Podlitical

Martin Geissler on the BBC's new Scottish news podcast. A new episode of Scotcast is published every Monday to Wednesday by 5pm. Get in touch with the team by emailing scotcast@bbc.co.uk

In our final episode, the team look back at 6 years of change and chaos in politics. How does this week's row over WASPI women and Labour's new government link back to former PM Theresa May trying wrangle a Brexit deal through during her premiership? How did the constitutional debate develop, and where did that leave parties like the SNP? The team reflect on half a decade of intense politics, from...

Scotland's First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney sits down with Podlitical. The First Minister talks about becoming SNP leader right before the UK general election was called, how he worried his party faced a wipeout when the polls closed, and how he believed he was "the only person on the planet who could turn it around" for the SNP following a bruising period under former First Minister Hum...

The team discuss Labour's "reset" plans, and politicking ramping up in Holyrood. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Labour's "Plan for Change", but how has it gone down with the electorate, and Scottish Labour MSPs? As the 2026 Holyrood election continues to approach, the politicking ramps up in Holyrood, following the Scottish Budget, and polls suggesting Scottish Labour might not be on as sur...

Was the pound in your pocket or politicking at the heart of the Scottish budget? The team are joined by economist Dr João Sousa, Deputy Director at the Fraser of Allander Institute, at the University of Strathclyde, to deep dive into the Scottish Government budget this week. From surprises over the vow to scrap the two child benefit cap, tinkering with tax, and scrutiny over spending priorities, t...

As MPs back proposals for assisted dying in England & Wales, what's next for Scotland? Podlitical's Rajdeep Sandhu sits down with two MPs and two MSPs who are split on support/opposition for assisted dying - Scottish Labour's Graeme Downie MP, Scottish Conservative Murdo Fraser MSP, Scottish Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur MSP, and the SNP's Seamus Logan MP - to discuss the implications of the...

The team talk winter fuel payments in Scotland, immigration, and assisted dying. Ahead of next week's Scottish Government budget, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has told Holyrood that every pensioner in Scotland will receive a winter fuel payment next year. What does this mean for Scotland's finances and what does it say about the battlegrounds being laid for the 2026 Holyrood el...

Farmers protest inheritance tax changes, and budget manoeuvres continue in Holyrood. This week saw thousands of farmers descend on the capital to protest Labour's changes to inheritance tax, while Labour claims the existing rules around inheritance tax aren't fair nor sustainable. In Holyrood, the row over Stephen Flynn's ambition to run as an MSP while staying on as an MP continues, and Scottish...

The National Care Service is delayed and the build-up to Holyrood 2026 continues. With the announcement that the National Care Service has been delayed, but not dropped according to the Scottish Government, and the original vision set out by former First Minister Sturgeon looking further away, what might be the fate of the National Care Service in Scotland, and might there be a UK version like Lab...

What does the new US president-elect Donald Trump mean for Scotland and the wider UK? From threats of tariffs, to campaign clashes with the Labour leadership, the team discuss the implications of a Trump presidency on the UK, including the risk of export tariffs for Scotch whisky, and the kind of relationship the US and UK may have for the next four years. With new Conservative leader Kemi Badenoc...

Podlitical sits down with Scotland's Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes to talk budgets. Kate Forbes, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, and MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, chats with Podlitical following Labour's first budget in 14 years, discussing how she and the SNP-led Scottish Government feel it's a "step in the right direction" but worries for Scotland's pensioners, farmers,...

Podlitical breaks down the tax and spend on Labour's first Budget in 14 years. What implications do Chancellor Reeves' announcements have for Scotland, and the upcoming Scottish Government budget later this year? The team are joined by Mairi Spowage, Director at the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde to deep dive into the taxation and spending plans, which Government dep...

With less than a week before the UK budget, is Chancellor Reeves playing fiscal chess? The team discuss the upcoming budget, and what it might mean for Scotland in terms of spending, cuts, and taxation, and if we can expect any "rabbits out the hat". Also, Scottish and UK politicians find themselves in an international row after Donald Trump accuses Labour of "foreign interference" following the n...

