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.

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.

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'.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Wales manager Ryan Giggs faces a dressing-room rebellion as his side struggles to qualify for Euro 2020. Defeats by Croatia and Hungary have left Wales fourth of five teams in Group E.

Ex-Liverpool star Sakho, 29, was suspended from football in 2016 after testing positive for a fat-burning substance. But it later emerged that the substance was not on the banned list.

Sanches's underwhelming time in the Bundesliga has come to a close after he completed a reported £23m move from German champions Bayern Munich to French side Lille on Friday afternoon.

Michael O'Neill warned the real tests begin now as his Northern Ireland squad prepare to face Germany in Monday's crunch Euro 2020 qualifier.

Wayne Rooney reportedly warned Jamie Vardy about his wife Rebekah's behavior during Euro 2016 - as Coleen Rooney accused the WAG of selling stories on her in a extraordinary Twitter rant.

EXCLUSIVE: The PFA have been accused of ignoring requests for help from lower league players allegedly cheated out of their life savings by former Wales international David Cotterill.

SAMI MOKBEL: It's the size of the challenge that galvanises Raheem Sterling - nothing else. That's why the natural next step in his career is to join one of the Spanish giants - Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has threatened to switch his international allegiance after not being called up to the French squad again.

Arda Turan was once one of Turkey's best players and earned big moves to Atletico Madrid and then Barcelona. But, at 32, his career now lies in ruins following astonishing off-field incidents.

Viewers took to Twitter to praise the singer, 34, for her 'fearless' judging style as they demanded she should join the panel permanently.

The former X Factor judge, 67, celebrated her theatre stint for Nativity! The Musical with her daughter Kelly, 35, during a gala night, held at Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London, on Thursday.

Viewers weren't impressed as the singer decided to turn Robbie's performance of The Pussycat Dolls' hit Don't Cha into a duet, especially when she sent the Irish singer home later in the show.

Viewers tuning in on Sunday night were left baffled as X Factor: The Band singer wore a hoodie emblazoned with a swear word before 9pm watershed.

The X Factor judge, 41, opted for a glamorous look as she donned a chic red fur coat, which no doubt kept the chill off in the chilly climes.

JAN MOIR: Oh my friends, it's been a long, hard year. Brexit, a General Election, Cats the movie, Prince Andrew, Greggs vegan sausage rolls, and the celebrity version of The X Factor.

Unlucky-in-love Stefan-Pierre Tomlin, 29, from south London, shot to fame in 2017 after the dating app revealed 14,600 woman had swiped right for him in two years - more than any other Brit.

Louisa Johnson took to Instagram on New Year's Day to share not one, but three images, prancing around in a bikini, despite claiming she felt 'bloated'.

The Love Island personality, 23, reflected on a tumultuous 2019 in an impassioned Instagram post on New Year's Day.

Ray Quinn, who shot to fame on reality shows The X Factor and Dancing On Ice, proposed to his girlfriend Emily Fletcher over New Year's.

The Pussycat Dolls star, 41, looked incredible in a one-shouldered pink gown as she oozed elegance while her dashing beau swapped The X Factor

Crackerjack's famous catchphrase: 'It's Friday. It's five-to-five. And it's Crackerjack!' will be tweaked to accommodate the new incarnation's later start time.

The musician, 22, is believed to have dated the fellow singer - who is also friends with her famous ex Lewis Capaldi - on-and-off for a few years, before the pair began drifting apart in April 2019.

Lewis Capaldi's ex Paige Turley has denied being involved in a relationship shortly before signing up for the hit show's first winter series. 

The Masked Singer raked in 6.5 million viewers despite people calling it the 'trashiest' TV filled with B-listers under a monster's mask. It stars a bizarre line-up including the former Home Secretary.

Twitter erupted with hilarious reaction to their row, which saw the girls, 20, fight ahead of their recoupling - however their father Brian Gale defended the duo

He displayed his slimmed down features in a selfie shared with his 16,100 Twitter followers and revealed he had regained his confidence with the weight loss

Cher Lloyd has detailed her experience on The X Factor as a vulnerable 16-year-old in an insightful new interview.

Love Island viewers struggling with the issue of Connagh with a G and Conner OG are sure to be less-than-thrilled to learn the latest hunks set to enter the show are both called Luke.

The Take That star (pictured with his wife Dawn) lodged plans to demolish a section of his five-bed Cotswolds home in Alvescot, Oxfordshire, four months ago.

The presenter, 46, took to Instagram on Saturday to share a snap announcing that 'Koppang O'Leary productions' would be welcoming a 'new arrival' in the coming months.

The-31-year-old exuded glamour when she stepped out on Sunday night to attend a BAFTA's afterparty.

The Celebrity X Factor star, 34, who's already a dad to Aoife, seven, and Tadhg, five, who he shares with ex-wife Una, 38, married Jackie in August after just two months of dating.

Una Healy has shared a sweet family picture of herself and her two children on Instagram following the news her ex-husband Ben Foden is expecting a baby.