Together we can make Scotland better.

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson says Labour’s commitment to progressive politics has been questioned yet again after the unionist’s No campaign highlighted yet another Tory-Labour pact.

It is revealed in today’s Herald that a six-strong committee will lead the No campaign – including Labour’s Anas Sarwar and the Tories’ David McLetchie.

Mr Gibson, SNP MSP for Cunninghame North, said:

As Theresa May was heckled at the Police Federation conference for saying officers will need to take a “share” of government cuts, the SNP has reiterated its commitment that it will not impose the Winsor package in Scotland.

At the conference, Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, also urged the Home Secretary to follow in Scotland’s lead.

The new Labour-Tory administration in East Lothian is to try and reintroduce Margaret Thatcher’s Right-to-Buy policy, despite it having been abolished under the Housing (Scotland) Act.

Welcoming a cross-party effort to secure the identity of Scotland’s historic army regiments, the SNP has stepped up demands for the UK Government to rule-out the further amalgamation and disbandment of Scottish raised units as a parliamentary question revealed that less than 3 per cent of regular army units are now stationed in Scotland.

The SNP has reiterated its call for the UK Government to release £300m of capital funding to kick-start shovel-ready projects across Scotland.

Edinburgh has been deemed the best city in the UK for its library services.

The Bookseller Industry Awards named Edinburgh City Libraries and Information Service as Library of the Year.

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central Marco Biagi welcomed the news and said this was the third national libraries award won by the city’s library service in two years.

Mr Biagi said:

The SNP group in East Renfrewshire have this evening reached an agreement with the Labour group to form a coalition administration to run the council.

The agreement will build on the last five years of informal coalition, where the two groups have had a positive working relationship.

Commenting, SNP Group Leader Tony Buchanan said:

Speaking in the Queen’s Speech debate on foreign affairs in the House of Commons SNP Westminster leader and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Angus Robertson MP criticised the UK Governments failure to take a serious approach to the economic and military opportunities in the Arctic and “High North” Atlantic.

Local MSPs have welcomed the announcement that oil and gas company Aker Solutions will create 500 new jobs at its bases in Dyce and Portlethen.

Aker, which specialises in extending the life-span of offshore platforms, already employs 2,700 people in Scotland.

TORY PEER CLAIMS INDEPENDENCE IS AN ‘INEVITABILITY’

SNP ARGUMENTS ARE “WINNING OVER PUBLIC OPINION IN ENGLAND”

A top Tory peer has praised Alex Salmond’s attempts to argue in favour of a social union with England, and has said that Scottish independence is an “inevitability.”