects of the UK’s nuclear weapons programme except military operations. This [includes](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-nuclear-organisation/about?ref=theferret.scot) maintaining nuclear warheads, delivering the replacement warhead programme and conducting scientific research into nuclear weapons. Last year we [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/over-100-incidents-body-oversees-nuclear-weapons/) there had been 113 security incidents at the body in the previous five years, meaning last year’s number of lapses is nearly 4 times higher than normal. The MoD was previously accused of a [“cover up](https://www.theferret.scot/over-100-incidents-body-oversees-nuclear-weapons/)” for refusing to release any details of security incidents and refused to do so again this year citing national security concerns. It said the “majority” of the breaches had “no significant impact” on UK security. The increase in security incidents reported last year was a result of stronger processes where staff are “encouraged to report all security concerns, regardless of their significance”, an MoD spokesperson claimed. But anti-nuclear campaigners and politicians said the number of breaches was “outrageous” and pointed out that the DNO was averaging more than one incident a week. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-19-102942.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/over-100-incidents-body-oversees-nuclear-weapons/) They called for “transparency” about the nature of the lapses and “evidence that steps have been taken to prevent them happening again”. Westminster’s new Labour government has [backed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68790435?ref=theferret.scot) retaining the UK’s nuclear weapons, despite the fact a number of senior cabinet members [voted against](https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/03/angela-rayner-says-she-supports-labour-policy-on-nuclear-weapons?ref=theferret.scot) renewing the [Trident](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/trident/) nuclear programme while in opposition. Prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, [said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czvvy0ppdxko?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Sir%20Keir%20Starmer%20has%20said,the%20Trident%20nuclear%20weapons%20system.) in the lead up to the general election that he would be prepared to press the nuclear button to defend the UK and announced a “[triple lock](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/03/reality-check-is-keir-starmers-triple-lock-on-nuclear-weapons-anything-new?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Starmer%20said%20there%20were%20three,all%20the%20needed%20upgrades%E2%80%9D%20for)” on Britain’s nuclear weapons. This ‘lock’ will reportedly involve maintaining Britain’s so-called continuous at sea deterrent – which sees one nuclear submarine on patrol at all times – as well as building four new submarines and delivering any necessary upgrades to the nuclear fleet in the future. The DNO is [based](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-nuclear-organisation/about?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Our%20head%20office%20is%20based,in%20Bristol%2C%20Reading%20and%20Scotland.) at the MoD’s headquarters in London but also has staff in other locations around the UK including at [Coulport](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coulport/), on Loch Long, where around 200 of the UK’s arsenal of nuclear warheads are stored. In June, The Ferret [uncovered](https://www.theferret.scot/security-breaches-clyde-nuclear-bases/) that there had been a separate 174 security breaches at Coulport and the Trident submarine base at Faslane, near Helensburgh, between 2018 and 2022. The MoD also refused to provide details of these incidents but said they could include lost identity cards, misplaced documents and data protection breaches. In its FOI response, the DNO confirmed that its own security lapses also included data breaches but refused to release any more details about what these might entail It said doing so could provide “potential adversaries” with insight into the DNO’s security operations which could be used to “attempt to acquire sensitive information relating to the nuclear deterrent”. > No security breach or ‘minor’ incident should be shrugged off at a site of nuclear weapons. > > Lynn Jamieson, Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament However, according to Lynn Jamieson, the chair of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, “the word ‘security’” is “being used to justify ‘secrecy’” around the incidents. Jamieson told The Ferret: “An increase in security breaches is outrageous. No security breach or ‘minor’ incident should be shrugged off at a site of nuclear weapons. “Regular breaches signal either a grossly-inappropriate casual culture or the impossibility of 100 per cent security. Incidents rising to 83, averaging more than one a week, calls for public investigation.” Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer called our revelations about the breaches “deeply concerning”, adding that with “something as destructive and deadly as nuclear weapons, there can be no room for error”. “We need transparency about the nature of these incidents and evidence that steps have been taken to prevent them from happening again,” Greer argued. “With the MoD’s record on nuclear safety though, I won’t be holding my breath. He continued: “Trident is a vast money pit, swallowing up hundreds of billions of pounds which could be far better spent making people and the planet safer. The staggering sums involved in maintaining these world-ending weapons would be infinitely better used lifting people out of poverty and taking action against the greatest security threat we will ever face, the climate emergency.” An MoD spokesperson said: “Maintaining highly effective security is important across the defence nuclear enterprise. “In the last year we have taken steps to strengthen our internal governance and independent verification of our processes. Staff are encouraged to report all possible security concerns, regardless of their significance, and this has resulted in an increase in the number reported.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-19-104128.jpg) ### **Lapses at power plants** A separate FOI response received by The Ferret has also revealed security lapses at the [Civil Nuclear Constabulary](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/civil-nuclear-constabulary/), the armed police force which protects nuclear power plants and nuclear materials in the UK, including at the Torness and Dounreay sites in Scotland. It reported 40 security incidents across its sites in 2022-23 – the most recently available figures. Unlike the DNO, the force provided details of each of the lapses which it said were all “low level and dealt with immediately”. They included the loss of identification documents for members of staff, an officer’s badge being put up for sale on Ebay, and work mobile phones and tablets being lost. The CNC said any lost devices were either found shortly after being reported missing or wiped remotely so they could not be used to access sensitive information. In one instance, an unauthorised workman also gained access to the force’s headquarters after a fire door was left unsecured. Julie Carlisle, a data protection officer at the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, told The Ferret that none of the incidents were considered a “security breach”. She said each incident was “immediately triaged and investigated and there were found to be no security concerns”. Carlisle added: “We encourage proactive reporting of both security and data breach concerns, and this is reflected in the numbers. It does not mean that those reports were found to relate to serious security or data breach events.” #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: Crown Copyright/Tam McDonald* ### Safety warnings as cracks rise at Torness nuclear plant URL: https://www.theferret.scot/torness-safety-warnings-as-cracks-rise/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T13:05:54.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-26.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **The number of cracks in the core of an ageing nuclear reactor at Torness in East Lothian has risen to 46, prompting warnings that prolonging its operation would be “gambling with public safety”.** The UK [Office for Nuclear Regulation](https://onr.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (ONR) told The Ferret that the cracks were detected in April 2024 and were “at the upper end of expectations”. The first three cracks were [discovered](https://www.theferret.scot/first-cracks-found-in-torness-nuclear-reactor/) at Torness in February 2022. ONR [has previously said](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-nuclear-reactors-cracking-2022/) that spreading cracks could result in debris inhibiting the cooling of hot radioactive fuel. This can lead to a reactor meltdown, which can result in the escape of radioactivity to the environment. In 2021 the plant’s operator, [EDF Energy](https://www.edfenergy.com/?ref=theferret.scot), said that Torness would be [closed in 2028](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-nuclear-plant-close-cracks/) – two years earlier than expected – because of expected cracking. The station was originally [scheduled to close](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35581272?ref=theferret.scot) in 2023, and in 2016 its expected life was extended to 2030. But in January 2024 EDF changed its mind, and [announced](https://www.edfenergy.com/media-centre/investment-boost-maintain-uk-nuclear-output-current-levels-until-least-2026?ref=theferret.scot) it would review whether the plant’s life could again be extended beyond 2028 “subject to plant inspections and regulatory approvals”. Campaigners are now worried that EDF could be putting nuclear safety at risk. They are calling for Torness to be shut down “sooner rather than later”. EDF, however, insisted that the cracks did not affect normal operations or the ability to shut down Torness in an emergency. The plant’s life would be reviewed “by the end of 2024” with the “ambition” of generating electricity after 2028. ONR pointed out that EDF would have to demonstrate Torness would be safe to operate beyond 2028\. “We will not allow any plant to operate unless we are satisfied that it is safe to do so,” it said. > When it comes to something as dangerous as nuclear energy, there can be no room for error or regret. > > Lorna Slater MSP, Scottish Greens The cracks have opened up in the ring-shaped graphite bricks packed around the reactor’s highly radioactive uranium fuel. They were detected in one of the two reactors at Torness during EDF’s latest inspection on 18 April 2024. “EDF’s sampling of fuel channels showed 46 bricks with a single full height axial crack (a crack all the way through), which was at the upper end of expectations,” said ONR in response to freedom of information requests from The Ferret. ONR added: “However, these observations remain within the acceptable parameters of the safety case, with risks associated with any core cracking mechanism at tolerable levels. ONR continues to have confidence in EDF’s overall understanding of the graphite core ageing mechanisms.” According to ONR, no bricks were found with two or more cracks, though they are expected in the future. No cracks have yet been found in the core of the second reactor at Torness. Torness nuclear power station, near Dunbar, was [officially opened](https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/107476?ref=theferret.scot) in May 1989 by the then Conservative prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. The site had been the target of [anti-nuclear protests](https://www.theferret.scot/spycops-infiltrated-scottish-anti-nuclear-groups/) since 1978. Scotland’s other nuclear power station at [Hunterston](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/hunterston/) in North Ayrshire was [closed down](https://www.edfenergy.com/media-centre/news-releases/zero-carbon-electricity-generation-ends-hunterston-b?ref=theferret.scot) in January 2022, more than a year earlier than planned. This followed the discovery of an [estimated 586 cracks](https://www.theferret.scot/hunterston-cracked-nuclear-reactors-another-year/) in its two reactors. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-19-095154.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/first-cracks-found-in-torness-nuclear-reactor/) ### Torness ‘well past’ its design life [Pete Roche](https://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), a veteran nuclear critic, pointed out that it was EDF that decided to close Torness in 2028 because of cracking. “Given that the number of cracks are increasing, they would be gambling with public safety to now go back to a 2030 closure date,” he said. “It’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that EDF is prepared to gamble because the plant it is building in England at [Hinkley Point C](https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/nuclear-new-build-projects/hinkley-point-c?ref=theferret.scot) is so late.” The Guardian [reported in February 2024](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/16/edf-hinkley-point-c-delays-cost-overruns?ref=theferret.scot) that delays and cost overruns at Hinkley in Somerset had cost EDF £11 billion. The plant was originally due to be built for £18bn in 2017, but is now expected to cost £46bn and be completed by 2031. According to environmental campaigner, [Dr Richard Dixon](https://www.rdixon.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), Torness was “well past” its 30 year design life. “Now the cracks are meeting the worst predictions but suddenly EDF thinks it is a good idea to run the reactors for longer,” he said. The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) warned of the “devastating destruction” that could be caused by poorly maintained nuclear plants. “These reports are very worrying and should concern us all,” said the party’s co-leader and Lothian MSP, [Lorna Slater](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/lorna-slater?ref=theferret.scot). “When it comes to something as dangerous as nuclear energy, there can be no room for error or regret. It underlines why Torness needs to be shut down sooner rather than later.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-19-094841.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-nuclear-plant-close-cracks/) ### Torness has ‘important role’ to play According to EDF, 17 of the 46 cracks had been detected in inspections between February 2022 and April 2024\. Torness would play “an important role” in helping reach the new Labour government’s [clean power goal](https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Make-Britain-a-Clean-Energy-Superpower.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by 2030, the company said. “Nothing observed during the recent inspections affects normal operations at the site or the ability to shut the reactor down during an extreme seismic event, larger than the UK has ever recorded,” added an EDF spokesperson. “So we intend to review reactor lifetimes by the end of 2024 with the ambition to generate zero-carbon electricity beyond the current forecast. This will be subject to plant inspections and regulatory oversight.” ONR stressed that nuclear operators had to keep demonstrating that their plants were safe. “If an operator wishes to extend the operating period of a reactor they would need to provide suitable safety cases which would be considered by our expert inspectors,” said a spokesperson. “As the independent nuclear regulator, we will not allow any plant to operate unless we are satisfied that it is safe to do so.” ### Risks from distortion, faults and earthquakes ONR has also[ released two reports](https://www.documentcloud.org/projects/reports-on-torness-by-the-office-for-nuclear-regulation-218758/?ref=theferret.scot) under freedom of information law showing that it approved a request from EDF allowing Torness to operate from 2024 until 2028. In [one report](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24816607/foi202406022-tor-r1-2024-inspection-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in June 2024, an ONR inspector noted four “shortfalls” in defects management, training, guidance and documentation, but said they were “minor” and were in the process of being addressed. The [second report](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24816606/foi202406022-hyb-tor-permissioning-decision-record-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from May 2024 reviewed the safety case for operating Torness until 2028 with a growing number of cracks. ONR inspectors assessed the “structural integrity” of the graphite bricks and checked their “damage tolerance”. One inspector pointed out that the ability to shut down and cool the reactor could be affected by “core distortion” causing gaps between the graphite bricks. But the consequences were deemed “acceptable”. The report also highlighted an “anomaly” with the damage tolerance analysis, though its effect was said to be “negligible”. Inspectors concluded that EDF had provided an “adequate” safety case. > Given that the number of cracks are increasing, they would be gambling with public safety to now go back to a 2030 closure date. > > Pete Roche, nuclear critic The report also assessed “fault studies” and “external hazards”. The faults included possible impacts on the “functional capability” of the primary and secondary reactor shutdown systems, and on the arrangements for cooling hot nuclear fuel. The assessment of external hazards focussed on the dangers of earthquakes, including sudden increases in risk from increasingly severe quakes. “EDF has provided adequate evidence to demonstrate an absence of cliff-edge effects,” the report said. The Ferret [reported in 2020](https://www.theferret.scot/torness-nuclear-reactors-cracking-2022/) that ONR had highlighted a significant difference in the design of Torness compared to other nuclear stations. It has seal rings between the graphite bricks. ONR quoted EDF saying that there could be “a systematic failure” of the rings after cracking. “This could lead to debris with the potential to challenge the ability to move or adequately cool fuel,” said ONR. If hot fuel is not cooled, it can cause a reactor meltdown, which in some circumstances can result in radioactivity leaking into the environment. This happened during the [Fukushima nuclear accident](https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-daiichi-accident.aspx?ref=theferret.scot) in Japan in 2011. #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Cover image thanks to iStock/[Philip Silverman](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/PhilipSilverman?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot).* ### ‘The spark is lit’: Can AI revolutionise Scotland’s healthcare? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/artificial-intelligence-scotland-healthcare/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T17:11:49.000Z **“It’s like Rolls Royce building a full simulation of an engine, with millions of parts. They build a model and can simulate all kinds of failure and tolerance rates,” says Professor Ian Simpson.** The Edinburgh University academic is providing an analogy for digital twin technology and explaining how artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising healthcare. To clarify, a digital twin is a computer model that simulates an object or process in the physical world. With the help of [AI](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/ai/), virtual models of human hearts are built, using data from their real-world counterparts on genes, proteins, cells and whole body systems. “With digital twins in healthcare, we can build something like a heart, a heart model, and see what happens if, say, a heart is bigger, or a valve is faulty,” says Simpson, a professor of biomedical informatics and director of an AI centre. “All of these things are happening with simulations in computers and you can learn things about the system and see whether they are valuable in practice.” For many people, AI is ChatGPT, the text generator credited with starting the recent AI boom. To others, it’s the realm of science fiction, with robots replacing humans, unsettling for some. But AI is becoming normal, a part of everyday life, and scientists are increasingly using the technology with the aim of improving Scotland’s health. ![Bletchley Park, where codebreakers worked in world war 2](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-488911581.jpg) Bletchley Park, the centre of Britain’s code-cracking operation in the Second World War. (Photo credit: iStock/LanceB) #### **AI’s historical links to Bletchley Park** It’s a veritable technological revolution. But most people won’t know that AI in Scotland can be traced to the top-secret home of World War Two codebreakers. Indeed, the history of Scottish AI stretches back more than 60 years. It was in 1965 that a research group was established at Edinburgh University under the leadership of Donald Michie. He’d been a member of a code-breaking group at Bletchley Park, and had worked as a cryptographer alongside Alan Turing, the famous mathematician and computer scientist. Described as the [father of British research into AI](https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2020/03/a-pioneer-of-artificial-intelligence-donald-michie.html?ref=theferret.scot), Michie devoted his life to the development of computers to perform complex, human-like tasks. By 1970, Edinburgh University was one of the few centres in the world working on AI and today – more than 60 years after Michie’s research began – the institution hosts dozens of scientists using the technology. > “We already have 57 PhD students here doing \[AI\] research, and we’ll have another 60, so it’s pretty massive. In total, we’re looking at nearly £20m in investment. We collaborate inside Edinburgh and across Scotland. It’s not just scientists – we’ve got nurses and clinicians learning about AI here, which is quite unique.” > > Professor Ian Simpson, Edinburgh University “We’ve been very much focused on health, public disease and patient data for the last five years, and trying to learn new things about diseases and how they progress,” says Simpson. “We already have 57 PhD students here doing \[AI\] research, and we’ll have another 60, so it’s pretty massive. In total, we’re looking at nearly £20m in investment. We collaborate inside Edinburgh and across Scotland. It’s not just scientists – we’ve got nurses and clinicians learning about AI here, which is quite unique.” In some quarters, AI is viewed as a game-changer. Its advocates include former UK prime minister Tony Blair who [argued last week](https://www.politico.eu/article/former-pm-tony-blair-admits-uk-will-need-lpersuading-to-embrace-digital-id/?ref=theferret.scot) that AI “is the only answer to Britain’s productivity challenge”. He said it could help to “turbocharge growth” in the UK, while AI in healthcare would bring new treatments for everything from cardiovascular disease and cancer protection to obesity drugs. “We need this urgently,” Blair said. #### **Is AI a panacea for the NHS?** So, can AI fix the NHS? Are we witnessing a technological revolution in Scottish healthcare? Can AI solve problems such as staff shortages and reduce waiting times for diagnosis and treatments? What are the challenges? As part of the Sunday National’s Fixing Scotland project, in partnership with The Ferret, we’ve been speaking to experts within Scotland’s AI sector to gauge what progress has been made, and what the future holds. A specialised area of computer science, AI is based on data and algorithms, which are sets of instructions used to perform tasks, such as analysis or calculations. AI [is defined by the Scottish Government as](https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/2024/6/25/1373556b-9298-42d4-8a24-0e493b84cec9/SB%2024-34.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) “technologies used to allow computers to perform tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence”. AI systems are created by combining large amounts of data, with the information used to ‘train’ a computer programme or algorithm to make decisions based on the data. AI algorithms can create ‘risk scores’ to predict which patients might develop certain diseases. Several AI applications are already used in clinical practice in NHS Scotland including tools for paediatric bone growth, the delivery of radiotherapy and speech recognition. #### **The Gemini project** Gemini, a pilot project which developed and tested AI for breast screenings recently finished at Aberdeen University. Researchers hope it can be used safely in hospitals, and address staff shortages and capacity issues. Gemini is a collaboration between the University of Aberdeen, NHS Grampian, and a private company called Kheiron Medical Technologies, which created AI software called Mia. > “An ageing population means that there are more women who fall into the ages of 50 to 70\. Overall, the NHS is under pressure. One of the ways to solve that is to get more radiologists, and more screen readers. The other alternative is AI and there’s quite a lot of promise for artificial intelligence to take over some of the jobs.” > > Dr Clarisse De Vries, Aberdeen University. The pilot involved analysing 220,000 mammograms from more than 55,000 people to determine how well Mia could detect breast cancers. Currently, two experts examine each mammogram and decide whether someone should be invited back for additional investigations. Similar to a human expert, Mia can examine a screening mammogram and offer an opinion, which frees up time for staff. The Ferret spoke to Aberdeen University’s Dr Clarisse de Vries who worked on Gemini. “The overall problems we have include a shortage of radiologists and the increasing numbers of people needing healthcare,” she tells The Ferret. “An ageing population means that there are more women who fall into the ages of 50 to 70\. Overall, the NHS is under pressure. One of the ways to solve that is to get more radiologists, and more screen readers. The other alternative is AI and there’s quite a lot of promise for artificial intelligence to take over some of the jobs.” The Gemini team found that Mia would have suggested recalling 34.1 per cent of women who went on to develop cancer in between screenings. Using current screening measures these cancers would have remained undetected until the women developed symptoms. “All of that was positive,” De Vries says.”The potential for AI to help support screening by detecting additional cancers and reducing workload is definitely there.” However, there are problems to solve. These include AI’s inability to cope with changes to mammography imaging, which means the algorithm needs to be recreated if the clinical setting changes. Due to the amount of data that needs to be collected, this process can take several months. Nevertheless, De Vries remains optimistic that science can overcome these technical challenges. She points out that AI is already used in Denmark for screening. “I don’t want to put a timeline to it but in 10 years I think it might be implanted here in the UK too,” she adds. #### **AI and cancer detection** Elsewhere in Scotland, there are other AI healthcare projects. James Blackwood, an AI expert, has worked on 65 and advises health boards on how to use AI. > Six-hundred more people in Scotland who have lung cancer have it detected by AI. AI detects the really small types of cancer that a radiologist may miss routinely. So that means 600 more people who are likely not to die every year because of AI. > > James Blackwood, AI expert. He cites a number of initiatives underway: bone-fracture and lung cancer detection, breast-screening, MRI acceleration, reducing the number of deaths from stroke, and diagnosing heart failure within communities using AI – this is important, he explains, because if there are not enough scenographers in the community, “people need to be admitted into A&E to determine if they will have a heart attack.” Blackwood is also involved with a project trying to diagnose skin cancer within 25 minutes of a lesion being pictured, and he mentions initiatives in Grampian and Glasgow which use AI to detect signs of lung cancer, citing evidence that the time to diagnosis can be reduced from up to 64 days, to just 24. “In terms of lung cancer, every week you get an earlier diagnosis equates to one per cent improvement of survivability,” Blackwood says. “But we are also finding that about 600 more people in Scotland who have lung cancer have it detected by AI. AI detects the really small types of cancer that a radiologist may miss routinely. So that means 600 more people who are likely not to die every year because of AI.” Blackwood explains that “diagnostic AI” predominates at the moment – this operates with images and aims to give a clinical decision. But there’s also “non-diagnostic clinical AI”, which, he explains, is trying to understand issues such as readmission patterns and discharge management – so services can be planned better to get a patient out of hospital quicker, and for better communication with social care and local authorities. AI research takes time, though. Generally speaking, Blackwood says, the time from concept to procurement is between five and ten years. He feels that “good progress” is being made in finding solutions to problems within the NHS, but argues that Scotland is “lagging behind many countries” due to a “lack of leadership”. Blackwood used to work for the Scottish Government but left because he didn’t believe it was taking AI “particularly seriously in healthcare”. He claims there are top scientists really pushing for research, but they don’t have money. “If you cannot release cash then your project cannot go ahead. There’s nothing really being funded from operational or capital expenditure. Without that you can’t adopt anything.” “We lack somebody standing up and saying it’s important that we adopt AI in healthcare,” he claims. “We also lack any plan for adopting AI and we lack any form of coordination,” he adds, arguing that the “federal structure for healthcare in Scotland”, means each health board decides what it wants to do. “What this creates for us is three or four boards evaluating exactly the same type of AI which is a total waste of resources.” Currently, the Scottish Government says it “aims to use existing leadership structures to promote the use of AI, rather than appointing an NHS AI champion”. In 2021, the government said it would provide £20m to develop AI but it has “since re-prioritised resources elsewhere due to fiscal pressures”. Complexity is another challenge. Blackwood says people assume it is easy to introduce AI into the NHS but points out the technology changes somebody’s job role, and clinical protocol, and has to be integrated into the system. “It’s a major change management initiative and, of course, you have to go through the bureaucratic process trying to get it through governance.” #### **Concerns over AI and data security** There have been patients’ concerns over AI replacing humans, including fears of the loss of the emotional element of the doctor-patient relationship. Data protection is also a challenge, given AI requires large amounts of data to work accurately. There are worries over hacking and cybersecurity, privacy, and accuracy. > It has been really clear that ministers will not be selling public data. We also have a legislative regime that we have to comply with, and technological measures. We hold ourselves to the highest standard. > > Albert King, chief data officer at NHS National Services Scotland. [In 2021](https://www.imperial.ac.uk/patient-experience-research-centre/ppi/public-involvement-activity/imperial-brc-reapplication-2022-27-public-involvement-activity/insight-reports---discussions/using-ai-to-improve-health-and-care/?ref=theferret.scot), researchers at Imperial College, London, found patients’ concerns over AI outweighed their perception of its benefits. The study highlighted concerns over job losses among radiologists, and over who might take responsibility, if AI gets it wrong. A report by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice) last month acknowledged such issues. It said “sometimes new technologies fail to deliver desired benefits”, adding that the impact AI will have on the cost of healthcare is “uncertain”. The large quantity of data needed to train AI, together with the fact that most AI development involves private companies, “raises questions relating to data protection and privacy”, Spice also noted. There have been examples of data being wrongly sold. In 2017, the ICO found that the [Royal Free Hospital](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/03/google-deepmind-16m-patient-royal-free-deal-data-protection-act?ref=theferret.scot), in London, had breached UK data protection law by giving patient data to the AI company DeepMind, for the purpose of testing a kidney failure detection app. Spice noted it was a failure to comply with data protection law, rather than the use of AI in itself, and said there is ongoing work in the public sector to improve data sharing and storage. “The intention is to build AI systems that would rely on already available data in closed environments. This reduces the risk of data breaches,” it added. So, where does the data for AI come from and how is it protected? Albert King is chief data officer at NHS National Services Scotland (NSS), a public body providing data for health and social care in Scotland. The data, King says, is the “fundamental fuel that drives AI” and it is collated from health boards and local governments. NSS brings those datasets together in a platform and they are owned and managed by NHS staff, working in his team or Public Health Scotland. “It has been really clear that ministers will not be selling public data,” King says. “We also have a legislative regime that we have to comply with, and technological measures. We hold ourselves to the highest standard and any uses of data are scrutinised by the national public benefit and privacy panel that includes experts that ensure compliance. That is all recognised in the Scottish Government’s health and social care data strategy.” King acknowledges there is “huge excitement” about the potential for AI but thinks there needs to be a “measure of realism”. He says it is “not that straightforward sprinkling a little bit of that AI magic onto a problem” and points out, as James Blackwood did, that it takes time to move from innovation to adoption. “I also think about investment in skills, not just in engineering and data skills but also in the ethics and the skills of the workforce,” King adds. “To make sure they have confidence using this technology, interpreting the feedback and results you get from these tools. Generally making sure we use those tools confidentially, as well as being safe and secure.” #### **AI and the future** So, what might the future look like in 50 years time, more than a century after code-breaker Donald Michie started rolling the AI ball? Albert King says “the spark is lit” and that “opportunities to automate AI, and release it for clinicians, nurses and front-line workers, is really really substantial”. Clarisse de Vries believes that AI used in screening is perhaps a decade away, while James Blackwood thinks we might be able to achieve “systemic AI”. “That’s where AI is orchestrated by humans, where you tell it you need it to do this and this,” he says. “With things like ChatGPT and new technologies, what we might see in 50 years is that you will have a radiologist AI, pathologist AI or GP AI. Then you have an AI that coordinates the three different types of AI and effectively it will do a lot of the testing and diagnostic work and it will be able to present that back without anyone ever telling them to do it. This would be transformative.” Edinburgh University certainly hopes to transform patient care, and – decades after codebreaker Michie’s work began – it remains in the vanguard of AI research. “It’s only in the last five to 10 years that the data you need has been available,” says Professor Ian Simpson who is “very excited” about the potential of digital twins and virtual organs. “It’s very early days for that – but it’s fantastic that it’s based here.” *Additional research by Leah Flint.* *Featured image credit: iStock and NicoElNino* ### FFS explains: AI and healthcare URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-ai-and-healthcare/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T13:06:05.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crowdfunder_banner_last-day_cta_2024-1079-x-190-px-28.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Artificial intelligence (AI) is a term that has catapulted into the public’s consciousness in recent years, as the technology has become easily accessible for the first time.** Media coverage has [focused on negative impacts](https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2023-05-15-expert-comment-no-need-wait-future-danger-ai-already-here?ref=theferret.scot) AI can have on political discourse, but it is already being used in Scotland’s NHS. For our Fixing Scotland series with The National, The Ferret explains how AI works, how it is being used in healthcare, and what the future might hold. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-40.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) #### **What is AI?** [Artificial intelligence (AI)](https://www.ibm.com/topics/artificial-intelligence?ref=theferret.scot) is an umbrella term that describes technology that enables computers to complete tasks that would normally need human intelligence and problem-solving abilities. [Generative AI](https://research.ibm.com/blog/what-is-generative-AI?ref=theferret.scot) is when artificial intelligence is used to create something new, like text, images, audio and video, while [machine learning](https://www.ibm.com/topics/machine-learning?ref=theferret.scot) describes the use of data and algorithms to imitate the way that humans learn, thus improving the accuracy of AI over time. [Algorithms](https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/algorithm?ref=theferret.scot) are the lists of rules or instructions that are used to perform certain tasks, like problem-solving. These are the basis of AI, and tell the program how to operate on its own. #### **What uses could it have in healthcare?** AI has potential to assist healthcare professions in [numerous ways](https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/2024/6/25/1373556b-9298-42d4-8a24-0e493b84cec9/SB%2024-34.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). One key application is in medical imaging. This is when pictures are taken of the human body (like X-rays) to help diagnose or identify issues. There are multiple uses of AI in this field. AI can detect and categorise types of tumour, identify bone fractures, and even infections such as pneumonia. It can help doctors to identify benign tumours from malignant ones in tissue samples, and can diagnose skin cancers from pictures of abnormalities. AI can speed up time-consuming administrative tasks, like note-keeping and data input. Tools exist for appointment scheduling, predicting missed appointments and rescheduling. It can be used to improve efficiency in things like bed management and staffing. Prevention of illnesses is another area where AI is believed to have significant use. This could be through the management of long-term conditions, prevent illnesses and identify people at risk. It is hoped this could help to reduce the number of people coming to hospital and reduce pressure on service. There are also automated chatbots that could be used to advise patients on how to manage conditions independently. #### **How is it being used in healthcare in Scotland?** In 2021, the Scottish Government stated it will be a “leader in the development and use of trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI”. However, a pledge to deliver a new AI life sciences hub has stalled, with the Scottish Government “re-prioritised resources elsewhere due to fiscal pressures,” [according to a report](https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/2024/6/25/1373556b-9298-42d4-8a24-0e493b84cec9/SB%2024-34.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on AI by the Scottish Parliament information centre (Spice). Powers over the use of AI in healthcare are split between [the UK and Scottish Parliament](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/devolution-settlement-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). While health and economic development is devolved, the regulation of medical devices, including AI tools, is still reserved to the UK, as is data protection. This means any development of AI tools in Scottish healthcare must follow UK-wide rules. There are currently a limited number of AI tools being used within Scotland’s NHS, [according](https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/2024/6/25/1373556b-9298-42d4-8a24-0e493b84cec9/SB%2024-34.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to Spice. These include bone scanning in children, and assisting in radiotherapy for cancer patients. There is also widespread use of AI to improve imaging. CT scanners in the Golden Jubilee hospital in Clydebank have in-built AI that allows clearer images to be produced in a shorter time. Numerous pilots are currently ongoing that aim to bring AI into various parts of the NHS. These include projects using AI in breast cancer screenings, chest x-rays, helping self-management of long term conditions, and attempting to cut waiting times through improved scheduling. #### **What are the potential issues?** Concerns have been raised over the use of AI in some aspects of healthcare. There are concerns that [over](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/risks-and-remedies-for-artificial-intelligence-in-health-care/?ref=theferret.scot)[ ](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/risks-and-remedies-for-artificial-intelligence-in-health-care/?ref=theferret.scot)[reliance](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/risks-and-remedies-for-artificial-intelligence-in-health-care/?ref=theferret.scot) on AI could put patients at risk through misdiagnosing or recommending incorrect treatment. This would only become an issue if the AI was working independently without being overseen by human experts. [Systematic bias](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666389921002026?ref=theferret.scot#abs0010) of AI has also been identified. This happens when the data used to train an AI program is incomplete or badly balanced. There is evidence that marginalised groups in society can be less accurately represented in medical data, which could potentially influence machine learning AIs. This could potentially increase existing inequalities that are already felt in healthcare. AI tools require a huge amount of data for training, and public health services often rely on private companies to produce and manage AI products. [Privacy](https://www.health.org.uk/publications/long-reads/priorities-for-an-ai-in-health-care-strategy?ref=theferret.scot) and data protection have [long been highlighted](https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/2024/6/25/1373556b-9298-42d4-8a24-0e493b84cec9/SB%2024-34.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) as issues within AI, and many experts have raised concerns about potential misuse of patient data by companies providing AI solutions in healthcare. *Header image thanks to iStock/EvgeniyShkolenko*. **Get all our latest updates with the [Ferret Underground](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/), our free newsletter. [Sign up](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter.** ### In charts: Scotland’s NHS and AI URL: https://www.theferret.scot/in-charts-scotlands-nhs-and-ai/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T13:05:58.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-27.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) Artificial intelligence has been promoted as one of the solutions to the increasing pressure on healthcare services in Scotland. In four charts, The Ferret looks at how costs and waiting times in Scotland’s NHS are spiralling, and the AI tools which could help to ease the burden. ### The cost of running hospitals has increased since 2018, with energy and utility expenditure up by 39 per cent. ### The cost of diagnostic imaging has also gone up since 2018… ### …but the waiting times for diagnostic imaging are up as well. The average waiting time for an ultrasound is higher than ever, while the waiting times for CT and MRI scans have stayed above the pre-pandemic rates. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ckaok-but-the-waiting-times-for-diagnostic-imaging-are-up-as-well.png) ### AI promises to speed up and improve diagnoses. Eight tools are in use in the NHS. There are **44 AI tools** listed on the [AI registry](https://www.rcr.ac.uk/our-services/artificial-intelligence-ai/ai-registry/?ref=theferret.scot) by the Royal College of Radiologists. Eight are listed as used by Scottish NHS health boards. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/yomgh-eight-ai-tools-used-in-nhs-scotland.jpg) *This article was amended at 12.31pm on 16 July 2024 to correct the percentage increase figures in charts presenting costs of diagnostic imaging and running hospitals. The previously given 28 per cent increase was replaced with the correct figure of 39 per cent.* *Main image: Harlie Raethel via Unsplash* **Get all our latest updates with the [Ferret Underground](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/), our free newsletter. [Sign up](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter.** ### Ministers bow to salmon industry pressure on pesticide URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-pressure-toxic-pesticide/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T13:05:56.000Z A new safety limit on a pesticide that kills marine wildlife has been delayed by four years following pressure from the salmon farming industry. The Scottish Government has said it will not introduce restrictions on the toxic chemical, [emamectin](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/emamectin/), until 2028 because of opposition from [fish farming](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/fish-farming/) companies. Environmental groups condemned the delay as “completely unacceptable”, saying ministers should be “ashamed of themselves”. The use of emamectin had to be “drastically reduced” now to protect wildlife and the shellfishing industry, they claimed. The Scottish Government, however, insisted that the delay was the “best fit” for the industry’s “planning and investment horizons”, and would end up protecting the environment. The salmon industry said it had “engaged fully” to establish a “scientifically robust” limit providing “a high margin of safety” to protect the environment. [Emamectin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emamectin?ref=theferret.scot) is fed to caged salmon to kill the lice that can plague them. But it is excreted and pollutes lochs around Scotland, killing prawns, crabs, lobsters and other crustaceans. Its dangers were identified by the government’s [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2016\. But since then, as The Ferret [reported in 2023](https://www.theferret.scot/pesticide-safety-limit-industry-lobbying/), the salmon farming industry has successfully and repeatedly lobbied to relax proposed safety limits. Sepa initially suggested a complete ban on emamectin, but this [was secretly abandoned](https://www.theferret.scot/pesticide-ban-dropped-fish-farmers/) after pressure from salmon companies and the [Scottish Government](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-nuanced-fish-farm-pesticide-ban/). Instead, in October 2017, Sepa set an “interim” limit on the amount allowed in marine sediments of 12 nanograms per kilogram (ng/kg). This limit did not apply to most of Scotland’s 200 salmon farms, but only to applications for new farms or to increase discharges from existing farms. Between 2017 and 2023 the limit was raised three times following a series of interventions by the industry, ending up at 272 ng/kg – 23 times higher than Sepa’s initial limit. On 24 June 2024, the Scottish Government [published](https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/implementation-timescales-of-new-eqs-for-embz/?ref=theferret.scot) its response to a consultation on when to introduce the 272 ng/kg safety limit for existing salmon farms. It said that it would direct Sepa to implement them “in 48 months”, the longest delay on which it had consulted. This means that when the new limit comes into effect in 2028, it will be 12 years since Sepa first sounded the alarm. According to the Scottish Government’s [report](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/consultation-analysis/2024/06/consultation-new-environmental-quality-standard-eqs-emamectin-benzoate-embz-implementation-timescales-consultation-analysis/documents/new-environmental-quality-standard-eqs-emamectin-benzoate-embz-implementation-timescales/new-environmental-quality-standard-eqs-emamectin-benzoate-embz-implementation-timescales/govscot:document/new-environmental-quality-standard-eqs-emamectin-benzoate-embz-implementation-timescales.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), it had to balance “significant concerns” from the industry with “a requirement to protect the environment”. It added: “Sepa will work with the operators of fish farms to make the improvements or mitigate the effects on their operations of doing so.” ### Safety limit opposed by salmon industry Three of the big multinational salmon farming companies – [Mowi](https://mowi.com/uk/?ref=theferret.scot), [Bakkafrost](https://www.bakkafrost.com/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Scottish Sea Farms](https://scottishseafarms.com/?ref=theferret.scot) – made [submissions to the consultation](https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/implementation-timescales-of-new-eqs-for-embz/consultation/published%5Fselect%5Frespondent?ref=theferret.scot) strongly opposing the safety limit. Their trade association, [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), made similar representations. The companies criticised the regulatory process, questioned the science underlying the limit, and asked for it to be withdrawn. It was not “appropriate” to adopt the limit “without any further consideration of its suitability as a regulatory control for the activities of marine fish farms,” [said](https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/implementation-timescales-of-new-eqs-for-embz/consultation/view%5Frespondent?uuId=1014108762&ref=theferret.scot) Salmon Scotland. The limit was “disproportionate” and emamectin was “negligible and inconsequential compared to other potential sources of insecticide pollution”, the group argued. Salmon Scotland also pointed out that there was “currently no comparable alternative” to emamectin. “Any reduction in a farmer’s ability to use emamectin will have unintended negative consequences on the environment, through a need to use alternative medicinal interventions,” it warned. Mowi’s [submission](https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/implementation-timescales-of-new-eqs-for-embz/consultation/view%5Frespondent?uuId=943258264&ref=theferret.scot) attacked Sepa. The development of the safety limit “has been a low point in the regulation of the sector by Sepa and has been driven by a need to appease activism which has significantly misrepresented the environmental effects”, the company said. ### Salmon farms ‘should be fined’ for breaches But in its [submission](https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/implementation-timescales-of-new-eqs-for-embz/consultation/view%5Frespondent?uuId=686709125&ref=theferret.scot) to the consultation, the Scottish Government’s wildlife agency, [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), argued for the limit to be introduced “as soon as possible”, particularly in areas with endangered marine species. The environmental charity, [Fidra](https://www.fidra.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), based in North Berwick, pointed out that salmon farmers had known for years that a new limit was coming. “The industry should be capable of making the transition in a very short timescale”, it [said](https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/implementation-timescales-of-new-eqs-for-embz/consultation/view%5Frespondent?uuId=502414713&ref=theferret.scot). Fidra also urged tougher action against companies that breached the emamectin limit. “Consideration should be given to breaches being routinely fined, which has the possibility to influence industry to monitor its discharges more stringently to avoid breaches,” it suggested. The [National Trust for Scotland](https://www.nts.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) wanted the limit to come into force [“immediately”](https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/implementation-timescales-of-new-eqs-for-embz/consultation/view%5Frespondent?uuId=247826716&ref=theferret.scot) to protect marine wildlife. A [scientific study in 2017](https://pureadmin.uhi.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/2445457/SARF098C.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) found that emamectin could reduce the number of crustaceans near salmon farms by 83 per cent, it said. The use of emamectin should be “drastically reduced” because it was toxic and persisted in the environment, the trust’s head of public policy, Diarmid Hearns, told The Ferret. “The damage to the environment needs to be reduced as quickly as possible,” he said. “We believe waiting up to four years will unduly delay improvement in the quality of Scotland’s coastal waters.” The [Coastal Communities Network](https://www.communitiesforseas.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which brings together 24 groups in Scotland keen to protect the marine environment, warned that the salmon farming industry was “desperate” to keep using emamectin. “The ministers responsible should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this process to be dragged out over such a long time,” said the network’s John Aitchison. “They have ignored Sepa’s duty to prevent the impacts of dumping pesticides on other users of the sea. Emamectin is deadly to crustaceans, including the crabs, lobsters and prawns on which many fishermen depend.” Aitchison added: “This is the only industry that Sepa allows to dump pesticides in the sea.” The campaign group, [Wildfish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), pointed out that the volume of emamectin used by the salmon farming industry in Scotland increased 14 per cent between 2018 and 2023. “This latest delay is yet another example of Sepa failing to adequately protect the environment from the devastating impact of open-net salmon farms,” said the group’s director in Scotland, Rachel Mulrenan. “It’s completely unacceptable that it will have taken 12 years for our supposed environment watchdog to apply stricter limits on its use.” The Scottish Government defended the four-year delay in introducing a safety limit as a way of avoiding a “cliff edge approach” which would force some salmon farms to stop using emamectin entirely. The delay was “the best fit with planning and investment horizons allowing operators to make the improvements or mitigate the effects on their operations,” said a government spokesperson. “Sepa advises that when the directions come into force, introducing the new standard will allow the environment to progressively recover to the new standards level.” [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) highlighted that it was already applying the new safety limit to proposals for new or expanded salmon farms. The limit was based on “the best available scientific evidence on the toxicity of the medicine to aquatic life”, said the agency’s head of ecology, Peter Pollard. “We have begun work to calculate updated licence conditions. These will reduce the quantities of emamectin that can be discharged and enable the progressive recovery of the environment from the effects of past discharges,” he added. “We will ensure these new conditions come into force, and are complied with, in accordance with the timetable set by Scottish Government.” [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) stressed that fish farmers took their responsibilities to the environment very seriously. They “provide world-leading standards of animal health and welfare that are independently verified,” said the organisation’s technical head, Dr Iain Berrill. “We have engaged fully in the process to establish a scientifically robust standard which is based on the most up-to-date and rigorous evidence available, adheres to European guidelines, and includes a high margin of safety to protect the marine environment.” The Ferret’s [previous revelations](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/emamectin/) about the salmon farming industry’s eight-year campaign to block tougher environmental controls on emamectin, marketed as Slice, resulted in the affair being dubbed “[Slicegate](https://twitter.com/search?q=slicegate&src=typed%5Fquery&ref=theferret.scot)” by campaigners. **This Ferret story was also [published](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24450338.ministers-bow-salmon-industry-pressure-toxic-pesticide/?ref=theferret.scot) in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** *Cover image thanks to iStock/[sugar0607](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/sugar0607?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot).* ### Salmon firm withdraws feed barge application for Loch Broom URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-firm-withdraws-feed-barge-application-for-loch-broom/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T13:06:07.000Z **A salmon farming company accused of misleading people over its plans for a fish farm in a marine protected area has withdrawn a controversial application for an industrial feeding system.** A subsidiary of [Mowi Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/mowi/), a multinational headquartered in Norway, wanted to have the [automated system](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-fish-farm-scottish-highlands-misleading/) at an existing salmon farm on Loch Broom, near Ullapool in the northwest of Scotland. The plan would have seen a large vessel called a feed barge allowed onto the loch to feed thousands of salmon at the Corry fish farm. But dozens of people objected to the planning application by Wester Ross Fisheries, the Mowi subsidiary. They argued that a feed barge would result in noise and environmental pollution at the beauty spot. Loch Broom residents also claimed Wester Ross Fisheries misled them over its plans, as [reported by The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-fish-farm-scottish-highlands-misleading/). Wester Ross Fisheries disputed those claims, however, and said it there may have been “cross wires or miscommunication”. The firm’s [planning application](https://wam.highland.gov.uk/wam/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=neighbourComments&keyVal=S0LYQJIH0JG00&ref=theferret.scot) was submitted to Highland Council on 6 September 2023 but it has been withdrawn. Those opposed to the application included the anti-fish farm campaigner, Corin Smith, who said “the community has spoken, Mowi must listen”. He added: “It has been a great privilege to help this community achieve the outcome they wanted. I remain ready, willing and able to support any other community in Scotland, who feel steamrollered by these huge salmon farming corporations.” Smith also claimed that if Mowi is to “recover a shred of credibility, Mowi’s senior manager in Scotland, Ben Hadfield, needs to stop the word games and stop subjecting the community of Ullapool to ongoing stress and uncertainty”. Smith added: “He should now personally provide the community with an unequivocal, and binding, undertaking that the Loch Broom site will see no further attempts to develop or expand it in future.” In reply, Mowi’s COO Ben Hadfield said: “Wester Ross Fisheries had hosted several meetings over the past months with many local stakeholders to encourage feedback on the proposal. Once the organised delegation had abruptly left the meeting held March 27, we had a very productive meeting with local community members that remained. > It has been a great privilege to help this community achieve the outcome they wanted. The community has spoken, Mowi must listen. > > Corin Smith, fish farm critic and the founder of Inside Scottish Salmon Feedlots “We have listened to all feedback specific to this application and have withdrawn the application whilst we look to confirm solutions that we are confident will meet the needs and expectations of our fish, our valued employees, and the local community.” Loch Broom is part of the [Wester Ross marine protected area](https://seachangewesterross.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Wester-Ross-KIPPER-Guide26-July-final-copy.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) (MPA), which was designated in 2014 to protect fragile seabed habitats and species like maerl – a pink seaweed – and flame shell beds. The Corry fish farm, founded in 1977 by Wester Ross Fisheries, predates the MPA designation. It was the last independently-owned salmon farming company in Scotland until 2022, when Mowi Scotland bought a controlling stake in the firm. Wester Ross [told The Ferret previously](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-fish-farm-scottish-highlands-misleading/) that an automated feeding system “is not intended to replace hand feeding but rather deliver on our commitment to the health and welfare needs of both the fish and the farmer.” ### Why do parties run ‘paper candidates’ in elections? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/why-do-parties-run-paper-candidates/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T13:06:08.000Z **The Reform Party has been criticised over allegedly running ‘paper candidates’ in constituencies across the UK.** In the [2024 general election](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/results?ref=theferret.scot), five candidates were elected as MPs for Reform, and it picked up more than four million votes across the country. This was the third largest vote share of any party. Numerous candidates standing for Reform appeared to have no profile beyond their name and constituency, leading to accusations the party may have listed fake or even AI-generated candidates. [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) explains. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-41.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) #### **What are paper candidates?** A paper candidate is a person who is put on the ballot paper primarily to allow a party to stand in a constituency. They are not expected to do any campaigning and often have little to no connection to or profile within the constituency. This is a common tactic used by smaller parties without local branches or infrastructure to select active candidates in areas across the country. Reform selected candidates across nearly every constituency in the UK, and many of them could be described as paper candidates. Some in Scotland had no contact details or even pictures. According to the [Glasgow Times](https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24440858.reform-uk-admission-election-candidates-glasgow/?ref=theferret.scot), there was no visible presence of Reform candidates at the election count in Glasgow, nor did candidates appear on stage when their constituency results were declared. Using paper candidates is common in UK elections. For example, [local](https://bristolgreenparty.org.uk/form/paper-candidate-application/?ref=theferret.scot) [branches](https://southnorfolk.greenparty.org.uk/2020/10/24/our-guide-to-being-a-paper-candidate/?ref=theferret.scot) of the Green Party of England and Wales have actively advertised for paper candidates to stand in council seats they are not targeting in the past. #### **How can they be spotted?** Often a paper candidate will have little to no public profile, and will not appear at hustings or provide statements to local media. They may not be active on social media, or their social media feeds may not mention or promote the party they are standing for. Paper candidates may not live in the local area, and can have little to no connection with the constituency in which they are standing. There may be very little local campaigning from the party or candidate. #### **Did Reform run a fake AI candidate?** There were claims online that one of Reform’s candidates standing in London, Mark Matlock, was in fact a fake candidate whose picture was created using an AI generator. This is false. Matlock appeared on TV news channel, [GB News](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqmVtKsi0lM&ref=theferret.scot), and his identity was confirmed by The Guardian newspaper. [Sky News](https://x.com/mattgrantsky/status/1810383596894691828?ref=theferret.scot) also reported the Metropolitan Police had “confirmed the candidate’s identity”. Matlock, the Clapham and Brixton Hill candidate, [told The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/08/reform-uk-under-pressure-to-prove-all-its-candidates-were-real-people?ref=theferret.scot) the image had been altered to change his suit and alter the colour of his tie to Reform Party colours. #### **Why do parties run them?** There are a few reasons why parties run paper candidates in elections when they have almost no chance of winning. It gives voters the ability to register support for the party in the widest number of constituencies. This will increase a party’s national vote share, and can be useful for it to decide where it should focus resources in future. Parties running candidates in more than [one sixth of the seats](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-guidance/programme-guidance/pprb-rules-december-2020.pdf?v=335877&ref=theferret.scot) available in the election are granted a party political broadcast, which will appear on one or more of the major television channels. There is also a financial advantage to standing in as many seats as possible. So-called “short money” is [financial assistance](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01663/?ref=theferret.scot) given to opposition parties in the House of Commons. Short money is available to any opposition party that gets two seats, or one seat and more than 150,000 votes, at the previous general election. Each [seat won](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01663/?ref=theferret.scot) is worth £22,295.86 in short money, plus £44.53 for every 200 votes gained by the party across the country. This is offset against the [£500 deposit](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-acting-returning-officers-administering-a-uk-parliamentary-election-great-britain/after-election/deposits?ref=theferret.scot) that is paid for each candidate to stand. This is returned if the candidate receives at least five per cent of the vote. #### **Is this allowed?** Paper candidates are perfectly legal, as [long as the person exists](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdf%5Ffile/intro-candidate.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), represents themselves correctly, is eligible to run as a parliamentary candidate, pays the deposit and gathers nominations from [10 local constituents](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-acting-returning-officers-administering-a-uk-parliamentary-election-great-britain/nominations/forms-nomination/nomination-form-subscriber-requirements?ref=theferret.scot). It is [illegal](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-candidates-and-agents-uk-parliamentary-general-elections-great-britain/what-you-need-know-you-stand-a-candidate/qualifications-and-disqualifications-standing-election/disqualifications?ref=theferret.scot) to “make a false statement” about your identity or eligibility to run as a candidate on your nomination papers. You also cannot stand in more than one constituency in the same election. The only details that need to be given to the public about a candidate is their full name and the constituency where they live. *Photo credit: [Gage Skidmore](http://Photo credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en https://www.flickr.com/people/22007612@N05), [CC BY-SA 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Half of Argyll commercial forests flouting green rules, says watchdog URL: https://www.theferret.scot/argyll-commercial-forests-flouting-green-rules/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:07:11.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-banner-purple-29.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Environmental rule breaking in Argyll’s commercial forests has polluted protected lochs, including one home to Scotland’s rarest freshwater fish, and put drinking water supplies at risk, the nation’s green watchdog has found.** Inspections by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) found foresters failing to protect waterways from pollution, leaving behind hundreds of plastic tree guards and burning, burying or abandoning waste. Both “public and private drinking water supplies continue to be put at risk” from forestry operations, Sepa reported. Of the 47 sites assessed between November 2022 and October 2023, 25 were compliant with water protection rules and forestry standards, while 22 were non-compliant. The results were “extremely disappointing for the sector”, Sepa said. The Ferret obtained [the report](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24655917-240221-sepa-template-argyll-initiative-summary-report%5Frr?responsive=1&title=1&ref=theferret.scot), its data and [warning letters](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24655918-fls-lussa-loch-and-loch-eck-sepa-warning-letters?responsive=1&title=1&ref=theferret.scot) sent to polluters, via a freedom of information (FOI) response from Sepa. An FOI from Scottish Forestry, which is responsible for regulation, confirmed that half of the rule-breaking sites are owned by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), which manages around a third of Scotland’s forests on behalf of the public. The other half were run by private operators. Sepa sent warning letters to FLS after it polluted Loch Eck, which is [home to](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/forest-parks/argyll-forest-park/loch-eck?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Loch%20Eck%20is%20a%20great,here%20and%20in%20Loch%20Lomond.) Scotland’s rarest freshwater fish, the powan, and Lussa Loch, a [protected site](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/images/corporate/design-plans/west-argyll/lussa/lussa-lmp-map5-opportunities-and-constraints.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-504400853.jpg) Pollution from commercial forestry operations endangered Loch Eck, home to Scotland’s rarest freshwater fish, the powan. Image: SueBurtonPhotography/iStock A forestry think tank argued that FLS was setting a poor example for the industry, while opposition MSPs called on ministers to explain the actions of the Scottish Government agency and install “robust penalties” for rulebreakers. FLS claimed the “vast majority” of its operations met official regulations. It faced “challenges in Argyll”, but was working with Sepa to improve practices. Sepa said there had been a “positive response” to its inspections from the industry, and that its study did not mean rule breaking is widespread. ### **Threats to waterways found in Argyll study** Sepa launched a series of arranged and unannounced inspections following “several forestry related environmental incidents” in Argyll – one of Scotland’s biggest regions and a centre of industrial forestry. It wanted to assess whether forestry operations were complying with Scotland’s [water protection regulations](https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/r3cmimzy/car-a-practical-guide-v93-final.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and the [UK Forestry Standard](https://forestry.gov.scot/sustainable-forestry/ukfs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot), which promotes sustainable forestry. Nearly half of the 47 surveyed sites were not. Failures included poor or inadequate civil engineering, and inappropriate management and storage of water and waste. This caused or risked pollution, flooding, erosion, and the blocking of waterways used by migrating fish. At a quarry managed by FLS, near Loch Bealach Ghearran, Sepa found waste that had been partially burnt and buried at the site’s entrance. At other sites, operators, including FLS, ignored guidance to create a five-metre buffer zone to stop conifers from polluting water, instead planting the trees within a metre of waterways. Conifers [can harm](https://www.theferret.scot/farming-forestry-pollution-waterways-scotland/) water quality, fish and other aquatic life by leaking chemicals, blocking light, and acidifying water with the needles they drop. FLS flouted buffer zones at Doig’s Grave, near Lussa Loch, and at River Eachaig – the latter of which is home to sea trout. In 2021, Marine Scotland found sea trout had reached record [low numbers](https://www.theferret.scot/marine-protection-scottish-species-decline/), although an 11 per cent rise was recorded the following year. > There must be enforcement and robust penalties for landowners and managers who are putting our nature and wellbeing at risk. > > Ariane Burgess MSP, Scottish Greens Sepa’s report added that large stacks of timber had been left on roadsides for so long that they “may meet the legal definition of waste”. Its data shows that all abandoned log stacks were found on FLS sites. “We have raised these findings in good faith with the sector and Scottish Forestry in the hope that companies and regulators now focus on ensuring that standards improve such that all forestry work complies fully with the industry standard for environmental excellence,” Sepa’s report said. Sustainable forestry practices are key to delivering aims and objectives set out in Sepa’s [river basin management plan](https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/RBMP3/Appendices/211222-final-rbmp3-scotland.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), which aims for 92 per cent of waterways to be in ‘good’ or better condition by 2027. While Sepa’s Argyll probe found 47 per cent of forestry sites to be complying with environmental standards, a similar study in the south of Scotland in 2014-15 found a compliance rate of 74 per cent. Forestry guidance was then updated and sent out to foresters, while workshops were held across Scotland to improve practices. A follow up “snapshot” study in 2019 found a 90 per cent compliance rate. The Argyll assessments showed “poor compliance despite the abundance of improved information, improved communication, and shared learning”, Sepa said. It was due to launch further inspections and enforcement actions, send out improved guidance, and arrange workshops, the report added. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/leaping_sea_trout_-_geograph-org_-uk_-_1021829.jpg) Forestry and Land Scotland flouted buffer zones at River Eachaig, home to sea trout. Image: Rupert Fleetingly ### **FLS should be ‘an exemplar’ of sustainable forestry** In January, [Forest Policy Group](https://www.forestpolicygroup.org/?ref=theferret.scot), a Scottish think tank, ran a ‘[Better Forestry](https://www.forestpolicygroup.org/news/better-forestry-conference-an-insight-into-the-day/?ref=theferret.scot)’ conference in Perthshire to discuss ways to improve woodland management. Participants “were clear that FLS should be acting as an exemplar for the sector,” said the think tank’s Gordon Gray Stephens. But the Argyll report showed that “they have some way to go before this can be a reality,” Stephens claimed. His organisation has “long been of the view that the regulator has had insufficient resources to properly oversee many aspects of forestry, and this report is evidence that this is the case.” He added: “What arrangements have \[Scottish Forestry\] and Sepa made to revisit Argyll, or to inspect forestry operations elsewhere, to ensure that basic standards are met?” Green MSP Ariane Burgess said: “This is extremely concerning and will worry a lot of people in the area. Our forests are iconic and have a really important role to play in creating more sustainable communities, but that can’t happen when the rules are being flouted or ignored. “When we support our natural world, it supports us. All of us benefit from clean waters and thriving nature. There must be enforcement and robust penalties for landowners and managers who are putting our nature and wellbeing at risk.” Scottish Liberal Democrat climate emergency spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said: “People would rightly expect the highest standards of care and maintenance from a Scottish Government body. “Ministers should explain how their practices can sit properly alongside commitments to promote biodiversity, keep our waters clean and ensure our countryside is pristine.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-05-092534.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/farming-forestry-pollution-waterways-scotland/) ### **Work ongoing to improve forestry practices** FLS said that the “vast majority” of its operations across the country met regulations and official forestry standards. “While we always strive towards best practice, the challenges in Argyll have on occasion been extremely taxing and our response has been found wanting, such that Sepa has advised on improvements to a few operations, and issued us with two formal warnings, which we immediately acted upon,” said a spokesperson. “Thanks to this ongoing work we are adapting and improving the training and guidance we give staff and tightening up our contract documents to improve, achieve and maintain higher standards of operational planning and delivery.” Scottish Forestry highlighted that when it grants permission for trees to be felled, it does not supervise the operations, but expects operators “to comply with all legislation and guidance”. “Where significant non-compliance arises we can require corrective actions and where necessary, suspend or revoke permissions,” said a spokesperson. “Ensuring all forestry work is carried out to the correct standard to protect the environment is extremely important and we work with colleagues in Sepa and the wider forestry sector on this compliance work.” Eilidh Johnston, senior manager, water, industry and rural economy at Sepa, said: “Scotland’s woodlands play a nationally significant role in contributing to our environmental, economic and social wellbeing, including our fight against the twin climate and nature emergencies.” She added: “We work closely with public, private and third sector interests on environmental performance and areas of focus, including in Argyll where a small, randomly selected programme of inspections highlighted points for improvement. “We’re pleased with the positive response from sector interests and have continued to engage across a series of workshops in 2023 and 2024\. There is no suggestion that small scale sampling is indicative of wider patterns, locally or more broadly.” **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** #### **Get all our latest updates with the** Ferret Underground , our free newsletter. Sign up for free stories every week, an invite to our exclusive Facebook group, and a monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter. *Main image: © [Walter Baxter](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/6638?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot))* ### Nearly half of Scots constituencies have candidates promoting extreme views URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-constituencies-candidates-extreme-election/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:08:16.000Z **Nearly half of Scottish constituencies include at least one general election candidate who has expressed or shared a view branded as hateful, a conspiracy theory, or misinformation, a Ferret analysis has found.** We identified examples of 32 candidates expressing what critics claim are extreme views, including falsehoods about subjects including climate science or the Covid vaccine, in 26 of Scotland’s 57 Westminster seats. The controversial opinions were shared on social media or in political interviews or broadcasts. By far, most of these candidates came from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which is fielding candidates in every Scottish constituency. Some Reform candidates shared Islamophobic views, while others questioned climate science, and one suggested that Covid-19 lockdowns were a “punishment for Brexit and Trump” by organisations and individuals like Tony Blair, the World Economic Forum and the BBC. Other parties with candidates platforming allegedly conspiratorial or extreme views included the Workers Party of Britain and fringe parties like the Scottish Family, Scottish Libertarian and Heritage Parties. One public policy expert said the number of candidates with “abhorrent views” was “shocking”. He claimed it was “no surprise” that Reform came top for fielding candidates that promote comments branded as conspiracy theories, misinformation or hateful, but also urged mainstream parties to improve their selection processes. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-06-21-154259.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scots-reform-candidates-conspiracy-theorist-posts/) In total The Ferret found 16 Reform candidates in Scotland have shared extreme views, including [some](https://www.theferret.scot/scots-reform-candidates-conspiracy-theorist-posts/) we have already [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-candidate-greta-thunberg-aspergers-girl/) in the last six weeks. Many shared posts on social media which denied the existence of climate change, rejecting the [scientific consensus](https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/scientific-consensus/?ref=theferret.scot) that human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are causing global warming. Climate change denial is not new. The [Global Climate Coalition](https://www.desmog.com/global-climate-coalition/?ref=theferret.scot), a US-based lobbyist group, was accused of deliberately sowing doubt and confusion in its campaigns against regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions as far back as 1989. However these ideas are gaining [momentum](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/01/at-least-30-reform-candidates-have-cast-doubt-on-human-induced-global-heating?ref=theferret.scot) again with the help of right-wing parties – including Reform – which believe in lowering regulations for businesses. Those sharing posts on social media expressing skepticism about climate science included Alan Melville, the Reform candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith. He shared a post which [claimed](https://twitter.com/KurtSchlichter/status/1539266560237309952?ref=theferret.scot) that “climate change is a hoax designed to take your power and money”. Robert Smith, Reform’s candidate for Orkney and Shetland, shared a post with the hashtag #[Climatescam](https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Vo64vKebALkjX9GE/), which claims that global warming is a lie. In another post he [argued](https://www.facebook.com/share/p/rLYpaKtwdfsq3Led/) that “every climate summit is snowed on”, and “ships in the arctic to prove there’s no ice \[get\] stuck in the ice”. The Reform candidate for Gordon and Buchan, Kris Callander, engaged with [a post](https://x.com/Kris%5FCallander/status/1802277402854240285?ref=theferret.scot) stating climate change was “clear b\*llocks”, posting a meme that suggested warming had been caused by water vapour from a volcano. Several Scottish candidates shared a [post](https://twitter.com/TiceRichard/status/1728511408784953512?ref=theferret.scot) by Reform chairman Richard Tice which claimed: “CO2 isn’t a poison. It’s plant food! We need to challenge the climate change nonsense!”. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-03-162459.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-candidate-greta-thunberg-aspergers-girl/) The Ferret has [previously](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-candidate-greta-thunberg-aspergers-girl/) [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-suspends-scots-candidates-remarks/) during this election campaign on Scottish Reform candidates who have made disparaging comments about trans people and Humza Yousaf’s Pakistani heritage, called Greta Thunberg ‘aspergers girl’, and shared a post comparing Allah to the devil. Candidates for Reform were not the only ones to cast doubt on climate science. The [Scottish Libertarian Party](https://twitter.com/ScoLibertarian?ref=theferret.scot), which is standing candidates in Edinburgh West and Midlothian, has also regularly shared climate misinformation including [posts](https://twitter.com/NetZeroWatch/status/1800107787235864629?ref=theferret.scot) from a campaign launched by the [Global Warming Policy Foundation](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-climate-denial-donation-tory-party/), which has claimed there is “no observational evidence for any global climate crisis”. Meanwhile, Graeme Craib of the Scottish Family Party told attendees of an event organised by anti-lockdown group, [Together](https://www.desmog.com/together/?ref=theferret.scot), that low emission zones – which restrict access for the most polluting vehicles to improve air quality – are not about reducing emissions, but are instead being put in place to “[control](https://twitter.com/Togetherdec/status/1784100163285397776?ref=theferret.scot) us”. Together launched a campaign against net-zero policies last year, the launch page of which [argued](https://web.archive.org/web/20231019010958/https://notonetzero.uk/) net-zero was based on “wildly exaggerated fears about the future” One Scottish Family Party candidate also [claimed](https://www.facebook.com/share/p/YVvHsGnL2oJ3mQfg/) that there is “LGBT indoctrination” happening in Scottish schools while another shared a [post](https://twitter.com/LeoLanahan/status/1794787756612477017?ref=theferret.scot) [falsely](https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-united-nations-report-consent-772818741019?ref=theferret.scot) alleging that the UN “promotes sex with minors”. Mark Turnbull, standing for the [Freedom Alliance](https://freedomalliance.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) in Paisley and Renfrewshire South, also claims his party [doesn’t recognise](https://www.facebook.com/qualityradiouk/videos/listen-now-mark-turnbull-from-the-freedom-alliance-party-for-paisley-and-renfrew/836564457919977/) climate change. “People running under the climate change banner might be trying to suppress you,” he told a local radio station. Freedom Alliance was formed to oppose lockdowns during the pandemic. In a post from October 2021, Derek Winton, the Reform candidate for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, [said](https://twitter.com/derekwinton/status/1452229123137495051?ref=theferret.scot) he suspected that lockdowns were “in some way punishment for Brexit and Trump” by bodies like the EU, the World Economic Forum and the UN as well as individuals like Tony Blair and Bill Gates. Raymond Mennie, who is standing for George Galloway’s Workers Party in Dundee Central, has also been [accused](https://www.scotsman.com/regions/dundee-and-tayside/snp-calls-for-suspension-of-labour-candidate-in-dundee-west-1401173?ref=theferret.scot) of [sharing](https://x.com/Steve%5FCooke/status/1800781291220021268/photo/3?ref=theferret.scot) anti-semitic material online and he was [jailed](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12619828.councillors-corruption-appeals-dismissed/?ref=theferret.scot) for corruption while a Labour councillor in the city back in 1993. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-03-163018.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/alba-neale-hanvey-event-conspiracy-theorists/) ### **Number of candidates with ‘abhorrent’ views ‘shocking’** [James Mitchell](https://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/staff/james-mitchell?ref=theferret.scot), professor of public policy at Edinburgh university, said: “Scrutiny of candidates seeking election to public office is essential. While the odd candidate might get through vetting, especially when there is little time for a more thorough selection process, the number of candidates with abhorrent views across such a range of constituencies is shocking. “Too little attention is paid to selection processes inside political parties that lack transparency. More openness is required both to save embarrassment for mainstream parties and more importantly to provide important information to voters. “It is no surprise that Reform has the largest number of candidates who have expressed or shared conspiracy theories, misinformation and hateful comments – in some cases repeatedly and across a range of subjects.” A spokesperson for the Scottish Greens said: “We should all be concerned about the impact of misinformation and right-wing conspiracies on our politics, especially when they often go hand in hand with other extreme views. This election is a really crucial moment for our environment and our economy. “We are confident that Scotland will see through the false promises and prejudices being peddled by parties like Reform and focus on the solutions to the urgent challenges we face, including the cost-of-living crisis and the climate emergency.” Willie Rennie MSP said: “Liberal Democrats believe that free expression is an important value but I am confident that the electorate will render a sharp verdict on candidates who have put themselves forward in order to spread conspiracies and hateful views. “The Reform party seems to have an astonishing ability to attract conspiracists, cranks and Russia sympathisers.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-03-162848.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/tommy-macpherson-facebook-ads-ai-anti-migrant-fakes/) ### **Party spokespeople on their candidates’ comments** Peter Ford, the deputy leader of the Workers Party of Britain said: “Mr Mennie was a Labour councillor at the time of his offence. Now, as a WPB candidate, he, like all our candidates (no rich supporters for us), is paying all his own expenses. Corruption today needs ferreting out elsewhere, methinks.” Ford said his party was “considerably more concerned” about the “children killed by the Israelis in Gaza” – which totalled around 15,000 in June, [according to](https://abcnews.go.com/International/number-children-missing-separated-families-gaza-high-21000/story?id=111365036&ref=theferret.scot) the UN – than social media posts by one of the party’s candidates. Richard Lucas, leader of the Scottish Family Party (SFP), said: “I absolutely agree that many candidates in this election have been found to hold abhorrent views. But our candidates have not.” He said he found no evidence of “conspiracy theories, misinformation about topics like climate change and Covid-19, or hateful views about minority communities” in the cases we presented to him and stood by Craib’s comment on Low Emission Zones (LEZs). “Of course LEZs are about control. They control which vehicles are allowed. The extent to which they reflect an overly controlling attitude from government is a perfectly reasonable point of discussion,” he said. Lucas added it was the SFP’s position that LGBT indoctrination was happening in schools, and argued there were “reasons to be concerned about the UN and child sexuality”. All parties and independent candidates mentioned in the story were approached for comment. ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Main image: iStock/Adam Webb* ### Claim Nigel Farage streamed himself playing Minecraft is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-nigel-farage-streaming-minecraft-is-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:08:17.000Z **Nigel Farage has gained significant media coverage during the election, with his Reform Party gaining ground on the Conservatives in opinion polls.** A widely-shared [video on TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@podcastpilotpro/video/7381802988446256417?is%5Ffrom%5Fwebapp=1&sender%5Fdevice=pc&ref=theferret.scot) allegedly showed Farage streaming himself playing Minecraft, and destroying Keir Starmer’s castle base in the sandbox-style video game. > Nigel Farage streamed himself playing Minecraft and destroying Keir Starmer’s base. Ferret Fact Service is working with YoungScot to get to the truth behind election claims suggested by young people. We looked at this claim and found it False ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-42.png) ### **Evidence** The video, [titled “Nigel griefs Kiers \[sic\] minecraft base”](https://www.tiktok.com/@podcastpilotpro/video/7381802988446256417?%5Fr=1&%5Ft=8nSmWsneZMm&ref=theferret.scot) shows Farage playing the game Minecraft while streaming himself on screen. It has nearly 80,000 likes and 25,000 shares on TikTok. ‘Griefing’ is a [term used](https://minecraft-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Griefing?ref=theferret.scot) in the gaming world for someone who intentionally trolls and annoys other players in multiplayer online games. Farage appears to [say](https://www.tiktok.com/@podcastpilotpro/video/7381802988446256417?%5Fr=1&%5Ft=8nSmWsneZMm&ref=theferret.scot) he had previously “logged on to Rishi \[Sunak\]’s Minecraft server and managed to find and destroy his house,” the subject of an [earlier satirical video](https://www.tiktok.com/@podcastpilotpro/video/7381413097753382177?%5Fr=1&%5Ft=8nSmWsneZMm&ref=theferret.scot) by the same account. The video goes on to show him blowing up part of Keir Starmer’s castle base on the game. The video then cuts to Keir Starmer streaming, reacting to an explosion in his base and blaming it on Rishi Sunak. The video has been created using [artificial intelligence](https://www.theferret.scot/keir-starmer-leaked-audio-fake/) to manipulate videos of Farage and Starmer so it appears as though they are saying words produced by an [AI audio generator](https://www.theferret.scot/keir-starmer-leaked-audio-fake/). The account that posted the video has numerous others with similar content, including AI-created videos of Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak playing Minecraft. The videos are labelled as satire by the account, but numerous comments suggested viewers appeared to believe it was real. ### **How to spot AI fakes?** There are a [few telltale signs](https://fullfact.org/blog/2023/dec/how-to-spot-deepfakes/?ref=theferret.scot) this is fake. Firstly, it’s incredibly unlikely. There are no original sources of the pair playing Minecraft on any streaming site beyond this clip and others on the same account. Nigel Farage’s video seems to have been taken from an appearance on the [radio station LBC](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4Rq7avG234&ref=theferret.scot), and a microphone from the station is visible. The way his mouth moves in line with the audio is slightly unusual, and appears to be unnatural. AI audio is getting more common and it is very easy to create realistic audio of people who often appear in the public eye, like politicians, because audio material of them speaking, which is used to train the AI, will be publicly available. [Keir Starmer](https://www.theferret.scot/keir-starmer-leaked-audio-fake/) and [Rishi Sunak](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/jan/12/deepfake-video-adverts-sunak-facebook-alarm-ai-risk-election?ref=theferret.scot) have been regularly used in fake AI audio before, such as a clip of Starmer allegedly criticising the city of Liverpool. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** This video has been skillfully created using artificial intelligence to replicate Nigel Farage and Keir Starmer’s voices and likeness. It is intended to be satirical, imagining what it would be like if party leaders were streaming playing Minecraft. ***This fact check was written on the suggestion of Young Scot, a national youth information and citizenship charity for 11 to 25 year olds living in Scotland. This collaboration aims to engage with and hear from young Scots, particularly focusing on the interests and concerns of young voters.*** > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Main image: Gage Skidmore* ### Almost a third of Scots constituencies have only one woman candidate standing… or none at all URL: https://www.theferret.scot/third-scots-constituencies-one-woman-candidate/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:08:19.000Z **Almost a third of Scottish constituencies have only one woman – or no women at all – on the ballot paper according to exclusive analysis by The Ferret that reveals the extent of the gender gap in politics.** More than eighty per cent of [Scottish constituencies](https://www.theferret.scot/who-is-vying-for-your-vote-on-facebook/) have more men than women on the ballot paper, and five constituencies have male only lists. A further 12 constituencies (21 per cent) had only one woman standing against up to seven men. In total, 84 per cent of Scotland’s 57 constituencies have male dominated candidate lists despite pledges by parties to prioritise better gender balance in politics. Only four constituencies are gender balanced – with the same number of men and women – and five have more women running as candidates than men. There were no female only lists, and no constituencies where only one man was standing against female candidates. Campaigners said the findings showed that attempts to solve the gender gap were “derisory” and called for legislation that would lead to mandatory gender quotas across parties, as well as the publication of monitoring data, which is not currently made available. Female politicians have reported widespread [online abuse, death threats](https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/ignoring-online-abuse-of-women-mps-has-dire-consequences/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Research%20by%20the%20Inter%2DParliamentary,%E2%80%9D%2C%2041.8%20per%20cent%20having%20%E2%80%9C) and [sexual harassment and assault](https://www.forbes.com/sites/erinspencer1/2022/11/02/women-in-politics-have-to-deal-with-more-harassment-and-violence-a-new-database-is-tracking-those-threats/?ref=theferret.scot) in recent years, with some claiming the cost of being so visible in public life is too high. Figures published [earlier this month](https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/candidate-selections-reflect-the-barriers-for-women-in-politics/?ref=theferret.scot) showed that women make up only 31 per cent of candidates across the UK. The Ferret found the percentage of women in Scotland is the same as the UK-wide figure. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/kity2-gender-balance-by-constituency3.png)](https://www.datawrapper.de/%5F/KiTY2?ref=theferret.scot) The Ferret has previously found [one in three female](https://www.theferret.scot/women-councillors-faced-abuse-sexism-racism-office/) councillors stepped down at the 2022 election, often having faced threats of violence, racist abuse, and sexual harassment during their time in office. Constituencies with all male lists included Glasgow South and Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West, with eight men standing in each constituency. In Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, there are seven men and no women standing. In the Orkney and Shetland and Stirling and Strathallan constituencies, there are six male candidates on each of the ballot papers. Before the election was called and p[arliament](https://www.parliament.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) was dissolved there were double the number of male Scottish MPs than women with 18 women and 41 men. In 2019, a [record number of women](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/house-of-commons-trends-how-many-women-candidates-become-mps/?ref=theferret.scot) – almost 34 percent of candidates – stood for election. As of February 2024 there were 225 women in the House of Commons, equating to 35 percent of MPs, the highest proportion ever. But with a smaller percentage standing this year, [Engender ](https://www.engender.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)– a Scottish policy and advocacy working toward gender equity – said it was concerned that fewer women would be elected this year. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-01-162423.png)](https://www.datawrapper.de/%5F/2e1UT?ref=theferret.scot) Jessie Duncan, equal representation development officer for the organisation, said the UK Government must enact [Section 106 of the Equality Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/106?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=%282%29If%20the%20party%20had,accordance%20with%20subsection%20%283%29.), compelling political parties to publish candidate diversity data, which in turn should be monitored to “help build a more equal Scotland”. She also claimed the law should be “updated” to allow gender quotas to be introduced at elections. “Women continue to face a vast range of economic, cultural and political realities that prevent them from taking part in politics on an equal basis to men,” she added. “It is unsurprising that women are, yet again, underrepresented among candidates. Talat Yaqoob, co-founder of [Women 50:50](https://women5050.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which campaigns for gender balance in politics, said the dominance of male candidates underlined the need for action. **“**The status quo fails women, and it fails democracy,” she added. “Women 50:50 has been advocating for legislated candidate quotas because despite most political parties recognising the need for change in how politics operates, when it comes to picking candidates, women, particularly marginalised women, continue to be sidelined.” “We need a transformation in our political cultures; rooting out sexism, racism, classism, and all forms of bigotry, so that those who are most ignored by politics are able to fully and fairly engage. “ Many have argued that there are a range of factors putting women off standing – and leading them to stand down, which it has been claimed leads to a “democratic deficit”. They include online abuse and even death threats, high incidences of sexual harassment and assault in Parliament and the lack of family friendly work culture – with unforgiving and inflexible hours, a lack of [maternity leave and pay](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/oct/30/stella-creasy-lonely-maternity-cover-battle-women-should-be-able-have-kids-do-politics?ref=theferret.scot). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-07-01-164423.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/women-councillors-faced-abuse-sexism-racism-office/) Problems with online abuse are not restricted to the UK. Research by the [Inter-Parliamentary Union](http://archive.ipu.org/pdf/publications/issuesbrief-e.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) found that 82 per cent of those surveyed in 39 countries had been subjected to “psychological violence”. Two thirds reported “humiliating sexual or sexist remarks”, 42 per cent had “extremely humiliating or sexually charged images” of themselves spread through social media, and 45 per cent had been threatened with “death, rape, beatings or abduction”. In 2017, [research by Amnesty International](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/online-violence-women-mps?ref=theferret.scot) found that Diane Abbot received the most abuse of any MP, with many of the average of 51 abusive tweets a day in the lead-up to that year’s snap election focussed on both her race and gender and including threats of sexual violence. Hannah Stevens, chief executive, of [Elect Her](https://www.elect-her.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) – a UK-wide campaigning organisation that aims to see at women elected as at least 51 percent of politicians, said women’s representation in this election was “derisory”. “The depressing figures in Scotland are mirrored across the country,” she added. “That can’t go on. We know more diversity matters.” She claimed research by [King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/giwl?ref=theferret.scot) suggested that when there are more women in politics, society benefits with less corruption, better outcomes for local people and a reduced likelihood of the country going to war. A spokesperson from the [Electoral Commission](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id?utm%5Fsource=google&utm%5Fmedium=paid+search&utm%5Fcampaign=ukpge%5Fvoter%5Fid%5Fengland%5Fphase%5F1&utm%5Fid=2024&utm%5Fsource=ppc&utm%5Fmedium=paid-media&utm%5Fcampaign=en-voter%5Fid-googleads-ppc-england-en-na-fy23/24&gad%5Fsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwp4m0BhBAEiwAsdc4aN%5FzuaSq-nSat42qAdTbzSL9bhiF1p50nnzlOYqf17Pnqz1QFGJunBoCDxIQAvD%5FBwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) said it did not take “a position on changes to eligibility for candidates at elections, as this is a matter for the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament to consider”. “If changes were to be made, we would work with the electoral community, including campaigners, to ensure they are implemented effectively.” In Wales the [Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill](https://senedd.wales/committees/reform-bill-committee/senedd-cymru-electoral-candidate-lists-bill-stage-one-report/?ref=theferret.scot) has been introduced aiming to ensure that at least 50 per cent candidates on party lists at future Senedd elections are women. ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Cover images thanks to iStock/HNvisual* ### Fact check: SNP manifesto URL: https://www.theferret.scot/fact-check-snp-manifesto/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:08:20.000Z **The SNP was the largest Scottish party at Westminster during the last parliament, and has launched its manifesto as it aims to maintain its position.** Scottish independence is the primary pledge in [the document](https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/www.snp.org/uploads/2024/06/2024-06-20b-SNP-General-Election-Manifesto-2024%5Finteractive.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), but the party makes several claims about its time in government in Scotland. > We’ve built 40 per cent more affordable homes per head than in England, and over 70 per cent more than in Wales. Scotland’s [affordable housing statistics](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2023/12/quarterly-housing-statistics-december-2023/documents/housing-statistics-for-scotland-quarterly-update-new-housebuilding-and-affordable-housing-supply-to-end-september2023/housing-statistics-for-scotland-quarterly-update-new-housebuilding-and-affordable-housing-supply-to-end-september2023/govscot%3Adocument/December%2B2023%2B-%2BQuarterly%2BHousing%2BStatistics%2BUpdate.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) are published quarterly, and include a comparison with other UK countries. To reach the figures used in the manifesto, the SNP has looked at the average affordable house building across the 15 years across the party’s time in government between 2007-08 and 2022-23. The [average annual rate](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2023/12/quarterly-housing-statistics-december-2023/documents/housing-statistics-for-scotland-quarterly-update-new-housebuilding-and-affordable-housing-supply-to-end-september2023/housing-statistics-for-scotland-quarterly-update-new-housebuilding-and-affordable-housing-supply-to-end-september2023/govscot%3Adocument/December%2B2023%2B-%2BQuarterly%2BHousing%2BStatistics%2BUpdate.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of affordable homes built in Scotland across that period was 14.2 per 10,000 people. In England the rate was 9.8 homes per 10,000, and in Wales it was 8.2 per 10,000 population. Scotland’s building average was 44 per cent higher than England and 73 per cent higher than Wales. Scotland has maintained a higher rate of house building per head than England and Wales across the last 15 years. Northern Ireland had a higher rate of affordable home building in 2012-13 to 2014-15, and again in 2020-21. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: True** ![This claim is True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_1true-1.png) > There’s been a “£1.3bn cut to our capital budget”. The [capital budget](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2024/05/29/the-scottish-governments-capital-budget/?ref=theferret.scot) is the amount available to the government to spend on long term public assets, like school buildings, transport infrastructure and NHS equipment. It’s different to resource spending, which is for the day-to-day upkeep of services like the NHS and education system. Scotland’s capital budget is mostly funded by the [block grant](https://www.fiscalcommission.scot/explainers/funding-for-the-scottish-budget/block-grant/?ref=theferret.scot), the package of funding that the Scottish Government gets each year. The SNP manifesto urges the UK Government to reverse an alleged £1.3bn cut to Scotland’s capital budget, stating: “In the UK Spring Budget, the Tories cut capital yet again, this time by almost 9 per cent – or a cumulative loss of £1.3bn by 2027-28. According to [analysis](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2024/05/29/the-scottish-governments-capital-budget/?ref=theferret.scot) by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), the 2024-25 Scottish budget included £6.2bn in capital funding which, in cash terms, is £170m less than budgeted for in 2023-24\. “In real terms, this represents a 3.9 per cent annual decrease,” [it writes](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2024/05/29/the-scottish-governments-capital-budget/?ref=theferret.scot). There is a [20 per cent real terms decrease](https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/FPA/2024/1/31/eaa1438b-6a83-431a-857e-cc0a4f4bb58d/FPAS062024R1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), which would equate to nearly £1.3bn, in capital spending that is currently “pencilled in.” This is down to a freeze in cash terms spending the UK Government has put in place. Richard Hughes, Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility [told the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee](https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/14141/pdf/?ref=theferret.scot) this was very uncertain, as financial projections are subject to change. He said: “Beyond \[March 2025\], we know virtually nothing. It is just two numbers—one for total current spending and one for total capital spending by department.” The next UK spending review is due to take place after the general election, and could change the level of spending available. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** ![This claim is half true.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_3halftrue-6.png) > We have the best performing core A&E units in the UK. Accident and emergency performance data is gathered across the UK. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), we can accurately make comparisons between the A&E performance of Scotland, England and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, because it has a slightly different policy that may result in slightly longer waits. The four countries in the UK use the same target for measuring their A&E performance – the four-hour target. To hit this target, 95 per cent of patients who come to A&E should be admitted for treatment, transferred or discharged from hospital within four hours. [‘Core’ A&E departments](https://www.gov.scot/news/ae-departments/?ref=theferret.scot) are Scotland’s larger services that usually provide 24-hour consultant-led service. These are also referred to as emergency departments. In England they are referred to as Type 1 facilities and in Wales as major emergency departments. Scottish, English and Welsh A&E departments have struggled to hit the four hour target in recent years, and the latest data for April shows [64 per cent](https://publichealthscotland.scot/our-areas-of-work/acute-and-emergency-services/urgent-and-unscheduled-care/accident-and-emergency?ref=theferret.scot#section-4) of patients were treated within the target in Scotland, [60.4 per cent](https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2024-25/?ref=theferret.scot) in England, and [59.2 per cent](https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Health-and-Social-Care/NHS-Hospital-Waiting-Times/emergency-department/performanceagainst4hourtargetallemergencycarefacilities-by-localhealthboard?ref=theferret.scot) in Wales. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: True** ![This claim is True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_1true-2.png) > Under the SNP, Scotland’s economy is already one of the best performing parts of the UK with both GDP per head and productivity growing faster in Scotland than the UK as a whole. GDP stands for gross domestic product, and is a measure of the value of the goods and services in a country. [GDP per head](https://databank.worldbank.org/metadataglossary/statistical-capacity-indicators/series/5.51.01.10.gdp?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=GDP%20per%20capita%20provides%20a,broad%20measures%20of%20economic%20growth.) tells you how the economy is doing per person, and can be an indirect indicator that wages are improving or declining. Scotland’s GDP per person has increased by 3.8 per cent in 2022, the most recent year measured. This is the highest of any UK nation, and higher than the UK as a whole, which increased by 3.2 per cent. The ONS has sounded caution on taking too much from Scotland’s increasing GDP per head in 2022, as it was primarily down to a drop in population in Scotland, rather than highest growth in GDP. This is because Scotland’s census was taken later than the rest of the UK, impacting the comparable figures between UK nations. The ONS notes this, stating: “We strongly advise users to exercise caution in the use of Scottish GDP per head until the entire time series is available on a consistent basis”. Scotland’s total GDP is lower than the UK as a whole, at £34,299 compared to £36,844. The manifesto also states productivity is growing faster in Scotland than the UK as a whole. This claim comes from the Scottish Government’s [labour productivity statistics](https://data.gov.scot/labour-productivity-2022?ref=theferret.scot) 2022 report. It states that between 2008 and 2022, “productivity in Scotland has increased by an average of 1.0 per cent per year. This compares to average annual productivity growth of 0.9 per cent for the OECD as a whole, 0.9 per cent for the EU 27 as a whole, and 0.5 per cent per year for the UK as a whole.” However, the most recent statistics for productivity from the ONS, covering [2021](https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/economicoutputandproductivity/productivitymeasures/bulletins/regionallabourproductivityincludingindustrybyregionuk/2021?ref=theferret.scot#regional-labour-productivity-data), paint a different picture. They show Scotland 4.7 per cent less productive than the UK average in terms of output per hour worked. Scotland was 5.3 worse than the UK average in output per job. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly False** ![This claim is Mostly False](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_4mostlyfalse-9.png) > Scotland was the first developed nation in the world to commit funding to address loss and damage. In 2021, Scotland announced a [£1m fund](https://www.gov.scot/news/first-minister-scotland-to-show-leadership-on-climate-justice/?ref=theferret.scot) to address “loss and damage” from climate change. This was the [first of its kind](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9848/?ref=theferret.scot) from a developed nation. [Loss and damage](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-loss-and-damage-cop26/) is a term used to describe the economic, infrastructure and social impacts of climate change. These are already occurring across the world, and are likely to worsen as climate change continues. Examples of loss and damage include islands losing land to rising sea levels, or the impact of extreme weather on a country’s crops or infrastructure. Loss and damage refers to issues which nations cannot adapt to, and are often already occurring. Funding is often seen as direct compensation for climate impact, often from richer nations to the developing world. In 2022, [UN member states](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9848/?ref=theferret.scot) Denmark, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada pledged money for loss and damage. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: True** ![This claim is True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_1true-3.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Images: Working together to realise Scotland’s economic potential. Credit: Scottish Government* ### Claim national service could be introduced in Scotland if Tories win is True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/national-service-could-be-introduced-in-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:08:22.000Z **One of the Conservative Party’s top election pledges has led to a significant amount of controversy among young people ahead of the vote on 4 July.** Unveiled by leader Rishi Sunak in May, one of the party’s key [manifesto pledges](https://public.conservatives.com/static/documents/GE2024/Conservative-Manifesto-GE2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) is to introduce mandatory national service for 18-year-olds. > If Conservatives win the election, National Service will happen in Scotland. Ferret Fact Service is working with YoungScot to get to the truth behind election claims suggested by young people. We looked at this claim and found it **True**. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-43.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **Evidence** The Conservative [manifesto](https://public.conservatives.com/static/documents/GE2024/Conservative-Manifesto-GE2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) says the party will “reinvent National Service for this century” by making it compulsory for 18-year olds of any gender to do some form of “service”. This will be either [“civic” or “military” service](https://public.conservatives.com/static/documents/GE2024/Conservative-Manifesto-GE2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). Civic service would involve volunteering in the community for one weekend a month. Examples of this could be helping as an NHS responder or lifeboat volunteer. Military service would mean a year-long full-time paid job in the armed forces or cyber defence. The Conservative party has said it would aim to have the scheme up and running by the end of the next parliament, which [could mean it is not introduced until 2029](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c988jdxl02vo?ref=theferret.scot). This wouldn’t be the first time [national service was required](https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/yourcountry/overview/nationalservice/?ref=theferret.scot) in the UK. The name comes from military training men in Britain aged 17 to 21 were required to do between 1949 and 1960. Then, men would complete 18 months of training and before being put on a “reserve list” for the UK military. That meant they could be called up if Britain found itself in another conflict. The Conservatives say the new form of national service would not be the same as this. ### **How would it be enforced?** The Conservatives say it would be compulsory but you would get some compensation for doing it, and have allocated a [£2.5bn budget](https://public.conservatives.com/static/documents/GE2024/Conservative-Manifesto-GE2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for the plan. Not many details are known about how the plan would work in practice. Rishi Sunak suggested on an episode of [BBC Question Time on 20 June](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0020cc0?ref=theferret.scot) that potential sanctions for not signing up might be to have your driving licence taken away, or access to finance restricted. He said: “You’ll have a set of sanctions, and incentives, and we will look at the models that are existing around Europe for the appropriate mix of those. “There’s all sorts of things across Europe, whether that’s looking at driving licences, other access to finance, all sorts of other things.” Home secretary James Cleverley said there [wouldn’t be any](https://news.sky.com/story/refusing-mandatory-national-service-wont-lead-to-prison-home-secretary-says-after-tory-policy-launch-13143272?ref=theferret.scot) criminal sanctions for those who refuse. He told Sky News: “There’s no one going to jail over this.” ### **Would it apply in Scotland?** In Scotland, things such as the NHS, housing, roads and education come under the control of the Scottish Parliament. These are known as [devolved issues](https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/devolved-and-reserved-matters/?ref=theferret.scot), and are decided on by MSPs at Holyrood. However, there are some issues which are still [decided on](https://www.parliament.scot/about/how-parliament-works/devolved-and-reserved-powers?ref=theferret.scot) by Westminster and the UK Government. Defence is one such issue, including the armed forces. So if the Conservatives won the Westminster election on 4 July, this policy would include young people in Scotland. However, [current polling](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68079726?ref=theferret.scot) suggests that Labour will win the most seats. That party does not intend to bring in national service, so if they win this policy will never come into force. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: True** ![This claim is True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_1true-4.png) It’s accurate to say the Conservative Party’s plan to introduce compulsory national service would include Scotland. However, current polling suggests the party is unlikely to win the next general election. ***This fact check was written on the suggestion of Young Scot, a national youth information and citizenship charity for 11 to 25 year olds living in Scotland. This collaboration aims to engage with and hear from young Scots, particularly focusing on the interests and concerns of young voters.*** > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Main image: psdphotography/iStock* ### Billionaires, lobbyists and a ‘dark money’ trust’: Who funds Scotland’s parties? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/billionaires-lobbyists-dark-money-scotlands-parties/ Last updated: 2026-04-14T12:22:35.000Z **Billionaires, corporate lobbyists, a representative of King Charles**, **companies and individuals linked to tax havens, estate owners who have broken rules around taxpayer subsidies, and a “dark money” trust are among donors to Scotland’s political parties, a major Ferret investigation has found.** Exclusive analysis by The Ferret found a total of more than £3.5m in donations has been declared by Scottish parties in the last three years – a war chest helping them fight the general election campaign. We looked at Electoral Commission data on donations given to Scotland’s parties and MPs since the last Holyrood election on 11 May 2021, noting the largest, or most prominent donors. Some have switched political allegiances. Others are funding multiple parties. Parties rely on donations as part of the political process. But one policy expert warned some donors “expect a payback on support”, while a transparency group urged for a donations cap to prevent undue influence from the rich and powerful. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) Under [electoral laws](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/full-guidance/political-party-donations-and-loans-great-britain?ref=theferret.scot), a donation is money, goods or services worth over £500 and given freely to a party, including property, sponsorship, or use of office space. There is no limit to how much a donor can give. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/o3fjo-scottish-parties-received-more-than-3-5m-in-donations-in-the-last-three-years1.png) Our analysis found that Scottish Labour received £1.2m – a third of all donations and the most of any Scottish party. It was followed by the Scottish Liberal Democrats which received £1.1m or 31 per cent, the SNP, which raised £721,000 (21 per cent), the Scottish Conservatives which received donations worth £396,000 (11 per cent), and the Scottish Greens which netted £139,000 (four per cent). This does not include donations given to parties south of the border, which could be redistributed to their Scottish arms. ### **Scottish Labour** The surge in Scottish Labour’s donations mirrors its recent swell in support, which is on par with or ahead of the SNP, according to recent polls. Some former Tory-backing donors have jumped ship to Labour, while others are funding multiple parties. Labour donors include Renfrewshire gas generator firm, Peak Scientific Holdings, and its parent, Dusty TLP, which gave the party **£400,000** – plus £100,000 to UK Labour. It also bankrolls the Lib Dems, and funded the UK Tories until 2020. The firms “are not at liberty to disclose the reason for party donations”, a spokesperson said. Paul McManus, drummer in Scots rock band Gun and a £100,000 [funder](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23791587.gun-drummer-paul-mcmanus-joins-fight-glasgow-lez/?ref=theferret.scot) of a public legal fight against Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone, gave the party **£130,000**. Labour also netted **£114,000** from trade unions, including Unite and Unison, despite the former [refusing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c722zkj9ly8o?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Unite%2C%20Labour's%20biggest%20trade%20union,the%20oil%20and%20gas%20industry.) to back Keir Starmer’s manifesto over alleged weak protections for workers’ rights and oil and gas jobs. Labour-linked consultancy firms are also funding the party. Arden Strategies, a London PR firm founded by former party leader Jim Murphy, handed **£20,000** to the Scottish and UK parties. It does not publish a list of clients, but [provides](https://www.ardenstrategies.com/services/labour-directorate?ref=theferret.scot) “comprehensive mapping and analysis of political stakeholders that share your company’s interests”. ![Scotland's parties](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/6326216473_81df6e578c_o.jpg) Former Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy now heads donor firm Arden Strategies. Image: Scottish :about. Licence: [****CC BY-SA 2.0**](http://creativecommons.orf/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) Arden staff include former cabinet ministers, Tory advisors and a Lib Dem organiser. Blair McDougall, the former head of Better Together, and Labour’s East Renfrewshire candidate, worked for Arden before the election. Francesca Perrin, a director of Starmerite think tank, Labour Together, gave **£10,000** to the party’s East Kilbride branch. Her father, supermarket tycoon Lord Sainsbury, has donated £61m to political causes since 2001, including to the Labour, Lib Dem and Tory parties. PR firms [Pentland Communications](https://www.pentlandcomms.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) – the vast majority of whose [clients](https://www.pentlandcomms.co.uk/testimonials?ref=theferret.scot) are house building firms – and [Stratcom](https://stratcomuk.com/?ref=theferret.scot), also donated. The latter counts Scottish Labour’s former general secretary, [Brian Roy](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-francis-roy/?ref=theferret.scot) – and current adviser to MSP [Mark Griffin](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/mark-griffin?ref=theferret.scot) – as a senior adviser. [Energy giants and short term lets lobbyists attended ‘shadowy’ Labour business eventEnergy giants, a lobbying group for the holiday lets sector, and a firm which uses AI to track migrants crossing the Channel were among private bodies at a “shadowy” event at Scottish Labour’s conference which journalists were banned from. Scottish Labour faced criticism over the transparency of its relationship![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-13.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/videoframe_1332346.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/energy-giants-lobbyists-labour-business-event/) Poonam Gupta gave **£3,500** to Labour’s Inverclyde branch. Her [Greenock company](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC256809?ref=theferret.scot), which she and her husband own via a tax haven, funded the UK Tories until March, and gave [£40,000](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15698304.Sarwar%5F%5F%5F40%5F000%5Fleadership%5Fdonation%5Flinked%5Fto%5Ftax%5Fhaven/?ref=theferret.scot) to Anas Sarwar’s first leadership bid. Labour’s [top target](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/labour-plot-general-election-2024-32984299?ref=theferret.scot) seats include Lothian East, where Douglas Alexander, a former minister in the Blair and Brown governments, is standing. His donors include David Giampaolo, head of a London invitation-only membership club, who gave **£3,000**. [Once called](https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-andrew-davidson-interview-londons-most-networked-man-7dx5vnqcnk2?ref=theferret.scot) London’s “most networked man”, Giampaolo [co-wrote](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/07/its-not-wrong-to-avoid-tax?ref=theferret.scot) a 2012 article which defended “legitimate tax avoidance” from companies. Labour also hopes to retain Rutherglen and Hamilton West, which it won from the SNP in last year’s by-election. Incumbent Michael Shanks received the most donations of any Scottish Labour politician – **£20,000** from Labour Together and **£3,900** from millionaire tycoon and Labour peer, Willie Haughey. ### **Scottish Liberal Democrats** Donations racked up by the Lib Dems rival that of Labour. More than a fifth (£226,000) went to its Highlands branch, where the party performs well. It also attracts donors who back other parties. Peak Scientific – a Labour and former Tory donor – also gave it **£410,000**. Another **£52,000** came from the [Scottish Liberal Club](http://link/?ref=theferret.scot), which gives the party reduced rent on its Edinburgh premises. Individual backers include Nick Clegg, the former party leader and deputy prime minister during the Tory-led coalition government, who gave **£20,000**. [Revealed: the ‘revolving door’ between politics and lobbying in ScotlandAt least 20 politicians, political advisers and civil servants from across the spectrum in Scotland have left to work as professional lobbyists trying to influence their former colleagues, prompting criticisms of the “revolving door” in Scottish politics. An investigation by The Ferret has found six Liberal Democrats, four Conservatives, two![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-14.png)The FerretJoe Lo![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Scottish-Parliament.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/lobbying-revolving-door-politics/) Jeremy Hosking, a millionaire London financier, handed **£10,000** to the party’s Highland branch, but has also given £10m to the Tories, Reform UK, Lawrence Fox’s Reclaim Party, former prime minister Liz Truss, and pro-Brexit groups over the years. His abandoned [bid](https://www.thenational.scot/news/23629465.libdems-use-brexiteer-cash-bid-oust-snp-skye/?ref=theferret.scot) to buy Kinloch Castle on Rum [was backed](https://www.nature.scot/naturescot-discuss-sale-kinloch-castle-potential-new-owner?ref=theferret.scot) by Lib Dem Highland candidate and former [Tory donor](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24348331.ed-davey-defends-scottish-lib-dem-candidate-gave-tories-25-000/?ref=theferret.scot), Angus MacDonald. MacDonald also gave **£22,000** to the Highland branch. Rupert Soames, grandson of wartime Tory prime minister Winston Churchill, donated **£5,000** to MacDonald, who is [his friend](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jun/10/winston-churchill-grandson-rupert-soames-donated-liberal-democrats-angus-macdonald?ref=theferret.scot). Soames is the former boss of [Serco](https://theferret.scot/tag/serco/page/2/?ref=theferret.scot), an outsourcing firm which won an estimated £10bn of contracts under Tory governments, including in defence and asylum housing. ### **Scottish Conservatives** Despite its strong record of fundraising, the Scottish Tories have shed support from donors as the party has plummeted in the polls. More than half of its funds (**£223,000)** came from the Scottish Unionist Association Trust (SUAT), via the UK party. In 2018, The Ferret found many inconsistencies in SUAT’s financial reporting. This led to [a 14-month probe](https://www.theferret.scot/secretive-trust-scottish-tories-dark-money/) by the Electoral Commission, which found the trust had broken electoral laws, and [fined it](https://www.theferret.scot/suat-electoral-commission-decision/). Our investigation forced the “dark money” trust to reveal its [assets](https://www.theferret.scot/tory-dark-money-trust-2-35m/) and members, which led a high profile trustee – and [Holyrood lobbyist](https://www.theferret.scot/lobbyist-outed-tory-dark-money-trustee/) – to [resign](https://www.theferret.scot/former-tory-mp-quits-dark-money-trust/). Millionaire banker Henry Angest, who once [claimed](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/filthy-rich-tory-donor-receiving-12562953?ref=theferret.scot) £144,000 of taxpayer subsidies in a year for his Perthshire estate via an offshore tax haven, gave **£7,000** to the Tory Perth and Kinross branch. London’s Cayzer Trust Company Ltd, owned by the billionaire financier Cayzer family, gave **£5,000** to the Dumfries and Galloway Tories, where Mundell hopes to retake his Dumfriesshire seat. Mundell received **£42,500** – the most in individual donations of any Scottish Tory politician. Donors include members of the Keswick family who, as The Ferret [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-tories-100k-billionaire-family-tax-haven/) earlier this month, made their fortune via a tax haven-registered firm. Peter Landale, who owns Dalswinton Estate in Dumfriesshire, donated to Mundell and gave **£50,000** to the UK Tories. [Scottish Tories handed nearly £100k by billionaire family behind tax haven firmThe Scottish Conservatives have been given £96,000 by members of an influential billionaire family behind a company ultimately owned in an offshore tax haven. Jardine Matheson is a firm based in Hong Kong but incorporated in the tax haven of Bermuda. Its owners, the Keswick family, have helped to![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-15.