National Focus: Stories from Scotland

Kemi Badenoch Appointed as the New Conservative Party Leader

Four months after the Conservative party’s landslide defeat by the Labour party, Kemi Badenoch has emerged as the new leader after a rivalry for the position with Robert Jenrick. Badenoch achieved 53,806 votes as opposed to Jenrick’s 41,388 votes. Badenoch has received congratulations from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who posted on 2 November on X: “The first Black leader of a Westminster party is a proud moment for our country.” Badenoch was elected to Parliament in 2017 and has held a number of different roles, including trade secretary under PM Liz Truss and business secretary under Rishi Sunak.

Police Scotland Vote to Reject Pay Offer

The staff of Police Scotland have voted to reject a pay offer made by the Scottish Police Authority by 63 per cent. According to the union Unison, the offer would give those earning up to £28,296 an extra £1,344 per year; and those earning higher than that would get a 4.75 per cent pay increase. Many different employees within Police Scotland such as custody staff, emergency control room workers, and crime scene officers have voted to reject the offer and warned of industrial action.

Unpaid Carers Call for Free Covid Boosters

This winter the Covid booster will only be offered to certain groups. These groups, which have been decided by the Scottish Government following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), exclude unpaid carers. The coalition of Carers Scotland has urged the government to reconsider in a letter to First Minister John Swinney. The letter states that “carers are already at a higher risk of poverty, and placing them in a situation where they must bear the cost of the Covid-19 vaccine as we head into winter is unacceptable.” The group says that unpaid carers deliver an estimated £13.1 billion worth of care for the NHS, yet are not treated the same as frontline health and care professionals.

What Taxes will increase for UK residents

According to the BBC in an article published on 30 October, there will be an increase in taxes on vapes and tobacco in order to discourage young people and non-vapers and smokers from taking up the habit. Air Passenger Duty (APD) will also rise, with £2 added to economy tickets on short flights. The government will also increase the National Living Wage by 6.7 per cent to £12.21 an hour. Private schools will no longer be excluded from Value Added Tax (VAT) from 1 January 2025. The Budget includes many other changes that are aiming to rebuild Britain.

Photo from WikiCommons