Hi ,

Next week, the Scottish Government will announce its budget. 

Already the negotiation and brinksmanship has begun, with the SNP needing support from other parties to pass their plans, thanks to the collapse of the power-sharing agreement with the Greens earlier this year. 

Luckily, some of the other parties have set out their terms for supporting the budget. 

The Scottish LibDems have said they will vote down the budget if it includes any spending on independence. Meanwhile, former allies the Scottish Greens said they will only back the budget if no cuts to independence spending are made.

Hmm... Stay tuned for a week of high drama.  

Yours,

Ali

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Story of the week

An in-depth look at a Ferret investigation

A top Labour donor who has given the party millions under Keir Starmer’s leadership runs a hedge fund with shares in a private healthcare giant – which critics claim is profiting from the NHS crisis.

Martin Taylor, who founded London-based Crake Asset Management, has given more than £5.5m to Labour, its politicians and a Labour think tank since April 2020, when Starmer won the party’s leadership contest. 

His donations include tens of thousands of pounds individually to both Starmer and deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner.

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Rare capercaillie under threat from gamebirds

Gamebirds such as pheasants and partridges could be threatening the capercaillie which is a rare bird potentially facing extinction in the UK, The Ferret can reveal.

How well is Scotland doing on reducing climate emissions?

A key target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 per cent by 2030 was scrapped in April, prompting criticism from climate campaigners. 

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Will the Scottish Government hit its ‘net zero’ emissions target by 2045

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