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/2048px-official_portrait_of_rt_hon_david_mundell_mp_crop_1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-tories-100k-billionaire-family-tax-haven/) Lord David Johnstone, [deputy lieutenant](https://lordlt.dumgal.gov.uk/article/24589/DUMFRIES?ref=theferret.scot) of Dumfries – a local representative of the King – also gave to Mundell. [We previously revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) that his business partnership’s estate received £1.7m in taxpayer handouts, but broke subsidy rules 17 times. ### **The SNP** Concerns over the police investigation into the alleged embezzlement of party funds has been blamed for weak SNP fundraising efforts, with not a single big donation in 2024. Some 78 per cent of its donations came from the bequests of deceased supporters, with **£296,000** (41 per cent) from a single person. Christine Hartness, a long-time backer and lottery winner, donated **£14,000** via her Cor Unum firm. An SNP spokesperson said the party was “running a people-powered campaign” with “activists campaigning across the country”. ### **Scottish Greens** Apart from £8,000 given by Highlands and Islands co-convenor, [Anne Thomas](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-thomas-8283391b/?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot), all big donations to the Greens came from its MSPs’ own pockets. The party has never won a Westminster seat. “The Scottish Greens aren’t funded by big business or billionaires,” said a spokesperson. “We’re proud to be funded by thousands of members and supporters in communities all across Scotland.” ### **Scottish company UK donations** We also analysed the **£2.4m** given to UK parties since the last general election by organisations registered in Scotland. Fossil fuel industry figures were among the biggest donors. [Revealed: the oil industry’s SNP lobbyistsLobbying on behalf of the oil industry by former SNP spin doctors has sparked fears that the Scottish Government could be about to abandon its opposition to new oil exploration in the North Sea. The Ferret can reveal that a public relations firm run by previously senior SNP officials has![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-19.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-619658356.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-the-oil-industry-snp-lobbyists/) Aberdeen oil tycoon Alasdair Locke, who helped fund the leadership bid of Douglas Ross, gave **£500,000** to the Tories. In January, [we revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-lairds-tory-donors-rural-subsidies/) that his sporting and farming estate in Moray broke rural subsidy rules while having claimed £3m from the taxpayer. Aberdeen’s Balmoral Group Holdings, which offers oil and gas technology and services, gave **£335,000** to the Tories, and **£10,000** to Labour. [SNP under fire for ‘exaggerated’ oil jobs claimThe SNP has been accused of spreading ‘misinformation’ over its key election claim that Labour’s plans for the North Sea oil industry could cost 100,000 Scottish jobs. Leading SNP politicians have repeatedly used the claim to attack Keir Starmer’s policy of increasing levies on, and abolishing tax![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-20.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/untitled-design.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/snp-under-fire-for-exaggerated-oil-jobs-claim/) Dow Investments PLC, owned by the London-based Scottish businessman, Robert Kilgour, gave **£212,000** to the Tories. Kilgour told The Ferret that his **£5,000** donation to the Lib Dems’ Highland branch was to back a local candidate, adding that he is a friend of party leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton. Flamingo Land, the company behind a Loch Lomond resort bid with nearly 100,000 rejections, gave **£50,000** to the Tories. Earlier in June, we [highlighted](https://www.theferret.scot/flamingo-land-tory-failed-to-pay-minimum-wage/) the company’s alleged failure to pay all staff a minimum wage. It claimed “a processing issue” impacting a small number of higher paid workers. A firm linked to Michelle Mone’s husband, Doug Barrowman, also gave **£50,000** to the Tories, as [revealed](https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/tories-accepted-50000-donation-michelle-mone) by Democracy For Sale. The donation was made just months after a company controlled by the couple was given a £203m government contract, which is facing an official fraud [investigation](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/17/how-the-michelle-mone-scandal-unfolded-200m-of-ppe-contracts-denials-and-a-government-lawsuit?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=December%202023,bribery%20in%20the%20NCA%20investigation.). ### **Some donors to Scotland’s parties ‘expect a payback’** James Mitchell, a professor of public policy at Edinburgh university, believes donor motivations range from genuine political support to relationship-building with power. “Labour is attracting most financial support in large measure because it is on the rise and now has a serious prospect of forming a government in Holyrood,” Mitchell said. “There will also be funders who expect a payback on support.” But he also called for more transparency around donations. Juliet Swann of Transparency International UK warned that “bigger and bigger donations \[were\] flowing into Scottish political parties” and that Scotland should not follow “Westminster’s lead in its increasing reliance on big donors”. She added: “A cap on individual donations to politicians and political parties is a vital first step in reducing the grip of big donors in Scotland and restoring the public’s trust that democracy works for everyone and not just those with the deepest pockets.” Every donor and party named in this article was approached for comment. *Additional data analysis by* [*Petra Matijevic*](https://theferret.scot/writer/petramatijevic/?ref=theferret.scot)*.* ***Main image credit: Khwanchai Phanthong. Via*** [***Pexels***](https://www.pexels.com/license/?ref=theferret.scot)***.*** ### What has The Ferret been up to in June? Election fever, exclusive investigations, and big wins URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-has-the-ferret-been-up-to-in-june/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:10:34.000Z **With the general election just days away, The Ferret has been keeping its beady eyes on the political landscape. From exposing candidates promoting conspiracy theories to uncovering the powerful figures behind campaign donations and meticulously fact-checking politicians’ claims, we’ve had our paws full.** While politicians will come and go, our commitment to holding power to account remains steadfast. Thanks to our dedicated members and readers, we’ll soon be burrowing even deeper into the power dynamics within Scottish politics and society. As we officially end our crowdfunding campaign, we’re thrilled to announce that with the incredible support of more than 260 people, [we’ve not only reached but surpassed our £10,000 goal](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). This milestone will enable us to launch round two of our acclaimed [‘Who Runs Scotland’](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/who-runs-scotland/) series. [![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXf7jaGKNlko35ha_0tjohDyP6WGy5oRKXtRyaQmwYrIK0N28CUeSs7UszkgWuBL9Qb_6lLtnKhOQNtfwOm95Va4dGFxVJtQfJ95Xq2lHqc61Cltmq7ulDWbp2EeMrvkRDCTikhKHaS7k3O3rq6FylijHvg?key=WQSxb0wdGysOObtG97dStA)](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot) And this is just a glimpse of our busy June! Read on to discover more about our achievements this past month and how our journalism is making a difference in Scotland and beyond. ### **We discussed the ethics of sharing your story** ![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdnPc2OsXOeTwafjSfaCTIwTPNK1CS-8ofLYti7gY-TNlNWSammC3XPC8HMekpI4k41XU20oQdni0Q1g6RQz5O6HM1Yld2TJ4M7syAX2UPF6r3bvu6_sRhRqe9GulO5SD4b5gErFz9jT3TfPtY0EY-zXJo?key=WQSxb0wdGysOObtG97dStA) Earlier this month, Ferret co-editor Karin Goodwin was joined by multi-award-winning writer, commentator, and performer Darren McGarvey in Glasgow for an event at the Glad Cafe. They explored what it means to share your lived experience of trauma on the public stage and discussed how the media and third sector can best amplify those stories in a safer way. This event was part of Indie News Week, a campaign designed to give communities a chance to meet their local journalists, learn more about the people behind indie outlets, and understand the effort that goes into accurately and fairly covering the lives of their fellow citizensresidents. Want to keep up with any future events from The Ferret? Follow us on [Eventbrite](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-ferret-9908451018?ref=theferret.scot). ### **Our journalism raised some questions** ![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeH2kP0lfocr6ESlfFYilY7TMBBQ6nwhhi0iPZkMOHuZ7lqyzF7-nM7EBkG5yK5HQ0gsuV0kai1VppHS80Bp-f88Xppg4CTg7LaPxSpBkoAcWqQb78nCWbHtu_aKumgwfQ33xEhS0VzsYb1Fu7MyP0dXPA?key=WQSxb0wdGysOObtG97dStA) Richard Lucas, the leader of the Scottish Family Party, faced scrutiny [on the BBC](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=786648913593082) following an interview with Simon Crane from PA Scotland/Homeland, which we first [reported on](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-family-party-leader-far-right-interview/). During the interview, Lucas highlighted Reform UK’s decision to dismiss Scottish candidates over controversial remarks, citing findings from [our investigation](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-suspends-scots-candidates-remarks/). Also last month our journalist Paul Dobson appeared on BBC Radio 4’s More or Less programme to discuss SNP ‘misinformation’ around [claims about oil and gas jobs](https://www.theferret.scot/snp-under-fire-for-exaggerated-oil-jobs-claim/). You can listen to our contribution from 16 minutes onwards [here](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00202g3?ref=theferret.scot). ### **Our stories inspired further investigations** In May, we [uncovered](https://www.theferret.scot/racist-group-founder-new-far-right-party-scottish/) that the founder of an anti-migrant chat group, which featured pro-Nazi material, now leads the Scottish branch of a far-right political party. This story not only made headlines in the [Daily Record](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/leader-vile-neo-nazi-group-32846271?ref=theferret.scot) but was also followed up by [Pink News](https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/06/07/far-right-party-leader-defends-appointment-of-man-convicted-of-hate-crime/?ref=theferret.scot). Additionally, an exclusive by The Ferret about [Reform candidates liking conspiracy theorist posts](https://www.theferret.scot/scots-reform-candidates-conspiracy-theorist-posts/) was featured in [The Times](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/alba-radical-hindu-glasgow-south-dhruva-kumar-5mzz85ng3?ref=theferret.scot), while [the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/19/oceans-group-takes-uk-government-to-court-over-oil-and-gas-licences?ref=theferret.scot) cited [our investigation](https://www.theferret.scot/north-sea-oil-spills-threat-marine-protected-areas/) into oil spills in marine protected areas. ### **A month of awards** Our team has been busy this month, attending several awards ceremonies and receiving recognition for our work. We were honoured to be the runner-up at the Scottish Press Awards for our podcast [Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/). Additionally, Karin Goodwin was recognised with the runner-up position for the Nicola Barry Award. Karin also earned a runner-up spot at the Refugee Festival Scotland Media Awards, highlighting our continued commitment to impactful journalism. #### **That’s all for this month!** If you have any questions about our work, or would like to help us shape our future investigations, you can get in touch with the team at contact@theferret.scot. #### As you know, here at The Ferret we pride ourselves in making *good journalism that changes things*. And you can help us do more of it. #### It’s easy: you can contribute by becoming a member today or with a one-off donation . If these options are not for you, you can always subscribe to our free newsletter to support our work. ### Fact check: Scottish Conservatives manifesto URL: https://www.theferret.scot/fact-check-scottish-conservatives-manifesto/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:10:35.000Z **The Scottish Conservatives launched their manifesto this week, urging Scots to move on “from the SNP’s divisive independence obsession” and get the focus onto other issues affecting the country.** Ferret Fact Service fact-checked five claims from the document. \[sc name=”FFS”\] ### Claim: “61% of Scotland’s exports (went) to the rest of the UK in 2021.” The manifesto pledges to cut taxes, and promote trade between Scotland and the rest of the UK, claiming that the UK is Scotland’s largest trading partner. Scotland’s [total exports](https://www.gov.scot/publications/exports-statistics-scotland-2021/documents/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2021 were £79.8bn. Of these, exports to the UK were worth about £48.6bn. This was 61 per cent of the total. Exports include products like whisky or Scottish seafood, or financial services provided by Scottish banks or insurance firms, for example. These statistics [do not include](https://www.gov.scot/publications/export-statistics-scotland-methodology/pages/how-are-exports-defined-in-ess/?ref=theferret.scot) oil and gas exports from the North Sea, as fossil fuel extracted from the UK continental shelf is considered to be a UK export. ### Ferret Fact Service verdict: True ![This claim is True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_1true-5.png) ### Claim: “We have created four million more jobs” in the UK. When the Conservatives got into power in May 2010, the number of people over 16 in employment was [estimated](https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/timeseries/mgrz/lms?ref=theferret.scot) at 29,013,000\. The [latest statistics](https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/timeseries/mgrz/lms?ref=theferret.scot) for February to April 2024 show 32,967,000 people in work. This is an increase of 3,954,000 people in employment. Does this mean there have been four million jobs created? Not quite. That rise is the net amount of people in work, rather than the number of jobs. Some people can have two jobs, for example. The Office For National Statistics actually does gather statistics on the [number of jobs](https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/jobsandvacanciesintheuk/june2024?ref=theferret.scot#vacancies-and-jobs-data). In March 2024, the total number of jobs increased to 37.2 million. In March 2010, there were 31.5 million jobs in the UK workforce. This is an increase of 5.7 million jobs, a figure significantly more than claimed. Broadly speaking, the [number of jobs in the workforce](https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/workforcejobssummaryjobs01?ref=theferret.scot) has increased across the last 70 years, with occasional decreases such as during the financial crisis in the late 2000s, or the Covid-19 pandemic. ### Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True ![Mostly True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_2mostlytrue-7.png) ### Claim: “The SNP cut over 1,000 Scottish teachers and ELC (early learning and childcare) staff since 2007.” In 2007, there were 55,100 teachers in total working in Scottish schools. By 2023, there were 54,033\. This is a reduction of 1,067 teachers, or a two per cent cut. The number of early learning staff has reduced from 1,689 to 702. ### Ferret Fact Service verdict: True ![This claim is True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_1true-6.png) ### Claim: “Illegal migrants ‘jump the queue in front of people who play by the rules’.” The manifesto states that “illegal migration is unfair,” and that those coming in irregular routes “jump the queue in front of people who play by the rules”. “Illegal migration” likely refers to what’s known as irregular migration, which is a term that describes people who come to the UK or stay here without official permission. Ferret Fact Service has [written before](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-asylum-migration-manston/) about irregular migration, which commonly happens when someone comes to the UK through an unrecognised route like small boat crossings, overstays on a visa, or uses false documents to enter the country. [Ninety-two percent](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/people-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/?ref=theferret.scot) of people who came to the UK in small boat crossings from 2018 to March 2023 applied for asylum in the UK. Under international law, refugees can apply for asylum in any country which has signed the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which includes the UK. This asylum process is not impacted by the route they take to enter the country. There are [currently a few specific schemes](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9630/CBP-9630.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=13) the UK has put in place to accept refugees, But these are for specific conflicts such as Ukraine and Afghanistan, as well as British national visas for Hong Kong. There are no routes which allow people to come to the UK and apply for asylum legally, and no routes for many refugees to apply from outside the country. This means there is no “queue” of people applying on “regular” routes. There is a [significant backlog](https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/the-uks-asylum-backlog/?ref=theferret.scot) of asylum claims the UK Government has yet to process, but there is no way to “jump” this queue by coming to the UK illegally. ### Ferret Fact Service verdict: False ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-5.png) ### Claim: “Under the SNP, violent crime is at its highest level for at least six years.” [Crime statis](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/documents/?ref=theferret.scot)[t](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/documents/?ref=theferret.scot)[ics](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/documents/?ref=theferret.scot) are published by the Scottish Government each year, broken down by different types of offence. Scottish figures separate out non-sexual crimes of violence. This includes various offences such as murder, serious assault, robbery and domestic violence. The crime statistics are measured in a couple of [different ways](https://www.gov.scot/collections/recorded-crime-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot), either by financial year or calendar year. When the Scottish Conservative manifesto was published on 24 June, the latest statistics for 2023-24 had yet to be released. Looking at the financial year, in 2022-23, there were 68,870 non-sexual violent crimes, which was slightly lower than the previous year, where 69,286 violent crimes were recorded. The 2023-24 figures, released after the manifesto was launched, show violent crime at 71,463, which is the highest since 2011-12. Non-sexual violent crimes hit its peak in Scotland in 2006-07, when it hit 92,266 recorded crimes. The lowest number was recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic restriction in 2020-21, with 61,913 crimes recorded by police. However, the Scottish Conservatives are using statistics looking at the calendar year – January to December. On this measure, there were 71,900 violent [crimes recor](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-year-ending-december-2023/?ref=theferret.scot)[d](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-year-ending-december-2023/?ref=theferret.scot)[ed in 2023](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-year-ending-december-2023/?ref=theferret.scot), which would be the highest since at least 2018, when calendar year data began to be collected and published. ### Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-1-2.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ### Independent candidate posts nearly 200 Facebook election ads including AI anti-migrant fakes URL: https://www.theferret.scot/tommy-macpherson-facebook-ads-ai-anti-migrant-fakes/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:10:36.000Z **An MP candidate has spent thousands of pounds posting more Facebook advertisements than any other Scottish election hopeful this year – including a fake AI image spreading an anti-immigration message.** Tommy Macpherson, an independent standing in Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber, has posted 197 ads – more than one per day since the start of 2024\. Paid ads included posts claiming terrorists and criminals were crossing UK borders, and an AI-generated image of radicalised Palestinian men. Our [research](https://www.theferret.scot/who-is-vying-for-your-vote-on-facebook/), assisted by the [ad library](https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active%5Fstatus=all&ad%5Ftype=political%5Fand%5Fissue%5Fads&country=GB&media%5Ftype=all) of Meta, which owns Facebook, shows that Macpherson spent between £0 and £99 on each ad in the period from 1 January to 23 June 2024. Macpherson told The Ferret he had spent £2,300 on social media campaigning. Macpherson, an Argyll and Bute councillor for South Kintyre, was previously [under investigation](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24292601.scottish-council-probes-racist-councillor-creating-forum-hatred/?ref=theferret.scot) by the council after it received a complaint from a member of the public about “racist” content he allegedly posted on Facebook in December 2023. The probe was closed by the council’s monitoring officer who assessed that Macpherson was posting in his personal capacity. Campaigners said it was “disturbing” that local voters were being exposed to the councillor’s “racism” via social media ads. Macpherson said he “vehemently” stood by his right to “freedom of speech and expression”. > This isn’t the first time that Macpherson’s blatant Islamophobia has been highlighted for all to see. > > Hope Not Hate Our research looked at the ad spending of Scottish parliamentary candidates in this July’s general election by analysing the Meta ad [library](https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active%5Fstatus=all&ad%5Ftype=political%5Fand%5Fissue%5Fads&country=GB&media%5Ftype=all). It provides information about political advertising on its platforms. The data includes the wording of the advert, how much was spent on it, how many people were targeted by it and how many people the ad reached. Spending information is not exact, but shows a range of how much money was spent. Macpherson’s ads were all in the lowest, £0-99 range. A single ad can cost thousands of pounds, depending on the size of the audience and other factors. Macpherson said: “Media, coming with a necessary cost, is the preeminent tool for politicians and political candidates to get their message out in their respective constituencies.” He added he was using his own income and savings for the campaign and had not made a “public appeal for financial aid”. Our analysis suggests Macpherson [ran more than twice as many ads](https://www.theferret.scot/author/editor/) as the next highest candidate, Martin McCluskey, Labour’s hopeful for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West, who spent between £1,500 and £10,000 for 89 paid posts. Macpherson’s six ads running between 17 and 29 May, which targeted an average of 140,000 users each stated: “Foreign Criminals and Terrorists walk our streets.” The posts claimed British “uncontrolled mass immigration” has pushed the country “to breaking point” and that “the British people have been lied to, ignored and betrayed”. The ads use posts by right-wing political commentator and GB News presenter, Darren Grimes, who is quoted in the posts criticising Sam Tarry, a former Labour MP. “A Labour MP has said we ought to welcome the Hamas-voting population of Gaza. Millions,” Grimes is quoted saying. “I’m sure many will agree with me when I say he can shove his Hamas-voting refugee where the sun don’t shine.” ![Tommy Macpherson’s Facebook ad from 25 May, one of six identical ads posted between 17 and 29 May. This ad cost up to £99, targeted up to 50,000 people and was seen by up to 2,000 people.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/tommy_ad_ai.jpg) Tommy Macpherson’s Facebook ad from 25 May, one of six identical ads posted between 17 and 29 May. This ad cost up to £99, targeted up to 50,000 people and was seen by up to 2,000 people. The image in the ad, shared by Grimes on X, formerly Twitter, is a mock up of a post on X by Tarry who called for the creation of a Palestinian family visa scheme in the House of Commons on 13 May. Behind it is an image of bearded men wearing headbands similar to those used by Hamas. However, there are several indicators that the image was created using generative-AI tools, including muddled wording on the headbands, a shoulder strap which ends under the shirt collar, and a button on the shirt collar without a corresponding buttonhole. The full image, first shared by Grimes on X, shows a man cradling a hand that does not appear to be connected to his body. ![Left side: Image posted by Darren Grimes on 14 May 2024. Right side: Details from the image, suggesting it was AI-generated. Composite by The Ferret.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/fb_ai_composite.jpg) Left side: Image [posted by](https://x.com/darrengrimes%5F/status/1790415356634316959?ref=theferret.scot) Darren Grimes on 14 May 2024\. Right side: Details from the image, suggesting it was AI-generated. Composite by The Ferret. Variants of the image circulated on social media where they were seen at least 220,000 times. Comments under Macpherson’s paid post suggest some Facebook users believed the image may be real. “They all look so young and fit! HAMAS trained?????,” said one. Another read: “All young men l don’t see any women or children.” A spokesperson for the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate said: “This isn’t the first time that Macpherson’s blatant Islamophobia has been highlighted for all to see. Yet it is disturbing that local people are being bombarded with social media ads containing his racism.” A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said candidates using generative AI “should make that clear to those seeing the material” and said they should “think carefully” about campaigns. “Campaigners should consider if the material they are creating could mislead voters – it is their responsibility to make sure it does not,” a spokesperson added. The commission is advising voters “to think critically about the information they see, before deciding whether to let it influence their vote.” The commission regulates the election process and donations. But neither it – nor any other body regulates election campaign material. An Argyll and Bute Council spokesperson said: “Argyll and Bute Council does not in any way condone or accept behaviours that are deemed to be offensive or inciting any form of hatred or racism.” Potential breaches of councillors’ conduct were matters for the standards commission, they added. Macpherson was [elected](https://www.helensburghadvertiser.co.uk/news/helensburghandlomond/24390729.general-election-independent-tommy-macpherson-defence/?ref=theferret.scot) as a Conservative council member in May 2022 but was [excluded](https://www.thenational.scot/news/23196887.argyll-bute-tory-councillor-says-party-put-on-naughty-step/?ref=theferret.scot) from the party in December 2022 and sits as an independent councillor. While he is standing as an independent MP candidate, he has previously endorsed Reform UK in his Facebook ads. He posted 39 paid ads encouraging users to vote for the party. Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber is a new Westminster constituency created following the dissolution of the former Ross, Skye and Lochaber seat as part of a review of boundaries in 2023\. The new constituency merges the Lochaber area with Argyll and Bute. Reform UK and Darren Grimes did not respond to requests for comment. ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Main image: Darren Grimes on X/Figma* ### Who is vying for your vote on Facebook? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/who-is-vying-for-your-vote-on-facebook/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:10:36.000Z Political parties and candidates are using social media to get their messages out, with paid advertising being used by election hopefuls across Scotland. *This story was amended on 3 July 2024 to update the figures with the latest available data.* The Ferret looked at who is buying the most adverts on Facebook, which constituencies money is being poured into, and which parties are hoping paid posts will win votes. Meta’s [Ad Library](https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active%5Fstatus=all&ad%5Ftype=political%5Fand%5Fissue%5Fads&country=GB&media%5Ftype=all) provides information about political advertising on its platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. The data includes the wording of the advert, how much was spent on it, how many people were targeted by it, and how many people the ad reached. Spending information is not exact, but shows the cost of an ad, as a range. Most of the ads were in the £0-99 range. A single ad can cost thousands of pounds, depending on the size of the audience and other factors. Paid posts on Meta platforms allow advertisers to show their posts to a wider audience, and select characteristics of the intended audience, such as location, age or personal preferences. Our analysis reveals that so far this year, political candidates, or parties advertising on their behalf, ran 1,800 ads and spent between £93,000 and £278,000 on Meta advertising. More than two thirds of ads were posted after the general election was called on 22 May. Labour ran more Meta ads than any other party, and there’s been a prominent spending surge since the start of the official election campaign. Labour has been focussing its ad spending on Scotland’s central belt constituencies, where the party is [projected to win](https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/uk-opinion-polls/ipsos-election-mrp?ref=theferret.scot). The SNP increased its Meta ad expenditure in the last week of the campaign, posting 128 ads. Its 34 candidates collectively spent between £4,000 and £32,000\. Robert Leslie, candidate for Orkney and Shetland ran 32 ads while Toni Giugliano, candidate for Falkirk, where polls suggest a toss-up, ran 31 ads. MP hopefuls who ran most Meta ads in 2024 were the Argyll and Bute councillor, [Tommy Macpherson](https://www.theferret.scot/tommy-macpherson-facebook-ads-ai-anti-migrant-fakes/), an independent candidate for the Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber constituency, with 212 ads. Labour candidate Martin McCluskey ran 92 ads to win votes in Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West. Labour’s Kirsty McNeill, director at charity Save the Children, spent between £10,000 and £17,500 on 69 ads targeting voters in Midlothian. John Lamont, who has been a Conservative MP in the Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency since 2017, spent between £6,000 and £10,500. So far, 116 candidates in all but two constituencies have used social media advertising in 2024\. Sixteen candidates, including six from the SNP and five from Alba have launched their ad campaigns on Meta in the last week. *This article was amended at 2.38pm on 26 June 2024 to include details on data source. The following was added: “Spending information is not exact, but shows the cost of an ad as a range.” “Most of the ads were in the £0-99 range. A single ad can cost up to thousands of pounds, depending on the size of the audience and other factors.”* *Main image: iStock* ### Reform UK silent on candidate accused of calling Greta Thunberg ‘aspergers girl’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/reform-candidate-greta-thunberg-aspergers-girl/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:34:27.000Z **Reform UK candidates in Scotland include an individual who allegedly called Greta Thunberg “aspergers girl” and another who shared a social media post comparing Allah to the devil.** Former UKIP candidate [Otto Inglis](https://www.reformparty.uk/edinburgh-west-constituency?ref=theferret.scot) – who is standing for Reform UK in Edinburgh West – [reportedly](https://leftfootforward.org/2019/05/ukip-candidate-accused-of-calling-greta-thunberg-aspergers-girl/?ref=theferret.scot) made the remark about Thunberg in a hustings while standing for UKIP in the 2019 European elections. [According](https://twitter.com/PeterMcColl/status/1130207474852794370?ref=theferret.scot) to the former rector of Edinburgh university, Peter McColl, who was at the hustings in Linlithgow, the comment was made as part of a “ramble about his belief that climate change is a conspiracy”. Reform’s candidate for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, [Tony Ridden](https://www.reformparty.uk/na-h-eileanan-an-iar-constituency?ref=theferret.scot), shared a meme on X, formerly Twitter, on 16 June, with an [image](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GQNQ5A6a0AAKOB6?format=jpg&name=900x900&ref=theferret.scot) of the devil overlaid with the words: “Muslims call me Allah… You know me as Satan”. He removed the post and deleted his account after The Ferret approached Reform. Campaigners said that it was clear that Nigel Farage’s party had “serious problems when it comes to candidates”. Reform previously [sacked](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-suspends-scots-candidates-remarks/) two Scottish candidates after The Ferret found they shared posts by prominent far right figures and made hateful comments on social media. But the party has not commented on other candidates’ controversial comments that we have unearthed. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-06-21-154259-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scots-reform-candidates-conspiracy-theorist-posts/) Both Inglis and Ridden were announced as candidates in the days leading up to 7 June, the [deadline](https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/elections-and-voting/general/general-election-2024-timetable/?ref=theferret.scot) for candidates to register for the general election. Other candidates announced before the cut off have also made controversial statements. They include Cameron Rose, the former leader of the Conservative group on Edinburgh City Council who was accused of climate science denial. In 2019 he [reportedly](https://www.thenational.scot/news/17855445.greens-hit-tory-councillor-schooled-climate/?ref=theferret.scot) told youth climate strikers that he was “sceptical” about the science on climate change, despite an [overwhelming](https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/faq/do-scientists-agree-on-climate-change/?ref=theferret.scot) majority of scientists concluding that humans are causing global warming and climate change. The Reform candidate for Edinburgh South West, [Ian Harper](https://www.reformparty.uk/edinburgh-south-west-constituency?ref=theferret.scot), wrote in his [statement to voters](https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/person/117505/ian-harper?ref=theferret.scot) that the UK needs to “ditch the globalist corporate driven agendas” forced upon the country by politicians “who serve a disruptive Woke, Net Zero, Open Borders dystopia”. In a campaign [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6PFNIc3q28&ref=theferret.scot), posted on Youtube, Harper appears to argue that because it has been 13 degrees and raining on some days in June this year we can “forget about global warming”, which he says is “done and dusted”. ![reform uk ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-06-07-171333.jpg) ### **Candidates suspended** In April, Reform [ditched](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-suspends-scots-candidates-remarks/) two Scottish candidates after we revealed their controversial social media posts. One said trans people have a “severe mental illness” and that their “days are numbered”. Another shared a post which said then-first minister Humza Yousaf should not be able to hold a rugby trophy because he is “more Pakistani than Scottish.” In June, we [found](https://www.theferret.scot/scots-reform-candidates-conspiracy-theorist-posts/) party candidates had ‘liked’ posts from conspiracy theorists, including Alex Jones and David Icke. The party did not respond to our requests to comment, and the candidates remain in place. In response to various comments by candidates emerging across the UK, Reform said its candidates are free to express their views and are not “political zombies”. Nigel Farage has [blamed](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/nigel-farage-reform-uk-general-election-b2564488.html?ref=theferret.scot) the vetting company hired to look into candidates for not picking up controversial statements, claiming the firm has “deep links to the Tory party”. Georgina Laming of campaign group Hope Not Hate said: “Reform UK does not publicly position itself as a racist movement, but it is clear from investigations into their candidates that many racists see the party as an appropriate vehicle for their politics. “Dozens of candidates selected by the party have been revealed to have expressed unequivocally racist statements and calls for discrimination against a wide range of minority groups in the UK. “Despite Nigel Farage’s attempts to blame an independent vetting company for his trouble with candidates – it’s clear that the party has serious problems when it comes to candidates. This year, 166 candidates have been axed and yet there are still extreme racists representing the party across the country.” Reform UK did not respond to a request for comment. ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Main image: Nigel Farage speaking with attendees at the 2018 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Credit: Gage Skidmore* ### Scottish Tories handed nearly £100k by billionaire family behind tax haven firm URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-tories-100k-billionaire-family-tax-haven/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:41:08.000Z **The Scottish Conservatives have been given £96,000 by members of an influential billionaire family behind a company ultimately owned in an offshore tax haven.** Jardine Matheson is a firm based in Hong Kong but [incorporated](https://www.jardines.com/en/investors?ref=theferret.scot) in the tax haven of Bermuda. Its owners, the Keswick family, have helped to bankroll the [Tory party](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/conservative-party/), an anti-EU group and the pro-union Better Together campaign to the tune of nearly £2m. The company dates back to the 1800s and its two original founders include a Dumfriesshire ancestor [accused](https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/the-opium-wars-how-scottish-traders-fed-the-habit-2510684?ref=theferret.scot) of sparking the Opium Wars, which led Hong Kong to become a British colony. Now the family owns estates spanning thousands of hectares in south west Scotland. The vast majority (£82,000) of its Scottish donations went to the Dumfries and Galloway Tories and local politician, David Mundell (£18,000). One family member, Henry Keswick, was reportedly [part](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/revealed-the-elite-dining-club-behind-130m-donations-to-the-tories/?ref=theferret.scot) of an elite club of Tory party donors who attended secret ‘[leader’s group](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/04/tories-leaders-group-donor-club-david-cameron-conservatives-dinners?ref=theferret.scot)’ meetings with the prime minister and other senior figures under Boris Johnson’s premiership. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) Transparency pressure groups warned that “donors’ money buys influence” and called for annual limits and stronger checks on donations “to avoid the impression of democracy \[being\] for sale”. There is no suggestion that the Keswicks have avoided tax in Scotland or the UK, and their donations were legal. But a Scottish Labour MSP claimed the “landed gentry” were trying to “buy the election for their chums”, and accused the Tories of having a “total lack of principles” by accepting their money. The Keswicks have previously donated directly to former prime minister Johnson, and gave nearly £300,000 to his party ahead of the 2019 election. The company has also attracted investors from prominent Scottish Tories. Alister Jack, the former Dumfries and Galloway MP and secretary of state for Scotland under both Johnson and Rishi Sunak, is a former investor in Jardine Matheson. In 2017, The Herald [highlighted](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15470080.scottish-tory-mp-70-000-shares-firm-worlds-worst-tax-haven/?ref=theferret.scot) that the firm, of which Jack held at least £70,000 of shares in, is incorporated in Bermuda, prompting criticism then from the SNP. The Scottish Tories said at the time that Jack would not dispose of the shares, stressing it was legal to be “involved in companies which happen to be registered in Bermuda”. But a few months later, Jack did sell the shares, according to his [register of interests](https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/standards-and-financial-interests/parliamentary-commissioner-for-standards/registers-of-interests/register-of-members-financial-interests/?ref=theferret.scot). [Billionaire who funded climate science denial group has given the Tory Party £100,000 this yearAn Australian hedge fund billionaire who funded a climate science denial group has given the Conservative Party £366,790 since the last election – including more than £100,000 this year. Lord Michael Hintze – who was handed a peerage by Boris Johnson in 2022 – is a major financial backer of the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-61.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/untitled-design-1-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-climate-denial-donation-tory-party/) ### **The Keswick family and their donations** Jardine Matheson was [founded](https://www.jardines.com/en/about-us/our-history?ref=theferret.scot) in Hong Kong in 1832 by William Jardine, from Dumfriesshire, and James Matheson, from Sutherland, to trade tea and opium. The pair were [accused](https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/the-opium-wars-how-scottish-traders-fed-the-habit-2510684?ref=theferret.scot) by historian, [Saul David](https://sauldavid.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), of sparking the [Opium Wars](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/hong-kong-and-the-opium-wars/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Hong%20Kong%20became%20a%20British,wishes%20of%20the%20Chinese%20government.), which led Hong Kong to become a British colony. Matheson also became one of Britain’s richest landowners, and reportedly owned the Isle of Lewis. Current owners the Keswicks [descend](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/04/21/sir-chips-keswick-jardine-matheson-hambros-arsenal/?ref=theferret.scot) from a sister of Jardine and are reportedly [worth](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/sunday-times-rich-list?ref=theferret.scot) £4.5bn. Their firm has over 425,000 employees and [counted](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/for-the-record-by-david-cameron-review-robert-harris-has-no-truck-with-the-former-pms-memoir-jplp0mfr7?ref=theferret.scot) former prime minister, David Cameron, among its employees. Henry Keswick, former owner of the conservative publication, The Spectator, was chairman of Jardine Matheson from 1972 to 2018\. He owns the 7,000 hectare (ha) Hunthill shooting estate in the Angus Glens via a trust, and the 2,382ha Lincluden and Lochenkit Estate in Dumfriesshire via his Bermuda firm, according to data compiled by [Who Owns Scotland](https://whoownsscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). ![Tories](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/geograph-2054029-by-anne-burgess.jpg) Hunthill Lodge cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Anne Burgess – geograph.org.uk/p/2054029 His father [reportedly](https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/gardens-sir-william-keswicks-glenkiln-estate-1738969?ref=theferret.scot) owned Glenkiln estate in the same region. Keswick was [a signatory](https://raptorpersecutionuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/sle-letter-to-rac%5Fwildlifebill-12-september-2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to a 2023 letter to Scotland’s environment minister, Gillian Martin, which warned of the implications of a [new wil](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68619141?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Wildlife%20Management%20and%20Muirburn,the%20use%20of%20other%20traps.)[d](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68619141?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Wildlife%20Management%20and%20Muirburn,the%20use%20of%20other%20traps.)[life law](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68619141?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Wildlife%20Management%20and%20Muirburn,the%20use%20of%20other%20traps.) aimed at protecting birds of prey and regulating the grouse shooting industry, and suggested amendments. In 2019, Open Democracy [revealed](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/revealed-the-elite-dining-club-behind-130m-donations-to-the-tories/?ref=theferret.scot) that Keswick attended at least eight meetings of the [leader’s group](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/04/tories-leaders-group-donor-club-david-cameron-conservatives-dinners?ref=theferret.scot) – donors who had given the Tory party at least £50,000 a year. Its meetings reportedly involved private receptions with the prime minister and other senior Tories. > It shows a total lack of principles from the Tory candidates that they are happy to see their campaign bank accounts stuffed with cash in this way and it shows just who their priority will be if elected. > > Colin Smyth MSP, Scottish Labour Henry’s wife, Tessa, who died in 2022, gave £40,000 to the Vote Leave campaign for Brexit, and £7,000 to the Stirling and Clackmannanshire Tories in 2021. She was director of the [Centre for Policy Studies](https://cps.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), a think tank founded by the Margaret Thatcher, and [political adviser](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2022/09/14/tessa-keswick-political-adviser-ken-clarke-director-centre-policy/?ref=theferret.scot) to John Major’s chancellor, Ken Clarke. Tessa was also director of Daily Mail and General Trust, which owns the Daily Mail newspaper titles. Henry’s brother, Simon, gave £2,000 to the Dumfries and Galloway Tories in 2010, and [£100,000](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Donations/C0479665?ref=theferret.scot) to the wider party ahead of the 2019 election. Henry’s nephew, Ben, an executive director of Jardine Matheson, owns the 566ha Grove Estate in Dumfriesshire. John Chippendale ‘Chips’ Keswick, Henry’s brother, died earlier this year. His counted King Charles and Queen Camilla amongst his close friends and both [attended](https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/charles-and-camilla-attend-memorial-service-for-sir-chips-keswick/ar-BB1nlJuo?ref=theferret.scot) his funeral in April. Chips is listed as the owner of the 518ha Muill and Marglolly Estate in Dumfriesshire, and the 837ha Auchendolly Estate in Galloway. He gave £26,500 to the Dumfries and Galloway Tories between 2004 and 2022, while his wife, Sarah, donated £7,000. Chips also gave £5,000 to the Aberdeenshire Tories and £23,000 to the Better Together campaign, while his nephew, Edward Percy Weatherall, gave £50,000 to the anti-independence group. Weatherall, who owns the 2,050-hectare Troloss and Overfingland estate in Dumfriesshire, is a non-executive director of Jardine Matheson and a deputy lieutenant of Dumfries alongside Alister Jack’s wife. The 1,164-hectare Weatherall Scott Trust Estate in Kirkcudbrightshire is owned by trustees on behalf of a late member of the Keswick and Weatherall family. Another family member, John Keswick Jencks, owns the 304-hectare Portrack Estate in Dumfriesshire. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/33603698743_a87a5d1ab8_o.jpg) Portrack House on the Dumfriesshire estate. Image thanks to [Kit Carruthers](https://www.flickr.com/photos/gingerfox/33603698743/?ref=theferret.scot). Licence: ****CC BY-NC 2.0** ### **Donations used to ‘buy election’** South Scotland Labour MSP, [Colin Smyth](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/colin-smyth?ref=theferret.scot), said: “These families have been bankrolling the Tories for years and treat Dumfries and Galloway as their ancestral fiefdom.” He branded the Keswicks as the “landed gentry” and accused them of attempting to “buy the election for their chums”. “It shows a total lack of principles from the Tory candidates that they are happy to see their campaign bank accounts stuffed with cash in this way and it shows just who their priority will be if elected,” said Smyth. “At a time so many local families are struggling because of a Tory imposed cost of living crisis and are worried that their loved ones can’t get treatment because of an underfunded NHS, it will stick in the throats of local people that that their Tory candidates are taking bundles of cash from the owners of businesses registered in offshore tax havens.” He claimed it was becoming clear that “this old boys network” was losing its hold on power, and that people across Scotland were “crying out for change”. > It is time to put a stop to the rising tide of big money washing into our politics. > > Tom Brake, Unlock Democracy Tom Brake, a former Liberal Democrat MP and director of [Unlock Democracy](https://unlockdemocracy.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), said: “It is time to put a stop to the rising tide of big money washing into our politics. “Donors’ money buys influence and the more they give, the more they have. An annual limit on donations of £5,000 would mean no one’s voice carried more weight than anyone else’s with decision makers.” Juliet Swann from [Transparency International UK](https://transparency.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) added: “Accepting significant contributions from private interests does nothing to improve the public trust in politics. We know the public think big political donors give generously with strings attached. “Caps on individual donations and better due diligence on those who make them are an essential reform to avoid the impression of democracy for sale.” The Ferret contacted the Keswick family via Jardine Matheson, but did not receive a response. The Scottish Conservatives did not respond to requests to comment. ***This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.*** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) ***to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.*** ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Main image: Chris Watt* ### Fact check: Scottish Labour manifesto URL: https://www.theferret.scot/fact-check-scottish-labour-manifesto/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:11:44.000Z **Scottish Labour launched its manifesto this week, as it seeks to take seats across the country and become the biggest party in Scotland.** Ferret Fact Service looked at five claims from the [document](https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Scottish-Labour-Manifesto-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). > The last Labour government in Scotland oversaw a decrease in homelessness and all but abolished rough sleeping. The first part of this claim is that the last Labour government in Scotland had overseen a reduction in homelessness. This could refer to either the UK Labour government, which was in charge at Westminster between 1997 and 2010, or the Scottish Labour coalition at Holyrood between 1999 and 2007. In Scotland, homelessness is recorded when someone first goes to their local council to say they have [nowhere to stay](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/professional%5Fresources/legal/homelessness/legal%5Fdefinition%5Fof%5Fhomelessness/the%5Flegal%5Fdefinition%5Fof%5Fhomelessness?ref=theferret.scot). They then make an application, and it is the council’s [legal requirement](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/professional%5Fresources/legal/homelessness/legal%5Fdefinition%5Fof%5Fhomelessness/the%5Flegal%5Fdefinition%5Fof%5Fhomelessness?ref=theferret.scot) to find accommodation. There were 43,135 [applications](https://www.gov.scot/publications/homelessness-in-scotland-full-statistical-time-series/?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland in [1997-98](https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20190118084207/https:/www2.gov.scot/Publications/2007/10/30092316/5?ref=theferret.scot), when the UK Labour government got into power. When they left power in 2010, there were 55,626\. This is a 29 per cent increase. Looking at the Scottish Labour and Lib Dem coalition at Holyrood, there were 46,023 applications in 1999-00\. When the parties left power in 2006-07, 59,211 homelessness applications were made. This is also a 29 per cent increase. However, these statistics are impacted by changes made to the application system in 2002\. The changes required councils to extend temporary accommodation to “non-priority applicants who in the past would have received advice and assistance only”. The Scottish Government statistics [pointed out that this](https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20190118084145/http:/www2.gov.scot/Publications/2007/10/30092316/1?ref=theferret.scot) had a “noticeable impact on applications, which has been reflected in changing assessments and outcomes for homeless people”. Not all homelessness involves [rough sleeping](https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/rough-sleeping/?ref=theferret.scot), which is when someone sleeps outside or in a place not designed to live in, like a car or abandoned building. The manifesto also claims that under Labour, rough sleeping was “all but abolished”. This is not accurate, [according to the statistics](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2023/08/homelessness-in-scotland-2022-23/documents/homelessness-in-scotland-2022-23/homelessness-in-scotland-2022-23/govscot%3Adocument/Homelessness%2Bin%2BScotland%2B2022-23.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). While rough sleeping has generally decreased from at least 2003 onwards, there were 3,817 homelessness applications in 2006-07 where at least one member of the household had rough slept the night before. This was down from 5,287 in 2002-03. Since the end of the Scottish Labour government, [rough sleeping numbers](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2023/08/homelessness-in-scotland-2022-23/documents/homelessness-in-scotland-2022-23/homelessness-in-scotland-2022-23/govscot%3Adocument/Homelessness%2Bin%2BScotland%2B2022-23.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) have continued to fall, reaching 2,744 in 2009-10 before plateauing between 2013-14 and 2020-21\. It reached a record low of 1,305 in 2021-22, before increasing slightly last year. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** ![This claim is false](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_5false-7.png) > Under the last Scottish Labour government, the performance of students in maths, literacy and science was among the best in the world. Scotland’s students can be measured against other countries across the world in the PISA survey carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It releases a new report [every three years](https://www.oecd.org/pisa/?ref=theferret.scot) detailing the skills of 15-year-olds in mathematics, reading and science. There are 81 countries included in the most recent, [2022 survey](https://www.gov.scot/publications/programme-international-student-assessment-pisa-2022-highlights-scotlands-results/?ref=theferret.scot), with 690,000 students participating. Scotland’s [position](https://www.oecd.org/pisa/data/?ref=theferret.scot) in the rankings for maths, literacy and science has fallen since it was first included in the study. In 2006, when Scottish Labour was in power at Holyrood, Scotland ranked 13th among the countries surveyed in science, 14th in reading, and 16th in maths. In the latest results, which were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Scotland was 32nd in science, 15th in reading and 31st in maths. Scotland was below the OECD average in science and maths. Even though more countries are surveyed now than were in 2006, Scotland’s performance has dropped across all three measures since then. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: True** ![This claim is True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_1true-7.png) > The last Labour government lifted 120,000 children and 130,000 pensioners out of poverty in Scotland. It appears this statistic is referring to the UK Labour government rather than the Scottish Labour coalition at Holyrood. Child poverty and pensioner [poverty statistics](https://data.gov.scot/poverty/?ref=theferret.scot) are published annually by the Scottish Government. There are a [few different ways](https://data.gov.scot/poverty/index.html?ref=theferret.scot#Definitions) in which poverty is measured. Relative poverty is the most common, showing households that earn less than 60 percent of the middle income in the country. This is useful for showing whether the poorest households’ earnings are keeping pace with incomes in the economy as a whole. Absolute poverty measures those below the middle income in 2010-11\. This reveals whether incomes in the poorest households are growing in ‘real terms’ (in line with inflation). It is also common to measure poverty after [housing costs](https://data.gov.scot/poverty/index.html?ref=theferret.scot#Housing%5Fcosts50), which takes into account the impact of increasing rent, water rates, and mortgage payments and other factors. When Labour came to power in 1997-98, there were 330,000 children in relative poverty after housing costs. In 2009-10, when the Labour government ended at Westminster, there were 240,000\. This is a decrease of 90,000. In evidence given to Ferret Fact Service, Scottish Labour measured from 1997-98 to 2010-11, which would result in a reduction of 120,000. Looking at pensioners, there were 250,000 in poverty after housing costs in 1997-98, and 120,000 in 2006-7\. This is a decrease of 130,000. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** ![This claim is half true.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_3halftrue-7.png) > The centralising approach of the SNP has seen the number of local \[police\] officers increasingly eroded. Policing numbers have been a cause of debate in Scotland for many years, with the 2013 merger of Scotland’s regional forces into one – Police Scotland – [being](https://theconversation.com/scotlands-single-police-force-has-had-teething-troubles-but-theres-progress-too-25177?ref=theferret.scot) [controversial](https://thinkscotland.org/2021/03/the-snps-single-state-police-force-has-failed-us/?ref=theferret.scot). The SNP initially increased [overall police officer numbers](https://www.gov.scot/publications/police-officer-quarterly-strength-statistics-31-march-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) by about 1,000, reaching a high of 17,496 in 2012\. Since 2021, numbers have reduced, reaching 16,356 in 2024. The Scottish Government have been criticised for centralising policing in Scotland, leading to reductions in local frontline officers. Police Scotland’s website lists the [local resources](https://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/how-we-do-it/police-scotland-officer-numbers/?ref=theferret.scot) available to each force. Between 2017 and 2024, the local resource numbers have reduced by more than 800 people. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** ![Mostly True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_2mostlytrue-8.png) > The equivalent of almost one in six Scots are on NHS waiting lists for appointments, tests or treatment. National Records of Scotland’s latest [estimates](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/news/2024/mid-year-population-estimates-for-scotland-in-2022?ref=theferret.scot) put the population at 5,447,700 in mid-2022.One in six Scots would equate to about 908,000 people on waiting lists. The numbers behind this figure come from [statistics from Public Health Scotland](https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-quarter-ending-31-march-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) about waiting times on three lists: for [outpatients](https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/going-into-hospital/outpatients-and-day-patients/?ref=theferret.scot), [inpatients](https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/going-into-hospital/staying-in-hospital-as-an-inpatient/?ref=theferret.scot)/day cases, and patients waiting for one of eight key diagnostic tests. According to Public Health Scotland’s [latest stats](https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-quarter-ending-31-march-2024/?ref=theferret.scot), there were 534,178 “waits” on the outpatient waiting list, 156,108 on the inpatient/day cases waiting list, and 150,014 waiting on key tests. This comes to 840,300\. The figure has been rounded to 840,000 and used by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar [repeatedly in debates](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-25-04-2024?meeting=15816&iob=135018&ref=theferret.scot) and public appearances in recent months. This figure corresponds to between one in six and one in seven Scots. Scottish Labour and [Sarwar](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-25-04-2024?meeting=15816&iob=135018&ref=theferret.scot) have used both these proportions in campaigning. While the 840,300 figure refers to the number of people on waiting lists, it is likely that some people will be waiting on more than one list, or for multiple procedures. Public Health Scotland’s [statistical release](https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-quarter-ending-31-march-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) on waiting times states that “individual patients are counted more than once if they are waiting to attend more than one scheduled hospital appointment or admission, so the official statistics shown here and in previous publications do not reflect the actual number of individuals involved”. It goes on to say that the different waiting list numbers “should not be added together to determine the proportion of the total population waiting for these types of care”. This means we do not know the total number of people on the list, but it is likely that people have been double-counted. Scottish Labour said the figures are “likely to be an underestimate,” as they do not include mental health outpatient treatment, or those waiting for physiotherapy appointments. ### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Unsupported** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/unsupported-verdict-white-1.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Main image: Scottish Parliament* ### Claim Scots could face jail time for having unregistered chickens is Half True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-jail-time-unregistered-chickens-half-true/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:11:44.000Z **A Scottish policy around keeping chickens has been drawn into the international debate around personal freedom and government overreach.** An AI-generated image of a man surrounded by chickens being arrested by body armour-clad police was widely-shared by a number of [popular accounts on X](https://x.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1800754904018894861?ref=theferret.scot). The image’s text claimed that owning a chicken without properly registering it would lead to a £5,000 fine or even jail time. ![AI image of man being arrested for chicken ownership](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/gpwodvexmaavifq.jpg) > “6 months in jail or £5,000 fine if you do not register that you keep even 1 chicken in Scotland starts on September 1st 2024 it is for your own good!!!” > > Viral image [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it **Half True.** #### **Evidence** The image began sharing widely online in April this year, after it was reported in the [media](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/03/chicken-keepers-must-register-to-beat-bird-flu/?ref=theferret.scot) that Scotland had implemented a registration for chickens, amid outbreaks of avian flu, known as bird flu. Reports also made their way around the world, including [American Military News](https://americanmilitarynews.com/2024/04/chicken-owners-required-to-register-with-uk-govt/?ref=theferret.scot). It went viral on social media this week after it was shared by prominent X accounts including [Wall Street Silver](https://x.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1800754904018894861?ref=theferret.scot), a user with more than a million followers, who has made posts associated with conspiracy theories around the [World Economic Forum](https://x.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1691961753670684729?ref=theferret.scot) (WEF) and the [Covid-19 vaccine](https://x.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1787941687118930359?ref=theferret.scot). The account also posts about US and global economic issues. The post was shared by [numerous](https://x.com/HSENETWORK/status/1801110453969412342?ref=theferret.scot) accounts claiming it was an [example](https://x.com/kaneleon90/status/1800913984822087845?ref=theferret.scot) of government “tyranny” and linking it to the [Great Reset conspiracy](https://www.isdglobal.org/explainers/the-great-reset/?ref=theferret.scot) and the [WEF](https://fullfact.org/online/great-reset-conspiracy-theory/?ref=theferret.scot). The post was shared by [numerous](https://x.com/HSENETWORK/status/1801110453969412342?ref=theferret.scot) accounts claiming it was an [example](https://x.com/kaneleon90/status/1800913984822087845?ref=theferret.scot) of government “tyranny” and linking it to the [Great Reset conspiracy](https://www.isdglobal.org/explainers/the-great-reset/?ref=theferret.scot) and the [WEF](https://fullfact.org/online/great-reset-conspiracy-theory/?ref=theferret.scot). The Great Reset is a WEF initiative that seeks to encourage governments across the world to use market capitalism to promote fairer societies and sustainability. It has been [criticised](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/conspiracy-theories-aside-there-something-fishy-about-great-reset/?ref=theferret.scot) for allegedly putting corporations at the forefront of global governance. Numerous connected conspiracies have been linked to the Great Reset, and becoming influential in some anti-government, right-wing and libertarian circles online. One widely-promoted conspiracy [claim](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCjVo2hqS98&ref=theferret.scot) is that the WEF is attempting to control food supply as a way to influence populations around the world. Many of [those who shared](https://x.com/FatEmperor/status/1798499946032968171?ref=theferret.scot) the AI image online relating to chickens made similar claims linking it to WEF and alleged attempts to control food supply. It is accurate to say that all chickens in Scotland will be required to be disclosed to a new [Scottish Kept Bird Register](https://www.gov.scot/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu/pages/register-your-birds/?ref=theferret.scot). Previously, [flocks of more than 50 birds](https://www.gov.scot/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu/pages/register-your-birds/?ref=theferret.scot) had to be registered. The [new rules](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-measures-to-help-protect-poultry-industry-from-bird-flu?ref=theferret.scot) include birds held in residential areas and bigger commercial flocks, including chickens, birds of prey and pigeons. Most caged pet birds kept inside the house, such as parrots, canaries or budgies are not required to register. The register opens on [1 September 2024](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-measures-to-help-protect-poultry-industry-from-bird-flu?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland. The same rules are in place in Northern Ireland and will also apply in England and Wales, where there will be a deadline of October 1. The Scottish and UK Governments said in a [consultation](https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/poultry-and-other-captive-birds-registration-in-great-britain?ref=theferret.scot) that this was being implemented as a protection against outbreaks of bird flu across the UK, as well as to align with European Union trade regulations. The [majority of respondents](https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/poultry-and-other-captive-birds-registration-in-great-britain?ref=theferret.scot) to the consultation did not support the move to register every bird kept outdoors. The Scottish Government confirmed to Ferret Fact Service that offences would be made under [section 73 of the Animal Health Act 1981](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/22/section/73?ref=theferret.scot). These carry a maximum sentence of six months in prison and fines of £5,000. However, according to the Scottish Government, it is extremely unlikely that someone who fails to register one chicken will receive a £5,000 fine or a jail sentence. Enforcement is primarily going to be done through verbal or written warnings, with prosecution considered a last resort. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** It is true that Scotland will require anyone who keeps chicken outdoors to register it with a database. The Scottish Government has stated that this is aimed at reducing outbreaks of bird flu. While maximum punishments for not complying include jail or £5,000 under existing legislation, it appears unlikely that they will be used in every case. ![This claim is half true.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_3halftrue-8.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Cover image thanks to iStock/[FACTORY16](https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/chicken-on-a-farm-gm1453947005-489740261?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Flamingo Land: £186,000 Tory donor firm failed to pay minimum wage, claims UK Government URL: https://www.theferret.scot/flamingo-land-tory-failed-to-pay-minimum-wage/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:41:21.000Z **The company behind the controversial Flamingo Land proposed development at Loch Lomond, which has given nearly £200,000 to the Conservative Party, allegedly failed to pay the minimum wage.** Flamingo Land Limited, which [donated](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/?currentPage=1&rows=10&query=flamingo%20land&sort=AcceptedDate&order=desc&tab=1&et=pp&et=ppm&et=tp&et=perpar&et=rd&isIrishSourceYes=true&isIrishSourceNo=true&prePoll=false&postPoll=true®ister=gb®ister=ni®ister=none&optCols=Register&optCols=CampaigningName&optCols=AccountingUnitsAsCentralParty&optCols=IsSponsorship&optCols=IsIrishSource&optCols=RegulatedDoneeType&optCols=CompanyRegistrationNumber&optCols=Postcode&optCols=NatureOfDonation&optCols=PurposeOfVisit&optCols=DonationAction&optCols=ReportedDate&optCols=IsReportedPrePoll&optCols=ReportingPeriodName&optCols=IsBequest&optCols=IsAggregation&ref=theferret.scot) £186,000 to the [Tories](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/conservative-party/) between 2014 and 2022 – including £50,000 since the last general election – was [named](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-500-companies-named-for-not-paying-minimum-wage?ref=theferret.scot) by the Department for Business and Trade for failing to pay £3,033 to four of its workers. The department said in February that Flamingo Land, and more than 500 other firms, had breached [national minimum wage](https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20National%20Minimum%20Wage%20is,pay%20the%20correct%20minimum%20wage.) laws. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) Flamingo Land [claims](https://lomondbanks.com/faqs/?ref=theferret.scot) its £40m holiday resort bid, which includes a waterpark and monorail, would create 200 full-time, part-time and seasonal jobs, and pay the Scottish living wage. A local MSP said the firm’s alleged underpayment of staff “proves those commitments aren’t worth the paper they’re written on”. But Flamingo Land claimed the underpayments were due to “a processing issue” which impacted “a very small number” of senior workers with higher rates of pay. The UK Government would not verify the company’s explanation as it does not comment on individual cases. The businesses paid what they owed to staff and faced financial penalties of up to 200 per cent of their underpayment, it said in February. ### **Flamingo Land’s latest bid** Flamingo Land first lodged plans for a resort in 2018\. But its proposals faced strong opposition, both local and nationally, and were unanimously rejected by councillors. The company’s latest updated plans, lodged under the name [Lomond Banks](https://lomondbanks.com/?ref=theferret.scot), were not opposed by West Dunbartonshire Council in April, following advice from council officials. A majority of councillors [supported](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24289146.councillors-refuse-object-flamingo-land-plans-loch-lomond/?ref=theferret.scot) a Labour motion which allows the council to object to the bid at later stages of the planning process. Some worry the development will engulf green space, spoil views to Loch Lomond, ramp up traffic in the area, and ultimately taint one of Scotland’s two national parks. National Trust for Scotland, the Woodland Trust and Ramblers Scotland have voiced concerns, while the Scottish Environment Protection Agency [argued](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c19d8kvd0m8o?ref=theferret.scot) part of the site would create a flood risk. A Scottish Green Party [petition](https://greens.scot/FlamingoLand?ref=theferret.scot) opposing the plans currently has more than 94,000 signatures, and the chair of Balloch and Haldane Community Council [said](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c19d8kvd0m8o?ref=theferret.scot) the resort would “dominate the whole west side of Balloch” and be a “living hell” for locals. The [Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority](https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/?ref=theferret.scot) will decide whether to let the plans go ahead. ### **Wage allegations ‘shocking’** The Scottish Greens condemned the company for being named by the UK Government for allegedly underpaying staff. “This is shocking, but frankly not surprising,” said west of Scotland MSP, Ross Greer, an opponent to Flamingo Land’s plans in his constituency. “It is yet another self-inflicted problem from a company who have shown such contempt to the people of Balloch and for Loch Lomond itself for almost a decade. Everyone deserves to be paid enough to live above the poverty line, and it is only the most reckless companies who would do otherwise.” The company has “made all sorts of commitments about how they’ll treat their workers”, but the UK Government’s allegations “prove those commitments aren’t worth the paper they’re written on,” he added. Jim Paterson, development director for Flamingo Land, said: “We are committed to being a responsible employer. All our team are fully paid at rates beyond the national living wage. “A processing issue relating to a very small number of senior and long-standing members of the team, whose salaries significantly exceed our basic rate of pay, was flagged earlier this year, each with specific circumstances that skewed the accounts, however, all errors were rectified, and processes firmed up. “Fair pay is something that is vitally important to us as a business and we have a salary output exceeding £9m for 400 members of the team. The error flagged amounted to 0.033 per cent of our pay system which has of course been corrected.” The Scottish Conservatives did not respond to a request to comment. ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Main image: Michael Jagla/iStock* ### Explained: Why are Scottish universities worried about money? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/why-are-scottish-universities-worried-about-money/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T11:10:07.000Z In recent months [questions](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24244046.think-tank-says-free-university-scotland-re-examined/?ref=theferret.scot) have been [raised](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24383647.universities-reliant-international-student-funds/?ref=theferret.scot) about the viability of the current funding system for Scotland’s higher education sector. But where do universities get their money from? Why are their budgets stretched? And how does the situation compare to other parts of the UK? [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) explains. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/11/Banner-Logo-1.png) ### **How are Scottish unis funded?** Scotland’s 15 universities have three main income streams; annual public funding from the Scottish Government, tuition fees charged on students from outside Scotland, and grants for specific research from the public sector, private companies and charities. In total, the Scottish Government has [allocated](https://www.sfc.ac.uk/publications/university-final-funding-allocations-2024-25/?ref=theferret.scot) around £1.1bn to universities for the upcoming 2024-25 academic year. Most of this public funding is for teaching and staff but there is also money for research, innovation and capital spending, such as on the upkeep of buildings. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-06-14-144446.png)](https://www.datawrapper.de/%5F/NmgE6?ref=theferret.scot) Scottish universities can [charge](https://www.ucas.com/money-and-student-life/money/student-finance/undergraduate-tuition-fees-and-student-loans?ref=theferret.scot) students from the rest of the UK tuition fees of up to £9,250 per year. International students can be charged at much higher rates. Tuition fees from non-EU students, in particular, have become an increasingly [vital](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24383647.universities-reliant-international-student-funds/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=A%20top%20university%20representative%20has,to%20help%20stabilise%20the%20sector.) part of the funding landscape. A Ferret analysis of each Scottish university’s most recent annual accounts shows that together, Scots unis received over £1.3bn from international students in 2022-23. Our analysis also showed Scottish unis received research grants worth £920m in 2022-23, although more than half of this went to the University of Edinburgh and University of Glasgow. Other sources of income include charging students to stay in halls of residence, investments and donations, and from holding conferences. ### **Why are budgets stretched?** The funding provided to universities by the Scottish Government has decreased in real terms over the last decade. According to the [Institute for F](https://ifs.org.uk/publications/scottish-budget-higher-education-spending?ref=theferret.scot)[i](https://ifs.org.uk/publications/scottish-budget-higher-education-spending?ref=theferret.scot)[scal Studies](https://ifs.org.uk/publications/scottish-budget-higher-education-spending?ref=theferret.scot) (IFS), after inflation is taken into account, the value of the main teaching grant – the biggest chunk of funding provided by the Scottish Government – was 19 per cent lower per student in 2023-24 than it was ten years previously in 2013-14. As well as these real terms cuts in the long term, the teaching funding budget was also [cut](https://www.sfc.ac.uk/publications/university-final-funding-allocations-2024-25/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20teaching%20funding%20budget%20for,other%20teaching%20grants%2Ffunding%20elements.) by £28.5m in cash terms between 2023-24 and 2024-25. These funding decreases come at the same time as enrolment of Scottish students at universities reaches [record highs](https://www.thenational.scot/news/23708985.record-number-young-scottish-students-secure-university-place/?ref=theferret.scot). According to the most recently available [data](https://www.gov.scot/news/more-scottish-students-than-ever-in-scotlands-universities/?ref=theferret.scot), for 2021-22, there were 183,025 Scottish-domiciled students at our universities, a record number. The fall in government funding has increased universities’ reliance on international tuition fees as a source of cash. Seven of Scotland’s unis got more than a quarter of their total income in 2022-23 from fees paid by non-EU students. [![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXefdDdXPTwH3bf1FQLH6rMHAsML6wTcmbm8eXBJHpecKS2pSB5QbjyTecNG1IWMcwcPfFm8mRqvYnAH9h8PTHoaV2kfF9l_p84TT02fT-4KJ4T4rdlPQTzUQ9VQ4txVBbkYEXiZvuQroEP5pAc0O6PGyFA?key=d8u1vKHGc9bYDAiJQ_Uktw)](https://www.datawrapper.de/%5F/YJupE?ref=theferret.scot) But this can be a “[volatile](https://thepienews.com/scotland-unis-should-not-rely-on-international-student-fees/?ref=theferret.scot)” income stream which is vulnerable to changes in the geopolitical landscape. There was a fall in enrolment of international students in 2023-24. According to Universities Scotland, cumulatively this meant that universities brought in £100m less than expected over the last academic year. The body believes that this is not a one-year anomaly with almost all universities expecting to see a fall in international recruitment next year, too. The drop has been partly blamed on changes to immigration policy in Britain, in particular about which international students can access a dependants visa. This is a type of visa that allows students to bring family members when they move to the UK. From [January 2024](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tough-government-action-on-student-visas-comes-into-effect?ref=theferret.scot), only international students studying for a PhD, doctoral qualification, or research based postgraduate degree can get a dependants visa. The UK Government said the policy was brought in to “slash migration and curb abuse of the immigration system”. Nearly two thirds of international students studying at Scottish unis are on taught postgraduate degrees – like masters courses. Prospective students on these courses can no longer bring dependants with them, which some [argue](https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2024/05/07/new-research-reveals-the-benefits-of-the-graduate-route-visa/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Already%20this%20year%2C%20with%20the,can%20come%20to%20the%20UK.) makes Scotland and the UK a less attractive destination to study. There are also [concerns](https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/scotlands-universities-are-a-national-asset-at-risk-of-severe-degradation-alastair-sim-4560689?ref=theferret.scot) that Scottish universities are underfunded for their research activity. The [Scottish Funding Council](https://www.sfc.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), the Scottish Government body responsible for Scotland’s higher education sector, [estimated](https://www.sfc.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/uploadedFiles/coherence-and-sustainability.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in 2021 that research at Scottish universities is underfunded by £328m each year. ### **How does the situation compare with the rest of the UK?** Unlike in Scotland, undergraduate students in the rest of the UK pay [tuition fees](https://www.ucas.com/money-and-student-life/money/student-finance/undergraduate-tuition-fees-and-student-loans?ref=theferret.scot) to study in their home country. In England, English students pay up to £9,250 each year. For a Welsh student studying in Wales, the fee is up to £9,000, although this will [rise](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-68218864?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%202.8%25%20increase%2C%20which%20universities,pay%20the%20tuition%20fee%20upfront.) to £9,250 in September 2024. In Northern Ireland, students pay fees of up to £4,710 to study at a Northern Irish university. The IFS [calculated](https://ifs.org.uk/publications/scottish-budget-higher-education-spending?ref=theferret.scot) that each year the Scottish Government gives direct public funding of £7,610 for each undergraduate Scottish student each year. This meant that, in 2023-24, universities in England receive more for each ‘home’ student they enrolled than Scottish universities did. However, because most Scottish undergraduate degrees are four years long, compared with three years in other UK countries, total funding for each Scottish undergraduate is actually slightly higher over their whole course of study than elsewhere. Universities in the rest of the UK are also facing financial pressures. The Guardian [repo](https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/may/16/universities-in-england-risk-closure-with-40-per-cent-facing-budget-deficits-report-office-for-students?ref=theferret.scot)[r](https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/may/16/universities-in-england-risk-closure-with-40-per-cent-facing-budget-deficits-report-office-for-students?ref=theferret.scot)[ted](https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/may/16/universities-in-england-risk-closure-with-40-per-cent-facing-budget-deficits-report-office-for-students?ref=theferret.scot) in May that a growing number of English universities face “a material risk” of closure unless they cut costs or merge. A report by the Office for Students said that English unis are also [over-reliant](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-66786377?ref=theferret.scot) on international students and 40 per cent of them could run deficits this year. ## **Scottish unis in numbers:** ### **Numbers** There were **300,000** students enrolled at Scottish unis in [2021/22](https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/where-study?ref=theferret.scot#provider), the most recent figures. The **University of Glasgow** had the most students, with **43,000** at that time**.** ### **Gender** Nearly **60 per cent** of all these students identified as **female**. Just over **40 per cent** identified as **male**. Just over 1,000 students identified as ‘**other’**. ### **International students** The **University of Edinburgh** had the most international students with **18,000**. Nearly **44 per cent** of students there were from outside the UK. ### **Scottish students** **Glasgow University** had the most Scottish students enrolled with **20,000**. The **University of the Highlands and Islands** had the highest proportion of Scottish students with **93 per cent**. The **University of St Andrews** had the lowest proportion of Scottish students, with just under **27 per cent**. ### **Financial reserves** **Edinburgh** has the biggest financial reserves.It had a balance of over **£2.6bn** according to its most recent financial [accounts](https://www.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/uoe%5Fannual%5Faccounts%5F2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), for 2022-23. [**Aberdeen**](https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/documents/finance-statements/Annual-Report-2023-Final.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)had the lowest reserves at that time**,** at just over **£12m.** ### **Income** **Edinburgh** also had the highest annual income and received the most public funding**. The University of Abertay** received the least public funding and had the lowest annual income. *Main image: AlanMBarr/iStock* ### Universities on the edge: How can we solve the funding crisis? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/can-we-solve-the-universities-funding-crisis/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T17:12:05.000Z **Sitting in the midst of the usually buzzing Strathclyde University campus you might be forgiven for forgetting that – with three weeks to go till polling day – a general election campaign is raging across the country. Term finished last month and very few students are still here.** Traditionally party leaders are concerned about the student vote. Some woo (think [Jeremy Corbyn](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/09/students-inspired-by-corbyn-played-big-role-in-labour-surge?ref=theferret.scot)) with eye-catching pledges while others attempt to dodge the issue by timing elections, like this one, outside term dates (see also [Boris Johnson](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-boris-johnson-general-election-vote-second-referendum-a9171371.html?ref=theferret.scot)). Then there are those who make promises on student issues which they don’t keep. Who can forget the [Liberal Democrat u-turn](https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/libdems-tuition-fees/?ref=theferret.scot) on abolishing fees when it agreed to form a coalition government with the Conservatives in 2010? Almost 13 years ago Strathclyde University’s Collins building – just down the steep hill from the step where I’m sitting in Rottenrow Gardens – was occupied by [furious students](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15112921?ref=theferret.scot), protesting the decision by the university to impose annual fees of £9,000 for students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The fees were in line with the cap raised by the Conservative and Lib Dem coalition south of the border. For Scottish students studying at home the situation has been very different. When [fees were introduced](https://scvo.scot/about/work/campaigns/archive/20-years-delivering-change/abolition-of-tuition-fees?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=In%201998%2C%20university%20fees%20were,of%20%C2%A31%2C000%20per%20year.) in England by the Labour government in 1998, Scotland brought in a graduate endowment set at £2,000. It was abolished in favour of free tuition by the [SNP Government](https://www.theferret.scot/sturgeon-snp-scrapped-tuition-fees/). “The rocks will melt with the sun before I allow tuition fees to be imposed on Scotland’s students,” then first minister [Alex Salmond](https://theferret.scot/tag/alex-salmond/page/3/?ref=theferret.scot) famously boasted at the time. A piece of public art – bearing that legend – once graced the grounds of Heriot Watt University but it was [removed in](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-52748722?ref=theferret.scot) [ 2020](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-52748722?ref=theferret.scot). Last year that institution received 40 per cent of its income from fees paid by international students, an essential source of funding for almost all Scottish universities. #### Universities in deficit But with the number of international student declining dramatically last year following restrictive Home Office immigration rules, a decade of real terms cuts by the Scottish Government and growing research and capital costs, Scottish universities now find themselves in the midst of a growing financial crisis. Those un-melted rocks are suddenly in the sun’s full glare. At least 10 of 19 institutions are expected to be in deficit in 2023-24\. This week [Universities Scotland](https://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) took its concerns to the [Scottish Parliament’s Education, children and young people committee](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-education-children-and-young-people-committee?ref=theferret.scot), with a submission it claimed was its “most candid assessment of the financial pressures on universities” it had ever given. The sector body says the real challenge is coming down the track in three-to-five years. It’s called for “thoughtful engagement” that avoids the trap of the “free versus fee” discussion. So how did Scotland – with its historic reputation for excellence in higher education – find itself here? “Until about ten years ago the funding for each student’s place was roughly in line with what it actually cost to teach that student,” explains the [National Union of Students(NUS) Scotland](https://www.nus-scotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) president Ellie Gomersall, whom I’ve come to Strathclyde University campus to meet. “That was increasing with inflation each year and it was workable,” she explains. But then the funding level stalled while inflation rose. “That was felt as real term cuts,” she adds. Last year the [Institute of Fiscal Studies](https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-02/Scottish-Budget-2024-Higher-Education-Spending-IFS-Report-R299.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) found there was a gap of £2,020 per year between what Scottish universities receive for each Scottish student they take on compared with what English unis receive for an English student. Here that shortfall has been subsidised to a greater extent by the growth in international students who pay fees of £30,000 and upwards. The sector is still reeling from some recent shocks. Last November [Aberdeen University ](https://news.stv.tv/north/university-of-aberdeen-scraps-all-single-honours-language-degrees?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20University%20of%20Aberdeen%20has,up%20a%20degree%20in%20languages.)– founded in 1495 and considered one of Scotland’s four “ancients” along with Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews – consulted staff on scrapping degrees in French, Gaelic, German and Spanish and making compulsory redundancies. It later agreed to keep joint honours in place and offer voluntary severance packages instead. In its most recent [annual report](https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/documents/finance-statements/Annual-Report-2023-Final.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the university laid out “significant doubt” over its ability to continue as a going concern. It has since confirmed it has made savings, putting it on firmer financial footing. But according to social science and languages staff who spoke to The Ferret on the condition of anonymity, all is still not well. “The fact that the decision about modern languages was being made because it was unprofitable meant that immediately others working in humanities and social sciences started looking at the progress of their modestly funded degree programmes with terror,” said one staff member. Vacancies are routinely not filled, he said, meaning students are being taught by non-specialists “and the quality of education therefore is going to decrease”. “It also means less contact time, larger groups and more standardised assignments,” he added. The extent of the challenges are not lost on staff at Aberdeen. Yet there’s also a distrust of management. “As a group, university managers are singularly ill-equipped to address this crisis,” one humanities lecturer told us, claiming staff in the sector, who have seen a real terms cut of 17 percent in pay are “angry and demoralised”. “Part of the solution has to be that we end the regime of secrecy and talk openly about the best way to tackle this,” another staff member said. “This is in the interests of both students and the Scottish public.” Aberdeen University said it was proud of the “outstanding education and student experience” its staff provide “despite the challenging financial circumstances” > Part of the solution has to be that we end the regime of secrecy and talk openly about the best way to tackle this > > Staff, Aberdeen University A spokesperson said it had been “very open” with its community about its difficulties, holding all-staff meetings, and sharing actions being taken. But high pay in the upper echelons doesn’t help engender good relations. Like most principals George Boyne, the Aberdeen principal is [paid a lot](https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/governance/statement-of-principals-remuneration-7649.php?ref=theferret.scot) – his package was worth almost £300,000 per year, including pension and free university accommodation. Edinburgh University’s Peter Matheson earned £418,000 last year. Finding solutions is thorny. Most acknowledge tackling high pay – might be desirable, but will not fix the bigger issue. There are also calls for reforms to immigration rules if a new government is in power next month, which would make the UK more attractive to international students again. “The way the UK immigration system operates when it comes to international students is really regressive now,” says [Professor Alison Phipps, UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration at Glasgow University.](https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/unesco/aboutus/corestaff/alisonphipps/?ref=theferret.scot) “The simple solution is to take international students out of the migration count.” But that requires Home Office approval. Others believe there’s a need to reconfigure public money so that wealthy institutions like Edinburgh University, which has reserves of about [£2.5bn](https://wonkhe.com/blogs/what-is-a-university-surplus/?ref=theferret.scot) (some of it restricted) receive less and the most cash-strapped – such as the so-called ‘post-92’ unis, which were formerly colleges – get more. Scottish Green’s education spokesperson Ross Greer, says: “There is a clear case for reducing the public funding given to institutions with excessive reserves and redistributing that money to the universities who are teetering on the edge of financial viability.” But the controversial prospect of reintroducing fees, graduate taxes or endowments is one response that’s been repeatedly touted. According to [Dr Gavan Conlon](https://londoneconomics.co.uk/blog/people/dr-gavan-conlon/?ref=theferret.scot), a partner of consultancy [London Economics](https://londoneconomics.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), who gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament earlier this month, the Scottish Government puts five times as much into university education as the UK Government does in England. Despite that institutions are less well funded. “There has to be some form of additional cost passed on to graduates,” was his conclusion following a [comparative study](https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2024/02/06/new-reports-shed-light-on-differences-in-higher-education-fees-and-funding-systems-across-the-uk/?ref=theferret.scot) of the differing approaches of UK nations to higher education (HE) funding. “Scottish students studying in Scotland do not pay enough in comparison with those elsewhere in the UK,” he told the committee. “By introducing the English system in Scotland, that would, overnight, save the Scottish Government 40 per cent of its total cost for higher education.” It’s not a new position. In August 2022 Scottish think tank [Reform Scotland](https://www.reformscotland.com/publication/scrap-the-cap-towards-no-win-no-fee-higher-education/?ref=theferret.scot) launched a paper claiming that Scottish student numbers were being “capped” artificially because they did not pay fees and argued for “deferred fees” to be repaid once they were earning more than the Scottish average salary. In fact there are more student places for Scottish students than ever before. In May 2023, Edinburgh University principal Peter Mathieson said there was a need for [“calm consideration”](https://news.stv.tv/scotland/ending-free-university-tuition-in-scotland-worthy-of-calm-consideration-principal-says?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Charging%20Scots%20graduates%20for%20their,is%20%E2%80%9Cbeyond%20my%20control%E2%80%9D.) of student fees. Then last week [Paul Grice](https://www.scotsman.com/education/university-chief-calls-for-compromise-on-future-of-free-tuition-in-scotland-4652396?ref=theferret.scot), Queen Margaret’s University principal and vice-convener of Universities Scotland backed the idea of a cross-party commission to take forward discussions – including on the reintroduction of fees. Like his colleagues, Universities Scotland convenor Iain Gillespie is keen not to be drawn into a binary conversation on the issue. It’s complex, he says, because if the Scottish Government were simply to go back to funding each student to the tune of what it really costs, that wouldn’t address all of the universities’ woes. “In terms of research we are still structurally underfunded,” he says. “We get significantly less for our research dollar than we did. We also have an ageing estate and a need for capital investment.” But he insists there are questions about whether it is in fact “just and equitable” for unis to be funded only by the taxpayer. “Who benefits?,” he asks. “Firstly the state and the country as a whole benefit, secondly, it’s the individual and thirdly it is the employer who benefits from the education of graduates. I think there is discussion to be had about how those actors pay for the benefits.” Gillespie, who currently earns £316,000 as p[rincipal and vice chancellor of Dundee University](https://www.dundee.ac.uk/people/iain-gillespie-0?ref=theferret.scot), has “a very personal example”. His son is at Glasgow University benefiting from Scotland’s universal free education. “Why is it fair that I get subsidised by the public purse?” he asks. > If Scotland didn’t provide tuition fees, I would not be in university at this time. > > Shannon, student Despite criticism of the high pay culture, he insists universities “do a brilliant job in making efficiencies” and says there is a need to “attract the right talent, skills and experience”. The Scottish Government, however, has no plans to introduce fees. On Thursday’s ITV debate SNP Westminster leader [Stephen Flynn](https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/itv-election-debate-education-lib-dems-snp-b2562349.html?ref=theferret.scot) made a point of positioning himself as the only candidate on the podium backing a position of free tuition, which he said was “life changing” for young people in Scotland. NUS’s Ellie Gomersall takes comfort in both the Scottish Government and Scottish political parties’ support for free tuition. “Free tuition for Scottish undergrad students is non-negotiable for us,” she says. “Any party that proposes or puts in place any form of tuition fees, should know that the student movement will do to that party what we did to the Lib Dems in 2011\. There’s a principle behind universal free tuition, which is that a more educated society benefits everyone.” Students, she points out, are already getting into huge amounts of debt due to maintenance loans – used to pay for costs at University and paid back with interest when students are earning. Student accommodation in Edinburgh, for example, ranges from £180 to £295 a week. If fees were introduced they would be met for some students by affluent parents, she says, while students from less well off families will have to pay off debts, potentially for 30 years. Instead, Gomersall suggests, “progressive taxation” would ensure those “with the broadest shoulders” contribute the most. There are concerns too that hard won progress on widening access would be lost if fees were introduced. In 2020 [research by University and College Union](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/10862/Two-thirds-of-Scottish-university-applicants-would-put-off-going-to-university-if-tuition-fees-were-introduced?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=2020-,Two%2Dthirds%20of%20Scottish%20university%20applicants%20would%20put%20off%20going,if%20tuition%20fees%20were%20introduced&text=Almost%20two%2Dthirds%20of%20university,Scotland%2C%20warns%20polling%20released%20today.) (UCU) Scotland found two-thirds of university applicants living in Scotland would delay starting if fees were introduced. More than a quarter (26 per cent) said they simply wouldn’t be able to afford to go. That chimes with Glasgow University medical student, Shannon. People at her school in the relatively deprived Rutherglen, to the south east of Glasgow, didn’t study medicine. But following Shannon’s example more kids from her school have now gone on to study the degree. She was supported through [Reach](https://www.gla.ac.uk/study/wp/reach/?ref=theferret.scot), a widening participation programme, supported by the Scottish Funding Council and running at the universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and St Andrews and Glasgow. She did not get a maintenance grant, which wouldn’t need to be paid back, and will graduate with debt from student loans. “I can confidently say that if Scotland didn’t provide tuition fees, I would not be in university at this time,” she says firmly. “I would have had to come to terms with another route, and maybe returning as a mature student.” However to [Jim Dickinson](https://wonkhe.com/staff/jim-dickinson/?ref=theferret.scot), associate editor at online higher education site Wonk HE, the division between the cost of tuition fees and the cost of living while at university, is a false dichotomy. “In the Republic of Ireland students pay a contribution of [€3,000 (£2,532](https://www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/study-abroad/study-in-ireland?ref=theferret.scot)) that goes towards student welfare and other costs and the government there still talks about free tuition,” he told The Ferret. “The same is true in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.” In theory, he says Scottish Universities could ask for a means tested contribution in the same way – which only the better off would pay. The tuition point is political, he says. “With a bit of political bravery the Scottish Government could try really interesting things. But because of the symbolism of that policy it apparently won’t shift.” High pay – he says, is a red herring in terms of the sustainability crisis. “But senior pay looks egregious,” he says, when you start asking employers and graduates to start paying their way. “There are other countries, such as the Netherlands where quasi-public sector pay is capped,” he adds. [Mary Senior](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/2068/Mary-Senior?ref=theferret.scot), Scotland official for the UCU union, thinks that in the debate over fees an important point has been missed. While English students pay fees “the reality is there are even [greater challenges](https://theweek.com/education/uk-universities-why-higher-education-is-in-crisis?ref=theferret.scot) there”. “So many staff in England are [facing redundancies](https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20240426132931817&ref=theferret.scot),” she says. “Universities are also facing a real terms cut because the tuition fee level in England has not really changed. I think we can see from the English experience that the marketisation approach doesn’t work.” Not only does UCU fully support free tuition for students living in Scotland – it would like to go further. Along with others she would like to see an end to the way international students are treated “like a cash cow”. She would like employers to contribute more. “In England we are actively campaigning against tuition fees and looking at an employer levy of one percent on employer contributions for graduates or a three percent on corporation tax,” she explains. That, the union argues, could support the [scrapping of tuition fees](https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13571/Report-shows-employer-education-levy-could-replace-university-student-fees?ref=theferret.scot) at no cost to the exchequer. In Scotland an employer levy is also one of the ideas raised by University principals like Iain Gillespie as a potential solution to explore. Back on Strathclyde University campus Ellie Gomersall is also keen to find solutions. It’s an issue we have to get right, she says. “Education lifts people out of poverty. Is absolutely essential to a lot of people being able to lead a fulfilling life, to be able to contribute to society in whatever way they want to do. Whatever happens next, we have to remember that.” The Scottish Government said it was “resolute in its commitment to free tuition and claimed universities played a pivotal role in Scotland’s economy. ***Additional reporting by Paul Dobson*** ### **Response to the University funding crisis: What we heard** 1\. Support universal free tuition with more progressive tax measures. 2\. Introduce fees or combine state support with a graduate contribution. 3\. Set-up an employers’ levy to ensure they are contributing. 4\. Redistribute public money so that those with huge reserves get less and those without get more 4\. Reform immigration policies to attract more international students 5\. Work with local authorities to ensure adequate housing supply for all students, keeping rental costs down so living costs are reduced. 6\. Cap high pay of senior managers and tighten university spending on buildings perceived as ‘vanity projects’. *Main image: chrisdorney/iStock* ### Billionaire who funded climate science denial group has given the Tory Party £100,000 this year URL: https://www.theferret.scot/billionaire-climate-denial-donation-tory-party/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:41:33.000Z **An Australian hedge fund billionaire who funded a climate science denial group has given the Conservative Party £366,790 since the last election – including more than £100,000 this year.** Lord Michael Hintze – who was handed a peerage by [Boris Johnson](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/boris-johnson/) in 2022 – is a major financial backer of the Tories who has also donated to the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), which claims to be a [“non-partisan think tank](https://www.thegwpf.org/?ref=theferret.scot)”. The GWPF is not transparent about its funding and stands accused of being a “[major source of misinformation](https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/111713/pdf/?ref=theferret.scot) about climate change in the UK”. It is based at 55 Tufton Street, London – the home of several other opaquely- funded pressure groups that campaign against net zero policies. Another [GWPF backer](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/02/nigel-lawson-climate-sceptic-organisation-funders?ref=theferret.scot), [Neil Record](https://www.desmog.com/neil-record/?ref=theferret.scot), has given former Tory MPs and the Conservative Party £476,790 since 2008\. He is chairman of Net Zero Watch, another opaquely funded organisation which is claimed to be a subsidiary of GWPF. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) All the above donations were declared to the Electoral Commission, as required, and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing. Commenting on The Ferret’s findings, however, green campaigners accused the Tory Party of being the “anti-climate party” and they questioned who is secretly influencing climate policy in Britain. A spokesman for the Tories said donations are “properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them, and comply fully with the law”. He added: “Indeed, such observations can be made about who our donors are, precisely because our donations are transparently published.” > The fossil fuel industry has been polluting our politics for decades with donations to MPs, lobbying meetings and sponsored events in order to delay and prevent the vital climate action that we need. > > Sally Clark, Friends of the Earth Scotland The Labour Party has also been under pressure after it emerged that a GWPF director was selected as its candidate for Blackley and Broughton in Greater Manchester. Graham Stringer has been a director at GWPF since 2015\. He has questioned climate science and policies to achieve net zero emissions. Hintze was [raised in Australia](https://www.forbes.com/profile/michael-hintze/?ref=theferret.scot) and is the founder and [CEO of Deltroit Asset Management](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lord-michael-hintze-kt-am-gcsg-03984355/?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=theferret.scot). As well as donating at least £4.7m to Conservative causes, he gave £100,000 to Vote Leave, the official Brexit campaign. A soldier turned hedge fund manager, he is a noted supporter of the arts and sciences and was granted knighthood in 2013 in recognition of his charitable contributions. In 2022, Hintze was nominated for a[ peerage](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/political-peerages-2022?ref=theferret.scot) by former prime minister Boris Johnson. In January, it emerged that energy security and net zero secretary, Claire Coutinho, had accepted a £2,000 donation from Hintze, and last October, he gave £3,000 to senior Tory politician, Steve Barclay, weeks before he was appointed as environment secretary. Neil Record gave £5,000 to Steve Baker in 2022\. In 2017, Record donated [£2,000](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15684315.ruth-davidson-hypocrisy-row-donation-climate-change-sceptic/?ref=theferret.scot) to the Scottish Conservative local party in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk. Record was [named as a funder of the GWPF](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/02/nigel-lawson-climate-sceptic-organisation-funders?ref=theferret.scot) in 2014. [Tories receive £1.7m in donations from fossil fuel sector and climate scepticsThe Conservative Party and its MPs have registered more than £1.7m in donations from climate sceptics and fossil fuel interests since the 2019 general election, an investigation by The Ferret can reveal. Our analysis of donations registered with the Electoral Commission from December 2019 found that £1,753,161![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-62.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/52455679554_db485eb9fb_b-e1668186591247.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/conservative-party-donations-fossil-fuels/) ### **The Global Warming Policy Foundation** The GWPF was founded in 2009 by former Conservative chancellor, Nigel Lawson, and has been lobbying the government to scrap its target to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In March, [it claimed](https://www.thegwpf.org/publications/history-of-weather-extremes-reveals-little-has-changed-new-report-shows/?ref=theferret.scot) there is a “mistaken belief that weather extremes – such as heatwaves, flooding, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires – are more common and more intense today because of climate change”, which goes against the scientific consensus. The GWPF has always refused to fully disclose its donors. In 2012, The[ Guardian reported](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/mar/27/tory-donor-climate-sceptic-thinktank?ref=theferret.scot) that Hintze was financially supporting the lobby group. The GWPF, a registered charity, was investigated by the Charity Commission in 2014 and found to have breached rules limiting political activity by charities. It has since been claimed that a group called Net Zero Watch, established after the GWPF was found to have breached Charity Commission rules, was established to front its campaigns. While the GWPF is a registered charity, and bound by Charity Commission rules limiting political activity, Net Zero Watch is a private company, funded by [“private donations”](https://www.netzerowatch.com/who-we-are?ref=theferret.scot). It claims to be independent. Net Zero Watch has lobbied MPs by providing briefings questioning climate policy. [MPs and the Good Law Project](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/05/mps-accuse-charity-commission-of-legal-breach-over-climate-sceptic-thinktank?ref=theferret.scot) have been urging the Charity Commission to launch an investigation into the GWPF, claiming that the charitable foundation funds non-charitable lobbying work by [Net Zero Watch](https://www.netzerowatch.com/all-news/labour-and-conservative-mps-join-gwpf?ref=theferret.scot). They have urged the regulator to strip the GWPF of its charitable status, arguing it does not meet its aims as a charity and is in fact a lobbying organisation. [Net Zero Watch claims](https://www.netzerowatch.com/who-we-are?ref=theferret.scot) that it “highlights the serious implications of expensive and poorly considered climate change policies” and that it is “funded by private donations” although it doesn’t reveal who backs it financially on its website. “In order to make clear its complete independence we do not accept gifts from either energy companies or anyone with a significant interest in an energy company,” a statement on its site says. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/1024px-just_stop_oil_activists_walking_up_whitehall.jpg) “Every future generation is dependent on what we do right now. It’s time to come together and demand an emergency plan to end the extraction and burning of fossil fuels by 2030,” a spokesperson for Just Stop Oil told The Ferret. Image: Alisdare Hickson/Flickr ### **GWPF’s controversial claims** The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, based at the London School of Economics (LSE), has challenged the GWPF’s claims. In written evidence to Westminster, the institute said GWPF is a “[major source of misinformation](https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/111713/pdf/?ref=theferret.scot)” about climate change, and it complained to the Charity Commission in 2013, arguing that GWPF’s spread of misinformation about climate change should exempt it from being registered as an educational charity. The GWPF and [Net Zero Watch](https://www.desmog.com/net-zero-watch/?ref=theferret.scot) have been [given](https://www.desmog.com/2024/05/30/gb-news-gives-dozens-appearances-to-uk-main-climate-denial-group-global-warming-policy-foundation/?ref=theferret.scot) a regular platform on the right-wing broadcaster [GB News](https://www.desmog.com/gb-news/?ref=theferret.scot) recently, during which they claimed the climate emergency is “scaremongering”. GWPF has appeared on the channel [more than 35 times](https://www.desmog.com/2024/05/30/gb-news-gives-dozens-appearances-to-uk-main-climate-denial-group-global-warming-policy-foundation/?ref=theferret.scot) over the past seven months, Desmog reported. Scottish Greens justice spokesperson Maggie Chapman MSP said: “The Tory Party are the anti-climate party, even now actively pursuing policies that will continue to see global temperatures spiral out of control and wreak havoc to our environment.” Friends of the Earth Scotland divestment campaigner Sally Clark said the UK government’s recent decisions to award new oil and gas licences and “to roll back on its climate commitments”, means “we need to ask who is influencing UK climate policy.” She added: “Climate sceptics are denying and twisting the overwhelming scientific consensus to suit their paymasters. They shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near decision makers. “The fossil fuel industry has been polluting our politics for decades with donations to MPs, lobbying meetings and sponsored events in order to delay and prevent the vital climate action that we need from governments if we are to limit the worst impacts of climate breakdown. A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil claimed that “British democracy has been bought by oil lobbyists”. They added: “History tells us that when the powerful ignore the interests of the people we must come together to disrupt business as usual. Every future generation is dependent on what we do right now. It’s time to come together and demand an emergency plan to end the extraction and burning of fossil fuels by 2030.” A spokesman for the Conservative Party said it is funded by membership, fundraising and donations. He added: “The Conservative Party has taken a new, pragmatic approach to net zero that will help us reach this target without saddling hardworking families with extortionate and unnecessary bills in the interim. This comes alongside our significant investment in green policies.” ### **Oil industry donations to the Tory Party** In 2022, The Ferret revealed that the Tory Party and its MPs had registered more than £1.7m in donations from climate sceptics and fossil fuel interests since the 2019 general election. Our analysis of donations registered with the Electoral Commission from December 2019 found that £1,753,161 has been donated, including thousands of pounds given to prime minister Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister, Liz Truss, and Scottish Tory leader, Douglas Ross. GWPF, Net Zero Watch, Hintze, and the Labour Party did not respond to requests for comments. ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Main image: Roger Harris/Canva* ### Claim Scotland to give back £450m in EU funding is Half True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scotland-give-back-450m-eu-funding-half-true/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T14:12:53.000Z **European Union funding has become an unexpected part of the 2024 election campaign in Scotland, as the SNP-led Scottish Government has faced criticism over millions of pounds of reportedly unclaimed cash.** Newspaper [reports](https://archive.is/N5Gxa?ref=theferret.scot#selection-2799.59-2799.93), social media posts and politicians have made similar claims about the Scottish Government failing to spend funding allocated to Scotland before the UK left the EU. > SNP to hand back £450m of unspent EU money. > > Newspaper reports [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it Half True. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-45.png) #### **Evidence** The claim that the SNP had underspent its funding allocation from the European Union was first reported by The [Sunday Times on 1 June](https://archive.is/N5Gxa?ref=theferret.scot#selection-2799.59-2799.93). An article, headlined ‘SNP to hand back £450m of unspent EU money,’ claimed that the Scottish Government was expected to hand back 28 per cent of funding that was received prior to the UK leaving the union. The money due to be returned was “structural and investment funding,” the article said. #### **What is structural and investment funding?** [Structural funding](https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefings/Report/2019/4/10/EU-Structural-Funds-in-Scotland?ref=theferret.scot) is money the EU gives out that aims to reduce economic inequalities between member states. Although the UK is no longer a part of the EU, funding agreed before the UK left has been [spent in Scotland over recent years](https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefings/Report/2019/4/10/EU-Structural-Funds-in-Scotland?ref=theferret.scot). EU rules state that money must be spent by the end of the third year after it was allocated. So money allocated for the period from 2014 to 2020 had to be spent by the end of 2023. The [funds](https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/countries/UK/14-20?ref=theferret.scot) still in operation in Scotland are the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The Scottish Government is responsible for managing structural funding programmes. It pays money to groups such as [local councils and government agencies](https://blogs.gov.scot/european-structural-and-investment-funds/2022/12/16/2022-case-studies-booklet-and-ministerial-visit-to-mdmc/?ref=theferret.scot) who then lead on specific schemes, and then effectively invoices the European Commission for the expenditure to be reimbursed. These projects can be very varied and include funding for infrastructure, universities and local community schemes. #### **How much was Scotland given?** From 2014 to 2020, the last funding round before the UK left the EU, Scotland [was allocated](https://www.gov.scot/policies/european-structural-funds/?ref=theferret.scot) £401m from the ERDF and £392m from the ESF, for a total of £793m (figures have been converted to £s and rounded). EU rules say that the money must be [spent by the end of the third year](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5afab28ded915d0de80ffc94/ESIF%5FGlossary%5FMay%5F2018.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) after its allocation, which was December 2023\. If these targets aren’t met, the amount of funding is reduced. Research from the [Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2024/06/06/scotlands-european-structural-funds-following-the-money/?ref=theferret.scot) found that on 4 June 2024, the [Scottish programmes](https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/countries/UK/14-20?ref=theferret.scot) were worth £660.3m. This is a reduction of £132.7m in the value of the funding. The Scottish Government confirmed to SPICe that this reduction was imposed by the EU as a result of expenditure targets not being met by the end of the third year. With the current value of the funding at £660.3m, we can see how much of that budget has been spent. On 4 June, according to SPICe analysis, £424m [had been paid out](https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/countries/UK/14-20?ref=theferret.scot) by the European Commission, with £235m still potentially to be claimed. [According to](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2024/06/06/scotlands-european-structural-funds-following-the-money/?ref=theferret.scot) the Scottish Government, a request for payment of £29.3m was made in May, which had yet to show up on the statistics. This would leave at least £205.7m unclaimed from the current budget, in addition to the £132.7m already underspent. The Scottish Government said it had committed [just](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=15909&iob=135779&ref=theferret.scot) over £545.6m for projects, equating to 83 per cent of the £660.3m, but this had yet to be confirmed in the online portal. While the government seems confident that a large proportion of the overall budget will be spent, we will not know for sure the exact underspend until the programmes fully wrap up. The Scottish Government is required to make final payments to partners by 30 June 2024. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** It is clear that Scotland has underspent its allocation of money from the EU for structural funds. However, there are some allocations still to be fully accounted for, and the Scottish Government is still claiming money from the European Commission for spending that has yet to be completed, despite the end of the funding period, so the true total that will be handed out is yet to be announced. [![This claim is half true.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_3halftrue-9.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** *Main image: [Scottish Government](https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottishgovernment/53711443354/in/photolist-2pRmPUe-2pRmPTn-2pRk8Zk-2pRkMN2-2pRmgan-2pRcEAt-2pR5Pmv-2pRca7h-2pR6yFF-2pQjCh3-2pQeYqf-2pQkGip-2pQjAq2-2pQmNFu-2pQmNAj-2pQkyTp-2pQm84Y-2pQm7Sf-2pQjoTp-2pQgtP7-2pQiGBX-2pQgtMt-2pQhz1j-2pQiGb1-2pQibQb-2pQbPyZ-2pQgtbi-2pQibCs-2pQhxZr-2pPPXx1-2pPVEX1-2pPUAM2-2pPWPqJ-2pPWicS-2pPPXuR-2pPUAJM-2pPVETU-2pPVETy-2pPUAFL-2pPWPkZ-2pPPXrK-2pPWi8o-2pPM585-2pPPiDy-2pPPiCX-2pPPiCw-2ofXnqD-2ofZZQC-2og3egL-2ofXnkU?ref=theferret.scot), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Alarm over 174 security breaches at Clyde nuclear bases URL: https://www.theferret.scot/security-breaches-clyde-nuclear-bases/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T15:13:57.000Z **Two nuclear bomb bases on the Clyde recorded 174 security breaches over five years, according to information released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).** Between 2018 and 2022 there were 130 breaches reported at the Trident submarine base at [Faslane](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/faslane/), near Helensburgh, and a further 44 breaches at the nearby nuclear weapons store at [Coulport](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coulport/). The MoD has not given any details of the incidents, but suggested that some were “minor”. They could include lost identity cards, misplaced documents and data protection breaches, it said. The MoD stressed that it investigated every incident “no matter how small” with the aim of continuously improving security. Campaigners, however, warned there were “risks of major catastrophe” at Faslane and Coulport. They called on whoever wins the general election to “get to grips” with security problems. The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats all support the UK’s nuclear weapons programme. The Scottish National Party and the Greens oppose it. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-06-07-115637.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-lapses-clyde-alarm/) A freedom of information response [released by the MoD in May](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/664dfe72b7249a4c6e9d39bb/FOI2023-08946.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) revealed that the [Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot) recorded the highest number of security breaches – 13 – in 2019\. Since then, there were 11 in 2020, nine in 2021 and nine in 2022. Coulport is where around 200 of the [UK’s arsenal of nuclear warheads](https://thebulletin.org/premium/2021-05/nuclear-notebook-how-many-nuclear-weapons-does-the-united-kingdom-have-in-2021/?ref=theferret.scot) are kept in underground bunkers. Spread across the slopes above Loch Long, the site is dotted with watchtowers and protected by a series of barbed wire fences. The [latest MoD release](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/664dfe72b7249a4c6e9d39bb/FOI2023-08946.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) also confirmed a [previous report](https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/security-breaches-rise-nuclear-submarines-clyde-russia/?ref=theferret.scot) that there were 60 security breaches at Faslane in 2022\. Another [report in 2022](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/8780983/security-breaches-faslane-nuclear/?ref=theferret.scot) said that there were 16 breaches at Faslane in 2021, and 18 in each of the previous three years. [Faslane](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/locations-and-operations/bases-and-stations/hmnb-clyde?ref=theferret.scot), on the Gareloch, is the home port for the UK’s [four Vanguard-class submarines](https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/equipment/submarine/vanguard-class?ref=theferret.scot) that carry nuclear-armed Trident missiles. One submarine is meant to be continuously on patrol at sea, but in recent years the service has been [stretched](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-trident-patrols/). \[table id=476 /\] The numbers of security breaches in 2023 and so far in 2024 have not been published by the MoD. But it has previously released figures for nuclear safety incidents that have also plagued the Clyde bases. The Ferret [reported in April](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-lapses-clyde-alarm/) that Faslane and Coulport logged 843 “nuclear site events” from 2019 to April 2024\. Twelve of them were classified by the MoD as having “actual or potential for radioactive release to the environment”. We also [revealed in August 2023](https://www.theferret.scot/over-100-incidents-body-oversees-nuclear-weapons/) that the MoD’s [Defence Nuclear Organisation](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-nuclear-organisation?ref=theferret.scot), which oversees the UK nuclear weapons programme, had recorded 113 “security concerns” since 2017-18\. Again, no details were given. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-06-07-120325.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/over-100-incidents-body-oversees-nuclear-weapons/) The [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) warned that security breaches should not be “shrugged off” as minor. “Faslane and Coulport combine nuclear bombs, nuclear reactors and missiles – radioactivity, explosives and highly flammable rocket fuel – always presenting potential targets and risks of major catastrophe,” said the campaign’s chair, Lynn Jamieson. “At these most dangerous places, regular breaches signal either a grossly-inappropriate casual culture or the impossibility of 100 per cent security. Incidents rising to 60, averaging more than one a week, is a warning and calls for public investigation.” Jamieson also attacked the MoD failure to provide details of the breaches. “Secrecy cloaks the reality of the everyday risks in our own backyard,” she told The Ferret. “Secrecy is convenient for politicians who spout the myth that threatening to destroy half the planet with nuclear weapons keeps us safe.” ### Some nuclear security breaches ‘serious’ The [Nuclear Information Service](https://www.nuclearinfo.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which researches and criticises nuclear weapons, argued that any security breaches were concerning. “If, as the MoD imply, some of these incidents were relatively minor, why have no further details been disclosed?” asked the service’s director, David Cullen. “The obvious inference is that some of the incidents were much more serious. Whoever wins the election, I hope the incoming government will get to grips with this.” The large increase in security breaches at Faslane between 2021 and 2022 was “especially worrying”, he said. A [report by the London news broadcaster, LBC, in September 2023](https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/security-breaches-rise-nuclear-submarines-clyde-russia/?ref=theferret.scot) suggested that this could be linked to Russian activity in the wake of the [invasion of Ukraine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian%5Finvasion%5Fof%5FUkraine?ref=theferret.scot) in February 2022. According to the [MoD](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence?ref=theferret.scot), incidents “can include minor breaches”. They can also include “the mis-accounting of documentation, loss of identity cards, inadvertent use of personal electronic devices and breaches in general data protection,” it said. A spokesperson for the Royal Navy added: “Security is of paramount importance and we investigate every incident, no matter how small, to ensure we learn from experience and continuously improve our security.” *Cover image thanks to Ministry of Defence* ### Scots Reform candidates slammed for ‘liking’ conspiracy theorists’ posts URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scots-reform-candidates-conspiracy-theorist-posts/ Last updated: 2026-03-19T15:27:29.000Z **General election candidates in Scotland for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party have been slammed for ‘liking’ and engaging with social media posts from a holocaust denier, conspiracy theorists and a senior Russian politician.