Various MSPs announced their intention to stand down next year, Reform UK squabbled amongst themselves, and the UK Government sought to cut civil service spending.
MSPs standing down
Six MSPs, including former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, announced their intention to stand down at the 2026 Holyrood election.
Those that announced they were standing down in March were:
- SNP Deputy Presiding Officer Annabelle Ewing.
- Scottish Labour’s former leader Richard Leonard.
- SNP Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government Shona Robinson.
- SNP Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop.
- SNP Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
- Former leader of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross.
Former Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism, Fergus Ewing also said that he wouldn’t stand for the SNP in the 2026 election but hinted that he may run as an independent.
Reform UK internal drama
Senior Reform UK officials fought amongst themselves throughout March, as Rupert Lowe criticised Nigel Farage’s leadership in an interview with the Daily Mail.
In the interview, Lowe described Reform UK as a “protest party led by the Messiah”.
In response, Farage suggested that Lowe was “completely wrong”, and Reform is not a protest party.
Two days after the Mail interview, Reform reported Lowe to the police over allegations that he had made verbal threats of physical violence to Chairman Zia Yusuf in December and February.
The party also suspended the whip for Lowe, stating that he had failed to comply with an internal investigation over alleged bullying in his parliamentary office. Lowe rebuked this, saying the statement was published before an investigation had begun and all allegations were untrue.
Private WhatsApp messages between Farage and an anonymous source were then leaked to the BBC in which Farage suggested that Lowe was suspended “because he is damaging the party just before elections,”, before suggesting “of course” Lowe’s suspension was about the investigation into bullying, and the Mail piece was just a “side issue.”.
UK Government cutting costs
The UK Government took some wide-sweeping measures to cut some government spending in March.
Most notably, some disability benefits were slashed, and NHS England was set to be abolished.
The key changes to disability benefits, intended to save £5bn per year, were stricter tests for personal independence payments (Pips), a halving of universal credit’s incapacity benefits for new claimants, and reduced incapacity benefits for those under 22.
Most of the measures applied to Great Britain, although the changes to Pips will only apply to England and Wales.
Northern Ireland makes its own benefits rules, although typically mimics the changes adopted by Westminster.
The Government also announced the abolition of NHS England, with an intention to ‘cut bureaucracy’ and the running costs of the NHS.
Despite the worrying headlines that this caused, NHS England is just an administrative body made up of bureaucrats and managers who decide where to funnel government money in order to get the best results.
It was established in 2011 and rebranded in 2013 and employs the equivalent of 10,000 full-time staff. Government sources believe the move will save £500m a year.
You can read more of Brig’s political roundup writing here.
Featured Image Credit: Edward Jewsbury