HeyJaredKieran Andrews
Political Editor at ITV Border. Scottish political journalist of the year 2025. Used to work at The Times, The Courier, Sunday Post, Evening Telegraph and Brechin Advertiser. Still figuring out Substack.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
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- Sep 23, 2026
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Latest issues
Scotland's drugs-deaths increase shows eyes need to be back on the ball (opens the original)
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Five and a half years ago Nicola Sturgeon stood in front of the country and admitted her government had taken its “eye off the ball” on the number of drugs-related deaths in Scotland.Today, her successor as First Minister and deputy at that time, John Swinney, is facing a renewed public health crisis as the number of deaths increased by 11% last year.That means that in 2025, 1,133 people lost their lives to drugs across Scotland.Or to put it another way, three people died every single day after
Why John Swinney believes a “Celtic Alliance” will deliver Scottish independence (opens the original)
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In a small room in the basement of a five-star Glasgow hotel, Ireland’s President uttered words that had Scotland’s First Minister dancing up the stairs to his parliamentary office in Edinburgh.Almost exactly 24 hours after meeting John Swinney, Catherine Connolly told me the pair had discussed “the importance…of self-determination”.Pressed if that meant she backed Scottish independence, she said: “Obviously it’s for the people of Scotland to determine their future and I wish them the best in th
Bonfire of the boards or an NHS vanity project? (opens the original)
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John Swinney had been sitting on a finalised programme for government for a week before he unveiled it to MSPs.It was agreed by his ministerial team last Tuesday at the final cabinet meeting of Holyrood’s summer recess.The First Minister is determined to make faster progress with his new policies but danger lies ahead in the nitty gritty of his plans for the next five years.So let’s start with what he has announced.<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/
At £5,000 a pop who wouldn’t want to run to be Scottish Labour leader? (opens the original)
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Candidates standing to be the next Scottish Labour leader must pay £5,000 to enter the contest.The charge is a significant increase on the 2021 cost of £3,000 when Anas Sarwar defeated Monica Lennon to take charge.It cost £1,500 to enter both the 2017 race that saw Richard Leonard defeat Mr Sarwar, and the 2015 poll where Kezia Dugdale saw off a challenge from Ken Macintosh. Candidates are told the money covers the cost of producing a “candidate booklet”
From Despair To Where? (opens the original)
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Legally they had to stay six feet apart. But five years ago Sir Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar couldn’t have been much closer politically as they gathered during the pandemic in a back room at Glasgow Airport.The conversation included some blunt advice for the man already eyeing up his road to Downing Street.“He does and always has struggled with Scotland because it’s just not part of his family story,” said one of those present.“We told him, ‘You need to learn this stuff because it’s your job’. H
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