** X (formerly Twitter) accounts belonging to Reform’s deputy leader in Scotland, [David Kirkwood](https://www.reformparty.uk/dumfriesshire-clydesdale-and-tweeddale-constituency?ref=theferret.scot), and election candidate [Kenneth Morton](https://www.reformparty.uk/angus-and-perthshire-glens-constituency?ref=theferret.scot) have ‘[liked](https://x.com/Kenneth%5F%5FMorton/likes?ref=theferret.scot)’ posts and shared images of their party’s policies with far right activist Peter Imanuelsen. Known as [Peter Sweden](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2017/08/01/far-right-vlogger-defend-europe-supporter-peter-swedens-real-identity-revealed/?ref=theferret.scot), he has previously denied [the Holocaust](http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/katie-hopkins-holocaust-denier%5Fuk%5F596e0e4ee4b010d77673cb92?ref=theferret.scot) and stated online [“Hitler had some good points”](https://twitter.com/CcwTom/status/887306421750165504?ref=theferret.scot). Sweden is followed on X by Richard Tice – who was the Reform UK party leader until replaced by Farage on 3 June – as well as the official Reform UK Scotland account. Morton also liked posts from prominent conspiracy theorists such as David Icke, who has claimed the world is ruled by shape shifting lizards. The prospective candidate made his X posts private, other than to approved followers, after we contacted Reform. Formerly the Brexit Party, Reform was founded as a business by Farage in 2018\. In March, it suspended two Scots candidates after The Ferret found posts by prominent far right figures and hateful comments about trans people were shared on their social media accounts. Commenting on our latest findings, the Scottish Liberal Democrats accused Reform of being “linked to intolerance, racism and bonkers conspiracy theorists”. ### **Reform candidates’ social media activity** Reform’s candidate for Angus and Perthshire Glens, Kenneth Morton, last year shared a post via his X account, which said: “The alleged climate crisis is the most expensive and devastating lie of all time.” More recently, he has also liked posts denying man-made climate change from conspiracy theorists such as David Icke, who [believes](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-36339298?ref=theferret.scot) the royal family are shape-shifting lizards. ![Reform](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/david_icke_by_stef_cropped-jpeg.jpg) ***David Icke. Credit: Stefano Maffei. Licenced under** [***CC BY 2.0**](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot)***.** Icke has previously been [banned](https://www.euronews.com/2022/11/04/david-icke-uk-conspiracy-theorist-banned-from-dozens-of-european-countries?ref=theferret.scot) from dozens of countries because he was deemed to pose “a threat to public order”. One Icke tweet liked by Morton deemed Covid-19 “a psychological hoax” treated with a “fake vaccine”. Other posts ‘liked’ by Morton include anti-vaccination posts from conspiracy theorists, such as one from Alex Jones, which claimed 22 million people had died from Covid-19 vaccines. Adverse reactions and deaths resulting from Covid-19 vaccines have been [reported](https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/deathsduetocovid19covid19vaccineinjuryandexcessdeathsbyvaccinationstatus?ref=theferret.scot), including [in Scotland](https://archive.ph/cZE5I?ref=theferret.scot), and the UK Government has set up a [vaccine damages payment scheme](https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-politics-2023-3-uk-has-received-334-damage-claims-for-covid-jab-deaths/?ref=theferret.scot) for those who are “severely disabled” as a result of a vaccination. Reports of Covid-19 vaccine side effects remain relatively rare, however, and the [latest](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66223409252f0d71cf757d88/Greenbook-chapter-14a-20240418.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) [research](https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health/coronavirus-vaccine-your-questions-answered/myocarditis-and-covid-19-vaccines-should-you-be-worried?ref=theferret.scot) found the benefits of being vaccinated against Covid-19 significantly outweigh the risks of not getting it for most people. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/alex_jones_portrait_cropped_cropped1-jpeg.jpg) ***Alex Jones. Credit: Michael Zimmermann. Licenced under** [***CC BY-SA 4.0**](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot)***.** In 2022, Jones was [ordered](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67560510?ref=theferret.scot) to pay £1.2bn in damages to family members of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting victims for falsely claiming the massacre was a hoax. Jones recently [agreed](https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/06/media/alex-jones-assets-sandy-hook/index.html?ref=theferret.scot) to liquidate his assets to pay Sandy Hook families, which would end his ownership of his far right conspiracy website, InfoWars. Morton also liked [a recent post](https://x.com/MedvedevRussiaE/status/1791080214564372684?ref=theferret.scot) from former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev – deputy chairman of Russia’s security council. In it, Medvedev appeared to attribute the attempted assassination of Slovakian prime minister, Robert Fico, to being “not a Russophobe”. Fico is seen by many as being a defender of Russian president, Vladimir Putin. But Slovakian authorities have not yet confirmed the motives of the would-be assassin, [other than](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/23/world/europe/slovakia-fico-government-media.html?ref=theferret.scot) he had political grievances and was radicalised after the recent Slovak election. [David Kirkwood](https://www.reformparty.uk/dumfriesshire-clydesdale-and-tweeddale-constituency?ref=theferret.scot), the party’s deputy leader in Scotland and the candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweedale, liked [a tweet](https://x.com/PeterSweden7/status/1786796532441723375?ref=theferret.scot) from far right figure Peter Sweden opposing climate measures. Kirkwood also posted [an image](https://x.com/dakppc/with%5Freplies?ref=theferret.scot) showing Reform UK Scotland’s policy on digital currencies in response to one of Sweden’s posts about the subject. Another “official” Reform Scotland policy shared by Kirkwood on social media advocated scrapping the use of LGBT+, and other such initialisms, and instead referring to people’s sexuality as “Plain Old Homosexuals” or “Non-Plain Old Homosexuals”. Others running on a Reform ticket include Andrew Russell. In February, the Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock candidate [shared](https://www.facebook.com/reformukayrcarrickandcumnock/posts/122120061212209909?ref=embed%5Fpost) an image – apparently a reference to asylum seekers crossing the English channel – of an alligator climbing onto a boat, with the caption “I’m here for the border control job!”. Borders Tory MSP, Rachael Hamilton also followed far right activist Peter Sweden. In January, she [shared a post](https://x.com/Rachael2Win/status/1750266301442900432?ref=theferret.scot) from Sweden, which included a video of Scottish farmers protesting against Scottish Government agricultural policies. The post claimed Scottish farmers had joined the Europe wide protest movement against EU environmental rules, falling product prices, rising costs and other issues. Far right figures including Sweden have [attempted](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/11/europe-farmer-protests-right-wing-france/?ref=theferret.scot) to capitalise on the unrest. Hamilton told The Ferret: “I was unaware of this man’s appalling views when I shared a post about Scottish farmers.” The Liberal Democrats Christine Jardine said: “This isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last, that Reform UK have been linked to intolerance, racism and bonkers conspiracy theorists. “If all Nigel Farage and Richard Tice can do is offer a home to far-right hate and nonsense, I think the people of Scotland will rightly send their party packing at the ballot box.” David Icke, Peter Sweden, Alex Jones and Dmitry Medvedev did not respond to requests to comment. On 9 June, Sweden [responded](https://x.com/PeterSweden7/status/1623304736983203843?ref=theferret.scot) to The Ferret’s article on X. He rejected being labelled as far right, and claimed previous screenshots of controversial comments he made on social media were photoshopped. Sweden has previously [claimed](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2017/08/01/far-right-vlogger-defend-europe-supporter-peter-swedens-real-identity-revealed/?ref=theferret.scot) to have never denied the holocaust, but for a few months in 2016, he “started to question everything including conspiracy theories about the holocaust” due to his mistrust in the media. ### **Farage returns to the helm** Reform has previously pledged to run candidates in every seat in Scotland. The party in Scotland was previously run by Michelle Ballantyne, a former South Scotland Tory MSP who defected to Reform after losing her leadership bid to Douglas Ross. Despite [vowing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-69052837?ref=theferret.scot) to stay out of the race just days earlier, Farage announced on 3 June that he would be entering the fray as Reform’s leader and stand to become an MP in Clacton, Essex – his eighth attempt to enter Westminster. The following day he made headlines after [being struck](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jun/05/woman-charged-after-milkshake-thrown-at-nigel-farage?ref=theferret.scot) with a milkshake by a woman in the seaside town, who was later charged with assault by beating and criminal damage. The veteran Eurosceptic’s return to frontline politics has given his party a boost in support. A [YouGov poll](https://news.sky.com/story/reform-uk-pulls-to-within-two-points-of-tories-in-latest-yougov-poll-13148396?ref=theferret.scot) conducted shortly after his return to the helm put Reform within two points of the Conservatives. The Tories were on 19 per cent, while Reform was on 17 per cent – both well behind Labour’s 40 per cent. But pollsters have yet to predict Reform taking any seats. Farage said his goal is to win “millions” more votes than his former right wing party, UKIP, and [make Reform](https://news.sky.com/story/nigel-farage-sets-out-plan-for-reverse-takeover-of-conservative-party-13147634?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Nigel%20Farage%20has%20ruled%20out,Tories%20of%20betraying%20his%20party.) the official opposition. The Reform leader has also received strong support from factions within the Tory party, [including](https://www.politico.eu/article/nigel-farage-tories-united-kingdom-jacob-rees-mogg/?ref=theferret.scot) notable figures such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, who urged colleagues to give him a government job. Previously Farage claimed he could join the Tories after the election, suggesting Rishi Sunak’s party could [merge](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13248807/Nigel-Farage-drops-strongest-hint-returning-frontline-politics-suggests-Reform-UK-merge-defeated-Conservatives-general-election-Tory-defector-Lee-Anderson-launches-insurgent-partys-Blackpool-campaign.html?ref=theferret.scot) with Reform. But he has since backtracked. “I think the better thing to do would be to take it over,” Farage [said](https://news.sky.com/story/nigel-farage-sets-out-plan-for-reverse-takeover-of-conservative-party-13147634?ref=theferret.scot) on 4 June. Former Tories who have joined Reform include Cameron Rose, a former Tory councillor in Edinburgh, who is [the candidate](https://reformuk.scot/edinburgh-south-constituency/?ref=theferret.scot) for Edinburgh South constituency, and Alastair Majury, who serves as the party’s Mid Scotland and Fife [organiser](https://reformuk.scot/find-my-ppc/?ref=theferret.scot). In 2015, Majury, a former Tory councillor in Stirling, reportedly used a social media account to deride benefit claimants, make derogatory remarks about Catholics and said the term Nazi is “an accurate description” of Scottish nationalists. He previously told The Ferret that following media reports about his social media activity, “false and malicious” allegations were made about him and that he was cleared by “every single investigation that I was an active participant in”. Reform told The Ferret that “the case of Mr Majury is historic and was dealt with whilst he was a Conservative councillor”. ### **More than 110 candidates ditched** The Guardian [reported](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/24/reform-uk-forced-to-remove-more-than-100-general-election-candidates-in-2024?ref=theferret.scot) in May that 110 Reform candidates had been dropped or swapped after offensive and racist comments were revealed. Reform [suspended](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-suspends-scots-candidates-remarks/) two Scottish general election candidates in March after a Ferret investigation found posts by prominent far right figures and hateful comments about trans people were shared on their social media accounts. One had described himself as a “proud tax avoider” in his Twitter bio, said trans people have a “severe mental illness” and that their “days are numbered”. Another shared a video from far right commentator Katie Hopkins, and another post which said then-first minister Humza Yousaf should not be able to hold a rugby trophy because he is “more Pakistani than Scottish.” Reform said it had suspended both candidates and launched an “immediate investigation” after The Ferret brought their comments to light. Neither appear to have been reinstated. Reform did not respond to requests to comment. *We updated this article at 11:52 on 10 June to add a response from Peter Sweden, who posted about The Ferret’s coverage on X.* *Main image: Alex Jones (left) and David Icke. Credit: Michael Zimmermann and Stefano Maffei, respectively. Licenced under* [*CC BY-SA 4.0*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) *and* [*CC BY 2.0*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot)*.* ### SNP under fire for ‘exaggerated’ oil jobs claim URL: https://www.theferret.scot/snp-under-fire-for-exaggerated-oil-jobs-claim/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:34:37.000Z **The SNP has been accused of spreading ‘misinformation’ over its key election claim that Labour’s plans for the North Sea oil industry could cost 100,000 Scottish jobs.** Leading SNP politicians have [repeatedly](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-68580909?ref=theferret.scot) [used](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrre16k21no?ref=theferret.scot) the claim to attack Keir Starmer’s policy of increasing levies on, and abolishing tax incentives for, energy companies operating in the North Sea. Earlier this week, John Swinney [compared](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0ddlkp9g9do?ref=theferret.scot) the potential impact of Labour’s pledges to deindustrialisation under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s and claimed they could create an “industrial wasteland” in the north east of Scotland. The 100,000 figure is based on estimates by the investment bank, [Stifel](http://www.stifel.com/?ref=theferret.scot). But Stifel’s analysis – set out in two reports seen by The Ferret, one written in June 2023 and the other in May of this year – actually says that job losses could take place across the “UK North Sea” sector and not just in Scotland. Stifel confirmed to The Ferret that its research did not say where job losses could fall. According to [Offshore Energies UK](https://oeuk.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (OEUK), the trade body for the North Sea industry, just under half – around 90,000–- of the nearly [220,000 jobs](https://oeuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Economic-Report-2023-Offshore-Energies-UK-OEUK.pdf?ref=theferret.scot#page=13) supported by the UK oil and gas sector are in Scotland. Campaigners and experts have accused politicians in Scotland of “bowing to industry lobbying tactics” and using oil workers’ livelihoods as a “political football.” “Exaggeration and misinformation helps no one, particularly when what is urgently needed is a clear-eyed conversation about how to ensure that Scottish workers benefit from the transition away from oil and gas,” [Tessa Khan](https://www.lawscot.org.uk/people/tessa-khan/?ref=theferret.scot) of the climate advocacy group, [Uplift](https://www.upliftuk.org/?ref=theferret.scot), argued. > Exaggeration and misinformation helps no one. > > Tessa Khan, Uplift The SNP said it would oppose Labour’s “dangerous proposals “ and put “Scottish jobs and Scotland’s interests first”. In its response to The Ferret, the party incorrectly attributed the 100,000 jobs figure to Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, rather than Stifel. The estimate of 100,000 jobs losses forms a [core](https://archive.ph/8R8CF?ref=theferret.scot) part of the SNP’s general election messaging. Polls [suggest](https://news.sky.com/story/labour-could-be-on-course-for-194-seat-commons-majority-yougov-poll-13147370?ref=theferret.scot) that the SNP could lose more than half of its 43 Westminster seats to Labour on 4 July, with the bulk of Labour’s gains being made in the Central Belt. The SNP is fighting to keep its suite of constituencies in Aberdeenshire and the North East, where many of Scotland’s oil and gas jobs are located. The claim first [appeared](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24122741.labour-windfall-tax-hike-could-see-100-000-jobs-lost/?ref=theferret.scot) in February this year after the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) sent a letter, citing Stifel’s figures, to Keir Starmer warning that his plans could put 100,000 jobs at risk across the UK. At first minister’s questions on 22 February 2024, Humza Yousaf highlighted “industry” estimates which he [claimed](https://policymogul.com/key-updates/34853/extract-from-scottish-parliament-questions-to-the-first-minister-feb-22?ref=theferret.scot) showed Labour’s plans risked “100,000 jobs in the north east.” On 31 May, SNP deputy first minister [Kate Forbes](https://x.com/%5FKateForbes/status/1796474842209988839?ref=theferret.scot) [told](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrre16k21no?ref=theferret.scot) BBC Breakfast that “independent experts” had “suggested Labour’s plans would perhaps jeopardise 100,000 jobs in the north east of Scotland.” The claim has also been made by [other](https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/windfall-tax-extension-humiliates-scots-9146421?ref=theferret.scot) SNP [figures](https://x.com/MichelleThomson/status/1796469679319568788?ref=theferret.scot) – including Westminster leader [Stephen Flynn](https://archive.ph/OjQHK?ref=theferret.scot) – and has [featured](https://x.com/theSNP/status/1760674779605217688?lang=en&ref=theferret.scot) twice on the party’s official X [profile](https://x.com/theSNP/status/1796503912809365886?ref=theferret.scot), including at the end of May. Labour has pledged to [increase](https://news.sky.com/story/labour-pledge-to-extend-windfall-tax-to-protect-families-from-soaring-energy-bills-12791263?ref=theferret.scot) the Energy Profits Levy – the windfall tax on oil and gas introduced at the height of the cost of living crisis – to 78 per cent from its current rate of 75 per cent and to [abolish](https://www.politico.eu/article/oil-gas-company-lash-labour-party-windfall-tax-plan/?ref=theferret.scot) oil and gas [tax breaks](https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2022-06-07/debates/CD5146B7-B0DC-4BCE-AF83-00C8DB7C8819/NorthSeaOilAndGasProducersInvestmentAllowances?ref=theferret.scot) introduced by Rishi Sunak when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Spring of 2022. According to Labour, these reforms will [generate](https://archive.ph/UErZN?ref=theferret.scot) upward of £10bn in revenue for the UK Treasury over the coming years. Starmer has said that this money will be invested in [GB Energy](https://www.endsreport.com/article/1875223/labour-confirm-gb-energy-investment-vehicle-rather-utilities-company?ref=theferret.scot), which Labour describes as a publicly-owned energy company – although there has been some [confusion](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9xxpypr8d0o?ref=theferret.scot) about the policy in recent weeks. ![Employers in Scotland fined £9.4m for health and safety violations](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1192307006.jpg) If the oil and gas industry is forced into ‘accelerated decline’ –Stifel told The Ferret – 100,000 jobs could be lost across the UK as early as 2029\. Image: Alexey Zakirov/iStock Stifel is critical of the potential impact of Labour’s tax proposals on investment in the North Sea. The firm argues that if the oil and gas industry is forced into “accelerated decline”– meaning a complete end to “future investment in the development and production of North Sea fields” – then 100,000 jobs could be lost across the UK as early as 2029. Separate assessments by OEUK – whose [membership](https://oeuk.org.uk/membership/?ref=theferret.scot) includes major UK fossil fuel firms – and Unite the union have produced lower job loss estimates. In February, OEUK chief executive David Whitehouse warned that Labour’s plans [could](https://oeuk.org.uk/labours-new-windfall-tax-plan-sparks-job-loss-warning/?ref=theferret.scot) eliminate 42,000 jobs between now and 2030. Meanwhile, on 19 May, Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, [said](https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/17/union-urges-labour-not-to-ban-new-north-sea-licences-without-plan-for-jobs?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Oil-,Union%20urges%20Labour%20not%20to%20ban%20new,licences%20without%20plan%20for%20jobs&text=The%20UK's%20oil%20and%20gas,clear%20plan%20to%20safeguard%20jobs.) that £6.6bn of investment would be needed to save 30,000 Scottish jobs in the energy sector by the end of the decade. Last year, [research](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23954780.north-sea-supported-jobs-halved-last-decade-despite-tory-support/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=UK%20ministers%20have%20been%20urged,despite%20vast%20support%20from%20Westminster.) found that the number of people employed in the British oil and gas sector had halved over the past decade, from 441,000 in 2013 to 214,000 in 2023. According to the UK [Committee on Climate Change](https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CCC-A-Net-Zero-Workforce-Web.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), the UK Government’s independent climate advisory body, employment rates in oil and gas will continue to decline in the coming years as remaining reserves become harder and more expensive to access and more of the extraction work [becomes automated](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/apr/02/robot-heads-for-north-sea-oil-rigs-in-world-first-scheme?ref=theferret.scot). In its 2023 draft [energy strategy and just transition plan](https://www.gov.scot/publications/draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan/?ref=theferret.scot), the Scottish Government acknowledged that while “higher prices \[and\] tax incentives” could make marginal North Sea fields more attractive to investors, they would not change the basin’s “overall trend” towards decline. > Done well, the transition to net zero has the potential to create more jobs than will be lost, but we urgently need commitments from all political parties to deliver this. > > Miriam Brett, Future Economy Scotland The draft plan proposed introducing a “presumption against” new oil and gas licences in the North Sea. There is [speculation](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24360504.swinney-considers-u-turn-new-oil-gas-licences/?ref=theferret.scot) that the SNP will ditch this position when the final version of its energy strategy is published later in the summer. If it wins the UK general election in July, Labour has [said](https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2023/06/19/keir-starmer-labour-will-honour-existing-drilling-licences-under-clean-energy-plan/?ref=theferret.scot) it will honour existing oil and gas licences but not issue new ones. Last year, researchers at Robert Gordon University [estimated](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-66781722?ref=theferret.scot) that 95,000 British jobs could go if the transition away from oil and gas in the North Sea was mismanaged, meaning that investment in currently productive fields and new green technology stalled. At most, around half of those job losses would be in Scotland, the researchers said – although a well-managed transition could create jobs. Stifel has ties to the oil and gas sector. In its two reports, the firm notes that it “seeks to do business” with companies operating in the North Sea and that investors should therefore “be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity” of its analysis. Its 2024 report goes on to note that “Stifel or an affiliate expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from Serica Energy plc, Ithaca Energy plc and Harbour Energy plc in the next three months.” Serica, Ithaca, and Harbour all have holdings in the North Sea. Stifel is [headquartered](http://www.stifel.com/branch/mo/st-louis-headquarters?ref=theferret.scot) in St. Louis, Missouri. Its US wealth management business has at least £900m invested in companies – including Shell, BP, and Exxon Mobil – involved in drilling in the waters around the UK, according to Ferret analysis of US regulatory [filings](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/720672/000072067224000010/xslForm13F%5FX02/20240513%5F13FReport.xml?ref=theferret.scot). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-06-07-114006.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/how-do-oil-and-gas-licences-work/) In an exchange with The Ferret, a Stifel employee said that the company’s American wealth management division was “quite separate” from its UK investment banking division, which produced the jobs report.. Labour’s plans have prompted fierce opposition from the sector, with industry leaders warning they could amount to an effective ban on North Sea production. In its letter to Starmer, the Aberdeen chamber of commerce [argued](https://www.agcc.co.uk/news-article/800-business-and-civic-leaders-urge-labour-to-change-course-on-north-sea?ref=theferret.scot) that Labour’s policy would cause “redundancies on a scale not seen in this country since the pit closures of the 1980s.” The SNP has seized on these warnings. In February, then-first minister Humza Yousaf [delivered](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,humza-yousaf-labour-raiding-scottish-oil-and-gas-sector?ref=theferret.scot) a speech in Aberdeen that set out the SNP’s opposition to Labour’s “aggressive” position on oil and gas. The SNP would not allow Labour to let Scottish industry “go the way that coal and mining towns went under Thatcher,” Yousaf [said](https://uk.news.yahoo.com/snp-won-t-let-labour-115521865.html?ref=theferret.scot). Since then, the [parallel](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0ddlkp9g9do?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20party%20leaders%20were%20questioned,Margaret%20Thatcher%20in%20the%201980s.) with Thatcher-era deindustrialisation has become increasingly [central](https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/scottish-politics/6374253/stephen-flynn-labour-oil-gas-aberdeen/?ref=theferret.scot) to the SNP’s [rhetoric](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/19/humza-yousaf-labour-margaret-thatcher-oil-and-gas-windfall-tax-plans?ref=theferret.scot). However, [Dr. Ewan Gibbs](https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/ewangibbs/?ref=theferret.scot), an expert on Scotland’s industrial history at Glasgow University, described the comparison as “crass and superficial.” > Labour’s plan will mean redundancies on an industrial scale, so it’s time Starmer looked workers in the eye and came clean about the devastation his party will inflict upon Scottish jobs. > > Dave Doogan, SNP Dr. Gibbs told The Ferret that the North Sea was already in the “throes of long-term employment decline” caused by technological change and “the geological exhaustion of productive fields.” “That trend is unlikely to change” regardless of the tax regime implemented by the next UK government, he said. Scotland is estimated to have lost a fifth of its manufacturing jobs during the first Thatcher government, which ran from 1979 to 1983\. By the mid-1980s, one in six Scottish adults of working age was unemployed. Today, Scotland’s 90,000 oil and gas workers represent less than four percent of the country’s 2.45 million [pay-rolled employees](https://scottishfinancialreview.com/2024/05/14/payrolled-employees-in-scotland-increase-to-2-45m/?ref=theferret.scot). Tessa Khan, Uplift’s executive director, also argued that the North Sea is an “ageing basin with declining reserves that are expensive to extract.” Khan said: “It is increasingly clear, and frankly shocking, that some politicians are willing to use people’s livelihoods as a political football to score points against their opponents in this election.” Miriam Brett, co-director of the think-tank [Future Economy Scotland](https://www.futureeconomy.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), said the SNP’s job loss claim was “built on shaky foundations.” She said that the UK and Scottish governments needed to cooperate in order to deliver a just transition. Brett added: “Done well, the transition to net zero has the potential to create more jobs than will be lost, but we urgently need commitments from all political parties to deliver this.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-06-07-114614.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/climate-change-develop-oil-and-gas-mostly-false/) Speaking to The Ferret, Ian Murray, Labour shadow secretary of state for Scotland, said thatoil and gas would remain “vital” to the Scottish economy “for decades to come.” “Rather than cosy up to oil and gas giants, this is an area on which the UK Government and Scottish Government can and should work together to harness our world-class workforce and protect energy jobs,” he said. SNP energy spokesperson, Dave Doogan, said: “The Labour Party’s reckless plans for the north east have rightly been slammed by trade unions and industry experts, with Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce estimating that 100,000 jobs and £30bn of investment at risk – the SNP oppose these dangerous proposals and stand to put Scottish jobs and Scotland’s interests first. “Labour’s plan will mean redundancies on an industrial scale, so it’s time Starmer looked workers in the eye and came clean about the devastation his party will inflict upon Scottish jobs.” ***As the general election approaches, The Ferret is diving deep into the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and culture wars on political discourse. Have you come across falsehoods or conspiracies shared by candidates, political parties, or viral memes? We want to hear from you! Get in touch at [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot), and we will take a look.*** ***Help us continue our vital work by [becoming a Ferret member today](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) or [making a one-off donation](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-ferret-who-runs-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Your support enables us to hold power to account and keep the truth at the forefront of the election conversation.*** **This Ferret story was also published with the Herald. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** *Main image: MikeMareen* ### Dark money, misinfo and the ‘culture wars’: our election coverage URL: https://www.theferret.scot/general-election-2024-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T14:22:15.000Z **With the general election just four weeks away, politicians and political parties are scrambling to try and secure our votes.** The influence of dark money, targeted advertising, disinformation and conspiracy theories are making it even more difficult for the public to navigate through the campaigns, and separate truth from fiction. Some of this is being driven by politicians using the so-called ‘culture war’ to promote falsehoods which can drive wedges between voters and sew division in communities. But this atmosphere of distrust and disinformation has not come from nowhere. After decades of political scandals [trust in politics](https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/ipsos-trust-in-professions-veracity-index-2023?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Just%20one%20in%20ten%20Britons,them%20to%20tell%20the%20truth.) is at its lowest point for 40 years. Meanwhile there are powerful groups pushing the ‘culture war’ agenda in the UK, many of whom operate behind-the-scenes, influencing political discourse. The Ferret wants to explore how this is powering the rhetoric and actions of our politicians and parties, look at who is promoting falsehoods or misinformation and the ways in which culture war issues are being used to divide the electorate both in Scotland and across the UK. So, over the next month and beyond, one key area of interest will be examining the influence of conspiracy theories, disinformation and the culture war on the political discourse. Our journalists will also be looking at the money that powers our politicians, political parties and their election campaigns. We’ll be revealing some of the organisations and powerful people attempting to use the election to promote falsehoods and mislead people. There will be data-led investigations looking at how disinformation takes hold, and public tools available so you can do your own digging. We’ll also have regular fact-checks from Scotland’s only fact-checker, [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/), on claims from politicians trying to win power, explainers on the topics and conspiracies which are coming up throughout the campaign. And every week, we’ll be hosting a quickfire podcast looking at the narratives, stories and claims which are impacting voters. But we need your help! Have you seen falsehoods or conspiracies being shared by candidates, political parties, or memes widely shared online? Maybe you’ve had a leaflet through your door or an advert on your social media that seems to be making false claims? Or maybe you’ve spotted something about an influential group or candidate that you’d like us to investigate? Get in touch with [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot) and we will take a look. *Main image: Kubkoo/iStock* ### Claim that ‘using crack and heroin is permitted’ in Glasgow’s Govanhill is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-using-crack-heroin-permitted-glasgow-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T15:14:06.000Z Drug deaths are [rising](https://www.gov.scot/publications/suspected-drug-deaths-scotland-july-september-2023/?ref=theferret.scot) once again in Scotland, leading to increasing controversy over the required policy responses, from preventing harm to helping people recover from problematic drug use. An [image circulated](https://x.com/AgentP22/status/1797213752925790635?ref=theferret.scot) by a number of social media accounts this week featured a poster put up on billboards in Glasgow, bearing city council logos and branding, claiming the “use of crack and heroin is permitted in this area”. Posters have since been removed but images and videos showed they were posted in Govanhill, in the south of the city. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/crackheroin-1.jpg) > Posters showing “Crack and heroin zone. Use of crack and heroin is permitted in this area.” > > Social media posts A widely shared image was posted by an anonymous account under the handle [Agent P](https://x.com/AgentP22/status/1797213752925790635?ref=theferret.scot) who asked: “How did that happen?” Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **False**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ferret-fact-service-banner-1.png) #### **Evidence** The posters appeared on unofficial billboard sites in Govanhill in recent days. Using Glasgow City Council branding and logos, the posters designate the area as a “Crack and heroin zone” and that “use of crack and heroin is permitted in this area”. Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been the MSP for Govanhill since 2003 and the area has attracted a high level of political scrutiny as a result. The area has high levels of child poverty and residents have repeatedly reported issues with anti-social behaviour including fly tipping and drug dealing. Over the last year a series of [posters](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-67687187?ref=theferret.scot), bearing very similar text, have appeared in cities across England, in Dublin, Amsterdam and other European cities. The first ones were in London last July, and featured a number of [central London borough](https://www.camdenopenairgallery.com/shop/p/pattern-up-crack-heroin-zone-posters?ref=theferret.scot) and Metropolitan Police logos and the text: “The sale and use of crack and heroin is permitted in this area”. It later emerged they were the work of [Patterned Up](https://www.instagram.com/patternup.pu/?ref=theferret.scot), a collective of street artists that uses satirical work to critique big brands like Sainsbury’s and allegedly exploitative practices, such as that of the gambling industry. At last year’s [Glastonbury Festival](https://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/line-up/line-up-2023/?ref=theferret.scot), Patterned Up set-up a spoof betting shop called BrokeLads. The anonymous artists’ collective has previously told interviewers that the posters are in support of decriminalisation and aim to drive debate about the harm done by the UK’s current drug laws. Patterned Up confirmed to Ferret Fact Service it was behind the Glasgow posters, in collaboration with a local street artist known as ‘[Spicebag](https://www.instagram.com/spicebag.exe/?hl=en&ref=theferret.scot)’. A spokesperson said it aimed to put up the notices “pretty much everywhere with laws that criminalise individuals who are addicted to crack and heroin”, adding, “we believe in decriminalisation”. Glasgow City Council confirmed the posters were fakes, and not connected to the local authority. #### **Scotland’s drug laws** Drug laws in Scotland are controlled by Westminster. Under the [1971 Misuse of Drugs Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/38/contents?ref=theferret.scot), which is still law across the UK, heroin and crack cocaine are [class A drugs](https://www.gov.uk/penalties-drug-possession-dealing?ref=theferret.scot), and offences related to these substances attract the toughest penalties. In September 2021 Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain announced that in Scotland police would have the option to offer [a recorded warning](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-58652876?ref=theferret.scot) for those found to be in possession of class A drugs for personal use, instead of referring them to the courts. In coming months, Scotland will also open the UK’s first [safer drug consumption](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-first-safer-injection-site-drugs-crisis/) facility in Glasgow. People will be able to bring their own drugs to the facility and will not be prosecuted for doing so. However, there are no geographical areas in Scotland where drug taking has been legalised. In July 2023 the Scottish Government [proposed](https://www.gov.scot/news/drug-law-reform-proposals/?ref=theferret.scot) decriminalisation of all drugs “for personal supply” to “allow people to be treated and supported rather than criminalised and excluded”. The proposals were rejected by the UK Government and [criticised](https://archive.ph/o/T3Pbi/https://www.thenational.scot/politics/holyrood/?ref=theferret.scot) by the Scottish Conservatives as “reckless” and “a green light to organised crime”. Last September Glasgow City Council [supported a motion](https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/viewSelectedPack.asp?c=P6J5FQDXZ3NTDXDN&ref=theferret.scot), by SNP councillor Allan Casey, to formally support the decriminalisation of drugs for personal use. The local authority has no powers to change drug laws, so this is not enforceable. [Some claim](https://www.facesandvoicesofrecoveryuk.org/balancing-the-battle-the-power-of-the-pen-in-the-face-of-addiction-ideology-dyslexia/?ref=theferret.scot) that the Scottish Government has over-promoted harm reduction and medically assisted treatments such as opiate replacement therapy and heroin assisted treatment, at the expense of recovery-focussed approaches. The Scottish Conservatives have since lodged the [Right to Recovery Bill](https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/proposals-for-bills/proposed-right-to-addiction-recovery-scotland-bill?ref=theferret.scot), which is also backed by three Scottish Labour MSPs. It calls for everyone to be able to legally access the treatment and support they need to recover from addiction to drugs. Neither the Conservatives or Labour – the UK’s largest parties – have backed proposed Scottish Government drug reforms. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** Glasgow City Council have confirmed the posters are fake, and not connected to the local authority. The posters have been claimed as the work of art collective Patterned Up, which aims to promote discussion about the decriminalisation of drugs. The use of crack and heroin is not legally permitted in Govanhill. ![This claim is false](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_5false-8.png) *Cover image thanks to iStock/[Roman Budnyi](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/fukume?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)* ### “Greenwashing” objections to farmed salmon name change dismissed URL: https://www.theferret.scot/greenwashing-objections-farmed-salmon-name-change/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:34:48.000Z **The UK Government threw out more than 20 objections to the Scottish fish farming industry’s successful bid to remove the word “farmed” from the official name of its salmon.** The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) [approved](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/news/scottish-salmon-secures-new-legal-protection?ref=theferret.scot) an application last month by trade body Salmon Scotland to change the legal name of its produce from “Scottish farmed salmon” to simply “Scottish salmon”. Scottish farmed salmon is Britain’s [number one food export](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/salmon-is-top-export-but-sales-take-a-dive-cn2lsp8gp?ref=theferret.scot) and sold to over 50 countries around the world, with sales worth [£581m in 2023](https://www.fishfarmermagazine.com/2024/02/16/scottish-salmon-is-named-uks-top-food-export-for-2023/?ref=theferret.scot). Salmon Scotland said the name change protects the industry from inferior products and food fraud. The fact the salmon is farm-raised will still have to be displayed somewhere on the packaging. The decision proved controversial, however, with animal welfare groups and environmental campaigners arguing it amounted to “greenwashing” the reputation of the farmed salmon industry, which has [polluted](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/news/scottish-salmon-secures-new-legal-protection?ref=theferret.scot) the marine environment and [threatened](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farms-high-risk-wild-salmon/) wild salmon populations. They [fear](https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/seafood-welfare-charity-issues-appeal-over-farmed-labels-for-salmon-hailing-the-term-misleading.html?ref=theferret.scot) the word “farmed” will be less prominently displayed on labelling, which could lead consumers to believe they are eating wild-caught fish. A freedom of information (FOI) response received by The Ferret has now shown there were 22 objections to the name change but all were deemed ‘inadmissible’ by Defra. Documents released under the FOI also show officials raised concerns that the name change could “mislead” consumers, although they later backed the decision to approve it. [!["Greenwashing" objections to farmed salmon name change dismissed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-06-03-130510.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-salmon-industry-greenwashing-complaint/) Critics said UK civil servants and politicians who approved the change should be “ashamed”. Welfare charity WildFish, which has lodged an appeal against the decision, said it was “deeply concerning” that the name change had been “pushed through” despite so many objections. Scottish Salmon, however, said it was “pleased that the UK Government had taken steps to update the legal protections for our iconic Scottish product”. Defra said it could not comment because of the ongoing legal challenge to its decision. ### **Protected Geographical Indication** PGI ([Protected Geographical Indication](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/protected-geographical-food-and-drink-names-uk-applications-and-consultations?ref=theferret.scot)) labels are used to communicate to consumers the authenticity of products known for the region in which they are made. Only produce from that region can carry the name – examples include Parma ham, Cornish pasties, Melton Mowbray pork pies and Stornoway black pudding. “Scottish farmed salmon” was first registered as a [PGI in 2004](https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names/scottish-farmed-salmon?ref=theferret.scot). Prior to the name change there was no PGI on “Scottish salmon” but there was on “Scottish farmed salmon” and “Scottish wild salmon”. The new PGI carries a strict geographical designation covering the coastal region of mainland Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney, and Shetland. > Salmon are imported as ovum \[eggs\] from Iceland, grown in filthy floating factory farms, and are now going to be sold as ‘Scottish Salmon’. > > John Robins, Ethical Promotions Changes to PGIs are scrutinised by Defra officials and an expert panel representing all of the UK’s devolved governments. They are ultimately approved by the UK environment minister. Individuals and bodies who raised objections are not named by the FOI response. But those who [said](https://wildfish.org/latest-news/protected-geographical-indication-scottish-farmed-salmon/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=WildFish%20has%20issued%20a%20formal,Geographical%20Indication%20%28PGI%29%20name.) they had objected include chef Tim Maddams, formerly of the River Cottage Canteen, Clare Mercer Nairne of The Meikleour Arms in Perthshire, the Scottish Coastal Communities Network and Animal Equality. Many objectors argued the change was likely to mislead consumers of Scottish salmon into thinking they are eating fish caught in the wild. This concern was also raised internally by Defra officials and an individual within the Welsh government, the FOI response shows. But all 22 objections were deemed “inadmissible”, clearing the path for Defra to approve the name change. If the objections had been upheld, Salmon Scotland would have had to [enter discussions](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/object-to-an-application-to-register-change-or-cancel-a-geographical-food-or-drink-name?ref=theferret.scot) with the objector to resolve the issues they raised. In its application to Defra, the salmon farming industry argued the name change was required to protect its produce from the growing risk of [food fraud](https://foodfraudadvisors.com/what-is-food-fraud/?ref=theferret.scot) – where a fraudster attempts to pass off its produce as a well-known product such as salmon from Scotland. In an email in January 2023, Salmon Scotland said it had been approached by Defra to find a solution to “reduce possible confusion relating to the marketing and labelling regimes of Scottish salmon in UK retail”. The [PGI scheme](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protected-geographical-food-and-drink-names-uk-gi-schemes?ref=theferret.scot) means salmon from Scotland is protected from food fraud, because only salmon from a specified region can legally be called “Scottish salmon”. !["Greenwashing" objections to farmed salmon name change dismissed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-06-03-132428.jpg) In an internal email in January 2023, an unnamed official questioned whether having a PGI for Scottish salmon and Scottish wild salmon could “confuse consumers”. A similar concern was made in a comment on Salmon Scotland’s application. An official wrote: “Main concern is whether consumers will be confused and understand the difference between Scottish salmon and Scottish wild salmon if the PGI for Scottish wild salmon industry still exists. There was no confusion when labelled Scottish Farmed Salmon and Scottish wild salmon.” A representative of the Welsh government echoed these thoughts in March 2023\. “The only concerns \[with the application\] I would have is will the consumer understand the difference between Scottish Salmon and Scottish Wild Salmon”, they wrote. However, a later document notes that both Defra and devolved government officials had deemed the name change as “justified and meeting the requirements” of the PGI scheme. External objections to the application also focused on the potential for the new PGI to mislead those buying salmon in shops. One objector argued it would “disguise” the origin of the salmon and that conflating “wild and farmed salmon will undermine the integrity of Scottish salmon” as a product. Defra found this objection to be inadmissible partly because the product label will still have to state that the salmon has been farmed. Another objector argued that because ‘Scottish farmed salmon’ had been a “recognised” PGI for 20 years the “sudden removal” of the word farmed could cause “customers to believe they are buying a new product with different origins”. Again this was dismissed by Defra. > It’s hugely concerning that this application has been pushed through, despite so many separate individuals and groups submitting objections. > > Rachel Mulrenan, Wildfish Abigail Penny, executive director of [Animal Equality UK](https://animalequality.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed that Salmon Scotland’s move was “an embarrassing attempt by the industry to salvage its damaged and severely dented reputation”. She said: “The Scottish farmed salmon industry’s reputation is in tatters as exposés continue to shine a light on the industry’s deadly practices. We’ve revealed footage of fish suffocating to death, being eaten alive by lice, entering stun-kill machinery backwards, and dying en masse in disease infested Scottish waters.” Rachel Mulrenan, of the campaign group WildFish, said: “It’s hugely concerning that this application has been pushed through, despite so many separate individuals and groups submitting objections, which is why WildFish has issued a formal appeal. “With rising numbers of dead fish on the farms, toxic chemicals polluting Scottish sea lochs, and concerns about fish welfare, it’s perhaps no surprise that this application has been made to change the name and drop the word “farmed”. But let’s be clear – this is farmed salmon raised in Scotland, it is not Scottish salmon.” Campaigner John Robins, of [Ethical Promotions](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC109113?ref=theferret.scot), expressed his concern at what he claimed was “political greenwashing of perhaps the most cruel and polluting livestock industry in Scotland”. He added: “Salmon are imported as ovum \[eggs\] from Iceland, grown in filthy floating factory farms, most of which are owned by foreign companies, and are now going to be sold as ‘Scottish Salmon’. Shoppers will be fooled into thinking they are buying wild Scottish salmon and not a far inferior farmed product. “The small print of the proposed changes is also very concerning. Producers are trying to play down the use of wild caught fish to feed factory farmed salmon. They also claim the salmon are slaughtered humanely despite whistleblowers releasing video footage clearly showing that is not always the case. “The civil servants and politicians who are agreeing to these changes should be ashamed of themselves. I thought they were supposed to protect consumers, not confuse and mislead them.” Tavish Scott, chief executive of [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), said: “Scottish Salmon is increasing in demand from consumers across the globe, so we are pleased that the UK Government has taken steps to update the legal protections for our iconic Scottish product. “We know when consumers talk about ‘Scottish Salmon’ they are talking about the salmon produced by our member companies, and the update to the PGI is a small but important clarification. “Scotland’s salmon farmers work hard to rear their fish, and this recognition by Defra is testament to the commitment of all those in remote communities who continue to meet the growing demand for Scottish salmon at home and abroad.” *Main image: Ilia Nesolenyi/iStock* ### Sheku Bayoh: The inquiry podcast, ‘An unholy trinity’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry-podcast-unholy-trinity/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T15:15:09.000Z ***“Over the years it has become clear to the Bayoh family that the police, the PIRC and the Crown office has operated an unholy trinity of dishonesty and racism and incompetence betraying the word justice.” Aamer Anwar, Bayoh family lawyer*** [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-06-03-at-22-59-50.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/) On 1 April 2013, Scotland was setting up a single police force. It also set-up the [Police Investigations and Review Commissioner](https://pirc.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), or PIRC. It would do its own investigations – pound pavements, knock doors and conduct interviews. And – crucially – it would be independent from the police. > *Tense, moving and informative. This series is an essential listen that unflinchingly opens up a story about contemporary Scotland.* > > Podcast review **I**ndependence – and allegations about the lack of it – has been a critical issue at the most recent hearings of the [Sheku Bayoh Inquiry](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/). Episode eight looks at the evidence heard so far from PIRC and the Crown about the independence of each organisation. It includes evidence given about working relationships between police and PIRC officers investigating the Sheku Bayoh case, and the rationale of PIRC to share information about Bayoh’s’s post mortem with officers there at the time of his death. Presenters Tomiwa Folorunso and Karin Goodwin also hear evidence on the Crown’s own independence and find out why it didn’t consider race as a factor in its approach to assessing whether potential criminality had taken place. The Ferret continues its summary of the evidence heard so far in its multi-award-nominated podcast. ***To make this podcast we’ve spent hours listening to all of the evidence so we can summarise it for you, our listeners. And we need your support to do more. Join us at theferret.scot/subscribe or contribute by giving us a*** [***donatation***](https://www.theferret.scot/donate/)***.*** ***Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry was a finalist for the British Journalist Awards, the Amnesty Media Awards and won runner-up for Podcast of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards 2024.*** ***Credits:*** ***This podcast is devised by Karin Goodwin, Halina Rifai and Tomiwa Folorunso*** ***Presenters: Tomiwa Folorunso and Karin Goodwin*** ***Writing:: Karin Goodwin*** ***Sound production, recording, editing & sound design: Halina Rifai*** ***Original music by Alan Bryden*** ***Images: Angela Catlin*** ***Listen to all the evidence from the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry, or find out how to get a ticket to attend in person at www.shekubayohinquiry.scot*** ### Mark Fortune faces 89 criminal charges including theft and threatening tenants URL: https://www.theferret.scot/mark-fortune-criminal-charges-threatening-tenants/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T15:15:09.000Z **Mark Fortune is facing 89 criminal charges including unlawful eviction and harassment of tenants, theft, threatening or abusive behaviour, fraud, and extortion.** The 55-year-old man attended a hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 28 May and made no plea. [Fortune](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/mark-fortune/) now faces 36 charges under legislation relating to unlawful eviction and harassment, 35 charges of theft, and 10 under legislation relating to threatening or abusive behaviour. He also faces three charges each for fraud and attempted extortion, and two each for extortion and attempted fraud. Fortune was released on bail and will appear in court at a later date. ![Mark Fortune](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/geograph-2464217-by-n-chadwick-1.jpg) Mark Fortune faces 89 criminal charges including theft and threatening tenants at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. Image © N Chadwick ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://cc-by-sa/2.0?ref=theferret.scot)) ### Yemen’s war: photo essay URL: https://www.theferret.scot/yemens-war-photo-essay/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T15:15:10.000Z ![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcgGh0I4CXUGigdr-cSgLz15a0ZefkiW6sIKI9E8UP7rZ-NaUZfa62RB5fsaUEu355c-Mb5Gi47S-F55vKANzbnwvN0-vYcnufVeTcROq5zS8cjSg8noM2QsRV8YWg_lFDo9pf1z_TqdyLI_jzTJmZnkFc?key=V63Ld63Qw8L0Au2C2Vl-cg) People caught in the crossfire of conflict in Hodeidah leave their homes with their belongings in search of safety, with some receiving emergency assistance from pro-government forces “When you are a photographer you learn how to snatch a photo,” said Asmaa Waguih, an Egyptian photojournalist who works in warzones. “I think I learnt as a photographer to make use of any opportunity…sometimes photography comes one hour here, and then one hour there, before people tell you to go.” Waguih spoke to The Ferret ahead of the launch of her new book – Unfinished War: A Journey Through Civil War in Yemen – which documents everyday life in a war-ravaged country once thought to be the realm of the Queen of Sheba. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/036n-1.jpg) Children and youth carrying weapons perform a tribal dance to zawamel songs to boost fighter morale An independent photojournalist with over 20 years experience, Waguih previously worked for Reuters News Agency, covering wars in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. She lives in Cairo but has travelled to Yemen regularly since 2016 to document a conflict largely ignored by the mainstream media in Britain since it erupted 10 years ago. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/006done-2.jpg) Pictures for Houthi “martyrs” who died either during the fighting or in a bomb explosion are hanged at the old city walls of buildings, central Sanaa’, Yemen, April 15, 2016\. EPA/ Asmaa Waguih It’s a war [The Ferret ](https://www.theferret.scot/blog-the-uk-role-in-yemen-war-since-2015/)has reported on since our foundation in 2015 due to the UK’s role in arming an international coalition supporting Yemeni government forces, who are fighting Houthi rebels backed by Iran. Britain has backed the Saudi-led coalition by providing bombs for coalition attacks, leading to allegations the UK has been complicit in alleged war crimes due to civilian targets being bombed. And the RAF bombed Houthi targets in Yemen this week in an attempt,[ the UK Government said,](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-on-air-strikes-against-houthi-military-targets-in-yemen-30-may-2024?ref=theferret.scot) to stop attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/176m.jpg) A member of the Tihana brigade is seen near the frontline position in Hodeidah The war has killed more[ than 160,000 people,](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67614911?ref=theferret.scot) according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, and more than four million people have been displaced from their homes. Given the scale of the conflict in Yemen, Waguih’s access on the ground has been remarkable. Having set up a network of tribesmen, fighters and civilians, she entered areas forbidden to outsiders, travelling from the Houthi-run capital, Sana’a, to other regions and cities including Southern Taiz, Hodeidah (overseeing the Red Sea) and the strategic coastal town of Aden. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/077b.jpg) Women queue to receive humanitarian assistance at the distribution point in Amran “I had my camera taken from me two times, I would take a photo quickly, thinking nobody would notice me, but they would erase pictures.” Inside Sana’a, a city situated in a mountain valley at an altitude of 2,200 metres, Waguih saw militiamen, many just youngsters, roaming the city wearing a mix of military jackets and the traditional Yemeni Mi’waz, a thin patterned cotton or linen fabric wrapped around the legs like a skirt. “They criss-crossed the city in pick-up trucks, flaunting weapons that look too big for a child to carry,” she said. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/124.jpg) A fisherman in Aden holds up a large fish like an assault rifle as a child looks on “It wasn’t easy to reach the front line but many times I got help from the local fighters. Tareq’s forces \[Tareq Abdallah Saleh, the nephew of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh\] appeared to be the best trained as they used to be part of the regular army during the former regime and they accepted journalists, unlike the Salafists members who were fighting fiercely but were cautious of the media.” In Hodeidah, the combat was fierce, she recalled, with fighters talking about “thermal missiles” used by the Houthi forces. “The coast was littered with landmines…a Tihama commander I interviewed was killed by a landmine a few days after we spoke.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/004-2-2.jpg) A view of the old city of Sana’a notable for its distinctive architectural character expressed in multistorey buildings decorated with geometric patterns Waguih also travelled to Aden, a centre of education in Yemen with a colourful mix of Indian architecture and traditional Yemeni houses. “Somali, Indians and Farsis – people from modern day Iran – all lived in Aden. The city was a melting pot of people, religions and ideas.” ***Unfinished War: A Journey Through Civil War in Yemen – a book of 150 colour photographs – will be published on 11 June.*** *Transcription by Leah Flint*. ### Police watchdog and Crown failed to assess racist language in Sheku Bayoh death URL: https://www.theferret.scot/police-watchdog-crown-racist-sheku-bayoh-death/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T15:15:10.000Z Neither Scotland’s police watchdog or Crown officials investigating the Sheku Bayoh case considered the role racist language used by police – or perceptions he may have been a terrorist – could have played in his death, it has emerged. Senior officials for the [Police Independent Review Commissioner (PIRC)](https://pirc.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (Crown](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)) giving evidence to the [Sheku Bayoh Inquiry](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), admitted the bodies had not done so despite human rights law stating authorities must consider the role racial prejudice may have played in a death in custody. One Crown official said it could “possibly” be “reasonable” for officers to assume [Bayoh](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sheku-bayoh/) was a terrorist “because and only because” of the colour of his skin. She was also questioned about her use of the term “the race card” in case notes but said she was unaware of its pejorative use. Bayoh died in [police custody](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp07j3m5v55o?ref=theferret.scot) in Fife in 2015, after being restrained by up to six officers. Police also used pepper spray and batons. They were called to the scene after Bayoh was seen by locals with a kitchen knife. A postmortem found the cause of his sudden death was due to “intoxication by MDMA (ecstasy) and Alpha PVP whilst being restrained”. The revelations are explored in the latest episode of The Ferret’s multi-[award-nominated podcast](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/), which has followed the evidence heard since the [Sheku Bayoh Inquiry](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) started in May 2022\. It covers hearings about investigations by the police watchdog and the Crown. For an investigation into a police custody death to be compliant with human rights law its conclusions must be based on objective and impartial analysis of all relevant elements. The victim’s family must be involved, it must be open to public scrutiny and carried out promptly. It must also consider potential racist motives. Concerns about independence have been raised by Bayoh family lawyer [Aamer Anwar](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/aamer-anwar/), who described the relationship between Police Scotland, the police watchdog PIRC and the Crown as an “unholy trinity”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/stuc-pro-palestine-march-j44997.jpg) Sheku Bayoh’s sister Kadi, marches with supporters. Image by Angela Catlin. PIRC was instructed by the Crown to start its investigation less than an hour after Bayoh’s death, initially running that probe in parallel with a Police Scotland investigation. PIRC took over completely after two days and filed its final report to the Crown in 2016. However, the inquiry heard evidence about issues that could compromise PIRC’s independence from the police. It was revealed that four of the six officers from the watchdog who arrived to investigate the police’s role in Sheku’s death were former Strathclyde Police officers. Meanwhile some of the most senior officers working on Police Scotland’s investigation into Bayoh’s death in Fife had also previously worked for the Strathclyde force, the inquiry heard. One PIRC officer alleged Police Scotland senior investigator, Pat Campbell, described the police watchdog team’s arrival as “[a Strathclyde Police reunion](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/hearings/day-76-evidence-keith-harrower-06022022-pm?ref=theferret.scot)”. A report in the [Sunday Herald](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13648676.revealed-police-watchdogs-close-ties-police/?ref=theferret.scot) from September that year found almost three quarters of the PIRC was made-up of former police officers. In 2013 [Westminster’s Home Affairs Select Committee](https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/83/home-affairs-committee/membership/?ref=theferret.scot) had recommended a maximum of 20 percent of investigators at the[ Independent Police Complaints Commission](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/independent-police-complaint-commission?ref=theferret.scot) – the PIRC equivalent for England and Wales – should be ex-police. The inquiry heard that on the day after Sheku’s death another former Strathclyde Office, William Little, took over the PIRC investigation. His former boss, now-retired [assistant chief constable Ruaraidh Nicolson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-hW77UTJ5c&ref=theferret.scot), was one of the most senior cops on the Fife police investigation. ACC Nicolson had provided Little with a reference for his PIRC job. Later that week John McSporran started leading the investigation, with Little acting as deputy. McSporran had also previously worked for Strathclyde Police, and was line managed by ACC Nicholson for six months. > The instruction was to investigate the circumstances of the death of Mr Bayoh and it’s implicit in that, in my view, that it is an effective investigation that has to consider all relevant aspects. > > Les Brown, COPFS Under McSporran’s watch PIRC produced an “interim report” of 304 pages by August 2015 but it contained no reference to race, racism or racial discrimination. Les Brown, head of the Crown’s Complaints Against the Police department (CAPD) – formerly managed by Kate Frame until she became the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner – told the inquiry he had thought it [“inconceivable”](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/hearings/day-94-evidence-les-brown-18042024-am?ref=theferret.scot) that race wouldn’t be considered relevant. “The instruction was to investigate the circumstances of the death of Mr Bayoh and it’s implicit in that, in my view, that it is an effective investigation that has to consider all relevant aspects,” he told the inquiry. However, [McSporran](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/hearings/day-83-evidence-john-mcsporran-16022024-pm?ref=theferret.scot) insisted that the Crown’s instructions had not specified the issue of race should be specifically considered. After receiving more specific instruction from the Crown the investigation started to look specifically at potential racial motivations of officers. The PIRC team looked into a whatsapp group chat involving Fife police officers. Messages shared were found to be full of racial slurs. A [PIRC report](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/sites/default/files/2024-05/PIRC-00004%20-%20Operation%20Quoich%20volume%203%20additional%20investigations%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), published last week on the inquiry website, details a photograph of one officer posing with a Gollywog toy, which is referred to as “the animal” and language used includes the terms “p\*ki” and “Black b\*astard”. Some officers were [dismissed](https://www.theferret.scot/racist-messages-officers-defence-cost-police-200000/) following an investigation. The watchdog conducted “extensive searches” but found no link between these officers and the nine who attended Hayfield Road. PIRC also looked at discriminatory behaviour allegations, including racism, and found those in Fife were in line with the national average. > We had information overload in the first several weeks of these matters. Did we immediately pick that up? We failed to spot that, and that was an error…on my part. Potentially, I should have done more there, and I apologise. > > John McSporran, PIRC However, under questioning John McSporran admitted that he had “overlooked” the use of terms such as “coloured” in the officers’ own statements as well as the link that several of the officers made between being called to attend a knife incident involving a black man and terrorism. In their statements several of the officers claimed that they immediately thought of Lee Rigby, the British soldier murdered by Islamic extremists in 2013. [McSporran said](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/hearings/day-84-evidence-john-mcsporran-27022024-pm?ref=theferret.scot) the “error” was made because the team was over-stretched, in part due to the [M9 crash](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/may/31/m9-crash-victim-endured-almost-incomprehensible-suffering-inquiry?ref=theferret.scot) six weeks later. McSporran [told the inquiry](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/hearings/day-84-evidence-john-mcsporran-27022024-pm?ref=theferret.scot): “We had information overload in the first several weeks of these matters. Did we immediately pick that up? I think the potential answer to your question is we failed to spot that, and that was an error…on my part. Potentially, I should have done more there, and I apologise.” After PIRC’s report was received by the Crown it took more than two years before the family was told of its decision not to prosecute the officers who had restrained Bayoh. Fiona Carnan, the procurator fiscal who did the analysis for the Crown’s report, was asked about whether she considered race and racial discrimination. But she, and her boss, Les Brown, insisted that the Crown’s policy was to take an “incremental approach”, assessing if there was potential criminality before then turning to the matter of race. As it was found that there was no case of criminality to answer, issues of race would have been considered at a fatal accident inquiry, Brown and Carnan told the inquiry. Instead a public inquiry was held. Carnan said she therefore did not consider whether officers would have made the same assumption if Bayoh was white, or if they thought it might be terrorism every time they got a knife call. She was [asked](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/hearings/day-92-evidence-fiona-carnan-16042024-pm?ref=theferret.scot): “But if an officer thought this was a terrorist incident because and only because of the colour of Mr Bayoh’s skin, would that be reasonable?” She answered “possibly” claiming this was “because of their experience about what terrorist incidents are taking place previously, such as Lee Rigby. [She was also asked](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/hearings/day-92-evidence-fiona-carnan-16042024-pm?ref=theferret.scot) about her use of the phrase “the race card”, written in her notebook. She denied being aware of “any pejorative or negative connotations to the phrase and said she understood it to mean “they are raising the question of race”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/family_shekubayoh-1.jpg) Lawyer Aamer Anwar told The Ferret: “For the family, the inquiry has exposed the Crown as repeatedly failing to take human rights legislation into consideration. It raises serious questions – how do you ensure that they are compliant and what happens when they are not? In this case it’s being highlighted by an inquiry but so often that remains unseen. “All three of these institutions – the police, the PIRC and the Crown, have operated in an unholy trinity of cover-up, incompetence and institutional racism – totally failing the Bayoh family. But what about the families whose concerns are not heard at an inquiry and who we will never know about?” The inquiry also heard that in 2015 PIRC had been instructed by the Crown Office to investigate police computer trawls made by officers on Anwar. In a 2016 [report](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/sites/default/files/2024-05/PIRC-00004%20-%20Operation%20Quoich%20volume%203%20additional%20investigations%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) published on the inquiry’s website this week PIRC revealed some information held on Anwar was labelled “counter terrorism intelligence” though “there did not appear to be a legitimate reason or explanation for these practices”. PIRC found a “significant number” of Police Scotland staff and officers did not record reasons for these searches of police systems. It concluded that material provided by Police Scotland suggested there “may be widespread non-compliance” with police policies and breaches of the data protection act. > The revelations about the intelligence that’s been gathered on me are pretty horrific. We were accused of being paranoid, we were nothing of the sort. > > Aamer Anwar, lawyer In response Anwar said: “The revelations about the intelligence that’s been gathered on me are pretty horrific.I’ve been shocked to be subjected to surveillance, by various parties, when I am just doing my job. “This is what they tried to do to a Black family, and also to their lawyer who happens to be a person of colour. We were accused of being paranoid, we were nothing of the sort.” Anti-racism campaigner and commentator, Talat Yaqoob said it was “no surprise” that “race, racism and human rights” were not fully considered by the Crown or PIRC. “If this had been the case, we would not be in need of this inquiry and Sheku Bayoh’s family would not still be without justice nine years later,” she added. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “It is vital that the role and independence of the public inquiry is respected to ensure the application of the rule of law, due process, and justice being served. Police Scotland will continue to participate fully in an open and transparent manner.” A spokesperson for COPFS added:“Day in and day out, Scotland’s prosecutors fulfil their responsibilities with professionalism and skill. They take hard decisions and do so independently, rigorously and in accordance with the evidence. “The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is fully supportive of the inquiry and does not consider it appropriate to comment on the evidence led at the Inquiry whilst it is ongoing.” PIRC also said it would be “inappropriate” to comment while proceedings were ongoing. ***Listen to the first seven episodes of The Ferret’s Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry podcast [here](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/) or wherever you get your podcasts. The inquiry continues on Tuesday, 4 June and episode eight will be published then.*** Cover image thanks to [Angela Catlin](https://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot) *This Ferret story was also published with the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.* [ *Join us*](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) *to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.* ### Tory politician urged to return £10k donation to alleged animal cruelty firm URL: https://www.theferret.scot/tory-mp-david-mundell-10k-donation-animal-cruelty/ Last updated: 2026-04-03T12:38:47.000Z **Conservative politician David Mundell has been urged to hand back a £10,000 donation from a Borders egg producer under investigation by the RSPCA for alleged animal welfare abuses.** Mundell, who is running to retake his former [Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale](https://members.parliament.uk/member/1512/contact?ref=theferret.scot) seat, was [handed](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/200210/mundell%5Fdavid.htm?ref=theferret.scot) £9,995 by [Glenrath Farms](http://www.glenrathfarms.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2020, which operates in the constituency. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2026/04/image.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/the-money-trail/) But in May, [video footage](https://www.animaljusticeproject.com/campaigns/cage-free-exposed-part-two?ref=theferret.scot) captured by welfare charity Animal Justice Project, showed dead hens littering the “filthy” shed floor at one of Glenrath’s chicken sheds. Animal Justice Project’s video footage of Glenrath, and other egg producers. RSPCA Assured, which certifies the company’s eggs, is investigating Glenrath and two other companies probed by the Animal Justice Project. It called the footage “disturbing” and said it had suspended its certification of one of the firms, pending further investigation. Animal Justice Project and opposition politicians called on Mundell to return the money as a “public condemnation of the scenes of exploitation and neglect”. Failing to do so would make “a mockery” of the Tory politician’s animal welfare credentials, they argued. Mundell and Glenrath claimed inspectors from several groups, including the RSPCA, found no issues. The hens may have been “frightened or slaughtered” by activists, Glenrath alleged. ### **Glenrath probe, Mundell, and animal welfare** Animal Justice Project claimed some dead hens appeared to have had their necks snapped, and were “discarded in a heap”. Some appeared too weak to get up and others had “severely deformed beaks likely caused by debeaking”, the charity said. Debeaking involves the partial removal of hen’s beaks to stop them pecking and potentially injuring other birds. But the process itself [causes pain](https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/beak%5Ftrimming%5Fbgnd.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) and stress in hens. Animal Justice Project claimed the free range hens were not let outside on each of the four days it visited the site. Glenrath was founded by John Campbell, who was [knighted](https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/15004625.glenraths-farming-knighthood?ref=theferret.scot) in 2017, partly for services to farming. The business claims its hens produce over a million eggs a day for UK supermarkets including Tesco and Asda. Director Karen Campbell is also a director at the British Free Range Egg Producers Association, which won an award from the Poultry Club of Scotland in 2022 for her [‘outstanding contribution to the Scottish poultry industry’](https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/23110304.poultry-club-scotlands-top-award-goes-karen-campbell/?ref=theferret.scot). Mundell has previously championed his animal welfare credentials. “I truly believe that as sentient beings who can experience fear and pain, all animals should be treated with thought and care,” [he said](https://www.davidmundell.com/trophy-hunting?ref=theferret.scot) in 2019. In 2020, however, the Tory politician was [criticised](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/dumfriesshire-mp-david-mundell-u-22850923?ref=theferret.scot) for u-turning over legislation which aimed to force imported food to meet the same quality and animal welfare standards as UK products. ### **RSPCA animal cruelty investigation** An RSPCA Assured spokesperson said: “This footage is very distressing to watch and we launched an investigation as soon as we were made aware of it. “As part of that investigation, RSPCA Assured assessors have made unannounced inspections of the three farms that are members of the RSPCA Assured scheme. We’ve also analysed the footage to identify any breaches of the RSPCA welfare standards. “We can confirm that we have suspended one of the farms, pending further investigation.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ben-moreland-8wwpdf4av-y-unsplash.jpg) Animal Justice Project claim the free range hens were not let outside on each of the four days it visited the site. Image: Ben Moreland Ian Campbell, managing director for Glenrath said: “At Glenrath, our first priority is the welfare of our birds, and we make every effort to ensure we uphold high animal welfare standards. “We’re disappointed animal activists chose to break into our farm, causing a significant biosecurity and disease risk. It is a criminal offence to break into a secure property. From the footage, it looks as though the activists were in the shed whilst the birds were resting, which would cause them to become upset and distressed. “Whilst a misshapen beak is unfortunate and the industry makes great efforts to ensure accurate beak trimming, occasionally some birds do still have mis-aligned beaks. Whilst the beak appears to be disfigured, there is no indication that any bird was under weight and struggling to feed or drink. “Were the deceased hens caused through fear? Frightened or slaughtered by an intruder/s? The hens in the shed photographed were inspected by a qualified vet on 26 April 2024 and the vet detected no concerns and no welfare issues. The RSPCA have inspected the shed since the allegations and have found no major non-conformances.” ### **Tory politician should ‘return donation’** South Scotland Labour MSP [Colin Smyth](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/colin-smyth?ref=theferret.scot) branded the footage “disturbing” and welcomed RSPCA’s probe. “David Mundell should do the right thing and return this donation while that full investigation is being carried out and until the matter is resolved,” he said. “Mr Mundell will be fully aware of the allegations and it would make mockery of his pretence that he has any interest in animal welfare if his election campaign was bankrolled by a business under investigation for such concerning allegations”. Scottish Greens rural affairs spokesperson, [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot) MSP, said Mundell should hand back the donation and “make it clear” he doesn’t agree with the alleged welfare conditions at the farm. “All animals deserve to be treated humanely and politicians must lead from the front,” she added. “What David Mundell has said about animal welfare is clearly in direct contradiction to the suffering that was witnessed taking place.” The MSPs’ views were echoed by [Claire Palmer](https://www.animaljusticeproject.com/our-team?ref=theferret.scot), director of the Animal Justice Project. “Anyone who cares about animal welfare will be horrified by the conditions we discovered inside the Glenrath sheds,” she argued. “We urge David Mundell to return the money as a public condemnation of the scenes of exploitation and neglect documented at Glenrath Farms. This action would send a strong, clear message to other farmers that such standards are entirely unacceptable.” Mundell said: “The recent report by the Animal Justice Project has been the subject of review by the RSPCA. They, along with independent auditors from the National Farmers Union and British Egg Industry Council, have since visited the facilities in Peeblesshire where no signs of low standards were found. “A donation made by Glenrath Farms Ltd more than four years ago has entirely properly been a matter of public record since early 2020.” The large numbers of chickens kept at Glenrath sites have also had an impact on air pollution. In 2019, The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/ammonia-pollution-farms-scotland/) how the egg producer was Scotland’s second largest polluter of ammonia. The pollutant poses a risk both to the environment and human health, particularly when it combines with vehicle and industrial pollution to form tiny airborne particles. *Main image: David Mundell at a Burns Night celebration at Lancaster House in London, 25 January 2017\. Credit: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office/Flickr* ### ‘Huge red flag’: Alba politician to speak at event alongside alleged conspiracy theorists URL: https://www.theferret.scot/alba-neale-hanvey-event-conspiracy-theorists/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T16:16:16.000Z **Fife politician Neale Hanvey is set to appear at an event in Glasgow involving alleged conspiracy theorists including the former footballer, Matt Le Tissier.** Hanvey – who has served as the Alba MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath – will appear at a live event organised by the ‘[Bring the Noise](https://tickets-scotland.com/brin?ref=theferret.scot)’ podcast in Glasgow on 2 June which is fundraising for the vaccine injured. He is standing for re-election in the seat at the upcoming general election in July. Other guests include Dr Aseem Malhotra, a high-profile cardiologist [accused](https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.32L483D?ref=theferret.scot) of [spreading misinformation](https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/regulation/gmc-to-reconsider-investigating-doctor-accused-of-vaccine-misinformation/?ref=theferret.scot) about [Covid-19](https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/can-optimizing-your-metabolism-through-diet-prevent-or-cure-covid-19/?ref=theferret.scot) and its [vaccines](https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/article-by-cardiologist-aseem-malhotra-made-unsupported-claims-about-benefits-risks-covid-19-vaccination/?ref=theferret.scot). Also attending is John Campbell, a Youtuber who has been accused of promoting [unsupported](https://www.factcheck.org/2022/03/scicheck-evidence-still-lacking-to-support-ivermectin-as-treatment-for-covid-19/?ref=theferret.scot) treatments for Covid-19 and making [false claims](https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-doesnt-prevent-transmission-antivax-disinformation-goes-viral-again/?ref=theferret.scot) about the [vaccine](https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/incorrect-vaccine-administration-is-a-potential-cause-of-post-vaccine-adverse-effects-but-more-research-is-still-needed-to-confirm-or-reject-this-hypothesis/?ref=theferret.scot). Former England midfielder, Le Tissier, is slated to provide a video message to attendees. Le Tissier has [repeated](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13287683/Conspiracy-theorist-ex-footballer-Matt-Le-Tissier-makes-bizarre-claim-years-horrific-British-weather-hints-government-planned-lockdown-sunshine-2020.html?ref=theferret.scot) various conspiracies online including unsupported [anti-Covid-19 vaccine claims](https://x.com/GBNEWS/status/1471613723357949962?ref=theferret.scot), [weather manipulation](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/matt-le-tissier-covid-tweet-twitter-government-controlling-weather-rant-b1150341.html?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Former%20Premier%20League%20footballer%20Matt%20le%20Tissier%20has%20suggested%20that,so%20far%20has%20been%20horrific.), [climate change misinformation](https://twitter.com/mattletiss7/status/1648059170896203807?ref=theferret.scot), and the [Kalergi Plan](https://youtu.be/%5FmMqrAjzbhM?t=2303&ref=theferret.scot), a far-right conspiracy claiming white Europeans are being intentionally replaced with other races through immigration. Organisers claimed the event was intended to platform the concerns of those injured by a Covid-19 vaccine and argued the speakers had “the best credentials” to debate the topic. Hanvey said he did not “share the views of everyone at the event” but defended “their right to hold them and debate them”. The politician has previously spoken about vaccine injury in parliamentary debates and written about the issue in a [newspaper column](https://www.thenational.scot/politics/24314734.neale-hanvey-must-follow-science-covid-19-vaccines/?ref=theferret.scot). “My position on covid vaccine injury is not news,” he added. “I have constituents whose lives have been deeply impacted by the Covid-19 vaccine, and they are my priority.” However, campaigners said Hanvey’s attendance at the event alongside speakers accused of spreading misinformation and conspiracies was a “huge red flag” and that it was “unacceptable for MPs” to be sharing a platform with “dangerous and conspiratorial views”. > The claims (these men) make are exaggerated, one-sided, and have influenced people to reject scientific advice on vaccines. > > Professor Trish Greenhalgh, University of Oxford and SAGE advisor Hanvey has already appeared on an online version of the Bring the Noise podcast, hosted by John Watt of the [Scottish Vaccine Injury Group](https://scottishvaccineinjurygroup.org/?ref=theferret.scot) — which represents Scots who have suffered an adverse reaction or bereavement due to a Covid-19 vaccine. Adverse reactions and deaths resulting from Covid-19 vaccines have been [reported](https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/deathsduetocovid19covid19vaccineinjuryandexcessdeathsbyvaccinationstatus?ref=theferret.scot), including [in Scotland](https://archive.ph/cZE5I?ref=theferret.scot), and the UK Government has set up a [vaccine damages payment scheme](https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-politics-2023-3-uk-has-received-334-damage-claims-for-covid-jab-deaths/?ref=theferret.scot) for those who are “severely disabled” as a result of a vaccination. Reports of Covid-19 vaccine side effects remain relatively rare, and the [latest](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66223409252f0d71cf757d88/Greenbook-chapter-14a-20240418.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) [research](https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health/coronavirus-vaccine-your-questions-answered/myocarditis-and-covid-19-vaccines-should-you-be-worried?ref=theferret.scot) shows the benefits of being vaccinated against Covid-19 vaccine significantly outweigh the risks of not getting it for most people. Hanvey has repeatedly [raised](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4782/writtenquestions?ref=theferret.scot#expand-1698645) the issue of deaths relating to the Covid-19 vaccines in parliament and questioned ministers on the number of adverse reactions and fatalities linked to the vaccines. He was [suspended](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/28/snp-suspends-neale-hanvey-election-candidate-over-alleged-antisemitism?ref=theferret.scot) from the SNP in the run-up to the 2019 general election due to alleged antisemitic posts he shared on social media. This included [sharing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50586995?ref=theferret.scot) a cartoon on Facebook of Jewish billionaire George Soros depicted as a puppet master controlling world leaders. Hanvey was later [readmitted](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-51723096?ref=theferret.scot) to the party and briefly [served](https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/health/coronavirus/kirkcaldy-mp-appointed-to-new-role-as-shadow-vaccine-spokesman-3122404?ref=theferret.scot) as the SNP’s spokesperson on vaccine deployment. He subsequently [defected](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56555096?ref=theferret.scot) to Alba in 2021 and has since been the party’s leader in the House of Commons. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-05-29-105732.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/claim-vaccine-causes-more-harm-than-covid-19-false/) Professor [Trish Greenhalgh](https://www.research.ox.ac.uk/researchers/trish-greenhalgh?ref=theferret.scot), a medical researcher at the University of Oxford and [SAGE](https://www.independentsage.org/?ref=theferret.scot) advisor, said she was “concerned that a sitting MP is planning to share a platform with Aseem Malhotra and John Campbell”. Greenhalgh continued: “These men are known for their extreme, unscientific views on vaccines and have both been instrumental in circulating false and misleading information on social media and other platforms, despite their clinical qualifications. “The claims they make are exaggerated, one-sided, and have influenced people to reject scientific advice on vaccines. “I have formally reported Dr Malhotra to the [General Medical Council](https://www.gmc-uk.org/news/news-archive/statement-on-judicial-review-of-our-handling-of-complaints-about-dr-aseem-malhotra?ref=theferret.scot) in the past. No MP should be associating themselves with these extremists.” Greenhalgh’s views were echoed by Georgina Laming of the campaign group [Hope not hate](https://hopenothate.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). “Neale Hanvey’s attendance at the Bring the Noise podcast is a huge red flag but this isn’t the first time he’s been caught flirting with the conspiracy scene,” Laming told The Ferret, referring to Hanvey’s previous suspension by the SNP. She added: “It’s unacceptable for MPs to attend this event and platform these dangerous and conspiratorial views.” > It’s unacceptable for MPs to attend this event and platform these dangerous and conspiratorial views. > > Georgina Laming, Hope not hate Immunology Professor [Sheena Cruickshank](https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/sheena.cruickshank?ref=theferret.scot), from the University of Manchester, said she was “disappointed to see that a Scottish MP has chosen to platform anti-vaccine people and views”. “The mRNA vaccines have been shown to be safe in multiple trials and with their ready ability to be adjusted for viral variants they are vital tools in the fight against Covid-19,” she said. The charity [Sense about Science](https://senseaboutscience.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which promotes greater public understanding of science, said it was the job of MPs to “engage with constituents but also their responsibility to encourage good critical thinking”. A spokesperson for the group said: “We would be delighted to put Neale Hanvey in touch with experts in both vaccines and in assessing medical evidence to help him do that, and to encourage the audience to distinguish healthy scepticism from a refusal to accept well-evidenced truths.” Neale Hanvey told The Ferret that he had spoken out on vaccine injuries “not because it is easy, but because it is the right thing to do.”I have constituents whose lives have been deeply impacted by the covid vaccine, and they are my priority. He added: “My basic starting point is the simple fact that any agent has the propensity to cause injury or harm. “Given the resistance of big pharma and governments to even acknowledge the potential of vaccine injury, there has been no programme of surveillance to assess the prevalence of vaccine complications so no can say with any certainty how serious the problem is. “I have constituents whose lives have been deeply impacted by the covid vaccine, and they are my priority. “Every single question I have raised in parliament and directly with ministers is backed up in the scientific literature, and I will never apologise for doing my job of asking difficult questions when they clearly have merit. “The basic fact is, that I am speaking at an event to raise funds for people who are suffering after their covid vaccine, and just like speaking in parliament I don’t share the views of everyone in the room, but I defend their right to hold and debate them.” We have attached a full version of his response at the end of this article. Matt Le Tissier said: “This event is about getting justice for the vaccine injured. Whatever other views I hold, which have been misrepresented by so-called fellow ‘journalists’ like yourself, has no bearing on this event, the fact that you wish to detract from the point of the event tells me all I need to know about the kind of man you are.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/14382960702_90f4e75a90_k.jpg) Former footballer Matt Le Tissier. Image: vagueonthehow/Flickr Dr Malhotra was approached for comment. He posted The Ferret’s request to his public X and Instagram accounts, inviting his followers to email The Ferret to help us “get a better understanding of what’s really happening”. In a subsequent response he said: “The facts are clear. Big Pharma is a psychopathic entity who have a callous disregard for patient safety. “Those supporting them who are wilfully blind to this are also in my view unwittingly perpetuating colonial thinking rooted in white supremacy. I will continue to fight for public health and vehemently oppose racial injustice”. John Watt, the event organiser, also responded in [this video](https://twitter.com/BringTheNoise%5FX/status/1795119424397099080?ref=theferret.scot) posted to his profile on X. In his response video he accused The Ferret of failing to “focus on the purpose of the event”, instead “going after speakers”, who he believed had the best credentials” to discuss the topic. “The one thing you can’t deny is that this Covid-19 vaccine has injured and killed people globally,” he added. ## Neale Hanvey’s full response *Main image: David Woolfall/89Stocker* ### Salmon firm accused of misleading locals over fish farm plans in highland beauty spot URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-fish-farm-scottish-highlands-misleading/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T16:16:16.000Z **A salmon farming multinational has been accused of “lying” to locals over its plans for a fish farm on a sea loch in a marine protected area.** A subsidiary of [Mowi Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/mowi/), a multinational headquartered in Norway, wants to have an industrial feeding system at an existing salmon farm on Loch Broom, which is near Ullapool in the northwest of Scotland. The plan, if agreed by Highland Council, would see a large vessel called a feed barge allowed onto the loch to feed thousands of salmon at the Corry fish farm. But dozens of locals have objected to the planning application by Wester Ross Fisheries, the Mowi subsidiary, arguing that a feed barge will result in noise and environmental pollution at the stunning beauty spot. Loch Broom residents also claim they were initially told there were no plans for a barge, and The Ferret has seen footage of a public meeting in Ullapool when the firm admitted there had been, but added “we weren’t actually obliged to tell you”. Wester Ross Fisheries also told the meeting it did not think anyone had lied and there may have been “cross wires or miscommunication” over its plans. Loch Broom is part of the Wester Ross marine protected area (MPA), which was designated in 2014 to protect fragile seabed habitats and species like maerl – a pink seaweed – and flame shell beds. > The level of public distrust in them \[Wester Ross staff\] in this area is huge. People just did not believe a word they were saying. > > Lesley Spenceley, local Maerl and flame shell beds are vital to the health of the local marine ecosystem, and they support local fisheries such as scallops, cod and herring. The Corry fish farm, founded in 1977 by Wester Ross Fisheries, predates the MPA designation. It was the last independently-owned salmon farming company in Scotland until 2022, when Mowi Scotland bought a controlling stake in the firm. Residents at Loch Broom told The Ferret there have been problems since Mowi took over. The original site was an old fashioned wooden structure so Wester Ross submitted a planning application last May to replace it with new pens made of steel (steel group) to contain fish, under what is called permitted development rights. Following complaints last year over noise and light pollution from the Corry fish farm, Wester Ross held meetings with locals who claim the company said then there would be no feed barge. A [planning application ](https://wam.highland.gov.uk/wam/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=neighbourComments&keyVal=S0LYQJIH0JG00&ref=theferret.scot)for the feed barge was submitted to Highland Council on 6 September 2023. Then, at a public meeting in Ullapool on 27 March 2024, Wester Ross Fisheries said that at the time of the planning application for the steel group last May, a feed barge was also part of its plans, albeit a separate application needed to be submitted for the barge. Footage of that meeting shows Wester Ross staff being questioned by the audience including an anti-fish farm campaigner called Corin Smith, who said: “You always knew that when you were putting those pens in that you were going to bring a large new feed barge on site as well, at that point when you made that application \[for the steel group\]. Did you or did you not know that you were going to bring a large feed barge, as an organisation at that point?” ![Salmon firm accused of misleading locals over plans for fish farm in highland beauty spot](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/img-20240418-wa0003.jpg) The Wester Ross employee replied: “Yes, we did.” Smith said: “You did. But you didn’t tell the community then.” The employee said: “Yeah but we weren’t actually obliged to tell you” to gasps from the audience. One woman can be heard saying: “Oh my god!” Wester Ross also told the public meeting that its intention is to “improve farming operations, improve efficiency” and “ultimately grow a fish that’s even higher in quality”. Two locals who had a private meeting with the firm last June, and attended the public meeting in Ullapool, claim they were misled prior to that event. Lesley Spenceley who stays in a cottage at Lochside, on the shore of Loch Broom, told The Ferret: “We had no issues with Wester Ross Fisheries at all previously. The fish farm has been right outside our house since 1977 – but we’ve had increasing problems since Mowi took over in the last two years. We’re about 350 metres from it, so very close – so close that when atmospheric conditions are right we can actually hear the guys on the fish farm talking. “There’s noise from diesel compressors and generators mounted on the farm 24/7 in the summer, which is used to oxygenate the water for the fish, and they are incredibly noisy.” There was a meeting with the firm at Spenceley’s home on 27 June 2023 to discuss the problems. “It was a meeting about the 24/7 operating day-time noise from the fish farm. It was stated categorically at that meeting that there would be no feed barge at this farm. One of the management sat at my dining table and looked us in the eye and said, ‘there will be no feed barge. We have no plans for a feed barge.’ “At the meeting \[in Ullapool\] a couple of weeks ago they actually came out and said it was always our intention to have one – they blatantly lied. The level of public distrust in them in this area is huge. You could really feel that palpably from the meeting. People just did not believe a word they were saying.” Ailsa McLellan, a marine scientist who previously worked for the fish farming industry, also stays in Lochside, at Loch Broom. She attended the meeting with the firm in June at Spencely’s home and backed her claims. “The fish farm is in front of my house. We were 100 per cent misled \[over the feed barge\] – it was a downright lie.” Mclellan also expressed concern over pollution from microplastics and a chemical called paramove hydrogen peroxide being dumped into Loch Broom. She cited a freedom of information request made to Sepa which revealed that more than 13,000 litres of the chemical had been dumped into the loch over the course of a week between 20 March and 27 March 2023. > The fish farm is in front of my house. We were 100 per cent misled \[over the feed barge\] – it was a downright lie. > > Ailsa McLellan, marine scientist A spokesperson at Wester Ross said: “As explained at the Ullapool community meetings, the process to apply for the addition of an automated feed system to supplement hand feeding requires public consultation. Our company has now hosted several meetings with many local stakeholders and we have received important feedback specific to the application that will help shape our approach. “At Wester Ross, our salmon are grown at very low stocking densities with minimal handling and cared for daily by dedicated farmers, biologists and fish health professionals. These core values remain and extend to continued investments that aim to meet the needs of our fish and our employees. A feeding system is not intended to replace hand feeding but rather deliver on our commitment to the health and welfare needs of both the fish and the farmer.” At time of writing, 59 people had publicly commented on the feed barge application and objected. Many argue that the loch could be polluted by microplastics, which can be damaging to marine ecosystems. They point out that the feed barge would use plastic pipes to deliver pelletised food to the fish, which are held in pens on the farm. Abrasion of the plastic pipes, they argue, would result in microplastics washing into the loch. Persistent organic pollutants (Pops) are also cited as a concern. One person commented: “Food from the pellets used to feed the salmon attach to microplastic particles creating POPs. These are chemical substances which do not break down in the environment, are extremely toxic and a danger to human health and the marine environment. While this impact may be localised around the fish farm it is still an additional pollutant within the water in an area which is part of the Wester Ross marine protected area.” Maree Todd MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said: “I’m troubled by the reports of poor community engagement by Mowi Scotland. It’s essential for developers to engage transparently and in good faith with the community, so I’m disappointed that this has not been the experience of my constituents in Loch Broom. “While I don’t have a direct role in the planning process, I’m committed to ensuring the community’s voice is heard. I have contacted Mowi, urging them to establish a community liaison group to facilitate ongoing and constructive communication with the community. This would be a meaningful step, and I hope Mowi takes it forward. Mowi was asked to comment. Highland Council declined to comment. *Additional research by Leah Flint.* **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** ### Claim Labour and Conservatives formed alliances in councils is Half True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/labour-conservatives-alliances-councils-half-true/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T16:16:16.000Z **An image alleging that Labour and the Conservatives have formed alliances in Scotland’s councils has been shared across social media in recent months.** The viral image depicts a map of Scotland, highlighting regions where it claims the two parties have formed agreements to “take power”. > Labour and the Tories frequently form alliances to take power in councils across Scotland. > > Social media graphic ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ghiil4_xyaaroaz-jpeg.jpg) Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Half True**. #### **Evidence** The graphic has [been](https://x.com/Indycyclist/status/1751997698457108525?ref=theferret.scot) [shared](https://x.com/ChildOfAlba/status/1754263166425420201?ref=theferret.scot) [numerous](https://x.com/learig331/status/1790336642588250490?ref=theferret.scot) [times](https://x.com/SeptemberRisin1/status/1763308997749215602?ref=theferret.scot) on X, and suggests that Labour and the Conservatives are or have been in collaboration in local councils in Moray, Fife, Stirling, Edinburgh, South Ayrshire and West Lothian. When the last Scottish council elections took place in May 2022, [the SNP](https://www.snp.org/vote-labour-get-tory-stitch-ups-in-scotlands-councils/?ref=theferret.scot) and The National [newspaper](https://archive.is/TyS2N?ref=theferret.scot) suggested Scottish Labour had done deals with Conservatives in various local authorities. But did Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservatives form alliances to take power in Scottish councils? Coalitions and minority administrations in Scotland’s councils are historically common. They can effectively lock out the party who received the largest number of seats. But before the last council election, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar ruled out [formal coalitions with other parties](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-61577814?ref=theferret.scot), after controversial coalitions were formed in some councils including [Aberdeen](https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/labour-leader-anas-sarwar-rules-6929329?ref=theferret.scot). Moray council was governed in a minority administration by the SNP until the Conservative became the [largest party](https://news.stv.tv/north/moray-council-to-be-run-by-minority-conservative-group-for-next-five-years?ref=theferret.scot) after the May 2022 election. Both the Conservatives and the SNP, who had previously led the council, put forward proposals to run minority administrations. But the Conservatives’ plan was voted through after Labour councillors abstained. Despite the SNP gaining the largest number of seats in Fife (34), a [minority Labour administration](https://www.fife.gov.uk/%5F%5Fdata/assets/pdf%5Ffile/0025/372355/Minute-of-Meeting-of-Fife-Council-of-19-May-2022-subject-to-approval-at-the-next-meeting.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of 20 was voted through with the support of Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors. After the Stirling local elections in 2022, the SNP ended up with the largest number of seats, with 8, followed by the Conservatives, who won 7 and Labour on 6\. Labour [formed a minority administration](https://minutes.stirling.gov.uk/media/vrbeonnt/sc20220519.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), with support from Conservative councillors. The SNP remained the largest party after local elections in Edinburgh, but Labour formed another minority administration when it [secured votes](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/26/scottish-labour-seizes-edinburgh-council-with-lib-dem-and-tory-help?ref=theferret.scot) from the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, after installing councillors from both parties in key committee posts. The move was controversial, with two Labour councillors abstaining from the vote in that case. In [South Ayrshire](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/conservatives-take-control-south-ayrshire-27006958?ref=theferret.scot), the Conservatives were the largest party after the election in May 2022\. Initial discussions were had between the SNP and Labour to continue a working relationship between the parties that allowed the SNP to run a minority party administration, but these talks broke down. The Conservatives were able to form a minority leadership after Labour councillors abstained in the vote during a council meeting. Labour, however, formed a minority administration in West Lothian with 12 seats, despite the SNP gaining the largest number of seats (15), after gaining support from the Conservative councillors. Local council elections in Scotland are run differently from national elections to the Scottish or UK parliaments. They use a system called [single transferable vote](https://news.stv.tv/politics/how-does-the-single-transferable-vote-work-in-scottish-council-elections?ref=theferret.scot) (STV) where, instead of just having to vote for one candidate, each voter is able to rank as many of the candidates in their ward as they want in order of preference. Each ward can have multiple council seats to be filled. The system is [intended](https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/the-power-of-preferences-stv-in-scottish-local-elections/?ref=theferret.scot) to give greater representation and choice for voters, and is more proportional than systems in the UK and Scottish parliaments. In councils, it reduces the likelihood of one party getting an overall majority of the seats, which aims to [encourage parties working together](https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/the-power-of-preferences-stv-in-scottish-local-elections/?ref=theferret.scot). #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** Councillors from Scottish Labour and the Conservatives, alongside independents and the Liberal Democrats did work together to vote through minority administrations in some councils. This meant that the SNP was not able to form the council leadership in a number of areas. But this does not mean that Labour and the Conservatives share power in these councils. ![This claim is half true.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_3halftrue-10.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Photo credit: iStock/evenfh* ### Scottish Government agency still giving grants to arms firms supplying Israel URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-grants-arms-firms-israel/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T16:30:42.000Z **A Scottish Government agency has given hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayer money to arms companies supplying Israel since it began its bombardment of Gaza.** The Ferret has learned that [Raytheon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/raytheon/), [BAE Systems](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/bae-systems/) and [Leonardo](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/leonardo/) have all received six-figure grants from business agency Scottish Enterprise since Israel began bombing Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas terror attack on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians. More than [35,000 people](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-69014893?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=On%206%20May%2C%20the%20UN,has%20led%20to%20the%20revision.) – the majority women and children – have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive. BAE was paid its grant – worth £360,000 – on 4 April, the day after then-first minister Humza Yousaf [wrote](https://www.gov.scot/publications/call-ban-arms-sales-israel-letter-prime-minister/?ref=theferret.scot) to the UK Government calling for an end to UK arms sales to Israel. BAE has [partnered](https://www.baesystems.com/en-uk/product/f-35-lightning-ii---programme-overview?ref=theferret.scot) with a US firm [on the F-35 fighter jet ](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/14/gaza-war-threatens-to-shut-down-the-wests-fifth-gen-fighter-programme?ref=theferret.scot)which Israel has used in its bombing of Gaza. The Ferret also found through a freedom of information (FoI) request that Scottish Enterprise has had no discussions about changing its policy on giving grants to defence companies linked to the war. Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government both said they had “repeatedly [stated](https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/our-organisation/accessing-our-information/freedom-of-information/freedom-of-information-releases/scottish-enterprise-funding-to-arms-companies?ref=theferret.scot)” that they do “not provide support for the development of munitions or weaponry” and that the projects funded are “unrelated to the deeply distressing situation in the Middle East”. This week the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court [applied](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3ggpe3qj6wo?ref=theferret.scot) for arrest warrants for war crimes and crimes against humanity for leading Hamas figures as well as Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. That prompted the SNP leader at Westminster, Stephen Flynn, to [claim](https://archive.ph/Hv5gK?ref=theferret.scot#selection-1791.3-1807.149) that the UK Government was “complicit” in the deaths of “thousands of civilians” in Gaza because it had failed to halt the supply of arms to Israel. But opposition parties at Holyrood claimed many would find it “utterly shocking and inexplicable” to learn that the SNP-run Scottish Government’s enterprise agency was still funding companies allegedly “fueling” the war in Gaza, given its [public statements](https://www.gov.scot/news/scottish-parliament-votes-for-immediate-israel-gaza-ceasefire/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Scottish%20Government%20continues%20to,to%20abide%20by%20international%20law.). Amnesty International UK said it was “staggering” that arms firms supplying the Israeli military had been “waived through Scottish Enterprise due diligence processes”. The UK subsidiary of Italian company Leonardo received a grant worth £159,125 from Scottish Enterprise on 18 October last year, at which point Israel had [begun](https://abcnews.go.com/International/timeline-surprise-rocket-attack-hamas-israel/story?id=103816006&ref=theferret.scot) aerial bombing of the Gaza Strip. The grant was for a research and development project for “civilian markets and products”. Leonardo [reportedly](https://caat.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) [makes](https://caat.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/11/Fact-sheet-re-Gaza-2023-11-14.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the laser targeting systems for F-35 aircraft used by Israel at its site in Edinburgh. The site has [repeatedly](https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2023/11/activists-enter-ferry-road-premises-of-edinburgh-firm-leonardo/?ref=theferret.scot) been targeted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The company also delivered 30 [Aermacchi M346 ](https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/press-release-detail/-/detail/israel-30-m346-israele?ref=theferret.scot)aircraft to the Israeli Air Force in 2016. ![israel arms](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/1024px-aermacchi_m346_2732364981.jpg) Aermacchi M346\. Image: Noel Reynolds/Wikimedia Raytheon Systems Ltd was paid £250,000 on 14 February 2024 for an unspecified research project which would focus on “new markets and customers”. Raytheon has a factory in Glenrothes in Fife. The firm supplies Israel’s ‘[Iron Dome](https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/raytheon-and-rafael-to-expand-iron-dome-missile-production/?ref=theferret.scot)’ missile defence system and has made [smart bombs](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/made-scotland-israeli-bombs-used-4031201?ref=theferret.scot) used by the country’s military. BAE Surface Ships Ltd was given a £360,000 grant to support the training of staff in “new ways of constructing naval ships on the Clyde”. Its parent company, BAE Systems, also [makes components](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/1019596/bae-systems-shares-rise-on-israel-s-multibillion-dollar-f-35-order-1019596.html?ref=theferret.scot) for fighter jets taking part in the bombardment of Gaza. A new [human rights procedure](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-enterprise-human-rights-arms-companies/) was introduced by Scottish Enterprise in March 2019, following criticism of the public body for funding arms firms selling to countries with poor human rights records. Last November, The Ferret revealed that despite Scottish Enterprise having [conducted 199 human rights](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-enterprise-criticised-human-rights-checks/) checks since 2021, no firm had failed, despite some having links to states accused of war crimes, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. Our inquiry followed a FoI reply by Scottish Enterprise in 2020 revealing that [178 firms](https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/our-organisation/accessing-our-information/freedom-of-information/freedom-of-information-releases/human-rights-due-diligence-and-grant-awards?ref=theferret.scot) had undergone human rights checks since they were introduced in March 2019, and no firm had failed. [Firms’ human rights records checked by Scottish EnterpriseDozens of companies have undergone human rights checks by Scottish Enterprise following concerns over public money being awarded to arms firms through business grants. We can reveal that new assessments were introduced in March and that 68 companies have already been checked by Scottish Enterprise (SE), which is the Scottish![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-75.png)The FerretBilly Briggs![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Raythone-sign-1.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-enterprise-human-rights-arms-companies/) [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) MSP, [Ross Greer](https://greens.scot/team/ross-greer-msp?ref=theferret.scot), said that our finding that the agency had made no change to its human rights checks since the Israeli assault on Gaza showed the checks were “nothing more than a box-ticking exercise”. “If a multi-billion bound arms dealer whose weapons are being used to commit a genocide can pass your human rights test, it’s not worth the paper it’s written on. We will be pushing for a complete overhaul of this assessment system,” Greer added. “Humza Yousaf offered clear moral leadership in his consistent calls for a ceasefire and an end to arms sales,” Greer told The Ferret. “Many will find it utterly shocking and inexplicable that, at the same time the then-first minister was calling for an end to the violence, his government’s enterprise agency was funding the very companies fuelling it.” [Scottish Labour](https://scottishlabour.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) MSP, Katy Clark, [raised](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S6M-11019?ref=theferret.scot) the issue of public grants going to arms firms linked to Israel in Holyrood in November. She criticised the Scottish Government for “hesitancy” on the issue. Clark said: “At a time when Israel is being accused of serious war crimes, the Scottish Government has a moral obligation to take a stand. The message must be that these crimes are not in our name and we should be doing everything within our power to stop them.” [Neil Cowan](https://twitter.com/%5Fneilcowan?lang=en&ref=theferret.scot), the Scotland director of [Amnesty International](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), argued Scottish ministers must “stop ignoring Scottish Enterprise’s use of taxpayers’ money to companies involved in manufacturing and supplying weapons to Israel”. “Any transfer of arms or their components to Israel risks facilitating the ongoing horrors that are unfolding, as well as reinforcing Israel’s system of oppression and apartheid domination,” Cowan said. “No public money should be supporting the development or manufacture of weapons used to commit human rights violations and war crimes, and with the civilian death toll in Gaza mounting inexorably it’s staggering that arms firms supplying the Israeli military have been waived through Scottish Enterprise’s due diligence process.” > No public money should be supporting the development or manufacture of weapons used to commit human rights violations and war crimes. > > Neil Cowan, Amnesty International A Scottish Enterprise spokesperson said: “We have repeatedly stated our position that Scottish Enterprise does not provide support for the development of munitions or weaponry. “The projects referred to here are unrelated to the deeply distressing situation in the Middle East. Instead, they include training support for sustainable and modern shipbuilding on the Clyde, product development for diversification into civilian markets, and job creation including graduate roles and apprenticeships. “Scottish Enterprise is a ‘gap’ funder, providing a minority contribution, with companies having to invest significantly higher amounts in Scotland and their Scottish workforce to unlock our funds. Our robust due diligence process fully aligns with Scottish Government guidance, and any funding agreement we enter into with a company must comply with UK and Scottish law.” A BAE Systems spokesperson said: “The ongoing violence in the Middle East is having a devastating impact on civilians in the region and we hope the parties involved find a way to end the violence as soon as possible. We operate under the tightest regulation and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment. “As part of a wider £300m commitment to shipbuilding on the Clyde, BAE Systems is investing in a new applied shipbuilding academy. We welcome the additional funding from Scottish Enterprise which will support the ambition to attract, retain and develop the workforce of the future and both help secure the long-term viability of shipbuilding in Glasgow and provide an ongoing valued and significant contribution to the Scottish economy.” Raytheon and Leonardo have been asked to comment. ### FOI response *Main image: Aermacchi M346\. Credit: Ronnie Macdonald/Wikimedia* ### Racist group founder fronts new far right party’s Scottish arm URL: https://www.theferret.scot/racist-group-founder-new-far-right-party-scottish/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T17:17:23.000Z **The founder of an anti-migrant chat group which featured Nazi, racist and antisemitic material fronts the Scottish arm of a far right political party led by a Hitler lookalike, The Ferret can reveal.** Martin Grove founded a chat group which, as [we reported](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-activist-target-scotland-asylum-hotel/) in January, targeted the staff and residents of hotels which house migrants. One member of the group told others not to fear jail time and another called for a hotel employee to be assaulted. Grove alleged in a May blog post that he was detained under the terrorism act in Glasgow Airport. The Ferret was unable to verify this claim, however, and Grove did not clarify when asked. Grove, a utilities worker at [Advance Construction Scotland](https://www.acscotland.com/?ref=theferret.scot), was recently named Glasgow branch leader of the far right National Rebirth Party, which, in March, [was authorised](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-hitler-lookalike-political-party/) by the Electoral Commission to field candidates in Scotland, England and Wales. The new party is led by Alek Yerbury, a Yorkshire-based former soldier who styles himself on Adolf Hitler. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-03-15-at-12-02-30.jpg) National Rebirth leader, Alek Yerbury Research group [Hope not hate described](https://hopenothate.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) National Rebirth as “a plainly racist and startlingly authoritarian group” and said it was unsurprising the party had attracted “fractious fascist” Grove, and other “violence-obsessed individuals”. Yerbury dismissed Hope not hate as “largely an irrelevance” and said his party aimed to resolve problems caused by the UK’s “old parties”. Grove said he was motivated by his “love of the British people” and his concern about the way the country is heading. ### **Grove’s far right chat group** In January, [The Ferret revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-activist-target-scotland-asylum-hotel/) the racist and antisemitic content of a far right chat group we gained access to called “Scots against migrant hotels”. We have now identified the group’s founder as Grove, who posted pictures of himself wearing clothes with far right logos he bought from a neo Nazi website which also sells knives. Grove shared a list of Scottish sites he believed were used to house asylum seekers and told fellow users: “…the plan is \[to\] put pressure on these hotels, but that’s just the start”. ![Far Right](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/martin-grove-2.jpg) Martin Grove is National Rebirth’s Glasgow branch leader. He shared videos of himself calling various hotels under the pretence of booking a room. Another man posed as a Home Office inspector to get information about a Dumfries migrant hotel. This led to the targeting of guests and staff, and alleged plots to turn off the building’s power and water. It is unclear whether the man was a member of Grove’s chat group. [![Racist group founder fronts new far right party's Scottish arm](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-05-18-083051.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-activist-target-scotland-asylum-hotel/) ### **Alleged detention** In a blog post, Grove claimed that despite wearing a mask during his “first few years in nationalism”, attempts to hide his identity “led to me being detained under [schedule seven](https://www.counterterrorism.police.uk/what-we-do/protect/schedule-7/?ref=theferret.scot) of the Terrorism act at Glasgow Airport after a family holiday”. Schedule seven allows police to stop, question and search passengers “to determine whether they may be involved or concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”. The Ferret was unable to verify the claim with authorities. But a source monitoring far right groups said Grove “mentioned \[being stopped under a schedule seven\] a number of times” in chat groups under surveillance, and he was “raging”. In another post, Grove complained that the number of non-white people in the hospital where he attended the birth of his child “took some of the excitement away from the day”. “We are literally being bred out of existence and many of the people utilising taxpayer funded services to do this have never even contributed into that system,” he claimed. “But it’s time for us all collectively as a nation, to stop ignoring the evidence of our own eyes, before it’s too late.” ### **‘Beyond repulsive’** Green MSP Maggie Chapman said: “These revelations are beyond repulsive, and a reminder of the vile racism that is festering in the shadows of the internet and our politics. We must never be complacent about the far right of the threat that they represent.” She added: “This is yet another hate group masquerading as a political party. Hope not hate and The Ferret should be commended for the invaluable work they have done in exposing far right extremism in Scotland and across the UK.” [![Racist group founder fronts new far right party's Scottish arm](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-05-18-083300.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/supporters-of-scots-far-right-group-possess-weapons/) David Lawrence, senior researcher for Hope not hate, said: “The National Rebirth Party (NRP) is a plainly racist and startlingly authoritarian group that exists mostly so Alek Yerbury can better live out his [Weimar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar%5FRepublic?ref=theferret.scot)\-era fantasies. “It is therefore unsurprising that it is proving attractive to other disturbed and violence-obsessed individuals. Grove, a fractious fascist who has cycled through a number of fringe groups in recent years, will fit right in at the NRP.” Yerbury, however, dismissed Hope not hate as “largely an irrelevance”. “They are not a legal authority on criminal matters or a registered political organisation but a third-party advocacy group with a private agenda,” he argued. “Old parties” like the Greens blame others for society’s problems, despite wielding power, Yerbury claimed. “The reality of those circumstances is that any division, strife or damage being done to our country can only be their own fault. “The \[NRP\] advocates a vision for Great Britain that is devoid of these problems and in which the political forces responsible for them are disempowered.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-05-18-083705.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-terrorist-racist-rules-election-watchdog/) Grove said he made “no apologies for my love of the British people and my concern for \[their\] future and my concern of the direction the country is heading”. He pointed to long NHS waiting lists, and claimed veterans were “sleeping rough whilst refugees/immigrants are catered for in hotels across the country at \[the\] taxpayers’ expense.” He added: “It’s not out of a dislike or contempt towards any other peoples that I have joined the NRP, but out of a love for my fellow Brits who’ve been trampled under the heel of greedy politicians for long enough without a voice. We must secure a better future for British children”. Advance Construction Scotland did not respond to a request for comment. ### Revealed: the oil industry’s SNP lobbyists URL: https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-the-oil-industry-snp-lobbyists/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T16:23:47.000Z **Lobbying on behalf of the oil industry by former SNP spin doctors has sparked fears that the Scottish Government could be about to abandon its opposition to new oil exploration in the North Sea.