Teenage psychopath Aaron Campbell, who raped and murdered six-year-old Alesha MacPhail on the Isle of Bute, was subject to the SNP's Named Person scheme, a secret report reveals.

STEPHEN GLOVER: The British are respected for their good sense and moderation, or used to be. But they may be about to choose an extremist government that would crash the economy.

The Liberal Democrats lost the East Dunbartonshire seat to the SNP's Amy Callaghan by just 149 votes. Nicola Sturgeon was filmed shaking her fists with joy at the news of her party's gain.

Ms Sturgeon was filmed reacting to the Dunbartonshire East result while doing interviews at the Glasgow count, but has faced fierce criticism over her behaviour.

STEPHEN DAISLEY: Nicola Sturgeon's party went from 35 seats to 48, halving the Scottish Tory MP group and taking Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson's seat of East Dunbartonshire.

EUAN McCOLM: English voters wonder why Boris Johnson is bothering with Scotland as its health service is ailing and school attainment has dropped by more than a third due to changes by the SNP.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon teed up a pitch battle for the future of the UK claiming Boris Johnson will be 'subverting democracy' by refusing a ballot.

ANDREW PIERCE: Ian Blackford, the SNP leader in Parliament, who comfortably retained his Highlands seat, is non-executive chairman of internet provider Commsworld.

The SNP won 35 seats in 2017 but managed to secure 12 more at the general election last week - a surge which has bolstered Ms Sturgeon's calls for a second breakaway ballot.

The SNP leader made the admission as she addressed the Holyrood parliament and tore into the Prime Minister after his election win. The SNP itself now holds 47 of the 59 seats in Scotland.

Steven Bonnar, the newly elected MP for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, crossed his index finger and his middle finger as he made a 'solemn affirmation' to the monarch.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she had won overwhelming support north of the border in the election last week - and the PM had no right to block a new bid to break up the UK.

HENRY DEEDES: Word around Westminster is that Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom is for the chop.

Heather Anderson took up her seat on Tuesday to replace Alyn Smith, who had served as an MEP for 15 years but had to step down after being elected MP for Stirling in the recent general election.

The vote was driven by the SNP First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who insisted a second vote on independence is necessary to protect the country from the consequences of Brexit.

The Wombles, who found fame on TV in the Seventies, have come out of retirement to back the Spring Clean. They joined nearly 200 MPs including Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers.

The Labour leadership challenger made the comment at a hustings event last week and provoked fury from the party as she labelled its members 'Tories wrapped up in nationalist clothing'.

YouGov research found 51 per cent north of the border would support independence - the first time the firm has recorded a majority in favour since 2015.

The First Minister said that the Prime Minister's decision to block a new vote was 'a sign of weakness' as she continued to build her case the break up the UK.

Former Polish PM Mr Tusk suggested the UK would be focused on 'damage control' in the talks and warned Downing Street against planned divergence from continental rules.

The threat to the union has been underlined by research showing voters north of the border are divided 50-50 on the issue of independence.

Research by Panelbase suggests that a narrow majority would vote to break up the UK if Nicola Sturgeon gets her way over holding a fresh referendum.

Nicola Sturgeon is alleged to have issued the edict after concerns were raised at staff meetings about Derek Mackay's behaviour.

Police Scotland detectives have not 'received any complaint of criminality' but are 'assessing available information' in the wake of Thursday's bombshell revelations.

Kate Forbes only found out that she would announce the Scottish Government's spending pledges for the coming year at around 8am today - just after Derek Mackay resigned in disgrace.

Online trolls - some of whom told her to 'go back to India' and who mocked her Ugandan background - claimed to be members of Labour, the SNP and Green Party.

Salmond faces 14 charges of alleged offences against 10 women, all of which he denies.

Alex Salmond is tipped to make a dramatic SNP leadership comeback bid after he was cleared of sex assault charges this week. He could be deputy to MP Joanna Cherry, who led a bid to block Brexit last year.

Former deputy leader of the SNP Jim Sillars, 82, has said that the allegations against against Mr Salmond were the 'dirtiest blow' he has ever seen delivered in his 60 years of political life.

Alex Wilson had his account targeted by his devastated wife Pamela, who said he had left her to be with fellow SNP councillor Mandy Morgan. Pictured: Mr and Mrs Wilson.

Hosts on Airbnb have been flouting the coronavirus lockdown rules by advertising their properties as 'Covid-19 retreats' on the popular rental website.

Nicola Sturgeon today made clear she is willing to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions in Scotland at a different rate to the rest of the UK.

MSP for Renfrewshire North and West Derek Mackay is entitled to a =n automatic severance payment of £11,945 for losing ministerial office.

Former deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott has been admitted to hospital after suffering a stroke, his family has said in a statement.

In a letter to party members the opposition leader said that the party would demand a new public vote on a Tory Brexit plan or a No Deal departure.

The party's 'outriders' and 'socialist social media activists' were urged to take to Facebook and Twitter to defend Mr Corbyn and his general secretary Jennie Formby.

The Tory frontrunner, who will become the UK's new Prime Minister next week if he defeats Jeremy Hunt in the leadership race, is said to have told aides to prepare for an election as early as next summer.

The two leaders clashed angrily in Mrs May's penultimate Prime Minister's questions on the day 60 Labour peers took out a full-page newspaper advert criticising Mr Corbyn.

Class sizes and costs for local councils would soar of thousands if extra students has to be absorbed by the state system, the Independent Schools Council (ISC) warned.

Philip Hammond is believed to be the first Chancellor to have ignored a three-line whip and not being sacked or forced to resign by the incumbent prime minister.

Carl Beech's lies were swallowed by bungling Scotland Yard detectives who launched a £2.5m witch hunt that resulted in Thatcher's Home Secretary dying under a cloud of suspicion.

HENRY DEEDES: Almost as likely as Boris Johnson being announced as our new Prime Minister this morning will be the subsequent phoney display of unity between him and Jeremy Hunt.

Tony Blair refused to say three times whether he would vote for Labour at the next general election as the party continues to struggle with Brexit and allegations of anti-Semitism.

Tom Watson today refused to apologise for his role in bringing convicted liar Carl Beech's false claims to prominence, insisting his intervention led to the conviction of three child abusers.

Barry Gardiner said that the opposition had been discussing the 'nuclear option'  of supporting a no confidence vote in Mr Johnson's Brexiteer administration.

Boris Johnson goaded the Labour leader that he had abandoned his long-standing Euroscepticism as he claimed that the Tories were now the only ones 'on the side of the people'.

Jeremy Corbyn has refused to launch a vote of no confidence against Boris Johnson after Jo Swinson urged the Labour leader to join forces with her to bring down the government.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said today that the Government should be working on getting ready for an election but he does not expect one before October 31.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted about No Deal Brexit and flooding this morning, but did not mention the humiliating result in Wales.

John McDonnell has refused to back down despite facing a wave of anger over the huge concession, seemingly designed to pave the way for a deal with Nicola Sturgeon.