The Scottish Government's 2026-27 budget paints a familiar picture: big promises, tight resources, and a looming capital funding gap that threatens to derail investment ambitions. For Holyrood, capital funding isn’t just a line in the budget.
As Scotland approaches the May Holyrood election, the Scottish National Party faces one of its most serious governing challenges in nearly two decades in power: a growing budget deficit. With limited fiscal flexibility and rising demands on public services, Finance Secretary Shona Robison must balance economic reality with political survival.
Illegal working arrests and raids have reached the highest level in UK history thanks to relentless activity by the Home Office's Immigration Enforcement teams. Latest figures reveal the number of raids have soared by 77% in the UK since the government came into power, leading to an 83% rise in arrests (July 2024 to end of December 2025).
The 2026-27 Budget will support a stronger NHS, with a record £22.5 billion for health and social care, expand cost of living support and invest in Scotland's infrastructure. Published alongside the latest multi-year Scottish Spending Review, Infrastructure Strategy and Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline, the draft Budget invests almost £68 billion including direct support for families and household budgets.
Over the past three decades, Poland has undergone a remarkable economic transformation, evolving from a post‑communist transition economy into one of Europe's most dynamic growth stories. This progress has now culminated in a milestone achievement - in 2025, Poland's economy crossed the symbolic US $1 trillion threshold, making it one of the twenty largest national economies in the world.
Income Tax New 45p tax band introduced for earnings £75,000-£125,140. Top rate rises to 48p above £125,140.
The home delivery expert Parcelhero reveals its list of dos and don'ts for e-commerce retailers for the year ahead. Green is no longer the new black, droids are glitching, but AI will be crucial.
The question of whether the Scottish Government is ignoring fraud in the benefits system has become a contentious political and public issue. Critics argue that the extremely low number of reported fraud cases indicates under-enforcement, while the government insists that its approach balances accountability with fairness, particularly for vulnerable claimants.
UK Total retail sales increased by 1.2% year on year in December, against a growth of 3.2% in December 2024. This was below the 12-month average growth of 2.3%.
Health Secretary Neil Gray has thanked NHS staff for their efforts as latest figures show that in the 12 months to November 2025 the number of operations carried out increased by 5.3% on the same period the year before. A total of 272,465 operations were performed during this time according to the statistics from Public Health Scotland.
Gold prices are soaring to unprecedented levels in early 2026, climbing above $4,600 per ounce, with silver also reaching all-time highs. Headlines about "record gold prices" dominate financial media, but the surge reflects more than mere market hype.
On the A9 between the Invereen Roundabout and the B9154 Moy South junction. BT are carrying out works close to the A9 carriageway, to allow for safe working, overnight traffic signals will be in place to manage traffic through a short 300 metre section lane closure.
New rules mandating classification and price reporting for sheep carcases come into force, bringing sector in line with beef and pork. New regulations mandating classification and price reporting for sheep carcases in England come into force this week (Monday 12 January 2026), bringing the sector in line with beef and pork and ensuring farmers are paid more fairly for their livestock at slaughter.
Medics Against Violence (MAV), a charity operating across 10 hospital Emergency Departments, is among 19 organisations to receive a share of more than £1 million from the Victim Surcharge Fund, which is financed by penalties imposed on offenders who received a court fine. The funding will support MAV to offer practical assistance and essential items to people arriving at hospital after experiencing violence or exploitation.
Approximately a quarter (25%) of businesses reported that they are currently using some form of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in late December 2025, up 15 percentage points since the question was first introduced in late September 2023. For businesses with 250 employees or more, the proportion was higher at 44%.
Maps of the Council's gritting routes by priority and policy are available online at www.highland.gov.uk/gritting Met Office - A Yellow warning for rain is in force for western and northern Scotland until 10:00 on Monday morning and warns of 40-60mm of rain quite widely, with up to 80-100mm possible over higher ground in the west. The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time.
Self Assessment customers reminded of payment options as deadline approaches. Almost 340,000 Self Assessment filers have already paid their tax bill using the HMRC app.
Analysis of the impact of large events on UK consumer spending using Visa cardholder spending data. New data capabilities allow us to understand the impact of events in greater detail, which helps to assure the quality of gross domestic product (GDP) estimates and better interpret and communicate their movements.
ScotRail recorded its busiest December since public ownership began, with 7,866,187 passenger journeys made across Scotland's Railway during December 2025. The figure represents an increase of 701,910 journeys (+10 per cent) compared to December 2024, when 7,164,277 journeys were recorded, and a 69 per cent increase on December 2022, when 4,646,072 journeys were made.
New proposals to end the use of cages for laying hens and minimise pain during lamb castration and tail docking. Laying hens and lambs will benefit from better animal welfare standards under detailed plans set out by the Government today (12th January 2026).