** The Ferret can reveal that a public relations firm run by previously senior SNP officials has[ lobbied](https://www.theferret.scot/author/editor/) the government for the oil giant,[ Shell](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/shell/). It has also met with John Swinney and Kate Forbes before they became first minister and deputy first minister in May 2024. Campaigners are concerned that the new Scottish Government leadership is considering dropping the proposed “presumption against new exploration for oil and gas” from its[ energy strategy](https://www.gov.scot/publications/draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan/?ref=theferret.scot). They attacked “well paid lobbyists working on behalf of greedy fossil fuel companies”. The[ Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) warned that oil companies don’t hire lobbyists “to be nice”. The “revolving door” between polluting industries and government must be stopped, they said. The public relations firm,[ True North](https://truenorth.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), said that its work with Shell supported the fossil fuel giant’s long term contribution to domestic energy security through oil and gas. Shell was “key” to energy transition projects and backed carbon capture and offshore wind, the company argued. The Scottish Government stressed the importance of meeting with major industries, and reiterated its commitment to a “net zero Scotland” by 2045. In January 2023, the Scottish Government[ announced a consultation](https://www.gov.scot/publications/draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan/?ref=theferret.scot) “on whether, in order to support the fastest possible and most effective just transition, there should be a presumption against new exploration for oil and gas.” That was strongly backed by the Scottish Greens, who were in a coalition government with the SNP at the time. The Scottish Government does not have the power to prevent the licensing of new oil and gas projects. That lies with Westminster, but the policy has a symbolic importance. But since the Greens were ejected from government in April 2024 and Swinney and Forbes have ascended to power, there are concerns that the presumption could be dropped. Swinney[ declined to back it](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001z67d?ref=theferret.scot#t=132m20s) in a BBC Good Morning Scotland interview on 13 May. > With the climate crisis getting more urgent by the day, it’s more important than ever that we stop the revolving door between polluting industries and government. > > Mark Ruskell MSP, Scottish Greens [True North](https://truenorth.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) was launched in 2022 by the SNP’s former head of communications,[ Fergus Mutch](https://www.linkedin.com/in/fergusmutch/?ref=theferret.scot), and former first minister Alex Salmond’s chief of staff,[ Geoff Aberdein](https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-aberdein-62a05972/?ref=theferret.scot), who also co-hosts the [Holyrood Sources](https://holyroodsources.com/?ref=theferret.scot) podcast. They are the firm’s[ managing partners](https://truenorth.scot/our-team/?ref=theferret.scot). The Scottish Parliament’s[ lobbying register](https://www.lobbying.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) discloses that Mutch met with the Scottish Government’s chief of staff,[ Colin McAllister](https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-mcallister-704b007/?ref=theferret.scot), twice to help promote Shell’s views in late 2023. The[ first meeting](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/48787?ref=theferret.scot) was at the Scottish Parliament on 27 September 2023 to discuss the future of North Sea oil and gas. According to the lobbying register, this included “its role within the wider context of Scotland’s energy transition and how Shell is diversifying its role.” Another[ entry in the register](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/50294?ref=theferret.scot) says that Shell’s corporate relations manager,[ Padraig McCloskey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/padraig-mccloskey-b810371/?ref=theferret.scot), was also present. One of the topics under discussion was “Shell’s role in continuing to provide the energy the UK needs”. The same topics were discussed at a second meeting with McAllister in the Scottish Parliament on 7 December 2023\. This involved Mutch, McCloskey and Shell’s corporate relations adviser,[ David Shaw](https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-shaw-29797892/?ref=theferret.scot). The Ferret previously[ reported](https://www.theferret.scot/oil-giants-lobby-humza-yousaf-at-private-dinner/) that True North organised a dinner in Aberdeen on 7 September 2023 enabling oil and gas companies to lobby the then-first minister, Humza Yousaf. Those invited included Shell, BP and the North Sea oil firm, Ithaca Energy, which is[ linked to a company](https://www.theferret.scot/government-gave-oil-licences-to-idf-linked-firm/) selling fuel to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza. [‘Special access’: Oil giants lobby Yousaf at private dinnerOil giants lobbied first minister Humza Yousaf to publicly endorse the North Sea industry and criticised the Scottish Government’s “damaging” stance on the sector at a private dinner, we can reveal. Shell and BP representatives were among attendees at a lobbying dinner in Aberdeen on 7 September, held during![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-21.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/untitled-design-2023-10-27t145200-003.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/oil-giants-lobby-humza-yousaf-at-private-dinner/) Guests at the dinner complained to Yousaf that the oil industry was being “demonised” and suffered from a “lack of visible support”. They also attacked the Scottish Government’s[ proposed presumption](https://www.gov.scot/publications/draft-energy-strategy-transition-plan/?ref=theferret.scot) against oil and gas exploration as “damaging”. On behalf of True North, Mutch and his fellow managing partner, Geoff Aberdein, also[ lobbied](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/37823?ref=theferret.scot) the then deputy first minister,[ John Swinney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John%5FSwinney?ref=theferret.scot), and others on 9 October 2022\. Discussions were over dinner at[ Maryculter House Hotel](https://maryculterhouse.com/?ref=theferret.scot) in Aberdeen, along with representatives from many other north east businesses. The lobbying register[ records](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/37823?ref=theferret.scot) that Mutch and Aberdein raised “the importance of recognising the oil and gas industry and how its supply chain will play a key role in accelerating the drive to net zero”. Aberdein also[ held a video conference](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/37819?ref=theferret.scot) with the then-finance secretary,[ Kate Forbes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate%5FForbes?ref=theferret.scot), on 5 July 2022 emphasising the promotion of the north east of Scotland as a “world-leading catalyst for energy transition.” On this occasion he was lobbying on behalf of[ ETZ](https://etzltd.com/about-etz/about-etz-ltd?ref=theferret.scot), a publicly funded energy transition company in Aberdeen backing offshore wind, carbon capture and green hydrogen. It is chaired by oil tycoon,[ Sir Ian Wood](https://www.theferret.scot/concerns-just-transition-fund/). In April, [Mutch](https://twitter.com/Fergoodness/status/1783392038840324582?ref=theferret.scot) and Aberdein both[ welcomed](https://twitter.com/HolyroodSources/status/1782778195688730754?ref=theferret.scot) the ending of the[ Bute House agreement](https://www.gov.scot/news/agreement-with-scottish-green-party/?ref=theferret.scot) which brought the Greens into the Scottish Government. Mutch was strongly opposed to the coalition, urging the SNP to “nuke” the deal with the Greens in September 2023\. In March 2024 he [encouraged](https://truenorth.scot/politics-of-energy-and-the-windfall-tax/?ref=theferret.scot) the SNP to “max out domestic production while we still need oil and gas”. ![sepa pensions shell snp oil](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/jethro-carullo-w0vqkewa8ua-unsplash.jpg) Public relations firm True North said that its work with Shell supported the fossil fuel giant’s long term contribution to domestic energy security. Image: Jethro Carullo True North’s role in seeking to influence Scottish Government policy on oil has infuriated environmental campaign groups. “True North are very well-paid lobbyists working on behalf of greedy fossil fuel companies, all profiting from pushing people into fuel poverty and the destruction of our climate,” said Caroline Rance from[ Friends of the Earth Scotland](https://foe.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). “Their cynical plan is to keep Scottish households trapped in a fossil fuel powered energy system that only benefits their paymasters. Their attempts to whisper in the ears of politicians must be rejected by John Swinney and his ministers.” She added: “If the energy strategy contains yet more oil and gas, we’ll know he has been influenced by the fossil fuel lobby rather than the needs of the people he now represents as first minister.” The campaign group,[ Uplift](https://www.upliftuk.org/?ref=theferret.scot), urged Scottish ministers to ignore “well-connected fossil fuel lobbyists” in favour of the public need for a “liveable planet”. “True North seems to have been busy on Shell’s behalf,” said the group’s executive director, Tessa Khan. “But it is the job of government and the first minister to put the needs of the public before the profit-seeking demands of the big multinationals. This means sticking with the presumption against new drilling to tackle the climate crisis.” The Green MSP,[ Mark Ruskell](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/mark-ruskell?ref=theferret.scot), said: “Oil and gas companies don’t employ lobbying companies to be nice, they do it for their contacts and their influence in the corridors of power. “With the climate crisis getting more urgent by the day, it’s more important than ever that we stop the revolving door between polluting industries and government. Environmental policy must be based on science, not the bank balances and lobbying power of companies like Shell.” > It is the job of government and the first minister to put the needs of the public before the profit-seeking demands of the big multinationals. > > Tessa Khan, Uplift [True North](https://truenorth.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) said it was privileged to support a wide range of businesses, particularly in energy. “Our work with Shell — a company which employs 1,200 people across Scotland — supports their longstanding contribution to domestic energy security through oil and gas as well as their role in key energy transition projects,” said a company spokesperson. Shell’s interests included carbon capture and storage as well as offshore wind projects, the company pointed out. “Our energy industry is of critical economic importance to the north east, Scottish and UK economies,” the spokesperson added. “The critical mass of skills, expertise and the financial capital of that industry will be an essential driver of an accelerated transition to net zero. True North will continue to give our full support to Scotland’s productive, pioneering and truly world-class energy sector.” The Scottish Government did not comment on the proposed presumption against new oil and gas exploration. “It is important that the Scottish Government meet with a diverse range of organisations, including representatives of major employers and industries, in the course of our service of Scotland,” said a spokesperson. “The Scottish Government is fully committed to a just transition to a climate resilient and net zero Scotland by 2045.” Shell did not respond to requests to comment. *Main image: iStock/bomboman* ### Claim around 100,000 homes are empty in Scotland is Mostly True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-100000-homes-empty-scotland-mostly-true/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T17:17:26.000Z **The Scottish Government has announced a housing emergency, amid rising costs and a lack of homes across the country.** Ministers declared an emergency after pressure from Scottish Labour, which tabled a motion on Wednesday. Writing about Scotland’s housing crisis [in a column](https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/opinion/24307813.katy-clark-column-housing-crisis-worsenened/?ref=theferret.scot) in the Greenock Telegraph on Sunday, Labour MSP Katy Clark repeated a claim about the number of empty homes in Scotland. > Around 100,000 properties in Scotland are sitting empty at any time. > > Katy Clark, Scottish Labour MSP [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it **Mostly True**. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-46.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) #### **Evidence** The number of homes available for Scots has been a recurring issue in recent years, and campaigners have regularly argued that using houses lying empty could help to mitigate housing supply issues. Katy Clark has repeatedly claimed on social media there are 100,000 properties empty in Scotland, and also in an [article for the Greenock Telegraph](https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/opinion/24307813.katy-clark-column-housing-crisis-worsenened/?ref=theferret.scot), a newspaper in the West Scotland region where she was elected as a list MSP. A similar claim was [prominently featured in a series of articles](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/empty-homes-scotland-100000-campaign-27384900?ref=theferret.scot) in the Daily Record, published in 2022. The most recent data for the claim was produced by the [National Records of Scotland](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) in a report released in 2023. It [states that in 2022](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/statistics/household-estimates/2022/house-est-22-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), there were 2.7 million dwellings in Scotland. A dwelling is defined as accommodation that people can live in, as opposed to commercial or public sector use. The statistics show 115,000 of these dwellings were unoccupied, which is 4.3 per cent. This is made up of 90,700 vacant properties (3.4 per cent) and 24,300 second homes (0.9 per cent). However, not all vacant properties are considered to be long-term empty. About half of these (46,100) have what’s known as an [unoccupied exemption](https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-empty-properties-and-second-homes/?ref=theferret.scot). This means they are unoccupied and unfurnished, and their owners do not have to [pay council tax](https://www.gov.scot/publications/bringing-empty-homes-back-use-audit-privately-owned-empty-homes-scotland/pages/4/?ref=theferret.scot) on them. There can be [numerous reasons](https://lgiu.org/blog-article/understanding-empty-homes-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) for a property having an exemption, such as new homes which have yet to be lived in, those which are uninhabitable during repairs, old houses or flats that are awaiting demolition. They can also stay unoccupied for a long period of time, such as when a homeowner is in long-term care, or the property has been repossessed but not yet sold on. There were 44,600 long-term empty properties in Scotland which are eligible for council tax, meaning they are in a habitable state and are sitting empty. More than 27,000 of these had been empty for more than 12 months. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** Katy Clark’s claim that 100,000 properties in Scotland are sitting empty is a slight undercount. based on the latest housing statistics there were 115,000 empty homes in Scotland in 2022\. However, it may not be possible to bring all of these back into use quickly. Around 24 per cent are second homes, while 46 per cent are considered exempt from council tax because they are either not considered habitable, are new builds which are yet to be occupied, are due to be knocked down, or sold on. ![Mostly True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_2mostlytrue-9.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Photo credit: iStock/richard johnson* ### Firm with ‘conflict of interests’ advising Scottish Government on taxpayer handouts URL: https://www.theferret.scot/vested-interest-investor-scottish-government/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:35:18.000Z **A company with a ‘clear’ financial ‘conflict of interests’ was paid to advise the Scottish Government on public subsidies for tree planting and peatland restoration, The Ferret can reveal.** Consultancy firm [Finance Earth](https://finance.earth/?ref=theferret.scot) wrote [two](https://finance.earth/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Publication-2020-NatureScot-Research-Report-1260-Facilitating-Local-Natural-Capital-Investment-Literature-Review.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) [reports](https://finance.earth/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/mobilising-private-investment-natural-capital.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for the Scottish Government on how to attract private money into projects to restore the natural environment — a key part of Scotland’s [climate plan](https://www.netzeronation.scot/the-importance-of-net-zero?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Scotland%20plans%20to%20reach%20net,as%20a%20'just%20transition'.). The company’s proposals have been criticised by [experts](https://www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/47-can-private-finance-fix-scotland-s-nature-crisis?ref=theferret.scot), however, who fear they could result in the taxpayer paying out potentially hundreds of millions of pounds in subsidies to wealthy investors. Now The Ferret can reveal that Finance Earth is in the process of setting up its own [investment](https://finance.earth/fund/uknature/?ref=theferret.scot) vehicle which could invest in Scottish peatland and woodland projects. This means Finance Earth could stand to financially benefit from the controversial proposals it made to the Scottish Government. Critics said a firm that could profit from public subsidies should “not be advising the Scottish Government on their design”. One argued ministers should have been able to “spot the conflict of interest” in hiring Finance Earth. The Scottish Government said the proposals were only “one of a number of models” it was exploring to encourage more “responsible” private investment in nature. Finance Earth said recommendations in the reports were the result of work with a “consortium” of partners including the RSPB and Scotland’s Rural College. They were “not designed to transfer public finance to private investors”, the company argued. ![Scottish Government](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-05-15-154322.png) ### **Hundreds of millions** The Scottish Government has consistently [missed](https://www.theferret.scot/peatlands-restoration-target-missed-fifth-year/) [targets](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68414290?ref=theferret.scot) to plant trees and restore peatlands despite handing out millions in grants directly to landowners. Environmentalists are [alarmed](https://www.theferret.scot/less-one-third-peatland-restoration-targets-met/) at the lack of progress because trees and healthy peatlands store carbon, which stops it entering the atmosphere and causing global warming. According to the Scottish Government, significant private investment is “critical” if these targets are to be met in future, although this approach is controversial and the amount of private money required has been [questioned](https://www.communitylandscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/The-Credibility-Gap-for-Green-Finance-Jon-Hollingdale-19.08.2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by campaigners. The Scottish Government was [criticised](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/scottish-greens-cant-see-detail-of-woodland-finance-deal-for-the-trees-d7rkvh7g6?ref=theferret.scot) in some quarters last year after it signed a deal with the private sector to attract £2bn of investment into planting trees. Some argued the deal – [signed](https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/scottish-politics/5459884/holyrood-greenwashing-fears/?ref=theferret.scot) by then minister Lorna Slater – was “[privatising Scotland’s trees](https://tribunemag.co.uk/2023/03/privatising-scotlands-trees?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Scottish%20Government's%20%C2%A32,t%20fix%20the%20climate%20crisis.)”. Measures such as that deal and the proposals by Finance Earth are necessary because investors have so far been reluctant to fund nature restoration projects. This is partly because they require a big up front investment, which comes with risks. Profits are dependent on the price of carbon credits decades in the future – once the trees are mature or the peatland is fully restored – which is hard to predict. In its reports, Finance Earth proposes a number of measures through which public subsidies could, in its words, “de-risk” investment in nature for the private sector. Potentially the most expensive of these proposals for the taxpayer is the creation of what’s known as a ‘price floor guarantee’. > SNP ministers should be able to spot the conflict of interest here but instead this chaotic government is increasingly in thrall to private finance when it comes to nature restoration. > > Monica Lennon MSP, Scottish Labour This guarantee would see investors agree a minimum price for future carbon credits generated by woodland or peatland projects with the Scottish Government before they invest. If the actual price is below this minimum when they come to sell the credits, the taxpayer will pay the investor the difference between the two prices. There are [concerns](https://www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/47-can-private-finance-fix-scotland-s-nature-crisis?ref=theferret.scot) this arrangement could leave the Scottish Government exposed to a big financial risk. In this worst case scenario, the guarantee could be a drain on the Scottish budget and leave less money for public services, think tank [Future Economy Scotland](https://www.futureeconomy.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) has [warned](https://www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/47-can-private-finance-fix-scotland-s-nature-crisis?ref=theferret.scot). They have compared its potential impact to private finance initiatives (PFI) for infrastructure projects, which were [branded](https://www.theferret.scot/private-finance-schemes-audit-scotland/) as “rip offs” and ended up costing the Scottish Government billions of pounds. [Laurie Macfarlane](https://twitter.com/l%5F%5Fmacfarlane?lang=en&ref=theferret.scot), Future Economy Scotland’s co-director, told The Ferret that Finance Earth’s proposals involve “socialising risk, privatising reward and marginalising local communities”. He fears the price floor guarantee could potentially cost the taxpayer potentially hundreds of millions of pounds in coming decades. Macfarlane said: “As a major natural capital investor, Finance Earth has a clear vested interest in public funds being used to de-risk private investment in nature. “Firms that could potentially benefit from new public subsidies should not be advising the Scottish Government on their design. “We urge the Scottish Government to go back to the drawing board and explore alternative models that better align with just transition principles.” ### **Benefitting ‘profiteers’** Finance Earth announced in November 2022 that it is [partnering](https://www.hermes-investment.com/uk/en/intermediary/press/federated-hermes-and-finance-earth-collaborating-on-investment-strategy/?ref=theferret.scot) with the American investment giant, Federated Hermes, to set up an investment vehicle called the UK Nature Impact Fund. The fund will invest money from the public sector and private investors like pension funds in nature projects across the UK, including potentially Scottish woodland and peatland projects. Finance Earth will make money from fees it will charge investors in return for managing the fund. Scottish Labour MSP, [Monica Lennon](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/monica-lennon?ref=theferret.scot), said our revelations raise “more questions about the competence of the Scottish Government on environmental issues and the use of public funds to benefit profiteers”. “SNP ministers should be able to spot the conflict of interests here but instead this chaotic government is increasingly in thrall to private finance when it comes to nature restoration,” Lennon told The Ferret. The Scottish Government said the contract to produce the two reports was worth £93,923 and was granted through a competitive bidding process. A spokesperson said the government had “significantly increased” spending on nature restoration to address the “twin challenges of nature loss and climate change”. The Finance Earth reports outlined “one of a number of models we are exploring to encourage greater responsible private investment” in nature, they claimed. Finance Earth said its purpose was to “unlock greater funding and investment for the benefit of nature, climate, and communities”. The company told The Ferret in an email: “Price floor guarantee is a well-established mechanism in [other parts](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/woodland-carbon-guarantee?ref=theferret.scot) of the UK and worldwide and is not designed to transfer public finance to private investors. “The mechanism would enable a shift away from lump sum capital grant programmes into an approach that can bring in more private funding and potentially pave the way for reducing the need for public grant funding over time.” ### Finance Earth response in full *Main image: Scottish Government* ### ‘Invasive’ Sitka spruce threaten Scottish species and habitats, say experts URL: https://www.theferret.scot/invasive-sitka-spruce-threaten-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:08:48.000Z **A North American tree that kills native species and threatens protected habitats vital to fight climate change now makes up nearly half of Scotland’s forests, The Ferret can reveal.** Our analysis of official [forestry data](https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/?ref=theferret.scot) shows that Sitka spruce makes up 43 per cent of Scotland’s woodlands, more than triple that of Scotland’s national tree, the Scots pine. As well as crowding out and killing native species, Sitka spruce “self-seeds” in important habitats such as peat bogs, risking the release of vast amounts of carbon the bogs have absorbed. NatureScot’s assessments, obtained by The Ferret via freedom of information, found “invasive” Sitka spruce have had a “negative” impact on protected bogland and heathland, including in the Trossachs national park. An area of peatland collectively larger than twice the size of Fife is at higher risk of being impacted by self-seeding trees, [according to](https://rse.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/RSE-inquiry-into-public-financial-support-for-tree-planting-and-forestry-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the wildlife agency. Some scientists and conservationists also warn the species is rapidly “colonising” native woodlands and sensitive areas. The trees have been [removed](https://academic.oup.com/forestry/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/forestry/cpad068/7590541?redirectedFrom=PDF&ref=theferret.scot) from the ancient Caledonian Forest after [killing](https://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/news/scots-pine-urgent-action-needed-to-save-highland-treasure-301945/?ref=theferret.scot) Scots pines. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/31665810994_0014f6df1b_o.jpg) Scots Pine trees with Sgurr na Lapaich in the distance. Image: [spodzone](https://www.flickr.com/photos/spodzone/31665810994?ref=theferret.scot) But forestry bodies said it was unhelpful to “demonise” Sitka spruce, which, they argued, absorbs carbon quickly, is key to Scotland’s woodland growth and net zero targets, supports 25,000 jobs, contributes £1bn to the economy and reduces the need to import timber. Since being first planted in Scotland in the early 1800s, the fast growing and resilient tree has [thrived](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/blog/sitka-spruce?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=So%2C%20the%20short%20answer%20to,cover%20there%20remained%20consistently%20high.) in Scottish climate conditions and soils, and become important for the forestry sector. Industry figures insisted commercial forestry is managed sustainably and the proportion of native trees in Scottish woodlands was on the rise. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/sitka_spruce_chart.png) ### **Sitka spruce ‘colonising native habitats’** NatureScot’s assessments list Sitka spruce as having a detrimental effect on protected bog and heathlands. These include Loch Macanrie Fens in the Trossachs national park, Craigengar in the Pentland Hills, Loch Etive Woods, which stretches from in Argyll to the Highlands, and Dumbarton Muir. The tree’s impact has left Lon a’ Chuil in Sutherland and Knockdaw Hill in South Ayrshire in “unfavourable” conditions. According to [State of Nature’s 2023 report](https://stateofnature.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TP26056-SoN-Scotland-summary-report-v5-1.pdf.pagespeed.ce.EIp-TYaoGQ.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), which [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) deemed “the most precise review of how nature in Scotland is faring”, Sitka spruce is “increasingly colonising neighbouring habitats”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/geograph-1900414-by-adam-ward-1.jpg) Sitka spruce plantation at Hell’s, Glen Monevechadan, Argyll. Main image© Adam Ward (cc-by-sa/2.0) The tree spreads by dispersing its own seeds, which have reached “sensitive areas” including peat bogs, grassland, and moorland, overpowering other species and reducing these habitats’ abilities to capture carbon. Self-seeding trees risk sucking water from peat bogs, which release carbon they have absorbed as they dry. An estimation of how much carbon self-seeding trees absorb compared to how much is released from the peat bogs they impact is not known. NatureScot [predicts](https://rse.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/RSE-inquiry-into-public-financial-support-for-tree-planting-and-forestry-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) that 846,000 hectares of peatland are at risk of seeding from nearby tree plantations, and for 267,000 hectares – more than twice the size of Fife – the risk is high. > It’s not helpful to demonise one species of tree against another. > > Scottish Forestry spokesperson Conservation charity [John Muir Trust](https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/?ref=theferret.scot) removes “invasive non-native species” such as Sitka spruce from its land to help native species regenerate. Sitka spruce’s “dominance in Scotland is “definitely problematic”, claimed Rosemary Simpson, the trust’s senior policy officer. “The dense planting of a spruce plantation shuts out light, preventing plants from growing on the forest floor.” Government agency [Scottish Forestry](https://forestry.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) says Sitka spruce absorbs CO2 “many times faster” than broadleaf trees. But Dr Ruth Mitchell, plant soil ecologist from the [James Hutton Institute](https://www.hutton.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), warned that more carbon may be released by disturbing soils during planting than can be absorbed by the trees for decades. “We also need to take account of the full life cycle of the wood – using timber for wood pulp, paper or even biofuel can mean that carbon is not stored for long enough to contribute to government net zero goals,” she told The Ferret. Last year, the chair of the Dumfries-based [Crichton Carbon Centre](https://www.carboncentre.org/?ref=theferret.scot) charity [argued](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/scotland-carbon-emissions-trees/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Vast%20tracts%20of%20peaty%20soil,and%20using%20the%20wrong%20techniques.) that Scotland has been “planting the wrong type of forests, in the wrong place, and using the wrong techniques”, with ”most” forestry planted on peat. ### **A ‘great tree’, but ‘poorly managed’** Willie McGhee, a forest owner and manager who sits on the board of the [Forest Policy Group](https://www.forestpolicygroup.org/?ref=theferret.scot) think tank, describes Sitka spruce as a “great tree” which makes “economic sense” for foresters to plant where other species cannot grow. But the trade body [Confor](https://www.confor.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) – “industrial forestry cheerleaders” – and woodland investment firms have encouraged “tree farming”, where Sitka plantations are unmanaged for 30-40 years before being felled for timber, he claimed. This method has “no local benefits” and serves only “wealthy absentees” – rich landowners who do not live locally – he argued. “My issue is not with the tree. It’s where it’s used, how it’s used and how it’s not being managed – there’s often little or no forest management.” McGhee claimed he has seen Sitka growing in places as remote and inhospitable as on Skye’s Cuillin Ridge, and now deems the tree “a threat to our native forests and fragile habitats”. “Foresters, and I include myself, didn’t think about the possible impacts of planting such a prolific and invasive species in potentially sensitive areas,” he added. The release of invasive species is [prohibited](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2011/6/part/2/crossheading/nonnative-species-etc/enacted?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland, but Sitka and other commercial tree species are [exempt](https://rse.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/RSE-inquiry-into-public-financial-support-for-tree-planting-and-forestry-2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) because they are deemed important to the Scottish economy, and because it was believed their spread can be managed. In New Zealand, the government fears invasive conifers will engulf a quarter of the country within 30 years without action. A [plan](https://www.mpi.govt.nz/biosecurity/exotic-pests-and-diseases-in-new-zealand/long-term-biosecurity-management-programmes/wilding-conifers/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Working%20together%20to%20stop%20the%20spread,-It's%20estimated%2025&text=Wilding%20conifers%20already%20cover%20more,Zealand%2C%20developed%20a%20national%20strategy.) is underway to remove trees that have spread outwith plantations. > My issue is not with the tree. It’s where it’s used, how it’s used and how it’s not being managed. > > Willie McGhee, Forest Policy Group A [February report](https://rse.org.uk/rse-releases-report-calling-for-a-radical-rethink-of-tree-planting-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) from the [Royal Society of Edinburgh](https://rse.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (RSE) called for Scottish Forestry to stop the spread of invasive species like Sitka, ban planting on carbon-rich soils with machinery, and require more diverse plantations. Scottish Forestry should end the public funding of commercial conifer plantations, which includes grants and full tax relief on profits and capital gains, RSE argued. It should instead fund planting designed to store carbon long term, improve biodiversity, increase public benefits, and ramp up environmental assessments. In 2021, the Scottish Government’s former chief planner [said](https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/1851/pdf/?ref=theferret.scot) Scotland had accelerated its commercial timber industry by giving “full-blown” environmental checks to just two per cent of planting proposals since planning reforms were introduced. A Confor spokesperson said: “The methodology and conclusions of the RSE’s report both have been [widely critiqued](https://www.confor.org.uk/news/latest-news/industry-responds-to-rse-report/?ref=theferret.scot) by independent academics with long-standing expertise in forest and environmental sciences. The report’s analysis of the timber sector is particularly weak, with poor evidence and recommendations that do not stand up to scrutiny. “Poorly prepared publications such as this run the risk of damaging the important forestry sector in Scotland and undermining efforts by the Scottish Government, industry, and academia to promote sustainable wood use and combat damaging climate change.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/14647963242_1158ef4438_o.jpg) Some experts warn that Sitka spruce crowds out and kills native species. Image: [James Brooks](https://www.flickr.com/photos/jkbrooks85/14647963242?ref=theferret.scot). [CC BY 2.0 DEED](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **‘Not helpful’ to ‘demonise’ Sitka** Both public and private forestry bodies defended the prominence of Sitka spruce. “It’s not helpful to demonise one species of tree against another,” said a Scottish Forestry spokesperson. “Ultimately it doesn’t help decision making and creates polarised views which are detrimental in trying to increase woodland expansion across Scotland.” When assessing applications to plant trees, the forestry body aims to create mixed and balanced forests – putting “the right tree in the right place” is its “overarching philosophy”, they said. Half of the 14,000 hectares of recent woodland creation applications it approved will consist of indigenous species – “the highest level of native approvals for 20 years”, claimed the spokesperson. “From October, all new woodland created in Scotland will only be allowed \[to contain\] 65 per cent of a single species and that shall ensure there is diversity in our woodlands.” [Scotland’s forests dominated by estates, investors and absentee owners, says reportOwnership of Scotland’s forests is becoming increasingly dominated by wealthy estates, investors and absentee owners who live outwith Scotland, according to a new study. The report – shared exclusively with The Ferret ahead of publication next week – says the Scottish Government’s current land reform initiatives have failed to tip![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-40.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/geograph-6446060-by-andrew-tryon-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-forests-estates-investors-absentee-owners/) Forestry and Land Scotland owns and manages around a third of Scottish forests on behalf of the nation. A spokesperson for the government body said: “As custodians of some of Scotland’s finest native woodland sites, such as Glen Affric, Glenmore and one third of Scotland’s Temperate Atlantic Rainforests, we are fully engaged in protecting those unique habitats while at the same time engaging in sustainable commercial forestry.” Confor said it “promotes the planting and sustainable management of all types of woodland” and had worked with others to produce government-approved [forestry standards](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/651670336a423b0014f4c5c0/Revised%5FUK%5FForestry%5FStandard%5F-%5Feffective%5FOctober%5F2024.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). Commercial forests have “considerable benefits for biodiversity” due to their management, which is funded by the sale of high-quality timber, while woodlands that do not generate income are “often left unmanaged and in poor ecological condition”, it argued. The proportion of Sitka in Scotland was “in decline even though it is a resilient tree that suits many growing conditions and produces a high-quality product”, the spokesperson added. *Header image: Wikimedia Commons – CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication* ### Explainer: Scotland’s private rental sector URL: https://www.theferret.scot/explainer-scotlands-private-rental-sector/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T17:17:28.000Z **The Scottish Government’s regulation of the private rental sector has faced criticism in recent years from both tenants and landlords.** Emergency efforts to restrict evictions and cap rents during the Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis [drew the ire](https://scottishlandlords.com/news-and-campaigns/news/coalition-steps-up-court-fight-over-rent-control-and-eviction-ban/?ref=theferret.scot) of landlord lobbying groups, with claims that they would cause landlords to leave the sector and reduce the number of available properties. ### **What legislation has the Scottish Government put in place?** In recent years a raft of new laws have seen landlords restricted from raising rents on sitting tenants by significant amounts, as well as a temporary eviction ban, and the introduction of a short-term let licensing regime. In March 2024, the temporary eviction ban in the private sector came to an end, with tenants instead able to dispute an increase that they feel is unreasonable, through an [adjudication process](https://www.gov.scot/publications/cost-of-living-rent-and-eviction/pages/rent-adjudiction/?ref=theferret.scot). A rent officer can decide a proposed rent hike is disproportionate, based on similar market rents in the area, and set a maximum monthly increase. ### **Landlords and properties increasing** The Ferret put in freedom of information requests to local councils for Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Stirling, and Perth for historic data on the number of landlords and properties on their landlord registers. Some local authorities could not provide comparable data, but we were able to get information for four Scottish cities – Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Stirling. When combined, this showed an increase in the total number of landlords and properties registered between 2019 – before increased legislation came in – and 2024. In Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Stirling there were a total of 166,619 properties available for rent in the first quarter of 2019\. Figures for 2024 show there were 171,421 private rental properties across the same group of councils, a record high. Meanwhile, there were also a record number of landlords, 120,759, on the register. [Scotland-wide data](https://www.gov.scot/publications/private-sector-rent-statistics-scotland-2010-to-2023/pages/trends-in-the-size-of-the-private-rented-sector-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) released by the Scottish Government covering the period from January 2022 to October 2023 indicates that this trend in Scottish cities may also be happening elsewhere. It shows a steady increase in the number of properties registered across the country over this shorter period. The average number of properties rented out by each landlord has also crept up across this same group of cities. Most landlords still rent out one single property, but the average number has shifted from 1.3 properties per landlord to 1.4. ### **What about other Scottish cities?** The aggregated data highlights some significant differences between cities. Dundee, for example, bucked the wider trend. There are now around 5,000 fewer private properties for rent in the city compared with 2019\. There are also more than 1,000 fewer landlords and the number of homes each one rents out has gone down too. The majority of this drop all happened between 2019 and 2020. Meanwhile, Edinburgh has seen a relatively large jump in the number of landlords making properties available to private renters in the last year. Edinburgh was the first city to implement a [short-term let control](https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/planning-13/proposal-designate-short-term-let-control-area?ref=theferret.scot) area in September 2021 – and a number of landlords may have switched from the short-term let sector to offering tenants longer leases. Glasgow, Highland Council and Perth and Kinross were also asked to provide historical data from their Landlord Registers. However, they were unable to provide figures for the time period requested. Glasgow did provide quarterly data from the first quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024, showing that over this timescale it had seen a rise in the number of properties for rent – from 60,370 to 61,149 in this time period. The total number of landlords in Glasgow dropped slightly over the same period, from 39,351 to 39,110. ### **Have rents increased?** While there has been an increase in rental properties in major Scottish cities, rents for people starting new tenancies have also increased rapidly in recent years. Between 2010 and 2023, average rents for [a two-bedroom property in Scotland increased by 52 per cent](https://www.gov.scot/publications/private-sector-rent-statistics-scotland-2010-to-2023/pages/scotland-level-average-rents/?ref=theferret.scot), which equates to a £287 hike to monthly rents. There have been numerous [reports of tenants](https://www.theferret.scot/what-happens-now-the-rent-cap-has-ended/) facing significant increase at the end of the ‘rent cap’ in March 2024. ### **What will happen next?** New legislation for tenants in Scotland has been proposed by the Scottish Government. The [housing bill](https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/s6-bills/housing-scotland-bill/introduction/policy-memorandum-accessible.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was introduced to parliament in March 2024, and proposals include “long term rent controls for private tenancies, new rights to keep pets, decorate rented homes and stronger protection against eviction”. However, campaigners have raised concerns that the new bill may be in danger after the SNP ended the Bute House agreement with the Scottish Greens, and urged new first minister John Swinney to [prioritise housing legislation](https://news.stv.tv/scotland/housing-bill-new-fm-john-swinney-faces-demands-to-prioritise-housing-bill-amid-astronomical-rent-increases?ref=theferret.scot). ### Housing in Scotland: By the numbers [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-05-10-164903.png)](https://www.datawrapper.de/%5F/Y6z5F/?ref=theferret.scot) *Main image: yvonnestewarthenderson/iStock* ### Revealed: over 1300 eviction orders granted despite ‘ban’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/over-1300-eviction-orders-granted-despite-ban/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:35:27.000Z **More than 1,300 evictions were granted during Scotland’s so-called eviction ‘ban’ while many tenants were forced to rack up thousands in debts before being offered social housing, a major new investigation by The Ferret has found.** The findings come from exclusive analysis of decisions by Scotland’s housing tribunal during the 17-month ban. It was announced as [emergency legislation](https://www.gov.scot/publications/cost-living-tenant-protection-scotland-act-2022-report-scottish-parliament-covering-period-1-october-31-december-2023/pages/6/?ref=theferret.scot) to protect tenants from the cost of living crisis and ran from October 2022 to March 2024. Landlords could still apply for evictions with the tribunal during the ban, but in some circumstances these could not be enforced for six months or until the ban was lifted. However [exceptions](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/housing%5Fadvice/cost%5Fof%5Fliving/eviction%5Fban?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20eviction%20ban%20ended%20on,still%20follow%20a%20strict%20process.&text=If%20you%20need%20help%20to,contact%20a%20Shelter%20Scotland%20adviser.) were made for those who were in substantial arrears or whose landlord wanted to sell a property due to their own financial difficulty. The Ferret’s analysis found more than 80 per cent of the 1,633 eviction applications considered during the ban were granted. Our research suggests the majority would have been enforced due to the loopholes in the legislation. We also found dozens of cases where tenants were told by councils that they would only be given council or social housing if they received an eviction order. Some said they had been advised they could be found to be “intentionally homeless” if they did not have an order, meaning their council would not be responsible for finding them a home. Waiting for an eviction is a lengthy process and some vulnerable tenants – including single parents, elderly and disabled people – ran up hefty debts renting accommodation they could no longer afford while waiting. Housing campaigners said our analysis showed there was “never a meaningful eviction ban” for those living at “the sharpest end of the housing emergency”. The Scottish Government said tenants rights in Scotland remained the “strongest in the UK”. It said the policy was “never intended to be a ‘ban’ on evictions” but was to delay enforcement so tenants had “additional time to access support and find alternative accommodation”. However both the SNP and the Scottish Greens – who were in coalition when the measure was introduced – have [repeatedly](https://twitter.com/theSNP/status/1664298308964171776?ref=theferret.scot) [referred](https://twitter.com/theSNP/status/1567177412831477760?ref=theferret.scot) to it as an [eviction ban](https://twitter.com/scottishgreens/status/1567179526332973062?ref=theferret.scot). The Greens said the ban had provided “vital protections” to tenants. But the party admitted it could “not make the permanent and structural changes” needed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1474877422-1.jpg) More than 80 per cent of the 1,633 eviction applications considered during the ban were granted. Image: Andrii Zorii/iStock ### **‘Stay put’** The Ferret checked every eviction application lodged during the [eviction ban](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-scotland-rent-freeze/) to see if they were granted. We also looked in depth at the tribunal cases for four sample months across the ban period — November 2022, April and September 2023, and March 2024. On average, tenants in around one fifth of hearings told the tribunal their council said they should ‘stay put’ and wait for an eviction order to be granted before they would rehome them. Many of those told to stay accrued arrears stretching into the tens of thousands of pounds. In one case a mother of two teens – one whom court papers reveal recently attempted to take their own life — said that the local council told them “nothing would be done about rehousing them until an order for possession had been granted”. The mother suffered from depression and anxiety, was on benefits and had not paid rent for 18 months, building up a total of £8,000 in arrears. One man said he had been on the waiting list for social housing for 19 years without an offer by the council. He cared for his 87-year-old stepdad who lived 50 yards away from him and had considered his tenancy a long-term one. In fact he had signed a short-term tenancy in 2011 and its term had long expired. In another case a woman who herself was working for her local council’s housing department faced eviction despite claiming to have been on the housing list with her two children for a decade. One tenant said her council told her “18,000 people are waiting for housing” and that “not much was available”. > It’s clear that for those living at the sharpest end of the housing emergency, there was never a meaningful eviction ban at all. > > Alison Watson, Shelter Scotland [Ruaraidh Dempster](https://twitter.com/Ruaraidh%5F%5F/status/1769788133732745508?ref=theferret.scot), the national secretary of tenants’ union [Living Rent](https://www.livingrent.org/?ref=theferret.scot), said the situation for many renters was becoming “more and more explosive” with the “homelessness system on the brink of collapse”. Dempster added: “Even with the bandage protections of the eviction ban and the rent cap, thousands of tenants have been evicted whether through the tribunal or through ‘silent evictions’, where tenants just leave after an eviction notice, not able to cope with the stress and uncertainty of a tribunal process.” Scotland needs “rigorous rent controls which bring sky-high rents down and improve conditions, greater protections against unfair evictions and \[the\] ability to challenge eviction notices, and the building of more council homes,” he said. He argued councils were using excuses like the claim that tenants “need an eviction order” to avoid fulfilling their responsibility to house people in need. However, according to Tony Cain, currently the policy manager of the [Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers](http://www.alacho.org/?ref=theferret.scot), the move is the result of a “chronic shortage of social housing”. Cain said the tribunal decisions showed councils “understandably” pushing back on rehousing tenants who still have somewhere to live and are going through the eviction process. He added: “Councils are forced to focus on those in emergency situations right now. It’s not a preventative approach but it is driven by the shortage. And it’s hard to overstate just how tight local authority budgets are”. ### **Loopholes** Evictions could still be enforced as normal during the ban if a tenant was in substantial arrears, a landlord wanted to move into a property or sell it because of financial hardship, or an application for an eviction was made prior to the ban coming into force. The two most common reasons for eviction orders to be granted were because of rent arrears or because a landlord wanted to sell or move into the flat. Landlords said attempts to recoup them had taken both a mental and financial toll. In one case the landlord was living in homeless accommodation himself while pursuing thousands of pounds in rent. But in other cases far smaller amounts were owed. The tribunal granted one eviction order against a family with three children who had missed payment of two months’ rent and were £1,100 in arrears. The retired landlord said he wanted to sell the property because the stress it had caused him was “not worth it”. In another case, the landlord was granted an eviction order so that she could move back into a property to be closer to and care for her mother-in-law. The tenant said she had two disabled daughters living with her as well as an autistic grandson and was described by the tribunal as an “excellent tenant” – a fact they hoped would see her secure accommodation from the local authority. A lot of evictions in the early months of the ban were enforceable because an eviction notice or application to the tribunal was made before the ban came into force. In one case in April last year, an eviction was granted so that the landlord could change the property into a holiday let. However there were also some examples of the ban providing breathing space to tenants. This included one case where a landlord residing in Saudi Arabia applied to evict a couple who lived with their one-year-old son so that a family member could move into the property. The tribunal granted the application but it could not be enforced for six months because the eviction ban applied. ![Revealed: over 1300 eviction orders granted despite 'ban'](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1145797574.jpg) “The only effect of these short-term, poorly thought-through measures have been to vilify landlords and reduce investment in the private rented sector in Scotland,” said John Blackwood from the Scottish Association of Landlords. Image: travellinglight/iStock ### ‘**Mercilessly ejected’** The director of [Shelter Scotland](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), [Alison Watson](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/about%5Fus/our%5Fpeople/alison%5Fwatson?ref=theferret.scot), claimed “decades of underinvestment” in social housing had “led to chronic shortages and forced people into insecure and unaffordable tenancies in the private sector”. “It’s clear that for those living at the sharpest end of the housing emergency, there was never a meaningful eviction ban at all,” Watson told The Ferret. “The priority has to be ensuring local homelessness services have the resources they need to do their job and, ultimately, to deliver more social homes; that remains the only viable way to end the housing emergency.” [Scottish Labour](https://scottishlabour.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) MSP, [Paul Sweeney](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/paul-sweeney?ref=theferret.scot), criticised the Scottish government for slashing the affordable housing budget [by £196m](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24001176.scottish-government-slashes-millions-housing-budget-despite-crisis/?ref=theferret.scot) and said it was “concerning that so many tenants were evicted by private landlords during the eviction ban”. He claimed the eviction ban should have given tenants “peace of mind that, during a period of extreme financial uncertainty, they would not be mercilessly ejected from their homes”. John Blackwood, chief executive of the [Scottish Association of Landlords](https://scottishlandlords.com/?ref=theferret.scot), said the body had warned the eviction ban and rent cap would “not provide certainty for either tenants or landlords”, he claimed. The rent cap and eviction ban “delayed evictions rather than prevented them” and were “ideologically driven,” Blackwood argued. “The only effect of these short-term, poorly thought-through measures have been to vilify landlords and reduce investment in the private rented sector in Scotland, reducing supply and leading to increased costs,” he added. A Scottish Government spokesperson said that tenants’ rights in Scotland are “the strongest in the UK”. “The measures put in place were never intended to be a ‘ban’ on evictions. Instead, they ensured that where an eviction was granted, the enforcement of that eviction was paused for up to six months except in certain circumstances, which gave tenants additional time to access support and find alternative accommodation.” Cosla said a “huge amount of work goes into helping people maintain their tenancies and avoid eviction” with eviction used as “absolutely a last resort”. Scottish Greens MSP [Ariane Burgess](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot) said the “rent freeze and eviction ban provided vital protections that helped a lot of vulnerable households and families across Scotland”. She added: “Unfortunately, we could not make the permanent and structural changes that are so badly needed by using emergency legislation. The new first minister must uphold the new Housing Bill, she said, which would introduce a better system of rent controls and provide renters more protection. This piece was co-published with the Sunday National as part of our joint series Solutions for Scotland. Each month we will focus on one of the biggest issues facing Scotland today and some potential solutions to them. We are starting with the rental crisis. ***This piece was co-published with the Sunday National as part of our joint series Solutions for Scotland. Each month we will focus on one of the biggest issues facing Scotland today and some potential solutions to them. We are starting with the rental crisis.*** *Main image: Circle Creative Studio/iStock travellinglight/iStock* ### Keeping the door open: how a new approach could stop evictions and inspire change URL: https://www.theferret.scot/how-new-approach-stop-evictions-inspire-change/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T17:17:28.000Z Scotland is in the grip of a rental crisis. As our investigation highlights concerning levels of evictions, we hear from one housing association about its early intervention programme, while experts till us that change is possible…if there’s the political will. When we arrive at Megan’s small two-bed house in Cumbernauld she’s already peering out of the window and she waves. Until recently she wouldn’t have done that. She owed about £1,800 in rent arrears and, living in fear she would be evicted, kept the curtains shut tight. “You end up scared to even open the door,” she says. “I didn’t want anyone to know I was in the house. It sounds crazy but you feel unsafe with that hanging over you. You wake up in the morning and just worry about money constantly. And meanwhile the debt rises and the anxiety spirals.” I’m here with [Sanctuary Scotland](https://scotland.sanctuary.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)’s housing and community connector Laura McMillan to see what difference a holistic approach to rent arrears can make. Because in the midst of what many consider a [Scotland-wide housing emergency](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/campaigning/what%5Fis%5Fthe%5Fhousing%5Femergency?ref=theferret.scot) and cost-of-living crisis, combined with council, social care and health cuts, Megan (who is not using her real name) is far from alone. ### Evictions during the ban A Ferret investigation into housing tribunal decisions found more than 1,300 eviction orders were granted by the Scottish [housing tribunal](https://housingandpropertychamber.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) during the Scottish Government [eviction moratorium](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/professional%5Fresources/legal/eviction%5Fban%5Frent%5Fcap?ref=theferret.scot) between October 2022 and March 2024\. The majority of these evictions were due to rent arrears, most at a level which meant they could still be enforced by landlords despite the so-called ban. Some were not much higher than Megan’s. But others had spiralled over months and years to £5,000 or £6,000\. Some complex and long running cases even reached £20,000 or more. These cases are only the “tip of the iceberg” of [evictions](https://www.theferret.scot/scots-landlords-served-hundreds-of-eviction-notices/), according to tenants’ union [Living Rent](https://www.livingrent.org/?ref=theferret.scot). The majority never reach this stage with renters leaving when served a notice to quit by their landlord without a fight. But our deep dive into the decisions found local authorities, struggling for both resources and housing, told tenants to stay put until they were evicted – some had been on the housing lists for a decade or more. Homeless charities told The Ferret that those who were evicted often found themselves in temporary homeless accommodation, where [statistically](https://www.gov.scot/collections/homelessness-statistics/?ref=theferret.scot) they will likely stay for months or years. The systemic failure of Scotland’s housing system is now well-known. Five local authorities – first [Argyll and Bute](https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/housing/housing-emergency?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Housing%20issues%20have%20led%20to,Housing%20Emergency%20in%20June%202023.) last June, then [Edinburgh](https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/13844/edinburgh-declares-a-housing-emergency?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Councillors%20in%20Edinburgh%20have%20overwhelmingly,during%20a%20Full%20Council%20meeting.), [Glasgow](https://glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=30530&ref=theferret.scot), [Fife](https://www.fife.gov.uk/news/2024/fife-council-declares-housing-emergency?ref=theferret.scot) and most recently [West Dunbartonshire](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/west-dunbartonshire-declares-housing-emergency-32752065?ref=theferret.scot) – have announced housing emergencies. Councils across Scotland have been accused of breaking housing law “on an industrial scale” by experts and the situation labelled by some as a “car crash”. There are more ongoing homelessness cases in Scotland now than at any point on record, with [30,129 live applications](https://www.gov.scot/publications/homelessness-in-scotland-update-to-30-september-2023/?ref=theferret.scot) by September 2023\. Almost [10,000 children](https://www.gov.scot/publications/homelessness-in-scotland-update-to-30-september-2023/?ref=theferret.scot) are in temporary accommodation, where in Edinburgh people are spending an average of [471 days](https://www.gov.scot/publications/homelessness-in-scotland-update-to-30-september-2023/?ref=theferret.scot). Yet, dig below the surface and you find those who are determined that this situation is too important to give up on and who are working on solutions that if combined and scaled up, they claim, would have an impact. One of those is a programme by Sanctuary Scotland, one of the country’s biggest housing associations with almost 12,000 social homes across Scotland, including in Cumbernauld, where Megan’s home is. Laura McMillan is Megan’s “community connector”, one of four across Sanctuary’s estate charged with helping address all the issues facing tenants rather than just chasing the rent. It’s a small scale intervention and it doesn’t prevent every eviction – there were 17 last year from Sanctuary properties in Scotland. But it has supported a further 387 households deemed to be at risk of losing their tenancy, often due to multiple factors, including rent arrears. They’ve helped them stay in their homes and avoid eviction. Struggling to cope with mental and physical health issues, looking at her rent arrears letters terrified Megan. She wanted to hide away rather than confront them. So she didn’t answer the door. Suspecting she was no longer living there, Sanctuary was planning to serve a [notice of abandonment](https://www.tenancyagreementservice.co.uk/ending-a-tenancy-agreement/notice-of-abandonment-when-tenant-left-property?ref=theferret.scot). But first, they wanted to deploy one last strategy. “I put my card through her door and Megan got back to me”, explains McMillan. Her card is cheery, upbeat – ”Sorry we missed you,” it says with a number to text back and no mention of arrears. It worked and Megan texted. She came round and they chatted for an hour “about her daughter and the fact that I come from just along the road”, remembers McMillan. “It’s not about the rent arrears, it’s about me getting to know people.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/img_2512.jpg) Laura McMillan visits tenants like Megan at home to offer them support She arranged for Megan to see a welfare officer who got her adult disability payment in place and back-dated, helped her to apply for grants for the house and listened to what she needed. She also helped the housing association make sense of Megan’s behaviour – her anxiety, depression and fears following an illegal eviction by a private landlord a decade previously. Back then she was thrown out of the flat with her 13-year-old daughter and lost all her belongings and she worries that could happen again. Anthony Morrow, a community manager at Sanctuary Scotland’s – who had the idea for the project five years ago – says anxiety of this kind typical. “I always say rent arrears are a symptom of another problem. No-one wakes up and decides they’re not going to pay rent any more. It’s about recognising tenants that are struggling, helping them to be happy and healthy. Then the rent follows.” At first the service was a crisis intervention. But he and his team found that beginning to work with someone at this stage was often too late to stop eviction proceedings. Now, while they “will never close the door on anyone” they aim to start early, visiting people when arrears first start to build up to see if they need any support. Cumbernauld was designated as one of [Scotland’s new towns](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NwpY6Bo0hY&ref=theferret.scot) in 1955\. Dubbed “the town of tomorrow” it was part of a plan to move 550,000 people out of over-crowded housing in Glasgow into purpose built family flats. Laura McMillan’s grandparents were one of those families. But 70 years later though the housing stock is gradually being replaced, much of what remains is [rundown](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/apr/03/cumbernauld-town-shopping-centre-debate-brutalist-architecture?ref=theferret.scot),and the lack of investment and impact of austerity is visible. “Some people have been through trauma and it results in them not being able to cope,” says McMillan. “You see behaviours like hoarding and self neglect. And social care often doesn’t have the resources to intervene now – it’s hard to get the help people need.” We turn into Milllcroft – a rundown area which Megan was evicted from a decade ago. There’s a [compulsory purchase orde](https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-03/Statement%20of%20Reasons.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)r on these flats. The council is buying them and has “ambitious regeneration plans”, so change is hopefully coming. But today many of the windows on the crumbling buy-to-let flats owned by absent landlords are boarded up, there’s litter, fly-tipped furniture and an abandoned trolley. It’s hard, McMillan says, for those living there not to feel abandoned. Next stop is the oldest part of Cumbernauld known as “the village”, where McMillan tells me about a former tenant who was living in a flat blooming with mould and where the bushes grew up against the window, blocking the light. He was depressed, drinking and his mental health was suffering. “When I first got involved with him he hadn’t left the house for six months,” says McMillan. “He hadn’t been to the doctors or taking his medication. No-one checked up on him. I got him moved to a new build. He had a wee garden, planted some flowers, got a table and chairs for it and he’d sit there and wave to you. He was so delighted.” She has also helped women fleeing domestic abuse, and another who was assaulted at work. “It can be emotionally draining,” she admits. But she can see it’s making a difference. > Rent arrears are a symptom of another problem. It’s about recognising tenants that are struggling, helping them to be happy and healthy. Then the rent follows. > > Anthony Morrow, Sanctuary Housing Sanctuary is one of 11 housing associations who benefited from a [£1.5m Scottish Government fund](https://www.gov.scot/publications/ending-homelessness-together-action-plan-annual-report-parliament/pages/6/?ref=theferret.scot) which so far has supported 2,764 people to sustain their tenancies. But the problem for many, is not staying in social housing, but getting into it in the first place. There are nearly 250,000 people – roughly five per cent of the population –- on a waiting list for a social home in Scotland, according to Carolyn Lochhead, [Scottish Housing Federation ](https://www.sfha.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)director of external affairs. So while there is “significant work going on throughout the social housing sector to sustain tenancies” there are simply not enough homes to accommodate everyone. Part of the reasons are historic – the [right-to-buy policy](https://www.gov.scot/news/right-to-buy-ends-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) which ran from 1979 until 2016, saw Scotland lose nearly 500,000 social homes. But many argue there has been a lack of investment since. A [£190m cut](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/snp-ministers-urged-ditch-cuts-32197576?ref=theferret.scot) to the affordable housing budget announced by then-first minister Humza Yousaf in March sparked fury. There are now calls for John Swinney, his replacement, to reverse it. “Successive cuts by the Scottish Government to the affordable housing supply programme have been a hammer-blow for tackling poverty and homelessness across Scotland,” Lochhead says. Cuts combined with rising construction costs have created the perfect storm in terms of the continuing shortages. The number of builds started by housing associations in 2023 was at the lowest level since 1988\. With [92,381 homes](https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-for-scotland-new-house-building/?ref=theferret.scot) still to be built in order to meet the Scottish Government target of 110,000 by 2032, it looks likely it [won’t be reached](https://gwsf.org.uk/scottish-governments-social-homes-target-could-fall-short-by-50-says-gwsf/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Even%20if%20the%20current%20pace,Scotland%20Forum%20of%20Housing%20Associations.). Edinburgh architect [Malcolm Fraser](https://fraserlivingstone.com/about/people/malcolm-fraser-architect?ref=theferret.scot) claims there’s a way around this. Instead of focussing on new builds we should be looking to retrofit instead of rebuild, he says, taking empty property across Scotland and putting in the work to make it possible to repurpose them as homes. “There’s so much potential to create the homes people want to live in,” he says. “I had a really great tour around Perth where the empty homes officer is doing just that and getting homes up and running for £80,000.” He is part of a campaign to see Glasgow’s [Wyndford flats](https://www.ercs.scot/news/wyndford-residents-union-defending-residents-rights/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Wyndford%20Residents%20Union%20is,and%20cost%20more%20than%20retrofitting.), in the north west of the city, refurbished instead of demolished. But there are currently issues in making that a reality, with fewer grants available for often tricky retrofits than those for rebuilds. So while social housing remains in such short supply, many who may once have been eligible for social housing are forced into the private rental sector. > We need to radically reassess the power imbalance between tenants and landlords. In many ways it’s mediaeval. > > Tony Cain Barbara Welsh, a 45-year-old university administrator, is one of them. Earlier this year she received a [notice-to-quit](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/housing%5Fadvice/eviction/assured%5Ftenancies/notice?ref=theferret.scot) her flat, delivered by sheriff officers after her landlord decided to sell her flat. It was dated for 1 April, the day the [eviction ban](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/housing%5Fadvice/cost%5Fof%5Fliving/eviction%5Fban?ref=theferret.scot) was lifted. She had been living in her two-bed flat for 16 years and it was home. The rent had gone up to £895 in August 2022 so when another rent increase was suggested she challenged it. The eviction notice followed soon after. “I didn’t see any point in fighting it,” she says.”I didn’t see that I could win this one. I couldn’t take the extra stress and anxiety.” The local housing associations didn’t assess her as a priority. And just one mid-market rental property came up locally and was flooded with applications. Nearby private rentals were being advertised around her for up to £1,700 a month. In the end she found a flat in nearby Anniesland – only 2.4 miles away but it still felt “like uprooting my life”. “It’s changed the way I feel about things,” she says. “It’s the lack of security. Am I still going to be about to live here in one year? In ten years? Is the same thing going to happen again?” The Ferret’s investigation found many facing [“no-fault evictions”](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/wales/housing/eviction/eviction/renting-privately/if-you-get-a-no-fault-notice-w/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=A%20no%20fault%20notice%20is,stay%20longer%20in%20your%20home.) like Barbara were waiting for social housing, and like her, did not have enough points to rise to the top of queues. There were single mothers, juggling part-time work with caring for both children and elderly relatives, facing no fault evictions after years on the housing lists and older people whose names had never come up now looking for care homes. According to [Tony Cain](https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/housing-champion-tony-cain?ref=theferret.scot), housing veteran and currently policy manager of the [Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers](http://www.alacho.org/?ref=theferret.scot), councils could start buying homes with sitting tenants from landlords as they sell up. “Every home adds to our stock,” he says. But there’s something fundamental he thinks we must do in terms of the private rental sector. “We need to radically reassess the power imbalance between tenants and landlords,” he explains. “In many ways it’s mediaeval. You see that imbalance in the housing tribunals and you see it in evictions.” Living Rent claims there are definitive grounds for this. In a [survey](https://www.livingrent.org/pushed%5Fto%5Fthe%5Fedge?ref=theferret.scot) of 700 private rental tenants they released last month 62 per cent said they were worried they would be evicted following the so-called ban. Almost two in ten had been evicted before. The survey suggested almost a third of landlords had given a false reason for evicting them, but in almost all cases tenants had not taken the case to the housing tribunal. Almost half had their rent increased since January 2023. Landlords associations meanwhile have argued that measures aimed at strengthening tenants rights are having a detrimental effect not only on landlords themselves, but on the whole sector, reducing the number of homes to rent as landlords were forced to sell up. > Landlords are seeing rising mortgage interest charges as well as increasing bills for upgrades or repairs which often results in rents not covering the costs. > > > John Blackwood, Scottish Association of Landlords Last year the [Scottish Association of Landlords](https://scottishlandlords.com/?ref=theferret.scot) (SAL), [Scottish Land and Estates](https://www.scottishlandandestates.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) and [Propertymark](https://www.propertymark.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) took legal action against the Scottish Government, claiming the law was disproportionate and unfair. But they [lost the case](https://scottishlandlords.com/news-and-campaigns/news/judicial-review-finds-in-favour-of-the-scottish-government/?ref=theferret.scot). John Blackwood, chief executive of SAL, said: “Landlords are seeing rising mortgage interest charges as well as increasing bills for upgrades or repairs which often results in rents not covering the costs. “The sector has long seen the consequences of a lack of appropriate social housing in Scotland. We need a much more effective plan to make sure that people are secure in a home that is suitable for their needs and is affordable for all parties.” Gordon MacRae, assistant director of [Shelter Scotland](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), admits there is evidence that some landlords are leaving the sector. “But we’re also seeing a similar trend in England,” he adds,” so it’s not clear that it’s the legislation that’s having that impact. There is still considerable value in being a landlord in Scotland.” He agrees that while longer term the solution has to be more social housing there is much we can do to increase stock and improve renters rights. “What we need is someone in government who is focussed on making this happen and has the creativity, leadership and political will to drive actual change.” Meanwhile in Cumbernauld staff at Sanctuary Scotland’s community connectors programme won’t change things on their own. This work can’t address the lack of housing, or the structural reasons for that. But it can address the issues facing people like Megan, whose arrears are now down to £600 with an agreement that her benefits will cover a further £30 a month. “At least,” she says, “there’s no risk of me losing the house over this any more. There’s a steady plan.” And that’s a start. ### **Solving the housing crisis. What people told us:** 1\. Invest in social housing across Scotland. 2\. Refurbish empty homes and buildings to create more housing. 3\. Fund councils to buy back private lets with sitting tenants to prevent no-fault evictions when landlords decide to sell up. 4\. Offer early and holistic support to deal with the root cause of rent arrears – for social and private tenants. 5\. Put in place enforceable rent controls. 6\. Reframe the landlord/tenant relationships, putting the emphasis on consumer protections rather than property law. 7\. Reform the housing tribunal system to make it more accessible and supportive for tenants. 8\. Invest in welfare systems as much as Scottish powers allow. ***Image thanks to iStock/Roman Babakin*** *This piece was co-published with the Sunday National as part of our joint series Solutions for Scotland. Each month we will focus on one of the biggest issues facing Scotland today and some potential solutions to them. We are starting with the rental crisis.* ### Scotland’s richest landowner backing ‘madcap’ mini-nuke plan URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-anders-holch-povlsen-nuclear-reactors-asia/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:35:38.000Z **Scotland’s richest man and rewilding enthusiast, Anders Holch Povlsen, has come under fierce fire for backing a “bonkers” plan to build thousands of floating nuclear reactors in Asia.** The Danish billionaire is a major investor in a [£23m](https://datacvr.virk.dk/gateway/dokument/downloadDokumentForVirksomhed?dokumentId=amNsb3VkczovLzAzL2Q3LzdmLzc0LzBhLzhiYTMtNDA3NS05YTQ1LWNkZGE5MTk5YmFiMw&cvrNummer=37859087&ref=theferret.scot) Danish [nuclear](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/nuclear/) company, [Seaborg](https://www.seaborg.com/?ref=theferret.scot), that is proposing to install up to 9,000 mini nuclear power stations in barges around South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and elsewhere. Campaigners described floating reactors as a “disaster waiting to happen”, warning that they could sink, leak radioactivity and contaminate coastlines. They criticised Povlsen for wasting money on a “shameful” scheme that will end up dumping radioactive waste on the other side of the world. [Povlsen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders%5FHolch%5FPovlsen?ref=theferret.scot), however, said he was proud to back Seaborg “to secure a sustainable, affordable solution” to climate change and “create a better world”. He stressed the need for “new clean energy sources” to enable a “green climate transformation”. Seaborg argued that its reactors would be “inherently safe” and were vital to slowing global warming. Radioactive wastes would be “chemically bound” to the fuel so would not leak, the company said – and investors such as Povlsen should be applauded as “bold and visionary”. In 2023 Povlsen was [listed](https://news.stv.tv/west-central/danish-billionaire-and-edinburgh-jenners-building-owner-retains-spot-as-scotlands-richest-man?ref=theferret.scot) as Scotland’s richest man and was said to be worth £8.5bn. He made his fortune in the [fashion business](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASOS%5F%28retailer%29?ref=theferret.scot), is chief executive of one clothes retailer, [Bestseller](https://bestseller.com/?ref=theferret.scot), and has a stake in another, [Asos](https://www.asos.com/?ref=theferret.scot). He is also Scotland’s [largest private landowner](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17589266.anders-povlsen-scotlands-biggest-landowner/?ref=theferret.scot), with more than 220,000 acres across 13 estates. He owns [Aldourie Castle](https://aldourie.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), on the shores of Loch Ness and the [Jenners building](https://www.thejennersbuilding.com/?ref=theferret.scot) on Princes Street in Edinburgh, and lives at [Glenfeshie](https://www.glenfeshie.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) in the Cairngorms. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1349017945.jpg) Glenfeshie in the evening, Cairngorms National Park. Image: Sebastian Sonnen/iStock He has been feted by some environmentalists for [his commitment](https://wildland.scot/mission-and-vision?ref=theferret.scot) to “restore our parts of the Highlands to their former magnificent natural state and repair the harm that man has inflicted on them.” His company, [Wildland](https://wildland.scot/about?ref=theferret.scot), manages [three large estates](https://wildland.scot/our-estates?ref=theferret.scot) in the Cairngorms, Lochaber and Sutherland. According to the [Danish Business Authority’s register](https://datacvr.virk.dk/enhed/virksomhed/37859087?fritekst=Seaborg&sideIndex=0&size=10&ref=theferret.scot), as of 15 March 2024 Povlsen owned a 42.42 per cent capital share and had 46.66 per cent voting rights in Seaborg. He first [bought](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-25/danish-nuclear-startup-taps-billionaire-for-first-asian-reactor?embedded-checkout=true&ref=theferret.scot) a stake in the company in 2020 [via](https://www.seaborg.com/press-release-preseed?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Current%20investors%20including%20Heartland%20and,Molten%20Salt%20Reactor%20%28CMSR%29.) his investment firm, [Heartland](https://heartland.co/?ref=theferret.scot). Seaborg’s plan is to design and manufacture new “compact molten salt reactors” to generate electricity from hundreds of barges moored around Asian coasts. Initial agreements have been signed with South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia. [Molten salt reactors](https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/molten-salt-reactor-technology-development-continues-as-countries-work-towards-net-zero?ref=theferret.scot) are one of a series of new designs of smaller reactors that the nuclear industry hopes will boost the use of nuclear power globally. Instead of using water or gas to cool the nuclear reactions, as existing reactors do, they plan to use molten salts. Seaborg [said in 2021](https://www.seaborg.com/press-release-preseed?ref=theferret.scot) that it was aiming to bring the reactors to market by 2025\. According to one [Danish report](https://blog.digitalhubdenmark.dk/nuclear-power-it-s-part-of-the-solution/?ref=theferret.scot) at the time, the company was aiming to install as many as 8,975 reactors in barges by 2040. The reactors, however, are still being designed. In July 2023 Seaborg [announced](https://www.seaborg.com/press-release-fuel-type-leu?ref=theferret.scot) that it was changing the type of uranium fuel they would use, as well as the reactor moderators used to slow down nuclear reactions. The company then appeared to postpone the planned delivery of the reactors, [saying in 2023](https://www.seaborg.com/advanced-nuclear-power-in-norway?ref=theferret.scot) that the aim was to complete its first plant in Asia “by the end of this decade”. > He should stick to protecting nature in Scotland instead of wasting a fortune on a madcap scheme that threatens public health and the environment. > > Dr Richard Dixon, former director of Friends of the Earth Scotland Seaborg also wants to introduce its reactors in Europe. In July 2023 it [signed a letter of intent](https://www.seaborg.com/advanced-nuclear-power-in-norway?ref=theferret.scot) with a Norwegian nuclear power company which said it was “considering how this technology can best be introduced in Norway”. According to Seaborg, its molten salt reactors on barges would complement renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. “Our power barge can produce energy where and when it is needed, supporting variable renewables on windless, cloudy days,” it said. “The power barge will be able to deliver up to 800 megawatts of electricity as well as clean water from desalination, and district heating”. It could make “an important contribution to the transition towards a prosperous and emission-free society,” Seaborg [argued](https://www.seaborg.com/the-reactor?ref=theferret.scot). Some experts, however, dispute the benefits of molten salt reactors. The nuclear critic, M.V. Ramana, concluded in the [Bulletin of Atomic Scientists](https://thebulletin.org/2022/06/molten-salt-reactors-were-trouble-in-the-1960s-and-they-remain-trouble-today/?ref=theferret.scot) in June 2022 that they were a “bad idea”. He maintained they were unlikely to operate reliably and would produce radioactive wastes that would be difficult to dispose of. The French Government’s nuclear safety agency, [IRSN](https://en.irsn.fr/?ref=theferret.scot), said the reactors still had to overcome “numerous technical challenges”, he pointed out. Campaigners were damning in their dismissal of the reactors. Molten salt reactors were a failed technology and putting them in barges brought risks of leaks, crashes, and sinking, warned [Dr Richard Dixon](https://www.rdixon.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), the former director of Friends of the Earth Scotland. “Given that Povlsen is an enthusiast for nature it seems bonkers to find him investing in a technology that could contaminate significant areas of coastline if things go wrong,” Dixon told The Ferret. “He should stick to protecting nature in Scotland instead of wasting a fortune on a madcap scheme that threatens public health and the environment with risks from thousands of reactors.” The veteran Highland anti-nuclear campaigner, [Lorraine Mann](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12262090.a-personal-victory-for-a-most-persuasive-critic/?ref=theferret.scot), argued there was no such thing as an “inherently safe” nuclear reactor. “This appears to be a huge and, frankly, shameful misstep on Povlsen’s part,” she said. “While he rewilds Scotland his ill-considered nuclear investment will necessitate the dumping of radioactive waste in some other part of the world.” The Green MSP, [Mark Ruskell](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/mark-ruskell?ref=theferret.scot), thought that the focus had to be on fast and effective action to prevent climate breakdown. “Floating nuclear reactors are a disaster waiting to happen,” he said. “Rather than investing in dangerous and unproven nuclear technology, we should all be supporting clean green renewable energy which is already proven and is already making a big difference.” [Friends of the Earth Denmark](https://www.noah.dk/english?ref=theferret.scot) described the drive for small new reactors as a “sham” which would divert funds from renewables. “In this case, the only good news is that it is private and not taxpayers’ money that is wasted,” said the group’s Niels Henrik Hooge. “We are surprised that Povlsen is investing money in Seaborg. He is known to be a savvy businessman and here in Denmark, Seaborg and others are not perceived as serious business ventures, only as a distraction from the green energy transition.” A [spokesperson for Povlsen](https://bestseller.com/?ref=theferret.scot) said: “If we are to protect and preserve nature we need to keep innovating to create new clean energy sources that enable a green climate transformation and support hard-to-reach decarbonisation targets while tackling the planet’s biodiversity crisis. “Seaborg is harnessing new approaches to an established technology with the aim of becoming one of the world’s leading clean-tech companies. Their proposition is to secure a sustainable, affordable solution to address climate change and enable the energy transformation that we all want to see. “We are proud to play our part in supporting those ambitions in the hope that their work can truly create a better world if successful.” > While he rewilds Scotland, his ill-considered nuclear investment will necessitate the dumping of radioactive waste in some other part of the world. > > Lorraine Mann, anti-nuclear campaigner According to [Seaborg](https://www.seaborg.com/?ref=theferret.scot), nuclear power was vital to delivering more green energy. It was developing a new technology which “had the greatest potential for achieving the large-scale deployment needed,” the company’s co-founder and lead reactor engineer, [Eirik Eide Pettersen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eirikep/?originalSubdomain=dk&ref=theferret.scot), told The Ferret. “The main benefit of the molten salt reactor is that the exceptionally high level of safety that is expected and required from nuclear power plants is rooted in the laws of physics and chemistry instead of complex and costly engineered safety systems.” He argued that because radioactive wastes were “chemically bound” within the fuel they could not leak in accidents, as has happened in the past. He accepted, however, that Seaborg reactors would produce long-lived radioactive wastes requiring “timely and responsible handling”. Pettersen also admitted that “considerable work and investment remains to further mature and scale up the technology”. More testing was needed to “bring molten salt reactors to the level of performance that the current nuclear industry achieves”, he said. “Considering the scale of the global warming crisis we are increasingly experiencing, we strongly believe that the world needs an ‘all of the above’ approach to curbing emissions,” he added. “Nuclear power and molten salt reactors are dependable and competitive low-emission alternatives, with an environmental footprint smaller than any other energy technology. So we applaud the bold and visionary investors that have and continue to support the development of this.” *Main image: mesh cube/iStock* ### Far right ‘terrorist’ and ‘racist’ posts broke rules, election watchdog staff claimed URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-terrorist-racist-rules-election-watchdog/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T16:46:09.000Z **Election watchdog staff accused senior figures in the far right Homeland party of breaking their own code of conduct by sharing “terrorist literature” and “antisemitic and racist” content, The Ferret can reveal.** The Electoral Commission (the commission) [approved](https://www.theferret.scot/homeland-registers-political-party-electoral-commission/) Homeland’s bid to register as a political party and field candidates in elections across Britain in January. But comments in [documents](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24522391-homeland-foi-018-24-response-redacted?responsive=1&title=1&ref=theferret.scot) seen by The Ferret suggest it did so despite “evidence that the party simply ignores breaches of their own code by prominent members”. Some reviewers of the application alleged that members of Homeland’s national council, which sets the party’s rules, breached [UK equalities laws](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents?ref=theferret.scot) by sharing discriminatory content. But the commission concluded there was a lack of evidence that the members posted the content in their capacity as party officers. [Far right figure who targeted Elgin registers political partyA new far right political party led by a man who styles himself on Adolf Hitler and spoke at an anti-asylum seeker rally in Elgin, has been approved to stand in elections by the Electoral Commission. Alek Yerbury’s National Rebirth Party was authorised by the elections watchdog on 28![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-88.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/screenshot-2024-03-15-at-12-02-30-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-hitler-lookalike-political-party/) The charity [Campaign Against Antisemitism](https://antisemitism.org/?ref=theferret.scot) urged the commission to explain why it greenlit Homeland’s application and argued it must do more to “ensure that far right parties do not make a mockery of our nation’s laws”. The commission said it approved Homeland’s application “after careful consideration” but does not regulate “a party’s compliance with its own internal policies”. But Homeland dismissed the “spurious claims” it alleged were made by the commission’s “junior staff” in documents obtained by The Ferret. It argued they highlighted an attempt to “find any reason, no matter how tenuous, to reject our application”. The party enforces its code of conduct and did not breach the equality act, it argued. ### **Homeland’s internal rules** Homeland’s [code of conduct](https://homelandparty.org/code-of-conduct/?ref=theferret.scot) bans “expressions of hatred” towards people based on factors including race, sexuality, nationality and ethnicity, “encouragement or glorification of terrorism or violence” or “grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or threatening messages”. But Kenny Smith, a [self-described](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-leader-condemned-for-racial-comment/) “racial nationalist” from Lewis and the party’s chairman, apparently used “an X account in his name and noting his party position which references racist material and theories”, claimed [one reviewer](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24522391-homeland-foi-018-24-response-redacted?responsive=1&title=1&ref=theferret.scot) for the commission. It was also noted that Anthony Burrows, responsible for nominating Homeland’s candidates, last year [failed](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-homeland-member-loses-shotgun-licence/) to get his shotgun licence back after a Derby Crown Court judge deemed him “a danger to the peace”. His X account shared views “sympathetic towards violence aimed at non-white ethnic or religious groups”, links to “terrorist literature and manifestos”, images of Hitler, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, and a depiction of the mass graves of muslims, the judge said. ![Far Right](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-04-22-at-17-55-22-1.jpg) Smith (front left) and Burrows (behind) campaigning with other Homeland activists The same reviewer said there was “a compelling argument” that Smith and Burrows’ activities “appear to discriminate against individuals based on their protected characteristics”. Under UK equalities laws, [protected characteristics](https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/workforce-and-hr-support/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-workforce/equality-act-and?ref=theferret.scot) include race, religion, and sexual orientation. One member of the commission’s approval board was worried that approving Homeland’s application could set a “precedent” in which it would have to accept parties that comply with equalities legislation “in theory”, but “ignore it” in practice. But the commission concluded there was insufficient evidence that Smith and Burrows’ social media activity had been done in their capacity as party officers, or that applicant members would be “indirectly discriminated against”. It would be “high risk for the commission to refuse \[Homeland’s\] registration on this point”, one reviewer said. The elections watchdog approved the far right group’s bid amidst concerns raised by anti-racism groups and the UK Government, which, [we revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/home-office-far-right-homeland-stealth-party/), aired fears to the election watchdog that Homeland had applied “by stealth” to become a political party. ### **Far right** ‘**mockery’ of UK laws** A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is right that the Electoral Commission seeks to safeguard democracy by permitting the widest possible participation in party politics under the law. “But the commission must also help to protect and enforce the law when parties flout it. Prospective or registered parties cannot be allowed to pretend that they abide by their legal obligations but fail to do so in practice without consequence.” They added: “In light of these revelations, the commission must explain why it permitted candidates for Homeland to stand in these circumstances, and what it intends to do now to ensure that far right parties do not make a mockery of our nation’s laws.” [Far right Homeland activists gain Scottish community councils seatsMembers of a new organisation formed after the “UK’s most dangerous group on the British far right” splintered are members of Scottish community councils, we can reveal, prompting calls for an urgent investigation. Homeland was formed in April after some members of the white nationalist outfit Patriotic Alternative (PA)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-89.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image-2-4-2-1-1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-homeland-scottish-community-councils/) Liberal Democrat MP [Christine Jardine](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4634/contact?ref=theferret.scot) said: “It’s extremely troubling that a group like this is attempting to gain a toehold in Scottish politics. The Electoral Commission may have given them permission to stand candidates but I have full faith that the people of Scotland will have none of it and will give them the drubbing they so richly deserve.” An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: “As the registrar for UK political parties, the commission assesses all applications to register against the criteria set out in the [Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/41/contents?ref=theferret.scot), and approves those that meet the legal tests.” The election watchdog is also bound to a [public sector equality duty](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-sector-equality-duty?ref=theferret.scot) which it must apply to all applications. Homeland’s bid was approved “after careful consideration” and the commission “does not have a role in regulating a party’s compliance with its own internal policies,” the spokesperson added. ### **Claims ‘spurious’** A Homeland spokesman said: “Spurious claims were made by unnamed junior staff in an attempt to find any reason, no matter how tenuous, to reject our application. The Electoral Commission ultimately rejected their claims. “We enforce our code of conduct, but unlike other parties, we don’t virtue signal and allow the biased press or far left pressure groups to influence our decision-making. Campaign Against Antisemitism is entitled to its opinion, but they are entirely wrong – nothing they have referred to breaches the equality act. “The fact that they suggest people shouldn’t be allowed to stand for election because they disagree with them shows the same anti-democratic traits as the Soviet-era communists. “Councillor Burrows has a track record of reasonable democratic engagement and discourse. The court case was a civil matter he brought against the police. He has never been investigated or arrested. He has never directly shared a link or suggested anyone read anything beyond the pale. The judge’s comments are just that: comments.” ### Edinburgh University denies surveillance claims by student protestors URL: https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-university-denies-surveillance-claims/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T18:18:33.000Z **Security staff at Edinburgh University have been accused of “intimidating” student protestors by threatening to use Wi-Fi data to identify them and “damage their careers”.** At a trans-rights protest last October, campus security allegedly told students occupying a lecture theatre that a Wi-Fi service called [eduroam](https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/computing/desktop-personal/wifi-networking/configure-device?ref=theferret.scot) would be used to identify them. Eduroam is a free, global WiFi service for university staff and students which can be used at academic institutions around the world. In “exceptional circumstances” Edinburgh University can use the WiFi data for internal investigations, a freedom of information request has now revealed. Critics said the potential for a university to use eduroam for surveillance has “serious implications” for freedom of speech and assembly. [The University and College Union](https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (UCU) Edinburgh told The Ferret it has “repeatedly raised concerns” with university management about security at campus protests. But [Edinburgh University](https://www.ed.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said it fully supports the right to peaceful protest and has “never used Wi-Fi user data to identify anyone involved in demonstrations”. Its security team denied threatening students and were cleared after an internal investigation but staff have been told to “revisit training” on eduroam. The Ferret’s revelations follow violence erupting on university campuses in the US over the Hamas-Israel war and pro-Palestinian students [occupying some university campuses](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68938763?ref=theferret.scot) in the UK. The Edinburgh University protest at the centre of controversy took place on 11 October 2023, at 40 George Square, a building on campus previously named the David Hume Tower. > I don’t think students and staff would be comfortable using eduroam if they knew they would be snooped on like this. The demonstration was over the launch of a book called “Sex and Gender: A Contemporary Reader” which was branded transphobic by critics. However, the co-editors of the book responded by saying the claims of [transphobia were libelliou](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,academics-at-edinburgh-university-accuse-union-of-attempting-to-shut-down-debate-over-sex-and-gender-book?ref=theferret.scot)s, and the university allowed the event to proceed, saying it is committed to free speech, respectful debate and discussion, as well as the right to protest. An estimated 40 protestors were outside the event, with many holding a range of different LGBTQ+ flags. University security and police also attended. Several staff and student groups – including Staff Pride Network and UCU – had signed an open letter arguing it was inappropriate for the book launch to take place. Earlier that day, students had occupied 40 George Square to try to prevent the event from taking place – and this is when security allegedly threatened to use WiFi to identify protestors, some of whom wore masks to protect their identities. The Ferret has seen a statement by security stating that “mask-wearing at protests is illegal” and they \[security\] would “do everything to identify these people”. Security later denied the students’ allegations after a formal complaint was made by a staff member. The complaint was dismissed by the university which said “there’s no evidence that protestors were threatened with the use of eduroam to identify them”. However, it recommended the head of security “revisits training with his team on this subject to confirm their awareness that this shouldn’t be used as a threat to discourage protestors from the occupation of university spaces”. ![Edinburgh University denies surveillance claims by student protestors](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/glenn-carstens-peters-npxxwgq33zq-unsplash.jpg) “Management should make clear that threats to identify protesters via their use of university Wi-Fi are unacceptable,” Sophia Woodman, from UCU Edinburgh, told The Ferret. Image: Glenn Carstens-Peters ### **Security cleared but ordered to “revisit training”** The freedom of information revealed the institution can use Wi-Fi user data to identify people in certain circumstances. The permission for access to the data can be given retrospectively, and anyone using eduroam can be identified on campus. The university’s FOI response said: “The University of Edinburgh is a member of the JANET Roaming Service which in turn is a member of the eduroam federation. The eduroam service provided by JANET in the UK is a federated service that enables JANET connected organisations to offer high quality secure network services for visitors from other eduroam-enabled organisations, without the need for guest account management.” It added: “Log data including user identity details, network access points, timings etc can, in exceptional circumstances be used a part of information security, or formal HR \[human resources\] or student investigations. Operational data may also be combined with other university owned data to provide actionable information.” The staff member who submitted the FOI and the formal complaint told The Ferret, on condition of anonymity, that there are “serious implications for freedom of speech” across the UK, and that people “don’t seem to be aware that universities have this power”. “I was stunned to learn that eduroam WiFi can be used to identify and locate anyone on university campuses,” they added. “I don’t think students and staff would be comfortable using eduroam if they knew they would be snooped on like this. “Freedom of assembly is more important on university campuses than arguably anywhere else. Therefore it is profoundly concerning to hear allegations that Edinburgh university security tried intimidating peaceful protestors by saying that eduroam would be used to identify protestors and damage their careers. “When I raised my concerns about the conduct of security, management refused to review the body camera footage from the security officers at protests, dismissing serious allegations of wrongdoing as hearsay.” Sophia Woodman, co-president of the University and College Union (UCU) Edinburgh, said that in the last year the union has repeatedly raised concerns with university management about “instances of overreach by campus security” at protests. “Management should make clear that threats to identify protesters via their use of university Wi-Fi are unacceptable, and an infringement on the right to protest,” she added. “There is no justification for tracking protesters in this way in the absence of any breach of the law. We call on management to clarify their use of eduroam data to everyone in the university community as soon as possible.” > The university should stand up for the human rights of its community but instead management treat every tool available to them as a weapon to threaten student protesters with. > > Staff-Student Solidarity Network A spokesperson for a campaign group at the university called [Staff-Student Solidarity Network](https://www.facebook.com/edistaffstudentsolidarity/) said using the technology for surveillance purposes with no oversight or need to legally justify their actions was “appalling”. They added: “Privacy is a human right and a crucial part of a democratic society. The university should stand up for the human rights of its community but instead management treat every tool available to them as a weapon to threaten student protesters with.” A spokesperson for Edinburgh University said: “Our professional security team are fully trained in the management of a range of scenarios, including protests. We have never used WiFi user data to identify anyone involved in demonstrations. We will always support the right to take part in lawful, peaceful and respectful protest.” Across the UK last week, students were protesting against the war in Gaza on campus at several universities including Leeds, Newcastle and Bristol. Tents were set up outside buildings and a camp was set up by Warwick University students in the town’s piazza. Protesters want their universities to divest from firms involved with Israel in response to its deadly military operation in the Gaza Strip. The Union of Jewish Students issued a statement on Thursday saying Jewish students were angry, tired and hurt by “the continuous torrent of antisemitic hatred on campus” since the 7 October attacks by Hamas. The group, which claims to represent 9,000 Jewish students in the UK and Ireland, said that while students have a right to protest, “these encampments create a hostile and toxic atmosphere on campus for Jewish students.” However, Palestine Solidarity Campaign youth and student campaigns officer Stella Swain said: “All the protests so far have been completely peaceful. There is nothing to indicate that they wouldn’t be.” The prime [minister’s spokesman said](https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/may/02/anti-israel-protests-uk-campuses-union-of-jewish-students-condemns?ref=theferret.scot) police would “have our full support” if students in the UK tried to replicate protests at US universities. Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said: “We’ve always been clear that people have a right to peaceful and lawful protest, but clearly, people shouldn’t abuse that right to intimidate others, \[or\] cause unnecessary disruption.” The UK protests follow much larger demonstrations on campuses across the US where tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop working with Israel, or companies they say support the war on Gaza, have spread. They are demanding that their schools financially divest from Israel. Divestment means to sell off stock in Israeli companies, or to otherwise drop financial ties. More than 2,000 demonstrators were arrested last week including around 300 arrests at Columbia University, in New York. Last month the Israeli security service Mossad threatened pro-Palestinian protestors on US [campuses by tweeting on X](https://twitter.com/MOSSADil/status/1782453799757504683?ref=theferret.scot): “Facial recognition can determine whether you participated in the pro Hamas protests at the universities. Your jobs and your degrees will be worthless. Your hiring opportunities will be limited.” **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** *Main image: Aniruddha Chatterjee/iStock* ### A place to heal: saving lives in Toronto’s toxic drug crisis URL: https://www.theferret.scot/heal-saving-lives-toronto-toxic-drug-crisis/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T18:18:37.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ssid-newsletter-banner-2.png)](theferret.scot/subscribe) ***“You’re just trying these interventions to save people but it’s not enough because this crisis is structural. We need housing, we need support. We need a foundation to heal.” Zoe Dodd, co-founder of Moss Park overdose prevention site.*** [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-04-29-at-07-03-11.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/the-ferret-investigates-podcast/) This summer Glasgow will be the first UK city to open a sanctioned safer drug consumption facility. People will bring their own drugs and inject them supervised by staff able to respond immediately if anyone overdoses. Similar overdose prevention sites and consumption facilities have opened at more than 100 sites in 11 countries over the last 30 years. Ahead of the Glasgow service opening, The Ferret visited one such project, the [Mosspark Consumption and Treatment Service](https://www.srchc.ca/programs/community-health/consumption-and-treatment-service-moss-park/?ref=theferret.scot) in Toronto, to find out what difference its community-focussed approach can make. This podcast follows drug users and staff through a day-in-the-life of this service, exploring its roots in civil disobedience and its ongoing fight for recognition. We heard from those struggling to cope with the realities of addiction to super-strength fentanyl as well as those whose lives had been saved by the Moss Park team. Texas, MK, Sarah, Erin and others tell stories of love and loss, and of systemic failure in the midst of an ongoing toxic drug death crisis. But they also highlight the importance of hope, the possibility of healing and the impact that being part of a community can have. *This podcast is written, recorded and produced by Karin Goodwin for The Ferret. Additional editing and sound design is by Alan Bryden.* *Deep thanks go to everyone in the Moss Park community. This podcast is dedicated to the people they’ve lost.* *If you need help or support in relation to your drug use you can contact wearewithyou.org.uk, or if you need someone to talk to, you can call thesamaritans.org or call 116 123.* ##### *The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs.* If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. [Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) ### Alarm over nuclear safety lapses on the Clyde URL: https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-lapses-clyde-alarm/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:19:57.000Z **The number of safety incidents that could have leaked radiation at the Trident nuclear base on the Clyde has risen to the highest in 15 years, according to information released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).** One incident in 2023 at the [Faslane](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/faslane/) base, near Helensburgh, was given the MoD’s worst risk rating. This is the first time this has happened since 2008. Another four incidents at the base in 2023, and one in 2024, were given the second worst rating. The number in 2023 was the highest since 2006. According to the MoD’s definitions, all six incidents had “actual or potential for radioactive release to the environment”. In total the MoD logged 179 nuclear safety incidents on the Clyde in 2023 and 2024, though most of them were deemed to be less serious. The MoD insisted that there had been no “radiological impact” or harm to health from any of the incidents. But it declined to provide any further details for national security reasons. Campaigners described the rise in serious safety incidents as “alarming” and “chilling”. They condemned the secrecy surrounding the incidents, and called for the MoD to give a “full account” of what happened. [Nuclear safety incidents on the Clyde leap by a thirdThe number of nuclear safety incidents recorded by the Ministry of Defence at Faslane and Coulport on the Clyde has rocketed by a third in a year, The Ferret can reveal. MPs at Westminster were told that the total number of “nuclear site events” at the two Trident bases increased![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-32.png)The FerretRob Edwards![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/45147682-2.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/nuclear-safety-incidents-clyde-leap/) The MoD has released [new figures](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-04-12/21095?ref=theferret.scot) to MPs summarising the number of “nuclear site events” in 2023 and 2024 at Faslane and the nearby nuclear bomb store at [Coulport](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/coulport/). A total of 158 incidents of all kinds were recorded for 2023, plus 21 so far in 2024\. All but six of the incidents were in three less serious categories, suggesting they posed lower risks. [According to the MoD](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-04-12/21095?ref=theferret.scot), the incidents included “equipment failures, human error, procedural failings, documentation shortcoming or near-misses”. But it gave no further descriptions of any of the six more serious incidents. \[table id=475 /\] One incident at Faslane in 2023 was rated as “category A”, the highest risk rating used by the MoD. It [has defined](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/mod-letter-on-nuclear-safety-events-at-faslane.pdf) such incidents as having an “actual or high potential for radioactive release to the environment” in breach of safety limits. The last category A incident [reported](https://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1302/Nuclear%5FSafety%5FEvents%5Fin%5FFaslane%5Fand%5FCoulport-Deidre%5FBrock%5FMP.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by the MoD was in 2008 when radioactive waste leaked from a barge at Faslane into the Clyde. There were also [spillages](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/mod-letter-on-nuclear-safety-events-at-faslane.pdf) from nuclear submarines at the base in 2007 and 2006. The MoD’s figures disclosed four “category B” incidents at Faslane in 2023\. This is the highest number of such incidents at the site since 2006, when there were five. There was another category B incident at Faslane in the first four months of 2024, as well as two in 2022 and three in 2021\. The MoD [has defined](https://www.theferret.scot/content/files/2025/10/mod-letter-on-nuclear-safety-events-at-faslane.pdf) such incidents as having an “actual or high potential for a contained release”, or an “actual or potential for radioactive release to the environment” below safety limits. ### Nuclear weapons infrastructure ‘dangerously rotting’ The latest figures were released in response to a [parliamentary question](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-04-12/21095?ref=theferret.scot) by the SNP MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, [Deidre Brock](https://members.parliament.uk/member/4417/contact?ref=theferret.scot). In previous questions, she has obtained [information](https://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1302/Nuclear%5FSafety%5FEvents%5Fin%5FFaslane%5Fand%5FCoulport-Deidre%5FBrock%5FMP.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on nuclear safety events at Faslane and Coulport back to 2006. “My annual questions to UK ministers have exposed steadily declining nuclear safety standards at Faslane and Coulport, but the increase in the severity of incidents last year is particularly alarming,” she told The Ferret. “Reports detailing these incidents should be made public again so that people of Scotland – including those who live near the bases – can weigh up for themselves the risks created by the storage of these nuclear warheads.” She accused the MoD of “playing down” the safety breaches, pointing out that in December 2023 the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s senior advisor, Dominic Cummins, [described](https://twitter.com/Dominic2306/status/1741423835637850272?lang=en&ref=theferret.scot) the UK’s nuclear weapons infrastructure as “dangerously rotting”. Brock said she would be submitting further parliamentary questions asking for details of the more serious incidents in 2023 and 2024\. “But it shouldn’t take the digging of individual MPs or journalists to get piecemeal bits of information from the MoD,” she argued. The [Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](https://www.banthebomb.org/?ref=theferret.scot) branded the category A incident at Faslane as “chilling”. The UK’s nuclear weapons were a “catastrophe in waiting”, said the campaign chair, Lynn Jamieson. She accused the UK government of wanting to suppress “bad news” about nuclear weapons. The [Nuclear Information Service](https://www.nuclearinfo.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which researches and criticises nuclear weapons, called for the MoD to give a “full account” of what happened. “This is very concerning, and shows there are clearly problems with safety standards at Faslane,” said the service’s director, David Cullen. He pointed out that there had been another “serious workplace safety failure” on a Trident submarine at Faslane in August 2021\. The UK Office for Nuclear Regulation [issued an improvement notice](https://onr.org.uk/news/all-news/2022/06/improvement-notice-issued-to-babcock-marine-ltd/?ref=theferret.scot) after an “electrical overload”. “This suggests that safety is just not being taken as seriously as it should be,” Cullen added. ### ‘No harm’ from nuclear events An MoD spokesperson said: “We have robust safety measures in place at all Ministry of Defence nuclear sites and we take safety incidents very seriously. Our nuclear programmes are subject to regular independent scrutiny and reviews.” According to the MoD, the release of information on nuclear safety had to strike a balance between public interest and national safety and security. “None of the events caused harm to the health of any member of staff on the naval base or to any member of the public or have resulted in any radiological impact to the environment,” said the defence minister, [James Cartlidge](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/james-cartlidge?ref=theferret.scot). ***This story was published in partnership with the Sunday Post. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.*** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) ***to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.*** *Cover image thanks to Ministry of Defence* ### ‘A foundation to build on’: Can Scotland’s first safer injection site tackle the drugs crisis? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-first-safer-injection-site-drugs-crisis/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T17:11:38.000Z **When you clamber down under Glasgow’s City Union Bridge – where trees cling to the rocky banks of the River Clyde, their leaves unfurling in the spring sunshine – you leave behind the traffic noise and city centre buzz.** It’s not easy to get to this spot. There’s a barrier, a precarious ladder and a fair drop to the ground. But if you’re an injecting drug user looking to hide from the public gaze, the extra effort is worth it. This summer, [Glasgow](https://theferret.scot/tag/glasgow?ref=theferret.scot) will become the first city in the UK to open an authorised safer drug [consumption facility](https://glasgowcity.hscp.scot/sdcf?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Glasgow%20City%20Health%20and%20Social%20Care%20Partnership%20%28HSCP%29%20is%20working,Scotland%20and%20the%20United%20Kingdom.). Run by the city’s health and social care partnership (HSCP), it will allow users to inject their own drugs, supervised by medical staff able to help reverse an overdose and offer additional help and services. For the most part the response to the facility has been positive. [Evidence](https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/topics/pods/drug-consumption-rooms%5Fen?ref=theferret.scot) shows similar ones have saved many lives and in Glasgow, now Europe’s drug death capital, lives urgently need to be saved. Last year there were 1,197 [suspected drug deaths](https://www.gov.scot/publications/suspected-drug-deaths-scotland-october-december-2023/pages/3/?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland, 10 per cent more than during 2022\. More than a quarter – 303 – of them were in Glasgow. The original proposal for a safer consumption facility was linked to [concerns](https://glasgowcity.hscp.scot/sites/default/files/publications/Item%20No%2007%20-%20Implementation%20of%20a%20Safer%20Drug%20Consumption%20Facility.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) about the city’s [HIV epidemic](https://www.nat.org.uk/sites/default/files/HIV%5Foutbreak%5Fin%5Fglasgow%5F1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), which emerged in 2015\. Yet almost a decade later, and with an “incredibly unpredictable and unstable” drug supply putting people at risk, many argue it’s needed more than ever. But there are also concerns that – given its [£2.3m price tag](https://news.stv.tv/west-central/construction-begins-on-uks-first-drug-consumption-room-in-glasgow?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Work%20has%20begun%20to%20build,crisis%20%E2%80%93%20the%20worst%20in%20Europe.) – the reach of this service, based to the east of the city centre, will be relatively small. Without additional investment in services like housing, mental health support and drug treatment, some fear it will not have the impact required. So The Ferret has come to this unofficial site on the river bank to talk to [John Campbell](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccopwcrjGk8&ref=theferret.scot), ​​injecting equipment provision manager for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, about why he believes a sanctioned site is needed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/john-campbellj45054-1.jpg) John Campbell, injecting equipment provision manager. There are about 400 injecting drug users in Glasgow city centre, he says, and as many of them are homeless and sleeping rough or insecurely housed in hostel-style hotels they resort to injecting outside, hidden from view in lanes, car parks and other quiet spots. “This is one of our larger, unofficial, away from home, injecting sites,” says Campbell as we stand in the dappled light surrounded by drug paraphernalia on the ground. “And I think it’s no exaggeration to say there are literally thousands of needles discarded here.” There’s a pay off for seclusion. “If someone overdoses here, the chances of being discovered in a timely way are pretty slim,” he explains. Scotland has the worst drug death rate in Europe but it’s not yet in the situation facing North America, where dramatic numbers of deaths have been driven by synthetic opioid [fentanyl](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66826895?ref=theferret.scot). Yet outdoor injecting is increasing and so are the risks. NHS data shared exclusively with The Ferret now suggests that significantly more people in Glasgow city centre are injecting cocaine than heroin. In 2021 about two thirds of those reporting to the NHS [WAND initiative](https://www.turningpointscotland.com/getting-support/glasgow/mobile-harm-reduction-service/?ref=theferret.scot), which provides wound care, harm reduction supplies and blood borne virus testing, were injecting heroin and about the same number injecting cocaine. But 2023 data shows just 57 percent reported injecting heroin, while 81 percent injected cocaine. That is significant, explains Campbell, because the “binge pattern” of cocaine injecting will see people injecting 10, 15 or even 20 times in one day, while people will usually only inject heroin twice or three times. While the number of people injecting has stayed stable, suddenly those people are becoming much more visible. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/john-campbellneedles.jpg) Needles and other drug paraphernalia under Glasgow’s City Union Bridge. The proportion of deaths where cocaine was implicated has also increased from six per cent in 2008 to 35 per cent in 2022 according to [National Records of Scotland figures](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/statistics/drug-related-deaths/22/drug-related-deaths-22-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). But the biggest concern is the emergence of synthetic drugs with an increase in man-made opioid nitazines, so-called tranq dope or veterinarian tranquilliser [xylazine](https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/other-drugs/xylazine/faq.html?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=References-,What%20is%20xylazine%3F,approved%20for%20use%20in%20people.) as well as [bromzolam](https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/rapid-action-drug-alerts-and-response-radar-alerts/radar-bromazolam-alert-2023/bromazolam/?ref=theferret.scot) turning up in drug toxicology reports in Scotland. Public Health Scotland’s [Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR)](https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/rapid-action-drug-alerts-and-response-radar-quarterly-report/rapid-action-drug-alerts-and-response-radar-quarterly-report-october-2023/?ref=theferret.scot#section-1) first detected dangerous nitazenes in April 2022\. In data running to September 2023 it reported their presence in 25 drug deaths, 18 of those in the last six months of that period. UK charity, [Transform Drugs Policy Foundation](https://transformdrugs.org/?ref=theferret.scot), claims the scale of the problem is likely to be under-estimated as many labs don’t test for uncommonly used substances. They also warn that as heroin – most of which originates in Afghanistan – is likely to dry up due to Taliban prohibition of opium poppy cultivation, a “looming gap in the opioid market” is at risk of being filled by nitazines and other synthetic drugs. “Considering that nitazenes can be up to 500 times more potent than heroin and therefore pose a far greater risk of overdose, their ever-growing presence in the UK’s illegal drug market should be responded to now, treating it as a public health emergency,” explains the charity’s policy manager, Ester Kincová. It’s into this context that Glasgow will open its safer consumption facility in “late summer” with staff recruitment and ongoing building work aiming to be completed by then. This model will be a clinical one, with trained medical staff onsite, and be home to Scotland’s [first drug checking service](https://www.stir.ac.uk/news/2024/february-2024-news/study-lays-out-options-for-scotlands-first-drug-checking-services/?ref=theferret.scot). The Scottish government previously said that applications to the Home Office for approval of centres in Glasgow, but also Aberdeen and Dundee, would be submitted in early 2022 but plans were put on hold. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/john-campbellsharpsbin.jpg) [Dr Saket Priyadarshi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML58uPPKijc&ref=theferret.scot), medical director for Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services, hopes it will engage as many people as possible. But he acknowledges there will be challenges and lots to learn. “As this is the UK’s first such service, we are aware that we need to listen and respond to the experience of service users,” he says. Over the last 30 years safer consumption facilities have been implemented across more than 100 sites in 11 countries around the world. All use a variety of different models. No-one has died in a safer consumption facility and thousands of overdoses have been reversed. But some critics have argued they promote drug use, and attract anti-social or dangerous behaviour. Others believe they fail to address the root issues connected with substance use. Last year The Ferret visited [Moss Park Safer Consumption and Treatment Service](https://www.srchc.ca/program-locations/moss-park/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=134%20Sherbourne%20St.%20is%20Moss,mobile%20outreach%20and%20Indigenous%20health.) in Toronto Canada, a now authorised, indoor service which started as an unsanctioned overdose prevention site in the local park. Our one-off [podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-ferret-investigates/id1474977891?ref=theferret.scot) – following a day in a life of the centre’s staff and users – will be available from Monday, 29 April. [![What impact can a safer drug consumption facility have? Listen to our new podcast](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-04-24-161637.png)](https://player.captivate.fm/episode/de889493-cd39-44f1-b328-b722afac3a62?ref=theferret.scot) Its grassroots approach is different from the Glasgow one. Though it now has paid staff as well as volunteers, the Toronto service has maintained its community ethos. Sarah Grieg, who manages the service run by the [South Riverdale Community Health Centre](https://www.srchc.ca/?ref=theferret.scot), also in Toronto, says one of its key functions is not simply to reverse overdoses but to help people heal from trauma and adverse experiences in childhood. The approach is all about helping to re-building healthy relationships with the aim of allowing people to move forward with their lives, in whatever way they choose. “People need love and connection and community to thrive in this world,” she says. “We’re interested in the incremental changes because it is a long game.” It’s an approach that interests [Dr James Nicolls](https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/1778546?ref=theferret.scot), senior lecturer in public health at Stirling University and one of the authors of a safer consumption facility feasibility study, commissioned by City of Edinburgh Council, and [published](https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/download/15662/edinburgh-safer-drug-consumption-facilities-and-drug-checking-services-feasibility-studies?ref=theferret.scot) in February this year. “There is certainly evidence that informal, accessible services that involve peers \[of drug users\] in design and delivery are attractive,” he explains. “A key benefit identified by much of the research is the creation of welcoming, non-stigmatising spaces where people can develop a sense of community and mutual respect.” The Glasgow service will allow Scotland to assess the access of one model of consumption facility, he adds. “However, we have yet to see whether we will get a chance to pilot other kinds of services, which may be more similar to the facility in Moss Park.” While the Glasgow service will be the first approved site in the UK, there was previously a sanctioned one. In 2020 Peter Krykant, a former HIV outreach worker inspired by international activists like Moss Park site co-founder [Zoe Dodd](https://maphealth.ca/dodd/?ref=theferret.scot), set-up a van as an overdose prevention site in Glasgow. It ran for nine months from 2020 to 2021, oversaw almost 900 injections (about 60 percent of which were cocaine) and reversed nine overdoses. > It allows us to engage with this population in a way that we’ve never actually done before. And that’s a start – a foundation to build on. > > John Campbell, NHS But while Krykant still maintains that safer injecting sites are a necessary response to the rising risk of overdose deaths in Scotland, he is worried it will not have the reach needed to turn things around. “The vast majority of people who will die in the next year across Scotland will not have had any access to this facility,” he says. He thinks the model is overly medicalised, not least because that means costs are so high, making it hard to replicate. He favours a more informal network of [“living room type model](https://foundationshealthcare.