The team discuss the latest on Salmond's death, and the likelihood of big budget reveals. Following the news that former First Minister Alex Salmond's body is being flown back by a private individual, the team discuss the row (that perhaps wasn't a row) over using the RAF to return Salmond to the UK, and what the loss of Salmond means to the independence movement going forward. Also, in Westminste...

Podlitical discusses the legacy, life, and career of former First Minister Alex Salmond. Phil Sim sits down with BBC Scotland political editor Glenn Campbell and political correspondent David Porter, to share their memories of Alex Salmond, the interviews they did with him, how his career from the early days to Alba was defined by rebellion, his impact on Scottish politics, and more.

The team get conspiratorial over the Tory leadership race, and discuss budget 'nuggets'. With the news that candidate for Conservative leadership James Cleverly was knocked out of the race, leaving Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick as the last two running, the team discuss what went wrong for Cleverly as conspiracies fly around the corridors of Westminster. Plus, what more do we know about Labour's...

The deputy leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats sits down with Podlitical. MP for North East Fife Wendy Chamberlain chats about her varied career, from working in the police force to becoming deputy leader of the Scottish Lib Dems, as well as chief whip and pensions spokesperson for the UK Liberal Democrats. Chamberlain explains how being an MP is the "best job" she's ever had, her background...

The team talk conference contentment, the national care service, and Taylor Swift. Why did the Conservatives seem so upbeat during the Birmingham conference? Why is the Labour donations row still dominating the news cycle several weeks in? Podlitical discusses the week's news, including Prime Minister Starmer returning £6k in gifts following a continuing row over donations, the new Scottish Conser...

The team dissect the weekend's Labour conference, and Douglas Ross' final FMQs. After delegates met in Liverpool, have we learnt more about what Labour will deliver? Have they managed to reframe the gloomy economic outlook as a message of hope? Rajdeep shares her experience at conference, and talks about the mood on the ground with the Scottish MPs. Also, the Scottish Conservative leadership conte...

Scottish Conservatives' leadership candidate Murdo Fraser sits down with Podlitical. The MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife sets out his vision for the Scottish Conservatives if he wins the leadership contest, including why the party needs to be "brave" to succeed in the 2026 Holyrood election, why he believes the messaging on independence has "lost its currency" with voters, as well as why he thinks f...

Scottish Conservatives' leadership candidate Meghan Gallacher sits down with Podlitical. The MSP for Central Scotland sets out her vision for the Scottish Conservatives if she wins the leadership contest, including why she's calling for repair and unity after the contest because "broken parties don't win elections", the infighting reported on during the contest, her resignation as Deputy Leader of...

2024 feels a bit 2014 as Scotland marks 10 years since the independence referendum. The team look ahead to what the future of the independence debate might be in Scotland, as well as talking about the news of the week, including reports that there are splits at the top of Labour over chief of staff Sue Gray being paid more than the Prime Minister, and criticism over the scale of gifts and freebies...

Co-leader of the Scottish Greens Lorna Slater sits down with Podlitical, talking about her journey to Scotland, and ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, shares her memories of the referendum and how she got engaged in Scottish politics. Lorna Slater shares how she feels having autism is an advantage in the job, how her experience with the Deposit Return Schem...

Scotland's only oil refinery is set to close, and the winter fuel payments row continues. Petroineos have confirmed Grangemouth will close next year, putting at threat hundreds of jobs at the UK's oldest refinery, with First Minister John Swinney saying he was "deeply disappointed" at the news. The First Minister also faces the prospect of a stand-off over the Scottish Government's next budget, af...

Podlitical is back as parliaments return from recess bearing bad news for public spending. The new Labour government are pointing the finger at the previous successive Conservative governments for a "£22bn black hole" in the public purse, while drawing fire for their announced scrapping of winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners. Meanwhile, on the week of the Programme for Government, the...