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/13-Cedric-RUNNING-A-SUCCESSFUL-DRUG-CONSUMPTION-ROOM.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)” sites which are cheaper and provide psychological safety. He is despondent, too, about the lack of progress in other areas. In January 2021 then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced what she described then as [Scotland’s National Mission](https://www.gov.scot/policies/alcohol-and-drugs/national-mission/?ref=theferret.scot) to end drug deaths. While her plans to introduce both [heroin assisted treatment](https://www.theferret.scot/nhs-tayside-heroin-assisted-treatment-glasgow-pilot/) and safer drug consumption facilities will both have come to pass in Glasgow in summer, few are convinced that her commitment to radically reform drug treatment has been upheld. People were meant to have choice – from medication like replacement opioid drugs [buvidal ](https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/buvidal?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Buvidal%20is%20a%20medicine%20used,such%20as%20heroin%20or%20morphine.)or [methadone](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/methadone/?ref=theferret.scot), legal prescriptions for drugs like benzodiazepines, psychological support like trauma counselling, or access to detox and rehabilitation. A new set of 10 standards were supposed to ensure access. But according to most recent evaluations none of the [Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) ](https://www.gov.scot/publications/medication-assisted-treatment-mat-standards-scotland-access-choice-support/?ref=theferret.scot)standards have yet been fully implemented and drug users and their families, as well as workers, have told The Ferret about ongoing frustrations and concerns that people are still being let down. “It’s really depressing,” Krykant says. “More people will die. It’s too little, too late.” Back by the banks of the River Clyde John Campell also knows one safer consumption facility won’t be the silver bullet. “I think it’s important to be realistic,” he says. “What use is a safer injecting facility to someone who smokes crack cocaine? What use is a consumption facility to someone who resides in a different part of the city? “But you know, it allows us to engage with this population in a way that we’ve never actually done before. And that’s a start – a foundation to build on.” *Images by Angela Catlin* ### What has The Ferret been up to in April? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-has-the-ferret-been-up-to-in-april/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:19:41.000Z **It’s been a couple of months now since we started hosting a regular Open House at our Community Newsroom in Glasgow.** Developed in collaboration with Greater Govanhill, the event welcomes locals, professionals, and people with lived experience to contribute their perspectives on issues often overlooked by the mainstream media, with each session exploring a different theme. Yesterday, we met to discuss food insecurity. Last summer, the Scottish Government announced a “cash-first” plan, setting out a human rights approach to tackling food insecurity. But has progress been made? What do we need to do to make sure everyone has the income they need to put good food on the table? We asked our community what they think, and we’ll share what they said in due course. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-series-cover-series-1.jpg) Why not join us next time? [Our next meeting is in June](https://thecommunitynewsroom.substack.com/) — we’d love to have you there from 9:30 to 11:00 AM on Friday, 28th June. And please read on to find out what we’ve achieved this past month, and how our journalism makes a difference in communities, both here in Scotland and beyond. ### **We uncovered hateful comments** ![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/1xgQiinmS_cXryCZqMmn46u2qY-JZFZ3hiJEEK7LvMEg08FP8O0E5HSvYcaDAtQVQtPM8fGaeqTr-C8uD0IRGNfIG4JKkY-P7R2S4DRrhKHg3B32fkIILKKn0qvQpimjNjF7piKoeZJPA18MI_pNJ-I) Earlier this month, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party [suspended](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-suspends-scots-candidates-remarks/) two Scottish general election candidates after a Ferret investigation found they shared posts by prominent far right figures and made hateful comments about trans people on social media. Among these candidates was Stephen McNamara, described as a “proud tax avoider” on his Twitter bio. McNamara’s statements included labelling trans people as having a “severe mental illness” and suggesting that their “days are numbered.” David McNabb, another candidate, shared a video from far-right commentator Katie Hopkins and made a derogatory remark about first minister Humza Yousaf, implying he is “more Pakistani than Scottish.” Reform suspended both candidates and launched an “immediate investigation” after The Ferret brought their comments to light. [Our story](https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-suspends-scots-candidates-remarks/), which we released in tandem with the [Daily Record](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/nigel-farages-scottish-candidates-suspended-32483401?ref=theferret.scot), also gained attention from [The Sun](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/12393279/reform-scots-candidates-suspended-hateful-posts/?ref=theferret.scot) and [The National](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24223226.reform-uk-suspend-two-scottish-candidates-twitter-posts/?ref=theferret.scot). --- [![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/sCBSsS_koFHuPBVczmH9fzl8ckpptfXGsGHAN0liicg0pCXP9DrW4I9D7-19nkwa5SkRBghRQ4f1MSJOhO1539KCDouiDNEPqkSls-r2OcgFPbo-THCJby1YS4U-VGl7bInxpk1FnNIdNl3n0SSvL94)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Sign up to our free newsletter here: theferret.scot/underground/** --- ### **Our journalism raised some questions in Holyrood** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/videoframe_1983360-1.jpg) Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman [questioned](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-28-03-2024?meeting=15790&iob=134775&ref=theferret.scot#134775) the Scottish Government about what it is doing to support the mental wellbeing of asylum seekers accommodated in hotels in Scotland, citing [our report](https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-asylum-seekers-scottish-hotels/) on asylum seeker suicide attempts. ### **Our investigations inspired further reporting** An exclusive by The Ferret on mounted fox hunts [allegedly hunting illegally ](https://www.theferret.scot/secretly-filmed-fox-hunts-bogus-drag-hunting/)appeared in the [Daily Record](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/fox-hunts-scotland-still-using-32568240?ref=theferret.scot), [The Mirror](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/brazen-fox-hunts-still-using-32569192?ref=theferret.scot) and [the BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3g5q07j9d9o?ref=theferret.scot). ### **Our work was recognised at the Scottish Press Awards 🏆** We are thrilled to announce that we received three nominations for the Scottish Press Awards! 🎉Our [Scotland’s Secret Owners](https://theferret.scot/society/scotlands-secret-owners/?ref=theferret.scot) series is up for Journalist Team of the Year, our [Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry podcast](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/) for Podcast of the Year, and Ferret co-editor Karin Goodwin was nominated for the Nicola Barry Award. Wish us luck! 🤞 #### **That’s all for this month!** If you have any questions about our work, or would like to help us shape our future investigations, you can get in touch with the team at contact@theferret.scot. #### As you know, here at The Ferret we pride ourselves in making *good journalism that changes things*. And you can help us do more of it. #### It’s easy: you can contribute by becoming a member today or with a one-off donation . If these options are not for you, you can always subscribe to our free newsletter to support our work. ### Podcast teaser: What impact can a safer drug consumption facility have? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/safer-drug-consumption-canada-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:19:41.000Z In 2017 the synthetic opioid [fentanyl](https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/street-fentanyl?ref=theferret.scot) hit the Canadian city of Toronto and people using drugs started dropping. Drug deaths hit record levels – across the state of Ontario there were 1,270 that year. Health professionals, activists and drug users called for an emergency response to the toxic drug death crisis facing them. And when authorities failed to set up a safe and supervised place for people to take drugs – known as a safer consumption or overdose prevention facility – activists in the [Moss Park](https://hoodq.com/explore/toronto-on/moss-park?ref=theferret.scot) neighbourhood of the city took matters into their own hands. They gathered supplies and nurses and set up an unsanctioned overdose prevention site in the park which they ran illegally for a year before being granted permission to operate by the health authority. This gave them public funding and allowed them to move into an indoor space With the UK’s first safer drug consumption facility due to open in Glasgow this summer The Ferret visited the [Mosspark Treatment and Consumption Service](https://www.srchc.ca/programs/community-health/consumption-and-treatment-service-moss-park/?ref=theferret.scot) in Toronto to find out what difference its community-focussed approach can make. We heard from those struggling to cope with the realities of super-strength fentanyl as well as those whose lives had been saved by the Moss Park team. We heard stories of love and loss, of systemic failure and of the limitations of a service like this. The [toxic drug crisis](https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/data-and-analysis/substance-use/interactive-opioid-tool?ref=theferret.scot) is ongoing with deaths in Ontario more than doubling to 2,857 in 2021 and continued fears about the contaminated drug supply. But we heard stories of hope and healing and the impact that being part of a community that cares can have. To find out more listen to our new one off Ferret podcast – [A place to heal: saving lives in Toronto’s toxic drug crisis](https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/d77bef97-9af2-4ba3-950f-4f6f5b7e0f66/TRAILER-02-a-place-to-heal-FINAL.mp3?ref=theferret.scot). It’s available from Monday, 29 April at [theferret.scot](https://www.theferret.scot/author/editor/) or wherever you get your podcasts. ![What impact can a safer drug consumption facility have? Listen to our new podcast](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-04-24-161637-1.png) *Main image: Jeff Bierk* ### Revealed: UK government gave oil licences to IDF-linked firm URL: https://www.theferret.scot/government-gave-oil-licences-to-idf-linked-firm/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:35:49.000Z **A fossil fuel giant awarded new North Sea oil licences by the UK Government has links to an Israeli company which has been supplying fuel to the IDF.** Vehicles belonging to the [Israel Defense Forces](https://www.theferret.scot/arms-firms-israel-10m-scottish-enterprise-grants/) (IDF) can [refuel](https://www.idf.il/%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%99/%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%92%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%91%D7%A6%D7%94-%D7%9C/%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A7%D7%91%D7%A2/%D7%AA%D7%97%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%93%D7%9C%D7%A7-%D7%A6%D7%94%D7%9C-%D7%A8%D7%9B%D7%91-%D7%A6%D7%91%D7%90%D7%99-%D7%93%D7%9C%D7%A7%D7%9F/?ref=theferret.scot) at hundreds of petrol stations owned by Delek Israel, under a contract agreed in 2020. Delek Israel is part-owned by Israeli energy conglomerate, [Delek Group](https://ir.delek-group.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which also owns the Aberdeen-headquartered oil company, [Ithaca Energy](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/?ref=theferret.scot). Delek describes Ithaca as its “[operational arm](https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/delek-buys-north-sea-explorer-ithaca/?ref=theferret.scot)” in the North Sea. Ithaca was [given](https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/nsta-north-sea-gas-licences/?ref=theferret.scot) three UK oil licences in October, despite [existing](https://www.theferret.scot/cambo-owner-blacklist-business-west-bank/) UN concerns about its parent company’s involvement with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Ithaca [paid out](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/press-releases/full-year-2023-results?ref=theferret.scot) hundreds of millions of pounds in dividends to Delek last year, prompting concerns North Sea oil revenue is going to a firm which, due to its links to the IDF, is implicated in the “horrors” unfolding in Gaza. Critics, including Amnesty International and senior opposition politicians, have called for Ithaca’s licences to be reviewed and potentially revoked in light of our findings. The [award](https://www.hartenergy.com/exclusives/first-batch-north-sea-oil-licenses-announced-207023?ref=theferret.scot) of the oil licences to Ithaca was announced by the UK’s North Sea regulator weeks after the attacks on 7 October when Hamas killed around 1200 people, mostly Israeli civilians. Over 30,000 Palestinians have now [reportedly](https://time.com/6909636/gaza-death-toll/?ref=theferret.scot) been killed by the Israeli military since the Hamas attacks which sparked the latest escalation of the conflict in Gaza. The conflict has threatened to spill out into a regional war in the last week after Israel and Iran launched direct attacks on each other. Media in Israel [reported](https://www.israeldefense.co.il/node/43659?ref=theferret.scot) in June 2020 that Delek Israel and another fuel company had won a tender run by the country’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) to provide refuelling services to the IDF and MoD. > The government’s handing out licences to a company engaged in supporting the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank flies in the face of UN resolutions outlawing these settlements. > > John McDonnell, Labour MP The exact value of the contract is not known but [reports](https://www.inn.co.il/news/440897?ref=theferret.scot) suggest it is worth hundreds of millions of shekels (Israeli currency), which would equate to tens or potentially hundreds of millions of pounds. The original contract between the MoD and Delek Israel was for an initial three years from 2020 to 2023, with the option for it to be extended for another two years, according to media reports and Delek’s 2020 [annual financial report](https://ir.delek-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Delek-Group-2020-Annual-Report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). Subsequent annual reports do not confirm the extension, but the IDF’s website includes a [page](https://www.idf.il/%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%99/%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%92%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%91%D7%A6%D7%94-%D7%9C/%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A7%D7%91%D7%A2/%D7%AA%D7%97%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%93%D7%9C%D7%A7-%D7%A6%D7%94%D7%9C-%D7%A8%D7%9B%D7%91-%D7%A6%D7%91%D7%90%D7%99-%D7%93%D7%9C%D7%A7%D7%9F/?ref=theferret.scot) dedicated to the “complete list” of petrol stations where its vehicles can refuel. It includes a [spreadsheet](https://www.idf.il/media/tszikzic/%D7%AA%D7%97%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%9C%D7%AA%D7%93%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%A7-%D7%93%D7%9C%D7%A7-%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%9C.xlsx?ref=theferret.scot) which lists over 200 Delek Israel petrol stations across the country which are part of the scheme. The photo agency, Getty, [published](https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/an-idf-soldier-fills-a-hummer-with-petrol-at-a-petrol-news-photo/1802502878?adppopup=true&ref=theferret.scot) a photograph of an IDF hummer being refuelled at a petrol station bearing the Delek Israel logo near the border with Gaza on 19 November 2023, weeks after the Israeli offensive began. The Ferret understands that the contract primarily allows commercial cars used by military personnel to refuel. While some all-terrain vehicles used in combat could refuel at Delek Israel’s petrol stations, heavier armoured vehicles like battle tanks do not. The Delek Group currently owns around 25 per cent of Delek Israel, having [sold](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-delek-grroup-1001345985?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Delek%20Group%20Ltd.,for%20NIS%20525%20million%20cash.) a large amount of shares in late 2020 due to financial pressures. However, the contract to supply fuel to the IDF was signed while Delek Group was still the largest shareholder in Delek Israel. Delek Group was among 112 companies [named](https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/A%5FHRC%5F43%5F71.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in a list produced by the UN Human Rights Council of companies whose activities in the occupied West Bank “raised particular human rights concerns”. ![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/hLJOMbWjV2oC_pFENb_44CxCi8PgRUwRr3lYEwX0imK9K1PbZUtr5ZJaU-pOtYtAOjTYGad7uuGa7-ulMpVqTphPrLUrISR09KnwlPIqSJpAdOlQ3rlRksBRO4ZmuKpE9OeCXrMSCl95VVyHbzp_TD0) The West Bank – located on the west bank of the River Jordan near Jerusalem – has been occupied by Israel since 1967\. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered [illegal](https://press.un.org/en/2016/sc12657.doc.html?ref=theferret.scot) under international law. Conflict between Israeli settlers and Palestinian populations has stretched back decades. But according to the NGO [Human Rights Watch](https://www.hrw.org/?ref=theferret.scot), settler violence against Palestinians has [escalated](https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/17/west-bank-israel-responsible-rising-settler-violence?ref=theferret.scot) since October 7 and the Israeli military has either taken part or failed to protect Palestinians from violent attacks in the West Bank. The UN list – compiled after a fact-finding mission to the West Bank – included companies which it assessed were involved in activities in the occupied territories which “raised particular human rights concerns”. Delek was one of the companies listed because it provided “services and utilities to support the maintenance of Israeli settlements” and was using natural resources in the occupied territories for “business purposes”. A new version of the [list](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session31/database-hrc3136/23-06-30-Update-israeli-settlement-opt-database-hrc3136.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was published in June 2023 and Delek was still named as supporting the settlements. Delek [bought](https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN15L0Q1/?ref=theferret.scot) Ithaca Energy in 2017 and it has since grown into one of the biggest oil producers in the North Sea with nearly 600 staff. Ithaca [paid out](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/press-releases/full-year-2023-results?ref=theferret.scot) £320m in dividends to shareholders in 2023 and wants to [increase](https://investors.ithacaenergy.com/share-information/dividends?ref=theferret.scot) that to nearly £340m in 2024\. Delek owns around 88 per cent of Ithaca shares, suggesting it would have been in line for around £280m in dividends payments from Ithaca in 2023. According to [research](https://www.common-wealth.org/interactive/who-owns-the-north-sea?ref=theferret.scot) by think tank, [Common Wealth](https://www.common-wealth.org/?ref=theferret.scot), Ithaca is the ninth biggest oil and gas company in the North Sea with stakes in 83 licences in total. ![IDF](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-619658356-1.jpg) Ithaca Energy is a major producer of oil from the North Sea. *Photo credit: iStock/Bomboman* The company holds a 20 per cent stake in the controversial [Rosebank](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/assets/rosebank?ref=theferret.scot) field, north west of Shetland, which was [approved](https://foe.scot/the-uk-government-has-approved-the-rosebank-oil-field-but-the-fight-doesnt-end-here/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=After%20over%20a%20year%20of,devastating%20impacts%20across%20the%20world.) by the UK Government last year in the face of vocal [opposition](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/18/climate-groups-begin-legal-actions-against-rosebank-north-sea-oil-project?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20project%20has%20faced%20stiff,the%20UK%20in%20opposing%20it.) by climate scientists and campaigners. Neil Cowan, the programme director for Amnesty International in [Scotland](https://twitter.com/AmnestyScotland?ref=theferret.scot), claimed that any North Sea oil licensee with “business links to Israel’s illegal settlements and the war crimes being perpetrated in Gaza should expect to lose their licence”. Cowan added: “By supplying fuel lto the Israeli military while Israeli forces commit war crimes and possible genocide in Gaza, Delek is complicit in those acts as well as Israel’s ongoing system of apartheid against the Palestinians, of which the settlements are a key part. “There must be consequences for anyone here in the UK who is actively implicating themselves in the horrors we’re watching unfold – from businesses to UK ministers and officials blatantly flouting their own rules over not exporting UK arms when there’s a clear risk of them being misused.” Former Labour shadow chancellor, [John McDonnell](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/john-mcdonnell/), told The Ferret if the UK Government is to have “any credibility on human rights these licences must be reviewed in light of the UN’s investigations”. “The government’s handing out licences to a company engaged in supporting the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank flies in the face of UN resolutions outlawing these settlements and gives a lie to the prime minister’s claims of upholding international law and human rights,” McDonnell claimed. Ithaca, Delek, the UK Government’s energy department, the Israeli embassy in London and the IDF were all asked to comment but none responded. On its [website](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/esg?ref=theferret.scot), Ithaca says it is committed to “do the right things in the right way” and that environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations are “interwoven into our balanced business strategy”. Ithaca has adopted the UN’s sustainable development goals, including to contribute to “peace, justice and strong institutions”. As well as for its activities in the West Bank, Delek has come [under fire](https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/africa/ep-africa/466789/newmed-morocco-western-sahara/?ref=theferret.scot) in recent years for its plans to develop gas fields off the coast of the disputed territory of Western Sahara. [Western Sahara](https://klassekampen.no/artikkel/2024-03-15/equinor-felt-tjener-israel?ref=theferret.scot) was annexed by Morocco in 1975 but its sovereignty there is disputed by the indigenous Sahrawi people. Norway’s massive sovereign wealth fund – built largely on the back of oil revenues – announced it was [divesting](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-norway-wealth-fund-selling-delek-stake-over-ethical-breach-1001465730?ref=theferret.scot) from Delek in December because its activities in Western Sahara were “a serious violation” of “basic ethical norms”. Meanwhile, Norway’s state-run oil company, Equinor, is partnering with Ithaca on the Rosebank field, which Equinor has an 80 per cent stake in, a fact that has drawn growing [criticism](https://borsen.dagbladet.no/nyheter/hardt-ut-uetisk/81128009?ref=theferret.scot) from both campaigners and politicians in the Scandinavian country. *Cover image thanks to iStock/Wirestock* ### Scottish Government climate partner challenged over dirty investments URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-climate-partner-investments/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:35:57.000Z **A key partner in the Scottish Government’s climate plans could be stripped of its ethical company status after it was accused of “misrepresenting” its investments in fossil fuels.** Swiss bank Lombard Odier is set to profit from a tree planting [scheme](https://www.nature.scot/ps2-billion-private-finance-pilot-potential-vital-step-restoring-scotlands-woodlands?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=NatureScot%2C%20Scotland's%20nature%20agency%2C%20is,across%20all%20parts%20of%20Scotland.) devised by Scottish Government wildlife agency, NatureScot, by [selling](https://www.nature.scot/doc/nature-finance-pilot-faqs?ref=theferret.scot) carbon credits. Ministers say the controversial project could lure £2bn of private money into tree planting in Scotland and argue it is “absolutely vital” if the country is to meet its climate targets. But [critics](https://www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/47-can-private-finance-fix-scotland-s-nature-crisis?ref=theferret.scot) claim it is ‘greenwashing’ and being [pushed](https://tribunemag.co.uk/2023/03/privatising-scotlands-trees?ref=theferret.scot) by financial firms who are more interested in profiting from Scottish land than tackling climate change. That concern was heightened last year after The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/partner-government-climate-scheme-shares-big-oil/) Lombard Odier had shares in some of the world’s biggest polluters. Now we can reveal that campaign groups have filed a complaint about Lombard Odier’s fossil fuel investments with [B Corporation](https://www.bcorporation.net/?ref=theferret.scot) (B Corp), a global initiative whose ethical certifications are seen as the “[gold standard](https://sustainabilitymag.com/esg/b-corp-are-they-really-the-gold-standard-of-sustainability?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20B%20Corp,for%20people%20and%20the%20planet.)” for corporate responsibility. One Scottish campaigner told The Ferret the complaint was proof the Scottish Government and NatureScot had “woefully failed to do its basic homework” on companies involved in the tree planting scheme. Lombard Odier said it was committed to the transition to a sustainable, renewable energy future, while NatureScot told The Ferret it had “undertaken due diligence” on all the companies involved in the tree planting scheme. Lombard Odier is currently a certified B Corp. But the complaint – submitted by the corporate campaign group [Eko](https://www.eko.org/?ref=theferret.scot) and the [Toxic Bonds](https://toxicbonds.org/?ref=theferret.scot) network – alleges the firm has not been “transparent” about its investments in fossil fuels. > This complaint about Lombard Odier reinforces the point that the Scottish Government has woefully failed to do its basic homework on the companies it has partnered up with for this greenwashing ruse. > > Caroline Rance, Friends of the Earth Scotland Eko argues that Lombard Odier should have its B Corp status revoked unless it sells these “climate destructive” investments. The complaint cites The Ferret’s [findings](https://www.theferret.scot/partner-government-climate-scheme-shares-big-oil/) about Lombard Odier’s holdings in Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, Shell and BP as proof that it “continues to contribute to run-away climate change”. All four are [among](https://cdn.cdp.net/cdp-production/cms/reports/documents/000/001/800/original/Carbon-Majors-Dataset-1.0.pdf?1489055836&ref=theferret.scot) the top ten most climate polluting companies in the world. It also claims that Lombard Odier has bought hundreds of millions of pounds in bonds issued by companies who are [expanding](https://www.coalexit.org/?ref=theferret.scot) the global coal, oil and gas industries. There is precedent for companies losing their B Corp status. BrewDog was [stripped](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/dec/01/brewdog-loses-its-ethical-b-corp-certificate?ref=theferret.scot) of its certification in 2022 following a BBC documentary which investigated its workplace culture. Eko’s senior campaign manager, Nick Haines, said that despite Lombard Odier’s claims to be at “the vanguard of sustainable investing” when you “scratch beneath the surface things start to look a lot less green”. Haines pointed out that Lombard Odier is a “major holder” of bonds issued by the [Adani Group](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-firm-investment-in-embattled-coal-giant/), the world’s largest private developer of coal. “It’s increasingly difficult for retail investors to separate fact from fiction when it comes to sustainability claims,” Haines added. “In this context, independent certifications like B Corp’s carry significant weight. “If greater transparency and a change in strategy is not forthcoming then we believe it is incumbent on B Corp to end its relationship with Lombard Odier.” NatureScot says its tree planting project – which involves Lombard Odier and two other private firms -could create around 185,000 hectares of native Scottish forest over the next 30 years. The new trees could absorb 28 million tonnes of climate polluting carbon dioxide (CO2), the agency claims. Planting trees to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere is an important part of the Scottish Government’s climate [strategy](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/managing-land/forests-and-woodlands/woodland-expansion-across-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). Lombard Odier’s role in the woodland scheme is to arrange the sale of carbon credits produced by the planted trees to companies with “credible” climate plans. Carbon credits are controversial, and some campaigners argue firms buy them to bolster their green credentials without actually changing their polluting practices. Previously The Ferret has [found](https://www.theferret.scot/major-firms-snapping-up-scotlands-carbon-credits/) that carbon credits generated on Scottish land have been sold to companies including Shell, financial institutions who invest in fossil fuels, and weapons manufacturers. [Friends of the Earth Scotland](https://friendsoftheearth.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)’s climate campaigner, Caroline Rance, told The Ferret that carbon credits are a “climate scam” which were designed to hide the “inaction” of big companies on the climate emergency. “This complaint about Lombard Odier reinforces the point that the Scottish Government has woefully failed to do its basic homework on the companies it has partnered up with for this greenwashing ruse,” Rance added. The Scottish Government directed The Ferret to NatureScot for a comment. A spokesperson for the agency argued private finance was “crucial” if Scotland is to reach net zero. They added: “That’s why we are working with the Scottish Government and others to help build a new market for values led, high integrity, private investment in Scotland’s nature that benefits Scotland’s people and communities.” The spokesperson said that no profits from fossil fuels will finance the woodland project and carbon credits generated will not be sold to fossil fuel companies. Lombard Odier confirmed it had received notification of the complaint to B Corp. A spokesperson said: “As an investment house, we have a firm conviction in the role – and need – for investment to accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. “We believe that the transition to a sustainable economy, powered by renewables, will lead to an economic system that will ultimately outcompete the existing fossil fuelled system. “The transition will require investment in companies providing the products, services and solutions that will power the transition ranging from the providers of renewables, to electrified equipment and recycling technologies.” B Corp confirmed it had received the complaint about Lombard Odier and was reviewing it. *Cover image thanks to OKrasyuk/iStock* ### What happens now the ‘rent cap’ has ended? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-happens-now-the-rent-cap-has-ended/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:19:43.000Z **Protections for tenants have changed in recent weeks, with many Scots reporting significant increases in their monthly rents after the end of the so-called ‘rent cap’.** [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) explains what is going on. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-47.png) #### **What was the rent cap?** The Scottish Parliament passed emergency legislation in 2022 in response to the cost-of-living crisis, which introduced a cap on rent increases for existing tenants. It meant that private landlords could increase rent for tenants by three per cent every year. In some cases, landlords could apply to increase rents by up to six per cent to “help cover certain cost increases incurred in the preceding six months”. This did not stop larger increases being put in place between tenancies, when the property was being advertised. The law initially applied until the end of March 2023, but was extended by the Scottish Government until 31 March 2024. There was also a limited pause on eviction enforcement in Scotland. This also ended on 31 March. #### **What are the rules now?** There have been [reports that landlords](https://www.property118.com/scottish-landlords-exploit-snp-rent-control-loophole-to-increase-rents/?ref=theferret.scot) notified tenants of significant increases, now the rent cap has ended. [The law says](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2024/89?ref=theferret.scot) that private landlords need to give tenants three months’ notice before they raise the rent, and can only raise it once every 12 months. Tenants can [contest a rent](https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/professional%5Fresources/legal/eviction%5Fban%5Frent%5Fcap?ref=theferret.scot) increase if they feel it unreasonable. They can apply to have a rent officer from Rent Service Scotland adjudicate on whether the increase is proportionate, based on information about the property and similar market rents in the same area. If the rent officer decides to intervene, the [maximum increase](https://www.gov.scot/publications/cost-of-living-rent-and-eviction/pages/rent-adjudiction/?ref=theferret.scot) would be either six or 12 per cent, depending on the difference between the current rent and average rent prices in the area. There is also something called [rent pressure zones](https://www.mygov.scot/rent-pressure-zone-checker?ref=theferret.scot) where a local council can apply for rent increases to be restricted in a certain area if they feel rents are rising too much. This has been in place since 2017 and has yet to be used by a local council in Scotland. The policy has been [criticised](https://andywightman.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Rent-Pressure-Zones.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for the amount of detailed data that councils are required to provide to apply for a zone to be established. #### **What is the Scottish Government planning to do?** New wide-reaching legislation for tenants in Scotland has been proposed by the Scottish Government. The [housing bill](https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/s6-bills/housing-scotland-bill/introduction/policy-memorandum-accessible.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was introduced to parliament in March 2024, and proposals include “long term rent controls for private tenancies, new rights to keep pets, decorate rented homes and stronger protection against eviction”. Ministers also want to introduce [rent control zones](https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/s6-bills/housing-scotland-bill/introduction/policy-memorandum-accessible.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to replace the previous rent pressure zones. Local councils would be duty-bound to assess rent prices and increases in its area, and then report to the Scottish Government, which would then have the power to put rent controls in place. This is a change from the rent pressure zones policy in place since 2017, by making rent assessments mandatory rather than at the discretion of local councils. The new rent control zones would also restrict increases between tenancies, so landlords would not be able to markedly increase rent when a property was re-advertised. Evictions are also part of the new proposed housing bill, with policies aimed at delaying eviction enforcement under some circumstances. There would be a requirement for the eviction tribunal and the Sheriff Court to consider “seasonal pressures or individual circumstances” in deciding whether evictions should be delayed. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Photo credit: iStock/Serge Cornu*. ### ‘Greenwashing territory’: Tree-planting Abrdn boosts investments in US fossil fuel firms URL: https://www.theferret.scot/abrdn-greenwashing-tree-planting/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:36:06.000Z **A Scottish investment giant upped its shares in a host of US fossil fuel firms last year, while also claiming millions of taxpayer money for a carbon offsetting scheme to plant trees in the Highlands.** Analysis by The Ferret found that Edinburgh firm, [Abrdn](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/abrdn/), increased the amount of US shares it owned in 33 coal, oil and gas firms between the end of 2022 and the end of 2023. The value of its US shares in these companies increased by nearly £234m last year. Abrdn also became a new shareholder in three companies drilling for oil in Texas in 2023, purchasing over£44m of their shares. The investments were made despite the [escalating](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/10/30/climate-emergency-scientists-declaration/?ref=theferret.scot) climate crisis and the fact Abrdn [joined](https://www.netzeroassetmanagers.org/signatories/abrdn/?ref=theferret.scot) a financial industry initiative to tackle global warming back in 2021. Abrdn [received](https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2023/08/10/scottish-forestry-awards-abrdn-over-2-5m-to-release-more-carbon-at-far-ralia/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Home-,Scottish%20Forestry%20awards%20ABRDN%20over%20%C2%A32.5m,more%20carbon%20at%20Far%20Ralia&text=Scottish%20Forestry%20has%20revealed%20in,tree%20planting%20at%20Far%20Ralia.) a £2.5m grant from government quango [Scottish Forestry](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-forestry/) in August 2023 to plant 1.5 million trees and restore degraded peatland on the Far Ralia estate in the Cairngorms. The project will absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and help offset the climate impacts of Abrdn’s UK property investments. Abrdn [describes](https://www.abrdn.com/docs?editionId=42ec6ae7-d171-4a81-a0ac-1f06106c86b4&ref=theferret.scot) Far Ralia as [proof](https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/content/?keywords=far%20ralia&sid=.%29%5F&update=urn%3Ali%3Afs%5FupdateV2%3A%28urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7143563336784244737%2CBLENDED%5FSEARCH%5FFEED%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse%29&ref=theferret.scot) of its commitment to “taking tangible action” on the “pathway to net zero”. But critics said Abrdn was “in the territory of greenwashing” by accepting the tree planting grant while “investing in emissions generating activity” in the US. Experts on green finance argued it was “no surprise that Abrdn would increase its investments in fossil fuels given its very poor climate policies”. Abrdn claimed it is a “responsible investor” which is committed to “driving the change required” to reach global net zero targets. > Naked opportunism is no way to serve the nation. > > Professor Alastair McIntosh, land reform campaigner Our findings come from examining changes to Abrdn’s US [shareholdings](https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001716774&owner=include&count=40&hidefilings=0&ref=theferret.scot) which it must disclose every quarter with [regulators](https://www.sec.gov/divisions/investment/13ffaq?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Q%3A%20What%20is%20Form%2013F,Securities%20Exchange%20Act%20of%201934.) in the States. As an asset manager, Abrdn invests [money](https://www.abrdn.com/en-gb/institutional/our-clients?ref=theferret.scot) on behalf of clients including pension funds, charities and wealthy individuals. In total, the company [owned](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716774/000108514624000569/xslForm13F%5FX02/infotable.xml?ref=theferret.scot) £1.22bn of shares in fossil fuel firms listed on US stock exchanges at the end of 2023. Among the companies it increased its shareholdings in last year were three of the global oil “[supermajors](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/01/oil-companies-shareholders-payouts-bp-shell-chevron-exxonmobil-totalenergies?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20five%20%E2%80%9Csuper%2Dmajors%E2%80%9D,and%20Financial%20Analysis%20%28IEEFA%29.)” — ExxonMobil, Chevron and TotalEnergies. A recent [study](https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-gas/the-supermajors-plans-could-kill-115-million-people/?fbclid=IwAR0OYdWmT14gBHWm%5FlK2fqSFxpw7kNVar1Ct2IdkYpionB9AQ9lpLNav3m8&ref=theferret.scot) suggested that oil expansion plans by the five supermajors could cause 11.5 million additional deaths worldwide due to extreme heat by 2100\. All three companies were also [accused](https://priceofoil.org/2023/05/25/totalenergies-uses-record-profits-to-fuel-oil-and-gas-expansion-incompatible-with-1-5-degree-limit/?ref=theferret.scot) of “[doubling down](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/25/why-exxon-chevron-are-doubling-down-on-fossil-fuel-energy.html?ref=theferret.scot)” on fossil fuels in 2023. Abrdn’s US holdings in ExxonMobil, Chevron and Total were together worth nearly £270m pounds at the end of 2023\. All three companies were [named](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/04/just-57-companies-linked-to-80-of-greenhouse-gas-emissions-since-2016?ref=theferret.scot) among a list of 57 global firms – the so-called ‘[carbon majors](https://carbonmajors.org/briefing/The-Carbon-Majors-Database-26913?ref=theferret.scot)’ – who have been directly linked to 80 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions since 2016. Other firms Abrdn bought more shares in last year included those who burn coal for energy and who are involved in fracking. Abrdn [says](https://www.scottishlandandestates.co.uk/blog/rural-business/investment-land-and-nature-restoration-far-ralia?ref=theferret.scot) it will plant 1.5 million trees at Far Ralia and also restore degraded peatland at the site. The trees will ‘offset’ the climate impact of the Abrdn Property Income Trust, which invests in real estate around the UK. ![bank land reform ‘Greenwashing territory’: Tree-planting Abrdn boosts investments in US fossil fuel firms ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1211534817.jpg) Offsetting is compensating for carbon emissions by investing in projects that reduce or absorb an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Image: conn75/iStock [Offsetting](https://www.wwf.org.uk/myfootprint/challenges/understanding-carbon-offsetting?ref=theferret.scot) is where a company compensates for climate polluting carbon dioxide (CO2) it produces in one part of its business by investing in activities like tree planting and peatland restoration which absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. However, critics of offsets argue that some companies use them to ‘[greenwash](https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/golden-age-of-greenwash/?ref=theferret.scot)’. They [claim](https://policy.friendsoftheearth.uk/insight/dangerous-distraction-offsetting-con?ref=theferret.scot) that companies use offsets to boost their climate credentials without taking necessary steps to reduce their own emissions, such as an investment firm reducing its financing of fossil fuel companies. A recent [report](https://rse.org.uk/rse-releases-report-calling-for-a-radical-rethink-of-tree-planting-in-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot) on tree planting on Scottish land by the expert Royal Society of Edinburgh found respondents were concerned schemes were being used to greenwash by companies who are “doing little to reduce the emissions from their business”. One campaign group that is critical of Scottish land being used for offsetting activity is [Community Land Scotland](https://www.communitylandscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which argues for more community ownership of land and buildings. Its policy manager Dr Josh Doble told The Ferret that it would be “concerning” to many rural Scots to see “land that could be working for the public good, instead being used by a finance group investing in emissions generating activity”. “This brings them \[Abrdn\] into the territory of greenwashing,” Doble said.” These kinds of offsetting projects allow business as usual for corporations, it increases already inflated Scottish land prices and fuels further speculative land acquisitions for corporations. “This is not what Scottish land should be used for.” Land reform campaigner and author [Professor Alastair McIntosh](https://www.theferret.scot/26-voices-scotland-climate-future/) echoed Doble’s view. “Historically the Scottish financial sector built its reputation on straight dealing and high integrity,” he said. The “conflict of values” between carbon offsetting in Scotland and upping fossil fuel investments in the US risked damaging Abrdn’s reputation, McIntosh warned. “Naked opportunism is no way to serve the nation”, he added. > This brings them \[Abrdn\] into the territory of greenwashing. > > Dr Josh Doble, Community Land Scotland Jonathan Middleton, a senior research officer at [ShareAction](https://shareaction.org/?ref=theferret.scot) – which works with the financial industry to promote responsible investment – was damning in his assessment of Abrdn’s approach to climate change. “It comes as no surprise that Abrdn would increase its investment in fossil fuels given its very poor climate policies,” he said. The company must “restrict” its investment in fossil fuels across all funds – particularly those which are the most carbon intensive – and not just those labelled as sustainable, he continued. Abrdn has faced a backlash over its fossil fuel investments in recent years. Its annual general meeting in Edinburgh last year was [targeted](https://www.theferret.scot/protesters-target-abrdn-fossil-fuel-investments/) by protesters after The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-firm-investment-in-embattled-coal-giant/) it had bought bonds issued by the world’s largest private coal company, Indian conglomerate Adani. But it did not buy bonds in Adani’s most recent offering, a move which has been commended by campaigners. Nick Haines, campaign manager at [Eko](https://www.eko.org/?ref=theferret.scot), said it was a sign that Abrdn had seen through Adani’s “greenwash”. “We hope that this is the first step towards a Paris-aligned climate policy from Abrdn that excludes all new bond investments in companies expanding coal, oil and gas,” he added. A spokesperson for Abrdn said: *“*As a responsible investor managing assets on behalf of many clients with different mandates and investment objectives, we believe it is important for asset managers to assess whether it is appropriate to impose targets and restrictions where they have not been mandated by the client. “However, we do offer a variety of funds and investments for clients who wish to invest in line with specific sustainable criteria. We currently manage £54bn in sustainable assets. “As signatories to the NZAM initiative, we are committed to driving the change required to reach net zero targets. “We will work with companies to encourage best practice and measure their transition to net zero. In cases where we do not see appropriate progress, we may use tools such as our voting powers to drive change. “Where clients mandate, we can mitigate our exposure to coal and fossil fuels.” Scottish Forestry’s director of operations, Brendan Callaghan, said all applications for grants for forestry were assessed “against the legal and good forestry practice requirements of the [UK Forestry Standard](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-forestry-standard?ref=theferret.scot)”. Abrdn is [facing](https://www.ftadviser.com/investments/2024/02/27/abrdn-commits-to-500-job-cuts-as-outflows-rise/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Abrdn%20saw%20outflows%20of%20%C2%A3,of%20a%20cost%2Dcutting%20exercise.) financial difficulties and plans to cut 500 jobs this year as part of a drive to save £150m a year. It made headlines this week after its chief investment officer, Peter Branner, [complained](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68769562?ref=theferret.scot) the press was making “childish” jokes about the company’s name change to Abrdn. The company was known as Standard Life Aberdeen until 2021. Branner said in an interview that jibes about the missing vowels in Abrdn’s name were “corporate bullying”. City AM ran a front page on Tuesday ostensibly [apologising](https://metro.co.uk/2024/04/09/city-nailed-apology-abrdn-corporate-bullying-20614279/?ref=theferret.scot) to the firm. It read: “Abrdn: an apology – sry we kp tkng th pss ot of yr mssng vwls”. Meanwhile, the Financial Times [urged](https://www.ft.com/content/2c9bb0ee-40ee-4e76-b837-57032e6d349?ref=theferret.scot) journalists to ‘Lv Abrdn aln!’. *Main image: Alan Morris/beaucroft/iStock* **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** ### Fox hunts accused of using dogs to chase animals despite ban URL: https://www.theferret.scot/secretly-filmed-fox-hunts-bogus-drag-hunting/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:19:44.000Z **Animal welfare campaigners claim new laws to prevent illegal fox hunting with packs of dogs are being flouted.** Footage taken by activists from the League Against Cruel Sports show hunts out with packs of foxhounds during the latest hunting season, which ended in March. Hunts can get round fox hunting rules by claiming to be “drag hunting” – a form of equestrian sport, where horses, riders and hounds follow the trail of an artificial scent laid down by human volunteers. It offers an alternative to fox hunting and because the route is predetermined the hounds can be kept safely away from livestock, roads and railway lines. But animal welfare investigators – speaking to The Ferret – said they saw no artificial scents being laid in the footage which they have sent to cops. The hunts –were filmed covertly by The League Against Cruel Sports for six months during the first hunting season after legislation came into force which tightens the law on fox hunting. Six incidents have been reported to Police Scotland and one person has been charged with three hunting offences. Another man was arrested but police said he was released “pending further enquiry.” The League, which has produced a new report on hunting in Scotland, is urging the Scottish Government to use its executive powers to “clamp down on bogus drag hunting”. The Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act came into force last October and means hunters cannot use packs of hounds to flush out wild mammals unless they have a licence. It repeals and replaces the Protection of Wild Mammals Act, which was passed in 2002. The original legislation allowed dogs to flush foxes out from cover as long as they were then shot, rather than killed by hounds – and providing the hunt was to protect livestock or ground-nesting birds, or to prevent the spread of disease. Under the new bill, it remains an offence to chase and or kill a wild mammal using a dog, but the key change is that no more than two dogs can be used to stalk or flush out animals from cover unless a licence has been granted. The rules also prohibit trail hunting. This is a form of simulated fox hunting where a fox-based scent is laid and followed by mounted fox hunts. The government recognised that farmers need to be able to protect their livestock and so the new bill includes a licensing scheme to allow more dogs to be used in certain circumstances. But animal welfare groups expressed concern that the new law could be exploited and The League has secretly filmed the activities of five hunts since October last year using cameras and drones. It said one hunt apparently used more than two dogs to hunt foxes, and three hunts apparently used two dogs to hunt foxes with no guns present. The report says: “There is a danger that ‘drag hunting’ or ‘simulated hunting’ is being used as a smokescreen for illegal fox hunting. “Simulated hunting” is a term used by at least one hunt which, according to The League, uses the same foxhounds previously used to search for foxes prior to change in the law. Hunts filmed by The League include the Berwickshire Hunt which has described itself as a “drag hunt” since last October. The League’s report said the hunt had been filmed, on more than one occasion, “taking their pack of foxhounds into fox habitats (gorse etc) that is too dense and impenetrable for a human to lay an artificial scent in”. It said that filmed evidence as well as statements had been handed to Police Scotland. Robbie Marsland, The League’s director for Scotland and Northern Ireland, told The Ferret: “Scottish fox hunts appear to be trying to ride a coach and horses through the new law. “Whether they’re sneaking around with multiple dogs or saying they are drag hunting, it’s good news that Police Scotland are responding to the league’s evidence and that at least one person has been charged with illegal hunting. This will send a cautionary clarion call to anyone who thinks they can get round this new law.” A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Since the introduction of the Hunting with Dogs Act in October 2023, we have investigated six reports of illegal fox-hunting. “A 29-year-old man has been charged with three hunting offences and is the subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal. “A second man, aged 55 years, was arrested following a report of three further hunting offences. He has been released pending further enquiry.” However, the Scottish Countryside Alliance – which supports fox hunting – denied the claims. A spokesperson said: “This is complete nonsense. The video (ie footage of one incident involving the Berwickshire Hunt) is evidence of nothing other than dog walking and the Scottish Government has not yet got round to banning that. “The new legislation is completely unnecessary, but it does include a licensing scheme for fox control which is being used to protect lambs and threatened wildlife all over Scotland”. The Berwickshire Hunt has been asked to comment. Ariane Burgess, Scottish Greens MSP, said: “The message from the government and Police Scotland must be clear: nobody is above the law. And that message must be backed up with rigorous enforcement. “It \[fox hunting\] has no place in a modern Scotland and our work will continue until it’s stamped out for good.” > Whether they’re sneaking around with multiple dogs or saying they are drag hunting, it’s good news that Police Scotland are responding to the league’s evidence and that at least one person has been charged with illegal hunting. > > Robbie Marsland, The League A Scottish Government spokesperson claimed that the Hunting with Dogs Act has “closed the legal loopholes that have allowed the damaging practice of illegal fox hunting to continue”. They added: “Farmers and land managers can apply for permission to undertake hunting with more than two dogs in limited circumstances. Licences can only be granted in order to support significant or long-term environmental benefits or to prevent serious damage, when no other humane options are suitable. “All licence applications are rigorously scrutinised and where licences have been granted, both NatureScot and Police Scotland must be notified before any activity is undertaken, and can attend to monitor compliance. NatureScot and Police Scotland have carried out a number of visits to ensure that where dogs are being used to hunt foxes under licence, those doing so are acting in accordance with their licence and they will continue to do so. ***This story was published in partnership with the Daily Record. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op. Join us to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.*** *Main image: Anne Coatesy/iStock* ### Claim Scottish Government has banned wood-burning stoves is Half True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-scotland-banned-wood-burning-stoves-half-true/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:19:44.000Z **Scotland’s climate strategy has led to significant policy changes in recent years.** Homes and heating are part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to reductions in carbon emissions, and recently [claims](https://twitter.com/MacmillanArc/status/1777428276715139483?ref=theferret.scot) about a change to rules around wood-burning stoves went viral on social media. > Wood-burning stoves have now been banned by the Scottish Government. > > Social media posts Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Half True**. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-48.png) #### **Evidence** The media coverage of this issue was ignited when a thread was posted by an architecture firm on [social media platform, X,](https://twitter.com/MacmillanArc/status/1777428276715139483?ref=theferret.scot) about changes to heating standards which came into force in April 2024. The first tweet in the thread contained the sentence, “Woodburning stoves have now been banned by the Scottish Government”. This was retweeted by a number of prominent accounts. This refers to what is known as the [new build heat standard](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2023/10/11/the-new-build-heat-standard/?ref=theferret.scot), which is a change to building regulations in Scotland, and means that “direct emission heating (DEH)” cannot be used in newly built buildings, and some conversions. Direct emission heating includes gas or oil boilers, and bioenergy, where electricity or heat is generated from organic substances such as wood. This means that, in practice, a developer would not be able to install a wood burning stove to heat a new building. New buildings will need to use alternatives such as [heat pumps](https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/energy-at-home/heating-your-home/heat-pumps/?ref=theferret.scot) or [heat networks](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5abccf5f40f0b6026d7ecefb/HNIP%5FWhat%5Fis%5Fa%5Fheat%5Fnetwork.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), where heat is supplied from a central hub to multiple homes through a series of pipes. The new standard applies for [new building warrants](https://www.gov.scot/publications/new-build-heat-standard-factsheet/?ref=theferret.scot) from 1 April 2024\. This means that it will not apply on all newly completed buildings after this date, because many will have been in development and construction before the law came in. [Old buildings and existing wood-burning stoves](https://www.gov.scot/publications/new-build-heat-standard-factsheet/?ref=theferret.scot) will not be affected by the change in rules. This was [made clear](https://twitter.com/MacmillanArc/status/1777428276715139483?ref=theferret.scot) in the architecture firm’s series of tweets on X. It will also be possible to install a wood-burning stove in an existing property. It is also technically allowable for a wood-burning stove to be built by a homeowner of a new build property after it has been constructed and sold, but many new build homes will be built without chimneys. This is because the rules apply to builders, rather than the owners of buildings after they are constructed. There are also some other exceptions, including emergency heating and heating used to stop the impacts of frost on things like water pipes. The Scottish Government [guidance states](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2023/12/building-standards-technical-handbook-april-2024-domestic/documents/building-standards-technical-handbook-april-2024-domestic/building-standards-technical-handbook-april-2024-domestic/govscot%3Adocument/2024%2B04%2BDomestic%2BTechnical%2BHandbook%2B-%2BComplete.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) that in “smaller buildings, including dwellings, there will be little justification to install emergency heating as heat demand on failure of the normal heating system can usually be addressed simply and easily through use of independent, portable heaters”. However the government confirmed that wood burners would be allowed in these circumstances. However, any applicant for a [building warrant will need](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2023/12/building-standards-technical-handbook-april-2024-domestic/documents/building-standards-technical-handbook-april-2024-domestic/building-standards-technical-handbook-april-2024-domestic/govscot%3Adocument/2024%2B04%2BDomestic%2BTechnical%2BHandbook%2B-%2BComplete.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to justify the “risk that failure of the normal heating system creates for occupants and the likelihood of such a failure (e.g. increased risk of loss of electrical supply in remote rural areas due to adverse weather)”. There has been concern over the policy in some rural communities, where wood-burning stoves are often used as an alternative when there is a power cut. This can happen fairly regularly in winter, so alternative heat provision can be essential for some homeowners. Donna Smith, chief executive at [Scottish Crofting Federation](https://www.crofting.org/?ref=theferret.scot) [told BBC Scotland](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001y1hm?ref=theferret.scot) that the policy had not been through “rural-proofing”. “I understand why this decision makes sense, in a city, but there’s no ‘rural-proofing’ we can see at all in this policy, and that’s what we’d like to look at,” she said. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Half True** Wood-burning stoves, along with other heat sources considered to directly cause emissions will not be allowed in new buildings applying for building warrants after 1 April 2024\. However, they are not being banned in general. Current wood-burning stoves can remain in place, and existing homes can still install them. [![This claim is half true.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_3halftrue-11.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Photo credit: iStock/Teamjackson* ### Aberdeen University condemns Israel’s ‘systematic destruction of Palestinian educational institutions’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/aberdeen-university-condemns-israel/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:19:44.000Z **Aberdeen University’s senate has condemned Israel’s “systematic destruction of Palestinian educational institutions” and the “censorship of expressions of solidarity” with Palestine.** The senate – the highest academic governing body at the university – is responsible for teaching and research. It has 86 members and the motion was carried with 56 in favour. The move was welcomed by Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) which said it condemns violence towards Palestinians by the Israeli government, and the terrorist attack in Israel by Hamas on 7 October 2023. AUSA also called for the release of all hostages held by Hamas. Israeli forces invaded Gaza after Hamas – proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK Government – killed 1,200 people in Israel on 7 October and took 250 people hostage. Since then [nearly 26,000 children](https://www.savethechildren.net/news/over-2-gaza-s-child-population-killed-or-injured-six-months-war?ref=theferret.scot) – or just over two percent of Gaza’s child population – have been killed or injured. > The motion condemns Israeli systematic destruction of educational institutions and knowledge systems in Palestine for over 75 years. > > Sanaa al-Azawi, PhD student at Aberdeen University Gaza’s education system has suffered significantly since Israel’s bombardment and assault on the strip began. Israel blew up Gaza’s last standing university, Al-Israa University, with 12 others having been mostly destroyed by bombing. At least [3](https://theconversation.com/the-war-in-gaza-is-wiping-out-palestines-education-and-knowledge-systems-222055?ref=theferret.scot)[78 schools ](https://theconversation.com/the-war-in-gaza-is-wiping-out-palestines-education-and-knowledge-systems-222055?ref=theferret.scot)have been destroyed or damaged and the Palestinian Ministry of Education has reported the deaths of over 4,327 students, 231 teachers and 94 professors. The motion condemning Israel’s attacks on education for Palestinians was proposed by Sanaa al-Azawi, a PhD student at Aberdeen University. She told The Ferret: “The motion condemns Israeli systematic destruction of educational institutions and knowledge systems in Palestine for over 75 years. I am proud of the university for standing for humanity and knowledge and we will continue demanding a ceasefire and protection for Palestinians and their institutions. “Another important achievement of that motion is to ensure the freedom of speech for our academics and students on campus.” The president of Aberdeen University Students’ Association, Vanessa Mobonzo Nzolo, said students condemn the “oppression and violence towards Palestinians by the Israeli government” in the continuing historical Israel-Palestine conflict. She added: “We want to break the silence on campus – bringing the community together to learn more about the conflict, join campaigning and fundraising for the Palestinian struggle, and promote opportunities for open conversations. We have zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination.” The Ferret [reported last December](https://www.theferret.scot/glasgow-university-academics-call-ceasefire-gaza/) that more than 200 academics at Glasgow University signed an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire to the “relentless bombardment” of Gaza that had killed 6,000 children at that point. *Main image: Israel Defense Forces* ### ‘Greedy’ Ineos claims Grangemouth grant despite refinery closure URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ineos-claims-grangemouth-grant-despite-closure/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:36:16.000Z **Ineos has been branded as ‘greedy’ for taking over £400,000 in Scottish taxpayer ‘handouts’ months after the firm announced it was closing the Grangemouth oil refinery – a move that could cost hundreds of jobs.** The Scottish Government’s business agency, [Scottish Enterprise](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-enterprise/), told The Ferret it paid £428,000 to Jim Ratcliffe’s firm for work at Grangemouth in March. The payment was made four months after [Petroineos](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/petroineos/) – a joint venture between Ineos and Chinese state-owned firm PetroChina – [announced](https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/business/grangemouth-oil-refinery-set-to-shut-as-early-as-spring-2025-as-hundreds-of-jobs-at-risk-4418780?ref=theferret.scot) the looming closure of its oil refinery at Grangemouth. Although a final closure date is [yet](https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/politics/grangemouth-bosses-confirm-oil-refinery-closure-but-cannot-say-when-4444605?ref=theferret.scot) to be announced, the refinery could be converted into a fuel import terminal as soon as 2025, in a move that could cost 400 jobs. Friends of the Earth accused Ineos of being “greedy” and said the Scottish Government “were being taken for fools” giving “handouts” to a company “threatening to cut and run on workers at Grangemouth”. The campaign group questioned why the public had to “subsidise” Ineos when its owner is “wealthy enough” to buy a [big stake](https://www.ineos.com/news/ineos-group/manchester-united-plc-reaches-agreement-for-sir-jim-ratcliffe-chairman-of-ineos-to-acquire-up-to-a-25-shareholding-in-the-company/?ref=theferret.scot) in Manchester United football club. Scottish Enterprise said its priority was to “maximise future employment” opportunities for workers at Grangemouth. Ineos was contacted for comment. > The Scottish Government are being taken for fools giving handouts to Jim Ratcliffe whilst his company threatens to cut and run from workers at Grangemouth. > > Rosie Hampton, Friends of the Earth Scotland Scottish Enterprise’s payment to Ineos Chemicals Grangemouth Ltd in March was the second instalment of a grant worth £500,000 agreed in October 2022\. The first instalment, worth £62,243, was paid in July 2023. The grant was made towards a £1m Ineos project to assess whether the other petrochemical facilities it owns at the wider Grangemouth complex could be fueled by hydrogen in the future. A freedom of information [request](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-enterprise-criticised-human-rights-checks/) by The Ferret also revealed that Ineos received Scottish Enterprise grants in 2021 and 2022 to investigate the potential for a biorefinery at Grangemouth. In total the firm has received over £700,000 in grants from Scottish Enterprise since the start of 2021. Petroineos Manufacturing Scotland Ltd, the owner of Grangemouth, [posted](https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/Up%5FrUf70utjO4wS2HyqXVz5BaAymTe7AO0Z1qOz1Vdo/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3DZX246L3%2F20240402%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4%5Frequest&X-Amz-Date=20240402T142311Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEDEaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJHMEUCIQDzl5TjviN%2BBAE%2BaeSO4N53r0ZxuOKxfcceQUaqbA9%2BfwIgAc19NJ5G33gpWQU7w4hXFl80Mv2PyWcbtcAnoRgUIuUquwUIWhAFGgw0NDkyMjkwMzI4MjIiDIosEPKLolXwGIRCXSqYBSsExGhfsfu4qYSUctppSlA5BmSZzFCadzkp4qZHPQNEARzmduK%2FNuSioLzXP0pJN0GEo3cRbAE770ssHYdGHPc2E84paIREpPwlTQ%2BY%2FLxqv42kuTc0dvb%2BmJtfygV6nfKTjCALdQS2GkyEag9bj%2BgFRE0anmemtqVpmt%2F0o9Sskb6Sr5IP1ZlZtOMfdgjBTYsquozU4lwJ%2FDTMwWRccK9fySwXC4ffOzOq18c%2B%2FE4kw2Qq0Fe%2BvRsm1JDOGS7UHwBxklBBxbcmJHM9mDCfzvxyLVOqB7I90dHHkmGZ2FDuMFmcgIrdhof1NZh2tPOn9%2FbQ%2Flt7NE5busTLQEr%2FfHL0NJ4kDKr5y2ZEFcauDm8JBddcGPsY6gKNfGuFoN7c48r11%2FVx%2BRpvkbOfUwywh%2FnktIxCbhgIfBUripFJMLimnO6hL%2BwD7zAgnjn2QAyzku7VARrfRsNIJHtlrWag5TMCRkr3nUwVthuhU3xZubZatqsAMFGXR6biIcTMyXyQg%2Fyk5ktplrlEv8zd7CPvVnmM2KRHJrOKG2KDjI%2BR6Tk0Y9sD3cSNb3tPLroQJ84S8%2F9lj7xt1F3p%2FUGicXk0ITLE%2FoKmxurF2N84sv12NoaRwavHU90fTrT9tvtUqR%2Bl%2Byysp2LHbVSor2gzORjqW7Llww2qlC%2BwGDNW6q%2BIPGT6M4a1NZU%2FTtzYAbxeXbVuuIf0tteK8uN6DEsxxmUbKMuEYKU4%2Fm2kwi%2FKpHNaGZnHU%2FU0s8CEASEuxJIY8QBFfLke%2FekdUpt1gYKaTwQTv9DEmSMWyrWupJU1pP6oCa9w%2Bcq161lNjsQk6Dh7Tu%2BuZk%2F7WK%2FUfqgaKJNoxAVUTy4t9rJh8T3U7iMCFy%2BUaG766aBqrLlVwNEwtJKvsAY6sQH0qIV%2BBB%2BApm6RglvYuVqQGxa6Zx4YXhU1DKS%2FGBrDkvSKbOn4otKk3O6CYt%2BelUsIyPzceCasiML8R9ofAu%2B3sV23wLYP3u0fCQOjhpe2AYQ1rAOBYHD24AGMkeBjqS9nUDI1p%2BI9SEM%2B1ChJ7YkfcZ088TdPiQRpbSR2ei2jvd2ZrxSUakSQ7NBrj%2BWKneJMcKCKt5hspSsjO2ZKjW71KmNhkDkY63PH5anJXvNq6pQ%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies%5Fhouse%5Fdocument.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=59bbe3a59821f01a9a6f0049b7bf475ec1dd1037c5ee4716ab8180324220e7bf&ref=theferret.scot) pre-tax yearly profits of £107m in 2022. Ineos chairman and majority owner Ratcliffe bought a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United in December for a [reported](https://news.sky.com/story/sir-jim-ratcliffe-completes-purchase-of-25-stake-in-manchester-united-13076565?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Hamad%20al%20Thani.-,The%20deal%20is%20costing%20boyhood%20United%20fan%20Sir%20Jim%20%241.65,the%20end%20of%20the%20year.) £1.3bn. As part of the deal, Ineos is now in charge of football operations at the club. Rosie Hampton, a campaigner at [Friends of the Earth Scotland](https://foe.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), said “scarce public resources” should be going towards “job guarantees” for “high carbon workers” like those at Grangemouth. “The Scottish Government are being taken for fools giving handouts to Jim Ratcliffe whilst his company threatens to cut and run from workers at Grangemouth,” Hampton told The Ferret. She added that Scottish ministers should be “forcing Ineos to meaningfully engage with workers and the local community about what they need from the transition away from fossil fuels”. ![ineos grangemouth](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-178133151-e1712328434479-1.jpg) A flock of migrating geese fly over the Grangemouth refinery in winter. Image: FrankCornfield/iStock [Unite](https://www.unitetheunion.org/?ref=theferret.scot), the trade union which represents employees of the Grangemouth refinery, said it believed public funds “should be used to support jobs based in Scotland where there is also a commitment by companies to retain and support jobs”. A spokesperson said: “Unite’s sole objective is to retain the oil refinery’s operations for as long as possible and with it 500 highly-skilled jobs. We will ensure that everyone is held to account for any inaction and failure to protect jobs.” The Alba Party MP, Kenny McAskill – who has been campaigning to keep the refinery open – said hydrogen and biofuels should be pursued at Grangemouth and grants are “rightly paid to support transition and investment”. “But those technologies are for years to come and closure is proposed for next year,” he added. “When funds can be found for Ineos to invest in [Belgium](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/29/uk-600m-backing-jim-ratcliffe-carbon-bomb-petrochemical-plant?ref=theferret.scot) and battery manufacturers are bunged billions to invest in England, it is time that revenue from Scottish oil was used to support Scotland’s refinery.” A Scottish Enterprise spokesperson said: “We are working with Petroineos as well as local and national stakeholders on the Grangemouth facility’s future. “Our priority is exploring all options for the site, beyond traditional refinery operations, to maximise future employment. “Part of this exploration includes a £1 million Ineos project to appraise technology options to facilitate fuel switching to hydrogen. We approved £500,000 as a contribution towards this project in 2022, with the project and grant payment completing last month.” Petroineos has [blamed](https://news.sky.com/story/scotlands-only-oil-refinery-grangemouth-could-cease-operations-with-hundreds-of-jobs-at-risk-13013554?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20firm%20said%20the%20Grangemouth,expected%20to%20take%2018%20months.) market pressures and the need to transition away from fossil fuels for its decision to close the refinery at Grangemouth. The oil refinery [produced](https://www.theferret.scot/co2-emissions-surge-at-ineos-and-sse-sites/) the second most climate pollution of any site in Scotland in 2022, behind only SSE’s gas power plant at Peterhead. Head of external affairs at Petroineos, Iain Hardie, [told](https://www.independent.co.uk/business/grangemouth-refinery-closure-date-not-yet-known-boss-tells-msps-b2463288.html?ref=theferret.scot) Holyrood’s economy committee in December that Grangemouth was “one of the oldest” refineries in Europe and “highly inefficient”. He said the refinery had incurred losses of around £800m in the last decade and added that a transition plan for Grangemouth was expected to be published in 2024. **This story was published in partnership with the Sunday Post. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op. [ Join us](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** *Main image: iStock/Dave Collins* ### Farming and forestry pollution sees hundreds of waterways downgraded URL: https://www.theferret.scot/farming-forestry-pollution-waterways-scotland/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T15:09:38.000Z **Endangered species are being put at risk by pollution from farming and forestry industries, which has led to poorer quality in hundreds of Scottish waterways and dozens being rated ‘bad’ or ‘poor’.** Fertilisers, pesticides, slurry and other substances can have “severe impacts on plants and animals in rivers”, reduce drinking water quality, and pose a risk to human health, [according to the](https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/59670/dp%5Fgbr%5Fexplained.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) Scottish Environment Agency (Sepa). Runoff from farm and forestry activities, as well as green spaces such as parks and sports fields, is the most common threat to water quality, Sepa [data](https://informatics.sepa.org.uk/RBMP3/?ref=theferret.scot) shows. Chemicals such as fertilisers are used to help grow crops and grass for grazing animals. But anything not absorbed by plants can seep into groundwater and run into waterways. Sepa told The Ferret that agricultural runoff was linked to its decisions to downgrade the statuses of 363 rivers, lochs, canals, burns, estuaries, coastal areas and groundwaters in a 2020 study. This prompted the Scottish Greens to call for stronger regulations and the reform of agricultural subsidies to tackle pollution. Among those with the worst water quality, according to [2022 assessments](https://www.sepa.org.uk/data-visualisation/water-classification-hub/?ref=theferret.scot) – the latest available – are the Ythan Estuary in Aberdeenshire, which flows into the North Sea. It is [home to](https://www.riverythan.org/river-ythan/?ref=theferret.scot) endangered Atlantic salmon and has nine special protected designations. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newburgh_early_winter_snow_at_the_ythan_estuary_-_geograph-org_-uk_-_2174521.jpg) The Ythan Estuary is currently in poor condition. Photo © [Martyn Gorman](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/6287?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) Others rated as ‘bad’ include Loch Gelly in Fife, Carlingwark Lane Canal, which flows into Carlingwark Loch in Castle Douglas – [another protected site](https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/1535?ref=theferret.scot) – and Gelston Burn, which flows out of the loch towards the Solway. Those with groundwaters rated as ‘poor’ include Montrose, Auchtermuchty, the Rhins in Galloway, and Fogo in the Scottish Borders. Polluted groundwater can [threaten](https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/environment-and-business/challenges-and-choices/user%5Fuploads/pollution-from-abandoned-mines-challenge-rbmp-2021-1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) drinking water supplies. A farming group called for more funding support to “tackle the climate and nature crises” while forestry bodies stressed that “every practical precaution” was taken to cut pollution. An environmental scientist said Scotland’s freshwaters are in “much better condition” than a lot of the EU, but warned of an “increasing cocktail of pollutants entering rivers”. Sepa highlighted that Scotland’s water quality is the best on record – a result it said was owed to improvements in practices from the agricultural sector. ### **Dozens of waters rated ‘poor’** Sepa’s 2022 assessments of waters impacted by rural pollution show that 50 were rated as poor, and five as bad. The vast majority (219) were rated as moderate, 80 as good, and nine as high. Sepa’s river basin data also shows that it planned to improve the quality of 280 of the 363 waters impacted. Of the 83 waters where no action was planned, 10 are currently in poor condition. \[table id=388 /\] Sepa said some waters had less stringent improvement objectives because the pressures they faced did not risk having an ecological impact, but that a fresh review was planned. The River Tyne source to Birns Water, as well as South, Cowie and Voy burns now have actions planned to address rural pollution pressures, it added. Scottish Greens MSP [Mark Ruskell](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/mark-ruskell?ref=theferret.scot) said: “Some of these findings are concerning. Improving water quality is critical for both nature recovery and our own health. Where farming is impacting on the environment there needs to be greater regulatory and subsidy reform. “Fertiliser and slurry pollution ending up in rivers means the loss of nutrients to grow crops in the soil, which in turn is costly for farm businesses as well as our biodiversity. I recognise the important work of Sepa and others, but we need to redouble our efforts to ensure that we hit our targets and that we fully restore our rivers.” ### **Forestry pollution** Phosphorus, used by foresters to provide nutrients to trees, can [impact](https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/59566/dp%5Fgbr%5Fforestry.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) upland lochs via runoff often during heavy rainfall, or when soil is disturbed by heavy machinery during felling. Forestry pollution can also [result](https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic-resource-surveys/indicators-phosphorus?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Too%20much%20phosphorus%20can%20cause,to%20human%20and%20animal%20health.) in algae that produce toxins potentially harmful to humans, fish and other animals. A spokesperson for [Forestry and Land Scotland](https://forestryandland.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which manages around a third of Scotland’s forests on behalf of the public, said: “We take every practical precaution to comply with all the legislation and guidance and work closely and in collaboration with other agencies to deliver best outcomes.” [Scottish Forestry,](https://forestry.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) the government agency responsible for regulation, said environmental legislation was “the strongest lever in mitigating pollution and everyone must comply with it”. Some planting projects require environmental impact assessments. But all projects that receive public funding from the [Forestry Grant Scheme](https://forestry.gov.scot/support-regulations/forestry-grants?ref=theferret.scot) “must follow comprehensive guidance in the [UK Forestry Standard](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-forestry-standard?ref=theferret.scot), which outlines best practice on planting and managing woodlands in ways which mitigate any impacts of forestry design and operations,” said a spokesperson. ![Waterways](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/2514312187_d69b31b066_o.jpg) Phosphorus, used by foresters to provide nutrients to trees, can [impact](https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/59566/dp%5Fgbr%5Fforestry.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) upland lochs via runoff often during heavy rainfall, or when soil is disturbed by heavy machinery during felling. Image credit: [Francis Eatherington](https://www.flickr.com/photos/umpquawild/?ref=theferret.scot). Licence: CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED ### **Pollution regulations** Nitrogen is a crucial nutrient that helps plants and crops grow, but as high concentrations are harmful to people and nature, Scotland has designated nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) to reduce nitrate loss from agricultural land. NVZs are areas where nitrate concentrations in water exceed, or are likely to exceed certain levels, and are subject to stricter rules around storing and applying fertiliser. The current NVZs are Lothian and Borders, Strathmore and Fife (including Finavon in Angus), Moray, Aberdeenshire, and Lower Nithsdale and Stranraer Lowlands – both in Dumfries and Galloway. Other [regulations](https://www.gov.scot/policies/agriculture-and-the-environment/pesticides/?ref=theferret.scot) put controls on the use and storage of pesticides. Sepa [advises](https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/59566/dp%5Fgbr%5Fforestry.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) storing and applying fertiliser away from waterways, water sources, and waterlogged land. The Scottish Government-funded [Farming and Water Scotland](https://www.farmingandwaterscotland.org/know-the-rules/?ref=theferret.scot) cooperative also helps farmers and land managers to follow pollution laws. ![Pollution](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1355124213.jpg) “Farmers are in a unique position to help tackle the climate and nature crises as well as produce healthy sustainable food,” Kirsty Tait, director of the Farming and Countryside Commission, told The Ferret. Image: Richard-P-Long/iStock On 14 February, the Scottish Government made £4m available to fund the storage of slurry and irrigation lagoons to help improve water quality in rural areas, which farmers and land managers can apply for as part of the [Agri-Environment Climate Scheme](https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/agri-environment-climate-scheme/?ref=theferret.scot#681737). However, this is the final year that support will be available for slurry storage. Kirsty Tait, the director of the [Food, Farming and Countryside Commission](https://ffcc.co.uk/about-us?ref=theferret.scot), an independent charity, said: “It is a challenging time for everyone who cares for the environment across Scotland, including farmers and crofters, as the new payment framework is worked out. “Farmers are in a unique position to help tackle the climate and nature crises as well as produce healthy sustainable food – and with the right support, can be a force for change.” ### **Scottish water quality at ‘record high’** The [James Hutton Institute](https://www.hutton.ac.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) monitors water pollution and [explores](https://www.stir.ac.uk/news/2022/november-2022-news/2m-water-quality-project-to-protect-river-ecosystems-/?ref=theferret.scot) how methods like better land and soil management, and buffer zones can prevent contamination of Scotland’s rivers. It is part of a Stirling university-led [research project](https://www.stir.ac.uk/news/2022/november-2022-news/2m-water-quality-project-to-protect-river-ecosystems-/?ref=theferret.scot) exploring how pollution and climate change are impacting freshwater ecosystems. [Dr Eulyn Pagaling](https://www.hutton.ac.uk/staff/eulyn-pagaling?ref=theferret.scot), an environmental microbiologist at the institute, said: “Comparatively, Scotland’s freshwaters are in much better condition than in many other countries, including England and Wales and much of the EU. However, that’s not to say there’s not room for improvement.” She warned of an “increasing cocktail of pollutants entering rivers”, including pharmaceuticals, microplastics and ‘forever chemicals’, adding that climate change will pose further challenges due to changes to the way chemicals are processed in waters. [Scottish Government failing to tackle sewage sludge, says Environmental Rights CentreA green charity has accused ministers of failing to regulate the use of a potentially dangerous sewage fertiliser seven years after a Scottish Government report called for action. Sewage sludge – which has a vile odour – is a by-product of sewage and wastewater treatment often used as fertiliser on fields due![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-24.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/6305610332_ff7003e64e_k.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-failing-to-tackle-sewage-sludge/) Sepa said Scotland’s water quality was the best on record, with 87 per cent of the water environment rated as ‘good’ or better last year, and a record-breaking number of bathing waters rated ‘excellent’. “The upgrade in water quality reflects improvements made through Scottish Water’s investment programme and the sustained hard work by all stakeholders to improve rural land management practices and reduce diffuse pollution,” said Nathan Critchlow-Watton, Sepa’s head of water and planning. *Main image credit:* [*eutrophication&hypoxia*](https://www.flickr.com/photos/48722974@N07/?ref=theferret.scot). Licence: [CC BY 2.0 DEED](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot) ### Far right group aimed to recruit Erskine locals over asylum seekers URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-recruit-erskine-locals-asylum-seekers/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:20:49.000Z **A far right group behind anti-asylum seekers protests in Erskine was trying to recruit “disgruntled locals” and is a “threat and risk” to public safety, according to a police intelligence report.** [A briefing ](https://www.npcc.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/publications/disclosure-logs/operations-coordination-committee/2023/324-2023-npocc-sib-patriotic-alternative-group-assessment-march-2023-final%5Fredacted.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)by the National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC) marked “official sensitive” reveals protests held by Patriotic Alternative were under surveillance and the white nationalist group is viewed as a “national priority”. The Ferret [revealed last year](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-racial-hatred-erskine-asylum-seekers/) that PA was hijacking protests in Erskine and trying to exploit concerns over asylum seekers being housed in a local hotel. Two PA members who travelled from England to Erskine for the demos were later [jailed for race hate crimes](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-patriotic-alternative-prison-hate-crimes/). One was a [white supremacist ](https://www.theferret.scot/white-supremacist-asylum-seekers-protests-erskine-jailed-five-years/)while the other was [linked to the banned ](https://www.theferret.scot/patriotic-alternative-assessed-uk-government-definition-extremism-neo-nazi-ideology/)neo-Nazi terror group, National Action. The Home Office used the Muthu Hotel in Erskine to house asylum seekers from January 2023, a move opposed by Patriotic Alternative and a breakaway faction of the far right group called Homeland. Far right activists were met with counter-protests by trades unions, anti-racism groups and community members. Asylum seekers were to be removed from the Erskine hotel by this month. The NPoCC intelligence report said PA gets involved in community issues because these “represent increased recruitment opportunities of disgruntled locals”. NPoCC was set up in 2013 and is a UK-wide unit that brings all forces together including Police Scotland. Its report on PA documents the group’s presence at anti-asylum seeker protests in Erskine and elsewhere in the UK and reveals it is assessed on a “monthly basis”. NPoCC said 12 members of PA were among 30 protestors in Erskine on 5 March 2023 and some “conducted speeches”. There was a counter protest which included “20 identifiable as members of Young Communist League who were all dressed in black with hoods or hats and red face coverings.” > Despite attempts to recruit locals to their campaign of hate, the vast majority of the people of Erskine rejected their (Patriotic Alternative) ignorant bigotry wholeheartedly and without equivocation. > > Gavin Newlands, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North. At a demo on 19 March 2023 PA activists were joined by “local people voicing concerns about refugees being housed in a hotel”, the NPoCC said. It added: “PA was led by their Scotland organiser, and, at peak, the total numbers in the main demonstration reached 50.” On 26 March 2023 there were approximately 35 protestors outside the hotel. The NPoCC report continued: “A protest took place in relation to the housing of asylum seekers at the Muthu hotel in Erskine, this forms part of a weekly protest at this site. Prior to the arrival of the opposing faction two members of Stand up to Racism group approached PA and handed them several information leaflets stating that refugees are not to blame for the housing crisis.” “At about 1130 hours, when the opposing faction attended there \[were\] approximately 20 persons present. There was vocal exchanges of words between the two groups but there was no complaints made regarding it. A number of Erskine local residents were also present along with the five individuals believed to be PA members.” The NPoCC said PA campaigns around “anti multiculturalism and immigration issues, as well as periodic focus on drag queen story hour events”. Last year violence[ erupted ](https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2023/02/protesters-clash-outside-tate-britain-over-drag-queen-story-hour/?ref=theferret.scot)during a PA protest in London outside Tate Britain over the gallery’s Drag Queen Story Hour story-telling event for children. Online donations to PA are also monitored by police as well as the group’s “publicity stunts” such as “banner drops across the country to raise awareness for white nationalist and anti-immigration causes”. PA unfurled a[ “white lives matter”](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/aug/03/racists-told-stay-away-from-ben-nevis-after-banner-unfurling?ref=theferret.scot) banner at the top of Ben Nevis in 2021. Groups affiliated to PA such as North East Infidels and Active Patriot are also under surveillance. > We are proud of the work we have done alongside trade unionists and local residents to oppose the politics of PA and its split Homeland. Activists were right to oppose them.” > > Talat Ahmed, SUTR Scotland convenor. The NPoCC reports to the [National Police Chiefs’ Council](https://www.npcc.police.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) which brings police leaders together. Gavin Newlands, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, said: “As we have seen at Erskine, the far right try to latch on to anything they think might help promote their twisted world view. While the Erskine Bridge Hotel was being used to house asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their application from the unfit for purpose Home Office, these extremists came to our community in an attempt to intimidate and bully asylum seekers and those providing solidarity to them. “Despite attempts to recruit locals to their campaign of hate, the vast majority of the people of Erskine rejected their ignorant bigotry wholeheartedly and without equivocation. Clearly they are a fairly pathetic bunch, as borne out by the police intelligence report stating ‘there was low attendance at most protests’, but their white supremacist ideology of hatred – and the history of violence that permeate such groups – means it is no surprise the authorities are keeping a watchful eye on them.” Talat Ahmed, Stand Up To Racism Scotland convenor, said: “We are proud of the work we have done alongside trade unionists and local residents to oppose the politics of PA and its split Homeland. Activists were right to oppose them.” A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police Scotland is a rights-based organisation that puts ours values of integrity, fairness, respect, and a commitment to upholding human rights at the heart of everything we do. We continue to monitor protests at the Erskine Muthu Hotel and apply a proportionate police response. We continue to liaise with our partners and will assess whether officers are required to be deployed at the hotel based on threat, harm, and risk. “We were made aware of a disturbance involving two groups in the Erskine area around 11.50am on Sunday, 24 December, 2023\. Officers attended but the groups involved had dispersed. No one presented as injured and no further complaints were made to Police Scotland.” Last month PA was accused of promoting ‘neo-Nazi’ ideology at Westminster by Michael Gove MP. The group will be assessed under the UK Government’s new definition of extremism. PA has been asked to comment. ### What does Scotland’s new hate crime change? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-does-scotlands-new-hate-crime-change/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:20:49.000Z **Scotland’s new hate crime bill has been extremely controversial, with critics lambasting the law for perceived restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.** But what is actually changing and how will Scotland differ to the rest of the UK? [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) explains. #### **What is the new legislation?** Scotland’s new hate crime legislation, the [Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14/contents?ref=theferret.scot), came into force on 1 April 2024. It was brought in after a [review of Scotland’s existing hate crime laws](https://www.gov.scot/publications/independent-review-hate-crime-legislation-scotland-final-report/?ref=theferret.scot) by a senior Scottish judge, Lord Bracadale. The new law aims to consolidate existing laws, and it extends the protection for vulnerable groups. In the new legislation, offences are seen as “aggravated” if they include prejudice based on someone’s age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, or transgender identity. There will also be an offence called “stirring up hatred”, which will apply to anyone who’s conduct “encourages others to hate a particular group of people”. #### **Why has it been controversial?** The act has led to controversy, with [artists](https://archive.is/eKeYY?ref=theferret.scot) including Rowan Atkinson, Elaine C Smith and novelist Chris Brookmyre, alongside campaigners, claiming the legislation could impact freedom of speech in Scotland. The concept of “stirring up hatred” has been [criticised](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-53580326?ref=theferret.scot) as too vague, and opponents argue it could be too open to interpretation. Recently, a [Police Scotland campaign](https://archive.is/Pon5X?ref=theferret.scot#selection-299.13-299.126) featuring an animated character called the Hate Monster was criticised and ridiculed online. It was actually launched in 2023, but re-emerged ahead of the hate crime legislation coming into force. The police campaign was [criticised](https://thecritic.co.uk/police-scotland-must-stop-patronising-the-public/?ref=theferret.scot) by commentators for [linking](https://archive.is/Pon5X?ref=theferret.scot#selection-299.13-299.126) hate crimes to young, white men from socially excluded communities. Meanwhile, some [campaigners](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/21/humza-yousaf-criticises-disinformation-over-new-scottish-hate-law?ref=theferret.scot) have complained the new law does not include women, while others have argued the law may restrict people from expressing so-called ‘gender critical’ views. ‘Gender critical’ is a term used to describe those who are sceptical of gender identity and may be critical of laws enabling easier self-identification for transgender people. Inclusion of transgender identity as a protected characteristic has led some commentators to argue that misgendering someone could lead to prosecution under the law. #### **What was the law before?** Previously, Scotland’s laws around hate crime were based around breaches of various bits of legislation. These included the [Public Order Act 1986](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/64?ref=theferret.scot), [Crime and Disorder Act 1998](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/37/part/II?view=extent&ref=theferret.scot), and the [Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2003/7?ref=theferret.scot). #### **What are the key aspects of the new law?** One part of the new law deals with “aggravations”. This is when someone commits an offence, such as an assault, and they demonstrate or are motivated by prejudice towards a protected group. This is worded in the law as “demonstrated malice and ill-will”. The protected groups covered in the new law are race, colour, nationality (including citizenship), or ethnic or national origins, age, disability, religious group, sexual orientation, transgender identity, or being [intersex](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/differences-in-sex-development/?ref=theferret.scot). This offence was brought into law [in 1998](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/37/part/II?view=extent&ref=theferret.scot) to cover racially aggravated offences. Since then other characteristics have been protected, including disability, religion, sexual orientation and transgender identity. The new law adds age to these protections. There is now an offence in Scotland called “stirring up hatred”. This covers the above protected groups, however there are different thresholds where an offence is committed. Transgender identity, being intersex, age, religion and sexual orinetation are now protected characteristics not previously covered by “stirring up hatred” For stirring up hatred based on race, colour, nationality (including citizenship), or ethnic or national origins, a crime would be committed if a person shares material or behaves in a way that “a reasonable person would consider to be threatening, abusive or insulting”. However, the bar for crimes linked to age, disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity, or being intersex are slightly higher. Behaviour would need to be reasonably considered “threatening or abusive” for a crime to be committed, rather than simply insulting. The bar for “stirring up hatred” in relation to religious groups is higher still. The law states that “expressions of antipathy, dislike, ridicule or insult towards, religion, religious beliefs or practices, or the position of not holding religious beliefs” and “proselytising \[attempting to convert\], or urging of persons to cease practising their religions” are allowed, and cannot be taken as threatening or abusive solely on this basis. There is precedent for “stirring up hatred” being a legal offence. This has been against the law in Scotland when related to someone’s race [since 1965](https://consult.gov.scot/hate-crime/independent-review-of-hate-crime-legislation/user%5Fuploads/nontechnical.7.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). In England, offences relating to race, someone’s sexual orientation and religion were already in place. Writing on the [new law](https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/professor-james-chalmers-communication-essential-to-avoid-undue-fears-over-hate-crime-act-4569579?ref=theferret.scot), Professor James Chalmers, Regius Professor of Law at the University of Glasgow said: “Anyone stirring up hatred against such a group is almost certainly already committing a crime, such as threatening or abusive behaviour or breach of the peace. The effect of the act here is not to make criminal what is currently lawful, but to ensure that the law properly recognises and describes the crime.” #### **Will people be prosecuted for misgendering?** The threshold for prosecution in the new law is high. Law professor and former Conservative MSP [Adam Tomkins](https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/24198760.hate-crime-act-might-yet-success-focus-means/?ref=theferret.scot) said: “Asserting that sex is a biological fact or that it is not changed just by virtue of the gender by which someone chooses to identify is not and never can be a hate crime under this legislation”. For misgendering someone to be considered a hate crime, it would have to be [proven](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14?ref=theferret.scot) that it was done in a way that a “reasonable person would consider to be threatening or abusive” and was “intended to stir up hatred against a group of persons”. #### **What isn’t in the act?** The law does not include mysogyny as an offence. This was done with the anticipation that a separate law was to be put in place, but this has yet to be developed. [Blasphemy offences](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14?ref=theferret.scot) have been removed from hate crime legislation, with an outdated common law offence abolished in the act. #### **What about ‘non-crime hate incidents’?** A lot of media coverage surrounding the new law has been related to “non-crime hate incidents”. Reports in the first days after the law came into force suggested thousands of allegations had been made to Police Scotland. A non-crime hate incident is recorded when an action is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hatred towards a protected group, but does not constitute a crime. The recording of hate incidents is not new, and exists across the UK. This is often used to monitor the tensions within communities. They do not form part of the new hate crime bill. Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has [criticised](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/jk-rowling-police-scotland-conservative-humza-yousaf-elon-musk-b1149269.html?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=News%20%7C%20Politics-,Tory%20demands%20police%20apology%20as%20police%20say%20Rowling%20comments%20'not,by%20JK%20Rowling%20were%20not.) the practice after a comment he made was classed as a non-crime hate incident, and free speech campaigners have argued it may have a ‘chilling effect’ on freedom of expression. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Photo credit: [Scottish Government](https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottishgovernment/44803970161?ref=theferret.scot), [CC BY 2.0 DEED](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)*. ### Wildlife objection to salmon farm spiked after industry lobbying URL: https://www.theferret.scot/wildlife-objection-to-salmon-farm-spiked/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:20:53.000Z The Scottish Government’s wildlife agency withdrew an objection to proposed new salmon cages near the island of Barra after intensive lobbying by the fish farming industry. [NatureScot](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/naturescot/) had concerns that waste from the cages would harm rare seabed wildlife. But it agreed to ditch its objection after the industry body, [Salmon Scotland](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon-scotland/), put pressure on a senior Scottish Government official. The industry lobbying was condemned by the Scottish Greens as “absolutely unacceptable”. Campaigners said it was “highly worrying” and “shocking” – and criticised NatureScot for “rolling over”. [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) said it had been a “long and complex case” but after “constructive discussions” it had amended its objection. Provided conditions were met, the risk to wildlife had been “addressed”, it argued. [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) stressed that it was its job to “regularly engage” with government, and expressed gratitude for the Scottish Government’s “strong support”. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-1.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) The lobbying has been revealed by [internal emails](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24488302/information-on-salmon-industry-lobbying-released-by-scottish-government.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) released by the Scottish Government to The Ferret under freedom of information law. Overall they show that senior ministers and officials have been lobbied by the salmon industry [at least 20 times on nine issues in the last year](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-lobbying-regulation/). In 2023 the salmon farming company, [Mowi](https://mowi.com/?ref=theferret.scot), proposed replacing 12 salmon cages with a circumference of 120 metres at Hellisay on Barra by five cages with a circumference of 200 metres. The [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) agreed to the changes. But NatureScot objected on the grounds that waste from the cages could damage endangered maerl “mega-ripples” on the seabed beneath them. [Maerl](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/marine-habitats/maerl-beds?ref=theferret.scot) is a hard purple and pink seaweed that provides homes for scallops, sea cucumbers and starfishes. ![salmon barra ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/maerl-mega-ripples-photo-thank-to-naturescot.jpg) Mearl ‘mega-ripples’ on the seabed (photo thanks to NatureScot) On 1 September 2023 Salmon Scotland’s chief executive and former Liberal Democrat minister and MSP, [Tavish Scott](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tavish-scott-285436189/?ref=theferret.scot), [wrote to the Scottish Government](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24512808/emails-about-barra-salmon-farm.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) environment director, [Kevin Quinlan](https://www.gov.scot/about/how-government-is-run/directorates/environment-and-forestry/director-of-environment-and-forestry/?ref=theferret.scot). Scott said he was “very concerned” about NatureScot’s objection. “I would therefore be grateful if you could look into this matter and ensure ministers are properly aware of all the factors that pertain to this and in particular the failure of NatureScot to engage,” Scott wrote. “Should the development fail to secure the necessary permissions there is a risk that the existing farm will cease to operate. Consequently, in the event of this likelihood there are likely to be significant adverse socio-economic impacts to the Barra economy.” Scott said that Mowi and Salmon Scotland were “disappointed” with NatureScot’s approach. Mowi’s monitoring showed that over the last ten years there had been “no significant effects on the surrounding environment”, he added. Scott [emailed](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24512808-emails-about-barra-salmon-farm?ref=theferret.scot) Quinlan again on 11 and 12 October, pressing for a response. “I have been on the end of ‘in due course’ many times”, he complained. On 23 November Scott emailed a third time asking for an update. On 27 November 2023 Quinlan [replied](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24512808-emails-about-barra-salmon-farm?ref=theferret.scot). “Apologies for the ongoing delay in sending you a substantive response on this,” he wrote. “I am pleased to let you know that NatureScot has recently confirmed the withdrawal of their objection to Sepa’s licence authorisation, based on an agreement that has been reached for an adaptive management approach to the operation of the site.” He added: “The understanding of my team is that Mowi, NatureScot and Sepa are all content that this situation has therefore been resolved.” Scottish Greens rural affairs spokesperson, [Ariane Burgess MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot), argued that NatureScot should be free to object to salmon farms “without fear or favour”. She said: “It is absolutely unacceptable to see that Salmon Scotland’s chief executive, Tavish Scott, put considerable pressure on the Scottish Government in relation to an application from salmon farm multinational, Mowi.” The campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), warned that the influence the industry had on independent expert bodies such as NatureScot was “highly worrying”. Coastal communities and councils relied on impartial advice on the environmental damage that salmon farms could inflict. “These emails make clear that this is emphatically not the case, with serious implications for trust in our democratic processes in Scotland,” said the group’s Scotland director, Rachel Mulrenan. > These emails show the shocking extent to which the salmon farming industry’s paid lobbyists can persuade ministers to override the protection of Scotland’s most precious nature conservation sites. > > John Aitchison, Coastal Communities Network According to the [Coastal Communities Network](http://www.apple.com/uk?ref=theferret.scot), which brings together 25 local groups concerned about the marine environment, maerl beds can easily be smothered and killed by the huge amount of salmon faeces discharged from cages. “These emails show the shocking extent to which the salmon farming industry’s paid lobbyists can persuade ministers to override the protection of Scotland’s most precious nature conservation sites,” the network’s John Aitchison told The Ferret. “It happens behind closed doors, without public scrutiny, in this case with only NatureScot’s change of position as a clue to what has gone on.” He added: “Scott seems to have persuaded ministers that the economic benefits to a private company and, to a much smaller extent, to Barra, should trump NatureScot’s efforts to protect the maerl, and NatureScot has caved in. “What hope does Scotland have of tackling the biodiversity emergency if NatureScot simply rolls over when the country’s most highly protected sites are threatened by corporate lobbying?” ### Barra salmon farm ‘long and complex case’ [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) defended its handling of the objection. “This has been a long and complex case and our priority throughout has been to safeguard the important seabed habitats at this established fish farm site,” said the agency’s head of sustainable coasts and seas, Cathy Tilbrook. “Based on constructive discussions with Sepa, the local authority and Mowi, we have amended our ‘holding’ objection to a ‘conditioned’ objection. This means that, provided a series of robust conditions are applied to the planning consent and Sepa licence, we consider that the risk to protected maerl habitats has been addressed.” She added: “This approach is linked to a monitoring and adaptive management plan, and we have highlighted that action may need to be taken to amend production in the future, should any evidence arise to suggest that there is an elevated risk of compromising the site’s conservation objectives.” The Scottish Government said ministers and officials heard from industry sectors “which stand to be impacted by regulation, as well as those representing community, environmental and many other concerns.” [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) declined to comment directly on NatureScot withdrawing its objection to the Barra salmon cages. Instead, the group’s Tavish Scott reiterated an [earlier response](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-lobbying-regulation/). “We are the trade body for the UK’s biggest food export, representing the employers of 12,500 Scots, and helping to showcase a world-renowned, low carbon, and nutritious Scottish food on the global stage,” he said. “So of course we regularly engage with government; it is our job. We are grateful for the Scottish Government’s strong support for our sector and continue to press for more streamlined regulation to enable us to meet the growing demand for the UK’s most popular fish. “With the right support we can generate up to £1 billion a year for the economy, which in turn will create more revenue for vital public services.” [Mowi Scotland](https://mowi.com/uk/?ref=theferret.scot) said it supported the response provided by Salmon Scotland. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-8.jpg) ##### This project is was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). ### The emails about Barra salmon farm released by Scottish Government ### Revealed: the salmon industry’s ‘outrageous’ lobbying URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-industry-lobbying-regulation/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:22:01.000Z **The multinational salmon farming industry privately lobbied the Scottish Government at least 20 times in the last year, calling for regulations to be relaxed, consents to be streamlined and companies to be given public subsidies.** Internal correspondence seen by The Ferret reveals that industry bosses have written 18 times to ten senior ministers and officials since March 2023 pleading for action on nine issues. They have also met with ministers twice, once pressing for “more financial support”. Most of the lobbying was done by [Tavish Scott](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tavish-scott-285436189/?ref=theferret.scot), the former LibDem MSP and minister who now heads the industry body, [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot). He has opposed new rules to control sea lice at [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) farms, urged “root and branch streamlining reform” of the process for approving new [fish farms](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/fish-farming/) and sought a series of other changes. Campaigners condemned the extent of industry lobbying as “shocking” and “outrageous”, warning it was “tying the Scottish Government’s hands”. According to one expert, companies’ privileged access to decision-makers lacked “environmental justice”. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-2.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) The [Scottish Greens](https://greens.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) warned against “throwing public money” at multinational salmon firms that made “multi-billion pound profits”. It was “hugely disappointing” to learn that the industry had been lobbying against plans to control lice, they said. Scott argued that it was Salmon Scotland’s job to “regularly engage” with government, and expressed gratitude for the Scottish Government’s “strong support”. He promised to continue to press for “more streamlined regulation”. The Scottish Government said that ministers and officials heard from a diverse range of views, including industries impacted by regulation and those representing community and environmental concerns. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-03-26-080655.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/lobbying-register-businesses-scottish-ministers/) The Scottish Government has released [72 pages of emails](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24488302/information-on-salmon-industry-lobbying-released-by-scottish-government.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) between the salmon industry and senior ministers and officials from March 2023 to January 2024\. The emails were requested by The Ferret under freedom of information law. Much of the lobbying was attempting to delay or block plans by the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) to [control sea lice](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farms-high-risk-wild-salmon/). Lice can infest caged salmon and spread to wild fish swimming in the sea. Salmon Scotland’s Tavish Scott wrote to ministers and officials six times about lice controls between March and December 2023\. He also met with the rural affairs secretary, [Mairi Gougeon](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/cabinet-secretary-for-rural-affairs-land-reform-and-islands/?ref=theferret.scot), at St Andrews House in Edinburgh on 30 May 2023. In March 2023 Scott messaged [Humza Yousaf](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/first-minister/biography-humza-yousaf/?ref=theferret.scot) during the SNP leadership election before he became first minister. “I wish to express our strong desire to continue the positive relationship we have with the Scottish Government,” he wrote. He singled out Gougeon for praise. “We have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with your colleague Mairi Gougeon, who has been a tireless champion for Scottish salmon,” he said. Scott pressed Yousaf for the consents and licensing process for salmon farms to be “streamlined” to avoid “delays, uncertainty, unnecessary cost and bureaucratic procedures”. He also criticised Sepa’s proposed lice controls. “We remain concerned that Sepa continues to exceed their brief in this area, developing a highly complex, restrictive and scientifically questionable regulatory framework, which may have a considerable impact on our sector,” he wrote. In April 2023, Scott [wrote](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24488302-information-on-salmon-industry-lobbying-released-by-scottish-government?ref=theferret.scot) to rural affairs secretary Gougeon and the net zero secretary, [Mairi McAllan](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/mairi-mcallan/?ref=theferret.scot), again complaining about Sepa’s lice controls. The letter was copied to the Scottish Government’s marine deputy director, Malcolm Pentland. “Our sector has repeatedly raised significant concerns with the development of this new regulatory framework, noting serious issues with the underpinning principles and scientific justification,” Scott said. He accused Sepa of failing to demonstrate that lice from fish farms had a “significant adverse impact” on wild salmon. New regulations “must not be developed in haste, in response to wider political pressures,” he argued. Instead, Scott proposed a more “collaborative approach” based on a memorandum of understanding with Sepa drafted by the industry. The memorandum does not appear to have been agreed by ministers. \[table id=387 /\] Scott [wrote again](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24488302-information-on-salmon-industry-lobbying-released-by-scottish-government?ref=theferret.scot) to Gougeon about lice in June 2023, after meeting her on 30 May. The letter was copied to Pentland, and to his boss, Scottish Government marine director, [Annabel Turpie](https://www.gov.scot/about/how-government-is-run/directorates/marine-scotland/director-of-marine-scotland/?ref=theferret.scot). This time Scott accepted that ministers had ordered a lice control framework. But he argued that it was “critical” for this to be based on a “robust, properly validated model” that should be “piloted through field testing prior to wider roll out.” Gougeon replied saying that Sepa was “open to the concept of exploring a pilot of the modelling approach as a supporting component to the phased implementation of the sea lice risk assessment framework.” Scott then wrote to Pentland in June thanking him for the “heavy lifting” of government officials in preparing Gougeon’s response. He also proposed a new liaison group for regulators to improve “transparency and communication”. Salmon Scotland helped lobby Gougeon and McAllan against proposed restrictions on the use of the lice-killing pesticide, [emamectin](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/emamectin/). It forwarded a letter from industry vets asking for a meeting to highlight “the potentially significant impacts” of the restrictions. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-03-26-080925.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/pesticide-safety-limit-industry-lobbying/) As well as lice, Scott lobbied the then economy secretary, [Neil Gray](https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/cabinet-secretary-for-nhs-recovery-health-and-social-care/?ref=theferret.scot), in January 2024 in support of “root and branch streamlining reform” of the fish farming consenting process. This, he said, had been recommended by a 2022 fish farming [regulatory review](https://www.gov.scot/publications/review-aquaculture-regulatory-process-scotland/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot) by Professor Russel Griggs, and agreed by ministers. Scott wrote: “We are disappointed and puzzled as to why such a clear ministerial endorsement of an independent regulatory assessment has proved so difficult to implement or even make substantive progress.” ### Salmon industry asks for financial support In October 2023 Scott [wrote](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24488302-information-on-salmon-industry-lobbying-released-by-scottish-government?ref=theferret.scot) to the Scottish Government’s net zero director [Roy Brannen](https://www.gov.scot/about/how-government-is-run/civil-service/director-general-net-zero/?ref=theferret.scot). “It does not seem that long ago that I was asking your advice on roads and rail projects,” he said, presumably referring to 2005-2007 when Scott was transport minister and Brannen was chief executive of [Transport Scotland](https://www.transport.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). Scott asked to “set up a coffee or a call” to discuss “the sheer weight of documentation that government is pushing out at business”. He wanted to provide “a wider perspective”. In September Scott lobbied the Scottish Government’s environment director, [Kevin Quinlan](https://www.gov.scot/about/how-government-is-run/directorates/environment-and-forestry/director-of-environment-and-forestry/?ref=theferret.scot), to [spike an objection](https://www.theferret.scot/wildlife-objection-to-salmon-farm-spiked/)[ ](https://www.theferret.scot/wildlife-objection-to-salmon-farm-spiked/)to new salmon cages near the island of Barra. In November Scott asked marine director, Annabel Turpie, to withdraw funding for a fish farming post, which he said could help fishing bodies object to salmon farms. In a pre-Christmas message in December 2023, one salmon farming company, [Scottish Sea Farms](https://scottishseafarms.com/?ref=theferret.scot), circulated Pentland, seven unnamed government officials and others under the heading “happy festive holidays”. It thanked them for “progressing the simplification/streamlining of the consenting process” for salmon farms. Tavish Scott and other salmon industry executives were also at a [Scottish Aquaculture Council](https://www.gov.scot/groups/scottish-aquaculture-council/?ref=theferret.scot) meeting in May 2023 when ministers Gougeon and McAllan were lobbied for “further financial support” for fish farming. According to [the minutes](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-aquaculture-council-minutes-may-2023/?ref=theferret.scot), there was also “discussion for the need for policy and regulation to become more adaptive”. ### ‘Lack of transparency, trust and equity’ The campaign group, [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), described The Ferret’s revelations about salmon industry lobbying as “shocking, both in terms of the amount, and the content of the lobbying itself.” “We are particularly concerned about attempts by Salmon Scotland to develop a direct agreement with the Scottish Government around developing the sea lice regulations – effectively cutting out any third-party scrutiny from civil society,” said the group’s Scotland director, Rachel Mulrenan. “It’s outrageous that the industry feels entitled to demand a seat at the table to develop regulation for its own activities, effectively tying the Scottish Government’s hands on making any progress to curb this risk.” [Professor Andrew Watterson](https://www.stir.ac.uk/expert/name/andrew-watterson-584?ref=theferret.scot), an expert on environmental regulation from Stirling University, argued that the “lack of transparency, trust and equity” needed to be urgently corrected by the Scottish Government. He pointed out that individuals and communities with limited resources have “minimal” input. “There is no level playing field and there is a real environmental justice deficit here,” he told The Ferret. The Scottish Greens rural affairs spokesperson, [Ariane Burgess MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/ariane-burgess?ref=theferret.scot), was concerned about the salmon industry’s lobbying for government subsidies. “Salmon farming already makes multi-billion pound profits,” she said. “We should not be throwing public money at subsidising salmon farm multinationals, which are damaging our marine ecosystems.” It was “hugely disappointing” to learn that the industry had been opposing and delaying Sepa’s lice controls, she added. ### Engaging with government is ‘our job” says salmon industry Tavish Scott pointed out that [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) was “the trade body for the UK’s biggest food export, representing the employers of 12,500 Scots, and helping to showcase a world-renowned, low carbon, and nutritious Scottish food on the global stage.” He added: “So of course we regularly engage with government; it is our job. We are grateful for the Scottish Government’s strong support for our sector and continue to press for more streamlined regulation to enable us to meet the growing demand for the UK’s most popular fish. “With the right support we can generate up to £1bn a year for the economy, which in turn will create more revenue for vital public services.” [Scottish Sea Farms](https://scottishseafarms.com/?ref=theferret.scot) did not respond to requests to comment. According to the Scottish Government, Sepa had started the “phased implementation” of lice controls in February 2024\. In the course of their duties ministers and officials heard from a range of organisations with diverse views, said a spokesperson. “This naturally includes those representing industry sectors which stand to be impacted by regulation, as well as those representing community, environmental and many other concerns.” The Ferret [reported in 2020](https://www.theferret.scot/lobbying-register-businesses-scottish-ministers/) that the salmon farming industry was one of Scotland’s top 14 lobbyists. It recorded 22 face-to-face meetings with ministers on the [lobbying register](https://www.lobbying.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) between March 2018 and July 2020. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-9.jpg) ##### This project is was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Main image: MariusLtu/iStock* ### The emails released by Scottish Government ### Reform UK suspends Scots candidates for ‘vile and offensive’ remarks URL: https://www.theferret.scot/reform-uk-suspends-scots-candidates-remarks/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:22:05.000Z **Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has suspended two Scottish general election candidates after a Ferret investigation found posts by prominent far right figures and hateful comments about trans people were shared on their social media accounts.** Reform candidates standing in Scottish constituencies in the next UK general election include [Stephen McNamara](https://www.reformparty.uk/kilmarnock-and-loudoun-constituency?ref=theferret.scot) who is described as a “proud tax avoider” in his Twitter bio. McNamara said trans people have a “severe mental illness” and that their “days are numbered”. An account belonging to [David McNabb](https://www.reformparty.uk/mid-dunbartonshire-constituency?ref=theferret.scot), a fellow candidate, shared a video from far right commentator Katie Hopkins, and another post which said first minister Humza Yousaf should not be able to hold a rugby trophy because he is “more Pakistani than Scottish.” Reform said it had suspended both candidates and launched an “immediate investigation” after The Ferret brought their comments to light. Another candidate’s social account made derogatory remarks about Catholics and benefit claimants, and described Scottish nationalists as Nazis. The Ferret can also reveal that Reform UK’s Scotland organiser is a former director of a lobby group set up to challenge the scientific consensus on climate change. Reform, a right-wing populist party founded by [Farage](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/nigel-farage/) and led by Richard Tice, is yet to make an electoral breakthrough north of the border, but has vowed to contest every seat in Scotland, England and Wales at the next general election. The Ferret looked into public comments made by those which the party lists have chosen to stand in Scottish constituencies so far. #### **Remarks** from Reform’s Scots candidates An account belonging to Stephen McNamara, who was selected as the [candidate](https://www.reformparty.uk/kilmarnock-and-loudoun-constituency?ref=theferret.scot) for Kilmarnock and Louden, has made [dozens](https://twitter.com/search?q=gun%20%28from%3AStephenMcLbrtrn%29&src=typed%5Fquery&f=top&ref=theferret.scot) of posts advocating gun ownership. In 2023, he apparently replied to a post featuring a clip of a BBC interview with a trans person, and [commented](https://twitter.com/StephenMcLbrtrn/status/1733965353342939489?ref=theferret.scot): “Their days are numbered. Just like the days of trans people are numbered…” In the same year, McNamara’s account [branded](https://twitter.com/StephenMcLbrtrn/status/1610755415813328918?ref=theferret.scot) three Scottish equalities organisations as “tax payer funded peadophile (sic) services.” A [response](https://twitter.com/StephenMcLbrtrn/status/1724025050280440277?ref=theferret.scot) to a 2023 tweet from LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, which challenged perceived transphobia in the media, said: “Time to ‘Stonewall’ the absurdity that being trans is normal. It’s not. You’re all mentall (sic) ill and need psychiatric treatment.” In February, an X profile attributed to [David McNabb](https://www.reformparty.uk/mid-dunbartonshire-constituency?ref=theferret.scot), the party’s candidate for Mid Dunbartonshire, shared another user’s [post](https://twitter.com/ChurchillsCiga7/status/1761652408873058628?ref=theferret.scot), which included an image of Yousaf – who was born in Glasgow to Pakistani parents – holding a cup won by Scotland’s rugby team alongside his wife. It included the comment: “Someone should have taken that off of him and shown both of them out the door. He’s more Pakistani than Scottish.” McNabb’s account also [shared](https://twitter.com/pauldbowen/status/1753718126015905803?ref=theferret.scot) a video from the far right commentator, Katie Hopkins, which accused the UK legal system of treating fellow far right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson, unfairly. Alastair Majury is a former Tory Stirling councillor who, in 2015, reportedly used a social media account to [deride](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-40999001?ref=theferret.scot) benefit claimants, make [derogatory remarks](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,anger-as-tory-councillors-in-anticatholic-and-racist-tweets-row-are-reinstated-to-party%5F7572.htm?ref=theferret.scot) about Catholics and[ said the term](https://www.thenational.scot/news/19006350.scottish-independence-tory-nazi-tweet-councillor-continues-smear-campaign/?ref=theferret.scot) Nazi is “an accurate description” of Scottish nationalists. He was listed as a Scottish candidate in [the caption of a photo](https://reformuk.scot/spring-conference-2024/?ref=theferret.scot) taken at Reform’s Spring conference in February. Reform told The Ferret that “the case of Mr Majury is historic and was dealt with whilst he was a Conservative councillor”. However, Majury told The Ferret he was not a Reform candidate. He claimed that following media reports about his social media activity, “false and malicious” allegations were made about him and that he was cleared by “every single investigation that I was an active participant in”. The former councillor claimed to have left the Scottish Tory party due to “toxic culture”, “bullying and victim blaming”. He added: “I disagreed with the Scottish Conservatives’ bizarre media approach of not contesting the allegations as it, and I quote, would ‘blow over in a couple of weeks, if we don’t challenge it’. “Undergoing trial by media and that living hell meant the Conservatives forced me to say things that were not accurate whilst I was in a vulnerable state and not of fully fit mind and body.” ![Reform](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/0_majury-bin.webp) **Alastair Majury** (Image: Stirling Observer) A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: “Mr Majury made an unreserved apology in 2017 for his previous unacceptable social media activity. He left the Scottish Conservatives in 2022 after he failed to satisfactorily complete the party’s vetting and selection process in place to ensure candidates are suitable to stand for election.” [Kenneth Morton](https://www.reformparty.uk/angus-and-perthshire-glens-constituency?ref=theferret.scot), the candidate for Angus and Perthshire Glens, apparently reshared a 2023 post via his X account, which said: “The alleged climate crisis is the most expensive and devastating lie of all time.” Alan Melville, a former UKIP candidate, is [standing](https://www.reformparty.uk/edinburgh-north-and-leith-constituency?ref=theferret.scot) for Reform in Edinburgh North and Leith. In 2015, he was [accused](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13207752.ukip-scotland-candidate-accused-spitting-green-activist/?ref=theferret.scot) of spitting at a Green activist. Melville denied the accusation, claiming he instead made a gesture that resembled spitting. #### **Links to climate change denial** Martyn Greene is Reform UK’s Scotland organiser and has stood for the party in Scottish elections. He is a former [director](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/fL1%5FQcgrJ9slZT%5FIKpnDnERh5nM/appointments?ref=theferret.scot) and administrator of the Scientific Alliance, which academics, scientists and others have branded as a climate change sceptic outfit. Greene held the role for the Edinburgh-registered company between 2019 and 2020. In 2005, the UK Government’s former chief scientific adviser, the late-Lord Bob May,[ described the group](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jan/27/environment.science?ref=theferret.scot) as “a lobby of professional sceptics who opposed action to tackle climate change”. A document co-published by the Scientific Alliance “plays up the uncertainties surrounding climate change science, playing down the likely impact that it will have”, May claimed. “It contrasts starkly with the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s most reliable source of information on the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.” #### **Remarks were ‘vile and offensive’** Comments from Reform’s Scotland candidates were slammed by other parties. “There is absolutely no place in politics for these kind of vile and offensive comments, and that is why people across Scotland have never elected anyone with such extreme views,” said an SNP spokesperson. Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman said: “The prejudice, bigotry and transphobia being pushed by these candidates are taken from some of the ugliest parts of the internet and the far right. They have no place in our politics let alone in parliament. “Parties like Reform seem to be fixated on targeting, smearing and scapegoating often very vulnerable people and groups, so it is no wonder that these individuals feel so at home there. “But the problem is far greater than Reform. These candidates are just drawing on the broader reactionary bile that is at the heart of the culture war that far too many politicians as well as parts of our media are determined to fight.” Scottish Liberal Democrat MP, Christine Jardine, said Reform “don’t seem to have any vetting or quality control at all”. She added: “Nigel Farage and Richard Tice need to make clear that these types of views have no place in our politics and that they will not tolerate conspiracy theorists, anti-Catholic slurs and climate deniers. “If all they can offer is fracking and a home for far right activists, then I think the people of Scotland will rightly send them packing at the ballot box.” A Reform UK spokesperson said: “The party has launched an immediate investigation into Mr’s McNabb and McNamara who have been suspended pending the result of that investigation.” They added: “Reform Scotland is proud to oppose the calamity that are the Net Zero policies, driven by both the governments in Westminster and Holyrood that do nothing for the global environment but drive working people in Scotland out of jobs and into penury. “The only impact for the people of Scotland of the climate change agenda supported by the SNP, Labour, the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats are jobs exported and the elite’s vanity salved. Scotland’s world leading energy sector is being decimated by this wrong headed drive to make politicians feel good about themselves.” Header image thanks to [Gage Skidmore](https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/?ref=theferret.scot) via Flickr. CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED **This story was published in partnership with the Daily Record. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op. [ Join us](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** ### Revealed: The revolving door between fossil fuel industry and the UK Government URL: https://www.theferret.scot/revolving-door-fossil-fuel-industry-uk-government/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:23:10.000Z **Over 100 people from the oil and gas sector have taken up senior government roles under the Conservatives, and two dozen have left such positions to work for major oil companies.** An investigation by The Ferret has found that since 2011, 127 former oil and gas employees in total – including 49 industry bosses or senior executives – have been recruited into top government roles and ministerial advisory boards. Almost three quarters – 92 – have worked for at least one of three major energy giants: BP, Shell or Centrica. More than half were appointed to public posts in foreign policy, defence and nuclear decommissioning. A dozen held positions with either the oil and gas watchdog, North Sea Transition Authority or departments responsible for energy policy and delivering net zero. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-3.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) Carbon emissions from burning oil, gas and coal are widely acknowledged as the primary cause of climate change, and the revolving door between the government and fossil fuel sector has been condemned by campaigners and opposition politicians. They expressed concern that the scale of recruitment from the oil and gas industry risks skewing decision-making away from the public interest. One critic argued that it is “not conducive to strong climate action or transition from fossil fuels”, while a backbench Labour MP called for fossil fuel industry staff to be “made pariahs, not policymakers in the highest levels of government.” The Cabinet Office said in reply that the government “rightly draws on experience from a range of industries to ensure the best possible people are appointed to public sector roles.” The Ferret analysed the biographies of over 5,000 current and former [government ministers and senior officials](https://www.gov.uk/government/people?ref=theferret.scot) as well as 1,800 [recommendation letters](https://www.gov.uk/search/all?organisations[]=advisory-committee-on-business-appointments&order=updated-newest&parent=advisory-committee-on-business-appointments&ref=theferret.scot) from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), to identify those mentioning a former or parallel role in the oil and gas industry. At least two dozen former government staff went on to work for an oil and gas company since 2011, according to ACOBA. Fourteen officials came from diplomatic, defence or energy ranks. The investigation is part of The Ferret’s Scotland’s Seas in Danger series and comes after the government [granted new permissions](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/31/grossly-irresponsible-uk-hands-out-24-new-north-sea-oil-and-gas-licences?ref=theferret.scot) for drilling in the North Sea in January 2023. Climate action group [Uplift](https://upliftuk.org/?ref=theferret.scot) said the government has been prioritising new oil and gas licensing when it should have been reducing fuel poverty via alternative solutions. “But when you see how fast the revolving door between the government and the oil and gas industry has been spinning, it all starts to make sense,” it claimed. ![sepa pensions shell](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/jethro-carullo-w0vqkewa8ua-unsplash-1.jpg) Almost three quarters of the people who have taken up senior government roles have worked for at least one of three major energy giants: BP, Shell or Centrica ### **Oil diplomacy** Since 2011, at least 15 former oil industry employees have found jobs at the foreign, commonwealth and development office (FCDO, known as the foreign and commonwealth office, FCO, before 2020) . The list includes one minister and three ambassadors, while seven foreign office ministers and high commissioners found jobs in the industry after stepping down from their public post. Shell, BP and other major oil and mining companies have their own government relations departments and civil servants are sometimes seconded to them. Kate Smith, former ambassador to Greece, was seconded to Shell from the FCO to advise on international government relations before joining the oil giant as head of UK government relations. She later rejoined the foreign office. Thomas Reilly, a former ambassador to Morocco and Mauritania, advised Shell on international government relations in his previous role. While ambassador to Mauritania, he “lobbied at the highest level for BP’s market entry and for Shell’s successful acreage bid”, according to his LinkedIn profile (the wording has been amended after The Ferret contacted him for comment). Prior to his Shell post, Reilly was a diplomat at the FCO for 14 years. A former ambassador to Iran, Rob Macaire, worked for the FCO for 21 years before joining the oil and gas company BG Group as head of government affairs and political risk. He was appointed ambassador after stepping down from BG Group, now part of Shell. Macaire is currently chief adviser at Rio Tinto, a multinational mining company. BP organised [dinners](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7f7ca9e5274a2e8ab4c793/FOI%5F0505-15%5FResponse.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for senior FCO staff between 2013 and 2015\. One of the foreign office’s objectives at the time was to help UK energy companies win “major new contracts”. The topics discussed over dinner included the relationship between BP and the FCO as well as political developments in the countries where BP was operating, including Russia, the Middle East and China. BP previously admitted to [lobbying the UK Government](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-10669618?ref=theferret.scot) for the prisoner transfer of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, to Libya in 2007, so that the “negative consequences” of UK commercial interests would have been avoided. ### **Polluter NEDs** Since 2011, 31 former oil and gas staff have served as non-executive directors (NEDs) on government departmental boards, the principal governance bodies of ministerial departments. Eight of them had a parallel job on the board of an oil company, including four at BP. Government NEDs are little-known positions, introduced in 2010, to advise and challenge ministers on strategy, performance and policies. Positions are part-time, remunerated and can pay as much as £1,000 per day. [NED activities](https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/40469/documents/197535/default/?ref=theferret.scot) include overseeing major projects, appraising senior civil servants, and providing “input and knowledge” on issues such as climate change and levelling up. A [parliamentary inquiry](https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6735/the-role-of-nonexecutive-directors-in-government/publications/?ref=theferret.scot) found in 2023 that “little is known about their roles and impact on government business” as NEDs often do more than what is made public. The inquiry was concerned over the lack of transparency and accountability in recruiting NEDs. A former BP’s chief financial officer (CFO), Brian Gilvary, is a member of the defence board at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and chairs its audit and risk assurance committee. The board advises the defence secretary and is responsible for “top level” management. Its main focus is on the “strategy and plans for generating military forces”. The audit and risk committee reviews the “comprehensiveness, reliability and integrity of the MoD’s risk and assurance framework”. Gilvary chairs a subsidiary of the British petrochemical conglomerate Ineos, [Ineos Energy](https://www.ineos.com/businesses/ineos-energy/?ref=theferret.scot), which produces and trades oil, gas and carbon credits. A former CFO of Shell, Simon Henry, began serving on the defence board after he stepped down from Shell and remained an NED until 2022\. While in his public post, Henry also sat on the board of directors of Rio Tinto and [Harbour Energy](https://www.harbourenergy.com/about-us/our-senior-team/our-board/simon-henry/?ref=theferret.scot), a British oil and gas company operating in the UK North Sea, Indonesia and Mexico. Henry said: “Successful private sector executives likely have expertise in areas such as finance, technology, procurement and above all in leadership of large complex organisations. All of this is potentially valuable to both ministers and senior civil servants, if properly utilised. “In over 20 years of engaging with governments around the world, I have never encountered anyone lobbying to increase demand for fossil fuels. Rather the emphasis has been on finding and developing enough secure, economic and sustainable energy of all kinds to meet existing and future customer demand, which in turn is not driven by supply.” Fifteen other current and former officials at the MoD previously worked for the oil and gas industry. The first ever government lead NED, a position that oversees the work of all other NEDs, was a former oil executive. Lord John Browne, the chief executive of BP until 2007 and later chairman of the fracking company [Cuadrilla](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/mar/12/lord-browne-uk-shale-gas?ref=theferret.scot), was appointed by the 2010 coalition government and stayed in post until 2015. One of his main tasks was to help secretaries of state appoint NEDs to all ministerial departments. After public service, Browne stayed in the oil industry as executive chairman of [L1 Energy](https://www.desmog.com/2015/03/05/cuadrilla-chair-lord-browne-leaves-fracking-firm-join-russian-oligarch-s-oil-company/?ref=theferret.scot), an oil and gas investment firm backed by Russian billionaire, Mikhail Fridman. He currently co-chairs the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology and sits on the board of directors of [Babco Energies](https://www.bapcoenergies.com/?ref=theferret.scot), the Bahraini public oil and gas company. Two BP bosses had served on the board of the now-dissolved Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), a ministry responsible for net zero strategy. Thirty-five people took jobs at departments overseeing energy policy or their agencies. The majority have worked for agencies related to nuclear energy, including the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Atomic Weapons Establishment, a public company that produces nuclear weapons for the UK nuclear programme Trident. Five former oil and gas executives held positions at North Sea Transition Authority, called the Oil and Gas Authority until 2022\. It is an arm’s length body of the department for energy security and net zero that awards drilling licences to the oil industry. ### **Policy capture incompatible with climate action** Labour MP Clive Lewis – a member of Westminster’s environment audit committee – said the findings were “hardly a surprise” but he found it “particularly concerning that fossil fuel employees are being allowed anywhere near the watchdog that is meant to regulate their former industry” or to hold positions in the department responsible for energy transition. “We know that carbon emissions are the root cause of environmental destabilisation. They are a key driver of increasingly extreme weather patterns, food price inflation, and water shortages. So fossil fuel enablers should be made pariahs, not policymakers in the highest levels of government,” Lewis added. The Scottish Greens’ environment spokesperson, Mark Ruskell MSP, claimed a fair and just transition toward renewable energy is at risk as long as there is a “cosy relationship” between decision makers and the fossil fuels lobby. “Our world has just had its hottest year on record yet climate-wrecking governments like the Westminster one are planning to give even more of our waters to drilling.” Tessa Khan, executive director of Uplift, said: “We desperately need to fix our energy system and that requires getting off expensive, volatile oil and gas, but obviously the government won’t let that happen for as long as the likes of BP and Shell have such a hold on our politics.” Khan claimed government support for oil and gas drilling in the North Sea was the effect of the revolving door of the same people. “Why else would this government keep prioritising new licensing, which won’t bring down energy bills, over the solutions that will actually help the millions of people in fuel poverty across the UK?,” she added. George Havenhand, a senior legal researcher at Spotlight on Corruption, said: “These findings have extremely serious implications. When vested interests capture decision-making, they can increase their power and skew policies away from the public interest and towards their own ends.” He urged ministers and officials to get training on identifying and preventing such “policy capture” and ensure the rules for public appointments are enforced. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said that public appointments were subject to a clear governance code and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. “Civil servants are subject to business appointment rules, which are legally binding. We maintain close contact with all departments to provide guidance where needed and publish all advice given to senior civil servants who take up appointments outside of government.” Shell declined to comment. BP, Centrica and all individuals mentioned in the story were approached for comment. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-10.jpg) ##### This project is was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Main image: Hadyn Cutler* ### What has The Ferret been up to in March? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-has-the-ferret-been-up-to-in-march/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:23:12.000Z **As March draws to a close and Easter weekend arrives (along with the long-awaited chocolate), it’s the perfect moment to look at what The Ferret has been up to in these past few weeks.** Earlier this month, it was great to meet many of you face-to-face at our AGM, held at Glasgow’s Kinning Park Complex. Together, we examined the impact our journalism has made over the past year and discussed major new projects for 2024.. There’s been much happening at The Ferret so continue reading to find out more. ### **Our podcast was nominated for an(other) award 🏆** ![sheku bayoh](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/sheku-inquestj44972-1.jpg) We’re excited to announce that our podcast, [Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/), has been selected as one of the finalists for this year’s [Amnesty Media Awards](https://amnesty-media-awards.org.uk/amnesty-media-awards-2024-finalists/?ref=theferret.scot). A big congratulations to the team behind the podcast: Karin Goodwin, Halina Rifai, and Tomiwa Folorunso! This is their second award nomination following the British Journalism Awards. ### **Our journalism shed light on an underreported issue** ![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/K_ngsstYnCFrJ7ip7EI7hewpXnZzxzKqB8KHdjNq9yK8GIlLxtEdGK9sn7iPNDsS074w5sUZgxlDZneyHKxsuQAYrZjQAtkQ420Uj-CzJ0HqHfEOdLvT0jmgrSum2VSF4ARw3jFhDH2eykM3i4RM43g) For many years, The Ferret has been one of the few media outlets to report on [the dangers of snares](https://www.theferret.scot/animal-snares-to-be-banned-in-scotland/), which often catch non-target species such as dogs, deer, cats and badgers. On 21 March, the Scottish Parliament passed the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill, which will make it an offence to use a snare to trap a wild animal. ### **We opened our newsroom doors… and shared the results** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/open.jpg) In February, The Ferret and Greater Govanhill hosted our inaugural Open House at our Community Newsroom in Glasgow. This regular event welcomes locals, professionals, and people with lived experience to contribute their perspectives on the stories overlooked by the media, with each session exploring a different theme. For our first Open House, we focused on housing, gathering insights into the housing crisis and developing ideas for more comprehensive reporting on the issue. You can read more about our conversations [here](https://www.greatergovanhill.com/latest/open-house-at-the-community-newsroom-glasgows-housing-emergency?ref=theferret.scot). --- [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/newsletter-visuals-presentation-43.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) **Sign up to our free newsletter here: [theferret.scot/underground/ ](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/)** --- ### **Our investigations inspired further reporting** Our far right probes have been cited by The Times and Hope Not Hate’s State of Hate Report 2024\. They referenced our report on a Scottish far right figure who was recruiting neo-Nazis. You can read it [here](https://www.theferret.scot/supporters-of-scots-far-right-group-possess-weapons/). ### **We shared our expertise** ![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/H4qZrkedPl7nzWXDhp9T7sZcwuvQVwdvZ1Pry6yq6Mg5mpnN3sSc4JAmm41YVHq1l-agkNiiD466xSqvptyFpCWNNyrydD_lIwMrJv-2sirqAkurvveSgyKW-U5EFx0-HUA20rSwbGZ3BmDYNS8Gd9o) Our team has been working across Scotland and beyond this month, sharing their expertise both online and in person. We have delivered presentations, spoken at conferences, and held workshops for a variety of organisations, from charities to other media outlets. Are you part of an organisation that would like to work with us for training, speaking, and workshop opportunities? Send us an email to [contact@theferret.scot](mailto:contact@theferret.scot) #### **That’s all for this month!** If you have any questions about our work, or would like to help us shape our future investigations, you can get in touch with the team at contact@theferret.scot. #### As you know, here at The Ferret we pride ourselves in making *good journalism that changes things*. And you can help us do more of it. #### It’s easy: you can contribute by [becoming a member today](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) or [with a one-off donation](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot). If these options are not for you, you can always [subscribe to our free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) to support our work. ### Claim Cadbury removed Easter from chocolate eggs advert is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-cadburys-removed-easter-chocolate-eggs-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:23:13.000Z **As Easter weekend begins, anger around the perceived erasure of Christian elements of the celebration has gained media traction.** This week, there was controversy after images emerged of Easter eggs branded ‘gesture eggs’. Former mayoral candidate and right-wing social media influencer Laurence Fox [commented](https://twitter.com/LozzaFox/status/1773081094058811824/photo/1?ref=theferret.scot) on the image on his X account. > “@CadburyUK. Can you explain what a ‘gesture egg’ is please? Also, given that there are lots of chocolate brands to choose from, I wonder why you would align yourself with a noisy minority who are most likely lactose intolerant vegans anyway. First Iftar Kit Kats. Now this.” > > Laurence Fox Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **False**. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-49.png) **Evidence** The [image](https://archive.is/oB1GP/8f1b68edbaa538d4af37bfbf056236e0cf3757f5.webp?ref=theferret.scot), widely shared online this week, [showed a store in Springfields Outlet shopping centre](https://springfieldsoutlet.co.uk/brands/brand/?shop=Cadbury%20Outlet&index=88&ref=theferret.scot) in Spalding, Lincolnshire, that sells Cadbury products at a discounted rate. It shows a poster advertising Cadbury easter eggs, but describing them as “gesture eggs”, with Cadbury branding. The picture was [reportedly taken](https://twitter.com/EU%5FNO%5FMORE/status/1772917933749989377?ref=theferret.scot) by Telegraph journalist Connor James Ibbetson, and was first written about in The Telegraph on March 26. This caused significant controversy online, with multiple accounts tweeting about the wording of the poster, including journalist [Andrew Pierce](https://twitter.com/toryboypierce/status/1772907023841087501?ref=theferret.scot) and Reclaim Party leader, [Laurence Fox](https://twitter.com/LozzaFox/status/1773081094058811824/photo/1?ref=theferret.scot). Both questioned why Cadbury were advertising their products as ‘gesture eggs’ instead of ‘Easter eggs’, with Fox suggesting that the move had aligned the company with “a noisy minority”. However, Cadbury later released a statement saying it had not put together the advertising poster, and that it was not “Cadbury led and we had no involvement in any way”. The statement added that all Cadbury Easter eggs sold in the UK use the term on packaging, and “Cadbury has used the word Easter in our marketing and communications for over 100 years and continue to do so with our new Easter product range”. Easter-themed branding was [later returned](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-68673505?ref=theferret.scot) to the store. This is backed up by photographs of [Easter](https://www.cadburygiftsdirect.co.uk/cadbury-creme-egg-easter-egg-195g.html?ref=theferret.scot) [eggs](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cadbury-Chocolate-Caramel-Classic-OFFICIAL/dp/B08QDZB5BW?th=1&ref=theferret.scot) being sold by Cadbury this year, which feature the word Easter as part of the branding. Laurence Fox also mentions Iftar KitKats in his post. This refers to a similar controversy promoted online about a [special KitKat](https://www.kitkat.com.au/ramadan-gift?ref=theferret.scot) gift set for sale in Australia that was aimed at Muslims breaking their Ramadan fast. This meal is known as Iftar, and [Nestle](https://www.kitkat.com.au/ramadan-gift?ref=theferret.scot) sells a variety of chocolate products aimed at those who are fasting. An image of one of these boxes was shared online, falsely linking it to Easter. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** While the image that was shared by Laurence Fox and others on social media was real, it was not a Cadbury promotion, and the company was not involved in its production. The poster was in an English Cadbury outlet store, and Cadbury has not removed Easter from either its packaging or promotion of chocolate eggs around the holiday. ![This claim is false](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_5false-9.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Photo credit: iStock/DronG* ### For Fact’s Sake podcast: How could ‘fake news’ impact elections in India? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/for-facts-sake-podcast-fake-news-elections-india/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:23:13.000Z It’s the final episode of our three-part For Fact’s Sake series on elections. This week, we are looking at the biggest vote taking place in this election year, in India. Ali and Paul spoke to Jency Jacob, the managing editor of BOOM, a fact checking organisation based in India and also covering Myanmar and Bangladesh. He explained the difficulties of fact-checking in an election that covers a billion potential voters, and the types of misinformation that voters in India encounter. We also have the second of our Conspiracy Dictionary segment, where Ali and Paul discuss chemtrails. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-03-28-161008.png)](https://player.captivate.fm/episode/63eb22be-5884-4a54-be26-f70894fb4a8b?ref=theferret.scot) #### Show notes: - BOOM fact check’s work is [available here](https://www.boomlive.in/?ref=theferret.scot). - Follow [Jency Jacob on X here](https://twitter.com/jencyjac?ref=theferret.scot). - More [chemtrails explanation here](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-62240071?ref=theferret.scot). > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ### Scottish Government accused of “broken promises” over marine protection URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-delays-marine-environment/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T19:23:19.000Z **The Scottish Government has been accused of “very serious political delays” over its promises to better protect the marine environment.** The [Bute House Agreement](https://www.gov.scot/news/agreement-with-scottish-green-party/?ref=theferret.scot) between the Scottish National Party and Scottish Greens in 2021 committed the government to establishing new fisheries management measures for [marine protected areas](https://www.gov.scot/policies/marine-environment/marine-protected-areas/?ref=theferret.scot) (MPAs) by March 2024. But these commitments have been pushed back to 2025 and campaigners fear the revised timetable is in “serious danger of not passing the finish line” before the Scottish Parliament breaks up ahead of its next election in 2026. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-4.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) The [Our Seas coalition](https://www.ourseas.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) – which comprises more than 130 organisations including community groups, marine conservationists and fishers – claims the “biggest threat” to the marine environment is the government’s “ongoing failure to protect it due to broken promises and endless delays”. However, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) claimed that Our Seas is “substantially to blame for the situation” due to “a constant stream of freedom of information requests and legal action” in recent years. “The irony of Our Seas complaining about ‘political delays’ in the establishment of new fisheries management measures for MPAs should be made very clear to the public,” the SFF said. The Scottish Government told The Ferret that new measures to protect MPAs remain a “top government priority”. It also pointed out that developing “evidence-based and effective fisheries” policy for over 160 sites “is a complex and challenging process” which has resulted in a delay to “the ambitious timeline set in 2022”. It has been almost ten years since the Scottish Government announced its network of MPAs as required by the [Marine (Scotland) Act 2010](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2010/5/contents?ref=theferret.scot). They are intended to safeguard a wide range of marine features – including important habitats and geological features. But green groups claim that many MPAs are vulnerable to the impact of poorly-managed fishing such as scallop dredging because ministers have failed to deliver fisheries management. Scallop dredging and bottom-trawling – the most environmentally harmful forms of fishing – are restricted in [less than five per cent of Scotland’s seas](https://twitter.com/TheOpenSeas/status/16232421378641797137d-11e7-8d91-0e233c30368f/embed?ref=theferret.scot). Scallop dredging involves heavy-duty metal framed nets being pulled over the seabed, while bottom-trawling involves nets towed to catch fish and other marine species close to the seabed. Environmentalists argue that both fishing [practices are unsustainable](https://www.openseas.org.uk/evidence/?ref=theferret.scot) because of the scale of damage they cause to the seabed. Scallop dredging is an issue The Ferret has covered since 2015\. In 2023, for example, we revealed that [evidence of scallop dredging](https://www.theferret.scot/evidence-of-scallop-dredging-found-inside-orkney-marine-protected-area/) had been found inside an Orkney MPA at Papa Westray. Two years earlier, we reported that [six fishing boats](https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-protected-waters-scallop-dredging-claims/) had been investigated for illegal fishing since March 2020\. Dredgers allegedly targeted the Firth of Lorn, a special area of conservation in the Southern Hebrides protected for rocky reef habitats which support species that are “amongst the most diverse in both the UK and Europe”. ![Scottish Government accused of "broken promises" over marine protection](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-03-25-165658.png) Our Seas wants to see an inshore limit on bottom-trawling and dredging restored by the Scottish Government. Hayley Wolcott, coordinator of the coalition, told The Ferret: “For nearly 100 years bottom-trawling was banned in Scotland’s seas within three miles of the shore, until commercial lobbying saw it removed. We recognise that this would require major reform, but our coalition wants to see a limit restored in a fair way that incentivises a transition across the industry and supports low-impact fishing.” Robert Younger, director of the [Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation](http://www.scottishcreelfishermensfederation.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed “all the evidence suggests that the current pattern of fishing is not only economically sub-optimal but also environmentally disastrous”. He added: “This is because fishing rules favour bottom-trawling rather than creel fishing, allowing the trawl sector to monopolise catches, despite the creel fishery’s better economic and environmental performance.” > Ten years of political inaction has kept the health of both Scotland’s marine environment and fishing industry on a trajectory of decline. > > Phil Taylor, Open Seas Phil Taylor, director of campaign group [Open Seas](https://www.openseas.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed that many MPAs “remain completely open to environmental harm”. He said: “Ten years of political inaction has kept the health of both Scotland’s marine environment and fishing industry on a trajectory of decline. The widespread footprint of scallop dredging is undermining the condition of seabed habitats. Many of our MPAs remain paper parks, just lines on maps with no real protection.” Elspeth Macdonald, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, said that over “70 per cent of Scotland’s key commercial stocks are fished at sustainable levels – the highest for over 30 years”. She added: “There is also clear international scientific recognition of the healthy status of cod in Scottish waters despite what Open Seas and other NGOs have pedalled to the public over recent years. Rejecting claims the inshore seabed is not being protected, Macdonald pointed out that management measures were introduced back in 2016 for 11 MPAs and nine SACs. She also denied the claim that trawl fishing was prioritised over static gear, citing studies that show Scotland needs both its mobile and static gear sectors. “Finally, the public should also be aware that scallop dredging only takes place in areas where the habitat is suitable, which amounts to around 15 per cent of our waters. To suggest that it is widespread in inshore waters is utterly misleading,” Macdonald said. A Scottish Government spokesperson said management measures for the “most vulnerable sites” in the Scottish MPA network were implemented in 2016, and putting in place the remaining measures to “protect priority marine features and MPAs remains a top government priority.” Elain Whyte, executive secretary of the Clyde Fishermen’s Association, said that “blanket nationally imposed policies from any one perspective often don’t offer the best or most sustainable solution for all”. She added: “We are a local community based regional organisation with small scale static and small scale mobile boats who work together. We also try to make every effort to work with government through the channels which formally exist to develop local and national policy, and feel this is the best approach available to us. “Forums such as the Inshore Fisheries Groups (IFGs) and Inshore Fisheries Management and Conservation (IFMAC) exist to help develop collaborative co-management for local coastal communities. A number of sustainably focused management measures have already been created through these channels with grassroots fishermen at the heart of the development. Projects such as appropriate seasonal closures and local effort limitation schemes have grown through these routes. “We would prefer to continue to develop policy consensually together with other small scale static, mobile, line and dive fishing communities in these forums.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-03-25-170139.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/revealed-protected-waters-scallop-dredging-claims/) They added: “The Scottish Government does not prioritise one sector of the industry or interest group over another. We would encourage all groups to work collaboratively with our co-management fisheries management and conservation group to help improve management of our inshore static fisheries.” The Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association, Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and the Clyde Fishermen’s Association have been asked to comment. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-11.jpg) ##### This project was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Main image: CBCK-Christine/iStock* ### How do oil and gas licences work? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/how-do-oil-and-gas-licences-work/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T20:24:23.000Z **The North Sea oil and gas industry is a central part of Scotland’s economy but it has a significant impact on the marine environment.** Oil and gas licences continue to be granted in the North Sea, despite arguments from campaigners and climate scientists that further exploitation of fossil fuels will jeopardise efforts to mitigate climate change. [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) explains how the new licences are granted. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-6.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **What are oil and gas licences?** [A licence](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/regulatory-information/licensing-and-consents/licensing/?ref=theferret.scot) allows a company to explore and extract oil and gas from a defined area. This can be either offshore or onshore oil and gas sites. Licences are usually for exploration or production. Exploration licences allow companies to look for fossil fuels that can be extracted within an area, while production licences mean companies can explore and drill for oil or gas. The [North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA)](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) is the UK government body that grants oil and gas licences. The area where the UK claims the right to exploit fossil fuels is called the [UK continental shelf](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a75a13ced915d506ee804a5/UKCS%5FDesignations.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). It includes part of the English Channel and Irish Sea but most of the oil and gas fields are in the North Sea. Obtaining a licence [does not mean](https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/north-sea/exploration-production/449797/how-will-the-33rd-licensing-round-work/?ref=theferret.scot) a company can immediately start drilling. Companies with licences must apply for various permits and pass tests before they can start producing oil and gas from an area. ### **How many licences are given out?** The right to exploit fossil fuels is licenced in rounds by the NSTA. Areas, known as blocks, are auctioned off to companies, when a round begins. The most [recent licensing](https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/news-publications/24-licences-offered-in-second-tranche-of-33rd-oil-and-gas-licensing-round/?ref=theferret.scot) round was opened between October 2022 and January 2023, with 100 production licences made available. Companies bid against each other to obtain the licences, which are usually granted for a number of years. Firms can then explore the area and decide whether it is worth exploiting. There have been 33 rounds since the 1970s. Successful bidders must provide timelines and regular progress updates to the NSTA, in order to prove they are attempting to explore oil and gas potential in the block. A large proportion of the blocks auctioned off will not result in production of oil and gas, and it takes around five years on average between a licence being granted and production starting, for those which are potentially fruitful. ### **Does the Scottish Government have any power over them?** [Offshore oil and gas licensing is reserved](https://www.gov.scot/policies/oil-and-gas/?ref=theferret.scot) to the UK Government, while the Scottish Government [controls onshore licensing](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-energy-strategy-transition-plan-ministerial-statement/?ref=theferret.scot) which enabled it to place an [effective ban](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-governments-finalised-policy-position-unconventional-oil-gas-development/?ref=theferret.scot) on onshore fracking in Scotland. The Scottish Government announced a “presumption of no new exploration in the North Sea” as part of its new energy strategy but it does not have the power to stop new licences being granted. ### **Why have the licences been criticised?** Climate campaigners have [criticised](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66354478?ref=theferret.scot) the UK Government’s recent licensing round for expanding production of oil and gas despite the escalating climate crisis. Government ministers have said the new licences will improve the UK’s energy security. [Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hundreds-of-new-north-sea-oil-and-gas-licences-to-boost-british-energy-independence-and-grow-the-economy-31-july-2023?ref=theferret.scot): “Even when we reach net zero in 2050, a quarter of our energy needs will still come from oil and gas and domestic gas production has about a quarter or a third of the carbon footprint of imported gas.” The UK Government’s climate advisor, the Committee on Climate Change, said in its latest [progress report](https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Progress-in-reducing-UK-emissions-2023-Report-to-Parliament-1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in July 2023 that “expansion of fossil fuel production is not in line with net zero”, while Oxfam [said](https://www.oxfam.org.uk/media/press-releases/reaction-oxfam-response-to-the-governments-decision-to-approve-at-least-100-new-gas-and-oil-licenses-for-the-north-sea/?ref=theferret.scot) the new licences would drive a “wrecking ball through the UK’s climate commitments”. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-12.jpg) ##### This project was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Main image: iStock/arild lilleboe* ### Revealed: Chronic North Sea oil spills threaten marine protected areas URL: https://www.theferret.scot/north-sea-oil-spills-threat-marine-protected-areas/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T20:24:29.000Z [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ssid-newsletter-banner-3.png)](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) **There have been more than 2,000 oil spills in the North Sea since 2011 including 215 in marine protection areas home to some of Scotland’s most threatened species and habitats, The Ferret can reveal.** Our analysis of official [UK Government data](https://itportal.beis.gov.uk/irs/publications?ref=theferret.scot) on oil and gas spills found that 1,175 tonnes were spilled between January 2011 and December 2023 – 2,252 spills in total. Some 308 tonnes of oil spilled into marine protected areas (MPAs) over the 13-year period. Green groups stressed that marine life is put at risk by spills, as well as toxic chemicals, microplastics, and [seismic blasting](https://uk.oceana.org/reports/in-deep-water/?ref=theferret.scot) noise pollution from oil and gas production. Exposure to toxic oil fumes has been recognised to kill whales and dolphins years after exposure, according to the [Centre for Biological Diversity](https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public%5Flands/energy/dirty%5Fenergy%5Fdevelopment/oil%5Fand%5Fgas/gulf%5Foil%5Fspill/a%5Fdeadly%5Ftoll.html?ref=theferret.scot). Nearly all the spilled oil – 97 per cent – came from oil rigs, while the remainder was spilled from mobile rigs, pipelines and vessels. The Ferret’s investigation is part of a special series called [Scotland’s Seas in Danger](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot), and it follows the UK Government’s [controversial plans](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hundreds-of-new-north-sea-oil-and-gas-licences-to-boost-british-energy-independence-and-grow-the-economy-31-july-2023?ref=theferret.scot) to authorise hundreds of new oil and gas licences in the North Sea. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-5.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) Environmental campaigners said our findings showed the scale of “chronic oiling” of the North Sea by the fossil fuel industry. Greenpeace said drilling for oil can “devastate marine ecosystems”, yet the UK Government is “greenlighting a new North Sea drilling frenzy – including in \[MPAs\] – that will further imperil ocean life and worsen the climate crisis”. In reply, the UK Government said it has an extensive framework of environmental protection measures in place to deal with spills. A trade body for the oil and gas industry said companies have “comprehensive oil spill response plans in place to mitigate against potential incidents occurring and minimise the impact should they occur”. The Ferret analysed the [data on unplanned hydrocarbon releases](https://itportal.beis.gov.uk/irs/publications?ref=theferret.scot) at North Sea oil and gas facilities, which were reported to the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). Offshore oil and gas operators in UK waters must report all accidental releases of oil or chemicals to OPRED within six hours, regardless of the volume of the spill. They use the Petroleum Operations Notice 1 (PON1) reporting system. *Click on the spill circles to see information about the spilled quantity, cause for release and the companies responsible. Use the measuring tool to select two points on the map and measure the distance of the spill from the shore. Zoom in and use the measuring tool to measure the diameter of the spill.* [![Revealed: Chronic North Sea oil spills threaten marine protected areas ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-03-21-132441.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/author/editor/) *Sizes are illustrative and assume a product density of 900 kg/m3 and a spill thickness of 1 µm (one thousandth of a millimetre). Oil and oil products can have different densities. Actual thickness of spills varies and depends on the substance, wind conditions and time on water.* The vast majority of incidents – 99 per cent – were below two tonnes and averaged two kilograms. Spilled liquids include crude oil, diesel, condensate, hydraulic oil, and lube oil. Most spills included oil and liquid gas – 125 tonnes worth. Their causes include spills while filling bunkering vessels, overfilling vessels, holes and ruptures in pipelines, valve, seal and pump failures, equipment failure, and subsea releases. There have been 25 incidents since 2011 where more than two tonnes were spilled, releasing 1,051 tonnes of oil. > With a spill recorded every couple of days on average for the past decade it’s clear this industry can’t operate without causing serious harm. > > Caroline Rance, Friends of the Earth Scotland In 2012, 605 tonnes of natural-gas condensate was spilled at the Elgin field platform, operated by TotalEnergies. The second worst spill in Scottish Seas was in 2020 when 238 tonnes of diesel was spilled into the Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt MPA. There have been 215 spills into MPAs since 2011, totalling 308 tonnes of oil. Some 116 spills were reported in the [Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt](https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/faroe-shetland-sponge-belt-mpa/?ref=theferret.scot) and 93 in East of Gannet and Montrose Fields – a habitat for the ocean quahog clam, which is native to the North Sea and lives up to 400 years. In 2011, two spills released 580kg of liquid gas into waters nine miles off the coast of Fraserburgh. The area was designated as the [Southern Trench MPA ](https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/10477?ref=theferret.scot)in 2020 and is a breeding ground for [the minke whale](https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/10477?ref=theferret.scot), a protected species. BP, Shell and TotalEnergies operated the wells and vessels that spilled the most. They collectively accounted for 82 per cent of spills in terms of quantity and 42 per cent by number of spills. The spills in the three most “leaky” fields – Elgin (operated by TotalEnergies), Foinaven (BP) and Gannet F (Shell) – were all in, or in close vicinity, of the MPAs. Of all spilled oil in the Scottish North Sea, 79 per cent came from one of these three fields. Both the number of spills and the quantity of leaked substances have decreased over the years, with an average of 200 spills per year between 2011 and 2019, compared to 112 spills per year since 2020. In January, the UK Government [gave 17 oil companies](http://sea-oil-and-gas-licences/?ref=theferret.scot) the right to drill for fossil fuels in 24 new licence areas across the North Sea. These followed an initial tranche of 27 licences offered in October last year. The licences were granted in the Central North Sea, Northern North Sea and West of Shetland areas. Firms could begin producing oil and gas before the end of the decade, the North Sea Transition Authority said. According to the Scottish Government’s 2020 Marine Assessment, even small oil spills can have an environmental impact if they happen in conservation areas. ### **Green groups condemn spills** Philip Evans, Campaigner at Greenpeace UK, claimed that The Ferret’s findings “proves many of the UK’s marine reserves are paper parks protected in name only, where fossil fuel giants like Shell drill – and spill – to their hearts’ content”. He added: “Drilling for oil at sea can devastate marine ecosystems, but the government is greenlighting a new North Sea drilling frenzy – including in \[MPAs\] – that will further imperil ocean life and worsen the climate crisis while doing nothing to lower our energy bills or boost our energy security.” Naomi Tilly, campaign lead at Oceana UK, said: “While catastrophic oil spills grab headlines – as they should – the less well-known ‘chronic oiling’ of UK seas has an insidious impact, creating an almost constant hazard for ocean wildlife. “Sea birds are especially vulnerable, for instance, as the oil strips them of the ability to stay warm, dry and afloat. Even if they escape hypothermia or drowning, oiled feathers make flight more tiring, which on a migration can be the difference between life and death.” She added: “Of course it isn’t just sea birds, whales and dolphins that ingest the toxic oil as they come up for air – shellfish accumulate the contamination in their bodies, the list goes on. Yet our government continues to allow oil and gas developments to be sited within our marine ‘protected’ areas. This utter disregard for some of the UK’s most inspiring wildlife is not what the British people want or deserve.” Mark Ruskell, Scottish Greens MSP, said that the “number, volume and location of these spills are extremely concerning”. He added: “We’ve all seen the damage even a single spill can do. To have so many, especially in close proximity to \[MPAs\] designed to protect vulnerable species and habitats, should ring alarm bells. “While oil companies rake in billions, they seem to be taking safety for granted, putting our seas, their fragile ecosystems, and the communities that rely on them at risk. Government and regulators must ensure the proper precautions are in place and followed, and act swiftly where they aren’t.” > This utter disregard for some of the UK’s most inspiring wildlife is not what the British people want or deserve. > > Naomi Tilly, Oceana UK Caroline Rance, Friends of the Earth Scotland climate and energy campaigner, said: “With a spill recorded every couple of days on average for the past decade it’s clear this industry can’t operate without causing serious harm.” She added: “The repeated damage to \[MPAs\] is totally unacceptable and these offenders must be taken to task to explain these incidents and put in place plans to stop it happening again in future. Oil will spill and gas will leak so any new oil and gas production will inevitably lead to further pollution of this type, in addition to the climate devastation it will bring.” Mark Wilson, health, safety and environment operations director at Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), said the oil industry “recognises that there is no room for complacency when it comes to unintentional releases to sea”. He added: “The industry takes all such releases seriously, regardless of size or potential for harm and are focused on driving continuous improvement. “The reporting of unintentional releases of oil is conducted in an open and transparent manner no matter how small the release. For context, the UK annually produces about 40-45 million tonnes of oil and up to 40 billion cubic metres of gas. This equates to just under half the UK’s demand for oil and gas.” A spokesperson for the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said it monitors offshore pollution incidents “closely” and investigates all reports of accidental releases. “If required, appropriate action will be taken, including the use of fines or referral for criminal prosecution,” the spokesperson added. “We have a comprehensive legal framework of environmental protection measures for offshore oil and gas activities, which covers all stages of the licensing and consenting process.” BP and TotalEnergies have been asked to comment. Shell referred The Ferret to OEUK for a comment. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-13.jpg) ##### This project was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Main image: Igors Aleksejevs/iStock* ### Claim more than 12,000 died before ambulance could reach hospital in 2023 is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-12000-died-ambulance-hospital-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T20:24:30.000Z **Scottish Labour has repeatedly criticised the Scottish Government’s record on the health service.** In an exchange during First Minister’s Questions on [8 February](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2024-02-08.10.0&ref=theferret.scot#g10.3), Scottish Labour leader [Anas Sarwar](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/anas-sarwar?ref=theferret.scot) suggested that the number of people dying after ambulances were called had increased significantly. > There were more than 12,000 people last year for whom an ambulance was called but who died before reaching hospital. That figure is up from just over 7,100 in 2019, which is an increase of more than 70 per cent in just four years. > > Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/fact-check/) looked at this claim and found it **False**. [![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-50.png)](https://theferret.scot/fact-check/?ref=theferret.scot) #### **Evidence** Sarwar’s claim is based on statistics from the Scottish Ambulance Service, obtained by Scottish Labour after a [freedom of information request.](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24460091-foisa-522-response-letter-2?ref=theferret.scot) The party was trying to find out how many people died before reaching hospital, when an ambulance was called for them. [Scottish Ambulance Service](https://www.scottishambulance.com/?ref=theferret.scot) has various technical terms that it uses when someone has died. The two classifications that Scottish Labour asked about were [pronunciation of life extinct](https://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/cmo/CMO%282016%2902.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) (PLE) and recognition of life extinct (ROLE). They are used for when the ambulance service confirms someone has died before they have reached hospital. The statistics revealed in the FOI show that in 2023, there were 6,090 pronunciations of life extinct and 6,088 recognitions of life extinct. Scottish Labour has combined these two figures to claim that “more than 12,000 people” for whom an ambulance was called had died before reaching hospital last year. However, the Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed to Ferret Fact Service that there was double-counting within these figures, with some people being classified as both ROLE and PLE. This is down to the definitions of each classification. ROLE is the process that is followed by a clinician, after which some can be pronounced as life extinct, or PLE. However this appears to be inconsistently recorded. Some people who have died in these circumstances have been entered into the digital records as PLE, some as ROLE and some as both. The Scottish Ambulance Service told Ferret Fact Service that the correct number for 2023 with this double-counting removed was 8,764, not more than 12,000. These two classifications are in the process of being phased out, and replaced with a generalised [confirmation of death](https://policyonline.nhslothian.scot/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Confirmation%20of%20Death%20Policy.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) (COD). However, we also do not know exactly when people died, or whether a person died as a result of the time it took for the ambulance to arrive and the patient to be transferred to hospital. The ambulance service stated in the FOI response that it does not record the actual time of death, and that it is “difficult to distinguish those who died in Scottish Ambulance Service care or who died before our arrival”. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** Anas Sarwar’s claim that more than 12,000 people in 2023 died before reaching hospital after an ambulance was called is not accurate. Due to double counting in the statistics, the number is 8,764\. We cannot say whether, in these cases, people would have survived should the ambulance have come earlier. ![This claim is false](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_5false-10.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ### Safety fears over drug residues in grouse after watchdog fails to test Scottish birds URL: https://www.theferret.scot/safety-drug-residues-grouse-test-scottish-birds/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T20:25:32.000Z **No birds have been tested for dangerous drug residues in the last two years, despite calls for better regulation of animal medicines used by Scottish shooting estates to treat red grouse.** Without proper monitoring or research critics fear that drug residues may damage the environment or find their way into the human food chain. According to figures provided by the UK Government agency responsible for monitoring drug residues in food, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), no red grouse were tested for medicine residues in Scottish slaughter houses in 2022 and 2023. Separate data provided by the VMD via a [freedom of information request](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/r/546b10b9-4df4-4473-8434-cf22cd3915ee?ref=theferret.scot) suggests no red [grouse](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/grouse-shooting/) actually harvested in Scotland has been tested in the last three years. As a consequence, critics have called for the Scottish Government to place an immediate moratorium on the use of de-worming medicines used by gamekeepers until their safety can be established. They claim [to have evidence](https://wildjustice.org.uk/general/wild-justice-partners-with-league-against-cruel-sports-to-fund-development-of-new-test-to-detect-medicated-grit/?ref=theferret.scot) that land managers in Scotland are not following a code of practice designed to prevent the medicines harming wildlife and human health. In 2019, a[ Scottish Government expert working group](https://www.gov.scot/publications/grouse-moor-management-group-report-scottish-government/?ref=theferret.scot) on the management of grouse moors called for better monitoring of the use of medicated grit containing an anti-parasitic drug called Flubendazole. ![Medicated grit photagraphed in the Lammermuirs](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/medicated-grit-jpeg.jpg) Medicated grit on Lammermuir Hills, East Lothian Data shows that in subsequent years official monitoring actually declined. The special grit is fed to grouse by gamekeepers who normally place a supply of the medicine in special trays placed across moors where the grouse live. The drug is used to stop periodic population crashes among grouse that are caused by a worm that lives in the gut of the game birds. The medication is commonly regarded as being safe to use [provided best practice is followed.](https://www.gov.scot/publications/preliminary-environmental-assessment-flubendazole-use-scotland-parasitic-worm-control-moorland-grouse/pages/1/?ref=theferret.scot) The grit must be removed from the moors 28 days before any shooting starts, so that culled birds are not a risk to human health if they are eaten. But a recent survey commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland and campaign group, Wild Justice, found that medicated grit was made available on some estates at times of the year when guidelines say it ought to be withdrawn. And despite expert calls for better monitoring of game birds that have been exposed to medicated grit, the VMD has not tested a single red grouse processed for human consumption in Scotland in the last two years. The VMD is the public body charged with monitoring human food for drug residues throughout the country. If it finds any animals with dangerous amounts of drugs in the food chain, it is supposed to alert Food Standards Scotland (FSS), which will consider what action needs to be taken to keep people safe. Additionally, a 2020 Scottish Government pledge that it would set up a new expert group to consider how best to monitor compliance with the code of practice governing medicated grit use [has never been fulfilled, officials confirmed.](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/r/09518be9-d114-4cf4-b526-361002805a99?ref=theferret.scot) #### Calls for moratorium on grouse grit Dr Ruth Tingay, a director of Wild Justice, also co-authored a report into the use of medicated grit in 2018 for environmental campaign group, Revive. She said in light of the recent findings, the Scottish Government “should be imposing a moratorium on the use of medicated grit until the potential damage to the environment is established.” “As far as I’m aware, no assessment has been made of the environmental impacts of this drug on UK grouse moors,” she added. Campaign groups also found evidence that the medicated grit guidance was being broken in other ways. Drugged feed was being left “strewn on the ground” or put in trays with drainage holes in. On some land holdings the dosage was two and a half times higher than necessary, it was claimed. These further breaches of the guidelines risk the medicine getting into local water courses, or becoming locally concentrated in the ground, where it is feared it could harm wildlife, they warn. “It turns out that tonnes of medicated grit litter the Scottish landscape at levels of up to 2.5 times the recommended dose,” Robbie Marsland, director of League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, said [in a blog post](https://wildjustice.org.uk/general/wild-justice-partners-with-league-against-cruel-sports-to-fund-development-of-new-test-to-detect-medicated-grit/?ref=theferret.scot) summarising his group’s work with Wild Justice. “We found the chemical at times when we would have expected it to have been withdrawn under statutory requirements and we found it both in trays with drainage holes or directly strewn on the ground.” A spokesperson for the VMD said: “The prescribing of veterinary medicines for use in grouse grit is only permitted under specific rules, using expert clinical judgements from veterinary surgeons and taking animal welfare into account.” It confirmed that the UK Government agency works to a “National Residues Control Plan” that only requires the testing of 10 red grouse liver samples per year across the entire UK. According to figures provided by the VMD, in 2021, samples were collected from slaughterhouses in Scotland, England and Wales. But in 2022 and 2023 samples were collected from England and Wales only. ![Grouse](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/52077621004_6fa776a809_o.jpg) A Red Grouse near Braemar, Aberdeenshire. Image thanks to [caroline legg](https://www.flickr.com/photos/128941223@N02/?ref=theferret.scot). Licence: [CC BY 2.0 DEED](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot) When asked whether it had confidence that Scottish Red Grouse was safe for human consumption, a spokesperson for the Scottish food safety agency, [Food Standards Scotland](https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) (FSS) said: “FSS has not received any incident case evidencing that the levels of flubendazole in grouse meat exceeded the permitted maximum residues levels.” It also emphasised that food retailers are responsible for the safety of the food they sell. FSS added: “Ultimately it is the food business operator’s responsibility to satisfy themselves that the product is safe by carrying out whatever tests are necessary to secure that. “If there are concerns by VMD’s absence of testing, a decision taken on a risk basis, then these should be addressed to VMD. “The Scottish Government is drawing up a [Wildlife Management & Muirburn Bill](https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/wildlife-management-and-muirburn-scotland-bill?ref=theferret.scot) which will include tighter controls on the use of medicated grit and the introduction of a licensing regime for grouse moors.” The FSS spokesperson continued: “Although the approval of medication to dose wild birds is a reserved issue to the Westminster government, the use of medicated grit will be subject to greater regulation in Scotland under the new codes of practice being drawn up to support the Wildlife Management & Muirburn Bill. “Any breach of any of the codes of practice could result in an estate’s grouse shooting licence being revoked.” Ross Ewing, director of moorland at Scottish Land and Estates, said: “The use of medicated grit is stringently regulated by veterinarians who must be satisfied of the need to use the medication in the first place. This involves in-depth analysis of the worm burden in red grouse, which must be above a certain threshold to warrant intervention. “Following this, the veterinarian will prescribe the relevant dose and provide advice on how it should be administered. This involves consideration of pairs of red grouse holding territory across a moor. Responding to the report by Wild Justice and The League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, he added: “The findings of this report are being weaponised as a Bill making changes to the regulation of moorland management nears its conclusion. There is absolutely no evidence that it is adversely impacting on public health or the environment. “It is worth highlighting that flubendazole use was considered by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency in 2020, who determined that flubendazole “presented a low environmental risk”. Best practice guidance on the use of medicated grit has also just been updated by a coalition of moorland management stakeholders, including environmental NGOs.” ### Far right figure who targeted Elgin registers political party URL: https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-hitler-lookalike-political-party/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T20:25:35.000Z **A new far right political party led by a man who styles himself on Adolf Hitler and spoke at an anti-asylum seeker rally in Elgin, has been approved to stand in elections by the Electoral Commission.** Alek Yerbury’s National Rebirth Party was [authorised](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Registrations/PP15238?ref=theferret.scot) by the elections watchdog on 28 February to field candidates in Scotland, England and Wales. It is the second far right group to gain approval from the Electoral Commission (EC) in recent weeks. Last month The Ferret reported that the Homeland Party was allowed [to officially register](https://www.theferret.scot/homeland-registers-political-party-electoral-commission/) as a political party despite [an intervention](https://www.theferret.scot/home-office-far-right-homeland-stealth-party/) from the Home Office, which feared the group had applied “by stealth”. Yerbury, a Leeds-based former soldier, is the National Rebirth Party’s leader and treasurer. Research group [Hope not hate](https://hopenothate.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) has branded him as “an extremist” with alleged “sinister ambitions” who has made “violent statements” about political opponents. In reply, Yerbury said his party “offered a genuine third option to the old parties” and the state of UK politics made him “more convinced than ever of the validity” of his controversial comments. He defected from the far right group Patriotic Alternative (PA) last year and was a keynote speaker at a [rally in Elgin](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-highland-division-weapons-targets-elgin/) which opposed the housing of asylum seekers. Yerbury campaigned in Moray town alongside a central figure in Highland Division – another PA splinter group – who, in a private neo-Nazi chat group we [gained access](https://www.theferret.scot/supporters-of-scots-far-right-group-possess-weapons/) to in 2022, shared a picture of his weapons collection, which included a knife which featured the Nazi swastika. [According to](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2023/03/16/wheres-thomas-mair-when-you-need-him-hull-protest-organisers-violent-statements-about-mps-migrants-and-blm/?ref=theferret.scot) 2021 social media posts seen by Hope not hate, Yerbury called for the use of guns on migrants in Belarus, and his political enemies to be sent to forced labour camps. Referring to the MP Jo Cox, who was murdered in 2016 by a far right terrorist born in the East Ayrshire town of Kilmarnock, he said “clearly the other MPs have learnt nothing from that, and are still just as ignorant and selfish as ever”. Yerbury was [pictured](https://twitter.com/TheBashBish/status/1617138698293846017/photo/1?ref=theferret.scot) at a 2022 PA event in England alongside a leading figure in a Nordic neo-Nazi group which is [linked to](https://www.adl.org/resources/report/nordic-resistance-movement?ref=theferret.scot) violence, is banned in Finland, and has [faced calls](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-extremism-slotkin-idUSKBN2BW1KQ/?ref=theferret.scot) to be proscribed as a terrorist group in the US by lawmakers. In the same year, Yerbury spoke alongside PA’s Sam Melia, who attended protests against the housing of asylum seekers in Erskine, Renfrewshire and [spoke](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-activist-neo-nazi-group-speech-stirling/) at a PA conference in Stirling. ![Far Right](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/0_melia-yerbury-towler1.webp) Melia (left) and Yerbury Melia was [pictured marching](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-activist-neo-nazi-group-speech-stirling/) with the neo-Nazi National Action in 2016 before it was banned as a terrorist group. Last month, he was [jailed](https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/updated-sentence-far-right-organiser-found-guilty-intent-stir-racial-hatred-through?ref=theferret.scot) for two years after being found guilty of intent to stir up racial hatred. Police found a poster of Hitler and a Nazi emblem in his home. Asylum hotels in Scotland have been targeted by a range of far right groups and individuals, [including members](https://www.theferret.scot/former-member-scots-neo-nazi-group-homeland/) of a defunct Scots neo-Nazi outfit, and a man later [jailed](https://www.theferret.scot/white-supremacist-asylum-seekers-protests-erskine-jailed-five-years/) for five years for racist offences including a “call to arms against black and Jewish people”. In January, [we revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-activist-target-scotland-asylum-hotel/) that a far right activist posed as a Home Office inspector to get information about a Dumfries hotel housing Ukrainian refugees, which led to the targeting of guests and staff, and alleged plots to turn off the building’s power and water. #### **Far right party led by ‘extremist’** David Lawrence, senior researcher at Hope Not Hate said: “Alek Yerbury is an extremist – he styles himself on historical fascist leaders and has made numerous violent statements about his political opponents. His new party is just a vehicle for his own sinister ambitions. “The so-called ‘National Rebirth Party’ will try to exploit anti-migrant sentiment and disillusionment with the mainstream. However, the overwhelming majority of the public will run a mile when they discover the truth about this would-be dictator.” [Stand Up To Racism Scotland](https://standuptoracism.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which held counter protests against far right, anti-asylum seeker demos, said: “The Scottish far-right remains tiny and fragmented after defeats inflicted on them in Erskine and Elgin. This consistent opposition by anti-racists and anti-fascists partly explains why the far-right in Britain have failed to have the dangerous breakthroughs their counterparts in countries like Portugal or Argentina have enjoyed recently. “However, underlining the registration with the electoral commission by the Homeland Party and Yerbury’s new outfit is the confidence that these organisations are drawing from the racist atmosphere fostered by the Tory government.” The Cabinet Office did not respond to a request to comment. Yerbury said: “Great Britain is facing an existential crisis as a nation, and too much time has been wasted already. The nationalist agenda must start to organise around serious political organisations in order to alleviate \[sic\] this crisis. “The formation of the National Rebirth Party is part of this plan. Our people need to be offered a genuine third option to the old parties, and it needs to be radically different enough to even be worth engaging with. “I am fully aware of the commentary put out by Hope not hate and various subversive organisations. As to the references to various social media comments put out by me over the past few years – after the way the situation has deteriorated \[sic\] politically for the British people over the past year, I am now more convinced than ever of the validity of those comments.” PA did not respond to a request to comment. **This story was published in partnership with the Daily Record. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op. [ Join us](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** ### Concern grows about mental health of asylum seekers in Scottish hotels URL: https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-asylum-seekers-scottish-hotels/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T15:40:06.000Z *Warning: The story contains details of suicide. If you need help or support contact the Samaritans on 116123 or jo@thesamaritans.org* **At least five traumatised asylum seekers living in Scottish hotels while awaiting progress on their [refugee](https://freemovement.org.uk/what-is-the-difference-between-refugee-status-and-humanitarian-protection/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Refugee%20status%20gives%20a%20person,with%20family%20members%20left%20behind.) claims have attempted suicide in recent months, The Ferret has learned.** In the latest incident, police were called after a young man who had been living for many months in the [Mutha Glasgow River hotel](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-racial-hatred-erskine-asylum-seekers/), in Erskine, made an attempt on his own life. The hotel has been the focus of protests by far right groups. Scottish Refugee Council also told a Scottish Parliament committee that a “frontline professional” at another hotel had reported four suicide attempts by asylum seekers in recent months. The “horrifying” incidents have involved asylum seekers at hotels provided by Home Office contractor Mears Group. Charities fear there could be many more incidents that are going unreported. They are calling on the Home Office to end the use of hotel rooms and “institutional accommodation” urgently, with people instead housed in communities where they can get better support. ![Concern grows about mental health of asylum seekers in Scottish hotels](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-03-14-215545.png) About 1,400 asylum seekers are currently housed in 16 hotels across Scotland including in Greenock, Aberdeen, Dumfries, Falkirk and East Kilbride. Almost 500 people are sharing bedrooms and many have been in hotels for [over a year](https://www.theferret.scot/asylum-seekers-second-year-in-hotels-abandoned/), some being moved around to different locations several times. They are provided with meals and receive just [£8.86 per week](https://www.nrpfnetwork.org.uk/information-and-resources/rights-and-entitlements/support-options-for-people-with-nrpf/home-office-support/section-4-asylum-support?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Financial%20support,-Financial%20support%20is&text=Additional%20weekly%20payments%20are%20made,to%20receiving%20food%20and%20toiletries.). [Previous research](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/21/suicides-of-asylum-seekers-in-home-office-accommodation-double-in-last-four-years?ref=theferret.scot) revealed that 23 asylum seekers across the UK were suspected or confirmed to have taken their own lives between January 2020 and December 2023. In December 2023 Albanian asylum seeker [Leonard Farruku](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/05/the-tragedy-of-leonard-farruku-the-gifted-young-musician-whose-dream-of-a-better-life-ended-on-the-bibby-stockholm?ref=theferret.scot) died in a suspected suicide on the [Bibby Stockholm](https://www.bibbymarine.com/bibby-stockholm/?ref=theferret.scot) barge, moored off Dorset. The decision to house asylum seekers there has caused [controversy](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/aug/30/bibby-stockholm-government-playing-russian-roulette-with-asylum-seekers-lives?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Ministers%20have%20been%20accused%20of,could%20take%20months%20to%20repair.), with UK Government ministers accused of “playing Russian Roulette” with people’s lives. Asylum seekers told The Ferret that fear of [far right](https://theferret.scot/politics/far-right/?ref=theferret.scot) groups, combined with financial support of less than £9 per week, meant they often felt unable to leave hotels. One person in the asylum system said the experience was “like an open prison”, re-traumatising those who had experienced conflict in their own countries, such as [Sudan](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-68545712?ref=theferret.scot) and [Syria](https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-syria?ref=theferret.scot), or who had been trafficked or tortured in countries like [Libya](https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/90361?ref=theferret.scot). As The Ferret has previously reported, the Erskine hotel has been a focus for protests organised by far right organisations including [Patriotic Alternative](https://www.theferret.scot/white-supremacist-asylum-seekers-protests-erskine-jailed-five-years/) and [Homeland](https://www.theferret.scot/former-member-scots-neo-nazi-group-homeland/), and attended by [white supremacists](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-figure-anti-asylum-seeker-protest-erskine-guilty-inciting-hatred/) with known links to National Action, a terror group banned by the UK Government. Counter protests have been held by unions and refugee supporters. Friends of the asylum seeker, who we are calling Omar, said his mental state had been unstable in recent weeks. It was claimed that like others living in the hotel, he was afraid he would not be safe if he left the premises, and felt isolated and depressed. Currently, Mears is in the process of closing the hotel and moving those remaining there to other accommodation across the country. Omar is understood to have been distressed about the uncertainty of his future. An asylum seeker previously resident in the hotel, who is a friend of Omar’s, said: “The situation at that hotel was horrible. Every Sunday there were protests outside against us. “It meant we were afraid to go into the centre – we felt that people hated us. People cannot afford a bus pass so they stay in their rooms. That is one reason that people like Omar are so depressed. They feel trapped. “Most of the people there are from countries with situations of ongoing war or conflict and some have victims of modern slavery or torture. When people who have experienced bad things like that are in a situation where they are separated from the community, traumatic memories can come back to them.” He claims asylum seekers in the hotel, as well as locals supporting them, were aware that Omar had been struggling and had been keeping an eye on him. > Everything in the asylum systems seems geared towards endangering people’s health. The Ferret spoke to one local – a former mental health worker, who asked to remain anonymous. He called 999 after becoming aware that Omar was threatening to take his own life. Omar was later taken for an assessment in hospital before being released back to the hotel. “Everything in the asylum systems seems geared towards endangering people’s health,“ the local alleged. “It’s a deliberately cruel system.” On 29 February Scottish Refugee Council told the [social justice and social security committee ](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=15735&iob=134281&ref=theferret.scot)that the charity was aware of an “increase in self-harm”, leading to a “heightened risk of deaths by suicide”. “We know of one hotel in Scotland where, late last year, there were four suicide attempts,” Graham O’Neill, then-policy manager told the committee. “That was disclosed to us by a frontline professional.” The [Scottish Refugee Council](https://scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) told The Ferret it was “horrified” by the incident in Erskine and is calling for “an immediate end to the use of hotel rooms and other types of institutional accommodation”. “Poverty, loneliness, unemployment and isolation are other factors that have a clear impact on mental health,” said Gary Christie, head of policy, communications and communities at the charity. “It’s an approach that not only doesn’t support good mental health, but risks re-traumatising people. Something desperately needs to change.” Pinar Aksu of [Maryhill Integration Network](https://maryhillintegration.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which has been supporting people in Erskine and other hotels, claimed asylum seekers were “being moved like jigsaw pieces” from hotel to hotel, putting additional strain on their mental health. “Recently, the person who tried to take their own life indicated feelings of hopelessness, and simply wanting to build a normal life,” she added. “Placing and displacing people across various hotels needs to end. Relevant support and procedures must be followed and implemented,” she added. Iona Taylor, advocacy and campaigns lead for [Positive Action in Housing](https://www.paih.org/?ref=theferret.scot), another charity which is supporting asylum seekers in hotels, added: “Forced into increasingly isolated living conditions, stripped of the right to work, and threatened with removal to [Rwanda](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/migrants-to-be-paid-thousands-to-move-to-rwanda-under-new-scheme-2z6km0m57?ref=theferret.scot), people seeking asylum are being subjected to a system of fear and intimidation. “This is a chronic failure of Mears and the Home Office to provide a safe and appropriate environment for people who have fled torture, trafficking and persecution. People seeking asylum must have access to person-centred and confidential care. The UK asylum system cannot continue to function as a death trap.” > The UK asylum system cannot continue to function as a death trap. > > Iona Taylor, Positive Action in Housing Paul Sweeney, Labour MSP and chair of the Scottish Parliament’s [cross party group on migration](https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/cross-party-groups/migration/migration.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), said: “It should be a national scandal that people seeking asylum here in Scotland are being driven to suicide because of the abysmal conditions in accommodation provided by profit-driven Home Office contractors, and the psychological torment inflicted by the cruel administrative failures of the asylum system. “At the heart of the problem is an asylum system that strips people of any dignity and respect. It is a waste of both human life and public money. The Home Office must stop playing political games with people’s lives.” A Mears spokesperson said hotel staff received training, including on mental health. They added: “The safety and welfare of our service users is of the utmost importance to Mears and we have in place a team of welfare support officers who are on site at hotels daily to provide advice and support.” They said Mears worked closely with GPs and NHS asylum teams to support people and made referrals for specialist support where necessary. A Home Office spokesperson also said it worked in partnership with the NHS and non-governmental organisations “to ensure that people can access the health care and support they need”. They added: “We take the welfare of those in our care extremely seriously and at every stage in the process – from initial arrival, to any potential relocations – our approach is to ensure that the needs and vulnerabilities of asylum seekers are identified and considered including those related to mental health and trauma.” In recent months housing charities and professionals have been calling on the Scottish Government to declare a [housing emergency](https://www.theferret.scot/homeless-crisis-national-housing-emergency/) due to the lack of accommodation available. The most [recent figures](https://www.gov.scot/publications/homelessness-in-scotland-update-to-30-september-2023/pages/a-note-on-interpreting-the-figures/?ref=theferret.scot) revealed that as of 30 September last year there were 30,000 open homeless applications in Scotland, a record number, and rough sleeping – both for Scottish and refugee populations – was on the rise. *Main image: Abdullah Durmaz/iStock* ### Employers in Scotland fined £9.4m for health and safety violations URL: https://www.theferret.scot/employers-scotland-fined-health-and-safety/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T20:25:37.000Z **Oil, whisky, and construction firms are among those fined a collective £9.4m in recent years for poor health and safety measures – some of which have resulted in deaths.** The firms faced penalties by the courts following prosecutions after the [Health and Safety Executive](https://www.hse.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (HSE) found staff were put at risk of disease, serious injury and death from explosions, hazardous materials and other threats. Both employees and members of the public, including a child, have been killed as a result of the most serious health and safety failings. The Ferret analysed HSE reports at Scottish sites spanning from 2019 to the beginning of March this year – part of data collated by [Violation Tracker](https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which monitors company misconduct. Firms which racked up the highest number of violations or paid out the most in fines to regulators included oil and gas multinationals ExxonMobil and Ineos. Whisky producers Ben Nevis Distillery and William Grant also ranked highly for fines and violations. One workers’ union argued UK Government cuts to the HSE’s budget had “decimated” staff levels and that companies would have faced even bigger fines if the executive had greater resources to investigate. The government said it was spending £165m on HSE this year, “making Great Britain one of the safest places to work in the world”. Another union called for the devolution of health and safety to Scotland, and for company executives to be personally liable for health and safety failings. Stats from Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations ([RIDDOR](https://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/?ref=theferret.scot)) show that 26 workers died in Scotland in 2022-23, while an average of 19 employees died annually over the last five years. [HSE stats](https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hse.gov.uk%2Fstatistics%2Fassets%2Fdocs%2Fridreg.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK&ref=theferret.scot) show that 54,410 non-fatal injuries to employees were reported between 2014-15 and 2022-23, despite the average number of deaths falling in most years. ![Employers in Scotland fined £9.4m for health and safety violations](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1192307006-1.jpg) Oil and gas multinationals ExxonMobil and Ineos were among the firms which racked up the highest number of violations or paid out the most in fines to regulators. Image: Alexey Zakirov/iStock ### **Largest fines** Manufacturing firm Egger paid out [£910,000](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/convictions-history/breach/breach%5Fdetails.asp?SF=BID&SV=4601176001&ref=theferret.scot) in 2021 – the largest fine – after a driver was fatally struck by a loading vehicle operating in its yard at Auchinleck, East Ayrshire. HSE found the company had [failed](https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/people-news/2021/08/06/company-fined-almost-1m-after-truck-driver-fatally-injured?ref=theferret.scot) to implement measures to protect pedestrians from vehicles in the busy yard, despite previous near misses. Glasgow’s [RJ McLeod](https://www.rjmcleod.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) was fined [£800,000](https://www.copfs.gov.uk/about-copfs/news/company-fined-800-000-and-fatal-accident-inquiry-decision-following-the-death-of-a-young-boy/?ref=theferret.scot) and ordered to pay a £60,000 “victim surcharge” after a 10-year-old boy entered a Drumchapel construction site through an insecure fence, climbed into a manhole, slipped, fell and died from the injuries. Fish farming multinational [Mowi](https://mowi.com/uk/?ref=theferret.scot), based in Rosyth, Fife, also faced an £800,000 fine and £60,000 victim payment after a worker was crushed and drowned when he fell into the water at Ardintoul during a boat transfer in 2020, [as reported](https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-farming-company-fined-800000-employee-drowned/) by The Ferret. Mowi also received two HSE enforcement notices, one of which was for [failing to avoid](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=311964595&ref=theferret.scot) or minimise the risk of leaking liquefied natural gas, which can cause fire and explosions. In 2019, HSE [found](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=309798281&ref=theferret.scot) that [Hermes Parcelnet](https://www.hermesworld.com/int/our-services/distribution/parcel-shipment/united-kingdom/?ref=theferret.scot) – which trades as [Evri](https://www.evri.com/press?ref=theferret.scot) – did not provide adequate training to ensure the safe reversing of vehicles. In 2022, Hermes was fined £850,000 after a worker was fatally crushed at a parcel sorting centre near Motherwell. The petrochemical multinational Ineos paid out [£400,000](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/convictions-history/case/case%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=4550724&ref=theferret.scot) after a cracked pipe created a huge flammable gas cloud in Grangemouth in 2017\. Some [97 workers](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-56999791?ref=theferret.scot) were reportedly on site at the time. Ineos was again [fined £400,000](https://press.hse.gov.uk/2024/03/08/ineos-fined-after-employee-seriously-injured/?ref=theferret.scot) on 8 March this year after a Grangemouth employee’s leg was permanently scarred due to being submerged in a [sump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sump?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=A%20sump%20is%20a%20low,the%20cave%20into%20the%20earth.) of caustic soda in 2019\. HSE found Ineos had no safe system of work in place, with insecure grating and no barriers to prevent such an accident. Petroineos Manufacturing Scotland, another Ineos arm, received 11 notices for [issues](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=312133852&ref=theferret.scot) at Grangemouth and Helensburgh. They included failures to demonstrate prevention measures [to stop](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=311424609&ref=theferret.scot) the release of a flammable spirit, and of a “hazardous” substance [which leaked](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=313068877]&ref=theferret.scot) from a pipeline. Ineos did not take sufficient measures to stop “a major accident” and to “limit its consequences for human health and the environment”. It also [failed](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=311007522&ref=theferret.scot) to maintain a protective system fitted to tanks, “giving rise to unacceptable risk of ignition”. > The sheer scale of the loss and damage inflicted by companies willing to cut corners and take risks in pursuit of profits is a disgrace. > > Gary Cook, GMB Scotland Contractor firm [BAM Nuttall](https://www.bamnuttall.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) was fined [£700,000](https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20210805123727/https://press.hse.gov.uk/2021/06/08/construction-company-fined-after-an-employee-dies-after-being-run-over-by-a-dumper-truck/?ref=theferret.scot) in 2021 after an employee was run over by a dump truck in Keith, Moray, in 2016\. HSE said the firm failed to properly assess the risks to employees whilst repairing and replacing equipment. Care home chain HC-One was fined £640,000 after a Clackmannanshire resident [choked to death](https://www.theferret.scot/care-home-fined-resident-choked-death-doughnut/) on food they were mistakenly given. An HC-One spokesperson said: “We reiterate our sincere apologies, and we are clear that this tragedy should never have happened.” Improvements had since resulted in the Care Inspectorate currently rating the home as ‘very good’, it added. [Repsol Sinopec Resources UK](https://www.repsolresourcesuk.com/?ref=theferret.scot), an oil extraction company, was fined £535,000 after a worker sustained [life-changing injuries](https://press.hse.gov.uk/2023/08/25/535000-fine-for-oil-and-gas-firm-after-man-injured-on-north-sea-platform/?ref=theferret.scot) following the collapse of a crane on a North Sea platform in 2017\. HSE found it had failed to carry out proper safety and maintenance assessments and Repsol admitted the breaches in Aberdeen Sheriff Court in 2023. It also received 12 HSE notices for failures on the platform and its terminal in Orkney. Repsol did not [maintain](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=311836026&ref=theferret.scot) gas valves, which failed to close during emergency shutdown testing, and ignored recommendations to repair an exhaust system, which led to a “dangerous” gas leak. In addition, it failed [to assess](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=311702935&ref=theferret.scot) ageing pipeline infrastructure risks, remove over 50 “redundant” gas alarms, [take](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=310483747&ref=theferret.scot) measures to protect staff from fire and explosions, and to prevent the [unsafe lifting](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=312514554&ref=theferret.scot) of turbine parts, which could have resulted in death. A Repsol spokesperson said of the crane’s collapse: “We deeply regret the incident that occurred and the distress it caused the injured workers and their families…We accepted responsibility at the earliest opportunity and co-operated fully with HSE’s investigation.” They added: “We welcome feedback from regulatory inspections and the opportunity to enhance our systems and processes. We take the findings of HSE’s inspections very seriously and investigate fully each item highlighted.” [Apache Beryl](https://apacorp.com/?ref=theferret.scot), another oil and gas firm, was [fined](https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20210805125628/https://press.hse.gov.uk/2021/06/18/offshore-oil-company-fined-for-hydrocarbon-release/?ref=theferret.scot) £400,000 in 2021 for a gas leak on a rig off the Aberdeen coast where [134 people](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-57569154?ref=theferret.scot) were reportedly on board. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1470059295.jpg) In 2022, Hermes was fined £850,000 after a worker was fatally crushed at a parcel sorting centre near Motherwell. Image: Jaroslaw Kilian/iStock ### **Large numbers of enforcement notices** Dundee plastic manufacturing firm [Sappi Rockwell Solutions](https://www.rockwellsolutions.com/?ref=theferret.scot) received 20 [enforcement notices](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Flist.asp?PN=1&ST=N&SN=F&EO=%3D&SF=RID&SV=1313367&SO=DNIS&ref=theferret.scot) from HSE – the highest number of any company. In 2021, HSE found [failures](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/breach/breach%5Flist.asp?ST=B&SN=F&EO=%3D&SF=RID&SV=1313367&ref=theferret.scot) to eliminate or reduce the [risk of a fire or explosion](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=312134691&ref=theferret.scot). [Ben Nevis Distillery](https://www.distillerytours.scot/age%5Fverification?ref=theferret.scot) was served 15 notices. It failed to prevent employees being [exposed to](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=313995503&ref=theferret.scot) fire and explosions, [CO2 gas](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=313995555&ref=theferret.scot), which “can result in asphyxiation and death”, and to [malt dust](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=313741938&ref=theferret.scot), which can cause diseases including occupational asthma and chronic bronchitis. It also did not [keep out](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=313741940&ref=theferret.scot) pigeons and other birds, which can spread diseases including salmonella. Oil and gas giant [ExxonMobil](https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/?ref=theferret.scot)’s 14 notices at its Mossmorran site in Fife included failing to take sufficient measures to prevent “[major accidents](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=312500249&ref=theferret.scot)” when a “nitrogen purge system” – used to remove undesirable or hazardous substances – was leaking due to corrosion. It also failed [to develop](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=310542304&ref=theferret.scot) an adequate system to inspect pipe work containing hazardous substances, [to reduce](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=309950729&ref=theferret.scot) the risk of explosion in furnaces, and [to check](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=309947168&ref=theferret.scot) damaged areas on a gas line following a leak. [HSE accused](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=309947168&ref=theferret.scot) ExxonMobil of not taking necessary steps to prevent “a major accident”. Others with the highest numbers of notices included [William Grant and Sons Distillers](https://www.williamgrant.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which operates in Dufftown, Bellshill and Girvan. It lacked safeguarding measures against [fire and explosions](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=310064456&ref=theferret.scot), and [proper assessments](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=309963285&ref=theferret.scot) of the risks posed to staff by “dangerous substances”, [entanglement](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=311634450&ref=theferret.scot) in rotating blades, and from [falling](https://resources.hse.gov.uk/notices/notices/notice%5Fdetails.asp?SF=CN&SV=313678140&ref=theferret.scot) off the edge of a high loading bay. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1234487756-1.jpg) Ineos was fined £400,000 on 8 March this year after a Grangemouth employee’s leg was permanently scarred due to being submerged in a sump of caustic soda in 2019\. Image: iStock/Dave Collins ### **HSE staff numbers ‘decimated’** [Unite](https://www.unitetheunion.org/what-we-do/unite-in-your-region/scotland?ref=theferret.scot) the union said the fines capture only “a fragment of the true costs associated with employers cutting corners in relation to health and safety in the workplace.” Scotland “continues to have a disproportionately high workplace fatality rate” while HSE funding has been cut and staff levels have been “decimated”, claimed Derek Thomson, Unite’s Scottish secretary. [According to](https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/health-safety-news/rospa-urges-government-rethink-hse-funding-cuts/135001/?ref=theferret.scot) the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, HSE had its budget cut by 43 per cent from 2009 to 2021, and saw a 35 per cent staff reduction since 2010. “This in itself sends signals to employers that the health and safety of workers is secondary to chasing profits,” argued Thomson. “The true cost in fines for employers would be so many times larger than the £9.4m if the HSE was fully funded and given the resources to inspect and prosecute employers.” A spokesperson for the UK Government’s Department of Work and Pensions,said: “We are spending around £165m this year supporting the Health and Safety Executive to safeguard workplaces with integrity, professionalism and rigour – making Great Britain one of the safest places to work in the world – and we will continue to ensure it has the resources it needs.” [GMB Scotland](https://www.gmb.org.uk/gmb-regions/gmb-scotland?ref=theferret.scot) is campaigning for companies to be sanctioned if they do not set up health and safety committees when asked by workers. The union said The Ferret’s study demonstrated the need for a new Scottish Health and Safety Agency accountable to Holyrood. “The sheer scale of the loss and damage inflicted by companies willing to cut corners and take risks in pursuit of profits is a disgrace and a stark reminder that trade unions fighting for safe workplaces protect far more than their members,” claimed Gary Cook, GMB’s senior organiser in manufacturing and engineering. “Companies and individual executives should face every possible legal sanction, up to and including prison, if found to be putting lives at risk through ignorance, recklessness or negligence.” A HSE spokesperson said: “While every case is tragic, workplace deaths in Scotland over a five-year period account for less than 15 per cent of those in Great Britain. We have well-established frameworks that are specific to the unique needs of Scotland, a nation that features some of the most unique and complex sites we regulate.” The Ferret contacted every company named in this article for comment. *Main image: Pakorn\_Khantiyaporn/iStock* **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** ### Patriotic Alternative accused of promoting ‘neo-Nazi’ ideology by Michael Gove URL: https://www.theferret.scot/patriotic-alternative-assessed-uk-government-definition-extremism-neo-nazi-ideology/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T21:26:40.000Z **A far right group exposed as having links to neo-Nazis three years ago will be assessed under the UK Government’s new definition of extremism.** The Ferret [revealed in 2021](https://www.theferret.scot/exposed-inside-far-right-patriotic-alternative/) that members of Patriotic Alternative (PA) posted racist and anti-Semitic comments on Telegram. We [later disclosed](https://www.theferret.scot/supporters-of-scots-far-right-group-possess-weapons/) that a leading figure in PA sought to recruit neo-Nazis who posed with weapons, shared a bomb-making manual, quoted a mass murderer, and said members should kill “for the greater good”. The far right group, which has been [linked to six people now in prison](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-patriotic-alternative-prison-hate-crimes/) for race hate or terror related crimes, was named by the UK Government yesterday for promoting “neo-Nazi ideology”. Speaking in the House of Commons, the community secretary Michael Gove laid out the government’s new [definition of extremism](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-68560294?ref=theferret.scot), which will be distributed across government and Whitehall. Gove defines extremism as “the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance that aims to negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others”. The definition covers those who seek to “undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights” or intentionally create a “permissive environment” for others to achieve those aims. Gove also named several groups to be examined under the new definition. “Organisations such as the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), which is the British affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, and other groups such as Cage and Mend give rise to concern for their Islamist orientation and beliefs,” Gove told MPs. “We will be holding these and other organisations to account to assess if they meet our definition of extremism, and will take action as appropriate.” He added: “I am sure that we would agree that organisations such as the British National Socialist Movement and Patriotic Alternative, who promote neo-Nazi ideology, argue for forced repatriation, a white ethnostate and the targeting of minority groups for intimidation, are precisely the type of groups about which we should be concerned and whose activities we will assess against the new definition.” A list of organisations meeting the new definition will be drawn up following “careful” reviews of evidence and consultation with civil servants, Gove explained. Patriotic Alternative has actively recruited in Scotland for several years now. Its members to have been jailed include[ Sam Melia,](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-figure-anti-asylum-seeker-protest-erskine-guilty-inciting-hatred/) who was found guilty in January of inciting hatred and sentenced to two years. Melia had links to the banned neo-Nazi terror group, National Action, and he spoke at an anti-asylum seeker protest in Erskine last year. Kristofer Kearney, who had links with PA Scotland, [was jailed](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-extremist-patriotic-alternative-jailed/) last year after sharing terrorist materials. Other jailed individuals linked to PA included [James Costello ](https://www.theferret.scot/white-supremacist-asylum-seekers-protests-erskine-jailed-five-years/)who travelled from England to Erskine last year to demonstrate against asylum seekers being housed in a hotel. Costello was sentenced to five years behind bars for race hate offences last November. > I am sure that we would agree that organisations such as the British National Socialist Movement and Patriotic Alternative, who promote neo-Nazi ideology, argue for forced repatriation, a white ethnostate and the targeting of minority groups for intimidation, are precisely the type of groups about which we should be concerned and whose activities we will assess against the new definition > > Michael Gove MP, UK Government’s communities secretary. However, Gove’s announcement yesterday [prompted legal threats](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/14/gove-says-three-muslim-led-groups-and-two-far-right-to-be-assessed-for-extremism?ref=theferret.scot) and criticism that the new definition will stifle free speech. The MAB and Mend challenged Gove to repeat the allegations without parliamentary privilege so they could sue. The unveiling of the new definition comes amid the backdrop of heightened community tensions over the Israel-Hamas war, and political rows over the policing of pro-Palestinian marches in London. The organisers behind pro-Palestine marches across the UK branded the new definition of extremism as “an assault on core democratic freedoms”. In a joint statement, six groups involved in organising weekly pro-Palestine marches since October 7, said the government “should stand charged of falling foul of its own definition of extremism”. The groups are the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Palestinian Forum in Britain, Friends of Al-Aqsa, the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and MAB. Their statement said: “His (Gove) redefinition of extremism, framed as a defence of democracy, is in reality an assault on core democratic freedoms, seeking to silence dissenting voices. The government has used the protests we have organised in response to Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people as a core rationale for the need to redefine extremism. “Successive government ministers and pro-Israel voices have attempted to demonise those protesting as hatemongers, Islamist mobs and antisemites. The reality is that, as the police themselves have publicly affirmed, the marches have been overwhelmingly peaceful and attended by a broad cross section of British society, young and old, of all faiths and none.” A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Today’s announcement is a very belated admission by the government that it has engaged with and even funded extremists over the years, and that it will no longer do so. “That is welcome, but that is as far as this announcement goes. It proposes no sanction whatsoever for extremists caught by the new definition other than a loss of state support that they should never have had in the first place, and far too many extremists will not be caught under this definition at all.” Patriotic Alternative said: “This presents a major threat to both freedom of speech and freedom of association and is a dangerous step toward a totalitarian state where those who do not adhere to state doctrine are silenced and have their human rights curtailed.” Last April, a new group called Homeland was formed after PA split and it is now[ registered as a political party](https://www.theferret.scot/homeland-registers-political-party-electoral-commission/). Homeland promotes a nationalism based on ancestry, land and the “law of blood”. *Featured photograph is of PA leader Sam Melia speaking at an anti-asylum protest in Erskine in 2023\. Credit: Angela Catlin.* *Correction: This article was amended at 10.24 on 21 March 2023 to add this paragraph: “Homeland promotes a nationalism based on ancestry, land and the “law of blood”.* ### For Fact’s Sake podcast: What are the biggest fake news trends in this election year? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/for-facts-sake-fake-news-trends-election-year/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T21:26:40.000Z **It’s part two of our For Fact’s Sake podcast mini series on the election year.** In this episode we spoke to Tori Marland, Deputy Editor for Europe for Logically Facts, about the potential trends in disinformation that we will likely see in the election campaign in the UK. And in our new ‘Truth Tracker’ segment, we discuss what is really known about Kate Middleton amidst the controversy around her health and whereabouts. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-03-14-144604.png)](https://player.captivate.fm/episode/f47b6ebc-b50b-4db6-8ca5-1bf036a39a0f?ref=theferret.scot) Show notes: - See more of Tori’s [work at Logically Facts here](https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/meet-the-team/tori-marland?ref=theferret.scot). - Our explainer on [15 minute cities](https://www.theferret.scot/15-minute-cities-why-are-they-controversial/) is here. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ### Probe demanded into ‘inadequate’ protection of wild salmon URL: https://www.theferret.scot/salmon-inadequate-protection-probe/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T21:26:41.000Z The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) could be facing an official investigation into allegations that it has failed to prevent sea lice escaping from fish farms and killing wild salmon. Two campaign groups have submitted a formal complaint to the Scottish Government’s post-Brexit watchdog, [Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS)](https://environmentalstandards.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), alleging that Sepa has broken the law by allowing lice to spread from caged to wild [salmon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/salmon/) in the sea. Campaigners accused Sepa and the Scottish Government of “years of dithering and denial”. They said Sepa’s [latest proposal](https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/regulatory-services/detailed-proposals-for-protecting-wild-salmon/user%5Fuploads/sepa%5Fresponse%5Fto%5Fconsultation%5Ffeedback%5Fdecember%5F2023-2.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)s for monitoring and limiting the lice that can plague [fish farms](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/fish-farming/) were “wholly inadequate”. Sepa insisted it had taken a “proportionate, evidence-based approach” and applied “appropriate management measures where required”. The Scottish Government said Sepa’s approach would “support the sustainable development of fish farming in Scotland”. ESS told The Ferret it “thoroughly considers” any complaint it receives before deciding whether to launch an investigation. The salmon industry maintained there was “no evidence” that lice from farms were harming wild salmon populations. Salmon cages in sea lochs can be infested by lice, which can escape and attach themselves to wild salmon and trout as they swim past. The extent to which this injures or kills wild fish has been a source of arguments for decades. In 2018 [an inquiry by the Scottish Parliament](https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/REC/2018/11/27/Salmon-farming-in-Scotland/REC-S5-18-09.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) concluded that the regulation of fish farms must be improved. The Scottish Government set up the [Salmon Interactions Working Group](https://www.gov.scot/groups/salmon-interactions-working-group/?ref=theferret.scot), which led to Sepa being put in charge of controlling lice from fish farms. Sepa has since run two public consultations on its proposals, the [first in 2021](https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/regulatory-services/protection-of-wild-salmon/?ref=theferret.scot) and the [second in 2023](https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/regulatory-services/detailed-proposals-for-protecting-wild-salmon/?ref=theferret.scot). In January 2024 The Ferret [reported](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farms-high-risk-wild-salmon/) on Sepa’s [latest plans](https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/regulatory-services/detailed-proposals-for-protecting-wild-salmon/user%5Fuploads/sepa%5Fresponse%5Fto%5Fconsultation%5Ffeedback%5Fdecember%5F2023-2.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to monitor and control lice numbers. Now campaign groups frustrated by the lack of progress have filed a 34-page legal submission to ESS arguing that Sepa has failed to fulfil its legal obligations to protect wild salmon. The groups are [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which is supported by anglers, and the [Coastal Communities Network](https://www.communitiesforseas.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which brings together 26 groups in Scotland keen to protect the marine environment. The [joint submission](https://wildfish.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/13.03.24%5FWildFish-ESS-sea-lice-complaint.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) pointed to the latest evidence that wild salmon populations have plummeted. In December 2023 Atlantic salmon were [internationally classified](https://www.iucn.org/press-release/202312/freshwater-fish-highlight-escalating-climate-impacts-species-iucn-red-list?ref=theferret.scot) as endangered, with evidence that global populations fell by 23 per cent between 2006 and 2020. Scientists at the inter-governmental [International Union for the Conservation of Nature](https://www.iucn.org/?ref=theferret.scot) said one of the risks was “mortality due to salmon lice from salmon farms” which was “of great concern”. Lice eat salmon alive and, according to campaigners, as few as two can be fatal to young fish. “The continued failure of the Scottish Government and its regulators to put in place proper controls to protect wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout is contrary to their legal obligations,” the [joint submission](https://wildfish.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/13.03.24%5FWildFish-ESS-sea-lice-complaint.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) concluded. “The Scottish Government’s approach to the sea lice issue has been characterised both by its sluggish pace, and by the underlying unwillingness to take any steps that might constrain the growth of the politically-important Scottish salmon farming industry.” ### Salmon ‘suck it and see’ process [WildFish](https://wildfish.org/?ref=theferret.scot) argued that expanding the fish farming industry came at “an unacceptably high cost” to wild fish. “Sepa’s planned approach to controlling the scourge of sea lice from salmon farms remains wholly inadequate,” said the group’s Scotland director, Rachel Mulrenan. Sepa’s proposals had “fundamental limitations”, [she argued](https://wildfish.org/latest-news/environmental-groups-make-legal-complaint-to-environment-watchdog-for-sepas-failure-to-protect-endangered-wild-salmon-from-sea-lice-parasites?ref=theferret.scot). Sea lice restrictions would only initially apply to new fish farm applications, and in 2025 would only affect [19 of Scotland’s 200 plus fish farms](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farms-high-risk-wild-salmon/), she pointed out. WildFish’s solicitor, Guy Linley-Adams, criticised Sepa’s plans as “simply not up to the job” of protecting wild salmon and sea trout. “They are based not on a properly precautionary approach, as the law requires, but on a process of suck it and see,” he said. The [Coastal Communities Network](https://www.communitiesforseas.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) pointed out that Sepa believed its new rules would prevent further deterioration of wild fish populations. “We do not believe this to be true,” said the network’s spokesperson, John Aitchison. “Now, more than ever, we need to take action on all the issues linked to the decline of wild salmon and sea trout. Sepa should apply the precautionary principle and reduce the sea lice on existing farms, to protect these iconic species.” ### ‘Sustainable development’ of salmon farming According to [Sepa](https://www.sepa.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), wild salmon are under threat from a range of pressures “including sea lice”. After listening to stakeholder concerns, it introduced a [sea lice framework](https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/regulatory-services/detailed-proposals-for-protecting-wild-salmon/?ref=theferret.scot) on 1 February 2024. “Scotland is one of the first countries to take action to manage the risk posed by sea lice from fish farms and we are determined to make a difference,” said Sepa’s chief operating officer, [Lin Bunten](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lin-bunten-9a51a82b/?ref=theferret.scot). “Using international best practice and cutting-edge science, we are confident the sea lice framework employs a proportionate, evidence-based approach to assess risk and apply appropriate management measures where required.” The Scottish Government backed Sepa’s approach, describing salmon farming as a “highly regulated industry”. It said [“significant progress”](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-rural-affairs-and-islands-committee/correspondence/2023/salmon-farming-in-scotland-3-may-2023?ref=theferret.scot) had been made on the recommendations of the 2018 parliamentary inquiry. “Our [vision for sustainable aquaculture](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2023/07/vision-sustainable-aquaculture/documents/scotlands-vision-sustainable-aquaculture/scotlands-vision-sustainable-aquaculture/govscot:document/scotlands-vision-sustainable-aquaculture.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) sets out the ambition for an aquaculture sector that operates within environmental limits, and recognises the considerable social and economic benefits the sector can deliver,” said a government spokesperson. “The sea lice framework will support the sustainable development of fish farming in Scotland, helping to guide development to the right locations, whilst helping to ensure [wild fish are protected](https://www.gov.scot/publications/wild-salmon-strategy-implementation-plan-2023-2028/?ref=theferret.scot).” ESS chief executive, [Mark Roberts](https://environmentalstandards.scot/about-us/who-we-are/mark-roberts/?ref=theferret.scot), said: “ESS thoroughly considers all representations that it receives. Any decision to begin an investigation will be announced on the [ESS website](https://environmentalstandards.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) and the individuals or organisations making the representation informed.” [Salmon Scotland](https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), which represents fish farming companies, argued that there was “no evidence” that sea lice from farms were harming wild salmon populations. “The main issues in Scotland are water quality and habitat loss,” said the group’s Dr Iain Berrill. “We continue to work with Sepa on the development of its sea lice risk assessment framework to ensure it is balanced and proportionate.” *Cover image thanks to iStock/[Gregg Parsons](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/GreggParsons?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot).* ### Energy giants and short term lets lobbyists attended ‘shadowy’ Labour business event URL: https://www.theferret.scot/energy-giants-lobbyists-labour-business-event/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:36:28.000Z **Energy giants, a lobbying group for the holiday lets sector, and a firm which uses AI to track migrants crossing the Channel were among private bodies at a “shadowy” event at Scottish Labour’s conference which journalists were banned from.** Scottish Labour faced [criticism](https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/scottish-labour-conference-lobbying-press-banned/?ref=theferret.scot) over the transparency of its relationship with big business after it reportedly barred the press from a ‘business forum’ at its [conference](https://scottishlabour.org.uk/conference2024/commercialopportunities/?ref=theferret.scot) in Glasgow last month and refused to release a list of organisations who paid to attend. But Holyrood lobbying filings and social media posts have revealed some attendees. They included representatives of energy firms [Centrica](https://www.centrica.com/media-centre/news/2024/preliminary-results-for-the-year-ended-31-december-2023/?ref=theferret.scot) and [RWE](https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/german-giant-rwe-doubles-profits-as-energy-crisis-boosts-gas-and-green-power-demand/2-1-1393833?ref=theferret.scot), which have seen their profits surge on the back of the recent energy crisis. Trade bodies representing controversial firms like Airbnb, Fujitsu and Serco were also present. As was tech firm Sirius Insight, which has [provided](https://www.siriusinsight.ai/uk-home-office?ref=theferret.scot) the Home Office with cameras fitted with AI systems [reportedly](https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2023/07/uk/migrant-crossings-ai-small-boats/?ref=theferret.scot) used to monitor the UK’s coast for migrant boats. Critics – including from within the party – claimed our findings showed Scottish Labour is “selling access to those who are profiting from a broken status quo”. They questioned why the party was “afraid” of “journalists knowing what they are doing”. One transparency campaigner argued Labour is the “government in waiting” in the UK, so there is a “legitimate public interest” in knowing what businesses it is meeting and “what those businesses are lobbying for”. A Scottish Labour spokesperson stressed the party meets with “stakeholders from all backgrounds” including businesses, charities and trade unions. The business forum was hosted at Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza Hotel, close to the main conference at the Scottish Events Campus. But the forum was “separately ticketed” from the rest of the conference and [cost](https://scottishlabour.org.uk/conference2024/commercialopportunities/?ref=theferret.scot) £550 to attend for the day. The event included breakfast, a series of panel discussions and roundtables, and an evening reception which offered the opportunity for “informal networking”. Party big hitters in attendance included Scottish leader Anas Sarwar and deputy leader Jackie Baillie, as well as shadow Westminster business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds. Organisations attending the event were [promised](https://scottishlabour.org.uk/conference2024/commercialopportunities/?ref=theferret.scot) “plenty of opportunity” to speak with politicians, prospective candidates and “senior business advisors” on policy issues including energy, hospitality, and tourism. Centrica’s chief executive, Chris O’Shea, took part in a panel discussion at the event themed around net zero and the just transition. Centrica’s Scottish subsidiary, Scottish Gas, was advertising at the event according to [pictures](https://twitter.com/ScotRenew/status/1758480645624393796?ref=theferret.scot) shared on social media. On the panel, O’Shea “emphasised the importance of consistency and certainty in the fiscal and policy landscape to support investment” in the energy sector, according to a [filing](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/49481?ref=theferret.scot) on the lobbying register. On 16 February, the same day the business forum was held, hundreds of business leaders in the north east [wrote](https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/6375618/aberdeen-keir-starmer-oil-gas-windfall-tax/?ref=theferret.scot) to UK party leader Sir Keir Starmer urging him to abandon his proposal to increase a windfall tax on oil and gas firms. Centrica owns stakes in oil and gas licences in the North Sea [through](https://www.spirit-energy.com/our-operations/uk/production/?ref=theferret.scot) its subsidiary, [Spirit Energy](https://www.spirit-energy.com/?ref=theferret.scot). The chief executive of the trade body [Scottish Renewables](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-renewables/), Claire Mack, joined Centrica on the net zero panel. Scottish Renewables describes itself as the “voice of Scotland’s renewable energy industry”, but also counts oil majors such as Equinor and [Shell](https://www.theferret.scot/shell-accused-muscle-scottish-renewables-board/) among its [members](https://www.scottishrenewables.com/membership?ref=theferret.scot). German firm RWE, another major player in the UK’s renewable industry, was also at the [forum](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cathalhennessy%5Fit-was-a-pleasure-to-attend-the-scottish-activity-7164286117595279360-v%5Fiw?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop) according to a post on LinkedIn. RWE owns numerous wind farms and hydropower sites in Scotland but is a [polluter](https://www.clientearth.org/projects/the-greenwashing-files/rwe/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20March%202021,emissions%20from%20its%20power%20stations.) in mainland Europe, where it [owns](https://www.rwe.com/rwe-power-plant-portfolio.xls?ref=theferret.scot) coal mines and power stations. RWE was the [target](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-8m-green-funds-coal-firms/) of protests by campaigners including Greta Thunberg last year over its plans to demolish a German village to make room for more coal mining. It also owns the Markinch biomass plant in Fife, which was the [fourth biggest](https://www.theferret.scot/co2-emissions-surge-at-ineos-and-sse-sites/) carbon dioxide polluter of any industrial site in Scotland last year. RWE argues that because it burns waste wood which would otherwise decompose, the energy produced at Markinch is carbon neutral. According to a social media [post](https://twitter.com/CBI%5FScotland/status/1758507785933778998?ref=theferret.scot), the chief executive of [Scottish Financial Enterprise](https://www.sfe.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) (SFE) took part in a panel discussion about “the importance of Scotland’s financial services sector”. SFE represents Scotland’s financial services sector and its members include banks, wealth managers and insurance firms. UK Labour‘s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones MP, and Scottish Labour’s spokesperson on the economy, Daniel Johnson, were also on that panel. Glasgow MSP, Pam Duncan Glancy, [spoke](https://www.lobbying.scot/SPS/InformationReturn/SearchInformationReturnDetail/49404?ref=theferret.scot) with the Business Services Association (BSA) during a “breakout roundtable meeting” at the forum. The BSA is the industry association for outsourcing companies and counts controversial public sector service providers including Serco, G4S and Fujitsu among its [membership](https://www.bsa-org.com/about/our-members/?ref=theferret.scot). Some UK Government services outsourced to the private sector have [failed](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/aug/04/rise-in-outsourced-uk-government-services-failing-to-meet-standards?ref=theferret.scot) to meet quality standards and the industry has faced a [series](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/may/28/firms-fined-most-by-regulators-still-on-uk-governments-list-of-top-suppliers?ref=theferret.scot) of [scandals](https://news.sky.com/story/post-office-scandal-sparks-calls-to-end-failed-outsourcing-of-public-contracts-13046925?ref=theferret.scot) in recent years. The UK Short Term Accommodation Association, which [represents](https://ukstaa.org/?ref=theferret.scot) companies like Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo, was [represented](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andyfenner2023%5Fearly-morning-start-in-glasgow-for-the-labour-activity-7164167008664698881-kxUy?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop) by its chief executive. The holiday lets market has been [accused](https://www.generationrent.org/2021/08/23/locals%5Fpriced%5Fout%5Fof%5Fcommunities/?ref=theferret.scot) of exacerbating the housing crisis across the UK by squeezing the amount of housing available for residents in areas with a lot of tourism. Meanwhile Sirius Insight [said](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/siriusinsight%5Fscottishlabourbusinessforum-ai-maritimeai-activity-7164310052772823040-A6DT?ref=theferret.scot) it was “very impressed” with Labour’s “interest and engagement” at the business forum with sectors including AI and defence. Scottish Greens MSP, [Mark Ruskell](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/mark-ruskell/), argued that “shadowy lobbyists” were not “splashing their cash on gladhanding Scottish Labour out of the goodness of their hearts”. “They are doing it because they want to buy access, influence and favours,” Ruskell told The Ferret. “Labour is trying to present itself as a government in-waiting, but it is selling access to those who are profiting from a broken status quo and polluting our planet. “It raises important questions about transparency. Why are Scottish Labour so afraid of publishing their guest list, and why are they so afraid of journalists knowing what they are doing?” [Tom Brake](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/tom-brake/), a former Liberal Democrat MP and director of transparency campaign group, [Unlock Democracy](https://unlockdemocracy.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), pointed out that “in just six months or so, Labour ministers could be responsible for energy and industrial policy”. He added: “That is why there is a legitimate public interest in knowing which businesses Labour are meeting now and what those businesses are lobbying for. Labour has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by adopting a policy of transparency.” A spokesperson for [Campaign for Socialism](http://www.campaignforsocialism.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), a left-wing pressure group within Scottish Labour, said “secretive corporate lobbying” of the party came as “no surprise”. They said: “Anas Sarwar is always talking about cleaning up politics, which means a tougher line on corporate lobbying. The clue is in the name – the Labour Party. As thousands of people are shivering or starving in homes across Scotland, our party’s focus should be on them and at the picket lines, not the boardrooms.” A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “The Scottish Labour Party regularly meets with stakeholders from all backgrounds in a range of settings, including businesses, charities and trade unions. “This year Scottish Labour held our largest conference in years. This was an opportunity for people from across the party, public life and the business community to discuss our plans to deliver the change Scotland needs.” All the attendees of the business forum named in this story were asked to comment. Sirius Insight said that “alongside many other businesses” it “attended the event to hear Labour’s perspective on a wide range of policy issues”. RWE said its attendance at the event was “standard public affairs activity” and noted that it registered its “engagement with Scottish politicians on the Scottish Parliament’s lobbying register”. The official [partner](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bernie-gray-95695159%5Four-business-forum-in-partnership-with-arden-activity-7165277454666821632-7sEC?ref=theferret.scot) of the business forum was lobbying outfit [Arden Strategies](https://www.ardenstrategies.com/?ref=theferret.scot) which is headed by former Scottish Labour leader, Jim Murphy. Blair McDougall, who ran the No campaign in the 2014 independence referendum is a senior strategist at Arden. Arden had its own [lounge](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ardenstrategies%5Fbe-part-of-the-arden-experience-at-labour-activity-7113537924033339392-TY5O?ref=theferret.scot) at the UK Labour conference in Liverpool in October last year, which Murphy said was hosting “a multitude of events” including “private dinners with business leaders”. A ‘business day’ event at the party’s UK conference [sold out](https://www.google.com/search?q=the+guardian+business+day+labour+confereence&rlz=1C1VDKB%5Fen-GBGB965GB965&oq=the+guardian+business+day+labour+confereence&gs%5Flcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRhA0gEINTI2M2owajmoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ref=theferret.scot) and had to open a [waiting list](https://labour.org.uk/splash-before-you-continue/?ref=theferret.scot). Analysts [claim](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/oct/07/labour-business-industry-liverpool-conference?ref=theferret.scot) this was a sign businesses are competing to get the ear of the party, which has a big lead over the Tories in general election polling and is expected to form the next government. According to its [website](https://www.ardenstrategies.com/?ref=theferret.scot), Arden helps businesses to ‘demystify’ Labour’s policy-making process. Its dedicated ‘[Labour Directorate](https://www.ardenstrategies.com/services/labour-directorate?ref=theferret.scot)’ also provides “comprehensive mapping” of “political stakeholders that share your company’s interests”. Arden – which boasts “unrivalled insights into Labour policies, personalities and priorities” – saw its assets [double](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23675969.business-booms-jim-murphys-lobbying-firm/?ref=theferret.scot) last year. In his New Year’s speech at the start of the year, Starmer [pl](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/jan/02/labour-crackdown-on-cronyism-could-send-public-fraudsters-to-jail-for-a-decade?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=He%20will%20add%3A%20%E2%80%9CTo%20change,a%20total%20crackdown%20on%20cronyism.%E2%80%9D)[e](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/jan/02/labour-crackdown-on-cronyism-could-send-public-fraudsters-to-jail-for-a-decade?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=He%20will%20add%3A%20%E2%80%9CTo%20change,a%20total%20crackdown%20on%20cronyism.%E2%80%9D)[dged](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/jan/02/labour-crackdown-on-cronyism-could-send-public-fraudsters-to-jail-for-a-decade?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=He%20will%20add%3A%20%E2%80%9CTo%20change,a%20total%20crackdown%20on%20cronyism.%E2%80%9D) to “clean up politics”, which meant “no more revolving doors between government and the companies they regulate”, and a “total crackdown on cronyism”. *Main image: Scottish Parliament* ### Two Scottish care workers struck off every week URL: https://www.theferret.scot/two-scottish-care-workers-struck-off-every-week/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T21:26:42.000Z Almost 300 workers caring for some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people have been struck off for inappropriate, abusive and sometimes criminal behaviour in the last three years, equivalent to almost two every week. Analysis of the [Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)](https://www.sssc.uk.com/?ref=theferret.scot) data by The Ferret found that those removed from a register of qualified social care work professionals included at least 26 residential child care workers and other staff working with sometimes vulnerable and traumatised children and young people, including those in [care](https://www.theferret.scot/author/editor/). Other staff found [unfit to practice](https://www.sssc.uk.com/fitness-to-practise/decisions/?ref=theferret.scot) included 114 care home support workers and managers, often supporting disabled or frail and unwell older people. A further 50 care at home workers were removed from the SSSC register after investigations were carried out by the regulator. The most serious offences included the sexual abuse of young people in care or at boarding school, as well as the physical assault of elderly people in care. Other serious allegations made against care workers included theft or embezzlement. [Industry bodies](https://scottishcare.org/?ref=theferret.scot) and unions stressed that the vast majority of social care workers were dedicated, compassionate and skilled. The number of workers either struck off or giving warnings was just 0.24 per cent of a total workforce of more than 200,000 people, according to [Scottish Care](https://scottishcare.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which represents the independent care sector. #### Concerns about findings on care workers But charities said they were alarmed at the findings and called for preventative action to ensure care staff had more training and support, with better monitoring and protections urgently put in place for those using care services. [Scotland’s Children and Young People’s Commissioner](https://www.cypcs.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) called for “far-reaching” culture change. The Ferret examined the SSSC data between February 2021 and the end of January 2024 and found that a total of 502 people had been removed from the register, suspended or been issued with a warning, following a regulatory hearing or assessment. In the most serious cases 276 people had been removed or struck off, with a further 210 issued with a warning, which can remain on record for several years. That warning must be disclosed to future employers. Others were suspended or had conditions imposed on their employment. The data on care workers for children in residential care showed 26 people were removed from the register in the three year period. Eight of the complaints were of a sexual nature. Several were workers who had sex with under-18s in their care. Others had sent pictures of a sexual nature to young people by social media – one worker sent pictures of his genitals to a 15-year-old girl and repeatedly made sexual comments to her. In some cases the abuse included sexual harassment or unwanted touching. Several of the cases led to criminal convictions. “In some cases complaints weren’t made by young people, but action was taken after workers received convictions outside work. One worker was convicted for making indecent images of a child and another committed sexual indecency against an adult woman. One local authority source said that the most serious cases could be the tip of the iceberg with others going unreported. > These findings make it even more clear how important the role that an independent advocacy provides for care experienced people. > > Louise Hunter, Who Cares? Scotland In 2015 the [Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry](https://www.childabuseinquiry.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) was established to look at historic childhood abuse in care and public hearings started in 2017\. But it will not hear evidence of abuse that took place after 2014. [Who Cares? Scotland](https://www.whocaresscotland.org/?ref=theferret.scot) said it was critical that at the same time as Scotland examined historic sex abuse in care, work must be done to explore what is happening in the present. Louise Hunter, its chief executive, said: “It’s truly saddening to learn about these findings. Nobody should have to experience what the people impacted have experienced. “These findings make it even more clear how important the role that an independent advocacy provides for care experienced people. It is important that people have an independent voice they can feel comfortable to rely on and speak up on their behalf.” [Children and Young People’s Commissioner](https://www.cypcs.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), Nicola Killean, said she was “concerned” by the Ferret’s research and stressed that all children have a right to protection from abuse or harm. The state has additional obligations to children in the care system, she added. “Scotland’s child protection system has historically been directed primarily towards the risk of neglect or abuse from parents, or within a family setting,” she said. “We know as a result, the system has failed to respond effectively to abuse experienced by older children, by children in care, and abuse which is committed by professionals. My office raised these issues with the Scottish Government last year as part of the review of the [National Child Protection Guidance](https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-guidance-child-protection-scotland-2021-updated-2023/?ref=theferret.scot). > We know the system has failed to respond effectively to abuse experienced by older children, by children in care, and abuse which is committed by professionals. > > Nicola Killean, [Children and Young People’s Commissioner](https://www.cypcs.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) “There needs to be a far-reaching change to the culture around this issue, including giving practitioners and organisations support on how to confidently scrutinise or challenge unacceptable practice.” The Ferret also examined decision [documents](https://www.sssc.uk.com/fitness-to-practise/decisions/?ref=theferret.scot) regarding workers in adult care homes and found examples of abusive patterns of behaviour including swearing at, slapping and pushing residents. In one case a worker put his hands around a resident’s throat, causing bruising. Another withheld food, medication and personal care and lied to colleagues, claiming she had taken care of the resident’s needs. Two other workers were found to be drinking at work. Several of those providing care in people’s own homes were struck off for stealing money. In one case a worker allegedly embezzled nearly £35k although she claimed it was half of that amount. In another a worker repeatedly failed to arrive for shifts for several clients but later claimed in timesheets she had been there. Veronica Gary, policy director of elder abuse charity [Hourglass](https://wearehourglass.org/?ref=theferret.scot), said the extent of the issue was [poorly understood](https://wearehourglass.org/abuse?ref=theferret.scot). Its [research](https://wearehourglass.org/research?ref=theferret.scot) suggests about one in five people over 60 are subject to abuse, which means there could be about 286,000 older victims every year in Scotland. She added: “Hourglass is keenly aware of the pressures within the health and social care sector, and we acknowledge the dedication and commitment of the vast majority of the workforce. “Social care workers support some of the most vulnerable people in society and to see that almost 300 workers have been struck off or lost their registration in the past three years is shocking. Service users, their families and the wider public need to have confidence that those entrusted to provide this care are suitable and safe to do so. She claimed the findings “clearly shows the importance of registration and monitoring within the sector”. But warned that most elder abuse was carried out by family members, highlighting the need for wider protections. > The SSSC should take a less punitive approach towards individual care workers who may make mistakes or, sometimes – due to lack of training, low staffing levels and heavy workloads – do not demonstrate the level of professional competence required. > > Stephen Smellie, Unison Stephen Smellie, vice convenor for trade union [Unison](https://unison-scotland.org/?ref=theferret.scot) Scotland said: “Where there are serious issues of conduct or harm to service users it is right that the regulatory body, SSSC, takes the appropriate action. However, these are a very small amount of the cases that are reported to the SSSC.” He claimed many others were minor offences. Those with union representation were less likely to be struck off, he said, but many in the sector were not members of a union. Social care workers are amongst the lowest paid in Scotland – last September the Scottish Government promised to raise basic rates of pay to [£12 per hour](https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/12-per-hour-not-enough-social-care-providers-tell-scotland-first-minister?ref=theferret.scot). They often work in challenging and under-staffed workplaces. Smellie added: “The SSSC should take a less punitive approach towards individual care workers who may make mistakes or, sometimes – due to lack of training, low staffing levels and heavy workloads – do not demonstrate the level of professional competence required.” It should be “more ready to provide advice, support and training”, he added and “highlight and address failings of employers who do not properly support and resource staff”. #### Compassionate and skilled workers A spokesperson from [Scottish Care](https://scottishcare.org/?ref=theferret.scot), which represents the independent social care sector, said it was largely made up of compassionate and skilled people. They added: “Social care providers use significant efforts to screen staff during recruitment, implementing strict processes to uphold standards. Despite these measures, occasional instances of underperformance can still occur. “These statistics, while indicative of lapses, also highlights the effectiveness of our governance systems, reflecting the sector’s commitment to best practices. “However, maintaining vigilance is essential, encouraging a culture of whistleblowing to protect the well-being of those under our care. Despite these challenges, a career in social care remains deeply rewarding.” Hannah Coleman, acting director of regulation at the SSSC, said: “Investigating and taking action when there are concerns about a worker’s fitness to practise helps to protect people using services and maintain public confidence. “Workers are removed from the register in the most serious cases, which means unsuitable people are no longer able to work in care. “It’s important to remember that the vast majority of the more than 174,000 people on our register practise safely, effectively and are doing a great job. On average we investigate only 1.1 per cent of registrants each year over fitness to practise concerns.” It was the employer’s responsibility, she added, to ensure that all staff were adequately trained, qualified and supported. Its latest fitness to practice [statistics](https://www.sssc.uk.com/knowledgebase/article/KA-04005/en-us?ref=theferret.scot) were published this month. *Cover image thanks to iStock/kieferpix* *This Ferret story was also published with the Sunday National.* *Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.* [ *Join us*](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) *to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next. Or make a one-off [donation](https://www.theferret.scot/donate/).* ### Psychic healer charges almost £900 to treat ‘disease’ and trauma at Edinburgh event URL: https://www.theferret.scot/psychic-healer-event-trauma-disease-edinburgh/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T21:26:42.000Z **A psychic healer, previously convicted for claiming he can cure cancer, is holding an event in Edinburgh which he claims will “transform lives” and mean people will no longer suffer “disease, injury, illness, anxiety, bad habits or worries”.** Critics claim the [two-day event](https://www.starmagichealing.org/event/live-group-healing-harnessing-the-power-of-star-magic-healing-9-10-march-2024-edinburgh-uk/?ref=theferret.scot) – promoted by Star Magic Healing and costing almost £900 – could be putting seriously ill and vulnerable people at risk. The founder of Star Magic Healing, [Je](https://metro.co.uk/2017/09/20/man-who-claimed-to-cure-cancer-with-energy-healing-is-facing-jail-6942128/?ref=theferret.scot)[r](https://metro.co.uk/2017/09/20/man-who-claimed-to-cure-cancer-with-energy-healing-is-facing-jail-6942128/?ref=theferret.scot)[ry Sargeant](https://metro.co.uk/2017/09/20/man-who-claimed-to-cure-cancer-with-energy-healing-is-facing-jail-6942128/?ref=theferret.scot), claims to have discovered his gift for healing after being in a car crash. He told The Ferret he is a “facilitator, empowering people to do their own healing” and would “never recommend that people cease medical treatment”. He insisted neither he or his organisations were making claims of curing [cancer](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/cancer/). #### Healer claims dismissed by critics But critics – such as [Professor Edzard Ernst](https://acmedsci.ac.uk/fellows/fellows-directory/ordinary-fellows/fellow/Edzard%20E%20W-Ernst-0033z00002qIIhIAAW?ref=theferret.scot) – have dismissed Sargeant’s claims as “quackery” and claimed that targeting expensive events at unwell people was “despicable”. Under [consumer protection laws](https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights?ref=theferret.scot) it is illegal to falsely claim a product “is able to cure illnesses, dysfunction or malformations”. [The Cancer Act](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/2-3/13?ref=theferret.scot) restricts adverts which offer to treat cancer, or give treatment advice. Sargeant was [convicted](https://metro.co.uk/2017/09/20/man-who-claimed-to-cure-cancer-with-energy-healing-is-facing-jail-6942128/?ref=theferret.scot) under the act in 2017 after Trading Standards raised concerns about the claims made on his website that he could cure illnesses, including cancer. His UK-based company was then dissolved, according to Companies House. But Sargeant has continued to offer healing sessions in countries including Canada and the US, as well as [online](https://www.starmagichealing.org/global-meditation-group/?utm%5Fsource=google-ads&utm%5Fagid=160367789689&utm%5Fterm=star%2520magic&creative=687182840326&device=c&placement=&gclid=CjwKCAiA6KWvBhAREiwAFPZM7ldC7rNqePZjl09x4zRxxeNGGMDq1%5F5nP8dHN2PFYsIxX9131Kp36xoConsQAvD%5FBwE). Services include “DNA upgrades” that “change your karmic blueprint” and the use of “quantum psychics” to release “blocks” preventing his clients from living “their most extraordinary lives”. Other adverts claim he is setting up healing centres across the world. The Star Magic website now features [a disclaimer](https://www.starmagichealing.org/disclaimer-legal-liability-waiver/?ref=theferret.scot) – but still carries multiple [testimonials](https://www.starmagichealing.org/testimonial/?ref=theferret.scot) including those from people who claim Star Magic has led cancer to vanish, or cured Parkinson’s and other life threatening or limiting conditions. Online private healing sessions with Sargeant start at £1,000 with an “investment” of £1,500 for an “emergency” session. > We are not medical experts and would never recommend that people cease medical treatment. We are here to empower people. We tell people to be simply open to possibility. > > Jerry Sargeant, founder of Star Magic Healing Now he is advertising a “group healing” in Edinburgh, charged at £555 for one six hour workshop or £888 for two days during which participants will receive a “biological upgrade”. The event is now ‘sold out’ according to his website. Another event is due to be held in Manchester in May. In recent years there has been a rapid expansion in the market for alternative and complementary therapy, which is predicted to grow to £5.9bn by 2027-28, according to a [report](https://www.bgateway.com/assets/market-reports/Alternative-Complementary-Therapy.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for Business Gateway, published in August 2023. The report linked the continued pressure on the NHS and lengthy waiting lists for underfunded NHS services for the increase in people seeking alternative, private services, as well as increase in stress and mental health disorders including anxiety and depression. Edzard Ernst, who was the UK’s first professor of complementary medicine, said it “stood to reason” that “the worse our NHS provision becomes, the more desperate patients would consider using healing or other forms of quackery”. He added: “Group healing is a form of ‘energy healing’ where allegedly healing energy is transmitted by the healer to patients. In turn, this is supposed to activate their self-healing powers.” But “not only does this ‘energy’ not exist”, he claimed, but studies failed to show it was effective “beyond a placebo effect for any condition”. “The danger is that seriously ill patients might trust the claims of the healer and forfeit or take less seriously effective therapies for their condition,” he added. “Many instances have shown that this danger is not just theoretical but all too real. Those who claim otherwise are exploiting the most vulnerable of society.” The term complementary medicine includes treatments recommended by the [National Institute for Health and Care Excellence](https://www.nice.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)[ (NICE)](https://www.nice.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) including the use of the [Alexander technique](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alexander-technique/?ref=theferret.scot) for Parkinson’s disease and chiropractic treatments for back pain. Many alternative therapy disciplines are regulated on a voluntary basis including acupuncture and homoeopathy. > The worse our NHS provision becomes, the more desperate patients would consider using healing or other forms of quackery. > > Professor Edzard Ernst [UK Healers](http://www.ukhealers.info/?ref=theferret.scot), the professional body regulating spiritual healers, estimates there are about 12-18,000 across the UK and says 90 to 95 percent do not charge for their services. A spokesperson for the organisation confirmed that Sargeant was not a member. Sargeant insisted he was not making false claims. “We are not medical experts and would never recommend that people cease medical treatment,” he told The Ferret. “We use breath work, frequency, energy, music and some very specific techniques to get the participants into a state of balance that facilitates and maximises their own body’s natural healing processes. We are here to empower people. We tell people to expect nothing specific, to be simply open to possibility.” Sergeant, who says he does not make claims of curing cancer, told The Ferret it could be a “massive coincidence” that a man with stage four cancer “who did nothing else but our work” found “the cancer simply vanished”. “Whether someone is using allopathic \[mainstream\] medicine or alternative medicine – healing, nutrition, breath work, intermittent fasting, meditation, good sleep, cold therapy – doesn’t matter,” he added. If they heal, they heal. It’s positive and beautiful. One doesn’t negate the other.” [Edinburgh Trading Standards](https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/trading-standards?ref=theferret.scot) said it did not comment on individual cases but added in a statement: “The Cancer Act 1939 contains restrictions on any advertisement which contains an offer to treat or prescribe any remedy or to give any advice in connection with the treatment of cancer. “Further, the [Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/1277/contents/made?ref=theferret.scot), prohibits misleading and aggressive commercial practices, including falsely claiming that a product is able to cure illnesses, dysfunction or malformations.” It confirmed it “would consider any information passed to us to ascertain whether these provisions are being breached”. #### Jerry Sargeant’s response in full *Cover image thanks to iStock/[microgen](https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/microgen?mediatype=photography&ref=theferret.scot)* ### New hopes to reverse island depopulation as school saved from closure URL: https://www.theferret.scot/reverse-island-depopulation-school-saved-closure/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:27:46.000Z **Argyll and Bute Council has decided against shutting the only primary school on the island of Luing for good, giving islanders a year to prove its sustainability as part of a battle against depopulation.** The local authority’s community services committee voted by seven votes to four on 7 March to hold on to the school for at least another year. Its reopening is not guaranteed but residents hope their plans for new jobs, housing and other projects will attract new arrivals. The school was mothballed in 2020 due to low pupil numbers which were not projected to rise. The Ferret previously highlighted the plight of the school which residents [called](https://www.theferret.scot/islanders-fight-school-closure-luing-argyll-bute/) the “heart of the community”, and feared its loss would push away young families. Parents currently send their children to schools on Seil island or the mainland – a trip consisting of two buses and a short ferry crossing each way. Colin Buchanan, chair of [Isle of Luing Community Trust](https://isleofluing.org/about-isle-luing/isle-luing-community-trust?ref=theferret.scot) said the decision not to close it was “such a relief” following years of campaigning from parents, community organisations and other residents. “We decided to make a particular appeal to the council today around depopulation”, he said, having challenged the committee to prove its commitment to tackling the region-wide issue. “Island communities really have to campaign and work and push for what they need.” ![Island Depopulation](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/geograph-5127492-by-anne-burgess.jpg) Flooded quarry on Luing. Photo © [Anne Burgess](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/139?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) Development plans spearheaded by locals include a bid to reopen the iconic slate quarry and employ residents, should a grant application decision, due later this month, prove successful. It will also bring opportunities to build a range of modern, energy-efficient housing for new residents, Buchanan said. “We’re learning from a lot of other communities,” he added. “You don’t just wish and hope that somebody’s going to come and live here. You have to make it attractive for people.” A council spokesperson said the decision would “allow the community more time to demonstrate the sustainability of the school long term”. #### **Schools and island depopulation** School closures are a current trend in Scotland, which is battling rural and island depopulation in many areas. Last year, we [found](https://www.theferret.scot/forty-rural-primary-schools-closed-five-years/) that 40 primary schools in mostly rural areas had been closed or mothballed due to dwindling pupil numbers, while 15 more were at risk. Local residents, including those in Luing, warn such closures will scupper any chance of communities reversing depopulation and balancing ageing demographics. According to officials analysed by [National Records of Scotland](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/news/2022/scotlands-population-projected-to-fall?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=New%20analysis%20by%20National%20Records,million%20people%20live%20in%20Scotland.), Scotland’s population will peak in 2028 before starting to decline, largely due to lower birth rates. Should past trends continue, Scotland could have 200,000 fewer children – a fall of 22 per cent – and 300,000 more people over 65 – an increase of 30 per cent – by 2045. The Ferret visited Bute and Orkney in 2022 as part of an international series on [island depopulation](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/island-depopulation/), to hear about the factors fuelling depopulation, as well as the potential solutions. Housing, jobs shortages and the decline of working-age people were the most common issues raised. ### Claim Labour’s 2019 manifesto called for ‘abortion on demand to birth’ is False URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-labour-manifesto-abortion-on-demand-false/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:27:46.000Z **Former Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen, who now sits as an independent, has criticised the party for its stance on abortion.** In a post [on X (formerly Twitter)](https://twitter.com/ABridgen/status/1763146263967551776?ref=theferret.scot), the MP for North West Leicestershire said he would “always stand up for the rights of the unborn”, and made a claim about the Labour Party’s policy on abortion. > Abortion on demand to birth was in Labour’s 2019 manifesto, I stood up and publicly attacked it, but the Conservative Party didn’t want to. > > Andrew Bridgen MP Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **False**. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-51.png) #### **Evidence** Andrew Bridgen sits as an independent MP, having lost [the Conservative party whip](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jan/11/tory-mp-andrew-bridgen-loses-whip-over-covid-vaccine-comments?ref=theferret.scot) in early 2023 after comments where he appeared to compare the Covid-19 vaccine rollout to the Holocaust. [Sharing a video opposing](https://twitter.com/ABridgen/status/1763146263967551776?ref=theferret.scot) current legislation on abortion passing through parliament, Bridgen claimed Labour had included “abortion on demand to birth” in its 2019 manifesto. The party’s [2019 manifesto](https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Real-Change-Labour-Manifesto-2019.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was written while Jeremy Corbyn was still leader of the party, and contained [two references](https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Real-Change-Labour-Manifesto-2019.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to abortion. The first, in a section on justice, said: “We will uphold women’s reproductive rights and decriminalise abortions”. The second reference is in a part of the manifesto relating to Northern Ireland, and states that “Women in Northern Ireland should have access to abortions in Northern Ireland.” There is no reference in the document to either abortion on demand or that it should be allowed any time up to birth. Labour MP Stella Creasy [said in November 2019](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-manifesto-abortion-rights-reproductive-corbyn-women-a9212481.html?ref=theferret.scot) that her party was planning to remove Victorian abortion legislation that meant women breaching abortion laws, such as buying illegal abortion pills online, could face a life sentence in prison. Abortion in the UK is [generally legal before 24 weeks](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN04309/SN04309.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), and in very limited circumstances beyond that. In Scotland, the law is devolved but currently remains in line with UK legislation laid out in the amended [Abortion Act 1967](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/87/contents?ref=theferret.scot). In order to get an abortion, the [law states](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/87/section/1?ref=theferret.scot) that it must be performed by a doctor, and authorised by two doctors. There are various grounds under which abortion can be granted, notably that it would endanger the “physical or mental health” of the mother. In an [interview with the Independent newspaper](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-manifesto-abortion-rights-reproductive-corbyn-women-a9212481.html?ref=theferret.scot), Creasy said: “Decriminalisation means that women would have the same equal rights over their bodies that men have because if you take away the criminal element of the law you can have a fully medical procedure where their consent matters and where medical need- not the threat of prosecution- can be upheld,” she continued. However, at no point did the party advocate for abortion until birth, and it did not feature in the manifesto, nor in the party’s [2017](https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/labour-manifesto-2017.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) or [2015](https://www.scribd.com/document/261706542/Labour-Manifesto-2015?ref=theferret.scot) manifesto. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: False** Andrew Bridgen’s claim that the Labour Party included “Abortion on demand to birth” in its 2019 manifesto is incorrect. The party aimed to repeal laws which gave significant punishments for women who broke abortion laws. ![This claim is false](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_5false-11.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Photo credit: David Woolfall, [CC BY 3.0 DEED](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot)* ### Scots prisons recorded 97 allegations of ‘sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour’ URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scots-prisons-100-allegations-sexual-assault-12511-claims-physical-assault-five-years/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:27:48.000Z **Scottish prisons have recorded nearly 100 allegations of “sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour” and 12,511 claims of physical assault in the last five years.** Glasgow’s Barlinnie Prison recorded the highest number of sexual assault claims from inmates with 33, followed by Edinburgh with 18, Addiewell, 9, and Perth Prison with 8. The numbers were revealed by the [Scottish Prison Service ](https://www.sps.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)(SPS) in a reply to a freedom of information (FOI) request by The Ferret asking for details of rape allegations within prisons. The SPS could not provide a specific figure for rape claims but said the total number of allegations of “sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour” from 2018 to 2023 was 97. All the allegations were reported to Police Scotland but the outcomes of the force’s investigations are not recorded on SPS systems, a prison service spokesperson said. Opposition politicians said the figures were “deeply disturbing” and that no-one in a Scottish prison one should be subjected to rape, sexual violence or assault. The SPS said it has a “zero tolerance approach to all such forms of unacceptable behaviour”. Last May, [The Ferret revealed ](https://www.theferret.scot/violent-assaults-increase-at-hmp-addiewell-scotland/)that violent assaults had risen more steeply at HMP Addiewell than any other jail. There were a total of 166 assaults by prisoners in 2022\. These included attacks by razor blades and scalding and some resulted in people being hospitalised. The majority of the assaults were on other prisoners but 44 were on staff. In terms of assault allegations since 2018 there have been 2194 recorded at Polmont, 2018 at Barlinnie, 1742 at Addiewell, 1199 at Edinburgh, 1089 in Kilmarnock and 1035 in Perth. There were 48 assault allegations recorded in Cornton Vale, a prison for women, said the SPS’s FOI reply. [In April 2022](https://www.theferret.scot/distressed-prisoners-13000-calls-samaritans-six/), we reported that phone calls made by prisoners to the Samaritans more than doubled to over 13,000 in just six months, raising concerns about the lack of mental health support in Scottish jails. The Ferret’s revelations over alleged sexual violence add to a litany of other [serious problems facing Scotland’s prisons](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68152057?ref=theferret.scot) including overcrowding, mental health issues, endemic drug use, and rising numbers on remand. Prisons are reaching a “tipping point”, according to SPS head Teresa Medhurst, who spoke to [the BBC last month](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68152057?ref=theferret.scot). [Pauline McNeill MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/pauline-mcneill?ref=theferret.scot), Scottish Labour’s shadow cabinet secretary for justice, called on the Scottish Government to get the prison service “under control”. She said: “These statistics, particularly those on sexual assault, are deeply disturbing. Scotland’s prison service is in crisis, with overcrowding, violence and drug use all being endemic. This is an intolerable situation for both staff and prisoners.” > These statistics, particularly those on sexual assault, are deeply disturbing. Scotland’s prison service is in crisis, with overcrowding, violence and drug use all being endemic. This is an intolerable situation for both staff and prisoners. > > Pauline McNeill MSP, Scottish Labour’s shadow cabinet secretary for justice. [Maggie Chapman](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/maggie-chapman?ref=theferret.scot), a Scottish Greens MSP who previously worked for [Rape Crisis Scotland](https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), described the figures as “very concerning” and said nobody should be put at risk of assault or sexual violence when in custody. She said: “We must ensure there are resources available to support people affected by trauma and violence in our prisons, including both the prisoner population and staff. “There are also fundamental questions about what we want from our justice system. We know that prisons are not safe, peaceful places. They often make people more likely to reoffend. They can lead to drug addiction and suicidal ideation. There is a great deal of work to be done to transform a system that all too often fails everyone: victims, survivors, perpetrators and the public.” A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said all instances of alleged criminality are reported to Police Scotland. They added: “We continue to work with individuals in our care to reduce such incidents and offer support to those affected by it, including our staff.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said attacks on prisoners and prison staff are “completely unacceptable” and that everyone should be able to “live and work safely” in prisons. “Despite deeply challenging financial circumstances due to the UK Government settlement that was devastating for Scotland’s finances, we are increasing investment in our vital prison service by 10 per cent to £436.6m to enable it to continue to provide a safe and secure prison estate,” the spokesperson added. Police Scotland did not provide any information. ### Forever chemicals found in 55 per cent of Scottish drinking water URL: https://www.theferret.scot/forever-chemicals-found-in-scottish-drinking-water/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T18:01:56.000Z **Potentially toxic ‘forever chemicals’ – including some linked to cancer – were found in more than half of samples of Scottish drinking water taken in 2023, according to new data obtained by The Ferret.** Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances ([PFAS](https://www.dwi.gov.uk/pfas-and-forever-chemicals/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=What%20are%20PFAS%3F,their%20persistence%20in%20the%20environment.)) were identified in 349 of the 631 samples taken by Scottish Water at drinking water sources around the country last year, in its first annual survey for the chemicals. PFAS are a group of thousands of chemicals which repel water and oil. This makes them perfect for use in a range of domestic and industrial products, including non-stick pans, waterproof clothing, and firefighting foam. But PFAS take a [very long time](https://www.businessinsider.com/chart-how-long-hazardous-forever-chemicals-pfas-stay-in-blood-2023-3?ref=theferret.scot) to break down in the environment and the human body, earning them the moniker ‘forever chemicals’. They have been found almost everywhere, from [human blood](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/29/pfas-left-dangerous-blood-compounds-in-nearly-all-us-study-participants?ref=theferret.scot) to the [Arctic circle](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/11/pfas-norwegian-arctic-ice-wildlife-risk-stressor?ref=theferret.scot). Health experts have [link](https://www.epa.gov/pfas/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental-risks-pfas?ref=theferret.scot)ed the build-up of some PFAS in the body to a higher risk of certain cancers, thyroid disease, immune system and fertility problems, and developmental defects in unborn children. Drinking water contaminated with PFAS is one of the most common [ways](https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/exposure.html?ref=theferret.scot) for them to enter our bodies. None of the samples showed levels of PFAS that would require Scottish Water to take action to protect the public under [Scottish rules](https://dwqr.scot/media/gotpja4w/information-letter-1-2022-risk-assessment-and-sampling-of-poly-and-perfluorinated-alkyl-substances.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). But recent [studies](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/15/epa-limits-toxic-forever-chemicals?ref=theferret.scot) suggested that, for some of the PFAS found in our drinking water, there is no safe level to consume. One expert said the findings were proof that ‘forever chemicals’ are “widespread” in our environment and underlined the need to move “towards a PFAS-free economy as quickly and effectively as possible”. But the Scottish Government argued that Scots continue “to enjoy a supply of very high quality drinking water” and said it is aligned with EU standards on PFAS in tap water. > Scotland continues to enjoy a supply of very high quality drinking water, with regulatory standards that are among the most stringent in the world. > > Scottish Government The data from [Scottish Water](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/scottish-water/) was released after a freedom of information request by The Ferret. Last year was the first year that widespread testing of Scottish drinking water sources for PFAS was carried out. Campaigners have previously [complained](https://archive.ph/YmqLI?ref=theferret.scot) about a lack of monitoring for the chemicals in Scotland compared with other parts of the UK. Scottish Water tested for 20 of the PFAS that are [considered](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2022/387/made?ref=theferret.scot) to be of most concern. All of the tests were carried out as water left treatment works and entered the pipes that transport it to consumers. The two samples which showed the highest combined levels of these PFAS were found at a water treatment works on Fair Isle, between Orkney and Shetland, in November and December. Scottish Water confirmed to The Ferret that its sampling found concentrations of PFAS were generally higher at rural water treatment works – an issue it is now investigating. \[table id=343 /\] Under new [regulations](https://dwqr.scot/media/gotpja4w/information-letter-1-2022-risk-assessment-and-sampling-of-poly-and-perfluorinated-alkyl-substances.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) introduced in 2022, Scottish Water has to take emergency measures to prevent the supply of water to consumers if it contains more than 100 nanograms of PFAS per litre of water. None of the samples in 2023 came close to exceeding this threshold. But other countries, including the US and Denmark, have much [stricter limits](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/28/forever-chemicals-found-in-drinking-water-sources-across-england?ref=theferret.scot) and the Royal Society of Chemistry recently [called](https://www.rsc.org/globalassets/04-campaigning-outreach/policy/environment-health-safety-policy/rsc-policy-position-on-pfas-in-uk-drinking-water.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for a tightening of UK rules. PFAS also accumulate in the environment so concentrations will keep increasing unless action is taken to reduce them. One of the most [studied](https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/sites/static/files/2017-12/documents/ffrrofactsheet%5Fcontaminants%5Fpfos%5Fpfoa%5F11-20-17%5F508%5F0.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) forever chemicals which has caused particular health concern is [perfluorooctanoic acid](https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/PFOA%5FFactSheet.html?ref=theferret.scot) (PFOA). It was found in 217 of Scottish Water’s samples last year. PFOA was previously used in the [manufacture](https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/is-teflon-coating-safe?ref=theferret.scot) of Teflon, used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware. It has been [banned](https://homeownercosts.co.uk/is-teflon-banned-uk/?ref=theferret.scot) in the UK since 2005 but still persists in the environment, while other legal PFAS can [break down](https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/questions-and-answers-drinking-water-health-advisories-pfoa-pfos-genx-chemicals-and-pfbs?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=EPA's%202022%20lifetime%20health%20advisory,advisory%20for%20PFOA%20%3D%200.004%20ppt) into PFOA. In 2022, the US Government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [effectively](https://www.nacwa.org/news-publications/news-detail/2022/06/16/epa-finds-no-safe-level-for-two-toxic-'forever-chemicals-'-found-in-many-u.s.-water-systems?ref=theferret.scot) said that no level of PFOA is safe to drink. The EPA said the [main reason](https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/questions-and-answers-drinking-water-health-advisories-pfoa-pfos-genx-chemicals-and-pfbs?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=EPA's%202022%20lifetime%20health%20advisory,advisory%20for%20PFOA%20%3D%200.004%20ppt) it had made this assessment – other than links between PFOA and cancer – was because exposure to PFOA can reduce the effectiveness of vaccines in children. PFOA is featured in the 2019 film, [*Dark Waters*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9071322/?ref=theferret.scot), in which Mark Ruffalo stars as real-life lawyer Robert Billott, who exposed how chemical giant DuPont had allegedly contaminated a small US town with the substance. In 2017, Bilott won a $671m (£529m) [settlement](https://time.com/5737451/dark-waters-true-story-rob-bilott/?ref=theferret.scot) on behalf of 3,500 people who had claimed they contracted diseases like kidney and testicular cancer from water which had been contaminated by DuPont. DuPont allegedly [knew](https://time.com/6284266/pfas-forever-chemicals-manufacturers-kept-secret/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=A%201961%20DuPont%20study%20found,C8%E2%80%94or%20PFOA%20and%20PFOS) that PFOA may have been dangerous for decades before the contamination Another chemical regarded as high risk by the EPA – perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) – was also found in sampling of 69 Scottish drinking water samples. [Philippe Grandjean](https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/erc/people/philippe-grandjean-md-phd/?ref=theferret.scot), a professor in environmental medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health, has been [warning](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2023/02/23/forever-chemicals-the-key-public-health-issue-of-defining-an-acceptable-threshold%5F6016909%5F8.html?ref=theferret.scot) of the dangers of PFAS in drinking water for years. He told The Ferret that the findings about PFAS in Scottish drinking water were “not surprising” and could come from a “lot of potential sources” including rainwater, leaching from rubbish dumps and the spraying of pesticides. Grandjean questioned the accuracy of the safety limits on PFAS applied by the EU and followed by the Scottish Government. “The EU agency that calculated safe intake limits made errors in their calculations, while the much lower US EPA limits are correct from a toxicological point of view,” Grandjean said. ![Health concerns raised over asbestos in tap water](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-927734434.jpg) Drinking water contaminated with PFAS is one of the most common ways for them to enter our bodies. Image: Rawpixel/iStock [Hannah Evans](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/evanshannah?ref=theferret.scot), who researches PFAS at the environmental charity [Fidra](https://www.fidra.org.uk/who-we-are/?ref=theferret.scot) warned of the risks of the substances accumulating and having “detrimental impacts on both public and environmental health”. “We know PFAS are widespread in our environment, in wildlife and in our bodies,” Evans told The Ferret. “We must learn from previous examples of environmental contamination and transition towards a PFAS-free economy as quickly and effectively as possible.” The Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP, [Willie Rennie](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/willie-rennie/), said Scottish Water and environment regulator, Sepa, need to “keep the prevalence of these chemicals under close review”. Rennie added: “When I asked the Scottish Government what steps it was taking to improve testing and monitoring for PFAS in the environment, they were keen to emphasise that research was ongoing and new analytical techniques were being investigated. “However, there will be pressure to demonstrate that these measures are robust enough given the [comments](https://www.rsc.org/globalassets/04-campaigning-outreach/policy/environment-health-safety-policy/rsc-policy-position-on-pfas-in-uk-drinking-water.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) from the Royal Society of Chemistry and others. “In particular people living in Fair Isle will need reassurances about what measures are being taken to mitigate the risks that these chemicals hold,” Rennie added. A Scottish Government spokesperson said drinking water standards were changed in 2022 to “reflect health-based standards for PFAS”. “The standards reflect those that are contained in the EU’s recast Drinking Water Directive which were reviewed by the World Health Organisation,” they said. “Scotland continues to enjoy a supply of very high quality drinking water, with regulatory standards that are among the most stringent in the world,” the spokesperson continued. They also noted that the Scottish Government will align with EU plans to address pollution at source “rather than through expensive treatment”. Last year, Fidra [called](https://archive.ph/YmqLI?ref=theferret.scot) for the Scottish Government and its regulators to increase monitoring at high risk areas for PFAS including military bases, airfields, and industrial sites. That was after a [report](https://press.hse.gov.uk/2023/04/04/regulators-report-on-forever-chemicals-published/?ref=theferret.scot) by the UK-wide Health and Safety Executive said it had omitted Scottish data from its analysis of the risk of forever chemicals because English data was “more extensive” and could be used to build a “relevant picture for the whole of the UK”. Between 2015 and 2017, one of the few studies of PFAS in Scotland that has been conducted found ‘forever chemicals’ in effluent discharged from wastewater treatment sites across the country. Monitoring of 20 sites found that both PFOA and PFOS, the two chemicals deemed highest risk, had been found in treated wastewater released into rivers. The highest [concentrations](https://www.endsreport.com/article/1714841/exclusive-locations-high-pfas-concentrations-wastewater-rivers-revealed?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Yesterday%2C%20ENDS%20reported%20that%20data,which%20is%20discharged%20into%20rivers.) of PFAS in effluent at that time were found at a wastewater plant in Livingston, followed by one in Newbridge and one in Dalmarnock. *Main image: Miriam Alonso* ### What has The Ferret been up to in February? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-has-the-ferret-been-up-to-in-february/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:27:50.000Z **It’s the end of another busy month at The Ferret. Wherever you are, be it sipping your morning coffee or indulging in the sweet drama of [Glasgow’s Willy Wonka experience](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/27/glasgow-willy-wonka-experience-slammed-as-farce-as-tickets-refunded?ref=theferret.scot), we hope you’re having a great weekend.** From day one, transparency has been at the core of our work at The Ferret. If you snoop around our website, you’ll even find a [whole page](https://www.theferret.scot/transparency/) about it. We believe in not just sharing our stories but also revealing the dedication that goes into them. For this reason, last year we started updating our members and [newsletter subscribers](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) about our monthly adventures, highlighting the real-world effects of our journalism. This year, we have decided to keep you up to speed about our stories, team, and events with a blog too. So, what have The Ferrets been up to lately? Read on to find out. ### **We launched a new series 🐋** ![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-6.png) Our journalists have been delving into some fishy business. In February, we launched a new investigative series, ‘Scotland’s Seas in Danger.’ Over the coming months, we’ll be shedding light on the complex challenges affecting our marine environment – from overfishing to pollution. Carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe, the investigation is part of a cross-border project in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpimedia.irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot), which is conducting fieldwork in (the much sunnier) Sardinia, Sicily, and Apulia and will publish its work later this year. The initial stories of the project examined the state of play in our marine environment, from [Scotland’s marine protection measures](https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-marine-protection-explained/) to [the species in decline](https://www.theferret.scot/marine-protection-scottish-species-decline/). ### **Our reporting inspired political action** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-01-23-at-16-18-05.jpg) At the end of January we published a secretly filmed video allegedly featuring the controversial businessman, Mark Fortune, threatening a tenant in a row over rent payments. The footage led to renewed accusations from campaigners that authorities are guilty of inaction. [Watch the video here.](https://www.theferret.scot/mark-fortune-edinburgh-landlord-threatening-tenant/) Following our story, Labour’s Sarah Boyack MSP [urged](https://www.theferret.scot/mark-fortune-msp-investigation-abusive-tenant/) the Scottish Government and Edinburgh city council to open a “proper investigation” into the case. Boyack said those who subject tenants to “abusive” behaviour should “face serious consequences”. ### **…and raised some questions** ![bank land reform](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1211534817-1.jpg) Scottish Labour MSP Monica Lennon [questioned](https://www.parliament.scot/api/sitecore/CustomMedia/OfficialReport?meetingId=15682&ref=theferret.scot) Scottish Government ministers Màiri McAllan and Mairi Gougeon about [our report](https://www.theferret.scot/land-reform-concerns-buyout-firm-linked-state-bank/) on the Scottish National Investment Bank’s investment in the Gresham House forestry fund. ### **Unleashing change: a law proposal to ban greyhound races** ![animal welfare](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-177329482.jpg) After years of [reporting](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/greyhound-racing/) on greyhound racing and the animal welfare concerns connected to it, Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell launched a [consultation](https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/proposed-members-bills/mark-ruskell-consultation-document.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for a bill that would make it illegal to hold races in Scotland. The proposal cites one of our reports, [‘Dozens of greyhounds racing in Scotland test positive for banned substances such as cocaine’](https://www.theferret.scot/greyhounds-racing-shawfield-cocaine/), which we published in 2019. ### **And speaking of politics…** ![israel](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/usaf_f-35a_lightning_ii_landing.jpg) This past month, The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/arms-firms-israel-bombs-invited-to-holyrood/) that arms companies supplying Israel with bombs and parts for warplanes had been invited to the Scottish Parliament despite the rising death toll in Gaza and allegations Britain could be complicit in war crimes. The Holyrood reception was also sponsored by Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, who previously worked for BAE Systems. However, Sweeney withdrew his sponsorship after The Ferret asked him to respond to criticisms of the event. Not only that, following the publication of our report a [protest was organised](https://www.thenational.scot/news/24112596.protest-called-amid-fury-holyrood-invitation-firms-arming-israel/?ref=theferret.scot) for the event on 21 Feb at Holyrood. #### **That’s all for this month!** If you have any questions about our work, or would like to help us shape our future investigations, you can get in touch with the team at contact@theferret.scot. #### As you know, here at The Ferret we pride ourselves in making *good journalism that changes things*. And you can help us do more of it. #### It’s easy: you can contribute by [becoming a member today](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot) or [with a one-off donation](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot). If these options are not for you, you can always [subscribe to our free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/) to support our work. *Main image: [François Xavier TESTU](https://www.flickr.com/photos/79987592@N08/?ref=theferret.scot)* ### For Fact’s Sake podcast: Will AI disinformation sway the general election? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/for-facts-sake-podcast-ai-disinformation-election/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:27:50.000Z **For Fact’s Sake is back for a brand new series, kicking off with a special three-part look at the impact of misinformation on the upcoming elections this year.** In the first episode, we spoke to Polly Curtis from think tank Demos about how AI could affect the general election, and democracy more widely. Demos has recently [produced a report](https://demos.co.uk/research/generating-democracy-ai-and-the-coming-revolution-in-political-communications/?ref=theferret.scot) on the potential of AI to alter democracy. We also launched our newest feature, the Conspiracy Dictionary, with a look at the World Economic Forum (WEF). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-02-29-080324.png)](https://player.captivate.fm/episode/a7efd829-2d19-4fff-a9bc-9f8ced14ab94?ref=theferret.scot) #### Show notes: - Demos’ report into [AI impacts is here](https://demos.co.uk/research/generating-democracy-ai-and-the-coming-revolution-in-political-communications/?ref=theferret.scot). - Follow [Polly Curtis on X here](https://twitter.com/pollycurtis?ref=theferret.scot). - More information on conspiracies surrounding the [World Economic Forum and the Great Reset here](https://www.isdglobal.org/explainers/the-great-reset/?ref=theferret.scot). > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Photo credit: iStock/KanawatTH* ### Siberian gas project linked to Scotland blacklisted by UK Government URL: https://www.theferret.scot/siberian-gas-project-linked-scotland-blacklisted-economic-sanctions-russia/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:28:53.000Z **A major Siberian gas project linked to Scotland has been blacklisted by the UK Government as part of new economic sanctions against Russia.** The Ferret [revealed last year](https://www.theferret.scot/oil-firm-montrose-exported-russia-after-calls-cease/) that US oil firm, [Baker Hughes](https://www.bakerhughes.com/?ref=theferret.scot), exported oil and gas drilling equipment from Montrose to Russia three months after Scottish ministers called on businesses to cease trading with the country. There is no suggestion that Baker Hughes broke the law or any international trade sanctions, but the transaction went ahead in spite of the Scottish Government’s appeal. One of the world’s largest oil field services firms, Baker Hughes has received £4.9m of taxpayers’ money in grants from [Scottish Enterprise](https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/?ref=theferret.scot). It has 4,000 staff in the UK, and sites in Montrose and Aberdeen. The buyer of Baker Hughes’ exports was a contractor on the[ Arctic LNG 2](https://www.novatek.ru/en/business/arctic-lng/?ref=theferret.scot) (liquefied natural gas) project in the western Siberia region of Russia, which is led by a private Russian gas producer called [Novatek](https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/NVTK.MM/?ref=theferret.scot). Arctic LNG 2 serves the Asian and European markets and is key to Russia’s energy strategy. It has now been targeted by UK ministers, however, who announced [50 new sanctions](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-uk-sanctions-mark-two-years-since-russias-illegal-invasion-of-ukraine?ref=theferret.scot) to mark two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Key sources of Russian revenue impacted by the sanctions included metals, diamonds and energy. The move has been welcomed by a Ukrainian human rights group which [criticised Baker Hughes](https://www.theferret.scot/oil-firm-montrose-exported-russia-after-calls-cease/) last year. The Scottish Government [called on](https://www.gov.scot/news/stop-trading-with-russia/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=may%20work%20with.-,The%20Scottish%20Government%20and%20its%20economic%20agencies%20will%20use%20all,and%20support%20in%20this%20regard.) businesses to stop trading with Russia on 3 March 2022. Baker Hughes said it [suspended new investments](https://www.theferret.scot/oil-firm-montrose-exported-russia-after-calls-cease/) in Russia in March 2022 and followed applicable laws thereafter. The firm said its last shipment from Montrose to Russia was in June 2022. The Scottish Government [threatened to withhold funding](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-threatens-to-stop-funding-us-oil-firm-over-russia-exports/) to Baker Hughes after The Ferret’s report last year. A small instalment of government funding was due to the company for a training grant – part of a £4.9m package of support for research and development approved in 2018. > If Russia succeeds in maintaining and further expanding its LNG export to world markets, it will provide Russia with additional resources to sustain its war against Ukraine and potentially escalate it towards other countries. > > Svitlana Romanko, founder and director of Ukrainian human rights group Razom We Stand. Announcing the new sanctions on Russia, David Cameron, the UK’s foreign secretary, said: “Our international economic pressure means Russia cannot afford this illegal invasion. Our sanctions are starving Putin of the resources he desperately needs to fund his struggling war. Together, we will not let up in the face of tyranny. We will continue to support Ukraine as it fights for democracy – for as long as it takes.” A Baker Hughes spokesperson said: “Baker Hughes reiterates the statements made previously that our last shipment out of Montrose was in June 2022, that we are compliant with all applicable sanctions and that the company and Scottish Enterprise remain in close communication and alignment. As stated, Baker Hughes remains steadfast in its condemnation of violence and its grave concern with the war in Ukraine.” Svitlana Romanko, founder and director of Ukrainian human rights group [Razom We Stand](https://razomwestand.org/en?ref=theferret.scot), called for an end to all investment in Russian oil and gas companies. She told The Ferret: “LNG exports are a question of urgent importance. That is why we welcome the new sanctions against Russia adopted by the UK in alignment with the US. We hope that governments will act firmly to enforce [sanctions against Arctic LNG 2](https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/latest-round-us-and-uk-sanctions-takes-aim-russias-arctic-lng-2-project?ref=theferret.scot) and contribute to preventing Putin’s pet project from coming to fruition.” She added: “If Russia succeeds in maintaining and further expanding its LNG export to world markets, it will provide Russia with additional resources to sustain its war against Ukraine and potentially escalate it towards other countries.” Scottish Enterprise (SE) said it “condemns Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine and moved swiftly to implement the Scottish Government’s position on companies exporting to Russia”. SE is “fully compliant with all of the legal and discretionary measures regarding support for companies which trade with Russia”, a spokesperson said. They added: “Our due diligence process is designed to uncover any potential breaches and funding is not provided where such breaches are found. At the time of the final payment for the R&D \[research and development\] grant, Baker Hughes satisfied this process as no sanctions were in place and so payment was completed as contracted.” The Scottish Government and Novatek have been asked to comment. ### Health concerns raised over asbestos in tap water URL: https://www.theferret.scot/health-concerns-raised-over-asbestos-in-tap-water/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:28:54.000Z **As asbestos cement pipes supplying drinking water degrade across the UK, experts ask whether they pose a risk to human health.** Scotland has one of the highest rates of asbestos-related diseases in the world, connected to a history of heavy industry where [asbestos](https://theferret.scot/tag/asbestos?ref=theferret.scot) was previously used. In 2014 Scotland was found to have the highest global rate of [mesothelioma](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-39661531?ref=theferret.scot), a cancer of the linings of certain organs. Now experts [fear](https://www.australianasbestosnetwork.org.au/asbestos-history/health-disaster-2/three-waves/?ref=theferret.scot) that Scotland and other nations may be on the cusp of a new wave of asbestos cases. An investigation by The Ferret, part of a cross-border probe into asbestos in the environment, looked at the legacy of ageing asbestos cement (A/C) water pipes which supply drinking water. A/C cement pipes in the UK are more likely to burst than any material except for cast iron and we can reveal that the burst rate of asbestos cement water pipes in Scotland has increased sharply – up 49 per cent between 2017 and 2021, from 860 to 1280 bursts in the timeframe. Scottish Water also has one of the [highest overall numbers of bursts](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/r/238fd831-da9c-4f28-ad5e-286c7c653d14?ref=theferret.scot) in the UK – 4186 over the five-year period. The high burst rate for A/C pipes was mirrored and even exceeded in only a few other water company areas. United Utilities, in the north-west of England, showed a particularly sharp increase in such pipes bursting and needing repair, from only 60 in 2017 to 1460 in 2021, an increase of over 2000 per cent in just five years. Anglia Water saw an 18 per cent increase and Welsh Water had a 39 per cent increase. Experts fear that as these water pipes age, fibres can leach into the drinking water supply and could be linked to certain cancers. Using Environmental Information Regulations [requests](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/r/238fd831-da9c-4f28-ad5e-286c7c653d14?ref=theferret.scot) across the UK, our investigation looked at how old asbestos cement water pipes were in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland, how often they were bursting and what percentage of asbestos cement water pipes there were in each water company area. > There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. > > Dr Arthur Frank, Drexel University In Scotland, nearly two-thirds of asbestos cement water pipes (62 per cent) are over seventy years old, with six per cent being even older, dating from the 1940s and earlier. Scottish Water and five other companies – Anglian Water, Irish Water, Welsh Water, Severn Trent and United Utilities – own around three-quarters of A/C pipes in the whole of the UK. In Scotland, 12 per cent of mains water pipes are made out of asbestos cement and there are 3584 miles of them in total. One reason pipes burst is their age, according to 2020 [research by](https://ukwir.org/asbestos-cement-water-mains-deterioration-and-failure-prediction-models-0?ref=theferret.scot) the UK Water Industry Research organisation (UKWIR). Its report found that around 60 per cent of the 31,000 miles of asbestos cement water pipes in the UK and Ireland were installed more than 50 years ago, meaning that many are reaching the age of failure. The report also found that “their failure rate appears to be increasing”, adding, “The cost to replace the stock of A/C water mains in the UK and Ireland would be between £5bn and £8bn.” This would come on top of the billions of pounds [the government](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/storm-overflows-evidence-project?ref=theferret.scot) has estimated it would cost to separate out the rainwater and sewage system. The Ferret’s cross-border investigation [found ](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240124-asbestos-in-drinking-water-an-overlooked-health-risk?ref=theferret.scot)that this landscape of ageing asbestos cement water pipes, with increasing numbers of bursts, is [mirrored in other European](https://euobserver.com/health-and-society/157968?ref=theferret.scot) countries as well as in South Africa, Australia and the US. ### **Ingestion as a route of exposure to asbestos** Concerns about drinking water and exposure through swallowing fibres are being voiced by a number of experts including Dr Arthur Frank, Professor of Public Health and Medicine at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He told The Ferret: “The evidence is getting clearer and clearer. My concern is that it is in drinking water. The risk may not be great. But it is generally accepted that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos.” Every four years the World Health Organisation (WHO) produces drinking water guidelines adhered to in most countries, including in the UK. The latest [guidelines](https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240045064?ref=theferret.scot), published in 2022, point to studies that do seem to suggest an increased risk of some cancers. But the WHO ultimately concluded then that it was not “appropriate or necessary to establish a guideline value for asbestos fibres in drinking water”. Yet the report also said that it was “appropriate to minimise the concentrations of asbestos fibres in drinking water as far as practical”, and said that “investigative monitoring should be considered”. In the UK, WHO drinking water guidelines are effectively replicated by the Drinking Water Inspectorate, a section of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It last examined the subject in detail over 20 years ago, with its [report](https://dwi-content.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/27110748/DWI70%5F2%5F135%5Fasbestos-cement-pipes.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) acknowledging that “most \[drinking\] waters in the UK” contain asbestos fibres. Despite this, the DWI does not expect water companies to monitor asbestos in water, and does not do so itself, referring to the WHO guidelines. Scottish Water, like other companies, therefore does not test for asbestos in drinking water. In 2012 the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC) which is part of the WHO, reviewed the evidence up to 2009 and raised concerns about asbestos entering drinking water supplies in its report, Arsenics, Metals, Fibres and Dusts. “Inhalation and ingestion are the primary routes of exposure to asbestos,” the report said, explaining that, “exposure may also occur via ingestion of drinking water, which has been contaminated with asbestos through…corrosion of asbestos-containing cement pipes” – as well as from landfills and other routes. In October 2021 the European Parliament adopted a [resolution](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0427%5FEN.html?ref=theferret.scot) on asbestos, calling for regular monitoring of fibres in water “in case there is a risk to human health” and for a removal plan for the pipes. But when the resolution became law in the form of the Asbestos Work Directive in late 2023, the wording on water pipes was removed. ![Health concerns raised over asbestos in tap water](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1406824338.jpg) “Over 5000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases. Diseases that are preventable,” said Rachel Gallagher from Clydebank Asbestos Group. Image: wutwhanfoto/iStock ### **Concerned voices in Scotland** Professor Andrew Watterson, a public health researcher at the University of Stirling, who has seen the data, told The Ferret: “As a public utility, accountable to the Scottish Government, it is to be hoped that Scottish Water is and will continue to be fully transparent about the state of its asbestos cement water pipes, their burst rates which seem to be very high in recent years and their replacement. “This is of concern because of the potential worker health and safety, and wider environmental risks posed by materials containing the carcinogen asbestos. It is also worrying that the normal end-of-life replacement time for such pipes in Scotland could apparently be up to double that operated elsewhere in the world.” He added that the US Environmental Protection Agency estimated that asbestos cement pipes have a lifespan of 50 years, yet Scottish Water is not aiming to replace them within that time frame. Rachel Gallagher, from the Clydebank Asbestos Group, said: “The increase in the number of asbestos cement burst pipes in Scotland is deeply concerning. These pipes are old and their condition is continuing to deteriorate, ultimately putting lives at risk. At risk are the people who will work and handle these pipes, but also the wider populations that the pipes serve. Over 5000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases. Diseases that are preventable. That is why it is important for all organisations to be aware of their responsibility to take effective action to prevent such risks to the public”. A Scottish Government spokesperson said they took Scotland’s drinking water quality “very seriously” and adhered to standards set out by the EU and WHO. A spokesperson for Scottish Water saidthe company takes action to reduce the risk of bursts. “We are proactively targeting A/C pipe replacement as we know these mains are coming to the end of their useful life (50–70 years) and cause interruptions to supply due to more frequent bursts,” they said, explaining that the company is guided by public health standards from the WHO. The spokesperson added: “New pipes being installed across our network are always plastic. A/C water pipes, while completely safe, are no longer used primarily because plastic is now known to be more reliable over time.” *The Cross-border investigation on ‘Asbestos in water pipes’ is made in a collaboration between Investigative Reporting Denmark, IRPIMedia in Italy, Oštro Slovenia and Oštro Croatia, Reporters Foundation in Poland, BBC and* ***The Ferret*** *in the UK and TV2 Nord in Denmark. The investigation is supported by Journalismfund Europe | Stimulating investigative cross-border journalism.* **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** *Main image: Rawpixel/iStock* ### Claim 41 per cent of Scots adults are not earning enough to be taxed is Mostly True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-41-per-cent-scots-adults-taxed-is-mostly-true/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:28:54.000Z **The Scottish Government announced changes to income tax rates in December last year.** Key to the new tax structure was the creation of an ‘advanced’ tax band affecting people’s earnings between £75,001 and £125,140 each year. Since then, debate has swirled about the impact of the new tax rates, and a claim has been [repeatedly posted](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/1auvlqz/41%5Fof%5F16%5Fpopulation%5Fin%5Fscotland%5Fearn%5Fless%5Fthan/?share%5Fid=c5jCpPQNz8FhBfiOsJyDB&utm%5Fcontent=1&utm%5Fmedium=android%5Fapp&utm%5Fname=androidcss&utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fterm=1) on social media suggesting that two-fifths of Scots do not pay any tax at all thanks to being under the earnings threshold. > 41 per cent of 16+ population in Scotland earn less than the personal allowance. > > Reddit post [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) looked at this claim and found it **Mostly True**. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-52.png) #### **Evidence** The claim on Reddit was accompanied by a table produced by [The Times](https://archive.is/zSjJh?ref=theferret.scot) newspaper. It was widely shared across social media, including appearing numerous times on X (formerly Twitter). It set out the number of adult Scots who fit into each tax bracket. The table referred to the 2023-24 tax year, before the advanced tax bracket was added. The table states that 1.8 million people will pay no tax in Scotland in 2023-24 because they are under the personal allowance threshold, which is currently set at [£12,570](https://www.gov.uk/income-tax-rates?ref=theferret.scot). Earnings under this threshold are not subject to income tax. While the Scottish Government can set different tax bands to the rest of the UK, the [personal allowance](https://www.gov.uk/income-tax-rates?ref=theferret.scot) is reserved to Westminster. The [statistics](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-income-tax-distributional-analysis-2022-2023/?ref=theferret.scot) that the claim is based on come from a Scottish Government analysis of Scottish income tax rates the previous year – 2022-23. In that year, 41 per cent of Scots aged 16 or over did not pay income tax. In [2023-24](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-income-tax-distributional-analysis-2023-24/?ref=theferret.scot), the figure was 39 per cent. The report estimated there would be 4.6 million adults living in Scotland in 2022-23, of which about 1.9 million, or 41 per cent will not pay income tax. #### **Why do so many adults not pay income tax?** The [majority of Scottish taxpayers](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-income-tax-distributional-analysis-2023-24/?ref=theferret.scot) – 71 per cent – are between 25 and 64\. This is because many young people are still in full-time education, while many people 65 and over are likely to be receiving pensions, and may have incomes that are lower than the personal allowance. Pensions are still taxable, but incomes tend to reduce as people stop working. In Scotland, incomes [tend to peak](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2022/12/scottish-income-tax-distributional-analysis-2023-24/documents/income-tax-impacts-income-levels-equality-office-chief-economic-adviser/income-tax-impacts-income-levels-equality-office-chief-economic-adviser/govscot%3Adocument/income-tax-impacts-income-levels-equality-office-chief-economic-adviser.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for middle aged people. Twenty per cent (1.1 million) of Scottish adults are 65 and over, while around half a million are between 16 and 25. Scotland’s [population is ageing](https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/documents/scotland-s-census-2022-rounded-population-estimates-data/?ref=theferret.scot) with the over 65 population growing significantly faster than that of young people. About [75 per cent](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2023/06/labour-market-trends-june-2023/documents/scotlands-labour-market-trends---june-2023/scotlands-labour-market-trends---june-2023/govscot%3Adocument/Scotland%2527s%2BLabour%2BMarket%2BTrends%2B-%2BJune%2B2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) of Scots aged between 16 and 64 are in work, according to the latest labour force statistics. #### **How does this compare to the rest of the UK?** The Scottish figure is broadly similar to the rest of the UK. According to the [Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)](https://ifs.org.uk/taxlab/taxlab-taxes-explained/income-tax-explained?ref=theferret.scot), about 36 per cent of adults in the rest of the UK pay no income tax due to being under the threshold in the personal allowance, or because they are not working. While only around 64 per cent of the population across the UK have income high enough to pay income tax, [more people](https://ifs.org.uk/taxlab/taxlab-taxes-explained/income-tax-explained?ref=theferret.scot) than this are impacted by changes to tax rates, as many live in a family where someone pays income tax or will pay income tax at some point in their life. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** These statistics are broadly accurate, although a year out of date. Scotland’s percentage of adults paying income tax is broadly comparable to the rest of the UK. There are a number of reasons for the large minority of the population not paying income tax. But it appears to be linked to someone’s age, with under 25s and over 65s more likely to be under the threshold due to not being in full-time employment. Older people are likely to be retired and under 25s more likely to be in education. ![Mostly True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_2mostlytrue-10.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ### Scots banks helped oil firm linked to Israeli settlements raise £500m URL: https://www.theferret.scot/banks-raise-money-for-oil-firm-israeli-settlements/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:36:47.000Z **Two Scottish banks helped a North Sea oil firm with links to Israel’s West Bank settlements raise half a billion pounds, The Ferret has found.** Edinburgh-headquartered [Nat](https://www.theferret.scot/natwest-lends-3bn-to-north-sea-oil-firms/)[west](https://www.theferret.scot/natwest-lends-3bn-to-north-sea-oil-firms/) and [Lloyds](https://www.theferret.scot/scots-financial-firms-invested-7bn-nuclear-weapons/) were both underwriters on a £500m bond issuance by North Sea oil firm [Ithaca Energy](https://www.theferret.scot/cambo-owner-blacklist-business-west-bank/) in July 2021. The previous year, Ithaca’s parent company, Tel-Aviv-based Delek Group, was [named](https://www.theferret.scot/cambo-owner-blacklist-business-west-bank/) on a UN list of 112 companies whose activities in the West Bank “raised particular human rights concerns”. The [list](https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/A%5FHRC%5F43%5F71.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) was compiled after a UN fact finding mission to investigate the impact of the settlements – considered [illegal](https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1104792?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Nearly%20700%2C000%20Israeli%20settlers%20are,Pisgat%20Zeev%2C%20the%20experts%20reported.) under international law – on Palestinians. Delek [reportedly](https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/3684?ref=theferret.scot) owns petrol stations in the settlements and has previously signed a multi-million-pound contract to provide fuel to the Israeli Ministry of Defence and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Delek owns [89 per cent](https://www.timesofisrael.com/tshuvas-delek-unit-gets-uk-nod-for-development-of-controversial-north-sea-oilfield/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Ithaca%2C%20which%20is%2089%25%20owned,Point%20Energy%20in%20June%202022.) of Ithaca, which has stakes in both [Camb](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/10/work-on-cambo-oilfield-paused-after-shell-withdrawal?ref=theferret.scot)[o](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/10/work-on-cambo-oilfield-paused-after-shell-withdrawal?ref=theferret.scot) and [Rosebank](https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), the two most controversial untapped oil fields in the North Sea. Applications to develop both fields have been [opposed](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jun/29/campaigners-vow-to-step-up-action-against-new-north-sea-oilfield?ref=theferret.scot) by UK climate campaigners in recent years, [including](https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/scottish-politics/3573345/stop-cambo-approving-new-oilfield-would-be-a-terrible-disaster-as-campaigners-pile-on-pressure-at-cop26/?ref=theferret.scot) in the run-up to the [COP26](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/cop26/) climate conference in Glasgow in November 2021\. Natwest was one of the [main sponsors](https://www.natwestgroup.com/who-we-are/about-natwest-group/our-purpose/climate/cop26.html?ref=theferret.scot) of COP26. Climate and human rights groups said Natwest and Lloyds should not be backing “environmentally reckless” North Sea oil companies at all, and argued Ithaca’s links to Israeli settlements “makes matters even worse”. Natwest Group – which was [known](https://www.rbs.com/rbs/about/update-on-parent-name.html?ref=theferret.scot) as the Royal Bank of Scotland Group until 2020 – and Lloyds Banking Group – which is [registered](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC095000?ref=theferret.scot) on The Mound in Edinburgh – were two of eight global banks which underwrote the Ithaca bonds, according to data from Bloomberg shared with The Ferret. When a company wants to raise money by issuing bonds, banks act as [middlemen](https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/cdiac/seminars/2008/20081002/2c.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by initially buying the bonds and then selling them to investors. This means that the company that issues the bond has insurance if investors do not want to buy the bond. This is known as underwriting. Banks earn a [fee](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/u/underwritingspread.asp?ref=theferret.scot) from the company for underwriting their bonds. Bond underwriting is an important revenue stream for investment banks, but they have increasingly faced scrutiny for the “[hidden](https://www.thebanker.com/Cover-story-Why-are-banks-still-financing-fossil-fuels-1696231243?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=At%20the%20moment%2C%20most%20banks,pipeline%20for%20fossil%20fuel%20financing%E2%80%9D.)” support the process provides to fossil fuel projects worldwide as the climate crisis intensifies. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1128065832.jpg) Rosebank and Cambo are the two largest untapped oil fields in the UK section of the North Sea. Photo credit: iStock/avstraliavasin It was [estimated](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/sep/26/europes-banks-helped-fossil-fuel-firms-raise-more-than-1tn-from-global-bond-markets?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20research%2C%20Deutsche,2030%20and%2090%25%20by%202050.) last year that European banks have helped fossil fuel companies raise more than a trillion dollars through underwriting since the Paris climate agreement was signed in 2015. Ithaca is estimated to be worth £1.4bn and has around 600 employees. It [reportedly ](https://novaramedia.com/2024/02/19/uk-fossil-fuel-giant-sends-million-of-pounds-to-company-that-helps-illegal-west-bank-settlements/?ref=theferret.scot)paid out hundreds of millions of pounds in dividends to its parent company, Delek, in 2023. Ithaca owns a 20 per cent stake in [Rosebank](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/assets/rosebank?ref=theferret.scot) and all of the equity in [Cambo](https://www.ithacaenergy.com/assets/cambo?ref=theferret.scot). Oil exploration at Rosebank was [approved](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rosebank-oil-field-approved-b2419328.html?ref=theferret.scot) in September 2023, while Ithaca is reportedly [evaluating](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23818268.oil-cambo-looks-likely-following-rosebank-decision/?ref=theferret.scot) the future of Cambo. Both fields are located off the coast of Shetland. Companies were included on the 2020 UN list if they were participating in one of ten “listed activities” in the West Bank – including East Jerusalem – which “raised particular human rights concerns” for members of its fact-finding mission. Delek was named because the UN mission determined it was involved in two of these activities in the settlements; the provision of services and utilities to support the maintenance of Israeli settlements, and the use of natural resources “in particular water and land” for business purposes. An [updated](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session31/database-hrc3136/23-06-30-Update-israeli-settlement-opt-database-hrc3136.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) version of the list was released in 2023, with Delek still named as supporting the settlements. The West Bank – land located on the west bank of the river Jordan near Jerusalem – has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war and has been the site of conflict between Israeli settlers and the Palestinian population for [decades](https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/06/04/israel-50-years-occupation-abuses?ref=theferret.scot). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-6.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-investment-firm-west-bank/) Settler violence against Palestinians has [spiked](https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2024/02/08/a-history-of-settler-violence-in-the-west-bank?ref=theferret.scot) since the Hamas attack on 7 October which killed around 1200 people, mostly Israeli civilians. Over 28,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes since the attack. Some financial institutions have [sold](https://www.klp.no/en/press-room/why-klp-is-excluding-16-companies-following-un-report?ref=theferret.scot) their [shares](https://www.upstreamonline.com/politics/norway-wealth-fund-to-sell-stake-in-israeli-player-after-violations-of-ethical-norms-in-contested-territory/2-1-1573658?ref=theferret.scot) in Delek in recent years in part due to its ties to Israel’s settlements. It was also criticised after another of its subsidiaries signed a deal with Morocco to develop gas fields off the coast of the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Western Sahara is currently controlled by Morocco, but its sovereignty over the area is disputed by both the African Union and UN. A [dispute](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14115273?ref=theferret.scot) over the territory between Morocco and the indigenous Sahrawi people has been ongoing since Western Sahara was first annexed in 1975. Announcing its divestment from Delek at the end of last year, the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund [said](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-norway-wealth-fund-selling-delek-stake-over-ethical-breach-1001465730?ref=theferret.scot) the company’s involvement in Western Sahara was a “serious violation” of “ethical norms”. > Natwest and Lloyds’s purported commitment to tackling climate change simply isn’t credible when they’re backing Ithaca, which has put its own profits above everything else. > > Tessa Khan, Uplift Neil Cowan, programme director for [Amnesty International](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) in Scotland, said Natwest and Lloyds’ claims about social and corporate responsibility “ring hollow” in light of the revelation about their relationship with Ithaca. “Banks shouldn’t be lending their financial support to environmentally reckless fossil fuel extraction in the first place, and the deal’s links to Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories makes matters even worse,” Cowan told The Ferret. Cowan said that any North Sea oil firm with links to the settlements should lose their licence, and that the banks should “immediately cut” any remaining ties with Ithaca or “risk being linked to human rights abuses”. [Tessa Khan](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tessa-khan-a42b6a48?ref=theferret.scot), director of the climate campaign group, [Uplift](https://upliftuk.org/?ref=theferret.scot), said plans to develop Rosebank and Cambo are “fundamentally at odds with the trajectory required for a safe climate”. She added: “Natwest and Lloyds’s purported commitment to tackling climate change simply isn’t credible when they’re backing Ithaca, which has put its own profits above everything else.” A Natwest spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on individual clients, however we can confirm that our publicly available role on the bond issue met with our policies for the sector”. The bank has committed to halve the impact of its funding activity by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050\. It has also pledged £100bn of climate and sustainable funding between 2021 and 2025. Natwest also [published ](https://www.natwestgroup.com/content/dam/natwestgroup%5Fcom/natwestgroup/pdf/NWG-2024-ESE-Oil-And-Gas.pdf?ref=theferret.scot)a list of criteria for financing oil and gas companies earlier this month which ruled out funding of a range of firms including those linked to human rights violations. Lloyds declined to comment. It has also [said](https://www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/who-we-are/sustainability.html?ref=theferret.scot) it will reach net zero by 2050 or sooner and claims to be a leading supporter of UK renewable energy, sustainable farming, and low carbon transport. Both Ithaca Energy and its parent company, Delek, were asked to comment. *Featured image thanks to iStock/ronib1979* ### Formaldehyde used 200 times by fish farm industry URL: https://www.theferret.scot/formaldehyde-used-200-times-fish-farm-industry/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:30:00.000Z **A toxic pesticide that causes cancer was used by fish farms nearly 200 times over a three year period, despite fears the chemical could harm the marine environment.** [Formaldehyde](https://www.theferret.scot/formaldehyde-fish-farms-scotland/), which is used in mortuaries to embalm bodies, is also used by fish farmers to control fungus, parasites and diseases that affect salmon. New data released by Sepa after a [freedom of information (FOI) request](https://donstaniford.typepad.com/files/pr-formaldehyde-still-flooding-scottish-lochs-18-feb-2024-1.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) by the campaigner Don Staniford, reveals that formaldehyde was used 194 times between January 2020 and June 2023. The FOI reply also revealed the number of fish farms reporting the use of formaldehyde to Sepa had increased from four in 2017 to 16 by 2023. The farmed salmon industry said the chemical – famously used by[ artist Damien Hirst](http://www.damienhirst.com/?ref=theferret.scot) to preserve dead cows and sharks – breaks down quickly in water and is safe for the environment. Critics, however, said they are “deeply concerned” about the increase in the number of fish farms “using this carcinogenic chemical”, and that the “dumping of toxic chemicals into the sea and freshwater lochs” should be banned. Our report on formaldehyde forms part of The Ferret’s new series on the marine environment called [Scotland’s Seas In Danger](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-seas-in-danger-marine-protection/). [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-7.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-seas-in-danger-marine-protection/) The use of formaldehyde by fish farms was[ revealed by The Ferret in 2019](https://www.theferret.scot/formaldehyde-fish-farms-scotland/) when we found that 184 sites in Scotland were allowed to use the chemical. A year later[ we revealed that ten lochs](https://www.theferret.scot/formaldehyde-pesticide-fish-farms-lochs/) had been polluted by formaldehyde. To disinfect fish, farmers use a solution called formalin. Formalin contains formaldehyde and although it is legal to use, there are concerns over its safety. The fish farm industry insists formalin is used safely and legally at all times. The[ UK government classified](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-formaldehyde-formalin-rules?ref=theferret.scot) formaldehyde as a carcinogen in 2016 which means there are restrictions on its use. The [Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa)](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/), which authorises its use in Scotland, [says that](https://www.theferret.scot/formaldehyde-pesticide-fish-farms-lochs/) uncontrolled releases have the potential to cause significant harm to the environment. Sepa’s data does not include details of formaldehyde used by all fish farms. Some firms only report usage to the[ Scottish Government’s Fish Health Inspectorat](https://www.gov.scot/collections/publication-of-fish-health-inspectorate-information/?ref=theferret.scot)e prompting claims Sepa is failing to monitor the chemical properly. In total, we found that 36 fish farms have reported using formaldehyde. Norwegian giant Mowi is by far the largest user of formaldehyde with 100 tonnes released, the data shows. Mowi’s Loch Lochy salmon farm, near Fort William, has used over 40 tonnes of the chemical. Other companies using formaldehyde include Kames, Bakkafrost, and Cooke Aquaculture. > Scotland’s freshwater lochs should be for wildlife and for the public to enjoy, not waste disposal facilities for Norwegian salmon feedlots where we have to worry if our kids will come into contact with cancer causing chemicals. > > Corin Smith, fish farm campaigner. In 2018 in India, there was a [scare over preserved fish](https://indianexpress.com/article/india/formalin-laced-fish-goa-ban-timeline-5265634/?ref=theferret.scot) laced with formalin, prompting a ban on fish imports in Goa state. There is no evidence of Scottish salmon being similarly contaminated. [Guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-formaldehyde-formalin-rules?ref=theferret.scot) from the UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs on formalin says: “Fish, poultry, sheep and cattle farmers – as professionals – will be able to continue to use products containing formaldehyde for dis-infection, fumigation and foot bathing purposes. “However if a health and safety issue arose through its use and be (sic) investigated, and the person using it found not to have been suitably trained and competent, then there could be grounds for prosecution.” Other pesticides used by Scottish fish farmers include azamethiphos, a chemical known to kill marine wildlife, and emamectin, which poses a danger to crabs, lobsters and other crustaceans. [In 2020, The Ferret reported](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farm-pesticide-pollution-rise-2019/) that pollution of Scotland’s lochs by the former had leapt by 72 per cent in a year, prompting criticism by campaigners. [Azamethiphos](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/SPRIPA/Pages/SubstanceInformation.aspx?pid=169&ref=theferret.scot) and [emamectin](https://www2.sepa.org.uk/SPRIPA/Pages/SubstanceInformation.aspx?pid=171&ref=theferret.scot) have been widely used for years by salmon and trout farmers to kill the sea lice that can plague farmed fish. They replaced a series of [previou](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg15320750-800-new-fish-farm-pesticides-to-flood-scottish-lochs/?ref=theferret.scot)s pesticides, which were either banned or became ineffective in the 1990s. At the time of our previous report the salmon farming industry stressed that pesticide pollution was less in 2019 than it had been in preceding years. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/1l.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/fish-farm-pesticide-pollution-rise-2019/) Don Staniford, director of campaign group [Scottish Scamon](https://scottishscamon.co.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), called for a public register of fish farms using formaldehyde and an “immediate ban” on its use. He said companies failing to report the use of toxic chemicals should be fined and lose their operating licence. “Salmon farming is the real monster in the loch of Scotland,” Staniford added. The Scottish Greens MSP Ariane Burgess said she was “deeply concerned” over the increased use of formaldehyde, and pointed out that over [10,000 people signed a petition](https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-toxic-salmon-farm-chemicals-polluting-scottish-lochs?ref=theferret.scot) in 2021 asking for a ban on its use in freshwater lochs until a public consultation on its safety took place. She told The Ferret: “That consultation did not happen. In the same year, the charity [Fidra called for more transparency](https://www.fidra.org.uk/download/formaldehyde-use-in-scottish-salmon-farms/?ref=theferret.scot) and control over the use of this toxic chemical. This also has not happened.” Burgess added: “I would hope that Sepa have this in their work plan, especially given the Scottish Government’s vision for sustainable aquaculture states a need to, ‘minimise, reduce or remove the discharge of medicine residues and increase the use of effective non-medicinal treatments, waste recovery and preventative measures’. With formaldehyde, the industry appears to be going in the opposite direction.” John Atchison, from the marine conservation group [Coastal Communities Network](https://www.communitiesforseas.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) (CCN), said “no other industry is allowed to pollute Scotland’s waters to the same extent”. Sepa, he said, must “get a grip on the routine dumping of toxic fish farm chemicals” into the sea and freshwater lochs. “It is outrageous that Sepa’s figures for fish farm discharges of formalin do not tally with the Fish Health Inspectorate’s figures,” he added. “This is a really unpleasant chemical but there seems to be no proper regulation of its use. For years Coastal Communities Network and others have been urging Sepa to tighten its rules but the situation just seems to keep getting worse.” > Salmon farming is the real monster in the loch of Scotland. > > Don Staniford Dr Iain Berrill, head of technical at Salmon Scotland – which represents Scotland’s farmed salmon sector – said formalin is a licenced veterinary medicine that is used to “effectively treat infections that are sometimes experienced during the freshwater phase of salmon farming”. He added that formalin is used in accordance with “strict veterinary and environmental regulations”, including from the [UK Veterinary Medicines Directorate](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterinary-medicines-directorate?ref=theferret.scot) and Sepa. “These regulations ensure that any use of formalin is safe for the public, salmon farmers, our farm-raised salmon and for the environment,” Berrill continued. “It is worth noting that formalin is widely available for purchase by the general public and is used extensively by a range of sectors. For example, about four million tonnes of formalin is produced in the EU each year. The volumes used by salmon farmers are a tiny percentage of the volumes used within the UK and elsewhere.” Ben Hadfield, COO Mowi Scotland, said: “This continued focus from anti-salmon farming campaigners and an isolated politician about formaldehyde use in aquaculture seems misguided and quite bizarre, given it quickly breaks down to natural levels found in the decay of organic matter like leaves and wood and is present in the sediment of lochs with or without salmon farms. He added: “This activist noise is simply fearmongering, with no scientific basis and no cause for any concern. In fact, the sustainability of raising smolt in freshwater lochs is very high, demonstrated by our company’s top ranking in global protein producer indexes and by achieving sustainability certification founded by the World Wildlife Fund.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-02-16-145511.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/formaldehyde-fish-farms-scotland/) Peter Pollard, head of ecology at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), said it “routinely carries out audits of farms” to ensure compliance and that “all operators are required to log medicine use for audit purposes”. He added: “Whilst some legacy authorisations require only that (medicine) logs are maintained for audit purposes, Sepa will be progressively standardising authorisations over the coming years to ensure consistent reporting requirements.” Pollard also pointed out that across Scotland, livestock farmers, including fish farmers, “rely on effective access to animal medicines”. He said formaldehyde is used to treat a range of conditions in freshwater farms and facilities. “Its use is controlled and authorised by Sepa, with limit conditions on medicine quantities that can be discharged into the water environment,” he continued. “The limits are set to ensure discharges to levels that receiving rivers and freshwater lochs can accommodate without compromising environmental quality standards.” A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “Fish farming is a highly regulated sector with robust environmental and fish health controls in place. The use of formaldehyde is strictly regulated by the independent Scottish Environment Protection Agency. It can be safely used in fish farming and, as regulated, it does not pose a risk to food safety.” Cooke Aquaculture declined to comment and referred us to Salmon Scotland to comment “on behalf of the sector”. Kames and Bakkafrost did not reply to our requests for a comment. *This story was updated at 09.56 on 22 February 2024 to include this paragraph following a complaint by Salmon Scotland*: *“To disinfect fish, farmers use a solution called formalin. Formalin contains formaldehyde and although it is legal to use, there are concerns over its safety. The fish farm industry insists formalin is used safely and legally at all times.* *This story was updated at 09.16 on 6 March 2024*. *The headline was changed to “Formaldehyde used 200 times by fish farm industry”, and the following paragraph was inserted: “There is no evidence of Scottish salmon being similarly contaminated.” We aslo deleted these words from the first paragraph: “and endanger human health.”* **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-14.jpg) ##### This project was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Main image: Jakub Rutkiewicz/iStock* ### Hundreds of green activists face legal threats from private companies and governments URL: https://www.theferret.scot/legal-threats-environmental-campaigners/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:30:03.000Z **Hundreds of environmental campaigners in the UK – including marine conservationists in Scotland – have received legal threats, prompting claims that private companies and the state are increasingly trying to silence critics with huge legal bills.** In Scotland, fish farm companies have been asking courts to stop campaigners approaching their sites and flying drones overhead, and oil giant Shell is seeking damages from Greenpeace of around £790,000 after a protest by a Scots activist. The Ferret can also reveal that 540 Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain supporters have been named on injunctions to prevent disruptive civil resistance. Another 114 have been imprisoned with their collective jail sentences amounting to 15 years, Just Stop Oil said. An injunction – or interdict in Scotland – is a court order brought by a company or public body to prevent something. Campaign groups claimed that the increasing number of legal actions by the government and corporate actors is an “attempt to silence” green campaigners. [Index on Censorship,](https://www.indexoncensorship.org/?ref=theferret.scot) which promotes freedom of speech, said responding to interdicts, is a “costly, complex and time-intensive process”, which can “further encourage activists to step away from their work”. In reply, fish farm companies and Shell insisted that they respect the right to protest and that legal actions are simply to prevent activities which could endanger safety and peoples’ lives. Our report on legal threats forms part of The Ferret’s new special series called [Scotland’s Seas In Danger](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-seas-in-danger-marine-protection/). [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-8.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-seas-in-danger-marine-protection/) Activists facing legal action in Scotland include the veteran anti-fish farm campaigner, [Don Staniford](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/don-staniford/), who has filmed at salmon farms for years to expose environmental problems including the pollution of lochs from chemicals such as [formaldehyde, which is used to embalm corpses.](https://www.theferret.scot/formaldehyde-fish-farms-scotland/) The [UK government classified](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-formaldehyde-formalin-rules?ref=theferret.scot) formaldehyde as a carcinogen in 2016 which means there are restrictions on its use, but it is permitted for use by the caged salmon industry. Staniford has received three legal threats since 2021\. He was in court this month following legal action by the [Norwegian multinational, Mowi](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/mowi/) which won an interdict that said Staniford – or any of his associates – cannot go within 15 metres of its fish farms. In Scotland breaking an interdict carries the threat of jail. This ruling effectively meant any environmental campaigners working with Staniford are also barred from the exclusion zone. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/photo-37-updated.jpg) Staniford – pictured above – has appealed against the interdict. In May 2023, the [Coalition of SLAPPs in Europe ](https://www.the-case.eu/latest/don-staniford-salmon-farms-lawsuit/?ref=theferret.scot)(CASE) officially designated Mowi’s lawsuit as a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) which, it says, is a lawsuit intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defence until they abandon their criticism or opposition. Last December, [Bakkafrost Scotland Limited](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/bakkafrost/), a Faroese farmed fish company, also asked a Scottish court to stop Staniford covertly surveilling salmon farms. The [application by the firm, an initial writ,](https://donstaniford.typepad.com/files/bakkafrost-v-don-staniford-initial-writ-1007561410.1-filed-on-8-dec-2023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) asked the court to grant “an extended interdict” so he could not approach any of its farms within 15 metres, nor fly drones over its “leased areas of seabed”. Staniford also received [a legal threat](https://donstaniford.typepad.com/files/ssf-writ-12-october-2023-redacted-with-no-mowi-judgment-attached.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) last October from Scottish Sea Farms, which operates 60 sites in Scotland. The action said he must agree not to go within 15 metres of its sites or fly drones overhead. > We cannot protect free speech without protecting the right to protest. > > Nik Williams, policy and campaigns officer at Index on Censorship and co-chair at The Ferret Staniford’s legal costs at the moment are around £100,000 but that figure will be much higher if all three cases progress. Activists protesting against North Sea pollution by oil firms are also facing legal action. They include [Scots campaigner Imogen Michel](https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/activist-stories-loss-damage/?ref=theferret.scot), from Ayrshire, who was named as a defendant in legal action taken by Shell against Greenpeace for her role in a peaceful protest last year. Michel, who lives near Girvan, boarded a Shell-contracted ship in the Atlantic Ocean with a banner bearing the message: “Stop Drilling. Start Paying.” She was one of four activists who staged the protest aboard the White Marlin vessel, just north of the Canary Islands. Greenpeace said Shell is not seeking individual damages against Michel, although if found liable, consequences could include a permanent injunction preventing her from protesting on an oil platform again. The legal costs for Greenpeace could rise considerably beyond £790,000. Michel told The Ferret she took action because Shell is “continuing to make huge profits from fossil fuels” as the climate crisis intensifies. She claimed the lawsuit is an “attempt to silence anyone who dares call for climate justice or opposes Shell’s ruthless pursuit of profit”. Michel added: “Countries and communities who have done the least to cause the climate crisis are being hit the hardest by it, while Shell keeps cashing in on sky high energy prices, handing billions to shareholders while slashing investment in renewables”. Campaign group Just Stop Oil said that since the Insulate Britain campaign began in 2021, injunctions have increasingly been used by the state and private companies to “silence dissent by climate resistors”. A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said its supporters are “very used to legal threats from fossil fuel companies and their expensive lawyers”. People named on injunctions are often charged with the legal fees of the organisation seeking the injunction, the spokesperson explained. They added: “For example, lawyers acting for the government in respect of the National Highways Ltd M25 injunction (blocking protests on and around the M25) originally sought costs from bringing the injunction of £727,574 against the 133 defendants. Even if you have never broken the injunction you are still liable for these costs. There is no legal aid available for contesting the addition of your name to an injunction.” ![Hundreds of green activists face legal threats from private companies and governments](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/gp0sty7k2_low_res.jpg) “Countries and communities who have done the least to cause the climate crisis are being hit the hardest by it,” campaigner Imogen Michel (pictured) told The Ferret. Image: Greenpeace [Nik Williams,](https://www.indexoncensorship.org/author/nik-williams/?ref=theferret.scot) policy and campaigns officer at Index on Censorship and co-chair at The Ferret, said the increased use of legal threats has “severely restricted the space within which protesters and activists can operate to hold power to account”. He added: “We cannot protect free speech without protecting the right to protest. Scotland is not immune to these threats as illustrated by the legal actions against Staniford and Michel and so it must work to ensure the necessary protections are in place to defend the right to free expression.” A Shell spokesperson claimed its “intent has been misrepresented” and that the legal action against Greenpeace is “simply about preventing activities at sea which could endanger peoples’ lives – as happened last year – nothing more.” They added: “The right to protest is fundamental and we respect it absolutely. But it must be done safely and lawfully. Boarding a 72,000 metric-ton moving vessel at sea was unlawful and extremely dangerous. A judge said Greenpeace protestors were ‘putting their lives and, indirectly, the lives of the crew at risk’. The legal costs to secure two court injunctions to prevent further boarding were significant. So were the costs for the companies who had to deal with the action at sea, for example by mobilising an extra safety vessel and increasing security at the port.” The safety of the protestors – as well as the crew – was paramount, the Shell spokesperson added. “Rightly, we did not hesitate to put in place measures to protect all people involved. Shell and its contractors are entitled to recover the significant costs of responding to Greenpeace’s dangerous actions.” > The right to protest is fundamental and we respect it absolutely. But it must be done safely and lawfully. > > Shell Ian Roberts, director of communications at Mowi, said its interdict does not impede on Staniford’s right to peacefully protest and that its legal case is about the “safety and wellbeing of our employees, our fish and Mr Staniford”. He added: “We had asked Mr Staniford to stop entering onto our worksites and he refused. Therefore, we were left with no choice than to seek a court order preventing Mr Staniford from entering onto or attaching to our salmon aquaculture farming sites, and the Sheriff Court agreed, awarding Mowi an interdict against Mr Staniford. During the appeal hearing Mowi has been willing to compromise on details of the interdict that, in the end, achieves our goal of protecting our staff, our workplaces and Mr Staniford. “In contrast, Mr Staniford sustained his refusal and his appeal against the grant of any interdict against him. As his appeal is currently under the consideration of the Sheriff Appeal Court, it would not be appropriate for Mowi to comment further.” Scottish Sea Farms’ head of health and safety, Gerry McCormick, said that “unauthorised visits to our places of work, without understanding the strict health, safety, and biosecurity protocols in place, put lives at risk – that’s no overstatement”. He added: “So, whilst we understand and respect an individual’s right to protest, we simply cannot stand by silently while someone puts their own life, and those of our team and fish stocks, in danger. Having tried repeatedly over recent years to convey the potential risks and dangers, but having had this advice ignored, we are left with no other option than to seek legal intervention in order to help keep everyone free from harm.” Bakkafrost declined to comment. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-15.jpg) ##### This project was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Main image: Greenpeace climate justice activists occupy Shell platform en route to major oilfield with the message: ‘STOP DRILLING. START PAYING.’ Credit: Greenpeace* ### Marine protection: What are the greatest risks to Scotland’s habitats? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/marine-protection-greatest-risks-scotland-habitats/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:31:12.000Z **Marine and coastal habitats, including those key to storing carbon, have been damaged or completely destroyed, as the impact of climate change and industrial fishing hits Scotland’s seas.** Climate change is the “most critical factor” with impacts already showing, according to the latest [Scottish Government study](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/sites/default/files/hns%5F00%5Ffull%5Fversion.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), while damage caused by fishing gear and pollution is also to blame. Rising sea levels in all Scottish marine regions, most notably at Stornoway, Kinlochbervie and Lerwick, are increasing coastal flooding and erosion risks. As part of The Ferret’s [Scotland’s Seas in Danger](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) series, we studied the latest reports and other resources to reveal which marine and coastal habitats are deteriorating, which are most vulnerable or at risk, and why these ecosystems are so important. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-9.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) No areas of seafloor around Scotland are now [deemed](https://stateofnature.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TP26056-SoN-Scotland-summary-report-v5-1.pdf.pagespeed.ce.EIp-TYaoGQ.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to have ‘good’ ecological status, with many habitats that support hundreds of species harmed or lost. [Nine out of 21](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-blue-economy-review-current-status/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot) marine regions had seafloor habitats predicted to be in poor condition across more than half of their area, according to the Scottish Government’s [2020 Marine Assessment](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/sites/default/files/hns%5F00%5Ffull%5Fversion.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). Fishing, and particularly bottom trawling, which involves towing a net along the ocean floor, had [impacted](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/sites/default/files/hns%5F10%5Fpressures%5Ffrom%5Factivities.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) the most areas. Fishing gear affected at least 15 per cent of the seabed in all marine areas and seven of the 10 offshore marine regions. Rising temperatures will be “particularly profound” for exposed, low-lying dune-wetland habitats such as those in the Outer Hebrides, the report warned, while oxygen depletion and ocean warming will make some habitats no longer viable for certain species. Conservation bodies and coastal community representatives said the assessments made clear the “poor condition” of Scotland’s seabed, which they argued must be protected from damaging bottom-towed fishing gear to ensure a viable future for commercial fishing. The Scottish Government stressed that safeguarding measures must not impact the livelihoods of coastal communities. It wants to support local groups looking to protect their marine environment. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/27352073019_d8e2db2f15_h.jpg) A diver videoing a transect on a flame shell bed in Loch Carron. Image: NatureScot ### **Failures to protect habitats** In 2020, [we discovered](https://www.theferret.scot/marine-wildlife-destruction-government-leak/) that Scotland had failed to meet a ten-year target to prevent damage to precious marine wildlife, according to a leaked Scottish Government report. It blamed the declines on dredging, trawling, anchoring, overfishing, engineering works, climate change, ocean acidification, fish farm pollution, diseases and storms. Assessments showed some seabed habitats declined between 2011 and 2018, with seagrass, flame shells, seaweed beds, mussel beds and tubeworm reefs destroyed by the fishing industry and pollution. [Flame shells](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/marine-habitats/flame-shell-beds?ref=theferret.scot) are molluscs which build nests from shells, stones and other materials, providing a habitat for other marine life. One study at Argyll’s Loch Fyne found that six nest complexes supported nearly 300 species, according to NatureScot. But they are being harmed by trawling, dredging and poor water quality. Damage caused by fishing activity to a bed in Loch Carron, Wester Ross, in 2017 resulted in the creation of an emergency marine protected area (MPA), and flame shell beds are now protected in six locations. Serpulid tubeworms [create reefs](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/marine-habitats/serpulid-reefs?ref=theferret.scot) which house other animals such as sea sponges, crabs, lobster and starfish. They are “extremely vulnerable” to mobile and static fishing gear, anchors and mooring chains, fins used by divers, water quality and changes in water flow. The world’s largest area of serpulid reefs are in Loch Creran in Argyll. But damage caused by suspected dredging was found in 1998\. The loch became a protected area in 2005, but a 2019 assessment showed “little recovery” after 17 years, and experts are unsure whether reefs ever will, [according to](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/assessment/case-study-persistent-damage-loch-creran-serpulid-reefs?ref=theferret.scot) Marine Scotland. [Horse mussels](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/marine-habitats/horse-mussel-beds?ref=theferret.scot) beds provide the basis for soft corals, sea worms, barnacles, seaweeds and others, and habitats for animals including crustaceans, and shellfish, such as scallops. Bottom trawling has caused “widespread and long-lasting damage” to horse mussel beds, which are now protected in 12 locations. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/12497286915_d82e0f344c_h.jpg) Serpulid reef, Serpula vermicularis, with the hydroid Kirchenpaueria pinnata, other hydroids indet at Loch Creran. Image: NatureScot ### **Blue carbon stores** Horse mussel beds and other [biogenic habitats](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/assessment/biogenic-habitats?ref=theferret.scot) – formed by key animal or algal species – are so-called ‘[blue carbon](https://www.bluecarbon.scot/blue-carbon?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Biogenic%20reefs%20in%20Scotland%20include,Scottish%20waters%20is%20currently%20unknown)’ stores, in which carbon is captured from the marine environment and locked up. The protection of such habitats is “critical”, according to the marine assessment. However, the Scottish Government does not know how they might be impacted in the future. Seaweed beds, salt marshes and seagrass beds are also considered blue carbon habitats. [Kelp beds](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/managing-coasts-and-seas/seaweed-harvesting?ref=theferret.scot) are described by NatureScot as “dense underwater forests, which are among the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth”. They provide food and shelter for marine animals, and support food chains, including commercially caught fish. [According to](https://www.bluecarbon.scot/blue-carbon?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Biogenic%20reefs%20in%20Scotland%20include,Scottish%20waters%20is%20currently%20unknown) the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum (SBCF), kelp supports over 1,800 species and protects coasts against waves. Carbon stored in kelp is swept away and may become buried in seafloor sediments which, along with sea loch sediment, store most of Scotland’s blue carbon. Mechanical harvesting can damage kelp beds, although hand harvesting is predominant in Scotland, according to NatureScot. Mechanical trawling or dredging for kelp [requires](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/assessment/seaweed-harvesting-and-cultivation?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Mechanical%20trawling%20%2F%20sledging%20%2F%20dredging%20involves,of%20kelp%20in%20this%20way%2A.) a licence from Marine Scotland, but none have been granted to date following an [effective ban](https://www.theferret.scot/scottish-government-kelp-harvesting-ban/) in 2018\. Kelp beds are also protected in 17 locations. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/22449405084_f8e5b3c45b_h-1.jpg) Kelp forest in Village Bay, St Kilda. Image: NatureScot [Seagrasses](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/marine-habitats/seagrass?ref=theferret.scot) shelter marine life, and act as nursery areas for commercially-caught fish like plaice and flounder, as well as pipefish – a relative of the seahorse – and rare [native oysters](https://www.nature.scot/plants-animals-and-fungi/invertebrates/marine-invertebrates/native-oyster?ref=theferret.scot), which produce reefs that in turn provide shelter and breeding grounds for other species. Seagrass also makes Scotland’s coastline more resilient to climate change and erosion by stabilising sediments and reducing wave impact, according to the SBCF. Seagrass beds are threatened by dredging, coastal development, invasive species and pollution with high levels of nitrates, such as wastewater or farm water run-off. They are protected in 26 locations around Scotland via MPAs. [Maerl beds](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/marine-habitats/maerl-beds?ref=theferret.scot) – spiky underwater ‘carpets’ of purple-pink hard seaweed – provide key habitats for scallops, sea cucumbers, marine worms and others. They can be damaged by [fish farms](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-59093593?ref=theferret.scot), dredging, anchors and mooring chains, and are expected to be harmed by rising temperatures and ocean acidification. Maerl beds are protected in 11 locations. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/11929983836_76477d5349_h.jpg) A starfish on a maerl bed. Image: NatureScot [Saltmarshes](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/coastal-habitats/saltmarsh?ref=theferret.scot) can be found on most Scottish coasts, where the tide covers plants twice daily. According to NatureScot, Scotland has 7,076 hectares of saltmarsh with by far the largest areas found along Dumfriesshire’s Solway Firth. Some 77 per cent of salt marshes lie within [Sites of Special Scientific Interest](https://www.nature.scot/node/1936843?ref=theferret.scot). The habitats store vast amounts of carbon, help protect coasts from flooding, and are home to various species. Other notable marine habitats include [cold-water reefs](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/marine-habitats/cold-water-coral?ref=theferret.scot), [sea lochs](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/marine-habitats/sea-lochs?ref=theferret.scot), [burrowed mud](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/marine-habitats/burrowed-mud?ref=theferret.scot) – which shelters lobsters and other animals – and North Sea [fan and sponge communities](https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/habitat-types/coast-and-seas/marine-habitats/north-sea-fan-and-sponge-communities?ref=theferret.scot), which break down waste and detoxify the surrounding water and sediments, according to NatureScot. Many of these habitats are also threatened by climate change, pollution, fish farming, fishing activity, oil and mineral exploitation, the laying of cables and pipelines, and other pressures. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-547144630.jpg) Saltmarsh in Scotland. Image: Kloeg008/iStock ### **Protecting marine habitats** Calum Duncan, head of Scotland at the [Marine Conservation Society](https://www.mcsuk.org/?ref=theferret.scot), claimed the Scottish Government’s 2020 marine assessment “makes clear that the poor condition of the seabed is one of the main environmental concerns in our seas”. “We therefore urgently need the long-awaited measures to safeguard the rest of our \[MPA\] network from the most damaging forms of fishing that sweep heavy gear across vulnerable seabed habitats,” he said. Vulnerable habitats outwith MPAs must also be shielded, while the planning and management of fisheries needs to “actively support the recovery of nature throughout our seas,” added Duncan. John Aitchison from the [Coastal Communities Network](https://www.communitiesforseas.scot/?ref=theferret.scot), which is made up of 24 local groups across Scotland, said the Scottish Government’s [National Marine Plan](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-national-marine-plan/?ref=theferret.scot) had “failed” to protect biogenic reefs. “This is inexcusable,” he said, and called for a new plan that is “fit for purpose, followed by real action from the government”. Bottom trawling had “profoundly changed” seabed habitats, he added. “If those habitats are also nurseries for commercial species, then we all lose, in particular people in coastal communities who make a living from catching those species.” [Màiri McAllan](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/mairi-mcallan?ref=theferret.scot), the Scottish Government’s net zero and just transition secretary, said protection measures were “vital for the viability of our marine industries”. But they must be delivered in a “fair” way and ensure seas remain “a source of prosperity for the nation, especially in our coastal and island communities”, she stressed. Work on proposed measures to manage fisheries for MPAs, and to protect priority marine features ([PMFs](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/priority-marine-features-scotlands-seas?ref=theferret.scot)), which include habitats and species, “has been underway for several years and involved many engagements with stakeholders,” McAllan added. “We also remain willing to support local groups that wish to pursue community-led marine protection in their local area. It is crucial that people who will be affected by policies are engaged in their development.” [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) said there was “relatively good evidence” of the state of coastal habitats. But information on habitats beyond the shoreline – including those important to biodiversity and blue carbon – was “more limited”. A spokesperson added: “Our view is that the main focus should be on reducing pressures on marine habitats, including through the use of nature-based solutions and continuing conservation measures for MPAs and PMFs.” ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-16.jpg) ##### This project was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Main image: NatureScot* ### Bird flu pushes ‘globally important’ Scottish seabirds into decline URL: https://www.theferret.scot/bird-flu-important-scottish-seabirds-decline/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T22:31:19.000Z **The recent bird flu outbreaks have pushed iconic Scottish seabird species into decline for the first time, according to a new study into the “catastrophic” impacts of the disease.** The RSPB-led report, released today, has for the first time quantified the severe impact of avian influenza that has hit Scotland’s seabirds in recent years. Gannet, great skua and sandwich tern are now considered declining species following deaths during the outbreak. The bird protection charity is calling for immediate action from the Scottish Government to stem further declines. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-10.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) The report comes just days after The Ferret [outlined the state](https://www.theferret.scot/marine-protection-scottish-species-decline/) of Scotland’s seabird populations as part of our [Scotland’s Seas in Danger](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) series. We analysed the most recent data and information from Scottish Government agencies, conservation bodies and others, which revealed that dozens of sea and coastal bird species are in decline, or threatened, due to issues like falling fish populations, climate change, and other pressures. But these studies predate the new RSPB report, which shows that, due to the impact of bird flu, gannet, great skua and sandwich tern are now declining species. These birds were among the few species to have stable or increasing numbers prior to the outbreaks, which spanned from summer 2021 to the winter of 2022/23. Since then, the number of great skuas has dropped by 76 per cent while gannets and sandwich terns have each declined by 22 per cent. Scotland is home to 60 per cent of the global great skua population, and 46 per cent of the gannet population. RSPB says the shrinking numbers will have “international implications”. ![Seabird](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/48711581367_7a378074ba_o-1.jpg) Northern Gannet and its chick. Image credit: [Becky Matsubara](https://www.flickr.com/photos/beckymatsubara/?ref=theferret.scot). Licence: CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/sandwich_terns_thalasseus_sandvicensis_in_flight-jpeg.jpg) Sandwich terns in flight. Image credit: [Charles J. Sharp](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q54800218?ref=theferret.scot) . Licence: CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/7173609049_d129ddfa14_o.jpg) Arctic Skua. Image credit: [Donald Macauley](https://www.flickr.com/photos/27770620@N02/?ref=theferret.scot). Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Kittiwakes, guillemots and black-headed gulls were also struck by bird flu. Arctic skua, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull, common tern and arctic tern were already in decline, but are expected to have been impacted further by the disease. #### **Seabird declines ‘catastrophic’** The Scottish Government is due to consult on a new [Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy](https://www.gov.scot/publications/climate-ready-scotland-scottish-climate-change-adaptation-programme-2019-2024-consultation-draft/pages/11/?ref=theferret.scot) this year, and publish it in 2025. But RSPB says the new plan cannot wait. It is urging action to tackle threats facing seabirds, including the unintended capture of birds in fishing gear, and invasive, non-native species, which, it said, must be removed from island bird colonies. Invasive species include the American mink, which [preys](https://www.nature.scot/plants-animals-and-fungi/mammals/land-mammals/american-mink?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Mink%20predation%20on%20eggs%20and,mortality%20in%20some%20river%20systems.) on young seabirds at colonies on the west coast and the Western Isles. The charity also wants measures to protect habitats and the species seabirds rely on as a food source, and for offshore wind farms to be greenlit only in the “least damaging” places for seabirds and other marine wildlife. RSPB Scotland’s head of habitats and species, Paul Walton, said that while declines in Scotland’s seabirds pre-bird flu were “nothing short of catastrophic”, the picture following the outbreak is “even bleaker”. “The sight of so many dead seabirds on our cliffs and beaches over the last few years has been heartbreaking and left many fearful for their future,” he said. “Those fears are well-founded. “This is the latest in a long list of human-caused threats that are harming our seabirds. We have failed to adequately protect our marine environment and wildlife for decades. But we know and understand actions that would begin to turn things around, helping to recover and build resilience in our seabirds.” Walton added: “We need the Scottish Government to implement these actions and policies now, so we have a future where our seabirds are part of a thriving marine environment, our national culture and wellbeing.” The Scottish Government said it was “committed to taking action to improve the conservation prospects of seabirds and build resilience in our populations.” It last year launched the [Scottish Avian Influenza in Wild Bird Response Plan](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-wild-bird-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-response-plan/?ref=theferret.scot), which sets out how it will respond to future outbreaks. Scotland’s [new biodiversity strategy](https://www.nature.scot/scotlands-biodiversity/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-and-cop15/scotlands-biodiversity-strategy-2022-2045?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=By%202045%2C%20Scotland%20will%20have,and%20adapting%20to%20climate%20change.) “includes a wide range of actions in relation to our nationally and internationally important seabird population, including delivery of a Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy,” said a spokesperson. “We have also taken forward the proposed ban on fishing for sandeel in all Scottish waters, which has the potential to improve the resilience of seabirds to changes in the marine environment as well as delivering wider ecosystem benefits.” ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-17.jpg) ##### This project was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). Header image thanks to [Odd Wellies](https://www.flickr.com/people/28828272@N06?ref=theferret.scot). Licensed under the [Creative Commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative%5FCommons?ref=theferret.scot) [Attribution 2.0 Generic](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) license. ### Scotland’s marine protection measures explained URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotlands-marine-protection-explained/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T23:32:26.000Z **Scotland’s marine environment and how best to protect it has been under the spotlight in recent years.** Attempts to strengthen protections for marine sea life have run into controversy, particularly the Scottish Government’s proposal to introduce highly protected marine areas. As part of our [Scotland’s Seas in Danger](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) series, Ferret Fact Service looked at the state-of-play of marine protection. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-11.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) ### **What protections are in place?** Scotland currently has a [number of different protections](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/marine-protected-areas/scotlands-marine-protected-area-network?ref=theferret.scot) in place covering marine areas. [Marine protected areas (MPAs)](https://www.gov.scot/policies/marine-environment/marine-protected-areas/?ref=theferret.scot) span 247 sites, covering 37 per cent of Scotland’s seas. In these MPAs, activities like fishing, aquaculture and energy infrastructure are allowed, if they are licensed and in line with legislation. However, the Scottish Government has the power to restrict activities in MPAs that negatively impact protected features. Ministers can also put in place [marine conservation orders](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/conservation-orders/marine-conservation-order?ref=theferret.scot) which are approved by the Scottish Parliament. They can also [issue fines](https://www.gov.scot/publications/marine-scotland-list-of-fixed-penalty-notices/?ref=theferret.scot) for breaking rules in MPAs, such as fishing within restricted areas. A few [different types](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/marine-protected-areas/scotlands-marine-protected-area-network?ref=theferret.scot) of MPAs exist, including nature conservation MPAs, special areas of conservation, special protection areas, sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs), and Ramsar sites, which cover wetlands of “international importance”. [Nature conservation MPAs](https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/nature-conservation-mpas/?ref=theferret.scot) cover “nationally important habitats and species” which are essential for the marine ecosystem to survive and thrive. [Special areas of conservation](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/international-designations/european-sites/special-areas-conservation-sacs?ref=theferret.scot) are sites which were designated initially when the UK was part of the European Union. [Special protection areas](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/international-designations/european-sites/special-protection-areas-spas?ref=theferret.scot) are specifically designed to protect birds, while [SSSIs](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/national-designations/sites-special-scientific-interest-sssis?ref=theferret.scot) are marine sites with importance to Scotland’s plants, animals or geology. There is also one ‘demonstration and research’ MPA around Fair Isle in Shetland, and eight [historic MPAs](https://www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support/listing-scheduling-and-designations/marine-heritage/historic-marine-protected-area-records/?ref=theferret.scot) which cover important heritage areas of Scotland, the first of which was put in place after the discovery of a shipwreck site in Drumbeg, Sutherland. In addition to these areas, there are also [priority marine features](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/priority-marine-features-scotlands-seas?ref=theferret.scot) (PMFs). This includes a variety of habitats and species considered to be “characteristic of the Scottish marine environment”, such as flame shell beds, coral reefs, minke whale and basking shark. These protections are underpinned by the [Marine (Scotland) Act 2010](https://www.gov.scot/publications/marine-scotland-act/?ref=theferret.scot), which covers planning, licensing, conservation, and enforcement. ### **What did the Scottish Government want to do?** [Highly protected marine areas](https://www.gov.scot/policies/marine-environment/highly-protected-marine-areas/?ref=theferret.scot), or HPMAs, were proposed to give special protections to parts of the sea around Scotland. The aim of the HPMAs was to help marine life and environments recover from the impacts of practices harmful to the natural environment, including pollution and industrial fishing. It was planned that the areas would cover about ten per cent of Scotland’s seas, with a number of activities believed to put pressure on marine environments banned or severely restricted within their boundaries. The policy was part of the SNP and Scottish Greens’ [co-operation agreement](https://www.gov.scot/news/agreement-with-scottish-green-party/?ref=theferret.scot) – known as the Bute House agreement – after the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. These extra protections for Scotland’s marine ecosystem were developed after key species and habitats were found to be in decline, a trend that has [continued in recent years](https://www.theferret.scot/marine-protection-scottish-species-decline/). ### **What would the restrictions have been?** [Commercial and recreational fishing](https://www.gov.scot/publications/highly-protected-marine-areas-policy-framework/pages/6/?ref=theferret.scot) would have been banned within the HPMA zones. Aquaculture, which includes fish farming, shellfish and seaweed cultivation, would also not have been allowed. In addition, the Scottish Government intended for HPMAs to [restrict oil and gas exploration](https://www.gov.scot/publications/highly-protected-marine-areas-policy-framework/pages/6/?ref=theferret.scot) and extraction, although powers over those industries are mostly reserved to Westminster. No new renewable energy projects would have been allowed in HPMAs either. ### **Why was the policy dropped?** When the plan was announced, it was [criticised](https://www.whfp.com/2023/04/05/fight-for-the-future-harris-skipper-urges-isles-msp-to-take-stronger-stance-on-hpmas/?ref=theferret.scot) by some in coastal communities as well as island and fishing industry organisations. While there is support for increased protections for marine areas in general, concerns raised focussed on the potential impact on jobs and populations in coastal communities if fishing was banned in HPMAs. ### **What is the Scottish Government’s plan now?** The HPMA policy was shelved after this criticism and the response to a consultation, which showed [strong opposition](https://consult.gov.scot/marine-scotland/scottish-highly-protected-marine-areas/?ref=theferret.scot) to the proposed plans. Consultation responses were very polarised. While around 55 per cent of overall responses were in favour, a large proportion of these were part of a single campaign. With these removed, about a fifth supported the aims of HPMAs, while three-quarters were opposed. Màiri McAllan, the environment secretary, stated that the [proposal](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=15402&iob=131410&ref=theferret.scot), “as consulted on,” would not be continued and that HPMAs would not be brought in across 10 per cent of seas by 2026. Instead, ministers aim to [develop](https://www.gov.scot/news/next-steps-for-marine-protection/?ref=theferret.scot) existing policies around management of fishing in marine protected areas, and priority marine features. They have also stated that the Scottish Government [intends](https://www.gov.scot/news/next-steps-for-marine-protection/?ref=theferret.scot) to support new community-led marine protection initiatives. McAllan cited the example of the no-take zone – in which no marine life can be fished – at Lamlash Bay, Arran. The community-led initiative has had significant success in restoring damaged [marine habitats](https://www.lamlasharran.co.uk/about-lamlash/no-take-zone-coast/?ref=theferret.scot). ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-18.jpg) ##### This project was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Photo credit: NatureScot/Ben James* ### Marine protection: The Scottish species in decline URL: https://www.theferret.scot/marine-protection-scottish-species-decline/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T00:33:33.000Z **Dozens of Scotland’s marine and coastal species are critically endangered or in rapid decline due to industrial fishing, climate change, pollution and other pressures, The Ferret has found.** The species most at risk include fish, birds and mammals, such as cod, salmon, trout, harbour seal, gulls, shag and guillemot. Declining fish numbers in Scottish waters – caused by overfishing and climate change – are impacting birds, dolphins, whales and others who rely on fish as a key food source, while pollution, energy infrastructure, and fishing gear also threaten marine life. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-12.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) Scotland’s coasts and seas support an estimated 8,000 plant and animal species, [according to wildlife agency NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/priority-marine-features-scotlands-seas?ref=theferret.scot). As part of our [Scotland’s Seas in Danger](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) series, The Ferret looked at the most recent data and information from Scottish Government agencies, conservation bodies and others to explore which species are most at risk. NatureScot said the state of Scottish marine life was “mixed” with different pressures faced by different species, including climate change, invasive species and “human activities”. Wildlife charities warned of “ever-expanding human industrial use” of Scotland’s seas, citing fishing and offshore renewables as key pressures. But adapting to climate change, and protecting species which are key food sources for marine life could help to turn the tides, they said. ### **Fish** The [2023 annual report](https://stateofnature.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TP26056-SoN-Scotland-summary-report-v5-1.pdf.pagespeed.ce.EIp-TYaoGQ.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for Scotland from the State of Nature Partnership, which includes experts from more than 50 organisations, is “the most precise review of how nature in Scotland is faring”, according to [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). It says Scotland’s fish stocks and marine life biodiversity has “declined steeply” since 1924 due to fishing pressures. Despite an increase in fishing and sustainably harvested fish and shellfish stocks, fewer fish are being landed. ![Marine](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/atlantic_cod_atlantischer_kabeljau_gadus_morhua-jpeg.jpg) Atlantic Cod. Image credit: [Wilhelm Thomas Fiege](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:WiThoFiege?ref=theferret.scot). [CC BY-SA 2.5](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5?ref=theferret.scot) Cod stocks have already reached critical levels. To stem the decline, the [International Council for the Exploration of the Seas](https://www.ices.dk/Pages/default.aspx?ref=theferret.scot) recommended a [total ban](https://uk.oceana.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/09/Oceana-TakingStockReport2023-web.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) on fishing west of Scotland cod, Celtic Sea cod and Irish Sea whiting, and a two-thirds reduction of North Sea cod. [Sandeel](https://www.nature.scot/plants-animals-and-fungi/fish/sea-fish/sandeel?ref=theferret.scot) and [plankton](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/assessment/plankton-0?ref=theferret.scot) are particularly crucial, acting as a key food source for fish, seabirds and mammals. Sandeels have faced decline due to industrial fishing and climate change. Ministers [announced a ban](https://www.gov.scot/publications/sandeel-prohibition-fishing-scotland-order-2024-final-business-regulatory-impact-assessment/?ref=theferret.scot) on sandeel fishing in Scottish waters on 31 January. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ammodytes_tobianus_catch-jpeg.jpg) Sandeels. Image credit: [Hans Hillewaert](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Biopics?ref=theferret.scot). Licensed under the [Creative Commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative%5FCommons?ref=theferret.scot) [Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) license. Marine Scotland [has warned](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/assessment/plankton-0?ref=theferret.scot) that changes to plankton – microscopic plants and animals which convert carbon dioxide into oxygen – will impact fisheries and a wide range of marine life. Climate change is also [altering](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/assessment/fish?ref=theferret.scot) the behaviour of some species, which could impact the food chain. For example, fish larvae may not hatch at the same time as their zooplankton prey, and be unable to survive. Ocean acidification – caused by carbon dioxide – may reduce the amount of calcium carbonate crucial to species that form shells, and could lower the survival rate of other fish. Rising temperatures off the west coast are projected to cause declines in species such as cod, herring and haddock. In 2021, Marine Scotland found record low numbers of Atlantic salmon and sea trout, although numbers [rose](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-salmon-sea-trout-fishery-statistics-2022/pages/1/?ref=theferret.scot) by 16 and 11 per cent respectively the following year. Atlantic salmon [were declared](https://www.iucn.org/press-release/202312/freshwater-fish-highlight-escalating-climate-impacts-species-iucn-red-list?ref=theferret.scot) endangered for the first time by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in December. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/salmo_salar-atlantic_salmon-atlanterhavsparken_norway_cropped-jpeg.jpg) Now endangered: Atlantic Salmon. Image credit: Hans-Petter Fjeld ([CC-BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) #### **Birds** Many species of sea and coastal birds are suffering decline, with 50 species found in Scotland listed as threatened by the [British Ornithology Trust](https://www.bto.org/?ref=theferret.scot). State of Nature found seabirds were faring worse in Scotland than the rest of the UK, with the average abundance of 11 species having halved since 1986\. These results pre-date the recent bird flu outbreak. RSPB said gannet and great skua are likely to have been among the hardest hit, of which around 50 and 60 per cent of the global population live in Scotland respectively. Declining gull numbers have closely matched the amounts of fish landed, which leads to food shortages, the report says. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/48711581367_7a378074ba_o-2.jpg) A Northern Gannet and its chick. Image credit: [Becky Matsubara](https://www.flickr.com/photos/beckymatsubara/?ref=theferret.scot). Licence: : [CC BY 4.0 Deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-8.jpg) Great Skua on Unst, Shetland. Image © [Mike Pennington](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/9715?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) Birds have also been impacted by non-native predators such as American mink, which [preys](https://www.nature.scot/plants-animals-and-fungi/mammals/land-mammals/american-mink?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Mink%20predation%20on%20eggs%20and,mortality%20in%20some%20river%20systems.) on young seabirds at colonies on the west coast and the Western Isles. The 2022 [Wetland Bird Survey](https://www.nature.scot/doc/scotlands-indicators-wintering-waterbird-indicator?ref=theferret.scot) of birds which spend winters in Scotland, found that water and wader bird numbers – including oystercatchers, lapwings, plovers and curlew – decreased by 10 and 55 per cent respectively since 1975. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/long-billed_curlew_at_drakes_beach_point_reyes-jpeg.jpg) A Curlew. Image: [Frank Schulenburg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Frank%5FSchulenburg?ref=theferret.scot). [Creative Commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative%5FCommons?ref=theferret.scot) [Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) license. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/490897144_01587df44e_o.jpg) Oystercatcher nesting near Dornoch, Highland. [Creative Commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative%5FCommons?ref=theferret.scot) [Attribution 2.0 Generic](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) license. NatureScot data, shared with The Ferret from a [programme](https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/safeguarding-protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/site-condition-monitoring?ref=theferret.scot) which details the state of “special interest” species, also found bird species to be at risk. Some 42 per cent of seabird and coastal bird populations were in an “unfavourable” condition in 2023\. But the picture was more stark for birds that breed in Scotland, with more than half deemed unfavourable. All populations of arctic skua, great crested grebe, roseate tern and black-headed gull were in an “unfavourable” condition, as were most populations of shag, black guillemot, long-tailed duck, and numerous gull, tern and plover species. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/great_crested_grebe_podiceps_cristatus_on_nest-jpeg.jpg) Great Crested Grebe. Licensed under the [Creative Commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative%5FCommons?ref=theferret.scot) [Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) license. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/14624730648_b7a2227dd7_o.jpg) Black Guillemot. Image credit: [Brian Gratwicke](https://www.flickr.com/photos/briangratwicke/?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/geograph-3812991-by-mike-pennington.jpg) A Shag stretches its wings at Unst, Sheltland. Image © [Mike Pennington](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/9715?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) A [seabird census](https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/seabirds-count/?ref=theferret.scot) from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee showed that between 2015 and 2021, the Atlantic puffin population in Britain and Ireland – three-quarters of which are in Scotland – fell by 21 per cent. The bird is [vulnerable to extinction](https://www.rspb.org.uk/media-centre/scotlands-seabirds-emergency?ref=theferret.scot). ![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-629227736.jpg) Atlantic Puffin on the Isle of May, on the Firth of Forth. Image credit: McLeodPhotographylondon/iStock Extreme weather such as storms can make it harder for seabirds to breed or hunt, [according to Marine Scotland](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/assessment/seabirds?ref=theferret.scot), putting those which tend to produce small numbers of young, at risk. Rising sea levels could impact nesting habitats for leach’s storm petrel, arctic skua and others, which could become regionally extinct. All wild birds in Scotland are protected, although some species receive higher levels of protection. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/leachs_storm-petrel_saint-jean-de-monts_02-jpeg.jpg) Leach’s Storm Petrel. Image: [Alexis Lours](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Alexis%5FLours?ref=theferret.scot). [Creative Commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative%5FCommons?ref=theferret.scot) [Attribution 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en?ref=theferret.scot) license. In September, we [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/nearly-50000-animals-licensed-killed-naturescot/) that tens of thousands of marine and coastal birds, including those with struggling populations, such as the red-breasted merganser and several gull species. were licensed to be killed by NatureScot in recent years. This led the first minister [to promise](https://www.theferret.scot/yousaf-naturescot-licences-kill-50000-animals/) an investigation. NatureScot said culling was a “last resort”, mostly to protect food supplies, or to avoid aircraft collisions, and did not affect the birds’ conservation statuses. Cull numbers were falling due to changes to the licensing system, it added. ### **Mammals** [Marine Scotland](https://marine.gov.scot/sma/assessment/marine-mammals?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20abundance%20of%20Atlantic%20white,temperate%20to%20low%2Darctic%20conditions) says mammals play a critical role in balancing the food chain by controlling the populations of their prey species. However, the effects of climate change and other man-made activities put them at risk. [Mammals](https://www.nature.scot/plants-animals-and-fungi/mammals/marine-mammals/bottlenose-dolphin?ref=theferret.scot) in Scottish waters include dolphins, harbour porpoises, whales, and seals. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/killer-whales-orcas-breaching-jumping-16cea2cdfef33bcd3566d4848386690c-jpeg.jpg) Orca, also known as Killer Whale. As mammals move into areas where prey is more available, their disappearance can indicate the effects of climate change and declining numbers of fish species they prey upon, particularly sandeels. Falling sandeel numbers have already been linked to shrinking seal populations in the northern isles and east coast while rising sea water temperatures are [reducing](https://www.scotlink.org/species/white-beaked-dolphin-2/?ref=theferret.scot) the white-beaked dolphin’s range, and pushing them further north, away from Scotland. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/image-1-4.jpg) White beaked dolphin. Image thanks to [Natural England](https://www.flickr.com/photos/naturalengland/?ref=theferret.scot). Other threats include pollution, energy infrastructure, storms, entanglement in fishing gear, disturbance and collisions with fishing vessels, and warming seas, which leave them more exposed to disease. Noise pollution from marine traffic, oil and gas exploration and acoustic deterrent devices – used to keep animals away from fishing gear and salmon farms – can also [pose a threat](https://www.theferret.scot/whales-noise-pollution-fish-farms/). Seals were previously shot by fish farming companies until the Scottish Government [banned](https://www.theferret.scot/seal-shooting-fish-farms-banned-us-exports/) the practice in 2021. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/geograph-6193823-by-mike-pennington.jpg) Grey seal at [Nousta Ness, Fetlar](https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6193823?ref=theferret.scot), Shetland. Image credit: [Mike Pennington](https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/9715?ref=theferret.scot) ([cc-by-sa/2.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=theferret.scot)) NatureScot data shows harbour seals to be most at risk of decline, with 85 per cent of populations in an “unfavourable” condition. However, grey seal, bottlenose dolphin and harbour porpoise populations were all in a favourable condition. ### **‘Mixed picture’ for Scottish marine life** NatureScot described the state of Scottish marine life as “a very mixed picture” with different pressures faced by different species. “The most recent assessments make clear that our marine species face increasing pressures from climate change and invasive non-native species, alongside the direct impacts from a range of human activities,” a spokesperson said. The Scottish Government is due to consult on a new Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy in 2024\. RSPB said it must protect species relied on as a food source for seabirds, tackle the unintended capture of birds in fishing gear, protect their habitats, and launch a new bird flu strategy. Anne McCall, director of [RSPB Scotland](https://www.rspb.org.uk/scotland?ref=theferret.scot), said: “Our seabirds are at the mercy of human impacts and we must do all that we can as we embark on a new era of much needed offshore renewables to reduce these impacts and build resilience into our globally important seabird populations”. Elouise Dalziel, policy and engagementofficer for the [Scottish Wildlife Trust](https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)’s [Living Seas Project](https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/our-work/our-projects/living-seas/?ref=theferret.scot), said marine life was at risk from “a wide range of ever-expanding human industrial use such as energy generation and fishing vessels.” But “solutions to address environmental, economic and societal problems in Scotland’s seas can be found in improved marine management,” she argued. Dalziel supports [marine spatial planning](https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/ocean/blue-economy/maritime-spatial-planning%5Fen?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Maritime%20spatial%20planning%20%28MSP%29%20is,efficient%2C%20safe%20and%20sustainable%20way.), in which officials engage with different stakeholders – such as those with fishing, renewables or conservation interests – to decide how to better manage the marine environment and cut pressures, such as re-routing shipping lanes to give more space to whales. Lyndsey Dodds, [WWF Scotland](https://www.wwf.org.uk/scotland?ref=theferret.scot)’s oceans recovery policy manager, also called for better management of the “increasingly busy” marine and coastal environment. “It’s vital that we ensure there is space for nature so it can thrive and be better able to respond and adapt to climate change and provide a range of economic, cultural, social and wellbeing benefits,” she added. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-19.jpg) ##### This project was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like what we do and want to help us do more independent journalism, you can support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** *Main image: [François Xavier TESTU](https://www.flickr.com/photos/79987592@N08/?ref=theferret.scot).* ### Arms firms supplying Israel with bombs and parts for warplanes invited to Holyrood URL: https://www.theferret.scot/arms-firms-israel-bombs-invited-to-holyrood/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T14:55:37.000Z **Arms companies supplying Israel with bombs and parts for warplanes have been invited to the Scottish Parliament despite the rising death toll in Gaza and allegations Britain could be complicit in war crimes.** Firms invited to a reception at Holyrood include the US arms multinational [Raytheon](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/raytheon/) which makes smart bombs for Israel, and Italian arms giant Leonardo which makes components for F-35 fighter jets, which are used by Israeli forces. The Holyrood reception has been organised by an umbrella group for the arms sector called ADS Group and sponsored by Thales, a French arms firm which was targeted by protestors for its links to Israel. It was also sponsored by Labour MSP Paul Sweeney who previously worked for BAE Systems, which also makes parts for F-35 fighter jets. However, Sweeney withdrew his sponsorship after The Ferret asked him to respond to criticisms of the event. It is unclear whether the event will go ahead as ADS may need another MSP to sponsor it. ADS has been asked to clarify the situation. Critics of Israel’s offensive in Gaza said it is “staggering and shameful to invite Israel’s arms dealers into parliament when tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians are being killed.” The arms industry defended the event, however, and pointed out that the defence sector is “vital” to Scotland’s economy. > As executives are entertained at a prestigious reception, hundreds of thousands of displaced families are living an unfathomable existence in cold flooded tents in Rafah. > > Gerry Coutts, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign The [ADS Scotland](https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/services/groups-committees/ads-scotland-council/?ref=theferret.scot) is planned for 21 February 2024\. ADS Scotland is part of ADS Group, which pointed out the defence, aerospace, security and space sectors employ 33,500 people in Scotland and provide £3.5bn to the economy. The ADS Scotland Council is led by senior executives from multinationals with a Scottish presence, including Leonardo, Thales, Raytheon, and BAE Systems. French arms firm Thales is lead sponsor of the event. Thales produces the Watchkeeper drone for the UK’s Ministry of Defence through a joint venture with Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms company which produces the Hermes 450 drone. This drone has been used against Palestinians, so Thales’ relationship with Elbit has made it a target for pro-Palestinian activists who caused [£600,000 of damages](https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/23954223.pro-palestinian-protestors-caused-600k-damage-glasgow-factory/?ref=theferret.scot) at its Glasgow factory last September. Raytheon – also previously the target of pro-Palestinian activists – makes guidance systems for smart bombs in Glenrothes. In the US, Raytheon makes [Paveway II](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/made-scotland-israeli-bombs-used-4031201?ref=theferret.scot) guided missiles which are used by Israel. BAE Systems [makes components for the F-35](https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/1019596/bae-systems-shares-rise-on-israel-s-multibillion-dollar-f-35-order-1019596.html?ref=theferret.scot) fighter jet, as does Italian arms company Leonardo, whose Edinburgh factory was [targeted by pro-Palestinian protestors](https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2023/11/activists-enter-ferry-road-premises-of-edinburgh-firm-leonardo/?ref=theferret.scot) last November. The row comes as the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas continues. Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after[ 1,139 people were killed](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/5/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israeli-strikes-level-homes-in-deir-el-balah?ref=theferret.scot) by Hamas – proscribed as a terrorist group by the UK Government – on 7 October last year. Since then at least 27,478 people – including 11,500 children – have been killed and 66,835 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza. The IDF said this week that [226 of its soldiers ](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog%5Fentry/idf-announces-death-of-soldier-killed-in-north-gaza-group-op-death-toll-climbs-to-226/?ref=theferret.scot)have been killed in Gaza. More than 100 people are still being held hostage in Gaza. Last month, Israel was [accused of genocide](https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in Gaza by South Africa, an allegation it strenuously denies. Judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) [delivered an interim ruling](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-68097640?ref=theferret.scot) that Israel must take all measures to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza. Israel accused South Africa of a “blood libel”, a term used to describe antisemitic false allegations against Jewish communities of bloodletting, originating in Europe in the Middle Ages. ![Scottish Parliament Israel](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ben-marler-fg9cjx1ubiq-unsplash.jpg) Scottish Parliament. Image: Ben Marler The UK has been linked to alleged war crimes in Gaza. In January, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) filed a criminal complaint against senior UK politicians, including ministers, alleging their complicity in alleged war crimes committed in Gaza. Meanwhile, it emerged this week that South Africa is going to file legal action with the ICJ against the UK and US for alleged war crime complicity. The UK is also facing a legal challenge from the Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq and the UK-based Global Legal Action Network (Glan). In December they [applied for a judicial review](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/06/uk-government-faces-legal-challenge-over-arms-exports-to-israel?ref=theferret.scot) of the UK government’s export licences for the sale of British weapons capable of being used in Israel’s action in Gaza. UK government statistics, compiled by Campaign Against Arms Trade, show that in the last 10 years the UK has licensed [at least £486m worth of arms sales](https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffeeeehf.r.bh.d.sendibt3.com%2Ftr%2Fcl%2FM7cysCytHABLGc-CqKxsQNRJyMrHjP%5FC1xGpc14BBpC2iSrQ7s%5F0sA5bUz3vtGVaktk31sHMm%5FpOR7qH6Sjn4Tb5RM0RS7IxYRdew4qF08ZXPDeemToZpOCEiSEgx02NSujkRCUBTaG7-MOY7GRVYP9mXqyyasfjmcRM6SDiy8bkbJYR0RoWgOPsqgMI-XtUAtI%5FUl1pk7-SyI3L%5FaBWONM7wMN0Li%5Fs4VO3UpOtytoIzWn0Y9RaYG93rRCpmqMF%5FBNR6Mp1mOGx3F331dja%5FccFH0TV-2HR2rmBMpuvTGKuU0L1V-kP7VzghLrNpsR79JeZ2TS1pFJoPVz40VGVu1C5kmK3c76Uf5TjYW-D4iB4&data=05%7C02%7Candrew.smith%40parliament.scot%7C198429ec42bc4be2895208dc11e2f825%7Cd603c99ccfdd4292926800db0d0cf081%7C1%7C0%7C638404913738531854%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=gRxK%2B0dO2DHNWq4XUW%2FlQTmsl6NvhNI33u%2FkpmBNqjA%3D&reserved=0&ref=theferret.scot) to Israel. The responsibility for arms exports to Israel lies with the UK Government and ministers insist it has one of the most robust procedures for ensuring that they comply with laws. Critics of the Holyrood event include Ross Greer, the Scottish Greens MSP, who described ADS Group as a “who’s who of the world’s worst arms dealers and war profiteers”. He added: “Many of the companies it represents have armed human rights abusers and dictatorships across the planet, including the Israeli occupation forces currently inflicting a genocide on the people of Gaza.” Emma Cockburn, of Campaign Against Arms Trade, accused politicians of “cosying up to warmongers” and added her call for it be cancelled. She also said funding for arms companies must be removed with policies put in place to ensure “not a single penny from the Scottish taxpayer lines the pockets of arms dealers again”. > Our sectors are vital contributors to our prosperity. We are dedicated to supporting industry, civil society and our armed forces to navigate an increasingly challenging geopolitical environment. > > A spokesperson for ADS Gerry Coutts, of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: “As executives are entertained at a prestigious reception, hundreds of thousands of displaced families are living an unfathomable existence in cold flooded tents in Rafah.” He added: “Business is booming for weapons manufacturers and while their shareholders count their vast profits the children of Gaza are paying the price. “It is shameful that companies are profiting from what the International Criminal Court calls[ plausible genocide ](https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-federal-judge-says-israel-plausibly-committing-genocide-biden-must-take-note/?ref=theferret.scot)carried out by the Israeli military.” A spokesperson for ADS said: “Our sectors are vital contributors to our prosperity. We are dedicated to supporting industry, civil society and our armed forces to navigate an increasingly challenging geopolitical environment. We are unwavering in our support to our four sectors that protect the UK’s safety, security, and very way of life.” ADS has been asked to clarify if the event will go ahead as planned. A spokesperson for Thales said “Thales in the UK” does not supply drones to the Israeli military. “Thales, and the UK defence and security industry, works within robust ethical standards that are among the highest found anywhere in the world, and treats its responsibilities under the law with the utmost seriousness,” they added. “The joint venture we have with Elbit only supplies the intelligence gathering unmanned air system to the British Army and none of the work on that is done at our site in Glasgow.” Paul Sweeney MSP said that “given the ongoing and appalling atrocities in Gaza” he was withdrawing his sponsorship of the event as he was “mindful of the sensitivities surrounding a number of ADS’s member organisations”. He told The Ferret: “I had initially agreed to sponsor the ADS ‘highlighting the role of apprentices in science and engineering’ parliamentary event for Scottish Apprenticeship Week, as I am acutely aware of the importance of apprenticeships to Scotland’s engineering industry. “As the convener of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party group on maritime and shipbuilding, I regularly hear of the difficulties that shipyards have in attracting young talent into the shipbuilding industry – an industry that benefits Scotland’s economy greatly.” The Scottish Government has given arms firms linked to Israel at least £10m of taxpayers’ money, as reported by The Ferret. A spokesperson for the Scottish Parliament said: “We can confirm that this event is scheduled to go ahead on 21 February and that all events held in the parliament require an MSP sponsor. “Securing MSP sponsorship of an event is the responsibility of the event organiser.” BAE Systems, Raytheon, Leonardo and the UK Government have been asked to comment. *Main image: A Lockheed F-35A Lightning II landing after the Combined Arms Demo at Aviation Nation 2017\. Credit: Noah Wulf* ### Claim UK has halved emissions and grown economy is Mostly True URL: https://www.theferret.scot/claim-uk-halved-emissions-grown-economy-mostly-true/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T00:33:34.000Z **The UK Government has been promoting its work in cutting harmful greenhouse gas emissions in recent days, with ministers highlighting significant reductions on social media.** In a post on X, [Claire Coutinho](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/claire-coutinho?ref=theferret.scot), the government’s energy security and net zero secretary, [claimed the UK had](https://twitter.com/ClaireCoutinho/status/1754874489878270379?ref=theferret.scot) to cut its emissions in half, while simultaneously expanding the economy. > The UK has “halved emissions” and grown “economy by 80 per cent”. > > Claire Coutinho MP Ferret Fact Service looked at this claim and found it **Mostly True.** ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-53.png) #### **Evidence** #### **Has the UK halved its emissions?** Cutting emissions is essential for the UK to meet its targets for achieving [net-zero](https://www.theferret.scot/glossary-scotland-and-the-climate-crisis/), where there is a balance between the amount of greenhouse gases a country emits and those it removes from the atmosphere. When Claire Coutinho and the UK Government refer to decreases in greenhouse gas emissions, they are using a benchmark of 1990\. This is the measurement agreed by governments around the world who signed the [Kyoto protocol](https://unfccc.int/kyoto%5Fprotocol?ref=theferret.scot), the first significant commitment to reduce emissions levels. So, the claim refers to a reduction of 50 per cent since 1990\. The latest statistics on the UK’s emissions cover up to the [end of 2022](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65c0d15863a23d0013c821e9/2022-final-greenhouse-gas-emissions-statistical-release.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). It is accurate to say that, [according to statistics](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/final-uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-national-statistics-1990-to-2022?ref=theferret.scot), the UK has cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half since 1990\. This was originally achieved in 2020, attributed to a fall in emissions during the Covid-19 restrictions. After an increase in 2021, emissions were reduced again in 2022. In 1990, UK [greenhouse gas emissions](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/final-uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-national-statistics-1990-to-2022?ref=theferret.scot) were 812.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2). By 2022, this has fallen to 406.2, which is 50 per cent lower. About half of the reduction has taken place since 2010, when the Conservative Party came to power. The majority of the reduction has come from the energy sector and industry. #### **How have emissions been reduced?** Between 1990 and 2022 greenhouse gas emissions from producing energy reduced by 73 per cent. This is down to the change in energy production away from fossil fuels, particularly coal, which has occurred in the last 30 years. However, a significant proportion of the UK’s energy is still provided by gas. While the UK’s energy used to be primarily generated (65 per cent) in coal power stations, in 2022 this made up just three per cent of fuel used. The UK’s industrial emissions reduced by 63 per cent between 1990 and 2022\. This is primarily a result of the reduction of industry in general, with fewer people employed in the sector and a general shift in the UK economy from manufacturing to services. Another factor to the UK’s emissions reduction is Covid-19\. The latest figures cover up to 2022, when the impact of pandemic restrictions was still being felt. For example, the emissions from transport in the UK were 12 per cent lower in 2022 than in 1990, while this sector’s emissions had only reduced three per cent up to 2019. #### **What about supply chain emissions?** Much of the [criticism](https://www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/centreforenergypolicy/newsblogs/2021/offshoringrisk/?ref=theferret.scot) of the UK’s net zero targets is the concept of [‘outsourcing’ emissions](https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/what-is-carbon-leakage-clarifying-misconceptions-for-a-better-mitigation-effort/?ref=theferret.scot). This means that some countries are able to reduce their territorial carbon emissions by reducing things like manufacturing within their borders, but not reducing the impact of their consumption on overall greenhouse gas put into the atmosphere across the world. So, for example, a lot of the manufacturing which was once produced within the UK’s borders now takes place in India or China, and is then shipped across the world for sale within the UK. The emissions in this production would count towards China and India’s emissions rather than the UK’s, even though this is driven by UK consumption and often directed by British companies. #### **What’s happened to the UK economy since 1990?** When politicians talk about growing the economy, they are often referring to increases in the gross domestic product. [Gross domestic product](https://blog.ons.gov.uk/2022/12/12/what-is-gdp-and-how-do-we-measure-it?ref=theferret.scot), or GDP, is the most common measure of the size and strength of the economy. It attempts to estimate the value of all the goods and services produced within a country, across a certain time period. You will see GDP measured in a few different ways, but so-called ‘real terms’ GDP gives a more accurate picture of changes to the economy over a longer period, because it takes into account the changes in how much things cost each year. According to the [latest data](https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp?ref=theferret.scot) from the Office For National Statistics, the UK’s GDP in real terms in the third quarter of 2023 was 79 per cent higher than it was in the first three months of 1990. Since 2010, when the Conservatives took office at Westminster, the economy has increased about 22 per cent on the same measure. In recent years, GDP growth [has reduced](https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/quarterlynationalaccounts/julytoseptember2023?ref=theferret.scot), and the economy has contracted in some periods including the latest statistics covering the third quarter of 2023. #### **Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly True** Claire Coutinho’s claim about the UK’s reduction in emissions and economic growth is accurate, but leaves out some important context. The reduction in emissions has taken place consistently since 1990, primarily as a result of changes to the UK’s energy supply and reduction in manufacturing sector. The UK’s emissions targets do not account for supply chain emissions outside of the UK’s borders, such as emissions created by outsourced manufacturing. The UK’s economy has also grown significantly since 1990\. The majority of that growth took place before the Conservatives gained power in 2010, and in recent years growth has stalled. ![Mostly True](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_scale_2mostlytrue-11.png) > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* *Photo credit: iStock/kodda* ### Blog: Scotland’s Seas In Danger URL: https://www.theferret.scot/scotland-seas-in-danger-marine-protection/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T00:33:38.000Z **Oceans… they produce more than half the world’s oxygen, hold most of the planet’s biodiversity and account for nearly half the global population’s livelihoods, providing crucial food, jobs and energy.** The marine environment is under threat, however, from overfishing, dredging, fish farming, coastal urbanisation, energy infrastructure, mining activities, invasive species, pollution and climate change. This is the subject of a new, year-long investigation by The Ferret, that takes in not only Scottish seas but those elsewhere in Europe. [![Scotland's seas in danger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/marine-protection-banner-1-13.png)](https://theferret.scot/environment/scotlands-seas-in-danger/?ref=theferret.scot) [Scotland’s Seas in Danger](https://theferret.scot/tag/scotlands-seas-in-danger?ref=theferret.scot) examines Scotland’s marine environment in collaboration with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI)](https://irpimedia.irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot). For the rest of 2024, The Ferret will be digging deep to expose myriad problems while also looking at innovative solutions to pressing issues facing our seas. Marine protection in Europe is an ongoing debate. To slow and attempt to reverse marine degradation, governments must make difficult decisions to protect our waters. But due to powerful vested interests, and coastal communities’ concerns about marine restrictions hitting their livelihoods, striking the right balance is a tough path for Europe’s lawmakers to navigate. It’s a debate we witnessed in Scotland recently over controversial government plans to give seas special protections to allow their marine ecosystems to grow. The plans were shelved after some coastal communities, and fishing and island organisations, argued that highly protected marine areas (HPMAs) would decimate their livelihoods, and fuel depopulation. But there is support in coastal and island communities for marine areas to be protected and enhanced, suggesting a balance can be struck. This is just one issue we’ll examine. We’ll also look at key marine species in decline, areas harmed by pollution, the influence of companies and special interest groups, and what role lesser-known threats to marine environments, such as sewage pollution, are playing. The series will include news reports, longform features, insightful data visualisations, explainers and fact checks. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1127895496.jpg) A team of bottlenose dolphins jumping in the Moray Firth in front of Fort George near Inverness in Scotland. Image: grafxart8888/iStock IRPI, which is conducting fieldwork in Sardinia, Sicily and Apulia and their minor islands, will publish its work later this year. Our series starts on Sunday with an exclusive report, followed by another five exclusive reports next week — and over the course of 2024 we’ll produce another two tranches of special reports, providing unparalleled coverage of issues affecting the marine environment. Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a project funded by [Journalismfund Europe](https://www.journalismfund.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) – an independent, non-profit organisation based in Belgium that supports cross-border investigative journalism. The Ferret hopes you’ll support our journey into the depths over the next 12 months and we look forward to hearing your views on our reporting. ##### Scotland’s Seas in Danger is a year-long investigative series by The Ferret that delves into Scotland’s marine environment. Our investigations were carried out with the support of Journalismfund Europe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/funder-logo-jpeg-20.jpg) ##### This project was conducted in partnership with the [Investigative Reporting Project Italy](https://irpi.eu/?ref=theferret.scot) (IRPI), which will publish its work later this year. ##### If you like our independent journalism and want to help us do more, support us by [becoming a member](https://theferret.scot/subscribe?ref=theferret.scot). You can also [donate](https://theferret.scot/donate?ref=theferret.scot) or subscribe to our [free newsletter](https://www.theferret.scot/underground/). *Header image: McLeodPhotographylondon*/*iStock* ### Patriotic Alternative could face legal action over whites-only Christmas campaign URL: https://www.theferret.scot/patriotic-alternative-legal-action-whites-only-christmas-campaign/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T00:34:39.000Z **A far right group has been warned that its whites-only Christmas campaign may have been unlawful.** The Equality and Human Rights Commission ([EHRC](https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/?ref=theferret.scot)) sent a letter to Patriotic Alternative (PA) about “Operation White Christmas”, which asked for donations for “white families in need”. PA was warned it could face legal action and asked to confirm in writing it will not repeat the campaign this year. The EHRC’s letter to PA followed complaints over a promotional message on Telegram in December 2023 asking people to “collect and donate toys, clothing and other items to white families for Christmas 2023”. EHRC said it will be monitoring PA and added: “You will be aware that, as a service provider, Patriotic Alternative Ltd, must not unlawfully discriminate against a person requiring a service, such as a customer or prospective customer. It is unlawful to offer a service to people on the basis of their colour and such conduct would amount to direct discrimination on the grounds of race, contrary to [section 13 of the Equality Act 2010.](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/13?ref=theferret.scot)” PA is a far right organisation described as “[Britain’s fascist threat](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2021/11/26/patriotic-alternative-britains-fascist-threat/?ref=theferret.scot)” by the anti-racism organisation, Hope not hate. In 2021, The Ferret revealed PA’s [supporters included neo-Nazis](https://www.theferret.scot/exposed-inside-far-right-patriotic-alternative/). Its leader Mark Collett — a former member of the British National Party who was [covertly filmed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7hYxYZbqtQ&ref=theferret.scot) expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler — claimed the EHRC’s letter is an “anti-white attack”. He said: “This letter is clearly a warning to Patriotic Alternative of potential legal action against the organisation because of our pro-white charity work. Patriotic Alternative is the only pro-white group in the UK that does charity work for the benefit of white communities, and now we are under attack!” Maggie Chapman, Scottish Greens MSP, accused PA of “stoking conflict and fuelling division” during the cost of living crisis. She added: “This is yet another bigoted, reactionary and exclusionary stunt from a prejudice peddling hate group. “They don’t care about children growing up in poverty. If they did then they wouldn’t be trying to use them as a cynical prop for their racist movement. During a cost of living crisis we need to be standing together and supporting one another.” > It is unlawful to offer a service to people on the basis of their colour and such conduct would amount to direct discrimination on the grounds of race, contrary to section 13 of the Equality Act 2010. > > Equality and Human Rights Commission. Last year PA split and a breakaway faction led by a Scot called Kenny Smith formed a new far right group called Homeland which is now [registered as a political party](https://www.theferret.scot/homeland-registers-political-party-electoral-commission/). The EHRC was established by the [Equality Act 2006](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/3/contents?ref=theferret.scot) and it has legal powers to hold organisations and the UK government to account. *Photo credit: iStock and Kanizphoto.* ### Baillie Gifford has invested £670m in firm aiming to drill oil near Amazon URL: https://www.theferret.scot/baillie-gifford-invested-670m-drill-oil-near-amazon/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:36:57.000Z **The longtime sponsor of Edinburgh’s book festival has invested hundreds of millions of pounds in a firm which wants to drill for oil near the mouth of the River Amazon, close to a reef which is a wildlife hotspot.** In August 2023 high-profile protests about sponsor Baillie Gifford’s [financial ties](https://www.theferret.scot/book-festival-sponsor-investments-fossil-fuel-firms/) to fossil fuels were held at the book festival, following a report by The Ferret. Greta Thunberg cancelled her appearance and some authors walked out of festival events in protest. Baillie Gifford [defended](https://www.bailliegifford.com/en/uk/individual-investors/insights/ic-article/2023-q3-fossil-fuels-an-answer-to-concerns-10035889/?ref=theferret.scot) itself by pointing out that only 2 per cent of its client’s money is invested in companies that profit from coal, oil or gas. It said it was encouraging the fossil fuel firms it does invest in to “chart a path towards net zero”. But research by The Ferret has found that, according to filings in the US, Baillie Gifford holds shares [worth](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1088875/000108887524000015/xslForm13F%5FX02/edgbcodec23.xml?ref=theferret.scot) £690m in the Brazilian state oil company, Petrobras. Concerns about the environmental and societal impacts of the company’s plans to expand oil production into a region off the country’s coast which is considered a “[biodiversity sanctuary](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/brazil-likely-explore-equatorial-margin-oil-finance-minister-says-2023-09-18/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Equatorial%20Margin%20is%20some,Brazil%27s%20northern%20and%20northeastern%20coast)” have been raised by [campaigners](https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/protesters-oppose-petrobras-oil-exploration-plan-mouth-amazon-river-2023-08-06/?ref=theferret.scot) and [indigenous groups](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230825-ecuador-banned-amazon-oil-brazil-s-lula-wants-to-drill?ref=theferret.scot) in Brazil. Petrobras recently [announced](https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/petrobras-five-year-plan/?cf-view&ref=theferret.scot) a five-year plan in which it earmarked tens of billions of pounds for investment in oil and gas exploration and production. Its chief executive has [said](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-24/petrobras-ceo-says-he-s-ready-to-be-world-s-last-oil-producer?leadSource=uverify%20wall&ref=theferret.scot) he is prepared for the firm to be “the last to produce oil in the world”. Critics, including from within the literary industry, argue the company’s holding in Petrobras shows a “complete disregard for indigenous communities, precious ecosystems and the global climate”. But Baillie Gifford has still insisted it is “not a significant fossil fuel investor” and has significantly less of its clients’ money in oil, gas and coal than the average financial firm. A spokesperson said Baillie Gifford was aware of Petrobras’ plans for oil exploration, was “discussing them with the company” and helping it reduce emissions. The book festival said it “depends on corporate sponsors” like Baillie Gifford. Without their financial backing, the festival would be unable to offer a platform for nuanced discussion on issues like climate change, a spokesperson said. ### Great Amazon Reef Petrobras’ five-year plan includes around £2.5bn of funding for drilling in the [ecologically sensitive](https://www.worldoil.com/news/2023/12/23/petrobras-to-expand-oil-production-with-commencement-of-equatorial-margin-drilling-campaign/?ref=theferret.scot) Equatorial Margin, an offshore region along 1300 miles of Brazil’s northern and northeastern coast. The Equatorial Margin region includes the Bacia do Foz Do Amazonas, or mouth of the Amazon basin. The Equatorial Margin is considered promising for new oil discoveries, but is also [home](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02187-3?ref=theferret.scot) to a vast reef system – known as the [Great Amazon Reef](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-50245-6?ref=theferret.scot) – which is home to corals, sponges and fish communities. It is also [reportedly](https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-amazing-amazon-reef-including-how-to-protect-it/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=Everything%20from%20melon%2Dheaded%20dolphins,part%20of%20their%20migration%20route.) part of a key migration route for dolphins and sea turtles, and a breeding ground for some species of whales. Environmentalists fear the reef could be at risk if there is an oil spill. Brazil’s environment agency, Ibama, [blocked](https://www.gov.br/ibama/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/2023/ibama-nega-licenca-de-perfuracao-na-bacia-da-foz-do-amazonas/parecer-coexp-fza-59.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) an initial application by Petrobras to drill an exploratory well in Foz Do Amazonas in May 2023\. Ibama raised concerns about the company’s environmental risk assessments, plans to protect wildlife in the event of a spill, and “inadequate” communications with nearby indigenous communities. Petrobras has appealed that decision. It points out that, while in Foz Do Amazonas basin, the location of the exploratory well is about 300 miles from the actual mouth of the Amazon River. However, researchers [argue](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02187-3?ref=theferret.scot) the site is only 30 miles from the Great Amazon Reef and spilled oil could easily travel that far. They also fear that granting a permit to the exploratory well will open the door to [further offshore drilling](https://www.upstreamonline.com/exclusive/petrobras-maps-seven-more-prospects-for-bold-foz-do-amazonas-drill-drive/2-1-1274218?ref=theferret.scot) in other parts of the Foz Do Amazonas, which could be closer to the rainforest. Petrobras has since [started](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/brazils-petrobras-starts-drilling-equatorial-margin-well-2023-12-23/?ref=theferret.scot) drilling exploratory wells in another part of the Equatorial Margin. It believes oil production in the wider region could “improve the lives of thousands of Brazilians” by creating jobs and contributing to economic development. > Baillie Gifford talks a good game about engaging with companies on climate change, but when you follow the money, this seems to be nothing more than hot air. > > Lara Cuvelier, sustainable investment campaigner at Reclaim Finance. But [Suely Araujo](https://www.brazil.ox.ac.uk/event/bsp-a-conversation-with-dr-suely-araujo-building-back-brazils-environmental-policies?ref=theferret.scot), a former chairwoman of Ibama and current policy coordinator of the [Brazilian Climate Observatory](https://ipam.org.br/glossario/the-brazilian-climate-observatory/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=The%20Brazilian%20Climate%20Observatory%20%28Observat%C3%B3rio,established%20on%20March%2023%2C%202002.), said the country could pursue “much more sustainable paths for economic growth”. “Given the size and intensity of the climate crisis, it is a mistake to choose to open new oil exploration frontiers, especially in a region with these characteristics,” Araujo told The Ferret. ### Engage or divest? Last year’s protests over Baillie Gifford’s sponsorship of the book festival included a [threat](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/aug/11/authors-boycott-edinburgh-book-festival-sponsors-fossil-fuel-links?ref=theferret.scot) by authors including Zadie Smith and Gary Younge to boycott the 2024 event unless the asset manager sells its fossil fuel investments, or is dropped as a partner. However, some leading Edinburgh cultural figures [defended](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/theatre-boss-attacks-authors-call-to-drop-edinburgh-book-festival-sponsor-cg5f2t96l?ref=theferret.scot) the company. David Greig, the director of the city’s Lyceum Theatre – which also has a sponsorship deal with Baillie Gifford – called the company “forward thinking and progressive” and argued it had a long track record of funding the arts in Scotland. In response to criticism of its investments last year, Baillie Gifford [said](https://www.bailliegifford.com/en/uk/individual-investors/insights/ic-article/2023-q3-fossil-fuels-an-answer-to-concerns-10035889/?ref=theferret.scot) it seeks to influence the environmental activities of the companies it invests in by engaging with them through tactics like voting at shareholder meetings. Referring to this engagement strategy after last year’s book festival the company wrote: “…if we sold our \[fossil fuel\] shares, they would be bought by someone else. That owner may not engage with the company on climate risks or ethical operations. So, it’s far more impactful to be active shareholders to influence a company’s direction of travel”. The campaign group, [Reclaim Finance](https://reclaimfinance.org/site/en/home/?ref=theferret.scot), conducted [research](https://reclaimfinance.org/site/en/2023/12/19/asset-managers-playing-a-double-game-on-climate-votes/?ref=theferret.scot) into shareholder voting at 75 fossil fuel companies annual general meetings in 2023 which the group claims found many investors’ climate engagement strategies are “cosmetic at best”. > Baillie Gifford is not a significant fossil fuel investor. We have only invested two per cent of our clients’ money in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. > > A spokesperson for Baillie Gifford. “Baillie Gifford talks a good game about engaging with companies on climate change, but when you follow the money, this seems to be nothing more than hot air,” Reclaim Finance’s sustainable investment campaigner, [Lara Cuvelier](https://fr.linkedin.com/in/lara-cuvelier-44993b90?ref=theferret.scot), told us. Cuvelier added: “If Baillie Gifford wants to be taken seriously, it should publicly call on Petrobras to stop its fossil fuel expansion plans”. Baillie Gifford pointed out it only holds shares in a small number of the companies tracked by Reclaim Finance and said it had voted against the election of directors at one of these firms due to weak plans to transition to clean energy. Cuvelier’s view was echoed by that of [Ric Lander](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/ric-lander-37130b31?ref=theferret.scot) who campaigns about climate finance with [Friends of the Earth Scotland](https://foe.scot/?ref=theferret.scot). By putting hundreds of millions of its client’s money in Petrobras, Baillie Gifford had shown a “complete disregard for indigenous communities, precious ecosystems and the global climate”, Lander claimed. A spokesperson for [Fossil Free Books](https://twitter.com/fossilfreebooks?ref=theferret.scot), a campaign by literary industry workers set up after last year’s festival, said: “Baillie Gifford’s investments in Petrobras and other major fossil fuel companies such as the Chinese National Offshore Oil Company facilitate immense harm to communities around the world.” They added that [research](https://www.theferret.scot/edinburgh-investment-firm-west-bank/) had found Baillie Gifford has almost £10bn in companies with “direct or indirect” links to “Israel’s defence, tech and cybersecurity sectors” which were “currently funding genocide in Palestine”. “This violence is in no way eliminated by Baillie Gifford’s support of the art institutions we love and depend on as workers,” the spokesperson said. A Baillie Gifford spokesperson said: “Baillie Gifford is not a significant fossil fuel investor. We have only invested two per cent of our clients’ money in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. “That compares to the market average of 11 per cent. Of those companies, some have already moved most of their activities away from fossil fuels, and many are helping to drive the transition to clean energy.” An Edinburgh International Book Festival spokesperson claimed the festival was “committed to achieving net zero” but “like so many others” it was in a “period of transition”. They said: “Our sector depends on corporate sponsors including Bailie Gifford who have supported us for the past 20 years, without whom we would not be able to continue to offer these important moments of connection and discourse in society. “We believe it is absolutely vital for us to sustain platforms such as the Edinburgh International Book Festival, where these very issues can be better understood, with the nuance they require.” *Featured photo credit: iStock and alfnqn*. ### Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry podcast – Hot to touch URL: https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry-podcast-hot-to-touch/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T00:34:41.000Z #### Episode seven: Hot to touch #### ***“At the moment we are searching for truth, but ultimately the family want justice.” Aamer Anwar, Bayoh family lawyer*** [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-02-05-at-22-03-56.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/) On the first day of each new hearing in the [Sheku Bayoh public inquiry](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) there is now a ritual. Campaigners in support of the Bayoh family gather outside the building with banners and calls for justice. When [Kadi Johnston](https://www.theferret.scot/what-we-know-from-the-sheku-bayoh-inquiry/) – Sheku’s sister – arrives, she and family lawyer Aamer Anwar walk across the square towards Edinburgh’s Capital House, where the inquiry takes place. Before going through the doors, she stands in front of campaigners and takes the mic, thanking people for giving her “the strength and the energy to walk through those doors”. And then she takes her place in the public gallery. This hearing in the [long running inquiry](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/) focuses on [Police Scotland](https://www.scotland.police.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) training. It’s full of acronyms for police protocols and procedures, making it easy to lose sight of the family’s fight for justice. So this episode starts there. #### Inquiry brings new revelations But it also contains some startling new revelations about policing both back in 2015 and now. We hear about senior Police Scotland officers’ inclusion in a US conference with the [Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)](https://www.policeforum.org/?ref=theferret.scot) – where they offered expertise on “the legal use of force” in the case of mental illness when someone is in possession of a knife…just days after Sheku’s death. And they admit that even today serious issues remain, including reports from senior officers that while procedure dictates they should treat [acute behaviour disturbance](https://www.kent.police.uk/foi-ai/kent-police/Policy/operational-partnerships/acute-behavioural-disturbance-sop-o43k/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=ABD%20is%20a%20rare%20form,shortly%20after%20a%20strenuous%20struggle.) – or ABD – as a medical emergency, police cannot always get an ambulance to attend. There are also questions about training. For all the claims of revised process and protocol, if police got 999 calls from Hayfield Road, where Sheku died just now, how much would have changed? The Ferret continues its summary of the evidence heard so far in its award-nominated podcast. **To make this podcast we’ve spent hours listening to all of the evidence so we can summarise it for you, our listeners. And we need your support to do more.** **Join us at theferret.scot/subscribe or contribute by giving us a** [**donatation**](https://www.theferret.scot/donate/)**.** ***Credits:*** ***Presenters: Tomiwa Folorunso and Karin Goodwin*** ***Written and produced: Karin Goodwin*** ***Research: Tomiwa Folorunso*** ***Sound production, recording, editing & sound design: Halina Rifai*** ***Original music by Alan Bryden*** **Images: Angela Catlin** **Listen to all the evidence from the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry, or find out how to get a ticket to attend in person at www.shekubayohinquiry.scot** ### Mark Fortune: MSP calls for ‘proper investigation’ into ‘abusive’ treatment of tenant URL: https://www.theferret.scot/mark-fortune-msp-investigation-abusive-tenant/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T00:35:44.000Z **An MSP has urged the Scottish Government and Edinburgh city council to open a “proper investigation” into the case of a tenant who was allegedly threatened in a row over rent payments.** Labour’s [Sarah Boyack](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/sarah-boyack?ref=theferret.scot) wrote to both authorities on 30 January after The Ferret published [a secretly-filmed video](https://www.theferret.scot/mark-fortune-edinburgh-landlord-threatening-tenant/) of the incident, which allegedly features the controversial businessman, [Mark Fortune](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/mark-fortune/). The footage, revealed last week, led to renewed accusations from campaigners that authorities are guilty of inaction. In the video, tenant Jason Chen was confronted by a man he believed to be his flat’s owner – Fortune. The man waved a stool at Chen and told him he would shut off his gas and electricity, and throw his belongings outside unless he paid the rent. Chen claimed he only withheld rent after his flat was left without hot water for 28 days, and alleged he got little help from either the police or the council after reporting the verbal and physical threats. Boyack said those who subject tenants to “abusive” behaviour should “face serious consequences”. \[documentcloud url=”https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24407523-sarah-boyack-landlord-scottish-govt-letter?responsive=1&title=1″\] A group of Fortune’s former tenants said such incidents “will only continue and perhaps even worsen” without intervention. Tenants’ union [Living Rent](https://www.livingrent.org/?ref=theferret.scot) accused authorities of a “complete failure” to hold Fortune to account. The government’s tenant’s rights minister, [Patrick Harvie MSP](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/patrick-harvie?ref=theferret.scot), also condemned the “threatening and abusive behaviour”. Harvie told The Ferret his officials had contacted the council “in response to this disturbing report”. The council will not comment on individual cases. A firm linked to Fortune claimed he was at a dentist’s “400 miles” away on 25 October 2023 – the day Chen said the confrontation happened – and suggested he may have a “twin”. Police Scotland confirmed it responded to a disturbance on the street on that date, and said enquiries were ongoing. #### **Minister: tenant’s treatment ‘completely unacceptable’** Boyack’s letter urges the government to “ensure that landlords are not able to use loopholes and other means to abuse their tenants and subject them to unacceptable conditions.” She told The Ferret: “The actions seen in this video are deeply shocking. No tenant should be threatened for merely asking that their home has hot water… Any landlord who threatens or is abusive to their tenants should face serious consequences.” ![Mark Fortune](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/whatsapp-image-2024-01-23-at-13-10-38-jpeg.jpg) Jason Chen. Image thanks to Jason Chen. Tenant’s rights minister Harvie said: “Threatening and abusive behaviour is completely unacceptable and tenants should not be expected to endure conduct such as that reported. My officials have been in touch with Edinburgh city council, who operate the landlord register locally, in response to this disturbing report.” He added: “Scotland has a strong package of rights for tenants, but we are still working to keep building on this and will soon introduce a new housing bill, to further strengthen the law to protect tenants.” #### **Mark Fortune: A recent history** Mark Fortune was [taken off](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scum-landlord-banned-after-threatening-10111178?ref=theferret.scot) the council’s landlord’s register in 2013 after being [convicted](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-21365421?ref=theferret.scot) of threatening tenants. But his companies have continued to offer flats as short term lets, despite allowing tenants to stay long term. The flat Chen lived in does not appear on the council’s[ list of applicants](https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/licences-permits/licensing-registers/1?ref=theferret.scot) for a short term let licence. Operating without a licence can result in a £2,500 fine and a year-long ban. However, Edinburgh council last year[ admitted](https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2023/10/council-firms-up-plans-for-enforcement-of-short-term-lets/?ref=theferret.scot) it has no enforcement powers to pursue rogue landlords who refuse to comply with the law. In 2021, we revealed that[ more than 40](https://www.theferret.scot/mark-fortune-tenants-demand-action-from-authorities/) former tenants had spoken out against Fortune, claiming their deposits were not returned and they had faced filthy living conditions. Last year housing tribunals[ ordered](https://www.theferret.scot/mark-fortune-forced-fix-flat-fit-human-habitation/) one of Fortune’s firms to make a flat “fit for human habitation” and give a former tenant her[ deposit back](https://www.theferret.scot/mark-fortune-tenants-deposits-key-tribunal-ruling/). The Fortune-owned company which issued Chen’s contract, Edinburgh Rent, did not respond to a request for further comment. ### Police Scotland advised US cops on ‘reducing lethal force’ days after Sheku Bayoh death URL: https://www.theferret.scot/police-scotland-advised-usa-sheku-bayoh-death/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T00:35:44.000Z **Top Scottish cops led a US event on the best way to reduce the use of force when dealing with someone in possession of a knife, just days after Sheku Bayoh died in police custody in Fife after being restrained by six officers.** Bayoh stopped breathing during the police restraint on 3 May 2015 and died in hospital that morning. Police had been called to the scene after he was spotted behaving erratically and in possession of a kitchen knife. By the time police arrived he had discarded the knife. A [public inquiry](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) into the circumstances of his death was launched in May 2022. Evidence being considered by the inquiry includes a report from the US-based [Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)](https://www.policeforum.org/?ref=theferret.scot) – an organisation aiming to reduce the use of police force – which reveals Police Scotland led expert sessions on its “great success” in reducing the use of “deadly force”. The revelation is part of episode seven of [The Ferret’s podcast – Sheku Bayoh: The Inquiry](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/) – which summarises the evidence held so far. The inquiry recommences on Tuesday, 6 February. During the previous hearing – which concluded in December – the inquiry heard that Police Scotland’s assistant chief constable Bernard Higgins attended a conference in Washington on 7 May 2015, where he spoke about the force’s expertise in reducing force in cases of those who were “mentally unwell or behaving erratically”, when armed with a knife. The event was part of an 18 month partnership with a conference also held in Scotland in November that year. In the [inquiry hearing](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/hearings/evidence-sergeant-james-young-23112023-am?ref=theferret.scot), which examined police training, senior counsel Angela Graham KC read from PERF’s report about lessons learned by US police from Police Scotland. > The myth that policing in Scotland is somehow more progressive – and less racist – than elsewhere is a huge barrier to police accountability. > > Emily Mann, University of Edinburgh “On May 7, 2015,” she read, “So that was a matter of days after Mr Bayoh died, PERF convened a meeting in Washington, DC, of approximately 300 police chiefs and other law enforcement executives.” The report says that ACC Higgins was one of two UK police officials invited “because police in the UK have achieved great success in reducing the use of deadly force, especially in situations involving persons with mental illness wielding a knife or other non-firearm weapon”. Graham then asked [Inspector James Young](https://www.shekubayohinquiry.scot/hearings/evidence-sergeant-james-young-23112023-am?ref=theferret.scot), who was involved in a later PERF conference. “Do you remember in 2015, in May, if there had been great success achieved by Police Scotland in reducing use of deadly force?” Inspector Young admitted he did not. He claimed he had not officially been notified of Sheku Bayoh’s death and said no lessons learned from it had been used to update a new officer safety training manual which was circulated in 2016. “I became aware of the incident through the media,” he told the inquiry. “I was never asked to do any sort of work because of his death because I was unaware of the circumstances.” [Emily Mann](https://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/staff/emily-mann?ref=theferret.scot), a researcher from Edinburgh University who specialises in policing, said: “This reeks of Scottish exceptionalism. The myth that policing in Scotland is somehow more progressive – and less racist – than elsewhere is a huge barrier to police accountability.” Police Scotland said it would be “inappropriate” to comment while the inquiry is ongoing. **Listen to all [seven episodes](https://www.theferret.scot/sheku-bayoh-the-inquiry/) of the podcast.** *Main image thanks to [Angela Catlin](http://www.angelacatlin.com/?ref=theferret.scot)* **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** ### Councils spent £200m on profit-making residential care providers for children and young people URL: https://www.theferret.scot/councils-200m-residential-care-children/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T00:35:44.000Z **Scottish councils have given up to £200m to private firms to provide residential care for children and young people, despite promising to move away from the practice four years ago.** Campaigners raised concerns about the “scale to which profit-making companies are benefiting financially from the care system” and opposition politicians called for more homes that offered quality care and value for money. According to the [independent care review](https://www.carereview.scot/?ref=theferret.scot)’s final report – launched on 5 February 2020 and known as [the Promise ](https://thepromise.scot/?ref=theferret.scot)– there is “no place for profiting in how Scotland cares for its children”. Regulatory bodies must “scrutinise any presence of profit” and make sure funds are “properly directed to the care and support of children”, it added then. Following publication of the 2020 report, all [32 local authorities](https://www.cosla.gov.uk/about-cosla/our-teams/children-and-young-people/the-promise?ref=theferret.scot) pledged to keep “the Promise”. The aim is for all its recommendations to be fully implemented by 2030. Using freedom of information (FoI) law, charity [Who Cares? Scotland](https://www.whocaresscotland.org/?ref=theferret.scot), asked each council how much they spent on residential care since the Promise was published. Twenty-six out of 32 responded. ### Residential care across Scotland Four local authorities – Angus, Dundee, Moray and Shetland – confirmed they had stopped using profit-making companies. A further two said they had plans to do so. Five said they did not record the data. The remaining 15 councils who responded, collectively told Who Cares? Scotland they spent £218m on privately run residential homes. Aberdeenshire council responded to the FoI to say it had spent £50m. But when approached by The Ferret it said that figure was spent on out-of-area care and would include other local authorities as well as private providers. Other high spenders included Falkirk Council, which spent £43.5m, and the Scottish Borders, which spent more than £26m. Councils noted the “pressure” to find residential care across Scotland. Private companies used by councils in Scotland include [CareTech](https://www.caretech-uk.com/?ref=theferret.scot), which operates 14 [Spark of Genius](https://www.sparkofgenius.com/?ref=theferret.scot) homes across Scotland. The vast majority of CareTech’s services (93 per cent) have been rated adequate or above by the [Care Inspectorate](https://www.careinspectorate.com/?ref=theferret.scot). However, last May “serious concern” was raised by the regulator about “the conduct of a staff member towards a young person” at its Woodside Farm home in Ayrshire. A CareTech spokesperson said a new manager has been appointed and stressed the home “continues to deliver good outcomes for the children and young people”. Other profit-making companies include Care Visions, which has 30 homes across Scotland, and Common Thread, which has 11 homes. > It is really concerning that four years on we have uncovered the scale to which profit making companies are benefiting financially from the care system. > > Louise Hunter, Who Cares? Scotland Who Cares? Scotland is publishing a “report card” on Monday – the fourth anniversary of The Promise – charting the progress made. It will include details of the number of children in care excluded from school, success in keeping siblings together, as well as the use of restraint on children in care. Louise Hunter, chief executive of [Who Cares? Scotland ](https://www.whocaresscotland.org/?ref=theferret.scot)said: “It is really concerning that four years on we have uncovered the scale to which profit making companies are benefiting financially from the care system. “At the same time that local authorities are having to make budget cuts, it’s difficult to see how some of this money is being invested. The Promise was quite clear this has to end. “ Council insiders told The Ferret that the weekly cost of privately run homes and schools could be thousands of pounds more than local authority ones. Other concerns included inconsistent quality of care and less stability if companies are forced to close a home. However, a report by the [Competitions and Markets Authority](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/competition-and-markets-authority?ref=theferret.scot) found “no real differences” in quality or price between council and private providers. It said it would take time to move away from private providers due to a shortage of places. Fraser McKinlay, chief executive of [The Promise Scotland](https://thepromise.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) – the organisation overseeing the Scottish Government’s flagship children’s care system reform, agreed change was “not quick or easy”. He added: “The fact that some local authorities can avoid using private, ‘for profit’ residential homes is welcome, and shows it can be done. But these overall figures are concerning and serve as a stark reminder of how far Scotland still has to travel in its efforts to keep some aspects of the promise.” He called for greater investment to help support families to stay together, reducing the need for residential places. > Money is already short so we need to use tight resources to get the best for our young people. > > Willie Rennie MSP Last month [The Ferret revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/questions-raised-2m-spent-quango-care-system-reform/) The Promise Scotland had spent almost a third of its budget on external costs, including consultants paid £1,000 a day. [Willie Rennie](https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps/willie-rennie?ref=theferret.scot), Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for North East Fife, said profiteering from the sector would be “wrong” adding: “We need to improve the range of high quality establishments which provide value for money and high quality care. Money is already short so we need to use tight resources to get the best for our young people.” A spokesperson for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) said significant progress on the ten-year plan for change had been made so far, both locally and nationally. They added: “We are keenly aware of our responsibilities in ensuring Scotland’s keeps The Promise and will continue to work collaboratively with Scottish Government, The Promise Scotland and other vital partners to reach our shared aims and ambitions.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Promise is clear that there is no place for profiting in how Scotland cares for its children and the Scottish Government supports this principle.” ### ‘Restraint has no place in modern Scotland’ Local authorities across Scotland have restrained children and young people in care over 2,000 times since The Promise was launched in February 2020, according to figures shared with The Ferret. In 2020 The Promise said that Scotland must “strive to become a nation that does not restrain its children”. Nicola Sturgeon, then first minister, said she was inspired to launch the independent care review back in 2016 after hearing from one young boy about his experience of restraint. Physical restraint covers a wide range of ways to hold a child or young person by force but at its most extreme young people can be brought to the ground and held by multiple staff members. In 2021 [The Ferret](https://www.theferret.scot/children-as-young-as-five-restrained-in-care-homes/) found children as young as five were restrained. Nineteen councils responded to freedom of information requests and said they had used restraint between 2,355 and 2,360 times. Ten authorities did not respond and three said they had no records. Louise Hunter, CEO of Who Cares? Scotland, said: “Our members have told us that restraint leaves a lasting impact on them psychologically. This is a practice that is not employed in family homes and has no place in a modern Scotland.” *Cover image thanks to iStock/Pablo Rodrigo Sanchez Remorini* **This story was published in partnership with the Sunday Post. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op. [ Join us](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** ### Four people die every week in Scotland while in state custody or care URL: https://www.theferret.scot/four-die-week-scotland-in-state-custody-or-care/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T00:35:45.000Z **Four people die every week in Scotland while in prison, police cells or other forms of state detention or care, according to figures exclusively shared with The Ferret.** The research by the University of Glasgow is part of an [annual ](https://www.sccjr.ac.uk/publication/a-defective-system-case-analysis-of-15-years-of-fais-after-deaths-in-prison/?ref=theferret.scot)survey of deaths in prison, which analyses [fatal accident inquiry](https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/search-judgments/fatal-accident-inquiries?ref=theferret.scot) reports to identify problems. However, this year researchers included deaths in [police custody](https://www.theferret.scot/more-than-200-died-contact-with-police-scotland/), deaths in [immigration detention or asylum accommodation](https://www.theferret.scot/inquiry-calls-asylum-system-deaths-escalating/) as well as those of children and young people in the [care system](https://www.theferret.scot/young-people-in-care-record-deaths-last-year/). In the report – Nothing to see here? – published on Monday, 5 February – they also detail deaths of those detained under the [mental health act](https://www.theferret.scot/access-treatment-mental-health-drug-use/), and people with learning disabilities and [autism](https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-discharges-delayed-by-three-years/) who died while in psychiatric hospitals. Working with the most up-to-date data available, researchers calculated that on average about 226 people died in state custody or care every year, more than four every week. Statutory organisations including the Mental Welfare Commission and the Prison Inspectorate said they were “deeply concerned” about the continued number of vulnerable people who died while in the care of the state. In recent weeks evidence has been heard as part of the [fatal accident inquiry (FAI)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-68172612?ref=theferret.scot) into the deaths of Katie Allan and William Lindsay, both young people who took their own lives while in Polmont Young Offenders institution. Its findings have yet to be concluded. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/katie.jpg) Katie Allan Allan was 21 and was serving a sentence for causing serious injury while drunk driving. She was self-harming but prison guards did not step in even though she had visible scars. Lindsay was just 16 and in prison after walking into a police station with a knife because a place could not be found for him in secure residential care. He was taken off [suicide watch](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgekly911x0o?ref=theferret.scot) hours before his death. Linda Allan, Katie’s mother, also worked on the report with the University researchers. She told The Ferret it was no shock to her that four people a week die in the care of the Scottish state, given the “culture of deniability” she had experienced when dealing with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and NHS. “My only surprise is there are not more deaths,” Allan said. She claimed that neither the Scottish Prison Service nor the NHS, which provides health care in prisons, had shown “a crumb of accountability” for daughter’s death and called for the Scottish Prison Service to have its [immunity from prosecution](https://insidetime.org/newsround/scottish-prisons-should-lose-crown-immunity/?ref=theferret.scot#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20reported%20that,why%20should%20the%20prison%20service%3F) removed. The report found suicide was a “substantial” cause of death in all care and detention settings, including amongst looked after children and young people. Together, suicide and drug deaths continue to be leading causes of death in Scottish prisons. In prisons, where most data was available, researchers found rates of deaths were still rising, with over 40 per cent of deaths in 2022 and 2023 occurring within six months of someone being sent to jail. It said [mental health or drugs and alcohol](https://www.theferret.scot/access-treatment-mental-health-drug-use/) often featured in the deaths of those in every form of custody or care they examined. Sometimes these issues led to people being detained. But study authors said how people were treated in detention could exacerbate problems. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/screenshot-2024-02-02-145040.png)](https://www.theferret.scot/mental-health-services-failing-people-using-drugs/) The study’s authors claimed fatal accident inquiry reports suggested that police and prison officers did not always seek medical care for those experiencing “mental distress or unwellness”. In some cases, those requesting mental health help were not seen before they died. Academics also identified failings in physical health care including lost hospital letters, missed appointments or recommended tests. The research team were critical of the use of [segregated cells](https://www.gov.scot/publications/understanding-mental-health-needs-scotlands-prison-population/pages/5/?ref=theferret.scot) to manage people experiencing “profound episodes of mental health crisis”, during which their clothes and personal items are removed. Other issues raised in prisons included problems with getting treatment for drug issues, with people reluctant to ask for help due to punishment regimes for those using drugs inside. “Institutional racism” was also flagged. The study highlighted one case in which a man in Dungavel immigration centre, who died of heart disease after failing to get the healthcare he was requesting because his first language was incorrectly recorded and he did not have a translator with whom he could communicate fluently. The sheriff leading the subsequent FAI found that if staff had taken a different approach, the man’s death may have been avoided. [Professor Sarah Armstrong](https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/saraharmstrong/?ref=theferret.scot), called for improvements to the “heartbreaking” fatal accident system, mandatory for deaths in prisons and police custody. But she also said greater transparency was needed for other deaths in state care. “We learned that there’s no regular reporting or analysis of deaths in most settings of custody and care, and so the public, and possibly even the government, does not know how many people are dying and whether a death could have been avoided,” she added. She acknowledged some deaths included in the data were registered as due to “natural causes”, but raised concerns that this definition sometimes covered up issues. In March 2015 Allan Marshall died of a heart attack after having been restrained and dragged naked through a corridor by up to a dozen prison officers. Shocking [CCTV footage](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/saughton-prison-cctv-shows-naked-19017048?ref=theferret.scot) captured the incident. His death is included in those categorised as “natural causes”. “These deaths often receive the least scrutiny and are resolved most quickly, even in fatal accident inquiries where evidence showed concerns being raised about a person’s treatment or care,” added Armstrong. > My only surprise is there are not more deaths. > > Linda Allan, mother of Katie Allan A [Mental Welfare Commission Scotland](https://www.mwcscot.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) spokesperson also raised “major concern” about suicide in prisons. In its 2022 report it said “access to and delivery of mental health support across Scotland’s prisons was inconsistent and lacking cohesion”. A spokesperson added: “Altogether, we agree that there is more to be done to ensure that people who are detained – whether in hospital or prison – receive the right support, care and treatment for their mental health in order to prevent avoidable deaths.” Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, [HM chief inspector of prisons in Scotland](https://www.prisonsinspectoratescotland.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), said the inspectorate “remains deeply concerned by the impacts of the high rate of deaths in custody, in particular for the families”. However a [Scottish Prison Service](https://www.sps.gov.uk/?ref=theferret.scot) spokesperson said they supported “some of the most vulnerable people in society” adding: “Every death, whether in prison custody or our communities, is a tragedy for families, friends, and for those staff who have supported the individual on a daily basis. About a third of women and a quarter of men in Scottish jails report having been in [care](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23970160.care-experienced-children-siblings-prison-need-support/?ref=theferret.scot) as a child. About the same percentage came from Scotland’s most deprived communities and have often experienced childhood trauma. Those from the least affluent neighbourhoods are more likely to be [detained ](https://www.mwcscot.org.uk/news/significant-rise-numbers-people-being-detained-mental-health-treatment-scotland?ref=theferret.scot)under the mental health act, the research showed. The report also highlighted 13 deaths in police custody over a five year period, and 124 following police contact. [Police Scotland](https://www.scotland.police.uk/?ref=theferret.scot)’s assistant chief constable Wendy Middleton said it “took its duty of care to police in police custody seriously” and had “rigorous procedures in place relating to the welfare of a person in custody”. A Scottish Government spokesperson said it would give the report “careful consideration”. “The safe treatment and mental health of all those in custody who are at higher levels of risk and vulnerability is a priority for this Government. “As with the general population people die for a number of reasons, including natural causes and disease. Scottish Government departments are working with partners to ensure the safety of everyone in custody.” *Main image: KuntalSaha/iStock* **This Ferret story was also published in the Sunday National. Our partnerships with other media help us reach new audiences and become more sustainable as a media co-op.** [ ***Join us***](https://www.theferret.scot/subscribe/) **to read all our stories and tell us what we should investigate next.** ### What is ScotWind and why was it controversial? URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-is-scotwind-and-why-was-it-controversial/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T00:35:45.000Z **The Scottish Government has faced criticism over its windfarm development auction, accused of undervaluing Scotland’s offshore wind potential.** News reports also claimed ministers spent profits from the special auction of Scotland’s offshore wind licences – known as [ScotWind](https://www.crownestatescotland.com/scotlands-property/offshore-wind/scotwind-leasing-round?ref=theferret.scot) – on propping up the overall Scottish budget. [Ferret Fact Service](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/) explains what is going on. ![Ferret Fact Service | Scotland's impartial fact check project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/ffs_banner_red1__3_-54.png) #### **What is ScotWind?** ScotWind was the name given to the leasing of Scotland’s seabed to companies who want to build offshore wind farms. These [sections of the seabed aren’t sold off](https://www.crownestatescotland.com/sites/default/files/2023-10/SWL%20Briefing%20updated%2025%20Aug%202023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot), but leased to developers for up to ten years at a time with the aim of them eventually building wind farms. #### **Who owns Scotland’s seabed?** Almost all of Scotland’s seabed up to [12 nautical miles](https://www.crownestatescotland.com/media/key-information?ref=theferret.scot) out is owned by the King, and managed by the Crown estate. While ownership technically lies with the monarch, they cannot sell the assets, nor do the revenues from the land come to the monarchy. Profits generated by the crown estate land in Scotland goes to the Scottish Government. The ScotWind auction was run by the [Crown Estate Scotland](https://www.crownestatescotland.com/news/timescales-and-next-steps-for-new-offshore-wind-leasing-for-scotland?ref=theferret.scot). This is the Scottish Government body tasked with managing land owned by the British monarch. It is this sea bed the Crown Estate has auctioned off in the ScotWind leasing round, which happens every ten years. #### **How much did the ScotWind auction raise?** There were [20 projects](https://www.crownestatescotland.com/sites/default/files/2023-10/SWL%20Briefing%20updated%2025%20Aug%202023.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) approved in 2022, after applying in the auction in 2021\. Successful bidders can now decide if they want to build a wind farm in the area of the sea they have leased. Originally, each successful project would have paid a fee for exclusive development rights to the area, of up to £10,000 per square kilometre (km²). The projects cover more than 7,500km² of Scotland’s sea bed. There was criticism that this price, set by the Crown Estate Scotland, was too low and undervalued Scotland’s offshore wind potential. The body said it had come to the figure in order to not deter smaller bidders, and to encourage developers to come to Scotland, as Scottish sites would cost more to develop than those in England. After the results of a similar auction in England and Wales, a commissioned report recommended the fee should be [increased](https://www.crownestatescotland.com/sites/default/files/2023-08/aurora-2021-rapid-review-report.pdf?ref=theferret.scot). The option fee eventually set at up to £100,000 per km² of sea bed. Developers will then pay a rent based on the number of megawatt hours of energy produced by the wind farms that are eventually built. The [Crown Estate Scotland said](https://www.crownestatescotland.com/scotlands-property/offshore-wind/scotwind-leasing-round?ref=theferret.scot) it anticipated most of the revenue from the leasing would come from rents rather than option fees. In total, the ScotWind leasing round brought in [more than £756m](https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/corporate-report/2023/12/scottish-budget-2024-25/documents/scottish-budget-2024-25/scottish-budget-2024-25/govscot%3Adocument/scottish-budget-2024-25.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) in option fees in income to the Scottish Government. #### **What happened to the money?** The Scottish Government [committed that money received](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotwind-offshore-wind-leasing-round-statement-net-zero-secretary-18-january-2022/?ref=theferret.scot) from the ScotWind auction would be reinvested in the energy sector, saying it would be spent on tackling “the twin climate and biodiversity crises” However, finance secretary Shona Robison confirmed in a [Scottish Parliament committee](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/NZET-23-01-2024?meeting=15668&iob=133645&ref=theferret.scot) on 23 January that money raised through the ScotWind leasing round was being spent to support Scotland’s overall budget, which faced a significant shortfall. £350m of the money from ScotWind has been drawn down for this purpose so far. She said: “Any money that is drawn down from ScotWind is used to support the budget, so, in essence, it is used to support public services.” “One could argue that, if whatever amount of the up to £350m of ScotWind money is part of supporting the budget, it is also part of supporting that £4.7bn of the budget that is tackling climate change,” she argued. The money raised from the ScotWind auction is only part of the money that will be raised through the leasing of Scotland’s sea bed for wind power development. Wind farms that are built will then pay a rent of £1.07 per megawatt hour produced. > **Ferret Fact Service (FFS)* is a non-partisan fact checker, and [signatory](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories?ref=theferret.scot) to the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ [code of principles](https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles?ref=theferret.scot).* > > *All the sources used in our checks are publicly available and the FFS fact-checking methodology [can be viewed here](https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service/).* > > *Want to suggest a fact check?* > > *Email us at [factcheck@theferret.scot](mailto:factcheck@theferret.scot) or join our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ferretunderground/).* ### Far right group Homeland registers as political party despite objections URL: https://www.theferret.scot/homeland-registers-political-party-electoral-commission/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T17:55:20.000Z **A far right group described as an “extreme organisation” has been allowed to officially register as a political party despite formal objections lodged with the Electoral Commission.** Homeland – which promotes a nationalism based on ancestry, land and the “law of blood” – applied to the Electoral Commission (EC) last May to become a political party. Its application has now been granted and the group is officially registered as the [Homeland Party](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk//English/Registrations/PP17368?ref=theferret.scot), allowing it to field candidates at elections across Britain. Announcing its registration with the EC, Homeland Party claimed it is “returning politics to the bedrock foundations of nation and community” and would be calling for a “binding referendum on immigration”. Critics, however, raised concerns. The Campaign Against Antisemitism said it is “extremely concerning when a far-right group successfully obtains political party status”. The Scottish Greens said Homeland’s “worldview has no place in a modern or progressive Scotland” and that voters would reject it. In reply, Homeland said it was a “ridiculous notion” that the party was “far right, fascist or white nationalist”. The EC told The Ferret that “following our robust and thorough assessment process” it decided that Homeland’s application “met the legal criteria”. Homeland Party was formed last April by Kenny Smith, a former British National Party Scottish organiser and election candidate. He led a [breakaway faction](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-group-formed-hitler-birthday-patriotic-alternative-splits/) of Patriotic Alternative (PA) activists after internal disputes with the far right group’s leadership. [White nationalist Homeland group applies to be political partyThe white nationalist group, Homeland, deemed Britain’s “most dangerous” UK far right organisation by anti-fascists, has applied to become a political party. The group has made an application to the Electoral Commission under the name Homeland Party, which is currently under review. The commission said it could not comment![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-56.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/screenshot-2023-05-30-at-14-14-41.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/white-nationalist-homeland-applies-political-party/) Homeland Party describes Smith, its chairman, as a “staunch advocate for the indigenous people of these islands” and claimed he “is well known for guiding people toward sensible nationalism”. In 2022, however, The Ferret [gained access](https://www.theferret.scot/supporters-of-scots-far-right-group-possess-weapons/) to a private chat group which Smith used to recruit neo-Nazis who had posed with weapons, shared a bomb-making manual, quoted a mass murderer, and said members should kill “for the greater good”. Among the content shared by some in the group were guides to making improvised landmines and “automatic and concealable firearms”, a violent combat guide, and military tactics for white supremacists. Smith also [expressed support](https://www.theferret.scot/patriotic-alternative-scotland-support-terrorist/) for a PA supporter who pleaded guilty to terrorism offences and urged PA members to write to him in prison. **Objections to Homeland’s application** A number of people [submitted objections](https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-12/FOI%20163-23%20-%20Response%20%28redacted%29.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) to the EC over Homeland’s application. One person said it is an “extremist organisation” whose supporters “pose a threat to minority communities” in the UK. Another objector pointed out that Anthony Burrows, the Homeland Party’s “[nominating officer](https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk//English/Registrations/PP17368?ref=theferret.scot)”, had three shotguns confiscated from his home in 2021 by Derbyshire Police, and that the seizure was in part due to him “sharing links to terrorist literature”. Burrows lost his gun licence at [Derby Crown Court](https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/not-just-keyboard-warrior-mans-8711183?ref=theferret.scot), and the court heard he allegedly [posted](https://www.theferret.scot/far-right-homeland-member-loses-shotgun-licence/) a photograph of Adolf Hitler and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke on Twitter, in response to being asked to “describe your politics with four people”. > The Homeland Party is the latest incarnation of the far right and reactionary politics of prejudice. They are not a legitimate political outfit, they are a hate mob. > > Maggie Chapman MSP, Scottish Greens. The judge who threw out Burrows’ appeal said he had “demonstrated views that were sympathetic towards violence aimed at non-white ethnic or religious groups.” Kenny Smith has also been in court over firearms. In 2022, as reported by The Ferret, [he pleaded guilty at Portree Sheriff Court](https://www.theferret.scot/leader-far-right-patriotic-alternative-scotland-court-guilty-firearms-charges/), Skye, after being charged with possessing excess ammunition. He was admonished. An [admonishment](https://www.gov.scot/publications/guidance-self-disclosure-previous-convictions-alternatives-prosecution-scotland-under-rehabilitation-offenders-act-1974/pages/3/?ref=theferret.scot) is a warning to a person convicted of an offence not to commit another crime, but no punishment is given alongside this warning. However, the offence is recorded as a conviction on state records. **Home Office concerns** Last August [The Ferret revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/home-office-far-right-homeland-stealth-party/) that the UK Government had contacted the EC over Homeland’s application. PA had failed with seven applications to become a political party, one of which breached equality laws as it would prevent certain people from becoming party members. The Ferret understands that PA’s failure to register as a party was one reason Homeland was formed. In a leaked recording of a Homeland meeting last April, Smith said members who were not “well known nationalists who might be on the radar“ were writing an application under a different party name. But the group registered as the Homeland Party. This caught the attention of the Home Office, which monitors potential terrorist threats from far right groups and others. **Homeland branded “fascist”** After Homeland was formed last year the anti-racist organisation [Hope not hate said ](https://hopenothate.org.uk/2023/05/07/exposed-the-sickening-true-beliefs-of-nazis-behind-the-new-homeland-party/?ref=theferret.scot)it would “attempt to distance itself from PA’s toxic reputation, but its membership and style activism will be the same as PA – including its focus on community politics”. [Home Office probed far right Homeland group’s ‘stealth’ political party bidThe UK Government raised concerns that a far right group led by a Scot had applied “by stealth” to become a political party, The Ferret can reveal. The Home Office contacted the Electoral Commission after learning that Homeland – a splinter group of the white nationalist outfit Patriotic Alternative (PA) – had![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/Ferret-for-new-site-transp-2-57.png)The FerretJamie Mann![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/image-1-6.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/home-office-far-right-homeland-stealth-party/) Pointing to Homeland’s presence at anti-asylum seeker protests in Erksine last year, Hope not hate added: “The new group also intends to continue its attempts to infiltrate local communities, in particular by piggybacking on local campaigns against accommodation being used to temporarily house asylum seekers. “This includes in Erskine, Renfrewshire, where the ex-PA activists – now with Homeland – continue to present themselves merely as citizens who share similar concerns to the residents. This could not be further from the truth.” A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is obviously extremely concerning when a far-right group successfully obtains political party status, and even more so when this is achieved over formal objections. It shows how fringe groups are more organised than is often realised and underscores the very real risk of extremist ideology finding its way into mainstream politics. “The influence of far-right propaganda will now not be limited to the internet and extremists’ meetings, but will extent to the ballot box as well. That should worry us all.” Green MSP Maggie Chapman said: “The Homeland Party is the latest incarnation of the far right and reactionary politics of prejudice. They are not a legitimate political outfit. “Time and again the people of Scotland have stood together and rejected the divisive and hateful politics of groups like Homeland, and we will do so again.” Kenny Smith, chair of Homeland, told The Ferret: “During the registration process (with the EC) the public can make comment on any application and extremist far-left element attempted to discredit us using the three degrees of separation method. Most, in our view, were timewasters peddling smears which just slowed the process down and nothing more. “I have a well-known reputation for warning those tempted by a wayward path to return to the straight and narrow. I have never condoned or encouraged violence. “Anthony Burrows is an exceptional parish councillor without an extremist bone in his body. He continues to fight a civil action against Derbyshire police who acted rashly after demonising him unfairly over harmless non-PC memes on Twitter. “The Home Office communication with the Electoral Commission was based on reports from the much-discredited left-wing pressure group Hope Not Hate, which had absolutely nothing to do with terrorist threats. “Maggie Chapman is one of the most and totalitarian politicians in Holyrood.” An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: “We assessed this application against the criteria set out in law, including consideration of public comments submitted to us. Where all elements of an application are compliant, the commission must register the party. They added: “The law prohibits individuals from being the registered party treasurer if they have been convicted of an electoral offence in the last five years. Other types of conviction or ruling do not prohibit an individual from registration as a party officer. “We refused Patriotic Alternative’s applications to register as a political party as the party’s constitution and financial scheme were not compliant with the law. Homeland Party’s constitution and financial scheme were compliant. The Homeland Party application was for a separate entity and submitted a different structure that was compliant with the law.” *This report was updated at 12.19 on 2/02/2024 to add a comment from the Electoral Commission.* *Correction: This story was amended at 10.29 on 21 March 2024 to clarify that “Homeland promotes a nationalism based on ancestry, land and the “law of blood”.* ### Homecoming: Scots rugby legend joins aid convoy to father’s village in Ukraine URL: https://www.theferret.scot/ukraine-scots-rugby-star-aid-father-village/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T00:35:49.000Z **On the morning of June 28, 2023, a small village in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast of Ukraine awoke and began to prepare for a visitor. Though having never been to the town before, he had a long history with the place – an obsession fuelled by a promise to complete a journey 80 years in the making.** After a lengthy three-day drive from Edinburgh, a convoy of 25 Jeeps and more than 60 alternating drivers arrived in the town square to cheers from a 100-strong crowd of people. One by one, the 4x4s came, mounting the pavements and clearing a path for the final vehicle. As an old Ford Maverick slowly rolled to a stop at the head of the column, the visitor stepped out. As he approached, a woman in her eighties, draped in a green babushka platok (granny’s shawl), emerged from the crowd and she began weeping as the visitor embraced her. The man is Iwan Tukalo, and this was his long-estranged aunt, Paraska. He had finally come home. For those invested in Scottish rugby, Tukalo needs no introduction. He is often considered one of the greatest players of his generation. In 1990, with him gliding along the wing, Scotland beat England 13-7 to win a historic Five Nations Grand Slam, and a legacy to last a lifetime. However, with his glittering rugby career behind him, Tukalo set himself a new goal with a more personal motivation. With the aid of the charity [Jeeps for Peace](https://jeepsforpeace.org.uk/?ref=theferret.scot), Tukalo committed himself to an almost 2,000-mile journey across Europe with the aim of helping the people of [Ukraine](https://theferret.scot/tag/ukraine?ref=theferret.scot). A second-generation Ukrainian immigrant, Tukalo says he always had a strong affiliation with the home country he had never visited. ![Tukalo ukraine](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/unnamed-9.jpg) *Tukalo, photographed at the depot holding the 4x4s for J4P, Edinburgh* After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Tukalo committed himself to helping his country in any way he could. Nearly 18 months after the beginning of the conflict, he came across the Scottish charity, which had already helped bring over 50 4x4s filled with food and medical aid into Ukraine. During an interview, Tukalo recalled his decision to get involved: “I remember calling Stewart \[Ford\],” he said. “We must have spent hours speaking on the phone. I told him I was interested in helping the charity in any way I could – that I’d even help get the jeeps to Ukraine.” Tukalo went on to describe his ‘penny drop’ moment: “Stewart asked me where my Ukrainian family came from. I told him it was a small town in the southwest called Nyzhniv. There was a long pause on the phone after I said that. When I asked what was wrong, Stewart said: ‘Our convoys go past Nyzhniv on their way to Kolomya.’ I was stunned. I knew in that one moment that I was going to complete my father’s dream. Being able to finally go home.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/unnamed-8.jpg) *Dmytro Tukalo (fourth from the left) in an Italian POW camp between 1945 and 47* Dmytro, Tukalo’s father, was only 18 when he last saw Nyzhniv. After Germany invaded the USSR in 1941, Ukraine quickly became one of the war’s deadliest battlegrounds. With his town occupied by the Germans, Dmytro was caught up in the controversial 1st Galicia Division – siding with the Nazi invaders against the Soviets. By 1945, the tide of war had firmly turned against Germany. Dmytro, stationed in Austria with the Galicia Division, faced two options: surrender to the Soviets and face near-certain retribution for supporting the Nazis, or surrender to the British. With a roughly 35.8 per cent chance of dying in a Russian prisoner of war (POW) camp, Dmytro, with the rest of his division, travelled south to surrender to British forces. He spent the next two years in a British POW camp in Italy until he and 500 others were shipped to a new camp in East Lothian, Scotland. Upon his release one year later, Dmytro was granted British citizenship and settled in Edinburgh. He never returned to Ukraine. “My father,” Tukalo explained while trying to compose himself, “always dreamed of returning to his hometown… even until his death, he still wanted to go back… I’m so happy I could complete his journey for him.” Tukalo approached some of his fellow former Scottish rugby stars, asking them if they would like to accompany him on his aid mission to Ukraine. Ex-players Finlay Calder, Colin Deans and Gordon Hunter all agreed without hesitation, with Hunter even donating his 4×4 to the charity. “I’ve known Tuks (Tukalo) for almost 40 years,” said Hunter. “I’d do anything to help him make it there.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/unnamed-10.jpg) *Fellow rugby legend Colin Deans (L) with Tukalo (R) outside Lviv* After leaving Edinburgh and criss-crossing through five countries in three days, an exhausted but determined convoy reached its last stop-off point before Kolomyya – the small town of Nyzhniv. At long last, nearly eight decades after his father said goodbye to his family and went to war, Tukalo was finally reunited with them. Calder described it as “a moment that will stick with me forever”. He added: The two most important aspects to the Ukrainian people are their country and their families. I feel so honoured to be here helping both”. The mayor of Nyzhniv, accompanied by the town’s Orthodox priests, also welcomed Tukalo and the rest of the convoy. After personally thanking Tukalo for his efforts, the mayor turned to address the rest of the group. “God bless you all and all of your families,” he said. “You all put your lives on the line for us. We all appreciate it so much. Thank you for everything.” Tukalo, his relatives, and other volunteers then began a tour of the town. Tukalo saw the church Dmytro would have attended, along with the graves of family members, many of whom had recently passed away. Edinburgh-born Tukalo was taken to his family’s home for a meal. Later, when passing by the schoolhouse, his aunt stopped to share a story. “The Germans,” she told a translator, “took your father and all other boys his age to that schoolhouse. They told him that he would fight the Russians, and if he didn’t, they would shoot him… this was the last place he was before they took him away.” Paraska, and the townsfolk of Nhzhniv, said many other boys Dymtro’s age, were forcibly conscripted under the threat of death. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/unnamed-11.jpg) **Tukalo showed his family residence* The Galicia division has been surrounded by controversy, with the consensus for years being they were a volunteer force responsible for many atrocities throughout the war. Only recently has historiography shifted to consider views like those in Nyzhniv. Historians including Olesya Khromeychuk highlight that modern politics have dictated the historical landscape of Ukraine for decades, with the “historical truth” unclear. While it is not known what actions Dmytro took during the war, it is clear he was swept up in something larger than himself – not of his choosing – and never saw his home again. As the time approached for the convoy to leave, the town’s orthodox priests showered the jeeps and their drivers with holy water, and gave them a blessing to protect them from harm. Again, a member of the Tukalo family would be leaving the village that had been their ancestral home for generations. “I will return here again,” promised Tukalo. “My work in Ukraine and in this village will never go away.” As he said goodbye to his family, Tukalo grabbed a jar from the back of his pickup and began filling it with soil from a nearby spot of grass. “If my father can’t make it back to Ukraine, I’ll take a bit of Ukraine back to him,” explained Tukalo, who said he intended to place the soil at his father’s grave, and help him complete his journey home. #### **This Ferret’story is part of a new partnership with Stirling University, whereby Ferret reporters mentor post-graduate journalism students.** You can help us support more budding journalists with a one-off donation or by becoming a member of The Ferret. ### ‘Hard to fathom’: second ex-Shell employee added to Sepa’s board URL: https://www.theferret.scot/second-ex-shell-employee-added-to-sepas-board/ Last updated: 2026-03-09T14:37:09.000Z **The Scottish Government has appointed a former head of North Sea exploration at oil giant Shell to the board of its main environmental watchdog.** Dr Sue Paterson has been [named](https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-appointment-members-appointed-to-the-board-of-the-scottish-environment-protection-agency/?ref=theferret.scot) as one of six new board members at the [Scottish Environment Protection Agency](https://www.theferret.scot/tag/sepa/) (Sepa) by net zero secretary, Mairi McAllan. Paterson [worked at Shell](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sue-paterson-4404144?original%5Freferer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&ref=theferret.scot) for nearly 30 years until 2010\. Between 2002 and 2003 she was responsible for Shell’s oil “exploration and appraisal activities” in the North Sea. Sepa is [responsible](https://beta.sepa.scot/local-environmental-issues/mossmorran/how-we-regulate-mossmorran/?ref=theferret.scot) for regulating Shell sites in Scotland including a natural gas liquids plant at Mossmorran in Fife, where gas flaring has caused environmental and health concerns for years. Sepa told The Ferret its new board members “bring a unique set of skills”, are bound by an “established” code of conduct, and have to declare any potential conflicts of interests. But one prominent climate campaigner said it was “hard to fathom” how someone with “direct links to the fossil fuel industry” was suitable for a role on the board of Scotland’s “key environmental protection agency”. Paterson now runs her own oil and gas consultancy and is also on the board of the government’s economic development agency, [Scottish Enterprise](https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/our-organisation/about-us/our-board-members?ref=theferret.scot)**.** Sepa’s board is [responsible](https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/593782/sepa-framework-document-2021.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) for its “overall direction and performance”. Paterson becomes its second member with ties to Shell and North Sea oil. Earlier this month, The Ferret [revealed](https://www.theferret.scot/sepa-board-member-with-ties-to-norwegian-oil/) that the chair of its audit and risk committee, Nicola Gordon, is a director at a Norwegian North Sea drilling firm. Gordon also had extensive experience at Shell and held shares in the company while on the board of Sepa. Those revelations were met with concern by regulatory experts who said it was “unacceptable” to be putting “poachers into gamekeeping roles during a climate crisis”. One former chief executive of Sepa questioned the Scottish Government’s selection process for the Sepa board. He said it was “interesting that highly qualified environmental specialists have been unable to join the agency board” but individuals from polluting companies have. ![Shell](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/2025/10/istock-1154059216.jpg) There is already one former member of Shell staff on Sepa’s board. [Friends of the Earth Scotland](https://foe.scot/?ref=theferret.scot) expressed concern at Paterson’s appointment. The group’s climate and energy campaigner, [Caroline Rance](https://foe.scot/author/caroline-rance/?ref=theferret.scot), said: “Sepa must be free to call out the greenwashing of oil companies and feel empowered to protect the public from these polluters. IIt was “hard to fathom” how a thirty year career at Shell qualified Paterson to be a board member at Sepa. “Appointing and lauding board members with direct links to the fossil fuel industry is symptomatic of a \[Scottish\] Government which fails to see these clear conflicts of interest and the negative impacts these actors are having on environmental policy making.” The chair of Sepa’s board, [Lisa Tennant](https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-appointment-chair-appointed-to-the-scottish-environment-protection-agency/?ref=theferret.scot), pointed out that the Scottish Government is responsible for appointing its board. “Each new board member brings a unique set of skills that will complement the existing strengths and significant contributions to Sepa’s work,” Tennant said. “ “Our Board members adhere to an established code of conduct and maintain publicly available registers of interest. Registers of interest for new board members will be published in due course.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We value very highly the benefits of having different experience and points of view on our Boards and we are keen that people from all walks of life apply for public appointments. “The Sepa code of conduct for members is clear on an individual duty to be responsible for identifying, and taking advice on, any conflicts of interest that may arise during their term of appointment.” The Scottish Greens were asked to comment. *Cover image thanks to Scottish Environment Protection Agency.* _Truncated after 5 MiB. Use `/sitemap.xml` for the complete archive of public content._